Sales or Marketing: Who should drive business strategy?

There are arm chair quarterbacks and back seat drivers in all organization with opinions on who should drive business strategy, the sales department or the marketing department.

This month’s Gorilla Meetup, we will host two business experts will duke it out in a debate on “Sales versus Marketing: Who should drive strategy?.

According to a recent study, only 17% of marketers and 14% of salespeople say that the two functional teams are fully aligned. This statistic is probably of no surprise for most sales and marketing teams; however it seems to blind side many managers who are clueless to the internal rift between functional teams. This month, we invite two Austin business experts to debate the topic of which functional team should lead business activities – sales or marketing.

 

Jan Triplett

Dr. Jan Triplett, co-founder of the Business Resource Center, will champion the position that “Sales” should drive business strategy.  She draws on her long career helping emerging companies and small businesses develop sales and marketing plans to prove her position that “sales should drive”. Jan is co-owner of the Business Success Center. Jan and her team of experts help young and  emerging companies develop the processes and infrastructure required for a success business. The Business Success Center has help hundreds of Central Texas business owners with sales, operations and marketing plans to take their businesses to new heights.

 

Francoise Luca

Opposing Jan’s position, will be Francoise Luca, co-owner of Business Finance Solutions who will argue that marketing should drive business strategy.  She draws on her experience in marketing and sales for AT&T and NBC and Univision to explain that a well developed marketing strategy should drive business operations. Francoise has worked with small businesses, professional practices and non-profits to create sustainable marketing programs to achieve desired  business growth,  She has also help turn around companies struggling with lack of customers, sales or branding. Her clients will attest to her calm demeanor and methodical approach to building a brand, its unique selling proposition and taking the message to the marketplace as a winning solution.

 

 

Eve Richter, Business Development

To facilitate this debate, we have invited Eve Richter.  As a veteran marketer, business consultant, and business development professional, Eve straddles the fence between sales and marketing, and looks forward to moderating this epic and ongoing battle. She is currently a Marketing and Operations Associate for Drop Zone Strategies, a Business Development Representative for Sales Engine International, a fitness coach with Fitness Within You, a producer with Go Blind Go, and a pet sitter with Paw Pause Pets. An entrepreneur and stand up comic, Eve will keep this debate entertaining.

 

 

 

Some of the topics we will discuss:

• Who owns the customer?

• Who determines price?

• Who determines “the pitch”?

• Who “drives” in your organization and how is that working out?

Join us for this enlightening and entertaining presentation and bring your questions.

Please RSVP at:  http://www.meetup.com/Austin-Small-Business-Gorilla-Operations-and-Finance-Jungle/events/220214363/

February 26, 2015
11:30a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Sherlock’s Bakery & Pub
9012 Research Blvd, Austin, TX

 

Debunking Pricing Myths

 

  • Are you asking for the price you deserve?

  • Are you leaving money on the table – by not charging enough?

  • Are you sure your pricing schedule is as competitive as it could be?

Join us for the October session of the Austin Small Business Gorilla Operations and Finance MeetUp group to discuss Pricing.

Debunking Pricing Myths

October 25, 2012
11:30a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Sherlock’s Bakery & Pub
9012 Research Blvd, Austin, TX

Price matters. According to a 2011 survey of 3,900 companies nationwide, 65% of survey respondents do not charge the price they deserve for their products and services. The survey also revealed that product and service pricing revenues were lower than they should be. So, how do you determine your products or services ideal pricing?

Join us for a fun and educational as we review pricing myths. The goal of October’s interactive presentation will be to give you insight on how to accurately price your products and services and to debunk commonly held myths about pricing.

Pricing is by far the most important profit lever, but most companies hugely underestimate its impact. Don’t be one of them. Come to our October presentation and learn what you need to know to set a fair yet market acceptable price!

 

 

This month’s topic is presented by Karen Millican, Owner, Karen Millican and Associates.

Karen Millican is an independent pricing architect with a unique blend of expertise in finance, administration and marketing.

