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For many years bids have been won based on two factors; one, who you know and two, being the lowest bidder. If your company was able to perform the work and your proposal came in at the lowest price, you got the job. Over time, there has been a gradual shift towards design-build requests for proposals, along with an increased importance on qualified bidders.
This shift in preference of design-build proposals over lowest-bid proposals, and the increased importance placed on qualified bidders, has created a need for a B2B marketing strategy that did not exist in years past.
This shift in preference of design-build proposals over lowest-bid proposals, and the increased importance placed on qualified bidders, has created a need for a B2B marketing strategy that did not exist in years past.
Published in Marketing
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Every entrepreneur has a secret weapon of success. It's what drives them to succeed, brings them up when times are tough, grounds them when business rocks and makes the entrepreneurial journey worthwhile. For me that secret weapon is my husband.
Today is our fifteenth anniversary and not only do we celebrate our time together, but our family and the life we have created. As with most marriages of this length of time, we have had great times and rough times. There is nothing like two lay-offs and a sick infant in the hospital to challenge your strength. Being married to an entrepreneur is no cake-walk. Often there is investment, risk and a whole lot of hoping, praying, hard-work and long hours. If you are an entrepreneur or are married to one, I am sure you can relate.
Here are the qualities that every entrepreneur needs, in a supporter, to make them successful.
Today is our fifteenth anniversary and not only do we celebrate our time together, but our family and the life we have created. As with most marriages of this length of time, we have had great times and rough times. There is nothing like two lay-offs and a sick infant in the hospital to challenge your strength. Being married to an entrepreneur is no cake-walk. Often there is investment, risk and a whole lot of hoping, praying, hard-work and long hours. If you are an entrepreneur or are married to one, I am sure you can relate.
Here are the qualities that every entrepreneur needs, in a supporter, to make them successful.
Published in Small Business Marketing
Let's face it, we are all busy. Keeping up with the ever changing landscape of marketing, entrepreneurship, social media can be a challenge with an already full schedule. A tool that I have found that is both educational and entertaining is podcasts. When stuck in traffic or sitting at an hour and half swim team practice, I really enjoy listening to others experiences in business. Not only is it a distraction from the parking lot of Dallas rush-hour traffic, I usually learn something that I can apply to my own business and life.
A good podcast is more than educational, it is entertaining. The more you listen, the more you really get to know and enjoy the host. While the podcasts I listen to all have a business, entrepreneur or marketing spin, they also have a personal side. Think more along the lines of "This American Life", and less like an economics college lecture.
Here are my top ten picks:
A good podcast is more than educational, it is entertaining. The more you listen, the more you really get to know and enjoy the host. While the podcasts I listen to all have a business, entrepreneur or marketing spin, they also have a personal side. Think more along the lines of "This American Life", and less like an economics college lecture.
Here are my top ten picks:
Published in Small Business Marketing
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There's just something good about Friday. Most people see it as the second best day of the week (next to Saturdays). But, Fridays can be the best day of the week for an entrepreneur. Monday through Thursday is reserved for working like crazy in your business, but Fridays is the day to work on your business. For me, Monday through Thursday is spent marketing my clients' businesses, meeting with prospects, attending events and writing marketing strategies for my customers. I reserve Friday to reenergize my business and myself. This is when I put together marketing plans for my own business, I set goals and budgets, write blogs, engage in activities that inspire my creativity, and connect with mentors, friends and others in my field.
Published in Small Business Marketing
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In the contest between the two sides to marketing, inbound and outbound, inbound is winning. While traditional marketing efforts have been placed on obtaining customers through creativity, understanding customers' wants and needs, going out and finding the next sale, the sneaky inbound marketers are servicing customers coming to them.
There will always be a need for outbound marketing, but for any company that wants to engage with their customers and is looking to offer a unique customer experience, inbound marketing is really the only way forward.
There will always be a need for outbound marketing, but for any company that wants to engage with their customers and is looking to offer a unique customer experience, inbound marketing is really the only way forward.
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Most businesses have a marketing component, and if they don’t they should, but what makes a marketing department successful is the quality of the marketing manager.
A great marketing manager can be the difference between success and failure, or growth and stagnation.
