http://www.mpdailyfix.com/the-value-of-canned-ham/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-value-of-canned-ham Opinions. Commentary. News. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 02:23:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 http://www.mpdailyfix.com/the-value-of-canned-ham/comment-page-1/#comment-24490 Robert Hruzek Thu, 14 Dec 2006 15:48:12 +0000 http://www.mpdailyfix.com/the-value-of-canned-ham/#comment-24490 This is so true, but there's an underlying principle here that applies to a much wider audience than just marketing. This kind of experience bias can artificially induce limitations in a lot of different ways, and none of them good. Excuse the gratuitous self-promotion, BL, but I used your post to springboard to an experience I had while job-seeking. It's the same thing! Now that I'm alterted to it, I'm going to start looking for other examples. (If you like, you can read it at <a href="http://middlezonemusings.blogspot.com/2006/12/is-that-canned-or-fresh.html)." rel="nofollow">http://middlezonemusings.blogspot.com/2006/12/is-that-canned-or-fresh.html).</a> This is so true, but there’s an underlying principle here that applies to a much wider audience than just marketing. This kind of experience bias can artificially induce limitations in a lot of different ways, and none of them good.
Excuse the gratuitous self-promotion, BL, but I used your post to springboard to an experience I had while job-seeking. It’s the same thing! Now that I’m alterted to it, I’m going to start looking for other examples. (If you like, you can read it at http://middlezonemusings.blogspot.com/2006/12/is-that-canned-or-fresh.html).

]]> http://www.mpdailyfix.com/the-value-of-canned-ham/comment-page-1/#comment-24489 B.L. Ochman Mon, 11 Dec 2006 18:13:35 +0000 http://www.mpdailyfix.com/the-value-of-canned-ham/#comment-24489 Good marketers are quick studies. I have done successful marketing campaigns for clients in fields ranging from food to finance in the course of my career. Another recent experience with a Fortune 10 company caused the client to exclaim "I never looked at it that way. I am so "in" our way of doing things that I needed a fresh look from someone with perspective." I think the reason a lot of marketing is so ineffectual is that companies look for narrow experience. Good marketers are quick studies. I have done successful marketing campaigns for clients in fields ranging from food to finance in the course of my career.
Another recent experience with a Fortune 10 company caused the client to exclaim “I never looked at it that way. I am so “in” our way of doing things that I needed a fresh look from someone with perspective.”
I think the reason a lot of marketing is so ineffectual is that companies look for narrow experience.

]]> http://www.mpdailyfix.com/the-value-of-canned-ham/comment-page-1/#comment-24488 Lewis Green Mon, 11 Dec 2006 17:50:56 +0000 http://www.mpdailyfix.com/the-value-of-canned-ham/#comment-24488 Jill, Good marketers are excellent researchers and many employ a utilization rate that covers any research we need to do to get up to speed, so the client isn't paying or spending time getting us up to speed. Frankly, it is not unusual for me to enter a potential client meeting wherein I know at least as much if not more about their markets than the company looking to hire an outside consultant. That is my job. What makes the most difference in marketing canned hams vs. an enterprise software product is that one is b2c and one is b2b. I suspect most of us specialize in one or the other and seldom cross over. I may be a rare example, because I worked both sides of the aisle in my corporate jobs. Nevertheless, nearly all my clients are b2b. Jill,
Good marketers are excellent researchers and many employ a utilization rate that covers any research we need to do to get up to speed, so the client isn’t paying or spending time getting us up to speed.
Frankly, it is not unusual for me to enter a potential client meeting wherein I know at least as much if not more about their markets than the company looking to hire an outside consultant. That is my job.
What makes the most difference in marketing canned hams vs. an enterprise software product is that one is b2c and one is b2b. I suspect most of us specialize in one or the other and seldom cross over. I may be a rare example, because I worked both sides of the aisle in my corporate jobs. Nevertheless, nearly all my clients are b2b.

]]> http://www.mpdailyfix.com/the-value-of-canned-ham/comment-page-1/#comment-24487 Jill Mon, 11 Dec 2006 17:24:12 +0000 http://www.mpdailyfix.com/the-value-of-canned-ham/#comment-24487 Too funny... but isn't there a little truth to asking if a marketing company has experience in our markets? That is to say that marketing canned hams is a lot different than marketing a B2B enterprise software product... while the same fundamentals exist, the target audience is a lot different... I usually ask about experience in my market because I want to know how much investment I'm going to have to make in educating the marketing agency on my business and audience. (Although, I would assume that if they had sold canned hams, it would be a VERY easy ramp-up to fresh hams...) :-) Too funny… but isn’t there a little truth to asking if a marketing company has experience in our markets? That is to say that marketing canned hams is a lot different than marketing a B2B enterprise software product… while the same fundamentals exist, the target audience is a lot different… I usually ask about experience in my market because I want to know how much investment I’m going to have to make in educating the marketing agency on my business and audience. (Although, I would assume that if they had sold canned hams, it would be a VERY easy ramp-up to fresh hams…)

]]> http://www.mpdailyfix.com/the-value-of-canned-ham/comment-page-1/#comment-24486 David Brazeal Mon, 11 Dec 2006 16:58:33 +0000 http://www.mpdailyfix.com/the-value-of-canned-ham/#comment-24486 Great story, B.L. It's even more frustrating because some competitors are willing to present themselves as specialized experts on everything under the sun to get a job! ("I'm not only a fresh ham expert. I happen to be an expert in North Carolina fresh ham -- just like the ones you're selling!") Thanks to this story, maybe next time this happens, I won't pull quite so much hair out. What I have left is already getting gray, so as long as I can keep it in my head, I figure I'm holding my own. Great story, B.L. It’s even more frustrating because some competitors are willing to present themselves as specialized experts on everything under the sun to get a job! (“I’m not only a fresh ham expert. I happen to be an expert in North Carolina fresh ham — just like the ones you’re selling!”)
Thanks to this story, maybe next time this happens, I won’t pull quite so much hair out. What I have left is already getting gray, so as long as I can keep it in my head, I figure I’m holding my own.

]]> http://www.mpdailyfix.com/the-value-of-canned-ham/comment-page-1/#comment-24485 B.L. Ochman Mon, 11 Dec 2006 16:04:11 +0000 http://www.mpdailyfix.com/the-value-of-canned-ham/#comment-24485 Patience is not one of my virtues. Patience is not one of my virtues.

]]> http://www.mpdailyfix.com/the-value-of-canned-ham/comment-page-1/#comment-24484 Lewis Green Mon, 11 Dec 2006 14:47:31 +0000 http://www.mpdailyfix.com/the-value-of-canned-ham/#comment-24484 BL, Don't you just hate it when a potential client asks, "yes, but do you have any experience with...." I just want to scream, "If you are looking for someone who specializes in canned ham and want your canned ham to look just like everyone else's, I am not your guy!" Fortunately, I have never done that, swallowed my pride, and tried patiently to describe what marketers bring to the table. BL,
Don’t you just hate it when a potential client asks, “yes, but do you have any experience with….” I just want to scream, “If you are looking for someone who specializes in canned ham and want your canned ham to look just like everyone else’s, I am not your guy!”
Fortunately, I have never done that, swallowed my pride, and tried patiently to describe what marketers bring to the table.

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