Marketing and Sales

Ice cream and cookie dough. Brownies and milk. Cake and a second, additional cake. While fine on their own, there are some items that are just better off paired. 

Outdoor promotions require thought and strategy. Double-sided flags are a great way to attract attention and heighten visibility for your message.

In the medical field, lives depend on separating fact from fiction. The same logic applies to distributors looking to penetrate this particular sector.

Few would dispute the value of brands to companies. Yet, relatively few are sustained over time. The number of failed brands is large and even once very successful brands, such as Kodak, Compaq, Compuserve, are now shadows of their former selves. If brands are so valuable, why do so many fail or fade?

A significant part of the problem is the way that people conceive branding. For many, branding is a competition between art and science. In the early days, art had its way because data was scarce. As data became more available, the science of branding gained primacy.

Trevor Gnesin, CEO of Logomark, Tustin, Calif., is a formidable presence in the boardroom. Some may describe him as "boisterous," but he prefers the term "passionate." So, who is the real Gnesin?

Just a few years ago, globalization was in full swing, and the world seemed to be bursting with an infinite supply of business. All this bounty lulled us into taking our customers for granted—until the economy tanked and shattered the illusion of endless prosperity. Suddenly, the old-fashioned “trusted relationship” started to look good again.

Believe it or not, there's more to negotiating than having leverage and being "really in into yelling over a guy while he's trying to talk." If you want to win more arguments, sell more products and generally get more for your business, you need to be the best negotiator possible.

Nobody is perfect and, undoubtedly, society misses the mark on a lot of things. But sometimes, American culture produces seemingly minor gems that turn out to be some of the greatest pairings in history—pairings that make us mutter, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Mark Cupach understands it takes more than luck to thrive in your chosen field.

When he first started in the printing industry, Cupach worked for Cleveland-based American Greetings Corporation, where he concentrated on sharpening his skills in the essential areas of business: customer service, production management and marketing. 

Love it, hate it, or hate it so much it's like nails-on-a-chalkboard-as-performed-by-third-graders-hyped-on-Pepsi, studying is still important. It's how you fix your mistakes, improve your strengths, and most importantly, move past your peers and become the successful teacher's pet that everyone envies...