Professional Services
Thinking about the agency model
What companies want most from their marketing agencies is more sales.
Yet agencies are not set up to do this. In fact, clients aren’t set up for this either. Agencies earn their fees by trading time for dollars and some earn commissions on media spend or printing. Marketing departments manage their vendors as cost centers. [...]
What interests my client fascinates me
Someone just sent me a link to a law firm called Valorum.
I went to the website. My immediate comment…insanely great, deeply differentiating and long overdue.
I followed some links and arrived at the blog of one of Valorum’s founders. I read the first article. Again. Insanely great, deeply differentiating and long overdue.
Here’s a quick excerpt about [...]
Two posts caught my eye. One answer.
Two posts from http://mimasummit2.blogspot.com/ caught my eye. I’m going to respond to both at the same time. Here are the posts….
Topic #1: Keynote presenter, Ze Frank says, “You have a paradigm shift coming around. There is so much that happens as soon as you release anything — you get all this feedback…you get unexpected usage patterns, [...]
Selling technology to financial services companies
For companies that sell into the financial services industry, recent market volatility and chaos have either created the perfect opportunity or the most difficult selling environment in recent memory. So who better to talk about selling challenges than local technology sales and marketing executives? We asked a few industry veterans to share their advice for [...]
Don’t sweat marketing measurement
Any marketing measurement system based solely on circulation, clicks, impressions, advertising equivalency or whatever is flawed.
The only measurement that matters is measurement that truly shows how effective you are at reaching your customers.
Traditional B2B marketing measurement is especially tough because anything you do impacts everything else you do. How does your PR impact your [...]
Aside from Microsoft, who offers the best partner program targeting SharePoint developers and solution providers?
I’m researching partner programs that target SharePoint solution providers and developers on the Sharepoint platform. Aside from Microsoft, which ISVs have the best programs? What makes these programs attractive to solution providers? Is it the discounts, demo software, marketing assistance, other? Any feedback is appreciated. Email me at benbradley (at) bwmginc (dot) com
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I get interviewed by the ITA
It must have been a slow news day for the ITA but I am thankful for the attention all the same.
Here is a link to the Illinois Technology Association’s website and my interview.
The text of the interview is below:
ITA: In 10 words or less, what pain does Bradley Wiltjer solve?
Ben Bradley: More qualified prospects in [...]
Trust makes the phone ring
Every month Stan Kania, founder of Software-Link, a Sage Software VAR, gets a call from one or two new ERP or CRM vendors.
“We have a good reputation. Other ERP and CRM vendors want us to sell their products,†said Kania. “But by staying loyal to the Sage family, we receive a high percentage of [...]
In the sales process, help your customers and embrace the FUD
Step inside the mind of your prospective customer – the buyer of IT services and products- and you’ll see every possible flavor of fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD).
You’ll see fear of switching from the evil they know (their existing VAR) to your business. You’ll see the natural doubt any buyer has against a new [...]
New Maister Article on Client Relations
Because of prior poor experiences – or the generally bad caricatures that exist about many professions – clients are often suspicious (at least initially) of the motives of their service providers. Whatever your profession, you need to be prepared for the fact that, at the beginning of every new relationship, you must avoid confirming other [...]
