If you are struggling to gain market traction this is for you.
Inc. put together a great list of mini articles with some equally great insight into the creativity it takes to compete in a crowded marketplace as a startup. A must read for almost any consumer focused startup: Grassroots Marketing | Inc.com (Link).
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Tampilkan postingan dengan label Sales and Marketing. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label Sales and Marketing. Tampilkan semua postingan
Selasa, 17 Januari 2012
Jumat, 01 Oktober 2010
Sales, Sales, Sales...
"I don't care how good of a manager you are...you can't manage ZERO to a profit." Jim Watkins
For as much time as we spend talking about value propositions, brand position, messaging, social media, etc. the fact remains that REVENUE (for most that means Sales) is the first key, without it any business will fail.
Of course, like building anything there are essential steps and you don't improve by obsessing about the goal, but instead by taking action steps that move you toward the goal.
Nonetheless, it is a good reminder by my dad that, in business, REVENUE is the first goal because without it all the other stuff is pointless.
For as much time as we spend talking about value propositions, brand position, messaging, social media, etc. the fact remains that REVENUE (for most that means Sales) is the first key, without it any business will fail.
Of course, like building anything there are essential steps and you don't improve by obsessing about the goal, but instead by taking action steps that move you toward the goal.
Nonetheless, it is a good reminder by my dad that, in business, REVENUE is the first goal because without it all the other stuff is pointless.
Senin, 20 September 2010
Branding...DNA of the business
I had a long conversation with one of our clients Friday about branding. The company is launching a new product and we were discussing the branding strategy.
Usually in the planning process we start with the Blue Ocean Strategic steps (article) as a beginning. We can use the value proposition developed in that planning process in conjunction with our adoption plan as the basis for our core message. Of course, at some point that high level strategy has to hit the ground and this is referred to in our office as the "roll out plan." The roll out plan is where we figure out the details of when& how we are going to reach our target audience...media types, creative messages, frequency, etc.
But the conversation we had Friday was a bit different because we weren't just talking about a strict "utility" to the consumer, but a more esoteric "who do we want to be and how do we want to be viewed" type conversation.
This has been interesting so far because we are looking hard at our target market and trying to determine the common traits, interests, etc. so that the brand image can be developed to maximize connection with that audience.
The reason I call it the DNA of the business is because, once the client settles on an initial brand image (we could change based on results), all of the marketing will be developed with that image in mind. We will try to take dead aim on that image and try to capture that ground while avoiding any muddying of the message with non-correlated messaging.
***For those of you that follow along, you may be able to guess the client and if so, keep and eye out and let me know how you think it is going.
Usually in the planning process we start with the Blue Ocean Strategic steps (article) as a beginning. We can use the value proposition developed in that planning process in conjunction with our adoption plan as the basis for our core message. Of course, at some point that high level strategy has to hit the ground and this is referred to in our office as the "roll out plan." The roll out plan is where we figure out the details of when& how we are going to reach our target audience...media types, creative messages, frequency, etc.
But the conversation we had Friday was a bit different because we weren't just talking about a strict "utility" to the consumer, but a more esoteric "who do we want to be and how do we want to be viewed" type conversation.
This has been interesting so far because we are looking hard at our target market and trying to determine the common traits, interests, etc. so that the brand image can be developed to maximize connection with that audience.
The reason I call it the DNA of the business is because, once the client settles on an initial brand image (we could change based on results), all of the marketing will be developed with that image in mind. We will try to take dead aim on that image and try to capture that ground while avoiding any muddying of the message with non-correlated messaging.
***For those of you that follow along, you may be able to guess the client and if so, keep and eye out and let me know how you think it is going.
Minggu, 24 Januari 2010
Lack of Revenue will Kill your Company
My dad once told me that the biggest hurdle that many companies face is the failure to be profitable. I would completely agree.
After my last post on Minimum Functional Units, I would suggest that the failure to be profitable causes much of the scope creep that many startups and small businesses experience. The appeal is understandable..."I'm not making enough with service A, so let's add another service."
Unfortunately, scope creep dilutes the marketing message and spreads sales resources even thinner. Often the result is that owners end up overwhelmed with work and without much result, so they go out of business.
A much better outcome can be achieved if the company can stick with the original offering,focus on getting the MFU cashflow positive then scaling.
Of course, some MFUs just don't cashflow and in that case owners are much better off with a small failure than if they have tried to build a diversified structure on a faulty foundation.
After my last post on Minimum Functional Units, I would suggest that the failure to be profitable causes much of the scope creep that many startups and small businesses experience. The appeal is understandable..."I'm not making enough with service A, so let's add another service."
Unfortunately, scope creep dilutes the marketing message and spreads sales resources even thinner. Often the result is that owners end up overwhelmed with work and without much result, so they go out of business.
A much better outcome can be achieved if the company can stick with the original offering,focus on getting the MFU cashflow positive then scaling.
Of course, some MFUs just don't cashflow and in that case owners are much better off with a small failure than if they have tried to build a diversified structure on a faulty foundation.
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