“To build reliable business relationships, start with partners on the inside and work outward.”

“Given all the talk these days about relationship marketing, B-to-B auctions, and eWebs of all sorts, one might get the impression business relationships are changing in a fundamental way. This view, however, is likely to be misguided. This is because it is based on the idea that the Internet will do away with all social aspects of business relationships. One central idea throughout current discussions is the challenge of building close relationships with customers. While this is a reasonable goal, it begs the question as to whether all business customers want a close relationship. Here we will try to examine the conditions under which a customer might want such a relationship.”

“This is an email marketing story that doesn’t have a happy ending — yet. It’s a true account with names changed to conceal the client’s identity. And it’s a cautionary tale about how tricky business-to-business (B2B) email acquisition campaigns can be these days. Flooded inboxes and an increasing intolerance for unsolicited mail make it more difficult than ever to get the response you want.”

“Your advertising. Your packaging. Your corporate business cards. And your product itself. They all reflect your Brand, and your Brand is your company’s single most valuable asset. An asset that must be protected and projected in every transaction with every customer or prospect. Brand is a component of everything your company does. And although it is nurtured and managed by your marketing department, your Brand is represented by your entire organization.”

“Revenue is down. Profits are under pressure. Expenses are being cut. Rumors of layoffs abound. Your company is in trouble! You’re worried about your own job. How can you possibly be an effective leader under these circumstances? First, understand that you’re not alone. Many companies and their leaders are learning to deal with these stressful times. Be sure to tap into that experience. Second, smooth seas never made a good sailor — difficult times test a leader’s true mettle. View these rough waters as a chance to expand your leadership skills for an environment that may prevail for some time. Here are some guideposts to follow.”

“Slow times call for new strategies and some very old spending habits. Thrift, that quaint Calvinist virtue, could be the ‘first-mover advantage’ of the 21st century.”

“Are there techniques that managers could learn that would help them make more objective — and better — decisions about marketing communications? We believe there are, but first we wanted to find out if decisionmaking was as arbitrary as we believed. We picked a real packaging design project: the launch of a new fruit beverage called Fruit Fix. We asked a number of experienced marketing practitioners, most of them middle or senior marketing managers and some experienced designers, to comment on the effectiveness of eight label concepts and select the best one. Was there an overwhelming consensus on which designs would be sure winners? No. There was little consensus.”