New Year’s Resolutions for Marketers

NoSpin Marketing

NoSpin Debunker #35: January 14, 2002

 

 

Note that last week's debunker, this week's and next week’s are also online columns for the NashvillePost.com.

 

Last week’s NoSpin Debunker suggested 22 possible Marketing Resolutions for CEO’s. This week’s Debunker offers 22 more resolutions, this time for folks in the Marketing Department itself--to help bring in more sales and profits in 2002. Next week’s edition will recommend several ways to aggressively, yet economically, market products and services this year.

 

Let me know if you have other resolutions and we’ll publish yours also. Email Tom Ranseen.

 

As a Marketer in 2002, I am going to:

 

1.      Remember EVERY SINGLE DAY that Marketing is all about selling; if it doesn’t help sales, it’s not worth doing.

  1. Get my hands dirty (with prospects and customers) and contribute whatever it takes to sell more of our products and services.
  2. Forget about 2001 and try new marketing approaches in 2002—regardless of what happened last year.
    1. Have a plan--but deviate from it at any point, act, and ask for forgiveness later.
    2. Execute tactics and apply our marketing dollars better (see next week’s debunker) than last year.
    1. Badger my boss and top management continuously to invest more resources in things that are working and bringing in more business.
    2. Realize that it’s A LOT easier to sell to existing customers versus new prospects--and especially if those customers are happy with us now.
    1. Become a lot more involved in the decisions regarding our products and services and pricing—and not just “promotions.”
    2. Promote my products and services regularly--always keeping in mind message, reach, frequency and cost.
    1. Change my messages as often as they need changing and continually give customers new reasons to purchase our products and services.
    2. BE MERCILESS in eliminating spin and jargon from my marketing messages.
    1. Encourage others’ input, always, but not allow “marketing by committee” to slow down or stop progress.
    2. Toot our horn about the good stuff we do and not be paranoid about what competitors and others might “find out” about us.
    1. Monitor—to the best of my ability—results from all marketing efforts, but worry more about the aggregate result of increased profits.
    2. Work more closely with Sales and endeavor to get them on the same page with everyone else.
    1. Experiment and innovate and be frugal but not expect to hit a home run with every marketing tactic.
    2. Re-examine so-called “strategic” partnerships with other companies and make them real (with real incentives) or drop them all together.
    1. Spend money on things that can be done well and not attempt to do anything halfway.
    2. Set an example by religiously following-up with customers and prospects.
    1. Get serious about our web site and use it as a central part of our marketing efforts.
    2. WREST CONTROL OF OUR WEB SITE from the tech folks and be responsible for and able to make basic changes and updates myself.
    1. Avoid building an expensive, internal empire and instead make judicious use of high quality experts to create and develop exactly what is needed.

     

    Next week: Marketing on the Cheap in 2002.

     

    Tom Ranseen                           NoSpin Marketing                             615.383.7157

     

    Let me know if you want to unsubscribe to this newsletter