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Subscribe in a readerB2B Blog Links | The Day in B2B | May 30, 2008
JoLonda | B2B Blog Postings | May 30th, 2008Below are some of the better B2B marketing blog posts from around the web in recent weeks.
Your B2B Customer Might be a Whole Different Animal
Mike Marn | B2B Research | May 30th, 2008
We all probably know a wine snob or two. (Perhaps you are one.) But we’ve all observed the aura of sophistication and faux pageantry that seems to accompany the selection of the proper wine.
(You know, the selection usually made by the suave movie hero just before leaps to a chandelier and swings across the room to disarm an evil spy who is about to bump off the guest of honor.)
Chances are, he chose his wine by carefully perusing the wine list, examining an elegant bottle, checking its vintage and place of origin, and swishing a small sample around his educated palate.
As it turns out, quite a few folks out there in the real world use a significantly simpler method of choosing a wine. They look for the gorilla on the label. Or the frog. Perhaps even the dinosaur. (more…)
Don’t Let your Business Get Caught in the Middle
Mike Marn | Positioning | May 28th, 2008A recent post by my colleague, Dick Hatch (about the slogan “Our people make the difference“) got me thinking. There are a number of common ad themes whose trite familiarity makes them invisible at best, laughable at worst. I’d like to nominate another candidate.
I’ve seen dozens, maybe hundreds, of banks, CPAs, furniture stores, builders, car dealers, and many other businesses claim in one way or another that they are:
“Big enough to serve you, small enough to care.” (more…)
Doing well in a downturn? It’s a (Fe)breeze!
Mike Marn | B2B Selling | May 21st, 2008
You’ve seen articles in plenty of places (including this blog) on how to survive the economic downturn. And the advice is interesting, with the messages that different sages are delivering. It seems you should:
Curtail spending…or spend boldly to gain share.
Focus on your core business…or diversify more.
Prospect heavily; potential clients are desperate … or prospect less; concentrate on keeping current customers happy.
See? The answer is simple.
But permit me to throw one more thought on the pile. The fact is, some brands and companies do well during tough times. And B2B marketers might learn a few things if they looked more closely at the sometimes less-than-obvious reasons why. (more…)
I Hated Everyone’s Customer Service Department—Until Yesterday
Richard Hatch | B2B Marketing | May 13th, 2008
As a rule, I hate calling customer service. Almost anybody’s customer service department. Until yesterday. Yesterday I called a customer service representative at Grand Rapids Chair Company. No, I didn’t need chairs. Actually, I didn’t even need customer service. I needed to get in touch with my daughter, a customer service representative there. Of course I didn’t mind leaving a message, and I’ll bet their customers are probably fine when they occasionally get voice mail too. Okay, and all biases aside, her voice mail said something like, “ Thanks for calling Grand Rapids Chair. Leave me a message and the name of your favorite 80s rock band, and I’ll get back to you shortly.”
Later, I asked her about her message. She told me it’s something they always do. They change up their voice mail messages every few weeks, but every customer service rep has something creative and fun included in their recorded voice mail messages. Seems to fit really nice with the overall perceptions I have of their company and brand. Essentially, they design and manufacture chairs, bar stools, tables, etc. for the hospitality industry—restaurants, bars, hotels, etc. Trendy designs. Urban designs. Upscale designs. Custom designs. Lots of cool stuff.
For me, the unexpected message really resonated and fit the brand personality. (more…)
Impressions don’t help unless you make one.
Mike Marn | B2B Marketing | May 12th, 2008
No, I don’t need my glasses. Just bring me more arrows!
Lately, I’ve noticed more than one article claiming to provide tips for companies who are trying to fight through a tough economy and reduced marketing budgets. Some of those hints are helpful; most are pretty obvious. But one—from an article I found on a very reputable business web site—is downright destructive in its naïve simplicity. (more…)
