Brand Strategy

16 May 2021

Lessons in Business – Communicating 21 Years of Quiet Success

By |2021-05-16T19:35:54-06:00May 16th, 2021|Categories: Business Strategy, Manifast, Marketing, Sales|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Quiet Success, Trucks on Highway

What do you say when someone says, “So, what does your business do?” Communicating what success looks like for your customers is key.

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We don’t sell anything popular like pizza or chocolate. We aren’t spies or secret agents. Or superheroes who wear capes.

For almost 21 years, we’ve run a software and business consulting company that quietly serves other businesses.

This line of business is not as glamourous and sexy as it sounds. Really.

It is complex.

How Communicating Usually Works

Unlike financial planners, real estate […]

18 Oct 2017

80/20 David and Goliath: The Power of Ideal Clients

By |2017-10-18T17:15:20-06:00October 18th, 2017|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Marketing, Sales|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

80-20 David Goliath - Power of Ideal Clients

Your prospects naturally compare your business to what they perceive as your competition. If you want to get leads and acquire customers efficiently, you have to choose your market and ideal clients carefully.

It turns out how we feel about our achievements is relative to how we measure ourselves. How we perform in the future, is impacted by how we relate to the results of the measurement.

Harvard or MIT

If you graduate at the top […]

25 Jul 2017

Does Your Business Deserve the Marketing Results You Want?

By |2017-07-26T20:06:46-06:00July 25th, 2017|Categories: Branding, Doug's Blog, Marketing, Oilfield Pulse|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bags Over Head - Business Deserves Marketing Results

Are you holding both the business and your marketing team accountable for marketing results? Wise business leaders understand that effective marketing amplifies the message the company is already putting out – the two must be in sync.

Know What You Control

Three things that you control determine your perceived position in the market include your

  • Business strategy and how well you execute on it,
  • Company culture and the people who make that culture, and
  • Business processes and […]
15 Jun 2017

Be Interesting – How to Win Leads at Trade Shows

By |2017-06-16T19:08:29-06:00June 15th, 2017|Categories: Branding, Doug's Blog, Marketing, Sales|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Reporter - Be Interesting Win Leads At Trade Shows

Most businesses seem to hit trade shows as if they are a necessary evil for lead generation. They do what is needed, but don’t try to stand out. At a time when budgets are tight and trade show attendance is dropping, is this approach wise?

As I was walking through the Global Petroleum Show here in Calgary on Tuesday, I was struck by a few insights.

Fitting In – The  80/20 Rule

The […]

9 Jun 2017

5 Ways to Win Survivor Alberta – Business Edition

By |2017-06-27T14:23:25-06:00June 9th, 2017|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Marketing, Mindset and Motivation, Oilfield Pulse|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Win Survivor Alberta - Business Edition - Whitewater Rafting

The key to being the ultimate survivor in business in an extremely competitive landscape is to have a strategic plan. These five components will help you thrive.

Before I stopped watching television, I used to watch Survivor. One of my favourite scenes was an episode where Rupert stole shoes and other items from the other tribe, and then they used the pirated loot to trade for more useful – and untraceable – […]

15 May 2017

Get Serious About Defining Your Ideal Clients

By |2017-10-18T16:52:05-06:00May 15th, 2017|Categories: Branding, Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Marketing|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Define Ideal Clients - Strategic Marketing - Business Collage on Cube

One of the keys to strategic marketing is to make the best use of your limited resources for the greatest results. One of the most powerful drivers of marketing results is to define your ideal clients precisely.

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The best way to show how this works is to take you along on my latest journey to do just that for the online marketing services portion of our business.

A good strategy is just as much about what you will not […]

22 Feb 2017

To Win, Understand Your Buyers Better Than Anyone Else

By |2017-06-21T16:33:38-06:00February 22nd, 2017|Categories: Doug's Blog, Marketing, Oilfield Pulse, Sales|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Understanding the Buyer's Journey in Inbound Marketing

Ultimately buyers are responsible for making wise purchases. However, they usually need help. That is your opportunity to guide them through the buyer’s journey.

Buyer’s Perspective

When buyers don’t know how to differentiate their vendors or the solutions they provide, they focus on price.

It is easy to blame vendors for not making things clear in their marketing and sales literature. How many buyers know what questions to ask a supplier, so the important differences are evident?

To get […]

6 Sep 2016

How Does Your Value Stack Up In A New Market?

By |2017-07-12T19:42:21-06:00September 6th, 2016|Categories: Branding, Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Marketing, Oilfield Pulse|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Target Misunderstood Value in Canada - A New Market

If you are unprepared or desperate, entering a new market can kill your business. Deep pockets won’t always save you either.

Remember Target expanding into Canada back in 2013? They had deep pockets and resources. Then after a series of missteps, they pulled out roughly two years later, incurring financial losses in the billions.

Target Canada made a lot of mistakes starting with […]

24 Oct 2011

Start Your Engine of Growth

By |2017-05-31T12:26:32-06:00October 24th, 2011|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Manifast, Working on the Business|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Start Your Engine of Growth - Man on Starting Line

We are in the midst of launching our new Manifast product. In fact we are committing to launching our MVP in November 2011. This has gotten me to thinking about marketing, sales and most importantly our revenue model. Do we have our engine of growth defined?

In “The Lean Startup” Eric Ries talks about three engines of growth for startups:

  • The Sticky Engine of Growth (customer retention (churn) is key)
  • The Viral […]