Ask any of my clients, and you’re likely to hear about my penchant for analogies. Cognitive metaphors, as linguists call them, refer to understanding one conceptual domain in terms of another. When we use analogies, we help our audiences understand a “target domain” by applying their understanding of “source domains.” So, when we say things like “brands evolve,” we don’t mean they evolve in the literal sense, inheriting specific characteristic from their biological predecessors, over many generations; we mean that our understanding of the concepts fundamental to evolution (e.g., gradual change, inherent DNA, natural selection and extinction) are helpful in developing an understanding of brand.
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End of Another 40-Hour Work Week
According to the BBC, the tiny nation of Gambia has shortened the work week to four days, making Friday a day of rest. Of course, workers still log 40 hours per week, they just do it in four days. And where are we, by comparison?
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Enthusiasm Out the Wazoo
There was a time when enthusiasm was all you needed to get by. Things were less technical, then. Selling was done door-to-door. And “word of mouth” happened over coffee cake, at a friend’s house, or at the church social.
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Surveys – Why Averages Aren’t Enough
We recently had the opportunity to review a survey performed by a group of graduate students, who had volunteered, in fulfillment of a class assignment, to help a prominent nonprofit organization. The survey featured a series of appropriately worded Likert items, in which respondents were asked their level of agreement with several statements.
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The 10-20-30 Approach to Sales Management
One of the biggest challenges facing B2B sales managers is knowing whether or not your reps are engaging customers in meetings that are likely to produce revenue. That’s what leads many sales managers to require call sheets. But as we all know, call sheets don’t work, because sales reps learn quickly what you want to hear, and they tailor their weekly reports to meet your expectations. So what you’re really managing with call sheets is how well your sales reps manage you.
But what’s the alternative? Read more
Net Promoter Redo
Fascinating experience, this week, with a major telecom provider. It started with a customer satisfaction survey. The call began with the usual questions: “Was your technician on time …courteous …knowledgeable …neat, etc.” And it ended with a Net Promoter question: “On a scale of one-to-ten how likely are you to recommend us to a business colleague?”
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Where are the Gatekeepers?
Joni Mitchell called it the “Starmaker Machinery,” the maddeningly complex world of music critics and publishers and agents who used to decide which artists would make the top 20 and which would remain obscure. Oh, there was corruption and injustice, to be sure: disc jockeys and program directors, unscrupulous music critics and record labels all playing payola, but some say the music was better. To be sure, it was more formulaic. Rock groups put out album after album of predictably safe, same-sounding songs, and even die-hard fans could mistake Badfinger for the Beatles. (Their smash hit “Come and Get it” was written and produced by Paul McCartney.)
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Mouth Full of Crackers
Ask any of my clients, and you’re likely to hear about my penchant for analogies. Cognitive metaphors, as linguists call them, refer to understanding one conceptual domain in terms of another. When we use analogies, we help our audiences understand a “target domain” by applying their understanding of “source domains.” So, when we say things like “brands evolve,” we don’t mean they evolve in the literal sense, inheriting specific characteristic from their biological predecessors, over many generations; we mean that our understanding of the concepts fundamental to evolution (e.g., gradual change, inherent DNA, natural selection and extinction) are helpful in developing an understanding of brand.
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Fishing with the Wrong Lure
Went fishing, some years back, with a close friend and colleague. We talked through the morning about a marketing challenge he was facing. His CEO was pressing for a formalized marketing strategy, and he “just wanted to bounce a few ideas” off of me.
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Definitely Worth a Look
Just yesterday, as I scrolled through my Facebook feed, I came across a comment, written by someone I have never met. In fact, we’ve never even spoken or exchanged email.
All her comment said was, “definitely worth a look.” Read more
Laura Pasternak Published in IABC’s Communication World
Laura Pasternak, Principal and Chief Brand Strategist for MarketPoint, has joined a select group of leading communications experts published in the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) July-August issue of Communication World (CW). Read more