More mistakes in marketing Part 4 [ ] Allowing unqualified people to make marketing decisions. By unqualified, I mean CEOs, sale managers, design engineers, and even CFOs. Not that they can’t take decisions – they must be made aware of their marketing implications. CEOs forge strategic alliances. Design engineers decide on product specs. CFOs influence budgets. The marketing department is forced to live with these decisions. But it is the customer who pays all their salaries and delivers the shareholder their profits. When is the customer consulted?

[ ] Failing to automate salespeople. The productivity issue is reason alone to invest in systems that track clients and their activities with your company. But an even more sinister threat than poor productivity lurks in your sales force. If you allow the sales reps to control the relationship data, they control the account. IE. they can walk away with the account, because the link is their personal presence rather than your institutional connection. Automation can help you monitor the relationship and run CRM applications.

[ ] Failing to leverage contributions to charity. Most companies have an unmanaged series of donations and support programs for which they fail to maximise ROI. The causes appreciate it when donors get value for their money because it means they’ll continue to give support. There are creative and tasteful ways to ‘be seen to be doing good’ including partnership programs, staff programs, advertising support, etc. Don’t let this money be blindly scattered.  ¶ 6:22 PM