New website, new blog

Just a quick update - with our new website launched, we have moved our blog over officially to www.mbmmarketing.com/blog.

From now on, all new entries will be posted there!

Be sure to check out the new site as well - we're really pleased with how it turned out.

August 2010

Every day this month I've looked at the calendar and said "I can't believe it's August already!" Truly, August 1 is the anniversary of MBM - and we're now in our 11th year.

That's like being a pre-teen in people years. Hormones start kicking in, self-confidence starts to build. You get fleeting glimpses of your future and start to think about how you can mold yourself to achieve your dreams. Yep, that fits us - we're growing and learning and refining and achieving.

Of course, being 11 in dog years is a different story. But that reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Groucho Marx: "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." Nuff said.

Tradeshow Fun

We've been working with a local appraisal firm to create a tradeshow booth for the conferences they have coming up in the fall. Our friends at Frontline Displays worked with us along the way - from finding the perfect booth to printing the colorful graphic. We met with Frontline at their showroom a few months ago at the beginning of the project to see what the options were - and if you've looked into tradeshow booth options lately, you'll know that the options are endless! There are different booth structures and frames, countless textures and colors of fabric for the graphics, even comfortable flooring for your booth!

Once we worked with the client to choose the best booth for their needs and budget, Frontline provided us with art templates for our designer. Upon approval of the design we created, Frontline handled the printing and ordering of the booth, and set it up in their showroom once it was completed.

The final product was incredible, and the graphic was so vibrant!
If your tradeshow booth could use a refresh for your fall conferences, MBM would be happy to work with you!

Get Some Perspective

This weekend my husband took some photos of me while I was practicing my yoga. When I looked at the photos later I realized that some of my asanas were much more aligned than I'd thought. And others were further off than I was aware of. This awareness started me thinking - how many other aspects of my life were (ahem) out of balance?

Do I need a new perspective on how happy my team is? What about client satisfaction? P&Ls and other accounting reports provide insights, but maybe some outside perspective there would be helpful too?

I don't want to question everything, and get lost in "analysis paralysis." But at the same time, a new vantage point on some critical aspects of MBM will likely be as enlightening as my yoga photos. Now, if only that were as easy as handing Richard a camera...

A little networking

Here at MBM, we like to do networking throughout the area. It helps with general MBM awareness and business development, but it also helps us keep a pulse on what's going on in Richmond.

It's been a networking kind of day for me. Today for lunch, I went to my weekly Connect for Lunch, which is a great sort of professional blind date organized by the Chamber.

Tonight Mary Blanche and I are also headed to HYPE(Helping Young Professional Engage), which is a networking group also through the Chamber.

We also like industry-related organizations like the Richmond Ad Club and Richmond chapter of AMA (American Marketing Association).

And we're always looking for new groups to check out, so feel to shoot any recommendations our way!

No Reservations?

I'm a big fan of Anthony Bourdain and his approach to food and travel (within the context of being a pescatrian). That being said, why do so many restaurants in Richmond not take reservations? I know there are issues of people not showing up on time (solution: make it clear "all your party must arrive within 5 minutes of reservation or you lose your table"). In Boston they take your credit card when you make your reservation and will charge you a fee if you don't show up.

Neither of these options screams "customer service" but on the other hand, many of us have turned into selfish, thoughtless consumers who have no respect for the hard working retailers and restaurateurs out there trying to make a living in a "the customer is always right" world.

At MBM we're lucky - our clients respect us and enjoy working with us. And for that, we bend over backwards for them. But it's more than luck. It's a calculated strategy of understanding and defining who is a good client for us and making sure we're all in agreement of the expectations of our relationship. And part of that agreement is that they can fire us if we don't live up to our end. And if they no longer respect and appreciate the work and the effort we put into the relationship? "Bye bye" we say. With no reservations....

New Website Coming!

Kelly mentioned in her last blog that she's been working on a couple of sites for clients. In the meantime, Courtney has been hard at work on the MBM website, along with Jason who is a former MBMer turned freelance. He did a great job and we're all really excited about how the site reflects our fine-tuned brand messaging and really reflects our diffentiation.

Look for the site to launch in mid-August. And if you see Court, thank her for her hard work and ask her if I would make the worst client ever. Don't tell me how she answers that question, though.