Archive for August, 2005

I had an interesting phone conversation the other day.

I answered a phone call from a young guy who was ready to start his own consulting practice … or so he thought. He sounded full of confidence and very sure of both his area of expertise and the need for it in the marketplace. He was calling me because he needed someone to “do some marketing” for him.

His confidence started to fade when I asked him to be more specific. Clearly, he wasn’t expecting that kind of response. “What kind of marketing support do you need?” I asked. You could hear the air escape from him as he deflated right there on the call. (more…)

I was on the phone with an erstwhile colleague this past week and something popped out of my mouth that actually had some value. (That happens from time to time and is, I think, what keeps me in this crazy business.)

“Mike,” I said, “the difference between strong brands and irrelevant ones is that the strong ones know how to finish. They’re able to close the loop with the customer.”

I wrote it down at the time, somewhat amused with myself. But I didn’t realize how many times I would refer back to that concept while in conversations with clients, vendors and new business prospects. (more…)