Category Archives: Blogging

Preparing the Prospect: An Overlooked Key to Marketing

Friday, January 26, 2007Blogging, Branding, Marketing, SalesListening, Market ResearchChris Brown

Why do prospects get turned off before they consider a product’s benefits or a company’s services?

So often the efforts associated with marketing and branding are viewed as a one-way medium:

direct mail to a list of prospects

email blast to a list of contacts (opted in of course!)

delivering information in video, audio, printed ads/brochures…

It’s amazing how often something so simple as listening is overlooked in marketing, like listening to prospects during a sales call… or even surveying your current customers and clients:

“Why do you buy from us over the competition?”

“What’s the one thing we could improve that would make the most difference to you?”

“What is your main objective and how can I help you achieve it?

Thanks to Robyn McMaster at BrainBasedBiz, who commented yesterday and promoted me to continue this conversation:

Hi Chris, thanks for some great tips on preparing a prospect. As I read your post I thought of another aspect. Be sure to be a listener. Sometimes salespeople do not really listen because they’re so focused on a sale and what they’re going to say next. The prospect can sense this.

I believe that this needs to be true at the beginning of the sales cycle in the marketing stage. Branding your business or product without first listening to your customers and potential customers is a big mistake. Entrepreurs launching their first product sometimes fall into this trap, because they are so “in love” with the features of their new product.

Marketing has to be a two way street or you’re just talking AT them. No one likes to be talked AT when they are actually IN a conversation. Blogging is like that too… it shouldn’t be a one-way medium. Good writers write with the reader in mind, not just trying to get their message across. Listening is a crucial part of writing.

Thanks to Fred Armatige for use of his “one way” sign photo on Flickr.

Technorati Tags:Market Research, Sales, Marketing, Branding, Blogging, Listening, Entrepreneurs

Marketing Blog review: Spotlight on an European Marketing Blog

Tuesday, January 23, 2007Blogging, Branding, European Marketing, MarketingAdvertising, Market ResearchChris Brown

Even with more than 20 years of marketing experience, I learn something new everyday… and reading other blogs from marketing and branding experts is one way that helps me to learn and grow. (I think my company’s clients are counting on that! They hire us because they don’t have the time or resources to do all of their marketing… So it’s even MORE important that we are staying current in the field.)

Here is an interesting marketing and branding blog that hopefully will inspire you in the way that it inspired me:

Marketing, Advertising, Branding, Blogging: - An award-winning European blog with lots of video links and a different spin on the Marketing world from Laurence-Helene. I love seeing commercials from all over the world and she does a great job of finding and relating them to life in London.

My name is Laurence-Helene and I am a Frenchie living in the UK. Mum used to send me to the UK every summer from the age is 14, and I immediately fell in love with the UK. My dream came true! After 6th form (High School) I went onto studying Modern Languages (English & Italian with German minor) at the Universitie Lum Lyon II (France) and promptly moved to my adoptive country. I spent 3 years in Canterbury (Kent) where I completed a BA (Hons) in Marketing. London has been my home for the past 3 years and I currently work as a consumer Insight Executive specialising in Qualitative Research. My goal is to move to NYC although I am also open to other locations!

Because of her terrific command of languages and international background, she not only can really can comment about the way a brand’s promise is communicated, Laurence-Helene interprets the nuances for us as well. Here’s an example:

Working for a French advertising agency is serious business! A lot of French ads use cultural references and puns. The advert below for LU (part of the Danone group) is a reference to the Van Gogh who suffered from dementia and cut off his ear after an argument with Gauguin.

It’s interesting to me to watch commercials from US companies, developed for the European market, interpreted by a French marketing guru living in London. Thanks, Laurence-Helene.

MyBlogLog - Building a Community of Neighbors

Sunday, January 14, 2007Blogging, Branding Blogs, Marketing - General, Marketing BlogsChris Brown

Andy sent out the first list. Then Drew passed it.. Mike added to it (or was it Mike passed it and Drew added to it?) Either way, Patrick passed it to me. That part I’m sure about.

I’m talking about MyBlogLog — one of the fastest growing sites for building and measuring community in the blogosphere. Here’s a way to get to know more bloggers in your community.

As Mike says: