We regularly read a library's worth of periodicals in order to share the most relevant articles, thought leadership and just plain thought-provoking items with our clients.  These are two
of our favorites, and we have made reference to them over and over again this past year.

A TRULY PRACTICAL USE FOR TWITTER
Comcast has become a shining example of how Twitter can be successfully harnessed for that all-important touchpoint: customer service.  Business Week's piece on the Comcast Cares Guy is a must-read.  Even if you're not a Twitter convert, this article clearly demonstrates the utility which the Twitter Search function can provide as another way to connect with your customers.

From the article: I think it's safe to call Comcast's Frank Eliason the most famous customer service manager in the U.S., possibly in the world....To read the rest of Comcast's Twitter Man CLICK HERE

HOW MARKETING AND SALES FUNCTIONS EVOLVE IN AN ORGANIZATION
This Harvard Business Review article is a great articulation of the evolution and co-existence of sales and marketing in an organization.  It clearly delineates the key responsibilities of each function and, importantly, how these change over time as an organization matures. 

In a nutshell:  In the beginning it's all about sales, and sales is marketing.  As the organization grows, the sales team typically adds a marketing support function.  In the third and final stage of the evolution, marketing splits off from sales and acquires a separate budget.  It is at this point that marketing typically takes on a more strategic role in the organization.

From the article: Curious about [the] disconnect between Sales and Marketing, we conducted a study to identify best practices that could help enhance the joint performance and overall contributions of these two functions...To read the full HBR article Ending the War Between Sales and Marketing CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE FULL ARTICLE FROM HBR

We were recently engaged by a client who was having difficulty articulating their product's value proposition.  We worked with their team to position the company's products and developed a groundbreaking methodology for quantifying their point of difference versus their competitors'.  To learn more about this engagement CLICK HERE

Another recent client, an ethnic food manufacturer, was de-listed from a major retailer.  Read how we successfully helped them earn another chance by using low-tech data to educate the buyer about their business.  To learn more about this engagement  CLICK HERE