Don’t Let Cool Be The Enemy Of Clear

When I was first starting my company, a friend was also starting a company at the same time. Her husband gave her a terrific piece of advice. He told her not to let great be the enemy of good. Let’s face it, there are many circumstances where good is a completely acceptable result. I see so many people spending precious time and resources...

Entrepreneurs: Don’t Write That Survey!

I am an advisor to lots of start-ups. Lately I seem to be spending my time fielding enthusiastic questions from them about the kind of survey questions they would like to ask their customers. Here’s a typical recent email I received on this topic (names are changed to protect the innocent) from a marketing employee at one of these...

Three Common Marketing Mistakes

Three Common Marketing Mistakes
In my recent TV interview with Rebecca Cooper on Washington Business Tonight, I talked about 3 common marketing mistakes I see pretty consistently with my small to mid-sized clients. These mistakes can be boiled down to three words: Do, Reach, Say. 1. Companies do not know what they are trying to DO, i.e., they have no marketing plan. 2....