Sales and Marketing Secrets I Learned from Sherlock Holmes
I love the Sherlock Holmes movies, and I’ve liked the books since I was a little kid. There was a Sherlock Holmes walking tour that I wanted to take last year when we were in London – I was thinking about the books the whole time we were navigating the twisty, foggy streets. So, what […]
“Marketing Done Right?” What’s Wrong with This Picture?
A broadcast email is advertising, NOT marketing.
Advertising and marketing are NOT synonyms.
Advertising is actually a single facet of a marketing program.
The difference is not trivial. In fact, I suspect it leads many companies to misuse their budgets, fail to make sales, fail to bring in adequate income, fail to pay their bills, and have to downsize or even close their doors.
Sales Shortcuts that Aren’t Shortcuts
“I don’t have time to complete your questionnaire. Can you just give me a ballpark price on the work I want done right now?”
In the past, on occasion, I’ve been tempted to answer this question to the best of my ability, given the information I had on hand at the time.
Each time I succumbed to that temptation, I regretted it.
Sales Tips for Muggles
I’ve always thought that sales was some kind of dark art. Some people “have it” and some people don’t, just like in the Harry Potter books, some people have uncanny magical abilities and other people don’t. Ordinary people, who don’t have the talents that wizards and witches do, are called “muggles.”
Marketing Analysis – In God We Trust, All Others Must Bring Data.
“How nice it must be to have such a creative job,” people say when I tell them I’m a marketing consultant.
I always have to smile to myself.
For every creative task, there are about five tasks that involve crunching, analyzing, generating, percolating or figuring out how to capture data.
Data makes the difference between a powerful, reliable marketing system and “random acts of marketing.”
The Digital Citizen – Why You Should Hire One (Or Be One!)
Now, it’s equally important to hire based on modern communication skills (which includes videoteleconferencing, tweeting, and a dozen other things we didn’t care about five years ago) and the size of their following and influence on the Web.
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Content management tools have never been more powerful and functional.
Many Aviation Companies Get 50% of Their Business by Referral. Do You?
There are companies in aviation and related industries for companies to get more than half of their business from referrals.
If your company has been in business for more than a year or two, you should be one of them.
Should I be making sales calls?
When it’s your own business, you don’t have the luxury of dislike. ABCI has no sales staff, and any time we spend “selling” is time spent away from serving our current clients. We do make sales calls when necessary. We just keep them to a minimum. Here’s how:
World’s Most Under-rated Marketing Technique – Listening!
The vast majority of the companies we consult with spend entirely too much time, energy and money “putting their message out there” without giving nearly enough attention to the actual living, breathing human beings that they are “putting it out” to. This results in a tone-deaf delivery at best.
Happy Veterans Day – And Thank You For Your Service!
Many companies have a”cause” that they support – ours is the Special Operations Warrior Fund. Special Operations people have devoted their lives to being the best of the best, and devoting that skill unstintingly in service to our country. These are people who can be mowing the lawn one moment, receive a phone call, and […]
Five Myths That Have Exploded in the Last Five Years
The world has changed in the last three years.
Are you still marketing your products and services the same way?
How’s that working for you?
Whether we acknowledge it or not, the world has changed more in the last two or three years. Whether or not we like all the changes, the facts and numbers don’t lie.
What Is It Like to Work With ABCI?
What are the costs and benefits of working with ABCI? How much work does it take, really? And what measurable results can real customers actually expect?
Dave Santo of AeroStar Training Services LLC talks with us about his reservations prior to engaging with ABCI and his experience working with us.
Don’t Be Afraid of Ghostwriters
We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and one thing I’ve noticed (and part of the reason that we chose aviation as a specialty) – there are a lot of aviation professionals who dislike or don’t have time for writing.
Interview with Rick Andritsch of VJS Lincoln about the NBAA Convention, and How’s Business This Year?
Rick Andritsch is the “owner in charge” of VJS Lincoln, a company that builds hangars for aviation companies large and small.
Interview with Bob Jones of ATP – the Onsite Static Display, the Tweetup, and More
Bob Jones and I stepped out of the Tweetup for a moment to discuss the show so far.
Interview with Ryan Keogh, Cutter Aviaton – about Customer Service, Passion, and Marketing
We talk to Ryan Keogh about passion, sales and customer service. Ryan works with Cutter Aviation and also the host of Warbird Radio.
Interview with Ludo Van Vooren about Social Media, Internet Marketing, and the Current Sales Climate in Aviation
Ludo Van Vooren is an expert in social media, internet marketing, global business development, strategic planning, event management. We talk about the show, the current economic and selling climate, and how marketing is changing.
Interview with Brad “B-Rad” Elliott at the NBAA Convention
We talk about the NBAA convention, how to park dozens of aircraft for a static display without making the pilots sweat, and how to have a great time flying to the Bahamas.
Interview with Jim Gorman, Gorman360 about Aviation Marketing and Advertising
We talk about apps and technology in aviation marketing, the demographics of who’s using what, and what’s changing in aviation marketing.