Being Treated Rudely Can Lead to a Sale …If Handled Correctly
“AND DON’T COME BACK!”
In the course of building your brand, you will come up against more than one rude and adamant naysaying gatekeeper. We certainly did! Interestingly enough, they all eventually came back and bought! But they might not have if we had handled it differently. Each situation is...
Happy Unique Year! Find Out What’s Different
START WITH WHAT YOU CAN’T CHANGE
The calendar is constantly changing based on the moon, dates of the month, days of the week, and when the year starts. This marble cake overlay can stretch and shrink selling periods in advance of holidays, and make certain holidays more or less significant. It can...
How to Measure Brand Equity
WHAT’S IT WORTH?
Most authorities agree that brand equity is the commercial value that “derives from consumer perception of the brand name of a particular product or service, rather than from the product or service itself.” But how do you measure brand equity? First, let’s get a hint from...
How to Build a Brand Without Hitting the (Distribution) Wall!
WHOA! WHAT WAS THAT?!
Branded consumer product producers can only get so big before they “hit the wall” - the distribution wall, that is. Your brand’s success is dependent upon its availability. It’s got to be there to sell. Many producers think they will avoid going through conventional distribution channels...
Quality Control Cannot Be Outsourced – But Production Can
YOUR CUSTOMERS DESERVE THE BEST!
Folks used to ask us how we continued to get top awards for quality when we outsourced production, didn’t own a vineyard, and had no winery! We would reply “You can outsource everything but Sales, Accounting, and Quality Control.” Yes, you can even outsource Production, but...
4 ways to Future Proof Your Brand
NOW WHAT?
When it comes to the longevity of your brand, the challenge is simply to remain relevant, no matter what happens in the market. Being future proof means standing the test of time. It’s the difference between retro and classic. It’s the difference between the flash in...
The Lifetime Value of Your Brand’s Customers
NOT JUST A ONE-TIMER
When you acquire a customer, you get something else - you get the opportunity to make them a lifetime customer. What is the value of that? What do you have to do to keep them buying your brand? It's an opportunity, not a given. In fact...
Keeping Your Brand in Front of a Reluctant Buyer Will Pay Off (Later)
SHE’S NOT SHOPPING
When we began building the Barefoot Wine brand, we hired one of our first chain store managers to call on the big supermarket buyers in California. He was a tall Dutch guy named Jack Voss who kept us entertained with his charming accent and idioms that...
8 Brand Building Seasonal Selling Opportunities – Part 2
ANTICIPATION IS HALF THE FUN
Seasonal selling can give your marketing and merchandising programs a “bandwagon” effect that can significantly boost sales if executed correctly. Pull out a calendar and use it as a guide to plan your marketing activities. Take advantage of the various selling seasons that are coming our...
Company Branding Should Convey your Message
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT, ALFIE? - Burt Bacharach
Michael Caine played a Cockney womanizer in the popular 1966 movie, Alfie. Burt Bacharach’s theme, by the same name, asked the rhetorical question that conveyed the message of the movie. Your company branding starts with a succinct message that communicates what it’s all about and how...
Building Customer Loyalty is Critical to Brand Survival
THAT’S MY BRAND, AND I’M STICKIN’ TO IT
Over the life of your business, either you will build an ever-increasing loyal following, or your business will end. There’s no treading water when it comes to building customer loyalty. If you are not constantly growing your customer base, you are losing it. Satisfied customers, singing...