That's a loaded question for most of you. However, any sufficiently defined process can be evaluated with some objectiveness as to the process' maturity or completeness, which can correlate to its "goodness," or at least your ability to improve it.

Maturity models of all sorts have been developed for almost all corporate processes and functions. It is likely that most of you evaluate, to some degree, the completeness of many of your processes. But not marketing or sales. Why is the critical marketing/sales process exempt from evaluation? Perhaps, because you don't have a useful maturity model for marketing/sales.

This month's white paper, written by Ralph Mroz from our Massachusetts office, shows you a useful method for categorizing your marketing/sales process maturity or completeness with the objective of making it better.

Most companies spend the majority of their marketing budget on marketing communications. For the last ten years much of that money has been spent on branding. But to what end?

Slogans and tag lines are created, launched, changed, abandoned, resurrected, used, and abused. But, again, to what end? Does your tag line tell anyone anything? And if it does, do they associate your tag line with your company, product, or service?

Unfortunately, the answer is ... probably not.

A study done by Emergence in late 2004 that asked people to associate tag lines with brands using a multiple-choice format produced results that may have marketers trying to explain or justify their spending.

At one end of the spectrum you had Wendy's whose slogan "It's Better Here" (you knew that right?) scored a 0% recognition after two years of use. At the other end you had "You're in good hands with..." Now that one you probably did know (Allstate) which scored 87%. Of course, they've been using it for 49 years. Assuming they deliver on that promise, they have imbedded it in people's minds. Does it make a promise that the company wants to be associated with, is comprehensive enough to position them well, and can they deliver? If the answer to those questions is yes, why change the slogan? No good reason, but sometimes Marketing gets bored and tries to justify the need to change.

Coke does that regularly and the results show it. Their current slogan "Real" (would that be a shorter version of "The Real Thing"?) scored only 5% after 18 months. Some companies focus on what is likely to be a short-term position (Michelob: "Lose the carbs, not the taste."). What happens when the low carb fad (or other short term position) plays out? (Oh, I think that may be now.)

More and more money is being spent on new tag lines and slogans. But to what end? For the last two years this survey has been conducted, the results have been the same. Most customers can't associate a tag line with a company or product ... or vice versa.

To us the issue is simple. What can customers buy from your firm they can't buy elsewhere? Is it reasonably sustainable? Can you leverage it? Then describe it in a few words and make it yours? Diamonds are forever (and it doesn't matter that sapphires, rubies, and emeralds don't wear out, they aren't "forever").

For a reminder on the difference between a Brand and branding, you can re-read, or read for the first time, Branding: Making A Name For Yourself by clicking the link below.

The unfortunate truth is that most training doesn't work very well, unless it is tailored to your business. And even then, it may not accomplish your goals. If you, or your people, have been looking for a training program that works, we offer you the opportunity to experience Accelerator Groups.

Accelerator Groups are telephone-based "education in action" groups uniquely designed to teach you a skill you need by actually doing it.

Aside from learning that can be applied right now, some of the benefits trainees have found inlcude:

• You don't have to travel anywhere for the training
• It is tailored specifically to your business because you work on a real project not a "case study"
• It is delivered in "bite-sized" chunks so you can practice and use what you learn between each session
• You don't have to commit a whole day (or days) to a classroom setting.

The problem with most training programs is that they are generalized for all business types not tailored to your business (unless you can afford a tailored in-house program), and the learning really doesn't stick. With Accelerator Groups you will actually learn the skill by doing it with your business. Not a case study ... your business.

Accelerator Groups are precisely designed so that you take action, get real-time feedback from the expert leader and your fellow learners, execute and improve. Accelerator Groups are not about learning business theory, they're about taking accelerated action to make things happen.

We have three topic areas starting in February. They include:

• PerSuasive PreSentations
• Practical Useful Market Research
• Sales Management for the Part-Time Sales Manager

To read more about how Accelerator Groups work, and what is involved, as well as getting more specific information on each of these three topics, click the link below.

We appreciate any feedback you can provide to help us make sure these Updates give you value each month. Feel free to respond to this e-mail with any comments or suggestions for future topics or ways we can make these Customer Manufacturing Updates more valuable to you.

Thank you for your interest, and if we can provide any additional assistance in sales, marketing, strategy, or innovation to help you increase your sales, let us know.

Our mission is to help you improve the performance of your System to Manufacture Customers^®.

email: mgooze@customermfg.com

phone: 408.987.0140

web: http://www.customermanufacturing.com