Silverline: Growing A First Call Advantage Do your customers call you first when they’re ready to buy? Silverline has created a first call advantage. They generate over 90% of their business from referrals from Salesforce.com. They’ve created an enviable position as the first call in their niche, and they’re growing rapidly as a result.
Developing A Brand Symbol (The Great Bee Debate) Brand symbols function as a visual shorthand. Nike has the swoosh, and Starbucks uses the twin-tailed mermaid. When customers see these symbols they immediately think of the associated brand. The company doesn’t need words to tell their story. The symbol does it all. The article chronicles Sticky Branding’s approach to developing a symbol for our brand.
Macadamian: Finding A Brand Name That Sticks Finding a sticky company name requires both curiosity and determination. Macadamian found there’s in the most unexpected of places, the grocery store aisle. Play with words, and don’t compromise. Pursue the right now for your brand.
Tilt The Odds: Choose A Niche To Win No one ever said business has to be fair. Tilt the odds in your favor. Choose a playing field or a niche where you’re guaranteed to win. Every company that grows a sticky brand makes strategic choices of where they will play, how they will win, and how they will tip the odds in their favor.
Primo Cards: Reshaping Traditional Markets With Technology Many traditional business models are under duress. They are over saturated and driven on price. If you get caught in these forces the question is how will you respond. Will you get dragged down with the masses, or find ways to innovate and better serve your clients? Primo Cards has chosen the latter. They’ve embraced technology, and are using the internet and social media to rethink how a printing company can serve its customers.
Marketing Budget ROI: Measure Strategies vs Tactics Determining your marketing ROI, or return on investment, is always a challenge. Was a trade show or a sponsorship worth it? What about your brochures or business cards? Are they worth the expense? Measuring each activity is isolation is problematic. Look at the big picture, and measure the strategic results.
Deighton Associates: Think Local, Serve Global Small and mid-size companies can achieve a global impact with a niche strategy. Deighton uses their niche to sell beyond their backyard, and serve clients internationally. They serve a global market while delivering a personal, local experience.
3 Questions to Ask Before Responding to a RFP Request for Proposal are onerous and time consuming, and the win rate is abysmal. If you’re going to respond to RFPs be sure you will win. Ask these 3 questions before responding to any RFP.
Modern Engineering: BHAGs Drive Innovation BHAGs drive performance. Modern Engineering is one of the oldest machine shops in British Columbia, but they are standing out with a big hairy audacious goal, a BHAG. The goal stretches Modern to try things beyond their reach, but it also focuses their team on what’s important.
Stop Marketing, Start Selling Give your ideas flight. Every great marketing idea starts with a pitch. Get in front of your ideas and sell them. If you don’t sell them, no one will.
