I’m asking a series 20 Clarity Questions that every company should be able to answer in order to set a clear business focus and direction. Today, let’s consider together what kind(s) of work you will choose to do – specifically, what is the best work you can be doing. Clarity Question #6 – What’s Your Best Work? If you’ve been in […]
Give Me The Cake, Not The Ingredients
December 7, 2015 By Leave a Comment
I’m going to unashamedly borrow from my friend Chris Westfall with that blog title, because his newsletter today just hit the nail on the head. Most times we (as customer) don’t want the details. Don’t tell me about the recipe. Don’t list off the ingredients. Just give me the cake. This was a timely thought, since […]
What Are Your Company Strengths?
November 11, 2015 By 1 Comment
This is #1 of 20 Questions to Clarity You can’t grow and market your business without focus. A clear strategic direction, with a well-defined sweet spot in the marketplace, is critical to success. Many companies – not just start-ups, but also established outfits – flounder at this point. Trying to sell without clarity is like […]
Here’s What ALL Your Customers Are Buying
September 1, 2015 By Leave a Comment
“Plop, plop; fizz, fizz…oh, what a relief it is!” It was one of the most memorable commercial jingles of my growing-up years….annoyingly so. But this commercial teaches us a wonderful lesson about business and marketing – people buy pain relief. If you’re selling something, you’re making a huge (but very common) mistake by focusing on […]
Welcome To Charlie’s Takeout Char-Broiled Chicken Thighs Served on China
August 17, 2015 By Leave a Comment
“Can I take your order? You’d like some char-broiled chicken thighs served on china? Well, you’re in the right place!” Is it possible to be a little bit too specific when naming your business? Actually….yes. I regularly advise companies not to be generic about their business name – Enterprise Business Solutions, Inc., for instance, says absolutely […]
Help Me Out Here, K-Rog
July 28, 2015 By 12 Comments
Dear Mr. Kroger, I’m a loyal customer, and I have a beef with you. By the way, since you’re a grocery celebrity, may I just call you K-Rog? J-Lo, A-Rod – it’s all the rage these days. OK, K-Rog it is. Anyway, I’m truly confused about something. Actually, I’m confused about many, many, things; but […]
How Can You Get More Referrals?
July 21, 2015 By Leave a Comment
I find it very easy to get sucked down the rabbit hole – that fascinating, fast-moving rabbit hole – of digital marketing/content marketing/social media. I’ve been deeply involved in it for many years; and yet, do you know what the most important question has always been, no matter how that space has evolved? How can […]
Re-Launching Allergan
July 2, 2015 By Leave a Comment
In the commercial pharma space, there are currently a couple of (once small, but now) rapidly-growing companies that are gaining heft by making lots of acquisitions. One is Valeant. Maybe I’ll take a look at them another day. The other is Actavis. Which was once Watson (mostly generic drugs). They bought up several companies with branded […]
Is Your Brand Just Another Penguin?
June 29, 2015 By 1 Comment
This morning, I was driving up to a coffee meeting on I-65 toward Nashville when I spotted this truck. In amused disbelief, this blog post began to write itself in my mind as I drove. —— (ringing phone in grey, industrial cubicle…) “Good morning, is this Product Distribution Company?” “Yes, this is PDC, where entities move […]
Let’s Make Some Jargon!
May 28, 2015 By 1 Comment
Quick Quiz: What kind of design solution is a “visual identity system”? (hint: It may be related to a “brand isotope system.”) Give up? It’s a logo. These are some of the biz-jargon terms tossed around in this article about the re-branding initiative recently unveiled for the State of Tennessee. My initial reaction to the proposed new […]
