I suggested this a few days ago, and so I feel obligated (and enthusiastically so) to return to that assertion to expand and clarify. So, can we have too much communication? You know, we probably can’t. Human communication probably cannot ever be excessive, but that assumes that communication is actually taking place. And I think the “exchange” and the “streaming” far exceed the sum total of actual communication. Permit me to explain.
Read More"To Stream or to Batch" - a response
Responding to our guest post of a few days ago (“To Stream or to Batch”), I hate to say this, but might this streaming and batching stuff be “generational”? (Why does that always feel uncomfortable, as if the real meaning is “You’re just too old”?) I do admit, though, that my generation couldn’t possibly have streamed communication as young people do today. Consider, for example, how children, teens and college students used to communicate with each other in perfect batches. (Warning: If you’re a millennial, this might frighten you.)
Read MoreGuest Feature, reposted with permission from the blog of Peter Bolognese, ProForma Brand X.
(I have not yet met Peter, but I will soon at the conference that has brought us together though email. I have been so impressed by his professionalism, thoroughness and friendliness, that I asked to borrow some of his wisdom from time to time.)
Over the past week or so, you may have noticed an increase in the number of kids running through your yard talking about PokéStops and Pikachu’s (or who knows, maybe you’ve been running all over trying to catch ‘em all). Pokémon GO has swept the nation and captured the attention of children and adults alike. Here are a few things we can learn about marketing in today’s world from this unique game.
Read MoreGuest Feature by Dale L. Oldham
I'll mirror Malcolm Gladwell and write about the obvious. Clearly Mr. Gladwell isn't accountable for my resentment over his success, because countless textbooks have likewise stated the obvious, but that gentleman has become famous and rich just because he can label indisputable phenomena (give me a break: "tipping point"??), provide countless supporting examples, entertain me and leave me seething that he wrote it before I did.
Read MoreI’ve always liked an expo hall that runs smoothly with all the exhibitors content – busy when they should be, and happily quiet when the traffic clears out. But you know what? There’s something to be said for a fun expo hall! The booths that gather a rowdy crowd or produce a lot of laughter tend to get a lot more traffic.
Read MoreFund raising is matchmaking, plain and simple. You have a marketing opportunity to offer, and somebody with money recognizes that good opportunity and will pay for it. So, communicating exactly what you have to offer, and sincerely listening to determine whether it’s truly what the prospect needs, is your first exciting challenge.
Read MoreI’m a political news junkie. I admit it. I kicked the sugar dependency, I can limit myself to four ounces of wine each evening, and I refuse all opiates for the rare pain I might have, but I suck up political news and reporting and “speeching” like nobody I know. I watch it all. (Yes, I’m of that generation that still has a thing in her living room called a television.) How bad is my affliction? I watched ALL the debates.
Read MoreI know what you’re thinking: “There are a myriad of ways to use that word.” If your mind immediately goes to “of” after “myriad,” just stop it, please! That construction, which we hear at every turn, is just plain wrong. I heard it again this afternoon; I hear it almost everyday. A beautiful Greek word that means, literally, ten thousand, has been adopted – and very poorly – by just about every Tom, Nick and Shari.
Read MoreHere’s an idea: If you want to sell your expertise, first give it away. If you want people to pay you for your wisdom or knowledge or understanding, start by giving them some really good free samples! Share what you know, with no strings attached. In that way you develop your reputation as an expert.
Read MoreRecently I was cleaning out old – really, really old – files on my computer, the kind that, had they been food, would now be covered with mold and crawling with bugs. Old files! And I came across this story I wrote – oh, probably 12 or 13 years ago. I never did anything with it; maybe I wrote it just to vent. Who knows? It’s a pretty good story, though, so I want to share it with you. Pretty unbelievable, actually. It’s about customer service gone very, very wrong.
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