Avoid unreasonable clients by asking prospects these 5 questions

August 16, 2010

Whether you’re in business development at a marketing agency or an independent consultant handling sales yourself, you need to spend time screening new leads. Just because someone says they’re interested doesn’t mean they’re actually going to pay you money for your product or service. Web designer Eli Van Zoeren has terrific “Contact Me” form that [...]

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UX for smart marketers: Get outside the building, and 3 more TIMA tips from user experience expert Abe Crystal

August 12, 2010

As marketers and designers, we need to get “outside the building” to ensure we’re meeting our customers’ needs, according to Dr. Abe Crystal of More Better Labs. He presented ”User Experience 101” at yesterday’s TIMA meeting. Couldn’t make it? You missed out — it was a great session. Abe covered some theory but focused on real-world [...]

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Please help: Vote for my SXSW proposal ‘Unexpected Marketing Lessons from Mixing Martinis at 79mph’ by August 27

August 11, 2010

Hello! Do you have three minutes to help? I’d love to speak at the big 2011 South by Southwest conference in March, but I need your online vote today to make it onto the SXSW schedule. My proposal is “Unexpected Marketing Lessons from Mixing Martinis at 79mph.” Ready to Vote? Three Easy Steps (before 8/27): [...]

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Laurie Ruettimann interview: An irreverent antidote to sugar-coated career advice

August 10, 2010

Career advisor Laurie Ruettimann created a popular career advice blog and recently launched a new startup. She’s also a hilarious speaker. Laurie describes herself as “a failed Human Resources professional and a crazy cat lady.” She recently shared: why not everyone should become an entrepreneur when it might be a good idea to sleep in [...]

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Exceeded your expectations? Tell their manager.

August 9, 2010

I’m doing a project that requires parking in downtown Raleigh, NC. I knew a garage spot was going to cost around $100/month. McLaurin Parking has exclusive management contracts on city-owned and private parking garages throughout most of downtown Raleigh. Given its virtual monopoly, I wasn’t expecting a huge level of customer service from McLaurin. Paula, [...]

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Viral video interview: Sonja Jacob shares how her popular Grasshopper campaign required more than just clever creative

August 5, 2010

Copywriter and video producer Sonja Jacob is the force behind the clever “Entrepreneurs Can Change the  World” video, which has gotten nearly 500,000 views on YouTube. The campaign for virtual phone provider Grasshopper received the “Viral Hall of Fame” award in 2009. Sonja shared: why going viral requires more than just a good video how [...]

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Marketing job search lessons: Update #1. I’d appreciate your advice and referrals.

August 2, 2010

I’m looking for a new job in marketing here in the N.C. Research Triangle (specifically, as an account manager/marketing strategist at an advertising agency or as a marketing manager at a growing mid-size company). After two years of focusing on marketing consulting for the tourist railroad industry, I miss working with smart, motivated people on [...]

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Clever taglines: Gold Digging 101

July 29, 2010

Before they veered into “get-rich-quick” schlockiness, I attended several Learning Annex classes in New York. Adult ed topics ranged from a real estate workshop to a talk by SoBe drink founder John Bello (who surveyed the audience about who drank Red Bull and then said, “Congratulations — you just paid twice as much for half [...]

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The Squint Test, and 6 more UX tips via Jess Martin at Relevance

July 28, 2010

This spring, I went to Jess Martin‘s excellent Refresh the Triangle presentation at Fragment Labs. From his experience at Relevance in Durham, Jess explained how designers and developers can work together better — but really, it’s advice that applies to anyone who’s interested in creating products that succeed in both form and function. Intentionally starting [...]

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60 tons of explosives, employee empowerment, and the missing window blinds

July 26, 2010

My grandfather was a business professor and management consultant from the 1940s to the 1980s. One of his specialties was helping companies work more cooperatively with employees. I recently came across a lecture he gave in Washington, DC in 1953. He shared an employee empowerment story that BP and Transocean ought to have read before [...]

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