The limits of my language define the limits of my world. ~Wittgenstein Words and language form the building blocks for most of our human interactions. The right words bring a story to life, warm our hearts and make us feel connected. In business, the language we use can serve to create memorable conversations with our audiences. The right language joins us in rapport with our buyers, giving us the opportunity to establish powerful connections as the foundation for long-term … [Read more...]
Brain Bender or Mind Mender?
True or false? Behavioral and neural sciences can be used to manipulate others to do as we want. If you said True - then you need to read this post! This July, I will complete my master's certificates in neural/behavioral sciences including Neural Linguistic Processing (NLP), Hypnosis and Timeline Strategies (among others). I have personally experienced the amazing power of these practices to change my mind, my life and my destiny. Lately I've been sharing some glimpses into the power … [Read more...]
posted on February 25, 2013 by
Marketing and Our Buyer’s Defense Mechanisms
Buy Now! Must Have! Today Only! Your Competition is Doing It! These are examples of imperative statements - those marketing phrases that we've been taught will trigger an immediate response. In today's market we send our audience running. We all see our areas of responsibility as our turf. Just like our caveman forefathers saw their caves as their territory and safety zone. Our minds motivate us to defend our turf. Consequently, whenever our turf is threatened we dig in and … [Read more...]
posted on February 4, 2013 by
Why Marketing is Like Internet Dating
Our digital world empowers B2B buyers to gather information and make purchasing decisions, without a vendor involved. Consequently, today's B2B buyers are behaving like B2C buyers. Recent studies show that buyers move through ~80% of the buying cycle before they interact directly with a vendor.* In yesterday's markets - vendors were a necessary source of information. We were heavily involved in every step of the buying cycle. That's no longer true. Buyers in control represents one of … [Read more...]
posted on July 22, 2012 by
3 Ways to Get Personal with Marketing
How personal is your marketing? If conversation is the new campaign – then it follows that the most compelling conversation is personal in nature. After all – isn’t that why we engage and converse, to chat about things that are of interest to us –not just the other party? Personas and profiles are all the rage in content marketing and more. We spend significant effort to define the personas of our buyers – grouping and categorizing based on title, area of responsibility, … [Read more...]
posted on July 15, 2012 by
Our Prospects Push Back
For decades, pushing at our prospects was a marketing mainstay. We were taught to - We pushed promotions, calling it lead generation. - We pushed me, me, me taglines, logos n more, calling it branding. - We pushed every possible news about us, calling it PR. The list goes on... Push marketing worked for a long time. But no more... Prospects Push Back Today's prospects enjoy nearly limitless (and objective) information about us. They can gather facts, opinions and every piece of … [Read more...]
posted on July 1, 2012 by
Whose Got the Power?
One of the Internet's strengths is its ability to help consumers find the right needle in a haystack... ~Jared Sandberg If you think you have the power - over your brand, your marketing and sales cycle or your buyers - think again. Thanks to the digital age, today’s buyers can research, select and purchase their products without getting you involved in the decision. You won’t even know they were buying. Everything shifted. Your choices: shift too—or get left in the … [Read more...]
posted on May 14, 2012 by
Your Story has Two Faces
You get more flies with sugar than you do with vinegar... That's a very powerful rule for marketing - in any industry. Yet we so often forget the power of the positive spin as we get stuck in the gravity of shock and awe thinking. Ask yourself: How many of your promotions are based on fear or loss? How often do your messages focus on eliminating a negative? How often do you say something bad about a competitor? Every story has multiple faces....some enticing, some threatening. … [Read more...]
posted on April 14, 2012 by
Please Don’t Drink the Koolaid
We're so proud that we boarded the customer-focused business flight. Listening to customers, focusing on their needs and delivering great service has become the battle cry for most businesses. The transition to focus on what our customers need, instead of what we want to sell them, was a positive step. Is Customer Focus Your Curse? How can I ask that? Customers are the lifeblood of our businesses. Without customers, we have no revenue. Without revenue, well, we’re not really a … [Read more...]
posted on October 10, 2011 by
