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The Name of the Game
What businesses are you in? Really? This is a question that 90% of small business owners forget to ever answer – and it’s the most important question regarding your business! Many managers in big business will tell you, “businesses exist to make money.” This is one of the few truths in the world, and it […]
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What is your Google score?
I am amazed by how many people have never Googled themselves. In today’s world, it’s increasingly important just what the Internet says about you – whether true or fiction. Most of you understand this, and have taken the proper steps to protect yourself from online brand-hijacking. Just think of how awkward that next job interview […]
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Pay Time
At a sales training seminar a couple weeks ago, the presenter spoke on the topic of separating pay time from no pay time. I was very familiar with this concept, but not in quite the way he put it. All of us recognize the importance of tracking billable versus non-billable hours, but “pay time” doesn’t […]
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Know Your Customer
In general, I do branding and marketing work for three kinds of clients: Individuals Local small businesses Start-up companies I enjoy working with these kinds of clients for several reasons. Primarily, though, they tend to have a deep understanding of their mission, some kind of core driver that makes them unique, and a complete misunderstand […]
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Marketing on a Shoe-string
We’ve all been there. Budget time comes and we start cutting line items to match the numbers that are really coming in. The first thing in many companies on the chopping block is the marketing budget. This is because most managers associate “marketing” with “ritzy, expensive advertising campaign.” Just because you can’t afford the flash […]
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Using Psychographics
Question Number 3: How do you gather psychographic data? All of you market researchers are scratching your heads already. Yes, we know what psychographics are, and we know why they’re important. Now tell us how to get them and use them! Really, it’s not as hard as you might think. It just takes a bit […]
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The Importance of Psychographics
Question Number 2: Why are psychographics important? For those of us in marketing who understand the science, the answer is fairly obvious. But many times, we take that for granted and tell our clients to gather psychographic data without telling them why. This can be frustrating for the client and doesn’t really help build a […]
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Pyschographics Redefined
Question Number 1: What exactly are psychographics? Psychographics are the holy grail when it comes to marketing and sales. They are more than just the external characteristics of your customer. They run deeper than past purchasing habits. Psychographics are the why behind consumer behavior. The reason a man chooses one brand of wrench over another […]
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Security
Nothing can ever be truly secure. The best we can muster is the illusion of security – create a veil through which our world looks private and closed off from the idle hands of those who would disrupt it. I’ve been working quite a bit on website development lately, and I’ve been thinking a lot […]
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What’s Holding You Back?
The other day, someone asked me what appeared to be the most unassuming question possible. “If there was something you could start doing today that would improve the quality of your life, what would it be?” On the surface, this seemed to be a very harmless question. I almost had an answer. Then I stopped […]