One popular strategy for companies is a growth strategy that focuses on sales (revenues), or market share (SOM), or assets, or profits.   Regardless of which growth strategy/target one picks, often overlooked is; are the management and its structure ready and prepared for growth. Typically companies go from a very simple organizational structure to some form [...]

In one of my posting I asked the question, Who is Responsible for Customer Satisfaction?  I stated that customer satisfaction is the responsibility of EVERYONE! Everyone “touches “  the customer and how everyone performs their job relates to the customer being satisfied.  I also listed several steps for starting a customer satisfaction program within any [...]

It is the end of June, and the year is half over.  The stock market appears to be heading down, unemployment is still high and there is talk of a double-dip recession.  In putting the 2011 plan together in the fall of 2010, the outlook was more optimistic and “aggressive” targets for sales, revenue and [...]

For those who always read the last chapter in a book first, the answer is there is no there is no difference between for profit companies and non-profits. For the rest of you please read on. In one of my postings titled Why Marketing Products and Services Are The Same, I discussed why, from a [...]

  Value propositions are very important to business because if they are done correctly they uniquely define something that a company offers to their customer that addresses their need(s).  Unfortunately many marketing people and some senior management people are so close to their products or services that they actually feel their value propositions are compelling [...]

Bad news Timmy, not only is there no Santa Claus, but account control no longer exists! So if you are living in the old world where sales people knew everything about their accounts, where they provided the customer with all the “necessary information” and helped guide them down the path that eventually led to an [...]

  In my last posting, I talked about a number of critical considerations/ activities that one must review when selecting to use an indirect channel. As I have said in other postings regarding channels  make sure you have an overall strategy and ask; will this channel selection support this strategy?  I then talked in more detail [...]

  If you are considering selling your product or service via an indirect channel (when you sell your product or service to an intermediary or middleman, who then sells it to the end user) there are numerous considerations that you must examine. As I have said in other postings make sure you have an overall [...]

As most of you know back in the 60’s four (some still use just three) Marketing P’s were suggested.  I would propose that we might consider modifying some of the four P’s and actually adding one more.   But first let’s review the original four P’s. Product:   the “thing” manufactured by a company and sold to [...]

Well, I guess the current political environment has done one positive thing for consumers and industrial buyers.  The joke about how do you know when a politician is lying….  when his/her mouth is moving, can now be said about Marketers. A webinar I attended and a recent survey stated that 70 -75% of buyers don’t [...]