Product marketing works over two different frameworks, each important, and fundamentally very different. These two areas are strategic and tactical.

Strategic Marketing

Strategic product marketing is the future component of the marketing problem. Strategic issues include:

• What business is your company in?

• What business should you be in?

• What products or services should be designed and offered?

• What technical capabilities need to
  Re-energise Your Business - Removing Friction & Delay
  Re-energise your Business - Remove sources of Friction and DelaySometimes delays are important, but if you're not adding value, then it is not good. Some level of friction and delay are prevalent in virtually every business. Depending on what you are trying to achieve, they are not automatically bad things. There are times when deliberately slowing down (introducing delay to) an activity is the right thing to do. But where they are a result of poorly evolved processes, lack of training or resources, or lack of knowledge - it's time to take action and remove them from your life!How can we define Friction and Delay? Friction is whatever gets in the way of a smooth and uninterrupted flow of events. Think of sliding along a bench covered in sandpaper versus one covered with oil. Delay is adding time without adding value. High levels of these in any business are expensive, leading to lower productivity, and higher costs.Why do businesses tolerate these levels of friction and delay??They are considered a cost of doing business. Many business owners don’t know or realize that there is another way of doing things – a way that could really improve their business The business suffers from inertia when it comes to improvements. Inefficiencies cause significantly lower productivity
  Many sales problems can be solved by improved marketing. Selling harder is often not the solution. More . . . or just better . . . marketing may be what's needed. Marketing presents a special problem for any company that has not yet developed a professionally staffed marketing department. This article looks at the various marketing functions. It describes some successful approaches to determining when to add "more" marketing to your company.

  In The Beginning

  Most successful companies grow from a small enterprise based on the founder's idea or vision. In the early stages, the founder usually plays many roles. It's common to see a founder handling engineering and/or sales roles. As the company succeeds and grows, many of these tasks are delegated to others.

  The one area most often key to the long term success of the company is the function of marketing. This article covers:

  • The marketing functions

  • The problems they can prevent or solve

  • The contributions you can expect from marketing

  Marketing: The Difference Between Buying And Selling

  The definition of marketing has been attempted by many authors. It is commonly referred to as the process of relating the potential customers' needs and wants to the company, and then addressing the company's solutions to meet those needs and wants back to the marketplace.

  We have described marketing as the process of focusing on Who the customer really is, and What the customer is actually buying from you . . . rather than what you're selling. What customers can buy from your firm . . . that they cannot buy from another . . . is the real reason they do business with you.

  The marketing functions within your company that support this work can be divided into product marketing and marketing services to support demand creation and sales. Both functions are necessary to have an effective marketing effort. However, they are distinct. How much of each you need . . . and who should perform these duties . . . are important issues.

  What Is Product Marketing?

  The classic definition of product marketing includes the issues of product, price, promotion, and sales channel (place). The concept of product marketing holds true whether your company is a "product" or a "service" company. In the case of a service company, your "product" is the service provided.

  To succeed, these product marketing issues (product, price, promotion, and place) must be handled so they are effective from the customer's point of view. In the beginning, these issues are usually a key part of the founder's vision. When the company succeeds, they often become too complex . . . and too important . . . to be handled part-time, by the chief executive.

  Product marketing works over two different frameworks, each important, and fundamentally very different. These two areas are strategic and tactical.

  Strategic Marketing

  Strategic product marketing is the future component of the marketing problem. Strategic issues include:

  • What business is your company in?

  • What business should you be in?

  • What products or services should be designed and offered?

  • What technical capabilities need to
    FastTrack Fundraising Program
    Groups looking for money to run special events or make special purchases will be glad to know that there are fund-raising services that will help them in their endeavors. Fasttrack Fundraising, for example, is a group of people working together to help non-profit groups raise needed funds and understand the importance of fundraising and also the challenges. They've done the car washes and bake sales that took all day to raise only a few dollars. So they developed fun, easy fundraiser programs that raised the needed funds, fast.Companies such as FastTrack have great knowledge of the fund raising efforts that have been successful and those that have failed and will work with any organization that needs to fundraise. Whether it's school fundraising, sororities, fraternities, sports fundraising, church fundraising, college fundraising, or any other type of non-profit fundraising, the employees at FastTrack have been there, done that. They can offer great advice to groups so they put their efforts into the campaign for funds that will make the most money in the least amount of time.FastTrack has a team of trained counselors that will advise any group on the latest ideas that work. They have successfully helped organizations just like yours raise the most amount of money in the least amount of time. They have worked with major companies and many of their progr
    ndling engineering and/or sales roles. As the company succeeds and grows, many of these tasks are delegated to others.

