A really hairy mktg. problem

Mary Schmidt

Sep 15, 2005

Thanks to Seth Godin and Gillette.  I needed a good belly laugh.  Yes, you can stop holding your breath, the wait is over - Gillette has upped the ante in the razor race with their new 5-blade Fusion!  But, no, no - really it has nothing to do with the competition.

“The Schick launch has nothing to do with this, it’s like comparing a Ferrari to a Volkswagen as far as we’re concerned,” said Chairman, President and Chief Executive James Kilts.

Hate to tell Mr. Kilts this, but people only have

In Brain Food, Marketing Troubleshooting

“What’s so hard about doing this marketing fluff stuff?”

Mary Schmidt

Sep 14, 2005

There’s a ton of “free” material and help out here in the virtual world for people to do their own marketing plans and implementation.  And, there is a lot of great free guidance - just look to my blogroll for some of my recommendations (Tom Peters, Seth Godin, Michele Miller, Holly Buchanan, Bruce Fryer). 

However, as with any industry or service, there’s also way too much snake oil and just plain wrong advice.  The “simple” guides (“Write a winning marketing plan in one day!”)  can set

In Marketing Troubleshooting, Pet Peeves

How Small Biz Beats Big Biz Almost Every Time - Service!

Mary Schmidt

Sep 10, 2005

Car Repairs.  Eeekkk!  Doesn’t that make just about all of us cringe and defensively clutch our wallet?  Well, I hopped in my Jeep Cherokee to run a few errands and it had turned into a “Nova” (One of the classic marketing mistakes of all time, “No Va” in Spanish means “no go.”)  So, called one of my past clients, Fulton Motors, and asked for a recommendation re a good, honest mechanic.  Before Amy & Duke (it’s a family firm) called me back, they’d already called “Gilly”  and told him what

In Marketing Troubleshooting

No, we never ever want to talk to you, our customers.

Mary Schmidt

Sep 09, 2005

I just got one of those emails that make me feel so warm and loved - and happy I gave a company money.

“if you are receiving this via email, this is an automated service and is not monitored for replies.” 

This when they’re telling me “So sorry, we can’t give you the rebate because your forms weren’t postmarked within 60 days.”  It gets even better - they did approve one part of the offer (all required forms were mailed on the same day) and my check will be on its way within 12 weeks

In Marketing Troubleshooting, Pet Peeves

Location, Location, Location - Just as Important in Virtual Real Estate

Mary Schmidt

Sep 08, 2005

In doing some research this week on web sites, I found yet more “low, low priced” “Do it yourself” offerings.  Now, I can certainly understand folks wanting to save a few dollars - and the “Wal-Marts of the Web” sure make it look easy. Of course, by the time you add up all the “options” of domain registration and transfers, email, hosting, storage, security, spam filters…AND factor in the time you spend learning how to use the software and then getting the site up….well, you’ve just blown a lot

In Marketing Troubleshooting

“Strategic” Blogging?

Mary Schmidt

Sep 06, 2005

Did a phone interview this morning with Cristina Opdahl of the New Mexico Business Weekly - talking about how to use a blog as a biz dev tool.  We covered a lot of ground re my personal virtual marketing strategy and how technology tools such as blogs can really help a small business (or any size business for that matter) better communicate with existing customers as well as more easily attract new ones. 

Of course, blogs ultimately are only as good as their authors (and contributors). 

In Marketing Troubleshooting

Eating your young is NOT a good pricing strategy.

Mary Schmidt

Sep 01, 2005

I saw this up close and personal more times than I care to count when working in Corporate America.  Sales down?  We’d head right to Plan P (for Panic) and start wildly discounting, sometimes up to 75% off list.  Great - we just killed all credibility (and value)  for our existing product lines and cannibalized our future (Customer:  “Hey, why pay list for the new product?  We know we can get it for a whole lot less!”)  GM has been eating its young for a while - with its increasing addiction

In Marketing Troubleshooting