I've been around the marketing scene in Dallas for over 15 years and I've worked with the very talented and some who ended up in marketing due to a misaligned company reorganization. In that case, marketing is being lead by someone for whom marketing is a foreign language.
As I continue to grow my firm, I'll be searching for marketing managers who are strong tactically. They can apply marketing and business tactics to real world situations. They are super organized. They understand analytics and they have a great attitude.
A great marketing manager can be the difference between success and failure, or growth and stagnation.
I've been around the marketing scene in Dallas for over 15 years and I've worked with the very talented and some who ended up in marketing due to a misaligned company reorganization. In that case, marketing is being lead by someone for whom marketing is a foreign language.
As I continue to grow my firm, I'll be searching for marketing managers who are strong tactically. They can apply marketing and business tactics to real world situations. They are super organized. They understand analytics and they have a great attitude.
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4 Ways To Have Big Marketing Results on a Small Budget| Grass Roots Marketing
Sep 15, 2015 Written by Guest
What do you do when you biggest competitor has endless amounts of revenue to invest in marketing, and you have very little? You start a grass roots campaign.
We are still early in the 2017 presidential race, but one candidate has caught my attention. Not from the issues for which he stands, but the creativity of his grassroots campaign. Bernie Sanders may be this fall's ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. He is looking to get the democratic nomination for the 2017 presidential race and his competitor comes with a big 'brand name' and an even bigger budget.
No matter what side of the aisle you sit, as entrepreneurs we all have been up against a competitor with strong name recognition and a large marketing budget? Tackling the behemoth in your industry may be as easy as rallying your supporters and spreading the word through grass roots campaigning and social media. This doesn't mean you don't invest in marketing, it just means your investment should be spent in a way to maximize the greatest return.
We are still early in the 2017 presidential race, but one candidate has caught my attention. Not from the issues for which he stands, but the creativity of his grassroots campaign. Bernie Sanders may be this fall's ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. He is looking to get the democratic nomination for the 2017 presidential race and his competitor comes with a big 'brand name' and an even bigger budget.
No matter what side of the aisle you sit, as entrepreneurs we all have been up against a competitor with strong name recognition and a large marketing budget? Tackling the behemoth in your industry may be as easy as rallying your supporters and spreading the word through grass roots campaigning and social media. This doesn't mean you don't invest in marketing, it just means your investment should be spent in a way to maximize the greatest return.
Published in Marketing
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I often hear from a number of professionals in the manufacturing, construction, professional services, medical, and technology fields that social media is not for them. If they have tried social media, they have tweeted a time or two, connected to a few people on LinkedIn, and maybe sent one message. Through a meager attempt they have determined that it does not work.
The question I pose to them and to you is "how did you find this blog?" and "how do you now know the Marketing Eye brand?"
I know the answer - do you?
The question I pose to them and to you is "how did you find this blog?" and "how do you now know the Marketing Eye brand?"
I know the answer - do you?
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Growing up my dad went to work at 6:50 and returned from work at 4:50. Work was work and when he changed from his office clothes, work was over. There was no computer, cell phone, email, texting Skyping, tweeting, or linking. It was just over till the next day.
Today, my work starts when I wake and ends when I close my eyes. I often office from home, so there is no end of day, no leaving the office. Even when I office outside the home, the computer, tablet and phone come with me.
I know it's not just me, it seems that everyone I talk to tells me how busy they are. Is it technology, demands to be over- productive at work, the need to always appear to be the perfect parent, friend or spouse, or the feeling that you always need to be 'on'?
Whatever the reason may be, it doesn't look like life will be slowing down any time soon. So if you can't change the busy world we live in, you will need to change the way you react to it. The key just may be finding some balance in and unbalanced world.
Today, my work starts when I wake and ends when I close my eyes. I often office from home, so there is no end of day, no leaving the office. Even when I office outside the home, the computer, tablet and phone come with me.
I know it's not just me, it seems that everyone I talk to tells me how busy they are. Is it technology, demands to be over- productive at work, the need to always appear to be the perfect parent, friend or spouse, or the feeling that you always need to be 'on'?
Whatever the reason may be, it doesn't look like life will be slowing down any time soon. So if you can't change the busy world we live in, you will need to change the way you react to it. The key just may be finding some balance in and unbalanced world.
