Check this out –  http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/manage/marketandprice/SERV_100MIDEAS.html

Now while some of these are “basic” ideas, I would ask yourself if you are implementing and thinking about them. 

For example, why not have your sales team collect your #1 competitors ads and study/review them at the next team meeting?  I love that idea. 

Take a read and let’s discuss how I can help you implement and idea or two.

I few years ago, a friend of mine in Seatle asked me if I used Manta.com to research City’s I cover.  At that time, I had never heard of it.  While a few short years later, I lOVE manta.com.  I use it to help me strategize the top accounts in each City.  You can even search the top accounts by categories, by City.  All for free :>

Check it out (http://www.manta.com)  and put a comment below on the site you use.

http://www.manta.com/

If you are in sales or manage a sales force, this is a pretty good book I would recommend you consider.

http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Pitch-Selling-Winning-Business/dp/0471789763

Creating a blog is really easy and commercial print sales people can absolutely do it and do it quickly. I hear it took less than 30 minutes for George!  

I highly encourage “customer corner” section and have your customers tell your story!

Anyway, check out one that George Aquilante just did yesterday! It’s a great start and took less than 30 minutes! 

http://gaquilanteipp.blogspot.com/

George – great job! Looking forward to seeing your enewsletter and brainshark next :>

Check out what Toby Bloomberg says on the subject.  If you connected with Toby, let me know!  I heard her present at AMA and she was awesome!

http://www.sunjournal.com/index.php?t=8&storyid=300880&subpub=168

Back in early December, I posted a link to MPlanet.  http://www.mplanet2009.com/marketingblog/   If you aren’t aware of the event AMA is putting on in Orlando, please visit www.mplanet2009.com because I highly recommend it. 

Well, this week, MPlanet has asked bloggers across the country to talk about one of their 4 themes for 2009!

So, I started thinking about Brand building in a digtial world.  I thought, “Scott, what is your brand?” 

We all know the importance “Brand” plays in the success of a company. We also know how difficult it can be to change a Brand image, once established. In fact, many would say our company Brand is the most important thing we have. So if Brand is so important to a business’s success, couldn’t we also argue that it is equally important to our own success, as employees? Do you think about what YOUR “Brand” is? Are you creating the “Brand U”? Well you are, whether you know it or not. Here’s some good news. Brand building in a digital world is not as challenging as you might think.

http://titus.blogs.xerox.com, featuring a section called “customer corner” where I ask my customers to leave feedback about me and my team. I also began attending seminars and industry events that were more relevant to my customers’ business than my own business. In fact, I began presenting at some of those seminars, including customer seminars, major franchise meetings, Printing Industries of the Carolina events and NAQP sessions. I even put together my own industry events, bringing in Industry consultants and other Xerox resources in to present on topics related to business and sales growth vs. my Xerox Digital Solutions. An interesting thing began to happen. My network and brand started to grow. Suddenly, my customers began to talk about the value I was bringing as part of the business partnership. One customer was featured in a recent magazine saying, “I bought a relationship – the equipment was free.”

I read a book several years ago by Seth Godin called “The Purple Cow”. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend you do. My goal was to become a “Purple Cow”. That is, I wanted to be so unique, so spectacular that people would have to stop and take notice!

So, think about “Brand U”. As a marketing person, what is your brand? What sets you apart from your peers, your competitors? Most important, do your customers agree with what you think your brand is?

Let me stress again, building a company’s brand in today’s digital world is easier than you think. Why? People can spread messages faster and more efficiently than ever before. It’s no longer just print, TV, radio, phone and word of mouth. You can use email. You can text. You can use a blackberry. You can use twitter. You can use facebook. You can blog. You can “internet search”. You can join networks on sites like linkedin.com. And I could go on and on.

Basically, you can communicate to millions and millions of people in seconds in today’s digital world. Equally as important, so can your customers! And what if they communicated “Your Brand”?   

Go ahead.  Take a minute and write a comment about what you think of when I say, “Brand Building in a Digital World.”  And let’s make it a goal in 2009 to expand OUR brand.

This was a great blog I read on “Listening and Respondning vs telling and selling”!  http://crmweblog.crmmastery.com/2007/04/listening-and-responding-vs-telling-and-selling/

It made me think.  I believe our world is changing and as M.Plantet suggests, the “New Marketsphere is Here”.   So let me ask you a question.  Are you Listening and Responding to your customers or are you Telling and Selling?   Think about this a little deeper.  Many of your customers come to you to help them market their product or service.  Yet, few of you are listening to their real problems and helping them respond to them.  Example, you don’t ask WHY they are asking you to print 4,000 pieces? Some of you just take the file and print?   For those that know me, you are laughing because you know I ask “Why” over and over and over.  The reason is because “why” question ensures that I listen to you and understand not only what you are trying to accomplish, rather why you believe you are going about it the best way.  This is important because there may be a better way that I want to recommend that you aren’t aware of.   Well, something to think about.