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Steve MacDonald

Member since: Jun 05, 2008
Last activity: 1 week ago

63 comments |123

  • Carol and Judy,

    I would love to have both of you attend the seminar. It does open up the whole entire side of marketing...closing the sale. We all focus too much on the tactics of attracting customers, but not enough time in how to convert those leads.

    Hope to see you there.

    Steve

    Posted Jul 21, 2008 Brand Strategy Consultant: Stop Wasting Your Marketing Dollars (Part 1 of 2) by Steve MacDonald

  • Pamela, Nancy and Karen,

    Thanks for your words of encouragement on the article. There is so much that a business can do on their own these days, and getting your brand strategy figured out is certainly one of them.

    Steve

    Posted Jul 19, 2008 Brand Strategy Consultant: Stop Wasting Your Marketing Dollars (Part 1 of 2) by Steve MacDonald

  • Hsuan-Huan,

    I am so glad that you got a lot out of the article. I think this is a good start. I can't tell directly unless we had a conversation about your target and their needs, but it looks good.

    I am hosting an even on the 28th at 4p with Pamela Zieman about DIY branding and telling your story. I would love to see you come.

    Thanks.

    Steve

    Posted Jul 19, 2008 Brand Strategy Consultant: Stop Wasting Your Marketing Dollars (Part 1 of 2) by Steve MacDonald

  • Dustin,

    I think you bring up an excellent point. It is always better to have your pitch woven into the fabric of a conversation that is clearly about the other person or their business. If you are astute and have done your homework as you mention, there most always is a natural place (mid-point) to interject your pitch. And the beauty is that it doesn't seem like a sales pitch at that point. Good thinking and thanks for sharing.

    Steve

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 3 Steps to Better Business Pitches by Dustin Walling, MS, CPBA

  • Lisa,

    Thank you for hosting this event. The best way to have success in life is to do what you believe and have a passion for. Too few of us are in that boat. I'll look forward to hearing more on Wednesday.

    Steve

    Posted Jul 14, 2008 What Piece of the Puzzle Are You? 5 Steps to Your Right Livelihood. hosted by Lisa Bradley, CPC

  • Howard,

    Thanks for putting these on. You always attract a good crowd with great messages.

    Steve

    Posted Jul 14, 2008 Discovering Your Sense of Sell hosted by Howard Howell

  • Pamela,

    What I love about your article is that you want people to tell their stories with passion. With conviction. With emotion. And those are all ingredients for a deep connection to each small business owner's brand. It is something that is usually left out of the equation. Thanks for point that out to us all.

    Posted Jul 02, 2008 The Value of Your Story by Pamela Ziemann

  • Patrice,

    You put into words what are the problems so many websites face. Most people don't understand the investment in time it takes to think through a successful web strategy...starting with a smart business and marketing strategy as you have pointed out.

    Your article should help the proliferation of poorly designed brochure sites.

    Thanks.

    Steve

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 Why most websites don't work by Patrice Valentine

  • Karen,

    Everything that you have written in this article is right on. I think it is just hard to apply these concepts if you have not applied the principles yourself. I think that creating something that the masses can utilize on their own is a difficult task for branding.

    But you obviously know what you are talking about as evidenced by your article.

    Thanks.

    Steve

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 Investing in a Brand Identity.…First by Karen Barranco

  • Chuck,

    I think that you have really pointed out a secret ingredient for most companies. Your third point about trust is vitally important. Brands have been associated with trustmarks. In the end, our customers have to trust in the constant delivery against expectations. You can work hard for years on building trust, but it only takes one bad experience to erode all that hard work.

    I believe that products and services attract most customers, but customer service is absolutely what keeps them satisfied and loyal over time.

    Thanks for the insights.

    Steve

    Posted Jun 16, 2008 Your Customer Service is More Important than Your Product by Chuck Dennis

  • Thanks for the post Bob. There is the notion that it is five times easier to monetize an existing customer than it is to find and sell a new customer. CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is an area that is incredibly undervalued by most businesses, even though it can provide the largest returns.

    We should all be thinking each day about how we are extending value to existing customer relationships. Part of the benefit is that happy customers recommend us to new customers. And referral business is always the best. I would much rather answer the phone from somebody who was pre-disposed to use my services than to try and sell somebody cold.

    However you look at it, a focus on the customers you already have just makes great sense.

    Thanks for the input.

    Steve

    Posted Jun 16, 2008 Seattle Brand Strategy: Marketing As A Value-Added Service by Steve MacDonald

  • Thanks Leta. I guess that's part of the beauty of the network is the more we use it, the better it gets. In my Past Corporate Life, I have never felt as much genuine cooperation as I have in just 24 hours here. I'm glad to be a part of the network.

    Posted Jun 13, 2008 Seattle Brand Strategy: Marketing As A Value-Added Service by Steve MacDonald

  • Thanks for the comments so far. It is just so easy to talk about ourselves in our marketing, and really, marketing should be the first stage of how to start helping our business's customers and prospects. It is a shift in mentality.

    THanks.

    Steve

    Posted Jun 12, 2008 Seattle Brand Strategy: Marketing As A Value-Added Service by Steve MacDonald
63 comments |123