Rest assured that no matter how smart you are, you do not know everything about marketing. You don't even know anything about marketing your product! You can't figure everything out yourself, or see all the angles, or provide every bit of critical thinking.
The solution? Create a marketing brain trust.
Use the mastermind principle which says more brainpower brought to bear on an issue means more ideas and greater insight. Gather together a mixed bag of thoughtful, intelligent people who have an interest in helping you create breakthroughs in your enterprise.
Adding brains to the brain trust produces non-linear results. Breakthrough results. Unreasonable results. Quantum Results. Because of the interactions among several people's ideas bouncing off each other, the increased thinking- effectiveness can be multiplicative or even exponential.
Enroll people into your marketing brain trust. Find people who have a vested interest in your success, or the success of your business. You can't have a great brain trust unless people are truly committed.
Your marketing brain trust can take different forms. If you want it to be official (and tax deductible) call it your Board of Advisors. Make it the board's job to help you pilot your venture. You can even ask each advisor to be accountable for a specific segment of information or knowledge, but their real role and true benefit is to work as a group - to release the mind synergy.
Meet periodically - monthly or quarterly - in person, or by phone, video conference, the Internet, or some combination. Check in with individual brain trust members between meetings. Keep them up to date on your progress; let them know how you are doing. You can pay your advisors and honorarium, or give them options on future ownership.
A different approach is to form a marketing mastermind group. This is less formal and less committed than a Board of Advisors. Gather the mastermind members together periodically and provide refreshments - dinner or perhaps just a case of wine. (I find that red is better than white for masterminding.) Entertain them while they ponder specific issues with you.
The job of the marketing mastermind is to bring alternate perspectives, help you create ideas, and in general, think things through in a way that looks differently than you would yourself.
Let your master-minders know topics in advance, and provide them with appropriate backgrounders to get their creative juices flowing. You may also ask them to suggest topics based on what they already know about you.
Try to make this group diverse. Your mastermind members need not be familiar with your particular business; in fact they need not be business people at all. Get artists, scientists, musicians, technologists, writers, humanitarians, hackers, theologians, philosophers, and psychologists - all sorts of creative thinkers, along with marketers, entrepreneurs and executives, to complement those members familiar with your specific business.
You should limit the size of your mastermind group to no more than ten or twelve people, although you can get started with as few as three or four. Really, any number is going to be an increase over just you.
Lastly, create a simple Roster of Marketing Brains. This is the network of friends, associates and acquaintance you can call on who are expert thinkers in specific areas, and might have some vested interest in seeing you succeed. Some of these people you barter with, some do it because they think what you are up to is cool and going to make a difference in the world, some of them you pay as consultants. You may never gather all these people together at once, but assemble them in ad-hoc groups to tackle whatever issues are at hand.
These three marketing brain trust formats are not mutually exclusive; you might have them all. After all, the when it comes to creative minds, the more the merrier.
---
Special Requirements for Reprint: We ask only that you include Paul's name and resource box, and keep all hyperlinks as live links.
To find out more about kicking your marketing strategies into high gear to increase your sales and profits, get in touch with Paul Lemberg at http://www.marketingsuccessdaily.com
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
1. Do the moneymaking things first.For an entrepreneur, generating income... Read More
For years now, you have been waiting patiently for that... Read More
If the promotional items you give out end up in... Read More
Thirty percent of all the drinkable water that runs between... Read More
In my plethora of experience tucked away between these ears,... Read More
Here's one of the most important success principles you'll ever... Read More
The "Unique Selling Proposition" advertising campaign was developed by Reeves... Read More
No matter if you're publishing your first book or producing... Read More
The secret to increasing sales doesn't lie in choosing just... Read More
On Superbowl Sunday, Domino's Pizza delivered more than 900,000 pizzas-and... Read More
In the international bestseller "Blink," Malcolm Gladwell explains why our... Read More
Joint venture marketing is a lucrative way of leveraging the... Read More
The fight for your customer's attention at a tradeshow has... Read More
People do business... Read More
The year is almost over and the last half of... Read More
Use your computer to send personalized color postcards in quantities... Read More
According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (the trade... Read More
The Marketing Plan section of the business plan demonstrates how... Read More
Each year, the Super Bowl provides marketers opportunity to study... Read More
Many people ask me, "What is a postcard campaign, exactly?"... Read More
Direct marketing is built on four things. The other way... Read More
Here are 5 high-impact marketing tips you can use to... Read More
Measuring the benefit of your product or service means putting... Read More
The Mail Order business is not a business of itself,... Read More
Did you now how to follow up a new customer... Read More
The purpose of business is to create and retain a... Read More
Your mailing list retains its value best if... Read More
You may be engaged in a marketing activities that are... Read More
What would you do with 500, 1000 or more additional... Read More
Do you know your audiences? I mean really know... Read More
When I started my coaching practice I believed that I... Read More
This list has been compiled as a result of years... Read More
As an entrepreneur involved in selling and/or promotion... Read More
You have read part 1 & 2 of this article... Read More
The Marketing Plan section of the business plan demonstrates how... Read More
Here's the deal: advertisement is not marketing. It's like saying... Read More
1) Word of mouth is the most cost-effective, powerful form... Read More
Your business depends on the success of your marketing efforts.... Read More
Too often we small business owners get caught up in... Read More
Savvy event producers follow the Golden Rule: know thy audience.... Read More
For generations people have been saying that laughter is good... Read More
There is a big payoff in being different. When you... Read More
Nothing gets people buying products or programs like a special... Read More
This list contains 25 powerful strategies to improve your direct... Read More
Picture this. You develop some product or service, spend countless... Read More
Maybe you don't want to work that hard, or maybe... Read More
You can have the best little business ever with wonderful... Read More
Pre-note: In this article, teleclass is an example used to... Read More
Referrals are an extension of Networking. If people like you... Read More
Exhibiting overseas is one of the fastest and most cost... Read More
What is enthusiasm?Well, consulting good ol' Mr. Webster, you could... Read More
1. It costs less to delegate to a professional than... Read More
Half my immediate family trained in Judo and excelled in... Read More
Coming up with an idea, seizing the opportunity, and setting... Read More
Brochures are one of the oldest marketing weapons in the... Read More
A database is more than a simple list of names... Read More
I often talk with business owners who tell me how... Read More
What's the fastest, simplest and cheapest way to promote just... Read More
If a nonexistent man can change the world and millions... Read More
Generation Y--The second-largest crop of young people in America's history,... Read More
Creating Your Unique Selling Proposition"Don't tell them what you do.... Read More
So you have been writing mortgages like crazy now for... Read More
The "Unique Selling Proposition" advertising campaign was developed by Reeves... Read More
The postcard can be a very powerful marketing tool. Many... Read More
No, that's not a typo in the title. Resolutions are... Read More
Websites have replaced the brochure as the "must have" marketing... Read More
Marketing |