 Is Your Fan Base Telling Compelling Stories About Your Company?
Believe it or not, you have a fan base. Hopefully, it is a large one whose activities continuously inject high quality referrals into your sales funnel. [Do you track this lead source?]
Fans are very powerful influencers within their community. Mavens know a lot about what's going on. Connectors know the key people.
Unlike sales reps and channel partners, fans don't have to invest time learning about your company, so you need to be creative in how you train them.
Drip marketing programs teach fans about your company in bite size lessons. Fun learning activities make it rewarding for fans to want to make a connection with your business.
Games enable fans to sample configurations and uses or to play out different strategies and tactics before spending money to implement them.
Your fan base is a key member of your marketing team because of its power in influencing referrals as someone trusted by new prospects. |
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 Successful Private Companies Overcome Forces That Impede Strategic Planning
"The very nature of a family-owned business encourages focus on day-to-day tactics at the expense of systematic and disciplined strategy work," according to Mark Brenner in the August issue of Family Business Magazine.
"Strategic planning can be threatening because it challenges tradition-bound family businesses."
Four "countervailing forces" block strategy work in family firms:
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Complacency due to the temptation to keep one's nose to the grindstone. "If we continue to do what we've done, we will continue to be as successful as always."
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Inertia: "Don't move me out of my comfort zone. I have done fine here. I'm doing fine here, and I will continue to do fine."
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Over-control by a strong founder who has made the business prosper in spite of hardships and challenges. "I founded this business and I have taken it this far. I know what's best."
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Conflict aversion holds back employees who see the owner's battle scars and medals. "It's not right for me to challenge the owner on how to take the business to the next level". |
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Thanks for taking the time to read The Imprint.
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Sincerely,
John J. Bernardi, Owner
INTAgLIO Business Solutions |
Business Solutions