She creates and implements practical pricing plans and uses her administration background to ensure that clients also have processes to keep the momentum going.

Ms. Millican has more than 20 years expertise in financial analysis, project management and marketing.

Pricing your products and services is an important business decision.  We invite you to attend this workshop and share your experience, results and question with your peers.

The Austin Small Business Gorilla Operations and Finance MeetUp hosts an educational  meeting each month.  Our goal is to provide valuable business education to business owners, start-ups and entrepreneurs in a casual non-sales oriented environment. We hope you will join us for one of our meetings or suggest a business finance, operation or marketing topic for the group.

To suggest a speaker or topic, please contact:

Sam Thacker
President
Business Finance Solutions
1-855-220-8585

How to do Business in Mexico

Business with Mexico is big business!

Join us on September 27th at the

Austin Small Biz Operations & Gorilla Finance Group  to learn how you can get involved.

Mexico is the USA third largest trading partner after Canada and China. In 2011, the USA exported over $198,000 million dollars of goods to Mexico and imports more much each year.   American businesses have been doing business with Mexico successfully for decades.  Texas based businesses have a sideline seat to much of this opportunity, so join us for a panel discussion on how Austin companies can begin doing business in Mexico now.

This month the Austin Gorilla Meetup group will host a lively panel discussion on how Austin businesses can engage with a growing Mexican economy. Come to this free meeting and find out how to start doing business in Mexico. Learn about the business culture, the Mexican industries that are seeking American partners and goods, and how Austin businesses can participate on both sides of the border to grow markets and revenues.

This meeting will host a distinguished panel of speakers.

Join An International Panel of Business Professionals

Estuardo Robles

 

Estuardo Robles – Vice President, Americas, Toopher

Mr. Robles is a native of Guatemala. He specializes in marketing and international expansion of technology companies. In his current role Mr. Robles supports Toopher’s growth and go to market strategy in the mobile security category for North and Latin America. He’s also a frequent speaker on a variety of economic development topics.

 

Juan Pablo Mondragon

  Juan Pablo Mondragon, Owner, Liquid Capital Resources

Mr. Mondragon is a native Mexican with formal education in both Mexico and the US. He was a Trader of agricultural commodities with global leader Louis Dreyfus Commodities for 14 years based in Wilton, Connecticut and Puebla, Mexico. He now owns and operates Liquid Capital Resources, a financial services company based in Austin, TX that specializes in factoring. He and his wife chose Austin for its quality of life and opportunities to raise their two children. Juan Pablo has an active lifestyle, practices running and mountain biking and enjoys the outdoors.

 

Adam Bates   Adam Bates
International Business Development Manager for IC2 the University of Texas Global Commercialization and Incubator program.

Adam Bates manages the commercialization of products and services from South Korea. Adam brings to the table 13 years of management experience and 5 years experience commercializing technologies across international borders. His background spans multiple industries including tourism, real estate, software development, industrial equipment, energy, and advanced materials. He uses this background to assess the market potential of emerging technologies and take new products to the market.

Before joining the Gyeonggi program, Adam managed business development for over 35 companies in the TechBA program and authored dozens of market analyses. During his tenure in the TechBA program, he managed a market research team in addition to providing business development services to companies in the program. Over the course of three years, he helped his clients achieved over $3M in international sales by developing and executing market entry strategies. Adam holds a B.A. in History from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas and a Master of Science in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr Luis Medina

 

  Dr. Luis Medina, CEO of TechBA

TechBA is an initiative of the Government of Mexico in partnership with the IC2 Institute of The University of Texas, to help Mexican technology companies enter the US market. Dr. Medina has an extensive career in the business world as well as in academia both in Mexico and the US. Dr. Medina founded two successful technology companies in Mexico. For five years he has been the CEO of TechBA Austin, and he has interviewed almost 500 companies from which TechBA selected and trained over 100, of which 60 have successfully implemented their business plans entering the US market in a variety of segments. Dr. Medina graduated from the National University in Mexico as a mechanical-electrical engineer and earned a PhD in Information Sciences from the California Institute of Technology (CalTech).

