I’m a big supporter of two organizations: EB Research Partnership. Their CEO, Michael Hund, does a fantastic job managing their venture philanthropy model. DC Soccer Club: That’s my son’s soccer club and the way that the organization managed to continue offering programing during the pandemic was really inspiring.
Read More »Share one of your favourite marketing tools, tips or tricks by Dave Wakeman
My number one tip for people, whenever they start any kind of marketing effort or project, is to start by stepping back and getting a view of the market as it currently is. That’s the first step or trick: learning what is really going on in your market.
Read More »What is your fondest memory of something that happened in your business? by Dave Wakeman
My fondest memory is still the business trip I got to take to Australia to deliver two keynote speeches and a workshop. It was awesome because I’d never been to Australia before and I saw that the ideas and value I created had a truly global audience.
Read More »If you could gain one quality or ability that would significantly increase your business success what would it be? by Dave Wakeman
I actually studied my business at the start of the pandemic and realized that I wanted to improve my marketing, branding, and strategy chops to offer more value. So the strategic chops were definitely a point of focus on.
Read More »If you were starting your business from scratch today, what would be the biggest change? by Dave Wakeman
If I were starting again, I would focus only on strategy. Strategy is something that is misunderstood, misrepresented, and unbelievably necessary…all the time.
Read More »How does building your profile help in your day to day business?
For me, I did research at the end of 2020 to identify areas of my business that would help me grow. The number one was brand awareness. So building my profile helps elevate my brand awareness. And, doing that daily is key since one of the key needs of any …
Read More »Which entrepreneur, living or dead, would you most like to have dinner with and why?
Peter Drucker. I’m not sure if folks would consider him a traditional entrepreneur, but Drucker has laid the foundation for almost everything we know about modern management and his ideas still ring true and seem current more than a decade after his death.
Read More »What skill have you developed since leaving formal education that has been most useful in your career?
I don’t know if I even draw a distinction between formal and informal education, but over the last few years I’ve worked really hard to develop my skills around the process of proper pricing. That has included my own work, research, and conversations. But has been supplemented by things that …
Read More »What are your clients really buying?
In most cases, my clients are buying a second opinion on what they already know they need to do. In other cases, they are buying a sounding board for new ideas, challenges, or opportunities. In the final way, they are buying domain expertise in strategy and marketing.
Read More »What do you wish your prospects would understand before they talk to you?
I don’t know that I wish prospects understood anything. If anything, I hope that prospects come to a meeting with a sense of curiosity and a willingness to look for new ideas and alternatives. In too many places, folks want a magic wand to make the sales process easier, but …
Read More »