Cost Management

Why You Should Benchmark Internal Metrics

May 11, 2012

Benchmarking establishes a reference point so you can gauge the success or failure of marketing and service strategies even when there isn’t an obvious cause and effect. We naturally want to know how our results compare to our competition and try to benchmark against them. It’s impossible to create realistic and accurate comparisons to other [...]

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Why Benchmarking against Competitors doesn’t Work

May 7, 2012

One statement in “The Numbers that Really Matter to Your Business” got a lot of attention because people didn’t agree with it. I wrote, “There is simply no way to compare metrics from different companies and deliver realistic results.” Responses varied from simply stating that the reader disagreed to explanations as to why I don’t [...]

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Answer These Five Questions before Launching a Marketing Campaign

January 10, 2012

How much money was wasted last year on marketing campaigns that didn’t deliver tangible results? If the truth were told, it was probably the most wasteful year in marketing history. New channels created a competitive frenzy of one-upmanship to see who could deliver the most viral content with little regard to bottom line management. Proven [...]

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How to Grow Your Business in a Down Economy

December 2, 2011

Anyone can grow a business in a thriving economy. Separating people from their money is easy when there is a steady flow of income and every economic news story promising more. Implementing successful growth strategies is more challenging when the economic environment includes the threat of lost income and little hope for new opportunities. Continuous [...]

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How to Get the Most From New Customers

October 28, 2011

Growing your business requires customer acquisition. If you aren’t continuously bringing in new people to replace the ones who are completing their buying life cycle, your company is dying. Newly acquired customers fit one of three types. Adapting your marketing strategy to maximize your return is the best way to move your company forward. The [...]

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