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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

GL&A Adds Marketing Coach Services

This is a formal announcement about putting a name to something I’ve been doing for a long time—serving as a marketing coach to small, micro (fewer than 10 employees) and SOHO (small office/home office) businesses.

What Is Marketing Coaching?

The work of marketing coaching is quite varied and always is customized to the needs of the client, but it often includes helping organizations understand and address:

• What marketing is, why it is needed and what can be expected as a result

• Target audience identification and prioritization

• Establishment of a differentiated offering

• What branding is, why it matters and how it can be achieved over time

• Positioning and messaging

• Selection of classical, guerrilla and digital marketing/communications tools

• Assessing results

The pricing is reasonable and the first meeting (30 minutes in person or on the phone), which is substantive and not a sales call, is always free. And unlike some coaches, GL&A is also capable and willing to assist with execution, if desired.

Quick Cases

• For a provider of on-site legal services to middle-market firms without in-house counsel, we recommended a letter writing program to CEOs followed by phone calls. The initial mailing went to five firms, two of whom became clients. There was no need to execute the rest of the plan! BTW: GL&A wrote the letter.

• For an interior designer we advised a photo-rich website to prove the firm’s bona fides to prospects. We managed the project, sourced the web design and wrote the web-site copy. (See www.nanettewollackdesign.com.)

• Sometimes simple blocking and tackling can make a big difference. For a medium-sized not-for-profit:

o We standardized their email signature, turning the thousands of emails sent each month into a branding activity instead of an expression of cacophony.

o We turned one of many slogans into the single positioning line used everywhere.

o We got them to legally protect slogans and names via trademarking.

o And we obtained thousands in coop advertising dollars from key equipment providers.

• For an industrial service provider we turned on-hold telephone waits into sales by creating entertaining and informative on-hold scripts (which we wrote). And we utilized Survey Monkey’s free service to continuously assess customer satisfaction—of course, GL&A designed the questionnaire.

You won’t be surprised to learn that we’d appreciate introductions to potential beneficiaries of such counsel. Much of this work can be done over the phone so geography is not an issue. We would be honored by your kind words.

Best regards always,

Gerry

2:53 pm cdt Comments

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