Reserve a seat today.

This panel of world class businessmen will discuss doing business in Mexico and offer their firsthand experiences on the opportunities and challenges that face American businesses doing business in Mexico – and Mexican companies doing business in the United States.

Austin Small Biz Operations & Gorilla Finance Group

September 27th – 11:30a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Sherlock’s Baker St. Pub

9012 Research Blvd, Austin, TX

 Invite a colleague and reserve your seats now.

 

RSVP

How to update your brand without spending a fortune

 

Easy Branding Tips –

Growing your business requires staying relevant to your customers. Yet, business owners struggle everyday with keeping up with all the operational issues of running a business and often neglect their enterprises’ brand. Like “spring cleaning” updating your brand can invigorate employee morale, brand awareness and sales.

We all need a little trim or a new hair cut periodically. Your brand also needs a regular grooming.

Lunch & Learn Seminars

How to update your brand without spending a fortune” will be the topic at September 5th Kingsland Chamber of Commerce lunch and learn seminar series.

Westview Marketing will present an overview of easy branding and marketing tactics that can give new life to your business image, employee morale and most importantly – sales.

Topics to be covered include:

  • Where to be seen
  • Traditional Branding: what still works
  • Learning from your customers brand choices
  • Creating a social media plan for your brand
  • Where to spend on advertising and where to cut
  • Affordable and easy marketing tactics

Join us we discuss affordable branding tactics and how to get the most out of your marketing dollars.

Download a seminar flyer here.

To reserve a seat, please call the Kingsland/LBJ Chamber of Commerce at:  325-388-6211

Please register by September 4th.

About the presenter:

Francoise Luca is the founder of Westview Marketing, a boutique marketing consulting firm in Austin.  She draws on twenty years of experience in marketing, advertising and public relations, to develop affordable marketing strategies that fit her clients’ core competences, business goals and budget.  Francoise has held management positions with public relations and advertising agencies, as well as with media outlets like CBS, NBC, Univision, and national companies like Cellular One, SBC, AT&T Wireless and AT&T.  Francoise is a proud University of Texas graduate and speaks fluent Spanish.

Westview Marketing Creative Solutions for Business
The Westview Marketing team brings a fresh set of eyes on your branding, marketing and management operations.  We specialize in seeing your vision and packaging it for your customers’ best experience.  Our team of seasoned professionals help businesses ramp up, redefine their business models, and rejuvenate revenues and customer loyalty.

F1 and Circuit of the Americas comes to Austin

You are invited to attend a special MeetUp of the Austin Small Business & Gorilla Finance Group

Thursday, July 26, 2012 – Sherlock Baker St. Pub, 9012 Research Blvd., Austin, TX 78758

TOPIC:  Formula 1 racing in Austin

Formula 1 racing is big business and it is viewed on television by more than 30 million people worldwide.

Formula 1 is a very big deal.  It is bigger than March Madness, bigger than the World Series, and even bigger than the Super Bowl in its worldwide appeal.  All this media attention will be coming to Austin in November 2012 for the first Formula 1 race in Texas history.

Austin, the music capital of the world, will be hosting the luxury sport of the world in the rural community of Elroy, Texas just a few miles east of downtown Austin.  Our city leaders are counting on its popularity and its big brand advertisers to pump millions of dollars into our local economy.  How much money will F1 bring to Austin?

Come to our MeetUp on July 26th and find out.  Come learn about the contractors building the track, the jobs that have already been created, and the number of employees required to put on the weekend events. Come learn about the millions of dollars in permanent infrastructure required to support F1 racing and the millions of dollars tourists will spend in Austin.

Our speaker this month this month is Todd Fleming, Vice President, Sales for Circuit of the Americas.  Mr. Fleming will speak for about an hour on the venue, the other purposes for the track, the business opportunities F1 offers to local businesses and the financial impact for our local economy.

