Articles
How to Build the Ultimate Brand to Better Connect with Your Customers
Figuring out your brand personality can seem to be impossible. It's like figuring out who you are and what really matters to you as a person. We all struggle (whether we admit it or not) when it comes to figuring out who we really are. It can take years of self-reflection, self-care, and personal discovery only to discover that who we thought we were is not who we actually are…and then begins the process of accepting who we really are. Well, you don’t have that kind of time when it comes to buil…
Mel DePaoli Graduates the University of Washington Executive MBA Program
After two years, four scholarships totaling almost $20,000, very little sleep, moving, growing my b…
How to Respond to a Negative Comment in a Way that Generates More Business
Some people just love to hate. That hate can affect the reputation of your brand and cost you your next client.Imagine going into the office on Monday morning to discover that someone has written a scathing one-star review of your company on a site that you regularly generate leads from and currently have a five star rating. The woman who wrote the review was not a client, but someone who had asked that you meet with her and provide a quote. This woman received quotes from multiple companies and…
Really, How Well Do Your Customers Know You?
A popular question that businesses are asked is “How well do you know your customer?” It is a great question. It’s fabulous because if you actually take the time to dive into it, you’ll discover who your customer is beyond stereotypical demographics. You’ll get to the personality traits and the personal interests of your customers. Simply put—the more you know, the better you are able to target and predict their buying behavior. 
The flip side of this question is “How much do your customers know …
Me Too Branding. Don’t Be A Copycat.
Ooohhhh me too. Me too. Me too. 
When a brand so closely resembles another in communications, logo, name, or colors that it causes confusion in the market and to its customers, it is called a copycat brand or as I call it, a “Me Too Brand.”
I once met with this tech company whose whole strategy was to intentionally be a Me Too Brand. Their plan was to confuse the market so they could steal their competitor’s clients. They even went so far as to rename their company. They took the company’s two-w…
Stand Out, Don't Blend In
…just like everyone else.
We tend to travel in packs, copying what each other are doing hoping that someone will think we are different or we are special…that we are unique from our competition._____________
That doesn’t make you stand out. In fact, that makes you blend in and to be frank, forgettable.Your market isn’t stupid, they’re on to you and frustrated that you look and sound just like everyone else. They are left wondering, “If you are so different why can’t I tell the difference?”
To st…
Banish the Buzzwords to Ensure You Stand Out Now
Do you remember watching the Charlie Brown cartoons? In those cartoons, whenever the teacher would respond to one of the kids, we as the audience would hear “wa wa wa wa wa”. Much like what kids hear (or don’t hear) when their parents or teachers tell them to do something. Or, much like us when we read or hear the same buzz words over and over and over and over again! Each year, LinkedIn releases the latest overused buzzwords that it recommends you remove from your profile if you want to stand o…
Be Determined in Getting Clear About Who Your Target Audience Is
One of the main challenges that businesses face is attracting their ideal client. For many, they see the total addressable market (TAM) and multiply that by the price of their product or service—it's HUGE!! And it’s not reality. You can have the best sales funnel and the product or service offerings but if you are not attracting the right people then you have a problem. Your problem only gets bigger when developing and implementing your marketing strategy because you end up doing more, paying mo…
My International Immersion to Vietnam was Amazing!
Thank you again for your support as I continue with this journey!
How to Boost Your Social Media Performance
As a B2B executive, you understand that social media isn’t just a passing trend; it’s a critical component of a modern marketing strategy. However, it’s not a standalone solution but a potent amplifier to complement your objectives. Here are vital strategies to ensure your social media endeavors align with your company goals.
The Misleading Nature of Numbers
It’s often said that numbers don’t lie, but they don’t always present the whole truth. Shockingly, statistics reveal that a staggering …