Sales & Marketing

Josh Martin freely admits his approach to promotion was different after he launched his personal fitness business than before the launch. Martin, the founder of Orange Shoe Gym, since renamed Orange Shoe Personal Fitness, initially was immersed in business details and not thinking enough about concepts like marketing and branding. At first, just having Orange Shoe in the name was enough. "I wanted something that if people heard the name, they would think it's something different, that there is something going on at this place that is different than at Main Street Fitness or Bill's Gym." Full Story 

With the holidays approaching, and in many business milestone contexts, customer-centric entrepreneurs can engage in gift giving for their client base (and employees), an exercise in relationship-building that often falls through the cracks. As is the case with personal gift giving, those who work in the awards and recognition industry say a little creativity and some thoughtful presentation go a long way in business, especially on an entrepreneurial budget. Full Story 

Dana Zurbuchen knows how tough times are for business owners these days – but she’s not the type of person who’s willing to lie down and accept defeat. As a local marketing coach and consultant, Zurbuchen, who will speak at the Oct. 11 American Marketing Association (AMA) Madison meeting on “Successful (and Cost Effective) Marketing During a Downturn,” has seen the struggles of the business community up close, but she doesn’t believe that a bad economy necessarily augurs bad economic outcomes. Success, she says, is often just a matter of facing your issues head-on. Full Story 

We know that a business plan should include a marketing strategy, but very little is said about branding. Just because a business is new and has yet to establish its identity, that doesn't mean it's premature to engage in strategic thinking about the brand. Even before differentiating yourself in the market, and before establishing cash flow, you need to put some thought into making your enterprise "an ongoing concern," advised Marsha Lindsay, CEO of Lindsay, Stone & Briggs. Full Story