Seating is limited!

Please RSVP at The Austin Small Business & Gorilla Finance Group

Formula 1 comes to Austin

Thursday, July 26, 2012

11:30a – 1:00 p.m.

Sherlock Baker Street Pub

9012 Research Blvd., Austin, TX 78758

 

Click here to download a program flyer

Westview Marketing is proud to sponsor The Austin Small Business & Gorilla Finance Group, and invites you to come to this free and educational discussion and take away new information that will help you run your business. Join our dynamic group and meet other the owners of other small businesses in the Central Texas area and share your challenges in finance, operations and sales.

About the Austin Small Business & Gorilla Finance Meetup Group

The goal of this Meetup’s lunch series is to provide business owners valuable information they can use immediately in their own business in a casual, interactive and non-sales oriented environment. The Austin Small Business & Gorilla Finance group meets on the 4th Thursday of each month at 11:30 a.m. for lunch prior to the one hour business presentation starting at 12 noon. This interactive group is still accepting business members, however seating for each presentation is limited, and early registration is suggested. To join this MeetUp, visit: The Austin Small Business & Gorilla Finance Group and reserve a seat

Let us entertain you . . . and your business.

Growing your business is no magic act. It’s hard work. So how can you have some fun as you grow?

J.D. Stewart MD (Magic Dude)This month’s presenter at the Austin Small Business & Gorilla Finance Meetup group, J.D. Stewart MD (Magic Dude) will demonstrate how to use entertainment to influence and deliver a positive message in sales and business environments. Entertainment is big business, why?  Consumers and business professional enjoy the mental stimulation and “mental break” that music, comedy, or  drama to their daily lives.  Yet, in business we often overlook the value of entertainment until we are challenged with building morale or wooing an new client.  Then, many of us aren’t quite sure how to harness the power of comic relief, play, even music and video to accomplish our business goals.

 

J.D. Stewart is a corporate trainer, consultant and professional entertainer, and this month will demonstrate how a little magic can not only entertain a business audience, but also help you boost morale, forge strong business relationships and accomplish your business goals.

JD’s training is in science, engineering and magic. As a professional entertainer he brings a unique dimension to his business presentations and has conducted special training programs for HEB, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Texas Instruments, Oracle, Toys-R-Us and others.

JD is an interesting presenter with a rich life history and varied business expertise. He served as an officer in the Marine Corps and has been deeply involved with the Boy Scouts of America Capital Area Council. He is a regular performer and instructor at the Fantastic Magic Camp, the oldest and largest magic camp in the world, and often presents at Dinner Theaters in the Austin area.

Don’t miss this very unique and entertaining presentation and magic show!

Austin Small Business & Gorilla Finance Meetup Group

Thursday, February 23rd
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Sherlock’s Baker St. Pub (map)
9012 Research Blvd, Austin, TX 78757

The Austin Small Business & Gorilla Finance Meetup Group  is a community service and educational initiative by the Business Finance Solutions and Westview Marketing who believes that access to current information can help businesses become higher achieving companies.  Business Finance Solutions assists small businesses find financing, manage cash flow and accounts receivables.  Westview Marketing provides creative marketing, advertising and public relations solutions for businesses, professional practices and non-profits.

The goal of this Meetup’s lunch series is to provide business owners valuable information they can use immediately in their own business in a casual, interactive and non-sales oriented environment. The Austin Small Business Owners MeetUp group meets on the 4th Thursday of each month at 11:30 a.m. for lunch prior to the one hour business presentation starting at 12 noon.  This interactive group is still accepting business members, however seating for each presentation is limited, and early registration is suggested.  To join this MeetUp, visit:  Austin Small Business Owners and Gorilla Finance MeetUp and reserve a seat.

3 Branding lessons from Kate Middleton

 

What I’ve learned from a princess . . .

Recently, Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, declined to pose for the internationally known fashion magazine, Vogue.  At first glance, this story may seem like just another tabloid headline.  However, it is much more.  It is an important strategic branding and marketing decision.

