We are very proud to announce that we are in the process of rebranding our company as Tenato Strategy Inc.   New website will soon launch at www.tenato.com!

Had a great meeting with CalinDaniel yesterday, regarding the important ties between business strategy and online profile.   With the web tools available today, Calin explained it is quite simple to “peek under the skirts” of your competitors online.  It is easy to find out how they are getting their rankings, i.e. which directories they are linking to, the key phrases they are targeting using to target clients, their social media profiles, and much more.  What really struck me is that a company’s entire profile of online activity is open for discovery by anyone, and can be imitated or analyzed for strategy-building.   We are certainly going to integrate this information into our planning processes.

It also means that if a company clearly lays out its strategy first to create a reputation in a certain area, it can link with blogs, and create content, hone in on specific targets and really raise its online reputation and profile through SEO.  For example, if 4 major competitors are targeting similar key phrases, you might discover that you can succeed by targeting some niche area that they have neglected, and make that your area of growth.  Or, if your competitors are only targeting locally, you could target another hot geographic market, and have it to yourself.  This means that now, more than ever, it is possible to control, to the micro-level, the kind of leads coming into your business, and your online brand.   No longer are you “hoping the media” will take a story about you, or needing to blanket market segments with advertising determined by broadcast media- everything that you decide is published, and it can be published wherever you choose, and be out there in front of targets that you choose.

So, now that you know you can have tight control of the reins online, give us a call to help.  We’ll ensure you have that crystal clear business strategy first, so that you can manifest it through your online profile, and get the online profile that matches exactly where you want to go.

Hello folks!  September has been an excellent START for us this season, and it always seems to kick businesses into the next gear.  We’re planning some exciting new changes that will be a little risky, but are certainly timely.   Looking forward to making announcements on this soon, so stay tuned.

If you’re been in a bit of a summer lull, as many companies experience during the holiday season in Canada, the actions you take leading into fall will help you to determine the magnitude of the fall/winter season’s revenue; in other words, summer is an excellent time to plan the coming busy season.   At START, we are refining our services to reflect our enhanced focus on our core service of strategic planning;  while many firms offer “bits” of strategy, we are retrenching to ensure clients receive a “full picture” strategic service so the best possible growth avenues can be considered, researched, and achieved.      In some cases this may mean bypassing more of those clients who are looking simply for only partial strategies, or what we would call “implementation services” without the planning or research (e.g. clients who just need a website update, or clients who just need a social media plan); but we are happy to give referrals to our implementation partners wherever we can.  Great strategy means NOT being all things to all clients, after all!

After being in business 15 years, this gal finally decided to pound off the MBA.  I have a BComm degree already, so for quite a few years I thought the MBA would be redundant.  About 4 years ago though, I decided it would be great to refresh my knowledge and grab some business courses I hadn’t taken the first time around.  I also did the master’s degree as a Thesis (published version available in a  month or so)…because I was thinking I might want to learn how to do real, academically-sound research which could lead me to a PhD.  I haven’t yet decided whether a PhD is where I want to go, but I really enjoyed doing my thesis on the subject of Assessing the Magnitude of Mass Marketing Fraud, a subject I find very fascinating.  Basically it involved developing a unique methodology for how to get a handle on the size of MMF, which in a nutshell, is fraudulent marketing solicitations generally carried out by two-way communications such as telemarketing, email, mail and the web. Technology has really made such fraudulent solicitations more rampant, and this has made it more and more difficult for legitimate marketers to do their jobs effectively amidst the overall “noise” and the eroding consumer trust.   It would be great to see the methodology I developed put to good use in stopping/reducing MMF.  I think there is a bit of a cop in me…I went on a ride-a-long a few years ago, and the officers I worked with said I was a natural…     When it comes to marketers committing fraud, it takes another marketer to spot them….because after all, if you’re going to fight strategy and creativity, you need strategy and creativity.

It’s been an incredible journey starting this business, and keeping it going all these years. Mostly, I can’t believe I’ve held the same job this long! I’ve learned about everything under the sun-  from hot tubs to digital forensics, from chocolate to seismic surveying, from street festivals to air chartering…..with businesses that have built me as much as I have built them.  Thank you to all the brilliant, ballsy business people out there that have given START Marketing a chance to assist you over the years.   You have shaped our view of the world, and given us insight we could never have had without you!  ~ Jacqueline Drew, President & Principal Consultant

A sales rep we recruited and trained for a oil & gas services company recently called me to tell me his great results over the past year.  Sales are up 63% this year versus the last year, and he’s been able to make great inroads into the Calgary business community.   The bigger thing for me is that he’s been a great fit in that company, as they had lost a lot of money hiring unsuccessful sales reps in the past.    So nice to know when you’ve been able to help a business, and a person, find a good “fit.”

Did you notice that fewer people are bothering to make a phone call, and instead relying on email and texting?  Perhaps that is why telephone sales prospecting is being well-received – it is more work, and more personal, than email or generic e-newsletters.   Recently we partnered with a very skilled telephone-based sales prospector, and she is making some powerful inroads on behalf of one of our new clients.   On a qualified business to business list of 100, the client has quoted about 10 jobs already, and landed 5 within about 5 weeks….a great start!

It’s been a ridiculously cold winter, and it’s getting to be about ENOUGH I’d say! But given it’s now March, I thought I’d help you think about springing your business momentum back to life. Keeping your business fresh and forward moving is always a challenge, especially when your company has been around more than 5 years (START Marketing will be 15 years in June).  It’s important to keep is fun and refreshed, and purged of all old junk that takes up space and makes you look dated.  Here are some of the things we’re going to be doing at START Marketing…maybe you’ll find a few ideas in here for yourself:

• Doing a major cleaning of the entire office and all the storage areas, including the windows.
• Refreshing the signage that’s taken a beating through the winter.
• Refreshing the website with new ideas and tips.
• Changing out some of the portfolio client displays to more current material.
• Looking out for some new talent to join our apprenticeship program.
• Updating proposal formats with the latest information to streamline the process.
• Planning our 15th Anniversary Celebration!

Some of the other things you might consider are things that we can provide – such as refreshing and evaluating your marketing plan, or getting some new training for your sales team.  If so, give us a call anytime!

PS.  If you read my Jan 3 2011 blog entry, you’ll see I mention my New Year’s Resolution….and believe it or not – I’VE KEPT IT! I haven’t missed a day! You should see me bundled up on those cold days though – hilarious!  One more reason to look forward to spring in Calgary.  I’m hoping this becomes such an ingrained habit that I’ll never miss one day getting outdoors again (God willing, I have my health and I there’s no physical reason I cannot get out daily.)  By the way, I have to thank one of my clients for inspiring this resolution – you know who you are!  Thanks!!

Today I got a client of mind howling with belly laughter as I sung him a jingle I’d written him in the middle of the night (on a lark.) He has an insurance business that helps farmers, so it got me thinking of all the things that can go wrong on a farm…you know, things that you need insurance for. “Did your cattle up and die, did an old bull horn take out your eye…?” Sounds like a country song in the making – ha ha! If anyone should be able to converge marketing and music, it ought to be me.