Growing businesses must pay close attention to their business development plan, especially in a stumbling economy, because everyone still needs products and services. The key to coming out on top is paying close attention to [Read More]

Reaching the female consumer is an art form that brands such as Starbucks, Neiman Marcus, and Target have mastered. And because of it, they’ve reaped category leadership, sales, and even a cultish customer loyalty.

Unfortunately, a [Read More]

Every day, customers fire employees by taking their money elsewhere. It is that money, after all, that pays for employee salaries, vacations, 401(k)s, rental cars, and everything else, says best–selling author Jeffrey Fox, founder of [Read More]

When it comes to building brand equity with customers, Tisch says, companies must embrace new strategic communication tools and deliver deeply rewarding experiences. [Read More]

Who is your customer? Perhaps the better question is, who isn’t? As a longtime marketer, strategic communications expert, and brand identity specialist, Mary Lou Quinlan has noticed that most people think a customer is only [Read More]

Even the smartest, hardest-working entrepreneurs depend on other people — be they employees, vendors, customers, or someone else — for their success. The trouble, asserts Ty Freyvogel, founder of MakingSenseOfYourBusiness.com, is that entrepreneurs [Read More]

For many companies, responding to requests for proposals (RFPs) plays a major role in a business development plan. But it’s also a task that can hone a company’s performance and strategic communications skills and improve [Read More]

When Howard Behar first joined Starbucks as an executive in 1989, the company had just 28 stores, but its employee handbook spoke volumes. “Up until page 4 or 5, it never mentioned a word about [Read More]

Today’s world is filled with savvy consumers. They know how to find the best deals. They’re up on all the latest trends. And if there’s a hot new product on the market, they don’t want [Read More]

Perhaps the biggest demand from consumers these days is to have a say in how they engage with companies. Permission-based marketing was a good start, but it’s now insufficient. “Permission doesn’t get you to disclose [Read More]