You probably already know what the most valuable marketing method on earth is: word of mouth. However, many businesspeople are shy about asking for referrals—it’s a variation of the fear of rejection. Even when a customer has expressed satisfaction with our business, it can be difficult to summon up the nerve to ask for names [...]
Tag Archive: jurgen wolff
More revenue from doing something different
One of my favourite marketing mantras is “do something different,” and I think the prize for this goes to musician John Freese. He has been a drummer for Nine Inch Nails, Guns N’ Roses, and Devo, among others, so he has a fan base for his first solo album called “Since 1972.” And he decided [...]
Use upsells to make more money
The most familiar version of the upsell probably is “would you like fries with that?” at McDonald’s, but it’s a strategy that can be used by almost any kind of business.
It does have to be handled with care—one example of a discredited upsell is offering a warranty extension at inflated prices.
It also can be resented [...]
Can you offer a less expensive alternative?
In this economic climate it’s natural for people to look for ways to save money without giving up the things they enjoy or value. Revenue is flowing to businesses that figure out how to offer a cheaper or scaled-down version of their product or service.
Example: a fitness trainer I know has started losing clients [...]
Take your customers back to the future
The Financial Times reports that four record labels are collaborating with Apple to increase digital downloads by “bundling a new interactive booklet, sleeve notes and other interactive features.”
Sounds like back the future—a chance to read about the artists, look at photos, etc. just like we used to do when we opened a vinyl album, read [...]
Make sales in unexpected places
Heinz has started finding new places to sell their food products. Naturally you’ll find their products at Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, etc. but now they’re also targeting garden centres and petrol station forecourts to sell their barbeque sauce, and Mothercare to sell baby foods.
Obviously Heinz are hoping to increase their sales considerably, but sometimes it’s not [...]
Marketers, Twitter ye not! (At least not this way)
From Jurgen Wolff, Marketing for Entrepreneurs: So many marketers are wondering how to (that ugly word) monetise Twitter. There are some strategies that are working well, mostly ones that truly provide value to customers, like notifying them of short-term offers or special events. However, the channel is also filling up with thinly-disguised ads. Twitter is [...]
Never too old to give you money
From Jurgen Wolff, Marketing for Entrepreneurs: In a recent article in Strategy + Business, Richard Rawlinson and Natasha Kuznetsova bemoaned the fact that the 50+ market is still being ignored by many businesses even though baby boomers account for 40% of retail spending in Western Europe. Our society’s frenzied focus on youth is starving these [...]
The perils of celebrity spokespeople
From Jurgen Wolff, Marketing for Entrepreneurs: The recent revelations about Tiger Woods underscore the danger of having a celebrity spokesperson. They’re human, which means sometimes they do things that embarrass themselves and, potentially, the brands they represent.
How much damage this does to the brand depends in part on the brand’s image and the nature [...]
The world changes–does your marketing?
From Jurgen Wolff, Marketing for Entrepreneurs: Print magazine recently related the story of how Nicola Beauman decided on the look of the covers of the books she published when she established Persephane Books. She wanted an elegant look so she chose a uniform gray cover with a cream coloured box that lists the title. This [...]