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March 8, 2007 by jack petrie.
3/7/07 NYSIA Sales & Marketing SIG Presentation Recap
CRESA Partners recently hosted the March 7th, New York Software Industry Association (”NYSIA”) Sales & Marketing Special Interest Group (”SIG”) presentation on ”Marketing Therapy” at CRESA Partners’ New York City offices, hosted and moderated by Sherri Sklar of Sherri Sklar Strategies, LLC.
The presenter, John Follis, President of Follis Inc., presented his concept of “Marketing Therapy” and how it helps small businesses improve their marketing health. Over 45 NYSIA members attended and enjoyed the presentation.
Marketing Therapy Explained
Marketing Therapy is simply the application of highly creative, cost-effective solutions that tackle small companies’ marketing challenges and help grow their businesses. The key marketing challenges a small business owner faces are typically:
Three Keys to Successful Marketing
According to Mr. Follis, to combat these challenges there are three key elements to a successful marketing program:
In discussing creativity, Mr. Follis quotes his client, Kenneth Cole, who said “the best business solutions are usually more creative than expensive”. He cites the story of how Cole started Kenneth Cole Productions to enable his company to qualify for a NYC film permit to park a showroom/trailer on the city streets during an important footwear trade show.
Mr. Follis emphasized the need for objectivity by discussing how business owners will hire a lawyer for legal help, an accountant for financial help, but attempt to do their marketing themselves. This often results in one of two bad options: owners putting only 10% of their energies into marketing (”attracting”) and 90% into selling (”chasing”). (The other bad option is the status quo: do nothing and hope for word-of-mouth referrals.)
With regard to marketing expertise, Mr. Follis positioned Marketing Therapy as a viable third option.
About John Follis
John spent the first fifteen years of his career with Madison Avenue’s top agencies, including his own, Follis DeVito Verdi, a highly-awarded firm of the 90’s. Since 1986, John has been President of Follis Inc., which works with a variety of businesses and industries. John has been a contributing columnist for ADWEEK, a marketing professor at Fashion Institute of Technology and a White House and United Nations honoree for his public service campaign against child abuse. For more information on “Marketing Therapy” or John’s marketing guide “How to Attract and Excite Your Prospects”, visit his website, www.follisinc.com.
Harvard MBA Moderator
Sherri Sklar Strategies, LLC is a sales, marketing and business development consulting firm that delivers measurable results from assessment, proven strategies, and excellence in execution. Sherri Sklar has built a star track record in helping organizations (including CRESA Partners) obtain exceptional results. Over the last 20 years, she has enabled organizations to make dramatic turnarounds, helping under-performing divisions achieve significant growth in the most difficult of marketplace conditions. Ms. Sklar has helped organizations in marketing strategy and execution, sales strategy, sales execution and performance, business development strategy, channel management, and communication skills training. A frequent presenter at seminars and conferences, Ms. Sklar practices and teaches ‘peak performance delivery’, a proprietary technique Ms. Sklar employs to help clients achieve optimal results. Ms. Sklar received her MBA from Harvard Business School and her BA from Newcomb College at Tulane University.
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