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You can’t pay for a taco when you ordered the filet mignon.

by Dan Gershenson

It sounds hilarious. Ridiculous. Insane. Because the reason so many of us can relate to this funny but painfully true video is that we have heard such things prospective clients have said in order to get out of paying nearly as much money. In addition to these, I have echoes of phrases like “sweat equity,” and “if you do this for me, I know a lot of people…” embedded in my brain.

So if you’re a purchaser of services and believe you’re being slick and savvy in wanting to pay for a taco when you ordered the filet mignon, you’re not. When you’re purposefully trying to screw the other party, that’s crossing a line from good faith negotiation into being less than professional and respectful.

And if you’re a provider of quality services, stand up for yourself. I know you’ve got bills to pay right in front of you. But if you’re striving for better relationships and in turn, greater fulfillment in what you do for a living, you can’t get bullied into someone telling you that you’re worth less.

Because in the end, all you’ll feel is worthless.

The Fractional CMO

Page One On Google Is Your New Business Card

By Dan Gershenson • July 22, 2022
Do a search for your name, your company name, your product or service names. Whatever you find on page one in the Google SERPs amounts to a significant collage of how your brand is seen in the wild today. See, it doesn’t matter if your best client tells their best friend you are the most […] The post Page One on Google Is Your New Business Card appeared first on Caliber Brand Strategy + Content Marketing.

Google My Business: The Key to Ranking Your Local Business

By Dan Gershenson • July 15, 2022
For local businesses, ranking your business in Google My Business (the Google maps 3-pack) can be the difference between thriving and merely surviving. All Google products evolve as they find ways to make search better and, let’s face it, make more money from that fact. There are a handful of factors that Google uses to […] The post Google My Business: The Key to Ranking Your Local Business appeared first on Caliber Brand Strategy + Content Marketing.

The Local SEO Playbook – Your Guide to Local Rankings

By Dan Gershenson • July 8, 2022
Look, if you’re a local business, meaning most or all of your business comes from customers living in your community, you must get very serious about local SEO. Don’t worry, ranking locally for the kinds of things your prospects are looking for isn’t rocket science, but it does take a serious commitment to a handful […] The post The Local SEO Playbook – Your Guide to Local Rankings appeared first on Caliber Brand Strategy + Content Marketing.

“Do You Have Experience In Our Industry? No? Cool.”

By Dan Gershenson • July 2, 2022
The conversation was going well. We felt like we were connecting at the same level. The prospect had gotten to know me and appeared to feel great about my understanding of his process, goals, etc. Then came the question. I’ve received it many times before. “Do you have any experience in our industry?” Years ago, […] The post “Do You Have Experience In Our Industry? No? Cool.” appeared first on Caliber Brand Strategy + Content Marketing.

Defeating The Energy Vampires

June 24, 2022
“The Client Is Always Right,” they say proudly. Nah. If the client is a soul-sucking, verbally abusive monster who makes you feel less than dirt, they’re not right. They’re Energy Vampires and you need to kill them. Not literally, of course. I mean fire them. Tell them to exit, stage left, out of your life.

Ready To Hire A Marketing Consultant? Here’s 10 Things To Look For.

By Dan Gershenson • June 17, 2022
First, watch this short video on “How To Hire A Marketing Consultant,” from John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing. We think it’ll share a great point of view on ten things you should be looking for in a marketing consultant so you can start your search off right.  To John’s points, we’d like to expand on […] The post Ready To Hire A Marketing Consultant? Here’s 10 Things To Look For. appeared first on Caliber Brand Strategy + Content Marketing.

Agencies Offering Too Many Side Dishes With The Meal

By Dan Gershenson • June 10, 2022
I recently came across a firm that claims supreme expertise in brand strategy, content, graphic design, web development, SEO, advertising, public relations, video and business operations. Oh really. Is that all? Some web development firms say they are also experts in SEO. Fair enough. But oh, by the way, they also do content and graphic […] The post Agencies Offering Too Many Side Dishes With The Meal appeared first on Caliber Brand Strategy + Content Marketing.

The Future Favors The Nimble Agency

By Dan Gershenson • June 3, 2022
Big or small, traditionally focused or digitally focused, only one kind of agency will be left standing in the future: The nimble one. There is a grim future for agencies that have a process that looks like so: Writer and designer team get Creative Brief. Writer and designer concept, concept, concept, concept, concept… Eureka! They […] The post The Future Favors The Nimble Agency appeared first on Caliber Brand Strategy + Content Marketing.

You’re Ignoring This Client The Most.

By Dan Gershenson • May 27, 2022
There’s a popular excuse that many agencies make for themselves when it comes to developing their own brand that has to do with “the cobbler’s shoes” and basically how we’re all like a shoemaker who makes shoes for every customer except his own children. I should know. I used to make this excuse myself. But […] The post You’re Ignoring This Client The Most. appeared first on Caliber Brand Strategy + Content Marketing.

Carnival Barking and Rapid Fire Posting Chaos: Improving Online Communities From Within

By Dan Gershenson • May 30, 2017
There’s a Facebook community I was recently excited to join, led by one of of the people in our industry I truly respect. Within two weeks, I found I had to leave it. It wasn’t largely the group leader’s fault. It was the people who killed it from within. Why? The entire mission of the […] The post Carnival Barking and Rapid Fire Posting Chaos: Improving Online Communities From Within appeared first on Caliber Brand Strategy + Content Marketing.
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