Brands Bite Back

This week, we had a consulting call with a man who bought a franchise (a well-known “brand”) to augment his existing, successful business. He made the purchase several years ago. What happened? Sales went down, down, down. His old customers thought he went out of business, and the brand of the franchise he bought had a stigma that did more damage than good when it came to attracting new customers. I should note that the brand isn’t thought of negatively…it’s just associated in such a way that it conflicted with his existing business. Now, he’s emerging from the fog, getting [...]

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Targeted Or Untargeted…That is the question.

The question on every business owner, entrepreneur and sales pros head these days should be, “How do I segment my prospect group so I can communicate with them on a more personal level?” If you’re not asking yourself that question, you’re most likely wasting tons of cash, time and energy on wasted efforts. Why segment? Because as marketing messages become more abundant and confusing and as prospects become better ignorers and marketing costs continue to rise, the only thing that’s really going to get attention and resonate with a potential client is something that speaks to them on a personal [...]

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Beware: Best Practices – Part 2

Exploit Their Uniqueness: The ultra successful companies and people know what makes them different and they use it to their full advantage. Most businesses and people try to be all things to all people. They try to please everyone. They are afraid that by being polar they will alienate their market. The truth is that real success comes from being “for” a specific group of people and “not for” others. Specialization and customization win the day, garner more attention and ultimately attract the most success. Every person believes their situation and problem is somehow different and unique. They believe that [...]

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Beware: Best Practices – Part 1

Contrary to popular belief, success doesn’t happen by accident. It has nothing to do with luck. It’s not a magic pill someone swallows or a wand someone waves that immediately manifests a revolutionary change in status and bank balance. Success requires strategic planning, action and commitment. Success also takes an additional ingredient most people overlook. That ingredient is the ability to thumb your nose at conventional wisdom and so-called “best practices” about achieving success. You’ve heard the lines, “it’s luck” or “you have to be in the right place at the right time” or “it’s all about who you know” [...]

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A Message From Denny…

They other day I got this great email from Denny Hatch. His Business Common Sense Newsletter is just one of the many I read on a regular basis. This issue is great – To good for me not to pass on to all of you. Usually If there is something worth noting in things that I read I share them with you by incorporating them into a personal experence… but this is perfect on its own. Here’s what Denny wrote… When a Marketer Breaks All the Rules Where, oh where, is the USP? Thirty years ago I attended a luncheon of the Direct [...]

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