Marketing

Marketing Without Strategy is the Noise Before Failure

Mar

Strategy and tactics must go hand in hand in order for a business to achieve a measure of true momentum but an effective marketing strategy must be in place before any set of tactics make sense.

This Sun Tzu quote, borrowed from the Art of War, and adapted for the title of the first workbook in the Catalyst Marketing System, pretty much sums up our feelings on the subject:

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”

The reason strategy mostly gets lip service when it comes to a marketing process is because most people misunderstand what a marketing strategy really is. So, let’s start with what it’s not. Strategy is not a wish list, set of goals, a mission statement, or litany of objectives.

Posted By David DeVelder read more

Differentiate - How to Find, Use and Include in Marketing Plan Your Firm's Unique Qualities

Feb

The answer to running a successful marketing campaign is using your unique features, advantages and benefits - your differentiators - better than anyone else calling in your market. More importantly, the benefit must match your prospect's values.

"Beauty is in eyes of the beholder," so to speak. The difficult part of this concept is remembering the beholder is not you. It is your prospect.

Here's a couple ideas on how to make sure you are talking in prospect value terms which should be the same as your differentiators.

First find the unique quality you bring to the table.

Posted By davedevelder read more

Learn How to Publish Strategic Marketing Plan Content that Educates

Feb

Featuring excerpts from the 7 Steps to Successful Marketing

Our recent blog on the three elements of a lead generation campaign features a section on the 4C's of which content is the most important. Content strategy must be accomplished through very specific forms of content, not simply through sheer volume. The content must also reflect a strategically laid out marketing plan. "Every business is now a publishing business, so you must start to think like one," says John Jantsch, a renowned marketing consultant to growing businesses.

Posted By davedevelder read more

Lead Generation Basics

Feb

One of the things that most researches will agree upon is that in the know, like, and trust battle, it usually takes six to ten contacts or instances in which somebody reads about you (advertising), or hears about you (public relations), or is referred to you before they really can start the know, like, trust then buy.

Posted By davedevelder read more

How to Properly Evaluate Marketing and Sales Plans

Jan

Just as this is the time of year for making New Year's resolution, so also it is the time for the annual marketing and sales plan redo.

Unlike the personal New Year's Resolution there is a way to assure annual business plans are kept.

Secret: Make the marketing and selling plan simple enough to live by every day yet comprehensive enough to move you towards your vision based around one simple rule. Now your annual plan becomes a dynamic tool for success.

Rule: It all starts with strategy before tactics. During the day, before you start working on a tactic (blogs, email, sales calls, social media, etc.) ask yourself, "Will what I am about to do help accomplishing a strategy." Strategies lead to accomplishing a goal which leads to achieving your visions.

Posted By davedevelder read more

How to get the Most Out of Interviewing and Integrating a New Sales Person

Jan

Whether interviewing a found talent or an open position candidate, a defined interview process will pay back dividends as op

Posted By David DeVelder read more

Increase Sales with a Lead Nurturing Plan

Dec

To Increase Sales you must first start at the basic level. Sales Performance Measurement can tell you a lot about where your clients are coming from and how they are converted from a lead. First it's a name, then it becomes a lead, then a suspect, then a prospect and finally a client.

Posted By davedevelder read more

Effective Marketing is Most Important in an Economic Downturn

Dec

Effective marketing plans are some of the most important tools when it comes to any business. Even in this economic downturn, with minimum cost, a business can still create an effective marketing campaign. Marketing, Sales, Revenue Generation is an investment and needs to be treated as such in a down economy.

I hear business and professional people talking about how they are cutting back here, slashing there, making do, generally saving on expenses every way they can. It's a sign of the times. Sadly, all too often some of the money they are so proudly saving comes from reducing the marketing plan and sales budget.

Posted By davedevelder read more

Supercharge Revenue Generation in 2012

Nov

Super Charge Your Revenue Generation goal for 2012 with new thought on developing your marketing and sales strategy. Start off the new year by getting your strategic sales performance plan ironed out in December.

Posted By davedevelder read more

Sales Tips: SALE is not a Four Letter Word

Nov

We go into business because of passion we have for something we do excellently. At DevCom we have a passion for sales consulting, sales development, providing sales tips and marketing advice to our valued clients. We enjoy what we do and do it well. We've spent a lot of time learning, developing and honing our professional skill set. Today much of our creativity, both conscious and unconscious, goes into seeking perfection of our passion. Our dream is to build a successful business around our passion.