Recently I presented at an American Marketing Association conference. At the end of my session, one of the attendees came up to me and began chatting about his situation. He has a CEO who micromanages his marketing department. It’s so bad, that when his CEO is on vacation, he can’t get anything done because the CEO has to see everything. I’ve been where this guy is, and it is not a happy place.
By Jerry Rackley
I just returned from vacation where I was truly able to disconnect. Good vacations restore and sharpen you, and this one was no exception. But it’s hard to completely disassociate yourself from who you are and what you do professionally when you’re gone, and when someone brings up marketing, I just can’t resist joining the conversation, even when I’m on vacation in the Rocky Mountains.
Many employee reviews take place in the final two months of the year, or at the very beginning of January. While that may still seem like distant tasks, employee evaluations should be on the mind of managers year round. Understanding what your employees do on a daily basis, and do well, is the foundation of effective management. A business management software program can help you do this effectively.
By Jerry Rackley
The term “marketing plan” has several possible, valid definitions. Sometimes it refers to the corporation’s marketing strategy, built upon a firm’s core values and competencies. Often "marketing plan" really equates to a marketing communications plan. Or in many cases, a marketing plan is the actual plan for marketing a specific product. These are all different things, and while they support each other, they are not interchangeable.
By Jerry Rackley
I worked at a small software company from 1993 to 2000. It was a great environment and learning laboratory. In fact, some of the most practical and relevant marketing lessons learned during my career came from this period. Quite often, these lessons were learned the hard way, from making mistakes. Fortunately, we were quick learners and, and we recovered from our mistakes. Lessons learned the hard way stick with you.
Founded in 1918, the Laboratory Products Association (LPA) serves over 100 member companies with market information, education and opportunities to network that enables them to succeed and compete in the global marketplace.
By Jerry Rackley
A business that doesn’t have a social media strategy is like an actor that goes on stage without a costume. It’s ridiculous not to have either. Still, I confess to wondering how to measure the impact of social media or any marketing strategy. This has been the bane of a marketer’s existence – showing some kind of ROI for the things we do. We’ve discussed this matter before in this blog.
