John Bradley "JJ" Jackson

Advertising

Experiential Marketing

Experiential Marketing, sometimes called “XM”, is a trendy term used in the business press to describe a category of marketing activities that requires a direct encounter with a customer. This direct encounter is different from the majority of marketing activities which are mostly passive in nature. For example, advertising is

Marketing Communications

Being Understood

“I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.” Robert McCloskey, US State Department spokesman Being understood by your customer may be the most important aspect of selling. If they

Branding

Apple’s Branding: Too Cool for Dad

The promise of value for some brands is like a siren’s call: tantalizing, almost sinful, or too powerful. A few brands receive an almost cult-like following from their customers; yet, it seems that their promise of value is far greater than what they actually deliver. Yet, customers don'

Sales Management

No Hurry to Make a Decision

“Let me think about,” says your customer. This is the dreaded “no hurry” response, which is one of the most frustrating selling situations that you can encounter in sales. You have answered all the questions, handled all the objections, and determined that the fit with your offering is good. Still,

Branding

Messaging Tells Your Story

Messaging is a fancy marketing term for the story that you tell about your company or your offering; most importantly, your message must be heard and understood by your customers, friends, and employees. This message must clear, concise, backed with evidence, and tell the right story. Starting with the basics,

Sales Management

Why Won’t My Customers Call Me Back?

A common lament from many sales people these days is the difficulty that they have in getting their customers to call them back or answer emails. This applies to prospects and even regular customers. Sales people worry that if they call too much they will be perceived as a pest

New Product Development

Dumpster Diving for Niche Market Products

Dumpster diving for niche market products is my way describing the process of creating new niche market products. I read once that for every 3000 new product ideas you get one successful product. Obviously, this was a six figure study funded by the federal government for some university research lab,

Negotiation

When Conflict Gets in the Way of a Negotiation

From time to time negotiators are confronted with a negotiation that is deeply rooted in conflict. The cause of the conflict could be from old wounds from a battle long ago, it could be a struggle for power, or it could be a bias or prejudgment by one or more

Strategy

The Long Tail Wags the Dog

Clever title, huh? Whoops, not so clever; I just Googled the title and got  462 exact hits (more on this later). But, let me first admit the truth. I just now got around to reading Chris Anderson’s best seller “The Long Tail”.  It truly is an eloquent work: scholarly,

Advertising

More on Wild Posting

Although it has been around for many centuries, “wild posting” is the current rage for product offerings and events that have a need for an “in-your-face” style of promotion. You have no doubt seen wild postings as you walked through an urban area where construction site barricades are plastered with

Advertising

Street Teams Create a Buzz

My blog yesterday on outdoor advertising and the use of “street teams” created a number of questions. The questions included what are street teams, how are they sponsored, what are they good for, etc. More or less, what in the heck are you talking about? I guess I was writing

Advertising

Why Not Advertise Outdoors?

While Internet advertising is the “new thing”, outdoor or out-of-home advertising can be a very effective and affordable method to get your message out to your target market. With people spending more and more time in their vehicles (it is estimated the 150 million commute to work daily), you have

Marketing Mix

Download Free E-book!

I am normally skeptical of free offers, but this one is legitimate.

Sales Management

How Top Sales People Think

Ever wondered what is going on in the heads of top sales people? Like most high achievers, top sales people manage their thoughts with discipline and optimism. They do things differently from the rest of the team.

Blogging

Extreme Makeover: Marketing and PR Edition

It’s time for an “extreme makeover” of your current thinking about what makes a great marketing and public relations strategy. The traditional methods of marketing and PR are quickly becoming ineffective; if you don’t know what I mean, you soon will.

Niche Market Profiles

Niche Market Profile: PureFit Nutrition Bars

Visit any running store, bike shop, or supermarket and you will be stunned at the selection of nutrition bars along with all the outrageous benefits claimed: low carbohydrate, high protein, low fat, organic, low sugar, low calorie, etc. While some are truly nutritious, others are carefully disguised

Branding

Keep a Brand Handbook

Your brand is your promise of value. It is often said that good brands have three primary characteristics: they are authentic, consistent, and differentiated. Of the three characteristics, staying consistent may be hardest thing to do.

Branding

Changing Your Company Name

I got a call from a friend of mine who had just joined a small company as Marketing Director. After auditing the firm’s marketing practices, he determined that the old company name had to go. The old name too closely resembled another firm’s moniker and it was causing confusion in the marketplace. W

Advertising

Customers Remember Good Sales People

Years ago a very wise sales manager asked me, “What is the single most important factor in selling?” Dumbfounded by the question, I sat in awkward silence. Sensing my quandary, he answered his own query with two simple words, “Being remembered”. I quickly nodded yes, but I did not really know what h

Advertising

Are They Telling Me the Truth?

Sometimes negotiators don’t tell the truth and it is up to you to figure that out or catch them at their game. Candidly, some people are very good at concealing the truth, but typically there are cues to determine if the other party is bluffing or lying outright. Yet, we get conned all the time.

Strategy

Marketing Strategy: Change Before You Have To

Even the best marketing strategies need to be revisited, if not revised. Changes in the market environment can dramatically change the marketing mix and your product plans. Marketing strategy should be viewed as a process, which means that the best laid marketing plans will change sooner or later.

Market Research

Innovation in Niche Markets

Innovation is the mainstay of niche marketing, yet your customer may not be able tell you what they will need in the future. And this makes sense if you think about it.

Direct Mail

Keep in Touch with Direct Mail

It is sales legend that it costs far less money to keep an existing customer than it does to find a new one. Customers that have bought from you in the past are likely to buy again and represent your best leads. Thus, staying in touch with these folks is a must do for any business and direct mail is

Selling

Increase Sales with Reference Accounts

If you ranked all the tools in the marketing tool bag, which include product promotion, pricing, advertising, personal selling, and public relations, you will find that reference accounts top the list in effectiveness. Reference accounts are the most believed and trusted form of marketing. Let your

Strategy

What Does Your Best Customer Look Like?

So, what does the "best" customer look like? One way to determine which customer/s are best is by creating what I call the “preferred customer profile”. Create a list of the criteria that are most important to you and your business.