Behold The Man in the Chair

Do you know how to deal with The Man in the Chair? It seems like he's got it in for you, but in fact he's here to make your brand stronger. Ignore him and say goodbye to at least some growth potential. Thanks to the Business Marketing Association (BMA) for making this available.

Jacqueline Taylor on Marketing (Houston Chronicle)

A few days ago Jacqueline Taylor, associate region director of the UH Small Business Development Center, offered some sound advice to a small business owner who had the following query:

"I haven't been spending much on marketing lately, and now I've noticed a drop in sales. What can I do to attract more customers — on a budget, of course?"

Check out her response. The advice is simple and solid. And you know, I've worked with a number of major corporations that could use a refresh on these basics.

I'm always amazed at how fast and deep the cuts are to the marketing function in response to a down business cycle. Uh...isn't that when you need more business the most?

Great Article About Crowdsourcing in the NY Times

What do you know about crowdsourcing? Whether you depend on internal departments or external agencies to create new ideas--or you're in the business of providing them yourself--this trend will impact you in some way.