Marketing Archives – Page 10 of 13

13 Nov 2009

What Does the Other Person Really Want?

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:20:51-06:00November 13th, 2009|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Marketing, Mindset and Motivation, Sales|

We often go into a situation with preconceived notions about what we want and what the benefits are to the other person or organization.

This applies to partnerships, client relationships, vendor relationships, employee-employer relationships, and personal relationships.

Don't jump to the solution until you really understand the problem.

Otherwise your hammer will make everything a nail.

How do you get this understanding?

You ask and then… listen.

Simple in concept? You bet. Hard for most of us to pull off consistently? Certainly or the world of relationships would be a lot simpler.

Business Owners

What are your personal goals? Does your role in the business align with your […]

10 Nov 2009

A Mix of Messages

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:21:12-06:00November 10th, 2009|Categories: Books and Courses, Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Marketing, Sales|

What is in a Company Name?

I recently saw a truck drive by with the name "Explosive Landscapes". Not sure I would want my landscape to explode or do they blow up old ones or is that how they dig holes? I would probably choose a landscaping company by referral so the name probably doesn't matter.

That begs the question, does a company name really matter as long as it is easy to remember and spell?

How much time does a startup spend agonizing over a company name and logo? Unless you are going to be like McDonald's your logo is probably the […]

20 Oct 2009

Your Marketing Company

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:21:50-06:00October 20th, 2009|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Leadership, Marketing, Sales|

Do you think of marketing as a function within your organization? Is it something to do with communicating your message to your customers to generate leads or awareness? Part of the sales process?

In today's world marketing is everything.

Michael Gerber (E-Myth Manager) hit it on the head when he defined marketing as "the promise you make to your customers and your company's ability to deliver on that promise".

This definition says marketing is the responsibility of your entire company. Not in a superficial manner like "we are all selling our product" or "everyone has an impact on our customers"; […]

19 Oct 2009

Fear of Buying – Software

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:21:54-06:00October 19th, 2009|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Marketing, Sales|

In Seth's recent post (Fear of Apples) he talks about how fear impacts buying. People don't want to do things that scare them and for some the threshold is low (buying the wrong apples).

He says:

"Whatever you sell, there are two big reasons people aren't buying it:

1. They don't know about it.

2. They're afraid of it."

Unfortunately, software development (one of the things we do) fits into this category big time. This is why business people often want to bring their IT people with them to a meeting… what if you say something they don't understand and make […]

15 Oct 2009

Honesty in the Real World

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:21:58-06:00October 15th, 2009|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Marketing, Mindset and Motivation, Sales|

In the last few days I have personally witnessed 2 companies (other than ourselves) deal with annoyed customers.

Honesty

In the first case (no names, my blog is not about embarrassing others), the owner of the company had to deal with a customer that was upset about a missed deliverable. This occurred while we were meeting with him. What impressed me about it was his attitude. Yes, he was genuinely upset about his company's process failure… but he was not embarrassed about it or trying to cover it up with the client or with us. Honesty goes a long way.

Too Much Success

The […]

5 Oct 2009

Your Web Presence

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:22:25-06:00October 5th, 2009|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Marketing, Sales, Technology|

Every business should have a web presence… it is a no brainer right? Maybe.

Actually, the first thing you need to decide is what you want to accomplish on the web. Whether your goal is: marketing, sales, connecting with customers, or something else….

You need to align your web presence with your company vision and strategies if you want to be sure you are not just throwing money out the window (and as a small business owner that is your money).

Don't spend any time or money developing a web site until you know what you want to accomplish.

2 Oct 2009

Sunwapta Message Update

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:22:50-06:00October 2nd, 2009|Categories: Doug's Blog, Marketing, Sales, Technology|

Our latest iteration on messaging for our website.

What We Do For Clients

Data. Innovation. Software. People. Vision.

We bring meaning and life to complex data through innovative software solutions. This allows people to collaborate more effectively and make better decisions; faster and with more confidence.

Software, knowledge and people aligned with strategic vision drives competitive advantage.

We adjust our approach based on the situation and the people involved. Large organizations are inherently different than smaller owner operated organizations, we've worked in and with both.

No matter what your challenges are, we believe there is a better way of maximizing the return on your technology […]

29 Sep 2009

Tide, Things are a Changing

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:22:57-06:00September 29th, 2009|Categories: Doug's Blog, Marketing, Sales|

I was watching the breakfast show on TV this morning. Tide had a commercial talking about how environmentally friendly their product was. Their detergent is 2x concentrated reducing plastic in the packaging by 47% and allowing them to use less diesel fuel shipping it.

Yup, these are good things right?

The only problem is that every other detergent is exactly the same. In fact I saw one that was 4x concentrated.

Yet they are implying they are different… better even.

I think the days of putting a "spin" on the routine and calling it differentiation are quickly disappearing.

If you are going to claim […]

2 Sep 2009

IMC Vancouver – Calgary Preview

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:24:10-06:00September 2nd, 2009|Categories: Doug's Blog, Marketing, Sales|

Al Dhalla and I attended a sneak preview of the Vancouver Internet Marketing Conference hosted by Anduro Marketing.

It was kind of like appetizers before the main meal. Tasty but not very filling.

The full conference should be a lot more meaty as it goes for three days rather than just a couple of hours. Looks like there are lots of good presenters too.

2 Sep 2009