Many small businesses or even mid-to-large-sized businesses with geographic dispersion have marketing people in-house or at least marketing-minded employees, whether at the top or within the company’s ranks. But oftentimes, there’s not a dedicated, experienced resource at the C-level. The lack of a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) or equivalent leadership role often results in a task-based approach to marketing, which means energy and resources can get expended based on assumptions, whims, and good sales pitches vs. data, analysis, and strategic goals. The result? Unknown value and potential waste of profits. For every company, it may not be feasible to bring in a marketer at this level and caliber; the costs of an executive search alone could be more than what is usually allocated in a market budget! Bringing in an outside firm is also not always a smart economic investment. So what is the internal champion of strategic marketing to do? My advice is find an ally–someone you trust who knows what questions to ask to put the potential for a marketing strategy into perspective, can help that get traction within the organization, and will assist with implementation at a cost in line with expected outcomes. Large companies know that, for effective marketing results, there has to be a CMO at the helm; in small business, someone has to be the CMO (even if acting or undercover) so it might as well be you. Ready for your new role? Let’s talk. ...
Read MoreA while ago I saw a quote someone re-tweeted from Michael E. Gerber, the author of The E-Myth and Founder of Club E: “The entrepreneur sees opportunities everywhere we [sic] look, while many people see only problems everywhere they look.” This statement made me wonder: Is seeing opportunities (aka optimism) vs. problems (aka pessimism) a requirement for entrepreneurship? That just seemed too polarized and limiting for my tastes. Here’s what I’ve been able to work out so far. Gerber’s quote may be true for entrepreneurs who see opportunity everywhere and especially for visionaries surrounded by opposition. His statement provides a needed psychological boost–and rationale for consumption. One thinks: “I see opportunity everywhere; others only shoot me down. This guy supports and gets me so I need to follow him, buy his stuff, join his group, etc.” Don’t get me wrong: I LOVE Michael Gerber. I’ve read the E-Myth Revisited and I’ve seen him speak. He is an incredible resource and inspiration. He essentially has made the business case for process development to small business–something most consultants constantly struggle to do. In many ways, he is a hero and an icon for small business owners like me. But I guess I’m more concerned with defining a successful entrepreneur vs. just an entrepreneur. So my position is that successful entrepreneurs see opportunity but don’t put blinders on when it comes to problems. In other words, they have to see and listen to potential problems. Sure, they must consider the source, but to mistake critical thinking for negativity and therefore to discount it is (in my mind) a huge mistake. Everyone talks about entrepreneurs having vision but I think that vision alone can be their downfall. Instead, I propose this: Success equals vision validated by data and tempered with reality—which is sometimes clouded by enthusiasm. This is all the more reason entrepreneurs need outside perspective from a trusted advisor. I realize my statement might sound pessimistic to some, but I call it healthy skepticism–and part of the value I provide to those who understand the necessity of working through “problems” before launching. The rationale: Better for me to point out any potential pitfalls than your customers (or non-customers!) after you’ve already invested blood, sweat, tears, time, your money, other people’s money, etc. What do you think? Is seeing opportunities enough to make...
Read MoreSmall business owners sometimes buy print/radio advertising, social media, and other tactical marketing solutions based on the recommendations of a sales representative for those services. Because they haven’t been able to look at all available solutions and make informed decisions (without sales pressure), the owner can incur unnecessary costs, create more work, and achieve little to no results. In worst-case scenarios, I have talked to small business owners who have to face closing their doors because of poor, ill-advised, costly, and ineffective marketing decisions. This is why an owner should speak with a marketing strategist first and talk about their business goals and challenges. By starting their conversations with an independent, skilled marketing professional and focusing on strategy and goals, owners can be assured that all the important factors when designing a marketing communications strategy—regardless of media—will come into play and that a plan will be created to meet the agreed-upon objectives. This approach allows small business owners to benefit from results-driven investments in their success based on a professional marketer’s understanding of who they are trying to reach (their market) and how their brand will “behave” as well as how the right solutions can be implemented based on actual owner budget and desired level of effort. If a small business owner you know is at risk of signing contracts with multiple media or agencies and intending to manage marketing in-house (especially without a professional marketing background and/or a professional marketing strategy in place), please stop...
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