sales – universal positive

Great to know: Lisa Cleff Kurtz, Philanthropist, Education and Arts Activist, and Rainmaker

February 15, 2018February 15, 2018 by Roger Darnell

Editor’s note: Nearly two decades ago, my fate was forever altered due to a chance encounter with the then-San Francisco based creative industry rainmaker, Lisa Cleff. After several months of her mentoring me in the field of sales, I was hired by high-tech PR firm The Terpin Group, thanks almost entirely to her recommendation. When The Darnell Works Agency launched in 2000, not only was she a main client and collaborator, her referrals have resulted in more than a dozen vital DWA client relationships… including those at ATTIK, CBX, PLUS, PostWorks and Sid Lee, to name but a few. Naturally, shining a light on this phenomenal luminary is a great honor for me, especially since the interview itself was conducted by her daughter, Zoe Lindgren, a rising NYC creative in her own right. For your further enjoyment, I also highly recommend this great interview by Timothy Huang, who spoke with Lisa in 2016 about her career – and her role as a star board member of A.R.T. / New York.

How did you get your start in your career?

Read moreGreat to know: Lisa Cleff Kurtz, Philanthropist, Education and Arts Activist, and Rainmaker

Sharing secrets: Smart planning and production for marketing content

March 11, 2024January 13, 2017 by Roger Darnell

Ever since hearing that failing to plan is a sure plan for failure, I have been a firm believer in taking the time necessary to diligently and intelligently lay out plans for anything I’m seriously aiming to accomplish. When I attended the ReCourses New Business Summit (NBS) back in 2012 thanks to David C. Baker and Blair Enns, I witnessed a new approach for how creative businesses and professionals can change the way they handle sales. My understanding on the secret is this: The key is to think and operate like a publisher. Along those lines, naturally, the business model requires successful handling of content. The NBS lessons were very timely for me, as you have seen here; I have deep admiration for innovative publishers of all sizes, and as time moves forward, I hope to follow the best of them and achieve my own version of greatness.

Over the past two years, this idea of content marketing has really caught fire, so for anyone beginning the planning process of fathoming these types of practices and putting them to work in new ways, you are in luck. It’s my pleasure to share five different highly qualified paths toward brilliant content marketing – each of which is focused on helping to facilitate solid thinking and planning.

Is sales marketing’s spouse, or its offspring?

March 26, 2024July 6, 2005 by Roger Darnell

In a strategic marketing plan that I put together for a client last year, I wrote that the term Marketing refers to a great many activities, including market research, brand management, customer service, sales, promotions, public relations and advertising. Drawing on extensive research, I also emphasized the need to unify those activities around a common strategy, driven by a thorough, up-to-date understanding of a company and its brand. I just read several stories from the special report in the July issue of CMO Magazine entitled The Sales-Marketing Culture Clash. I recommend reading the report, and this definition of Marketing from Wikipedia.