This is my final article of my four part series on Business Suicide Mindsets to Avoid in 2009.

Although I this one is last, it can be just as damaging for a business as the other three I have already covered.

I call this Business Suicide Mentality #4: The “I Don’t Have Too; I Don’t Want Too, I Will Not Change!” Mindset.

Yep, Change…it’s a word we all know yet often we find we are naturally opposed to the meaning of this word.  We find change is disruptive and unsettling, so we resist it.

The dictionary defines change as……

So far I have covered two of the four mindsets I believe are deadly in today’s new marketplace.

The first was the Status Quo Mindset and the second was the Arrogance Mentality Mindset.

Today I will cover the third mindset I find very noted for the season we are currently in.

It is the Business Suicide Mentality #3: The “Hunker Down” Mindset.

The reference to hunker down means two things: One is preparation for some type of pressure you’re anticipating. The other relates to hiding.

With the jobless rates soaring, consumer spending way down and the incredible…

Why is it business websites and web assets ‘don’t get no respect’? That’s right.

In my 13 years as a web business professional I see this happen over and over. It happens with large corporations, to one man shop freelancers, to mid size and small businesses to entrepreneurs. Their website gets very little attention and nurturing at the stage of inception often handed off to the ‘web people’ to Make It So!

What’s wrong with that you ask?

Well for starters, your website and web properties (blogs, social pages, digital campaigns, etc) are not just flipping things that…

STRATEGY ONE – Strategy is King…Status Quo is Dead!

Of all the things that entrepreneurs and small business owners fail to do, one of the most serious is strategic marketing planning. Strategic marketing planning in today’s marketplace IS the most important thing you should do. A Strategic Marketing Plan is a management tool that determines which steps to follow, and the methodologies and times to reach certain objectives. Gone are the days where marketing planning is an isolated activity! It has to be perfectly linked to the rest of the business functions (First contacts, billing, assistants/virtual, production, personnel, etc.)

STRATEGY…

Lately I have been hearing all over the web ‘marketing is conversation‘ and you better be on board with social media or you are not marketing.

I say that’s hog wash (I get it! Like pigs wash!).

I am not going to be arrogant enough to say I have the total explanation of what marketing means or what it is because I believe it encompasses really everything you do in your business.

But I will say I know it is about a whole lot more than conversation. No doubt, conversation is one of the “tools’ or methods we can use…

Ever wished you could contact someone at the companies you do business with to complain, resolve problem or just give them the props for something they did you liked without dealing with those aggravating automated phone systems!?

I have and so have many, many consumers for that matter!

It’s so hard to find direct access via the “old model” of doing business but now that social media has provided the tools to voice the consumers experience with millions online…you can now reach some companies and businesses who ‘get’ the power of the people in this digital economy.

If you want…

Because understanding what is going on with people and technology is critical for any business strategy today, I would like to share some information that reveals theory on where the web (3.0 & 4.0) is going and why that is important to consider.

The truth is we (people, your customer) are the web and we always have been! But technology has empowered us to connect with one another like never before…and this is just the beginning.

Here is a informative map on the convergence of technology and social connections…

Recently Burger King’s advertisement antics have been a marketing nightmare if not corporate suicide in my opinion. What the heck is going on over there at corporate BK anyway? It seems as though they are trying to impress us with your tasteless presentations using “shock” propaganda to get our attention.

Really now, business must be pretty bad for Burger King when you feel you have to resort to making fun of and disrespecting Latinos or try to convince parents the BKing singing about his love for…

Today I read this on E-Commerce Times…
[The king of the video rental stores, Blockbuster, is struggling for survival as its business model falters against competition from Netflix and Internet distribution of films. Still, the company has managed to persuade lenders to rejigger its financing, holding back the threat of bankruptcy for the time being.]

The explanation cited in the article for Blockbusters demise was the main reasons they are in trouble was because of Internet distribution and sinking franchises. Of course Netflix was also on their blame radar.

Yes, I…

Most of today’s marketing and advertising models fail to engage with consumers, who, as a result, are becoming less brand-loyal and more trusting of each other. A shift in thinking and approach is critical in order for any size business to compete in this new business economy. An emphasis on “connectivity” and “relationship building” is more important than ever for business growth and survival.

The marketing mindset must move to one that shifts from:

• Pushing messages to nurturing consumer connection

• Talking to listening

• Shifting innovation from the top-down to the bottom-up

…