This past Sunday was my older son’s 15th birthday. The card he got from his one aunt and uncle said something to the effect that he is smart, thoughtful, and funny. And he certainly is. He typically makes us very proud when he is in public. At home, he can also be difficult, selfish and rude. His aunt and uncle only see him a couple of times a year and he is typically on his good behavior. As his parents, we get to see him at his best and worst. In the best of circumstances,

A few days ago, I heard an advertisement for bail bonds on the radio. While I am not sure what radio station I was listening to at the time, I would expect that only a very small percent of people listening were in need of bail bonds or would be at some point in the near future. When choosing to advertise, the single most important thing to figure out is where to find your target market. The most brilliant message and offer is worthless if no one you are reaching is even a ca

When you think of BMW, what do you think of as their slogan? While we have only owned one BMW about 10 years ago (and my wife mostly drove it), I immediately think of “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” They used that slogan for 34 years. In 2013, they changed it. Do you know what it is? Me either... until I looked it up. It is “Designed for Driving Pleasure.” So, why did they change it? Their stated reason was that they wanted to reinforce that BMWs are performance vehicles that

While getting marketing projects started is important, it is equally important to know when to quit. And that is a place where many business people have a challenge. They get emotionally involved with their marketing efforts and are reluctant to stop them, even if they are not producing results. One small law firm I spoke with had spent $30k dollars on Google AdWords over 12 months and had only one lead to show for it. However, it took them a whole year to make the decision t

On Sunday, I arrived in Germany with my family. This is my fourth trip to Germany, including a 3-month internship in 1991 (while I was still in college). I speak enough German to get by and am familiar with the culture and interactions. While I don’t turn down anyone who offers to speak to me in English, I generally try to blend in and act like a local. This is in complete contrast to our trip to Taiwan in 2015. There, I was stuck being a tourist -- I did not speak or read th

Do you know how much a new client is worth to you? When meeting with prospective clients, one of the first questions I ask is “How much would you pay for a new client?” And it is a question a lot of businesses have a challenge answering. Why is it important to know how much you are willing to pay to acquire new clients? This determines which types of marketing campaigns may work for you. Calculating the Value of a New Client To understand how much you are willing to pay for a