Top Ten Ways to Get the Most out of your AAPEX Experience

With the AAPEX/SEMA show dates rapidly approaching, we're willing to bet that things are getting hectic around your office. Hopefully, you've done your legwork and planned a coordinated effort, deployed your pre-show marketing and - most importantly - set up...

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Aftermarket Insider article #3: At and Post Trade Show Strategy

At the Show and After the Show: Execution is the Key In the previous two articles in this 3-article series, so far we have focused on strategy and recommendations for a sales and marketing to-do list and timetable, designed to...

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Aftermarket Insider Article #2: Pre-Trade Show Strategy

Planning For Trade Shows Begins With A Sales & Marketing To-Do ListMany companies have developed a trade show sales and marketing to-do list. It may be written out, or ingrained in corporate memory from years of exhibiting at the event....

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Trade Show Strategy - Don't Leave Town Without It! Part I - Pre-Trade Show Strategy

Don't look now, but SEMA and APPEX 2010 are almost upon us. To make the most of the shows, you need to start preparing NOW. A successful trade show experience requires much more than a strong exhibit with good visual...

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Co-marketing: Develop a Strong Relationship with your Distributor

Whether you are a manufacturer seeking a way to push sales through the distribution pipeline, or a distributor looking for a creative way to promote products or services, co-marketing is one marketing tool that can boost sales while improving the...

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Avoid a Lethal Disconnect Between Sales and Marketing

The Marx Group has often witnessed a potentially lethal disconnect between sales and marketing teams,where both sides point fingers at each other. A good relationship between departments where channels of communication are open is critical to a company's success. When...

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Value Proposition: What is it and how do I get one?

Every company has a value proposition, which we define as a company's unique ability to provide value to its customers in ways that their competition cannot.Companies are often formed because they provide a solution to a problem not currently available...

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PR Results are Like FineWine - They Take Time

Especially during thecurrent economic times, we are often asked by clients and prospects: "When willI start to see results from our public relations (PR) efforts?" In the past, we'veanswered that question a dozen different ways - dependent on the clientprogram, budget...

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How to Ace a Media Interview

We recently watched an aftermarket industry leader botch an interview with a local TV station. Afterwards, we spoke with the person and asked them how prepared they were for the questions asked by the reporter. We were surprised when he...

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Penny Wise and Pound Foolish - What Not to Do and What to Do During a Recession

This is an editorial - an editorial on "what not to do (and what to do) during tough business times." If you are a professional marketer or manager it is likely you are sick of hearing people extol that you need...

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This Christmas, Give a Gift That Keeps on Giving...

Finding the perfect holiday gift for your valued employees that fits a tight company budget is easier than you think.  Consider a gift that will have an excellent return on investment.  Ask any employee if they feel they could use...

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Problem/Solution - Website Analytics Pave the Way

There are many companies that offer web analytics, some free and some with a monthly fee. While Google Analytics happens to be our supplier-of-choice, we emphasize that it is important to have some sort of analytical review of your website,...

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Put Your Analytics to work: Part 2

In our last issue of Catalyst we discussed how visitors interact with your website. This month's question is: How did they get there? Google Analytics has various ways of showing you the path that readers take from one site to...

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Put your analytics to work

Maximize your Website's Effectiveness with Google Analytics Those familiar with this free tool advocate its use. One reason users like Google Analytics is its ease in tracking marketing trends, such as where your visitors come from and how they interact...

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Zoom in on Video for Increased Web Exposure

In May 2008, Google introduced "unified search" and began weighting web sites with strong video, audio and news content in its search engine returns. This is big news to anyone interested in keeping their company's website page ranking high on...

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Planning Ahead

Typically I'm pretty good at planning big events ahead of time. I almost thrive on it (this really agitates my husband because should he not live to the next day, he knows I have a plan). Trade shows are big...

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Simple, But Not Easy

What does this mean? How can something be simple, but not easy? I first learned the phrase Simple, But Not Easy about twelve years ago from Lew Epstein, a very important mentor in my life. Lew founded an organization called...

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The Science of Launching a New Product

How many times have you been blind-sided when a new product launch doesn't go the way you planned? Doesn't it often seem that despite the attempts to organize the process, there are always a few contingencies you had not foreseen?...

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View from the Bay: Climbing Mountains

Effective marketing is all about commitment, persistence and being willing to listen to the experts. Catalyst is a marketing newsletter and my aim, as someone who's been providing marketing expertise for over 25 years, is to provide high value to...

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Lead Generation Redefined

When it comes to lead generation campaigns, we've witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly. And, we've heard many, many excuses to justify why a campaign is not fulfilling its promise.  Lead generation is viewed differently from one company...

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