Your Customers Don’t Just Want To Eat Cake

Picture the scene. A group of five girlfriends are out celebrating a birthday together. The evening is drawing to a close, dinner plates have been cleared and the last bottle of red has been emptied. The waiter offers dessert menus and watches for cues. The first woman to pipe up is adamant as she waves…

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Great Content Marketing Doesn’t Feel Like Marketing.

“You have more chance of summiting Mount Everest than getting someone to click on a banner ad.” —Jonathan Perelman VP at Buzzfeed Getting the word out about your products and services can feel a bit like an Everest expedition. You and I know that traditional advertising doesn’t work anymore. We’ve known from as far back…

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How To Sell A Guitar…..Or Anything

The number one reason a salesperson fails to close a sale is that she can’t effectively communicate the value of the product. Of course it makes sense that if you can’t help your customers to understand why they should care, then you’re not likely to be able to convince them to buy. The luthier takes…

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5 Reasons Microsoft Failed To Compete In A Post iPhone World

Soon after Apple launched the iPhone in 2007, Microsoft’s then CEO Steve Balmer gave this short video interview. In two minutes he shed light on Microsoft’s business strategy which gives us some clues as to why Apple would dominate over the next seven years. 5 Strategic Mistakes Microsoft Made Post iPhone 1. Competing on price.…

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What Don’t You Do?

You are challenged at least ten times every day to explain to people what you do and why you do it. This happens on your about page, at networking events and even as you sit next to someone ten thousand feet up on a transatlantic flight. A great place to start is by unapologetically telling…

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Do You Have A Human Business Strategy?

When I was a little girl buying new shoes was always an event. We went to a local shoe shop, the one that advertised the credentials of their ‘specially trained fitters’ in the window. We patiently waited our turn for the magic that was about to happen. This usually involved a matronly woman and what…

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The Most Dangerous Thing About Your Competition

….is your obsession with them. Yes, we live in a giant digital goldfish bowl. This makes it possible to get stuck watching and worrying about what our competitors are doing. Almost every move they make, every accolade, acquisition and award is there for the world to see. It’s far more productive and more profitable to…

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10 Ways To Stand In Your Customer’s Shoes

When LEGO was developing a castle play set they brought fans of all ages together to get feedback. The adults loved it. “But where’s the dragon?” the children asked. The adults explained that there were no dragons in Medieval times. “Where’s the fun in that?” the kids replied. So, the dragon was born. What we…

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How To Get The World To Beat A Path To Your Door

Traditional marketing in essence has been about doing something today in the hope that your business will reap the rewards in sales tomorrow. The marketer then has her eye firmly fixed on the future. Asking the question, ‘what do I need to do to get us from here to there?’ And yet the best marketing…

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