The Gilman Company Blog

Why Door to Door Marketing Doesn't Work

Yes, I know you know. Door-to-door marketing doesn't work. It used to work because personal, unannounced and in-person calls used to be expected and commonplace. Now, an unexpected knock on the door is cause for alarm, rather than curiosity. On a basic level, any type of intrusive marketing, in-person or otherwise, can have more negative than positive effects on your business. In most cases, the same concerns are amplified if you happen to be knocking on the doors of businesses.

Consider what door-to-door or other intrusive marketing says about your business. Consider marketing efforts that are not "one by one" oriented. Consider the fact that marketing forums, channels and opportunities have never been so nuanced, sophisticated or targeted. Put away the shotgun and pick up the sniper rifle.

Get a Gilman consultation.

Dress for Excess...

Excess time, excess energy, excess personal brand management.

Dressing in a professional work environment can be this easy (for men):

Eight business suits, all relatively dark. Ten white, long sleeve, button down shirts. Ten to fifteen ties. Five minutes getting dressed in the morning (think of it as a uniform). Your clients, co-workers, business partners, etc., will know what to expect and they will relate your simple, yet stylish commitment to professional, no nonsense attire to your work product and work ethic.

Getting dressed should be one of the easiest things you do all day. With a focused and consistent wardrobe, you won't spend any time worrying about what you're wearing, very little time deciding what to wear and even less time shopping. One trip to a clothier and you're good for the next six months to a year.

Worried about comfort? Buy suits, shirts and shoes that fit.

Casual Fridays: this may be an opportunity to set yourself apart from the herd.

Get a Gilman consultation.

How to Leverage the Philanthropy of Your Organization

Giving is great, especially around the Holidays. Let's assume that you made the right decision on who you're giving to. Now, how do you let your customers, consumers in your target market and your business partners know that your being socially responsible by giving back to the community, thereby creating good will for your company. Most importantly, how do you do this tactfully.

Foremost, recognize that the fact that your company has made a gift is usually not something to base an advertising or marketing campaign on. In most cases, the organization that you are giving to has a marketing vehicle in place to illuminate your generosity. Understand what type of exposure you will get through that organization before making a gift. Someone else saying your great is much, much better than saying it yourself.

On your own, a secondary announcement of your gift is usually appropriate. Here, you can note that your company actively supports such and such organization, but this will never be the primary communication through any marketing channel. It will be a small element of another type of communication, but it may pervade through countless types of marketing impressions. So, it may be listed on your website, on an email template, on a sales collateral piece, on a corporate Holiday greeting card or on a commercial. The key is that the placement should not be primary.

Get a Gilman consultation.

Public Hearings: Your Company Has a Voice

We see it all the time. New laws are in place and new markets open up as a result. On the other hand, markets can also be closed with the passage of a new law. Many business models are rendered defunct here as well and some companies just throw in the towel. Examples: cigarette companies are dying, hands free phone devices are required, local products are approved, land use maps are redrawn, entire cities are built where once there was nothing, etc., etc.

Your business has the opportunity to apply one of two approaches here. Flow with the winds of change or become an active participant in local government functions, state and federal. A number of my clients have asked me to appear at public hearings to make their corporate voices heard, to go on record and to simply be involved. It's hard if not impossible to measure success here. However, a certain amount of success will be certain. That is, your company will be recognized as a force in your market, as a force in your community and you can be recognized in your market as a leader and as an organization that is responsible and caring.

Google your city, county or state with "public hearing" and keep track of the issues that arise. It may just be a matter of time before you find an issue where your business enterprise has a real stake in the matter.

Get a Gilman consultation.

And You Shall Know Them by Their Desktops

Chances are, your computer desktop is a reflection of your office and your actual desk top. Take a few seconds to check. I'll wait...

If you have a collage of rotating photo's on your computer desktop, you probably have a lot of sentimental trinkets on your desk and lying around your office, music playing the background, etc. Okay, now think about how this state of things affects your work product. On a very elemental level, in a busy environment like this, you are either blocking all of the mental noise this creates, it's distracting you or it's taxing on your senses.

