Imagine yourself back in school.  Your assignment: come up with an idea for a really interesting story about your company.  A story so appealing that almost anyone would want to hear it.  Here’s why that make-believe assignment matters.  As newspapers shrink and television news leans more heavily on the sensational than ever before, your opportunities…

Too much of marketing revolves around what businesses want to say to consumers.  But it’s easy to forget this simple truth: just as you respond positively to a “good listener,” so do customers.  This begs the question: how easy is it for your customers to let you know what they think?  Do you make it…

Would it surprise you to learn that 90% of women prefer brands they hear about from other moms?  That’s about twice the genera consumer rate.  How could this impact your business?  Is there a bank anywhere in the country making a conscious effort to build word-of-mouth among moms?  A law firm?  A dentist?  How could…

It happens over and over again, week in and week out.  Board meetings are attended, minutes are approved, finances are reviewed, reports are given.  All important stuff.  But consider this: assuming the board you serve on is well-chosen, you’re in the company of some of the best minds around, willing to apply time and energy…

If you’re in sales, or have salespeople, the law of averages says you’ll hear “no” more often than “yes.”  Sales is not a profession for the faint of heart.  But think about the person who has to tell you “no.”  With a few loutish exceptions, no one likes to turn another person down.  It’s hard…

Research shows that consumers of every age appreciate “loyalty rewards,” special offers from the brands they frequent.  But they prefer to hear about them in different ways.  More than ever before, seniors are reading the statements, special offers and surveys they receive in the mail from companies they do business with.  At the other end…

Who you compare yourself to defines who you are.  Author Seth Godin recently blogged about the one restaurant in the Atlanta airport that managed to delight him (One Flew South in Terminal E).  How does this one eatery rise above the mediocrity of its peers?  The general manager explained to Godin, “We don’t compare ourselves…

A composer / producer relates the story of an ill-fated jingle.  The client was targeting teens for an apparel store, and an appropriate jingle was crafted.  The client’s teen daughter loved it, but the client’s spouse pronounced it too “sassy.”  The client insisted on a plain vanilla version to gain spousal approval.  The resulting ode…

Ron Howard’s 1995 film may have immortalized the phrase, “Houston, we have a problem,” but it did something else – it showed us a model of innovation.  With their vehicle crippled, the crew of Apollo 13 has to find a solution quickly to avoid tragedy.  On the ground, the NASA team is given exactly what…

In a recent survey, over 80% of consumers said they’ve acted as the result of a newspaper insert in the past month – clipping a coupon, making a purchase, visiting a website or trying a product.  And almost 60% of adults say the newspaper is their top tool for planning and purchasing.  If you sell…