Puffery Will Derail Your Brand

Self-Promotional Content Turns Off an Audience

The content that we see and hear about a company and its products and services is often an unproven litany of self-testimonials and competitor comparisons.  Anyone can say "we're the leader in the field ..." or “we deliver the highest customer satisfaction”.  These image positioning statements are separate from actual customer experiences and will disable a branding strategy.

Conversely, character expression builds a strong brand identity that is earned through consistent small steps that produce authentic experiences and valid expectations.

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By John Bernardi

I Am Not My Target Market

How Well Do You Understand Your B2B Buyers?

Are Your Messages Aimed at You or your Target Market?

When my clients and I discuss ideas for marketing programs, campaigns and messaging, they often say “I don’t think I would go for that”, or “that doesn’t sound appealing to me”, or “if I were the buyer, this is what I’d want”.

Do you see a problem here?  Is it possible that buyers might want what doesn’t appeal to you or that they don’t love what you love?  Are your decisions based on your personal perceptions rather than the reality of your target audience?  If so, you won’t achieve your goals relative to the product/service that you've designed, the campaign you've launched, the channels you’ve selected, or the price points you've set.

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By John Bernardi

Triggered Marketing for B2B Companies

Triggers Guide Timely and Proper Reactions to Situations

Wouldn’t it be beneficial if you had an automated process that fosters consistent reactions to changes in status for a target market, account, prospect, contact, sales opportunity or campaign?

Hopefully you can envision how you can tailor this concept to your business.  Benefits include reducing account churn, improving closed-won rates, generating referrals, and optimizing lead generation and nurturing to sales-ready status.

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 By John Bernardi

Focus on Important Things During Challenging Economies

Wishing Is the Difference Between Urgent and Important

During challenge economies we can make the smart choice and carve out quality time to spend on our wishes.  With fewer urgencies we can focus on important things.  If you plan correctly, the amount of urgency will have been reduced after the improvements that you make.

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By John Bernardi

Happiness and Effectiveness are Partners

I wonder how much more happily effective I’d have been had I come upon this excerpt from Dostoyevsky’s “The Brothers Karamozov” when I was a very young man.

"Let us agree that we shall never forget one another, and whatever happens, remember how good it felt when we were all here together, united by a good and decent feeling which made us better people, better probably than we would otherwise have been."

It would have eased the pressure to succeed on my own and to appreciate the many good things I had going for me including the companies for whom I worked, my fellow employees, the customers I served and the partners who helped me to make it happen.

By John Bernardi

Why Companies Buy Products and Services from a Value Brand

Many Who Claim to be Value Buyers Don’t Pass the Test

Not all buyers are value buyers even though they claim to be.  Some buyers acquire prestige and others procure performance while price shoppers are always negotiating.

Value buyers fear losing what they've worked so hard to create but also want to continuously improve image, productivity and financial results while confidently managing the associated business and personal risks.  They make price/performance decisions based on the perceived or measurable worth of the product or service.

Value Buyers associate your higher than median price with the measurable value you offer.

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Please stay safe and protect others.

John Bernardi

Is There a Role for Golden Spike Hunting in Your Company?

Golden Spike Strategy Fosters Sustainable Growth

BizD Rainmakers Hunt for Golden Spike Opportunities

Golden Spike hunting helps companies expand into new markets, develop new products or services and further penetrate existing markets through large sales of slightly modified existing products and services.  The ability to find, nurture and manage Golden Spikes requires patience, diligence, peripheral vision, business acumen and insight, and exceptional time management.

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Thank you for taking the time.

John Bernardi