Difficult Conversations Don’t Have to Lead to Hurt Feelings
One of the things I’ve learned in my career as a Marketing and Product Development Executive and Entrepreneur is that difficult conversations are often necessary and productive. I don’t know about you, but when I hear the phrase “difficult conversations” the first things that spring to mind are images of people arguing and going away…
Jumpstart Those Creative Juices
Whether you’re a prolific novelist, journalist, musician, poet, or blogger, I’ve got to believe one of the worst feelings in the world for a writer is to have writer’s block—to struggle to find the words when the words have always seemed to be there before. Ditto for content marketers, when the lifeblood of their businesses…
Look Before You Leap (otherwise, how do you know you’re solving the right problem?)
Do you LEAP before you LOOK? Chance are you don’t . . . and chances are you wouldn’t buy a new car or home or invest money without first doing your homework. Why then do many agencies start with “how” a thing is going to be done before first fully understanding what it is you…
The Business Development Funnel
Are you operating at your full sales potential? Business Development is all about identifying the right target audience for your product or service and building strong relationships to understand and meet client needs. In Business Development parlance, we know this as the “Sales Funnel.” Into your “Sales Funnel” go all your prospects—and through relationship building,…
Heard Any Good (Brand) Stories Lately?
Success comes from being able to tell the story of your brand and engage audiences in ways that are creative, non-intrusive, and fun. Below is how we tell our brand story at Barrel O’Monkeyz. As our name suggests, we are energetic, nimble, and don’t believe business has to be stuffy to be effective. Our formula…
Cold Calling Know How
Do you dread cold calling? Do you wonder if it’s just a waste of time? Don’t toss cold calling out of your marketing tool kit just yet. Even in this day of digital and social media, some traditional techniques never get old. When done right—when done with purpose, authenticity, and targeted at the right audience…
What Makes Your Brand Unique?
What does the story of your brand tell your audience about your products or services . . . about your company? Is your brand nothing more than a logo, a tag line, and a business card, or does your brand connect emotionally with those you serve? (Hint: If it doesn’t, it should.) Your brand represents…
It Pays To Get Noticed
It seems like there are lots of folks out there who will pretty much do anything to get noticed. I’m thinking of the Paris Hiltons and the Kardashians of the world (though Paris has been “quiet” as of late), plus all those pseudo-celebrities filling out the casts of the dozens of reality shows dominating our…
Head’s Up!
As many of you know, after four years of developing Barrel O’Monkeyz into a full service virtual marketing firm, I have decided over the last four months to shift my attention towards my next big venture. With that being said, my blogging will not stop nor will my creativity, ideas and the fun that go…
