Category Archives: Blog Posts

Getting the Most Out of Your Advertising Dollars: Finding Media/Goal Alignment

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SIBP-1When you’re spending money on advertising, you want every dollar you spend to yield the maximum return. Unless you’re seriously invested in building brand awareness, chances are that result will ultimately be measured in new leads and increased sales. It’s not enough for someone to see your ad and like it, they need to be inspired to buy.

Here’s where a lot of newcomers to advertising make a big misstep: It’s not just about the ad itself. It’s also about the media the ad is running on. If you want to see great results, the media (also called the channel in this context) needs to match the message. Continue reading →

Getting the Most Out of Your Advertising Dollars: The Toddler Stress-Test

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"But ... why?" Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/

“But … why?” Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/

As a business coach, one of the most common frustrations I hear is that advertising just doesn’t deliver the right results. This often comes from a deeply rooted misconception of how advertising works. It’s not enough to simply create an ad and buy some air time, impressions or space on a page. The ads need to be created with a specific purpose in mind.

For any advertising campaign to be truly effective, it needs to be in complete alignment with your business goals. To get the results you want, you need to know what those results are. I’m not talking about a specific number of leads generated or a target number of conversions. I’m talking about the fundamental actions you want the person watching, listening or reading the ad to take. Continue reading →

Getting the Most Out of Your Advertising Dollars: The Power Of The Call-To-Action

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Empire CarpetIf you’ve ever lived in the Chicagoland area, like I have, chances are that you know this telephone number by heart: 588-2300. What’s so special about that number? It’s the number of Empire Carpet (now Empire Today), which has been etched permanently into my memory by their jingle-filled commercials.

In time, I may forget many of my experiences as an entrepreneur and business coach. I might forget the names of people I’ve worked with, or even the finer details of big events in my life. But as long as I live, I’ll never forget those seven digits. Continue reading →

Getting the Most Out of Your Advertising Dollars: The Value of A/B Testing

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IMG_2329Successful business decisions are rarely the ones with the most dramatic results. While the steep growth curves can be fun while they last, most of the day-to-day trends that can make or break a company come from smaller trends and decisions. No place is this more true than with advertising, where even a seemingly marginal difference in response rates can have huge results over the life of a campaign.

With so many options — from old-media ad buys in TV, radio and print to the various online and email campaigns of new-media — you could easily find yourself with a range of channels with conversion rates separated by a mere fraction of a percent. And even when you find the right channel, how do you know if you’re getting the best response? How can you truly know what kind of advertising works best for your company? Continue reading →

Getting the Most Out of Your Advertising Dollars: Old Vs. New Media

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SIBP-1When you’re running a startup or a small business, every dollar counts. This is particularly true when it comes to your marketing budget. There have never been more ways to reach potential customers, and there have never been more companies vying for your advertising dollar. Between old media advertising (print, TV and radio) and new media advertising (online display ads, AdWords, video marketing), it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the options.

It’s also easier than ever to get lost in the weeds. So let’s take a step back, and talk about the fundamental problem that advertising aims to solve. For most companies, the deeper question really isn’t “What’s the best way to spend my advertising budget?,” but rather “How can I drive more sales to my business?” Continue reading →

Demystifying The Sales Process: Closing, And The Dangers of Skipping Stages

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IMG_2329 You’ve already done the hard work of finding your prospect. You’ve reached out to them. You’ve done your homework to qualify them. You’ve asked about their needs. You’ve confirmed their ability to purchase. You’ve identified the decision makers, and brought them in on the discussion. You’ve answered their questions, discussed their business case, and presented your recommendation.

Now for the moment of truth: The close. Continue reading →

Demystifying The Sales Process: From First Appointment to Close

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SIBP-1It goes without saying that your first meeting (or appointment) with a prospect is important. This isn’t just some lead you’ve cold called. This is someone who has made it through that all-important first step in the sales motion, and who has at least a fair chance of becoming a client or paying customer.

During the course of that first conversation, you’ve concluded that they could be a great fit for your product or service. Not only does it seem that they have a bona fide need for what you’re offering, but you believe they also have the ability to buy. They’re a truly qualified prospect. Now it’s time to meet with them to confirm your suspicions. Continue reading →

Demystifying The Sales Process: The Sales Pipeline

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IMG_2329In my previous post, I sketched in the basic steps that make up the sales process. Turning those steps into a repeatable process that can scale with your business needs isn’t as complicated as you might think. It’s a linear, straightforward system, often fittingly called a sales pipeline.

Much like the sales process itself, a sales pipeline is best looked at as a series of individual stages, each with a specific purpose. You can also think of it as a series of filters, each of which is designed to ensure that only the best-fitting prospects make it to the next stage. To accomplish this, each stage is defined by a series of rules and criteria. These rules define what a legitimate sales opportunity looks like. Continue reading →

Demystifying The Sales Process: Core Concepts

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SIBP-3Every company, large and small, needs to understand the sales business. Sales can be intimidating, and it’s no surprise that it’s often given the lowest priority when a business is just starting out. From my perspective, however, sales is also an absolute must-have skill for every entrepreneur.

Too many folks miss the opportunity to apply the same level of professionalism and structure to sales that they do to the other functional areas of their business. It should be at least as important to your business as areas like HR, finance and accounting, product development or production. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the lack of a strong sales structure can be a huge roadblock when it comes to things like attracting investors. Continue reading →

Ep. 071 – An Interview with Brian Walker, Part 1: “Whitewater Growth” and Startup Priorities

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Brian Walker

Brian Walker

After spending over a decade working at marketing and advertising agencies, Brian Walker had an epiphany. “Everyone is expendable.” In that moment, Brian decided that making others wealthy without even the promise of security wasn’t a sustainable life. In the middle of one of the worst economic climates in modern history, Brian struck out on his own, launching his own marketing firm from a walk-in closet turned office.

He’s done pretty well for himself. As the founder of the Chicago-based AE Marketing Group, Brian has overseen 18 straight quarters of profitability, and 200% growth. He’s also a Graduate of Goldman Sachs Small Business 10K Program. In this episode, host Tom Ryan and co-host Jason Pyles talk with Brian about his background, his company, and his mission. Continue reading →