Of the four M’s of marketing – Market, Message, Media and Math – the one that many don’t like is the math. Marketing is, at its core, applied psychology plus math; you can get the psychology side really, really right (offers, message, USP, etc.) but totally and completely miss your mark if the numbers side of the equation doesn’t add …
John Edwards, the psychic medium known for talking to people’s dead relatives, makes millions selling tickets to two-hour events all over the world where he performs (key word: PERFORMS) his psychic feat to people wanting to believe in the afterlife, the ability to connect with lost family members and who have an intense curiosity to discover if he’s the real …
One night in 1936, Sylvan Goldman, owner of the Humpty Dumpty supermarket chain in Oklahoma, sat in his office trying to figure out how to get customers to buy more groceries. Observing clients as they shopped, he noticed that many of them were struggling to carry the normal shopping basket provided, particularly the moms with kids. Once they got to …
I WISH I could show you the marketing example I’m about to tell you about, but I must have accidentally thrown it out. It was an EXCELLENT example of why you need to be meticulous about cleaning and validating your lists BEFORE you send any kind of direct mail campaign to it. It was a rather elaborate (expensive) mailer sent …
Email marketing during the 1990’s was a gold mine. Fifty to sixty percent response rates were common (compared to an industry benchmark of 20% today). Every email campaign I sent out got a flood of email responses. Today it’s an art form rather than a free-for-all. While email marketing shouldn’t be the only tool in your arsenal, it’s still incredibly …
“Have you ever heard the phrase life is hard, but it’s harder when you’re stupid?” One of my favorite talk show personalities Bill Handle asks listeners this often. In my early days of selling, I earned the highest degree in D.U.M.B and discovered that cold prospecting and marketing without a plan is NOT fun or productive. Today, I coach hundreds …
The United States government is the largest customer in the world. They buy millions of dollars in services and products every year. Landing an IT government contract can be a huge boost for your business. But it’s not about grabbing for any government contract you can find. You need to make sure it’s the right opportunity for you. Today we’re …
You’re pulling 80-hour work weeks but not getting the results you want. You think you’re setting smart, business goals but failing to achieve them. You’re frustrated, even unhappy, about the state of your IT services firm and struggling when selling managed services. What can you do? Why IT Firms Struggle I’ve worked with, mentored and assisted thousands of IT business …
Direct mail isn’t dead. (And neither is email while we’re on the subject.) Sending a creative, well-executed direct mailer can still generate great marketing results. Here are ten creative, surefire ways to create a great direct mail campaign and attract more clients.
If you’re looking for quick list building and lead generation for your IT services, then adding strategically targeted trade show marketing is a must. Benefits Of Trade Show Marketing On the surface, purchasing a booth or exhibit at a trade show might seem like a huge investment. You’re putting thousands of dollars on the line with hopes to at least …
