December 2007

Greetings,
 
In this issue we invite you to consider boosting your team's marketing capability through a tailored Strategic Marketing Boot Camp, share some personal advice with those considering a career switch, going from W2s to 1099s, and suggest ten New Year resolutions to boost your marketing.
 
Wishing you Happy Holidays,

Zuhair Suidan
Marketing Boot CampsSTRATEGIC MARKETING BOOT CAMP™ for your team

Please consider:

1. Can your marketing organization get an effectiveness boost through world-class training?

2. Would you benefit from getting your team on the same page and speaking the same language?

3. Would you like to deploy a robust yet easy-to-use marketing planning process?

4. How much more effective would your business be if you had clear, distinctive and integrated marketing strategies and plans that have buy-in throughout the organization?

If this resonates with you, please consider our holding a Strategic Marketing Boot Camp™ for your team, as we have done scores of times to a wide range of companies with outstanding results.

In the Boot Camp you will learn the tools, techniques and processes for developing a clear, distinctive and integrated strategic marketing plan, apply what you learn to your business, and go back to the office with the core of a plan that you can deploy immediately.

Click here for more information and to contact us about a Boot Camp for your firm.

Zuhair pictureMaking the Break from W2s to 1099s (and from Employee to Consultant)
 
Have you considered leaving your corporate job and trying it on your own as an independent consultant?  In this interview on ESBN radio, I share my experiences in making this transition, as well as the 8 P's of establishing a successful independent consulting practice.
 
New Year ClockTop Ten Resolutions for the New Year
 

It is that time of year again, a time for New Year resolutions. Yes, we will shed those few extra pounds, go to the gym more frequently and seek more balance in our lives. But how about professionally? For those of us in marketing, here's a list of ten resolutions to whet your appetite. Feel free to create your own.

1. I resolve to elevate Marketing (with a capital M) beyond the marcom function to which it has been demoted in recent years.

2. I won't be internally focused, but will keep my eye on the customer and the customer's needs, preferences and experiences.

3. Recognizing that a well trained team is a more effective team, I will ensure that our marketing team members get a good dose of formal marketing training.

4. I recognize that there are many creative marketing approaches being deployed by others outside our company, and I resolve to network with others to learn about them.

5. I intend to walk into local bookstores and libraries at least once a month and browse the business and marketing sections for new books with new ideas.

6. I vow to get a handle on what marketing is working and what is not - what is the ROI for our different marketing initiatives.

7. I will look into new media and web 2.0 social networking capabilities and see how we can leverage them in our marketing.

8. On the other hand, I will not get carried away with new media, nor will I forget that basic marketing blocking and tackling - visioning, a tight business definition, thorough situation analyses, segmentation, positioning, marketing mix strategies - are still the foundations of good marketing planning.

9. I will deny any marketing plans a passing grade unless they specify what we will be doing differently for different market segments.

10. I won't accept any bonuses till we document a clear, distinctive and integrated marketing strategy and cross-functional marketing plans (well, maybe you can take a pass on this one; for this year only, however).

About Suidan Associates
Suidan Associates helps firms achieve market success through strategic market management based on a thorough understanding of their markets, their competition and on leveraging their core competencies.  Our services are centered on two complementary approaches:
 
1. Consulting - focused on leading your team in the development of clear, distinctive and integrated strategic marketing plans that are bought-into throughout the organization, and
 
2. Skill building - designed to improve your team's strategic marketing skills, to establish a common market management language, to develop a strong understanding of the marketing planning process, and to apply that knowledge towards developing a strategic marketing plan for the business.
 
For more information, please call us at 203-972-6000, or visit our Web Site www.Suidan.com
This email was sent to zuhair@suidan.com, by zuhair@suidan.com
Suidan Associates | Suidan Associates | New Canaan | CT | 06840