True story.  Guy walks into a bank.  Has all his business accounts there.  All his personal accounts, too.  High income, high net worth.  Been there for years.  Asks about a $3 charge on one of his accounts.  He’s told that it dipped below the minimum for a couple days.  Says okay – won’t happen again. …

There’s more than one way to stay alive in dodgeball.  You can use the ball you’re holding to deflect that incoming missile.  Or brace yourself and catch that incoming missile.  It’s easy to settle into a set way of doing things in marketing.  But the beauty of marketing is that there are always several “right”…

In dodgeball, accuracy and speed almost always trump brute force.  The quick, the nimble and the focused are the winners.  Same with marketing.  The biggest competitor isn’t always the most profitable.  Often, the smaller company picks off the most profitable customers and keeps them longer.  As a marketer, you have to be ready to take…

Here’s the other thing about dodgeball.  Just when you get a clear shot at the big gun, you get picked off by the quick little player you never saw coming.  You never get to deal with marketing problems one at a time.  They all need your attention now.  So you do have to pay attention…

There are two kinds of dodgeball players.  (Okay…three if you count the ones who cower in the corner and pray.)  The first starts out targeting the easy marks, clearing the deck as fast as they can.  And then there are the few hardy souls who go after the big dog first.  They aim for the…

In those early primary debates, Trump was quick to attach labels to his opponents — Sleepy Jeb, Little Marco, Lying Ted — that those opponents found impossible to shake. He continued this tactic as his party’s nominee with the “Crooked Hillary” tag he used relentlessly. That doesn’t mean you should insult your competition. But if…

If you watched the early Republican primary debates, you could be forgiven for mistaking Rick Perry for Rick Santorum, or not recognizing John Kasich or Bobby Jindal. But every single viewer knew who Donald Trump was. He was larger than life on every stage he occupied…and he truly occupied every stage he was on. In…

There’s more evidence all the time that even the most rational among us make purchase decisions for reasons that depend as much or more on emotion than logic. Often, we’re swept up by the emotion, then backfill the rationale for our decisions. Donald Trump went straight for the emotional pitch every time, fueling his messages…

Nothing succeeds like short, strong statements. While Hillary Clinton offered long, detailed (and often complex) statements and ideas, Donald Trump kept his short and sweet. The result? People were better able to recall his (“Build the wall,” etc.), but were often at a loss to recite any of hers. If you want people to absorb…

Research has turned up a few things that tend to be predictors of success in college. Interestingly, they’re predictors of marketing success, too. Making the right connections, adaptability, resilience, high emotional intelligence and clearly-defined goals all predispose a company for marketing success. So how do you stack up in those critical areas? Are you connecting…