Published in Small Business Marketing
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No regrets. It's not just what I say, it's what most people would say, even you, had you not been so afraid to take the risk.
I often have people tell me about the things they would or could do, but don't. They even ask for advice about following their dreams, but move no further than the idea stage. The reason, most often, is fear of failure.
Fear and insecurities are the single biggest threat to you becoming successful. It ties you up not just for hours, but perhaps years or a lifetime.
I often have people tell me about the things they would or could do, but don't. They even ask for advice about following their dreams, but move no further than the idea stage. The reason, most often, is fear of failure.
Fear and insecurities are the single biggest threat to you becoming successful. It ties you up not just for hours, but perhaps years or a lifetime.
Published in Small Business Marketing
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Starting a business is a bit like having a baby. It's harder work than you image, it costs more, it's more time consuming, you don't get much sleep, but you're still happy you made the leap (at least most days).
There are probably as many books out there on how to start a business as there are on how to survive the first year as a parent. Good advice only goes so far, there is no way to get around buckling down and giving a lot of attention and love to this treasure you are rearing and growing.
With two kids and two businesses, I'll skip my parenting advice and offer a few things that I have found have helped me (or I wish I would have known) during the first year of growing a business.
There are probably as many books out there on how to start a business as there are on how to survive the first year as a parent. Good advice only goes so far, there is no way to get around buckling down and giving a lot of attention and love to this treasure you are rearing and growing.
With two kids and two businesses, I'll skip my parenting advice and offer a few things that I have found have helped me (or I wish I would have known) during the first year of growing a business.
Published in Small Business Marketing
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The surest way to never have an epic fail is to never try something new. At sometime all companies will face a blunder, but how you deal with the situation may determine if your business 'Fails-up' and grows and strengthens from its mistake or if you just fail.
As a marketer and communicator I have walked the unfortunate path of dealing with crisis management for some of the biggest companies and notorious blunders. From communicating to clients during the Enron Scandal, to spinning the story of trust for a firm with a sour reputation.
One thing I learned from 10 years in the technology field is that things are going to go wrong. You can't deliver a new solution without a hiccup or two. It is how you deal with the situation that will determine if you fail or 'Fail-up'.
As a marketer and communicator I have walked the unfortunate path of dealing with crisis management for some of the biggest companies and notorious blunders. From communicating to clients during the Enron Scandal, to spinning the story of trust for a firm with a sour reputation.
One thing I learned from 10 years in the technology field is that things are going to go wrong. You can't deliver a new solution without a hiccup or two. It is how you deal with the situation that will determine if you fail or 'Fail-up'.
Published in Small Business Marketing
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There is a conundrum that many small business owners face on how fast to grow and how fast to staff. You put the best model together, service your clients well, market, sell, and network, and then it seems at once sales begin to close and projects are initiated, only to find that you are past the capacity of your employees to complete the projects.
Even if you have begun the talent search process, you hope the recruiting process lines up with sales growth. Staffing talent can be the key to taking your business to the next level, but staffing too early can diminish profits, by leaving employees idle. On the other hand, waiting too late can leave an owner with an excessive workload that can impact sales and delivery. It's a delicate balance and it takes perfect timing to get it just right.
Even if you have begun the talent search process, you hope the recruiting process lines up with sales growth. Staffing talent can be the key to taking your business to the next level, but staffing too early can diminish profits, by leaving employees idle. On the other hand, waiting too late can leave an owner with an excessive workload that can impact sales and delivery. It's a delicate balance and it takes perfect timing to get it just right.
Published in Small Business Marketing
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Have you been told you should blog? Maybe you have a website with a link to a blog that sits empty. I hear many reasons not to blog; time, dislike of writing, lack of topics and ideas, or lack of knowledge about what a blog can do for your small business. However, there are many reasons to blog and the biggest reason of all maybe linked to your bank account.
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Last night I caught a few minutes of America's Got Talent. In the episode, two magicians do the same trick with dramatically different results. It reminded me how often we enter the sales process with a similar 'trick' (i.e. product or service) to our competition, but our results are dramatically different, one gets the sale, the other does not.
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