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A Dose of Watertight Wisdom

We have a back catalogue of over a decade of posts, almost all of which are still relevant and useful today.

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Why having a clear proposition isn’t enough

When we published our research paper last autumn, one of the key takeouts was that having a clear proposition wasn’t enough. Even when the leadership team and senior marketer are clear on what you’re selling and to whom, this doesn’t guarantee an effective marketing plan.

10 Ways to Screw Up Your Marketing Budget

Setting and getting buy in for your marketing budget can be challenging. It’s not uncommon to find MDs and FDs scratching their heads about what’s planned, or what was spent on, marketing. We also see vying for budget amongst sales teams, account managers and marketers – with each claiming they can put it to best use.

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The latest posts…

Why having a clear proposition isn’t enough

Why having a clear proposition isn’t enough

When we published our research paper last autumn, one of the key takeouts was that having a clear proposition wasn’t enough. Even when the leadership team and senior marketer are clear on what you’re selling and to whom, this doesn’t guarantee an effective marketing plan.

read more
10 Ways to Screw Up Your Marketing Budget

10 Ways to Screw Up Your Marketing Budget

Setting and getting buy in for your marketing budget can be challenging. It’s not uncommon to find MDs and FDs scratching their heads about what’s planned, or what was spent on, marketing. We also see vying for budget amongst sales teams, account managers and marketers – with each claiming they can put it to best use.

read more

#WatertightWednesday Write-ups

Bridging the gap from business strategy to marketing operations

< Back to the Blog “A key role of marketing is to make sure the strategy, plan and activity supports the business’s objectives. Without that, the risk is scattergun marketing and it’s hard to prove the value of marketing. In our latest roundtable we talk about why...

Marketing’s role in employer marketing

< Back to the Blog “How do you ensure you recruit the right candidates for your business, make your company attractive to work in and encourage people to stay? In our December roundtable we talked about three key bits of thinking to take into consideration and then...

Developing a ‘journey brain’

< Back to the Blog “Marketers are familiar with the customer journey. It’s the starting point for our thinking, strategies and plans. But what are the other ‘journeys’ in the business – employees, other stakeholders, growth? How can marketing contribute to and...

Find all of the write-ups here

Building a Marketing Team

The real secrets of marketing excellence

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceA few weeks back we ran a webinar delving into the detail of our recently published research report. The title of the session was how marketing leaders create strategic and operational excellence. In this blog...

Finding, employing and keeping the right people

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceMarketers are often, but not always, involved in employer marketing – that is, finding, employing and keeping brilliant people. We’ve worked with clients who have successfully applied Watertight Thinking and...

Developing a ‘journey brain’

< Back to the Blog “Marketers are familiar with the customer journey. It’s the starting point for our thinking, strategies and plans. But what are the other ‘journeys’ in the business – employees, other stakeholders, growth? How can marketing contribute to and...

Listen to all the podcasts from the Watertight Wednesday roundtables here

Posts by Framework

Flow Foundations

Why having a clear proposition isn’t enough

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceWhen we published our research paper last autumn, one of the key takeouts was that having a clear proposition wasn’t enough. Even when the leadership team and senior marketer are clear on what you’re selling and...

10 Ways to Screw Up Your Marketing Budget

< Back to the Blog Board level marketers need to set budgets and get budgets supported by others. Effective budgeting is essential in any marketing leadership role. In this post, Bryony Thomas explores the ten things she most often sees blowing the marketing...

Marketing’s role in employer marketing

< Back to the Blog “How do you ensure you recruit the right candidates for your business, make your company attractive to work in and encourage people to stay? In our December roundtable we talked about three key bits of thinking to take into consideration and then...

Touchpoint Leaks™ 

Growing business through increased volume

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceIn Bryony’s original blog ‘Growth: Do you want lifetime value, margin or volume?’, she explained the different types of growth a business can achieve through putting the right kind of marketing in place across...

How marketing helps you find the right prospects

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceIn a blog I wrote recently, I mentioned that one of the four growth strategies was looking for like-minded prospects. This is step two of the process we’d recommend to help you find, win and keep more of the...

Looking for treasure in your own back yard

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceWe’ve come into contact with 1000’s of businesses over the years. Whichever sector they’re in, however large or small they are, however their marketing is organised, there’s one common theme. Forgotten...

Logic Sandwich

How to structure a marketing case study

< Back to the Blog The marketing case study is an essential part of your toolkit . They have an essential role in proving your credentials and overcoming any concerns that a potential buyer might have. So, I've asked Certified Practitioner, Cheryl Crichton, to give...

What are the real triggers in a sales process?

< Back to the Blog As buyers we are exposed to more and more messages that fight for our time. As marketers, it’s often tempting to emphasise the unique features and logical prowess of an offering. But, the mind doesn’t work like that. There’s more to engaging the...

The Time Triangle

Three ways to pay (not what you think!)

< Back to the Blog I'm not talking about PayPal or invoices here, I'm talking about what people exchange with you in return for value at different stages of a buying decision. If you can crack this, your marketing will almost always deliver for you. As someone goes...

The only 5 things you should be doing in social media

< Back to the Blog Social media marketing can seem like a bit of a minefield. It can also seem like there’s a dizzying amount to learn before you can even get started. But, it really breaks down into four activities and one core skill – which are common across...

Influencer Icecream

Is it time to Validate Concerns rather than Overcome Objections?

< Back to the Blog It’s received wisdom amongst many sales professionals that a key part of their role is to overcome the objections that people may have to buying what they have on offer. Indeed, many a training session and book can be found on the skills involved...