    The one area most often key to the long term success of the company is the function of marketing. This article covers:

    • The marketing functions

    • The problems they can prevent or solve

    • The contributions you can expect from marketing

    Marketing: The Difference Between Buying And Selling

    The definition of marketing has been attempted by many authors. It is commonly referred to as the process of relating the potential customers' needs and wants to the company, and then addressing the company's solutions to meet those needs and wants back to the marketplace.

    We have described marketing as the process of focusing on Who the customer really is, and What the customer is actually buying from you . . . rather than what you're selling. What customers can buy from your firm . . . that they cannot buy from another . . . is the real reason they do business with you.

    The marketing functions within your company that support this work can be divided into product marketing and marketing services to support demand creation and sales. Both functions are necessary to have an effective marketing effort. However, they are distinct. How much of each you need . . . and who should perform these duties . . . are important issues.

    What Is Product Marketing?

    The classic definition of product marketing includes the issues of product, price, promotion, and sales channel (place). The concept of product marketing holds true whether your company is a "product" or a "service" company. In the case of a service company, your "product" is the service provided.

    To succeed, these product marketing issues (product, price, promotion, and place) must be handled so they are effective from the customer's point of view. In the beginning, these issues are usually a key part of the founder's vision. When the company succeeds, they often become too complex . . . and too important . . . to be handled part-time, by the chief executive.

    Product marketing works over two different frameworks, each important, and fundamentally very different. These two areas are strategic and tactical.

    Strategic Marketing

    Strategic product marketing is the future component of the marketing problem. Strategic issues include:

    • What business is your company in?

    • What business should you be in?

    • What products or services should be designed and offered?

    • What technical capabilities need to
      Three Steps to Writing Your Own Resume
      While most professionals hire a professional resume writer, some draft their own resume. People who write a lot for business usually have more success in putting together a sharp, focused presentation; still, anyone can learn the basic steps to prepare his or her own resume.There are three major differences between a "strong" resume and an "o.k." resume:1. FORMAT AND PRESENTATION DETERMINE WHETHER THE RESUME IS READThe average resume is scanned, not read, for only 8-15 seconds. It either creates a strong impression to the reader immediately or it is set aside. It is similar to the impression you make on the interviewer. Therefore, make sure your resume is wearing the equivalent of a "business suit" and not jeans and flip-flops!Choose a format that complements your career goal. If you are seeking a job in your field and have experience, use a chronological resume. This resume starts with your most recent job and works backward. Conversely, if you are seeking a new type of work, you may want to consider the functional/combination resume. This style groups your skills together and includes a short chronological work history at the end.Other ways to insure that your presentation gets noticed include:No errors: use spell check and also have someone review your resume for missing or misused wordsUse a Cons
      ressing the company's solutions to meet those needs and wants back to the marketplace.

      We have described marketing as the process of focusing on Who the customer really is, and What the customer is actually buying from you . . . rather than what you're selling. What customers can buy from your firm . . . that they cannot buy from another . . . is the real reason they do business with you.

      The marketing functions within your company that support this work can be divided into product marketing and marketing services to support demand creation and sales. Both functions are necessary to have an effective marketing effort. However, they are distinct. How much of each you need . . . and who should perform these duties . . . are important issues.

      What Is Product Marketing?

      The classic definition of product marketing includes the issues of product, price, promotion, and sales channel (place). The concept of product marketing holds true whether your company is a "product" or a "service" company. In the case of a service company, your "product" is the service provided.

      To succeed, these product marketing issues (product, price, promotion, and place) must be handled so they are effective from the customer's point of view. In the beginning, these issues are usually a key part of the founder's vision. When the company succeeds, they often become too complex . . . and too important . . . to be handled part-time, by the chief executive.

      Product marketing works over two different frameworks, each important, and fundamentally very different. These two areas are strategic and tactical.

      Strategic Marketing

      Strategic product marketing is the future component of the marketing problem. Strategic issues include:

      • What business is your company in?

      • What business should you be in?

      • What products or services should be designed and offered?

