The word “relationship” has multiple meanings. In the world of academia, relationship marketing is the marketing philosophy that creates an ongoing desire for a product or service through customer relationships. To me relating to a person, or understanding them, how people feel and the way they react towards something is relationship marketing.

The general perception of marketing, or marketing’s function within an organization, is contrasting. Ask someone in your sales department what marketing is, and you get one answer. Ask someone in your marketing department and you’ll get another answer.

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The year’s end is fast approaching, and I find myself in a reflective mood. This time of year generally brings with it a flood of emotion, inevitability wrapped in a bundle of affection — memories of all the challenges, goals, disappointments and victories. Usually these emotions bring with them a renewed enthusiasm toward the promise of a new year.
When I think of all the challenges in the past year, I cannot help but feel an interesting mixture of a sense of accomplishment and gratitude. The memories of this past year have also been sprinkled with the passing of significant contributors. You may relate to this topic, the lost of a mentor, a dear friend, partner, customer or vendor. I am sure we all can reflect on those who have made an impact on us, both personally and professionally. Those individuals who gave us a bit of advice or a pep talk that made all the difference.

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On occasion I come across Bizarro food products. By that I mean they are the opposite of what the fresh industry collectively strives to produce. I am sure you have seen one of them on shelf – the type of product that makes you stop and ask, “Why is it like this?” Followed closely by, “Why isn’t it like this instead?” One example I like to use is Bacon Bananas. Imagine adding bacon flavor to a banana, (both popular flavors to the palette). Is it Wrong? Naughty? Or just plain gross?
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There was a story in the New York Times not too long ago about a product name in the New York Times not too long ago regarding a lobster salad deli product that contained no lobster. It was almost humorous how many versions of names the store president ended up coming up with, to correct the misleading product name. Resorting to his mental drawing board, his first inspiration for a re-name happened to have a negative association. An attempt at yet another name for the product, only led to him finding out that it infringed on someone else’s trade name, resulting in yet another re-naming process. My immediate comment was that sometimes coming up with a product name can be a “real” challenge. I am sure the irony is not lost with this readership.
How long does it take on average to create a name for your products?
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I think I would be hard pressed to find one amongst you who doesn’t know the importance of innovation with regards to your business. Product innovation is vital to sustaining a competitive advantage.

Do you ever find it difficult to tend to business and be creative at the same time? I am reminded of a famous quote by Andy Warhol:
“Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art… Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art”
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How do you approach your product development – with your mind or your gut? Here is a fun experiment for you to try: Take your favorite packaged product and put it on a white surface, now take another package of that very same product, open it and empty the contents of the package on the same white surface. Are you surprised by what you see? What are you struck by? What is emphasized? Have you ever applied this sort of experiment to your own products?
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When it comes to your marketing, do you sometimes get the feeling you are waving your marketing wand in the air with no one to receive your message? Do you know what you need to help your sales personnel be successful? The challenge in today’s marketplace is how to make your marketing effective.

Marketers can tell you exactly what they need to be successful. The challenge for staff and service firms alike, is the directive that is absent of a solution. On occasion, I run across marketing models utilizing communication-du-jour techniques in an effort to keep up with today’s audiences. Marketing techniques may have evolved over the years, but the objective remains fundamentally the same, which is to promote.
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Do you lead in the marketplace because you have the most inventive products or do you lead because you are better at building speed-to-market products for your customers? This is a very interesting question to ask one’s self. To be in touch with what distinguishes you from the rest is invaluable. To know is to be in touch with the soul of your company and what serves to guide it.

Many a story I could share of all the innovative thinkers and leaders I have met over the years, some of which still grumble about a missed opportunity somewhere in the past. Some opportunities fade because of budget constraints, however surprisingly more are missed simply because of a sluggish protocol or chain of command. If only they had seized a particular opportunity when it was presented…if only. Hindsight can be a nagging thing at times…you can be so busy looking behind, you fail to see the new opportunity ahead.
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Is it better to copy or invent? When is comes to your product development it is far better to create and invent than it is to copy. In this age of digitization, it has made infringement easier to commit, but it also makes it even easier to detect: Copying is like saying “me too, me too”. In business it is a very thin line between imitation and theft.The proverbial expression of “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, may flatter your competition, however making them blush is rarely the response.
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How do you activate the problem-solving part of the brain in an effort to create products that form a connection with others? Everything I have ever been involved in with regards to my clientele, was all in an effort to build or accomplish something.

The daily challenges presented in a perishable focused industry is not for the unimaginative. Industry leaders have to possess a creative mental skill set to guide their organization, both in times of slow calculated strategy as well as rapid growth. The seasonal tempo of which is ever-changing. They are responsible for knowing what those seasons look like and walking their people through them.

Company growth, and your mind’s eye focused towards that growth, is a vision few are afforded in such a fast paced environment. When it comes to your product innovations. What is the value of your new product offerings toward your customer, and their customers. Ask yourself, would this be of value to them?

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