Now, you're workspace doesn't and shouldn't be entirely sterile. However, the more organized and simple your workspace and work environment is, the more productive it could be. Your workspace and that of your staff can also be a representation of your company's culture and your company's culture can make a difference with staff, customers, clients and partners.

Get a Gilman consultation.

Product Merger of the Month: Xbox and Netflix

In an effort to lose the red envelopes, abandon the USPS and get movies to your TV faster than ever, Xbox has teamed up with Netflix to almost instantly bring movies from Netflix online to your TV.

It works like this: Find the movie you want online at Netflix and add them to an all-new Watch Instantly list. Then, suing the Xbox, you can access the Watch Instantly list through your TV in near DVD quality. Subscribers will have to at least $9/month to Netflix and $50/year for Xbox Live. After that, it's Hometown Buffet style movie watching.

This is an example of how two entertainment products have come together to meet an all-new need, all the while, expanding their respective enterprises and delivering more benefits to customers through a strategic partnership.

Get a Gilman consultation.

The Android Google Phone for Your Business

As a business tool for you or for your staff, Google's Android operating system on a T-Mobile handset may not yet be ready. At this point, the phone does not accommodate exchange email, but I expect it will sometime in the near future. Translation: it will be difficult to synchronize your Google phone with your office email if you r organization uses an exchange server at work.

Personally, I like the fact that this mobile device still has the buttons. Yes, navigating your cell phone without pressing buttons may be novel and interesting at first glance, but there's just something about having the option of touch screen usability and the buttons as well that makes the T-Mobile, Google Android phone appealing to me. After all, buttons have taken us a long way thus far.

On the other hand, it still remains to be seen whether the availability of applications for the device and the practical usability will outshine the iPhone. Meanwhile, iPhones are blowing off of shelves around the world. Regardless of which phone might be "best," whatever that means, the iPhone may be so entrenched by the time the Android system begins catching up that it won't stand a chance.

We'll see.

Get a Gilman consultation.

Back From the Dead: Cyclic Product Trends

Some times with services, but mostly with products, trends always come back around. If you're breaking your head over product development and reinventing the wheel, take a look back at some of the recurring popular trends and think about a modern twist. After all, they're really just the same things in different packages.

Get a Gilman consultation.

Keep Your Staff Meeting on Track: Pound On the Table!

Okay, maybe pounding on the table isn't such a good idea. However, as a meeting organizer, whether a small or large meeting, don't be afraid to get the attention of meeting attendees to keep the agenda on track. Also, don't expect that a soft spoken and incredibly polite call to do so will actually work. As a meeting organizer, this is a great opportunity to show your leadership skills in this area. Try a little well timed humor and increased volume in your voice to get the attention of attendees.

Every meeting has it's own dynamic and you need to be sensitive to what will work to get the attention of attendees in each meting. Sometimes a slight increase in the volume your voice will do. Other times, raising or waiving a hand will get the visual attention of meeting attendees and you may even consider standing up.

Of course, none of this applies if it's not your meeting. If you're attending, you simply follow the lead of the organizer in terms of what might be appropriate and use your own judgment.

Get a Gilman consultation.

Wikipedia: Is Your Company Listed?

Wikipedia.com, an online encyclopedia, is one of the the most widely used sources for general information on the net. I use it daily to get an overview on just about anything: people, issues, products, places, historical context, etc. The question here, however, is should your organization be listed on Wikipedia?

What makes Wikipedia such a great resource for information about companies is the same reason why companies should think twice about being listed on Wikipedia. There are both advantages and disadvantages. Listings on Wikipedia are called articles and no one person or entity has control over the content in each article. The content of each article is controlled by the community of users. There is a fair process by which content is included in each article, so there are very few issues of egregious content, but the content is generally very truthful, good and bad.

Having an article on your company could be good of representation on a reputable and world wide site that is used by millions of people each day. One consideration will be whether or not your competitors have articles on Wikipedia. Search for them, see what they're doing and decide whether or not Wikipedia is right for your organization.

Get a Gilman consultation.