      • What technical capabilities need to
        Marketing Gifts of Gratitude
        How often do you say Thank you to your clients? A great way to say thanks is to send a gift at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Just a simple holiday gift that says how much you appreciate your client, says more…A gift during the holidays speaks of value and appreciation. It indicates respect for a celebration that means value, ethics, and enthusiasm for greater appreciation. Whenever in doubt, just say Thanks. But how?If you’re looking for a few ideas to say Thank you to your clients, I have a few worthwhile suggestions.Gift Certificates – Enclose a gift certificate of REAL VALUE, not just a percentage off, of a service you provide. A simple service you can provide for free, give a gift certificate for the whole value of an item or service.Ebook – Enclose an ebook, or a message for an ebook redemption in a card you send to their address, that can help your client with their business or encourage them to achieve something great. If by some chance you have several clients who share an interest, the ebook might be of a different type, just a book that can be enjoyed? Consider a book about “Taking a Break in Life” as a gift along with a great coffee mug, and a bag of a favorite coffee flavor.Promote your Clients with Certificates to Their Business – Give a gift certificate to other clients fr
        stinct. How much of each you need . . . and who should perform these duties . . . are important issues.

        What Is Product Marketing?

        The classic definition of product marketing includes the issues of product, price, promotion, and sales channel (place). The concept of product marketing holds true whether your company is a "product" or a "service" company. In the case of a service company, your "product" is the service provided.

        To succeed, these product marketing issues (product, price, promotion, and place) must be handled so they are effective from the customer's point of view. In the beginning, these issues are usually a key part of the founder's vision. When the company succeeds, they often become too complex . . . and too important . . . to be handled part-time, by the chief executive.

        Product marketing works over two different frameworks, each important, and fundamentally very different. These two areas are strategic and tactical.

        Strategic Marketing

        Strategic product marketing is the future component of the marketing problem. Strategic issues include:

        • What business is your company in?

        • What business should you be in?

        • What products or services should be designed and offered?

        • What technical capabilities need to
          Cut Your IT Consulting Bill Down To Size
          When thinking of creating or upgrading a database, or some other new part of your business system you can cut your IT bill down for that upgrade by doing the following. 1. Think and plan what information and data you want to store. 2. If there are various users in your business think about what they should and shouldn't have access to. 3. Do a rough computer screen layout of where data editing and viewing boxes are needed and what they are. 4. Take your time. By taking time to plan what you want, you will save the expense of Business Analyst / Programmers running around in circles designing and redesigning your data programs. Each time you do a change after a program started, you may find that your bill will go up. This is not because the Analyst or programmer are hitting you for the rent, but rather a program can take a huge amount of behind the seen code, sometimes this can be hundreds or thousands of lines of code and settings. When a change is required this code needs to be rewritten to take into effect an extra piece of information or field that you want on the screen. That takes time and is very expensive to keep doing. Not only business's get annoyed from program and system changes on the fly. If there are numerous changes your analyst / programmer may become frustrated and annoyed as they have to
          the founder's vision. When the company succeeds, they often become too complex . . . and too important . . . to be handled part-time, by the chief executive.

          Product marketing works over two different frameworks, each important, and fundamentally very different. These two areas are strategic and tactical.

          Strategic Marketing

          Strategic product marketing is the future component of the marketing problem. Strategic issues include:

          • What business is your company in?

          • What business should you be in?

          • What products or services should be designed and offered?

          • What technical capabilities need to be developed within the company or acquired from outside the company?

          Other related strategic issues include:

          • Marketing channel strategies (How do you reach your customers, then sell and deliver the goods?)

          • Competitive positioning (What sets your company apart in the minds of your customers?)

          • A complete understanding of, and ability to communicate to customers, What they can buy from your company that they cannot buy from any other company.

          The strategic role requires a person who is a generalist, with a broad view of the market, the industry, and the company. This is the role most usually maintained by the founder/CEO. Portions of this strategic function may be provided by a senior marketing manager or by outside consultants.

          Tactical Marketing

          Tactical product marketing deals with issues that relate to the success of current products or services. These include:

          • New products or services introductions

          • Promotion of existing products

          • Development of marketing programs and literature that are effective in reaching the customer

          • Communicating the unique position that separates your company from your competitors

          • Ensuring that the sales channels are being used effectively to reach customers

          The development of tactical plans is a product marketing function. The execution of some of these tactical items may be accomplished by marketing services, as described next.

          The tactical role requires a person with the desire and skills to "get it done." Both tactical and strategic roles require great communications skills, and the ability to deal successfully with a wide range of peo-ple, both inside and outside your company.

          What Are Marketing Services?

          Marketing Services executes tactical marketing programs. This may include sales contests, public relations, advertising, trade shows, dealer programs, direct mail campaigns, etc. This function manages or provides the creative, and produces items such as brochures, advertisements, press releases, trade shows, etc.

          There is obviously an overlap between tactical marketing and marketing services in the area of defining and planning these programs. A senior, experienced, marketing services professional may be able to perform some of the functions of tactical marketing. Unfortunately, many times we place an excellent marketing services person in a position which really is tactical marketing . . . and the results are not satisfactory.

          Marketing Services' function is to crea