How do you decide which sales and marketing channels to pursue?

How do you make your brand memorable and well-positioned in the global marketplace?

How do you create an experience so seamless that you earn loyal customers for life?

The answer? Sales-marketing alignment, of course. But what does that look like – and, more importantly, what should you do when you need to get your numbers up NOW? Get back to basics. Specifically, these three business basics:

If your brand were a person, how would he or she talk? 

If your brand were a theme park, what would it look like? What would the rides be called?

If your brand were a muffin, what kind would it be? Triple chocolate? Pumpkin spice? Sugar-free bran?

While these questions may seem like Zen riddles, they are actually a way to begin thinking about your brand in a deeper way in order to create more engaging brand experiences.

Master Your Morning AM Productivity

Which of these choices best describes your typical morning? 

A. Hectic. 
From the moment your siren-like alarm startles you awake, you’re running in ten different directions at 110 mph trying to fulfill all of your obligations.

B. Groggy. 
You scuttle to your desk – usually late – clutching a Starbucks cup and murmuring 
“My preciousssss.” Your coworkers know not to talk to you until after 11.

C. Aimless. 
Your morning routine includes checking email and Facebook, chatting about last night’s shocker on The Voice, and scrolling through your favorite Internet sites. 

D. Focused. 
You stride into your workspace early, feeling clear and energetic. You burn through your most important task before most people have finished their coffee.

If you answered anything other than “D,” then we need to talk.

Direct to camera, face framed in shadow, British actor Tom Hiddleston enunciates advice in a prep-school accent as sharp as his bespoke suit: “World domination
starts with attention to detail.” 

The scene is from a video ad for the Jaguar F-TYPE R Coupe. It’s part of a larger campaign expounding upon the so-called “Art of Villainy.”

(The campaign hashtag? #GoodToBeBad.)

Have you lived through this entrepreneur or nonprofit nightmare?

• You identify your target audience, ideal persona, brand voice and creative style.
• You identify your strategies for marketing with traditional and new media channels.
• You work your tail off to create a marketing plan (you’d be amazed at how many people don’t do that) for cause marketing, business expansion, raising revenue, or creating brand awareness.
• And then… the plan fails. 
• The event doesn’t fill. Sales are sluggish. Donations are down.