http://www.sobel-marketing.com/blog Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:43:21 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en As a marketing director I am frequently asked if I have any good ideas to help a company build its brand and retain and gain more customers. While there are plenty of  tactics in the "marketing tool kit" for any industry to choose from, for retailers to distributors to nonprofits to profesional service ... http://www.sobel-marketing.com/blog/?p=244 On October 14, Rothman Institute for Entrepreneurship and the Association for Corporate Growth - New Jersey (ACG-NJ) are co-sponsoring a half-day conference on innovation. Our firm, Sobel & Co. , is a proud sponsor of this event. In thinking about why innovation is important, some words come to mind from the Rothman ... http://www.sobel-marketing.com/blog/?p=242 When I was reading the results of a recent survey of nonprofit organziations, the highlights indicated that more than three- fourths of the respondants were concerned about: 1) finding and retaining good people; 2) raising revenue; and 3) future growth. It struck me that these are the same top worries that the for-profit companies, ... http://www.sobel-marketing.com/blog/?p=240 I would like to tell you all that there is a silver bullet you can buy that will give you a competitive edge in your market; a magic spell you can cast over customers to keep them loyal. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way, but the solution is almost as simple. ... http://www.sobel-marketing.com/blog/?p=238 It is tempting to resort to comfortable cliques when describing your company. However, those businesses that can select words to distinguish their products will gain the attention of their audience more effectively. For example, I was having lunch at a restaurant today and I asked for hot tea. The waiter  brought over a ... http://www.sobel-marketing.com/blog/?p=236 Business owners who appeared on a panel at a conference for accounting marketers  told the audience that the main reason they changed accountants was because of the way they were treated.  Most everyone "assumed" that users of accounting services make a switch in response to high fees, but the reality is that they ... http://www.sobel-marketing.com/blog/?p=234 I read a great blog today by Sherri Winters, consultant in the New Jersey area, who reminds business owners that if their entire team iss not trained to focus on customer service and building customer sales, they are missing terrific opportunities for success.  The basic concept is that everyone in the company must understand that ... http://www.sobel-marketing.com/blog/?p=232 Sometimes you make a mistake.  How you fix it will say a lot about the company - and if done well, may go a long way to creating raving fans.  Here is what happened to me recently: I bought my granddaughter a party dress at a national children's store with a location in the ... http://www.sobel-marketing.com/blog/?p=230 In a book I read recently about families in business (Love, Power and Money) there was a great checklist of ideas that can be adapted to your own comapny's marketing strategy: 1. Set clear goals to be the leader in your market 2. Stay close to your customers 3.Clearly understand your competitive advantage 4. Know ... http://www.sobel-marketing.com/blog/?p=228 In a conversation today with NJBIZ's Beth Fitzgerald and Sharon Waters, they mentioned that if you have a good story to tell, information about an emerging trend, or data/details about business in New Jersey, they would love to hear from you. Considering how much it costs to gain good PR, this ... http://www.sobel-marketing.com/blog/?p=226