Earlier this year blog tracker Technorati estimated that there were 112.8 million active English language blogs. They also believe that there already 75 million Chinese language blogs. Of course, this begs a few questions. Are there too many blogs? Who really needs this much information? Who is reading this stuff? Why blog? These questions hit…
This is a re-issue of a previous blog by request: It seems that we live in a thankless world and this void seems most pronounced in day-to-day business. The ever increasing pace of commerce in the new millennium seems to leave little time for a thank you or even common courtesy. Global competitiveness seems to…
Have you ever confronted a barrier or a problem that stopped you from going forward with your goals and objectives? Maybe it was because you did not have the support from your friends or family. Or, the task itself just seemed insurmountable. Whatever the barrier, it was big enough to stop you in your tracks.…
First movers get all the rewards or so says says the marketing myth. Don’t get me wrong. Being first can be a wonderful thing, until the other guys find out about what you are doing. It is my observation that the rewards are seldom there for the first to market. Presuming the market is big…
Most of the successful small firms that I have studied have successfully positioned themselves in a market segment where they have little significant competition. This allows room for a decent profit margin and focuses the firm’s efforts on pleasing the customer, while not on worrying about what the competition will do next. While this is…
The bad news is everywhere. The stock market leaps up and down bouncing along a never ending trough. Layoffs are forecast. The big three auto makers need billions to get through the next quarter. CNN trumpets the word depression seemingly for its shock value. After a while you cannot help but believe we are on…
You know it’s a tough market when the marketing and sales staff spends an inordinate amount of time managing collections. With cash so important during hard times, it can be a virtual tug-of-war with your customers to get the cash which is due and payable. Here are few thoughts on how to manage your accounts…
Your target market is the customer group that will buy your product or solution; this specific market is made up of customers who want or need what you’re offering. Historically, marketers have defined target markets using factors or demographics such as age; an example would be such 18- to 33-year-old males. This type of segmentation…
Unscrupulous negotiators will try almost anything to win in a negotiation including lying, throwing tantrums, and verbally abusing the other party. Why is winning so important to them? It has long been thought that mean people such as this are just cold, detached, and unemotional—we have thought that they did not understand the damage that…
Are we in a recession? It’s a technical issue for the economists to debate, but it is clearly a tough economy for many of us. So, what should you differently in this environment? Here are a few thoughts on what to do differently: 1. Advertise. If you read this blog with any regularity, you know…