20 Questions to Ask Before You Do Anything

When we were young, our family took a lot of car vacations. To pass the time, we would play 20 Questions. You know the game. You ask a series of questions, with the questions based upon the information you already had. The objective was to guess the subject in 20 questions or less.

The following list of 20 questions does not lead to a specific answer. But any marketer should make sure he or she can answer them before embarking on any major marketing initiative. For example, people have become so obsessed with the latest thing (social marketing), that they are rushing into tactics before figuring out how, or even if, social marketing can work best for them. And how social marketing fits into the overall marketing mix.

To make sure you are doing the right things, here are 20 questions you need to answer. One caveat: the questions assume that you can deliver on your brand promise. If you can't, you need to fix that first.

Comments, as always, are welcome.


Who are your target markets?
Who are the decision makers you are trying to reach?
What is your company positioning statement?
What core attributes drive people to make decisions about purchasing products/services such as yours?
How do you rate relative to the competition on those core attributes?
What is your sales process, from generating leads to closing sales?
What trade shows do people in your target market attend?
What publications do they read?
How do they use the Internet do obtain information (i.e., Websites, search, social media)?
What tactics do you use to generate awareness for potential new clients, and do you believe they can be improved?
What tactics do you use to enhance your firm’s credibility to potential and existing clients, and can they be improved?
What tactics to you use to generate leads, and can they be improved?
What tactics do you use in the sales process once leads are qualified (i.e., proposals, sales presentations), and can they be improved?
What tactics to you use to generate direct sales, and can they be improved?
What tactics to you use to retain and enhance existing client relationships, and can they be improved?
What referral sources do you use, and how do you communicate with them?
What tactics do you use to recruit new employees, and can they be improved?
What tactics do you use to communicate with your existing employees, and can they be improved?
Would you say the quality of your marketing deliverables (online and offline) are of the same quality as or better than the deliverables of your largest competitor?
How much money do you think you should spend on marketing?

Ugly Marketing

OK. I admit this is somewhat of a vent, as it relates to the hospital where my mother died. I won't disclose the hospital, even though some of you know who it is and how they handled that communication. But this marketing snafu is enough to make any of my former Discover Card or Sachs Group buddies' eyes roll.

I received a letter from my mother's PCP. It was a "Dear Patient" letter announcing he was no longer practicing to concentrate on his administrative duties. Two things wrong.

1. Personalization technology has been around for how many centuries? The letter should have been personalized.

2. I am not a patient of this physician. My mother was. My mother had died ten months before this letter was sent. Ever heard of data hygiene?

The lessons obviously are many. But they are too obvious to even state.

Feel free to comment below, or to share your horror stories

Great Marketing from Gap

I have to admit I really like the Gap's holiday television commercials for two reasons.

1. They are fun and fresh.
2. After running these ads for years, they have their own brand. As soon as I see one for just a few seconds, I know it is one of theirs.

Attached is a link to one of two ads I have seen this year. I really like the other ad as well - the one with the little kids.

What do you think? Which holiday ads hit you - either negative or positive?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVMPWlWDvsI

Ugly Marketing

Received this recently in the mail. I have blinded the name to protect the innocent...I mean guilty. How many errors can you spot? Hint: you can click on the image to enlarge it.