Articles in focusing
Why Marketing is so Hard
Marketing is hard. But the problem is that too many people think it isn’t. Especially with all the new, “magic bullet” technologies out there that pretty much do everything for you. So where are the …
How to Kill Your Startup in 5 Simple Steps
If you’ve started a business and decided you want to drive it into the ground, here are five sure-fire ways to get you there faster. Rest assured that these marketing strategies have all been battle-tested …
Who’s in your tent? You’d better find out.
The Customer Loyalty Effect can be brilliant – or devastating.
So you’ve got all these customers milling around in your tent. Do you really know who they are? Here’s a tip. They’re either Fans, Fence-sitters or Critics:
1. …
The story of Charles Bradley, and why you should never give up
Have you heard of pivoting? It’s all the rage. In business and especially in startups, if one direction isn’t looking profitable, take your assets and try pointing your business (and maybe your life) in a …
An Action Plan for Women Entrepreneurs (Part 2)
Given that timing is everything in business, if you’re a woman entrepreneur you might want to consider that your time is now.
In Part 1 of this two-part post, I talked to Andrea Guendelman and Fran …
Where Are All the Women Entrepreneurs?
Building a business is never easy, but do women entrepreneurs have an extra hurdle to overcome?
By now, nearly everyone with a pulse knows the names Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page, Sergey Brin …
Rule #3: Compartmentalize
The Startup Rulebook
One of the features of running a startup is the feeling that hyenas have grabbed your extremities and are all pulling in different directions. They all want a piece of you, and if …
Rule #2: Believe in yourself
The Startup Rule Book
So you decided to start a business. Why? Probably because you had a good idea and you believed that you could get others to feel the same way. Next stop: unbridled entrepreneurial …
Want to find your most profitable prospects? Ask your best customers.
Want to find your most profitable prospects? Just ask your best customers some simple questions. Start with these four:
1. How likely are you to recommend (my product or service) to a colleague or business associate, …
Rule #1: Never stop trying
The Startup Rule Book
They say that true entrepreneurs aren’t motivated by money. Here’s why that’s not true, and then it is.
The #2 reason entrepreneurs get into business is the hope of achieving some degree of …
Marketing isn’t fast
“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago,” says an old proverb. If you have aspirations of swinging in a hammock between two stately trees this afternoon, you’d better not be planting those trees …
Startup Marketing: You need a marketing system
Fewer than 5% of startups achieve their dream growth
Hiring your first marketing person is scary. What do you know about startup marketing? What do they know about startup marketing? All you know is that you …
Impulse Branding: Instinctively Good
Impulse.
Impulse is defined (in my parlance) as a desire (seemingly involuntary) that comes out of nowhere. Things like ziplining, buying lottery tickets, and dying your hair blue. There’s an endorphin rush that accompanies doing things …
Be like Apple (used to be) in 4 words
Here’s the secret to creating an exceptional company:
stand for something meaningful
Standing for something meaningful is what has set Apple, for one, apart from the rest of the pack. If you want passionate followers, their passion …
The Secret to Attracting Prospects
The One-Minute Marketing Plan – Part 3 of 3
Okay. This is the wrap-up on the One-Minute Marketing Plan – part 3 of 3. Part 1 was all about doing the ground work to increase your …
The Secret to Finding Prospects
The One-Minute Marketing Plan – Part 2 of 3
I lied. The One-Minute Marketing Plan will be spread out over three blog posts. Okay. Maybe it’s really a Three-Minute Marketing Plan.
Last week we did the prep …
The One-Minute Marketing Plan (that you can use)
The only way to hit your goal is to have a plan
Is there any reason for you not to have a plan behind your marketing execution? Plans take too long to do? Marketing plans expire …
The Day Marketing Automation Stopped Working
How the Laws of Engagement Can Save the Day
There’s a problem brewing in B2B marketing land. The stuff that used to work doesn’t seem to be working as well anymore. Below is a chart from Marketing Sherpa’s …
The best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago
The wonderful thing about Captains of Start-Ups is that they can do everything!
We have a client who is a lawyer. Her specialty is tech start-ups. This week she commented: “so many of these start-up guys …
Nothing kills a bad company faster than good marketing
Really… what are your customers saying about you?
A few years ago my agency worked with a large interior design company whose customers were homeowners that numbered in the thousands. The design company’s business had grown …
The 3 Keys to Better Marketing
The secret to increased marketing campaign response rates has been kicking around in direct marketing circles for decades. Knowing how to apply that knowledge to your marketing programs can double, triple or even quadruple your …
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