Step 2 in gaining an external perspective of your company is speaking directly with key influencers of your company. These people are outsiders that know your company well. They are not customers and they are not competitors – often these people are board members, reporters, consultants, company lawyers, etc. Interviewing these people about your company [...]

The first step to gathering an external perspective of your company comes directly from your customers. Your customers have a relationship with your company, products and services. As a result, they are in a unique position to provide intimate feedback about your company. There are many ways to get this information from your customers, but [...]

Last week I wrote about the two main perspectives for evaluating your company and your marketing efforts. This week I am looking at the external perspective and evaluating the top 5 steps to assess your company from an outside view. Marketing is about tapping into your market and conducting valuable outside research is crucial to [...]

On Sunday I wrote about the importance of understanding your company from an internal and external perspective. I now want to further explain what the internal view is and how to understand it. The internal view of your company comes from within and best evaluated through reporting, analysis, and projections. A SWOT analysis is great [...]

There are two basic perspectives to view a business – internal and external. People often view their company from an internal perspective alone. This, in an of itself, is not a problem. From the inside you are best suited to see strengths and weaknesses. However, it is important that you are aware of the external [...]

When it comes to company image, change is inevitable and should be embraced. Consumers are migrating across the web and Internet communities at the speed of light. This is a world of instant communication and change happens fast. You must embrace this and go where your consumers go, or risk being left behind. Open a [...]

Marketing is about being in “the market.” A major element of this is keeping your eyes and ears open. Large companies often accomplish this through market research studies. But the little guys can do it too. In this age of Web 2.0 and social networking, it is easier than ever before for small companies to [...]

It is estimated that each day people are exposed to upwards of 3,000 marketing messages. To compete against this volume of background noise your marketing message must come through loud and clear. Your advertising materials and branding efforts must be consistent across the board so people can instantly recognize your company when they see it.