 

Kate Middleton and the royal family are an important and famous international brand.  Every appearance, every interview, every photo of the royal family will be seen by millions of people world-wide and influence popular culture, politics and of course fashion.  Every time Kate Middleton appears in public in a new frock, the outfit and any dress that looks like it sells out in minutes.  Kate has quickly become the most glamorous and loved brand extension of the royal family, since Princess Diana.

 

Kate Middleton’s decision not to appear in Vogue is an absolutely perfect branding decision.  A fashion photo spread is simply not the right message for the future Queen of England to send, and it would have been self-serving and short-sighted had she accepted.  So, what can we learn for this strategic decision?

 

Three important branding lessons:

1.) Know thy self
All successful brands are crystal clear in what they stand for, who they are and what they offer their consumers.  Like most companies, powerful brands will have a mission statement or some sort of philosophy about why they exist.  The clearer their vision and the more closely a company follows its vision, the stronger the brand can become.  In business as in life, a brand cannot be everything to everyone.  It must be self aware and understand who it is and be consistent to its core values to grow and enjoy true success. The decision by the Duchess of Cambridge proves she understands who she is and what she represents.

2.) It’s okay to just say no

Sometimes the best decision is to walk away.  Sometimes it is not about the publicity or the money or the millions of “online views”.  Rather, sometimes it is about the end game, the long-term value of the brand, rather than a short-term flurry of attention or publicity.  In our photo hungry 24/7 media world, it is tempting to grant every interview and grab every magazine cover offer.  However, not every publicity opportunity is in the long-term interest of your brand.  If the opportunity for attention comes at the expense of your core values or does not support your brand’s mission, the best decision is to pass.  The Duchess of Cambridge demonstrated great courage and restraint to say no to the magazine offer, as it would have only diluted her real mission.

 

3.) Listen to your trusted advisers.

Kate Middleton is a well educated young professional capable of making her own decisions.  Yet, she is in new territory in her evolving role as the Duchess of Cambridge and the future queen of England.  She can’t possibly know all the 400 year old history of the monarchy, nor can she know all that awaits her on the world stage.  So, it was very wise of Kate to seek-out and listen to her trusted advisors on this important decision.

It is crucial to any brand owner to have a group of mentors and trusted advisors close at hand who have your best interest at heart.  The roles of your advisers are to help you see and distinguish real opportunities from potential pitfalls.  It takes great maturity and self-confidence to listen to your professional advisers and accept their advice.

 

Accessing real opportunity

Every company and business owner will be faced at one time or another with a publicity opportunity that may seem too good to be true.  This is when you should go back and reflect on these three fundamental branding guidelines: is the opportunity true to your mission, is it best to say “no”, and what do your trusted advisers think of the potential of this opportunity.
Smart branding experts would agree that the Duchess of Cambridge has made an excellent strategic branding decision that she will be admired and respected for.
Your Trusted Adviser

 

Can you really trust anyone?

Meetup – Austin Small Business & Gorilla Finance Group

Thursday, January 26, 2012 – Sherlock Baker St. Pub, 9012 Research Blvd., Austin, TX 78758

It has been estimated that American businesses lose 7% of their gross revenues to fraud and employee theft resulting in annual losses of ONE TRILLION DOLLARS. While this sounds bad enough, businesses with less than 100 employees are more than twice as likely to suffer fraud losses than larger businesses. This month the Austin Small Business & Gorilla Finance Group will explore the issue of fraud and fraud prevention.

Our speaker this month is Robert Roe, an Austin-based Certified Public Accountant and Certified Forensic Accountant. Bob will discuss the general patterns of employee theft, including specific examples from his own experience, and explain processes and procedures that small businesses can implement to reduce their exposure.

Westview Marketing is proud to sponsor The Austin Small Business & Gorilla Finance Group, and invites you to come to this free and educational discussion and take away new information that will help you run your business.  Join our dynamic group and meet other the owners of other small businesses in the Central Texas area and share your challenges in finance, operations and sales.

