Does this make me look fat? The classic question and deadly measure of spousal honesty illustrates the inherent dilemma in conducting customer surveys. Just as spouses typically hesitate before responding, wondering whether the asker is truly seeking honest feedback or fishing for a compliment that might be a little untruthful, many companies claiming to be interested [...]
Ask a business owner how her customers think about the services they receive or the products they use, and you’ll hear comments like "they love us." But when a third party asks those customers the same question, the results can be eye-opening. I recently shared the story about developing a customer profile for a professional services [...]
We had carefully studied the client's stated objectives and analyzed the budget, then created a strategy that addressed both with great efficiency. So we were startled when our plan was completely tossed out the window. The reason? One of the executives walked into the meeting and said he really liked a particular technology, so using that [...]
Many companies in the business-to-business world sell their products through networks of outside dealers, independent distributors, or similar arrangements. While those arrangements make it possible for even a small company to quickly gain a broad reach, they can also reduce the control the company has over its image and messages. Our marketing agency works with a [...]
One of the first metrics business owners learn about is return on investment, or ROI. Earning the highest possible ROI is critical when running a business. You make investments with the expectation that you’ll have something to show for them. So how's the ROI on your investment in marketing and advertising? If you’re like most [...]
For many companies, participation in trade shows devours a healthy portion of the total marketing budget. But as with so many other aspects of business, what matters isn't how much you spend -- it's how intelligently you spend it. After each year’s show, many companies conclude that they could have had better results if only [...]
The graphic symbol representing your company has been in place since the early 1960s, when your great-uncle started the business, and your new advertising firm insists that it has to be replaced. You want to trust their counsel, but you're just not sure. "You need a new logo" is one of the first things companies often [...]
As the world becomes smaller, the opportunities for companies to do business overseas get bigger. But accessing other markets demands more than a perfunctory knowledge of geography and a phrase book. Cutting corners can trip up the most well-intentioned efforts. Our marketing agency has helped clients do business globally for years, and we've learned many lessons [...]
A few years ago, one of our agency's longtime clients asked us to develop a coffee-table book celebrating their company's centennial. In bringing that project to fruition, I learned a lot about the company, but learned even more about running a business. The company is Western States Manufacturing, a Cincinnati-area maker of centrifugal devices for [...]
