IS IT OKAY TO STRETCH THE TRUTH IN SALES?
POSITION: SOMETIMES, YES There’s a major difference between stretching the truth and outright lying, and anyone who tells you that salespeople can be successful without stretching the truth a bit is, well, outright lying. There are times when a little manipulation of the truth is unavoidable. In a perfect world - one with no competition - it’d be great to tell customers the truth at all times. But the world’s not perfect. Competition does exist, and if the customer’s decision comes down to some minor point, then stretching the truth becomes a necessary part of sales survival. Some people may argue that a ...
IS SOCIAL NETWORKING MORE ABOUT NETWORKING OR MARKETING?
POSITION: NETWORKING In the November 9, 2009 issues of DM News, there's an announcement that Email Data Source is launching a new tool that will enable marketers to measure Twitter's impact on the traditional brand marketing perspectives of reach, frequency and effectiveness. According to the article, the new tool will grab the brass ring, the coveted ROI measurement of social networking. I have to say that I greet this announcement with a bit of a ho-hum shrug. Because social networking is networking – not brand marketing, not direct marketing, but that old chestnut, personal networking. When I worked in the financial services sector, ...
DOES “PERSONAL BRANDING” DESERVE ALL ITS HYPE? (ROUND 2)
POSITION: ABSOLUTELY! I'd say an unequivocal yes to that question with the proviso that it’s an authentic representation of you. Having a personal brand is very important, particularly in these challenging times, when we all need to be able to distinguish ourselves from the crowd. Whether you know it or not, you have a personal brand, we all do. It’s about what others say about us; our reputation. For those of you who are interested in defining your brand, a good way to start is to ask a handful of close friends or relatives how they’d describe you to someone who ...
TO BE SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERTS, MUST AGENCIES PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACH?
POSITION: NOT NECESSARILY Chances are you’ve never seen a TV commercial for an advertising agency, because ad agencies don’t use that medium to promote themselves. It’s not the most effective way for them to reach their target market. But that hasn’t prevented millions of brands from trusting agencies to develop effective TV spots. Same is true for social media. The fact that TV is mass media and SM is one-to-one doesn’t change my basic point: using a tool or service for yourself isn’t the only (or best) way of demonstrating capability. For many agencies, a profitable year simply means winning a ...
MICRO DEBATE: BUSINESS & MARKETING
IS IT OKAY TO STRETCH THE TRUTH IN SALES?
POSITION: SOMETIMES, YES There’s a major difference between stretching the...
IS SOCIAL NETWORKING MORE ABOUT NETWORKING OR MARKETING?
POSITION: NETWORKING In the November 9, 2009 issues of DM News, there’s...
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MICRO DEBATE: POLITICS
MICRO DEBATES: POLITICAL WRITERS WANTED TO JOIN THE DEBATE TEAM
Perspectives is excited to expand our “200 Word Micro Debates” into...
OBAMACARE: GOOD OR BAD FOR AMERICA?
What better way to kick off political debates than with the topic everyone is talking...
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BUSINESS AND MARKETING BLOG
5 MISTAKES BRAND MANAGERS MAKE
During the years I’ve worked with various brands and brand managers, and have studied other brands to see how they’ve been developed, I’ve spotted some mistakes that brand managers make on a regular basis, which can often be the difference between failure and success: Relying too much on data and research: Let me make this clear: I’m a big... [Read more of this review]
MINE!
Mine. The favorite word of two year olds everywhere is now the name of a new magazine and concept from Time Inc and American Express Publishing. The concept is intriguing. Instead of paying for several magazine subscriptions, readers complete a detailed questionnaire about their likes, dislikes and interests. Content is then pulled from Time Inc.’s... [Read more of this review]
TRUE FRIENDS OR PERFECT STRANGERS?
Seth Godin posted a thought-proving blog entry about Dunbar’s 150 friend theory. If you’re not familiar with Dunbar’s 150 friend theory, put simply it’s the fact that the human brain is hardwired for no more than 150 ‘friend’ connections. Anything more than that and we phase friends out to achieve stasis at 150... [Read more of this review]
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