About the Austin Small Business & Gorilla Finance Meetup Group

The goal of this Meetup’s lunch series is to provide business owners valuable information they can use immediately in their own business in a casual, interactive and non-sales oriented environment. The Austin Small Business & Gorilla Finance group meets on the 4th Thursday of each month at 11:30 a.m. for lunch prior to the one hour business presentation starting at 12 noon.  This interactive group is still accepting business members, however seating for each presentation is limited, and early registration is suggested.  To join this MeetUp, visit: The Austin Small Business & Gorilla Finance Group and reserve a seat.

 

Do you know what your customer knows?

 

Easy Marketing Research Tips –

Growing your business requires knowing which direction to move forward. Yet, business owners struggle everyday with knowing what to do next, and more importantly what their customers will do next.

We just don’t know – what we don’t know . . . . until we go looking for the answers.

Lunch & Learn Seminars

Do you know what your customers know? – Easy marketing research tips” will be the topic at October 5th Kingsland Chamber of Commerce lunch and learn seminar series.

Westview Marketing will present an overview of easy marketing research tactics that can bring insight and direction to your marketing, advertising and business operations.  Topics to be covered include:

  • Where to start your customer research
  • Separating important facts from interesting data
  • Asking the right questions
  • Listening for the right answers
  • How marketing research can save you money
  • Affordable and easy market research techniques

Join us we discuss affordable market research methods and how to get the most out of your marketing dollars.

Download a seminar flyer here.

To reserve a seat, please call the Kingsland/LBJ Chamber of Commerce at:  325-388-6211

Please register by October 3rd.

About the presenter:

Francoise Luca is the founder of Westview Marketing, a boutique marketing consulting firm in Austin.  She draws on twenty years of experience in marketing, advertising and public relations, to develop affordable marketing strategies that fit her clients’ core competences, business goals and budget.  Francoise has held management positions with public relations and advertising agencies, as well as with media outlets like CBS, NBC, Univision, and national companies like Cellular One, SBC, AT&T Wireless and AT&T.  Francoise is a proud University of Texas graduate and speaks fluent Spanish.

Westview Marketing Creative Solutions for Business
The Westview Marketing team brings a fresh set of eyes on your branding, marketing and management operations.  We specialize in seeing your vision and packaging it for your customers’ best experience.  Our team of seasoned professionals help businesses ramp up, redefine their business models, and rejuvenate revenues and customer loyalty.

Google Special Business Event

 

Google will present

Texas Get Your Business Online

Austin, Texas – July 19 and 20

Hey Austin – check out this special event presented by Google right here in Austin.

The program will provide tools and resources for Texas businesses to get online and succeed online.

According to the Google event page, attendee can “walk in offline and walk out online“.   The event is focused on those businesses and individuals who do not yet have a web presence. Web professionals will be on-hand to help create websites from start to finish.

You should attend one of these special sessions to:

  • Get a free, easy-to-build website (on a Google platform)
  • Learn how to market your business on the web
  • Learn how to use Google products to get more customers and run your online business more effectively
  • Learn how to claim our Google Place business listing

Google will provide these free 90 minute workshops on building your website, lots of free advice from on-line professional and even have computers available to learn on. Other free 60-minute seminars will be presented on Google products and tools.

Space is limited, so click here to sign up now and guarantee your spot.  Click here to register.

 

Creating a Marketing Plan

After the excitement of launching your new website wears off, what then?  Hopefully, you have your business plan and a marketing strategy to maximize your new website.  If not, call in the experts at Westview Marketing.  Our team can help you develop your long term business plan, find funding to grow your business, and create affordable marketing campaigns to bring in new customers.

Remember the old saying “build it and they will come“.  Not neccessarily!  First, “they” have to find you, then you have to professionally communicate why “they” should buy from your business – – and the sale process begins.
Welcome to the world wide web of business.