How to choose a CRM system for small business

< Back to the Blog I am continually asked how to choose CRM for small business. Our clients are typically step-up businesses. That is, they are onto some thing and they now want to scale it up.  At some point in this journey their data needs and automation desires...

How to overcome the third party veto in a complex sale

< Back to the Blog Following a strategy workshop that I ran with Watertight Marketing Certified Practitioner, Joshua Morse, there was some disagreement. Going through the Touchpoint Leak™ Assessment, Joshua rated – Leak 5: No Critical Approval – as Red, whilst the...

Profit Purpose Matrix

Why having a clear proposition isn’t enough

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceWhen we published our research paper last autumn, one of the key takeouts was that having a clear proposition wasn’t enough. Even when the leadership team and senior marketer are clear on what you’re selling and...

Marketing’s role in employer marketing

< Back to the Blog “How do you ensure you recruit the right candidates for your business, make your company attractive to work in and encourage people to stay? In our December roundtable we talked about three key bits of thinking to take into consideration and then...

What skills does a marketing director need?

< Back to the Blog If you’re aiming for the most senior marketing position or are already there, what skills make this role a success? Our roundtable discussion this month looked at this topic through three lenses: bridging business strategy into marketing...

Posts by Touchpoint Leak™ 

The Touchpoint Leaks™  framework is introduced in Chapter 2 of the Watertight Marketing book. You can use this to create a Touchpoint Leak™  Traffic Light Report to find your focus Leak. Then please use Part Three of the book, and these posts to #tweakyourleaks

"Watertight has made a massive difference to me and our business... I’m a sales person but knew we needed the support of marketing to further our growth. We’ve achieved 500% growth in 4 years; I attribute a lot of that success to working with Watertight."

Kevin Mashford

Sales Director, Paramount

Leak 1: Forgotten Customers

Looking for treasure in your own back yard

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceWe’ve come into contact with 1000’s of businesses over the years. Whichever sector they’re in, however large or small they are, however their marketing is organised, there’s one common theme. Forgotten...

10 ways to build great customer loyalty

< Back to the Blog We've talked before about the importance of building customer loyalty, and it's no accident that the first of the 13 Touchpoint Leaks is "Forgotten Customers". It's been said before, and it will be said again. But actually cultivating loyalty in...

Leak 2: Poor On-Boarding

How Inside Travel Group got their marketing stars aligned

← Back to Case Studies Inside Travel Group engaged Watertight Marketing to undertake a Marketing Team Alignment, Benchmark and Plan, and then have gone on to apply the results“The Watertight Marketing Team Alignment and Benchmark did two powerful jobs for us...

Hard-sell only works once

< Back to the Blog This post was written in 2012 and approved at the time of writing.  KashFlow (www.kashflow.com), providers of online accounting software for small businesses, exhibited at business events in their early days. I interviewed them to appear as an...

Leak 3: No Emotional Connection

You can’t logic someone out of love

< Back to the Blog How many people do you think will be getting a Valentine card this year, who don't really deserve it? Looking beyond a person's failings could be said to be the very definition of love. And, this is one of the reasons why – as a business – having...

Leak 4: No Gateway

How marketing helps you find the right prospects

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceIn a blog I wrote recently, I mentioned that one of the four growth strategies was looking for like-minded prospects. This is step two of the process we’d recommend to help you find, win and keep more of the...

Why should you invest in marketing when sales are soaring anyway?

< Back to the Blog This post is also available over on our PodBlogMost of the businesses that we work with on a marketing transformation have a sales team. In fact, most have an excellent sales team on whom the growth to that point can be credited. Further to this,...

Can your potential buyers picture your products?

One to the key tasks of your marketing is to help your customers to get a sense of what it would be like to work with you, or own your products, before they become a customer. In the Watertight Marketing methodology, we talk about this specifically as part of the...

Leak 5: No Critical Approval

How marketing helps you find the right prospects

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceIn a blog I wrote recently, I mentioned that one of the four growth strategies was looking for like-minded prospects. This is step two of the process we’d recommend to help you find, win and keep more of the...

How Inside Travel Group got their marketing stars aligned

← Back to Case Studies Inside Travel Group engaged Watertight Marketing to undertake a Marketing Team Alignment, Benchmark and Plan, and then have gone on to apply the results“The Watertight Marketing Team Alignment and Benchmark did two powerful jobs for us...

Is it time to Validate Concerns rather than Overcome Objections?

< Back to the Blog It’s received wisdom amongst many sales professionals that a key part of their role is to overcome the objections that people may have to buying what they have on offer. Indeed, many a training session and book can be found on the skills involved...

Leak 6: No Proof

How marketing helps you find the right prospects

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceIn a blog I wrote recently, I mentioned that one of the four growth strategies was looking for like-minded prospects. This is step two of the process we’d recommend to help you find, win and keep more of the...

How to structure a marketing case study

< Back to the Blog The marketing case study is an essential part of your toolkit . They have an essential role in proving your credentials and overcoming any concerns that a potential buyer might have. So, I've asked Certified Practitioner, Cheryl Crichton, to give...

Leak 7: Information Overload

Growing business through increased volume

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceIn Bryony’s original blog ‘Growth: Do you want lifetime value, margin or volume?’, she explained the different types of growth a business can achieve through putting the right kind of marketing in place across...

Three ways to pay (not what you think!)

< Back to the Blog I'm not talking about PayPal or invoices here, I'm talking about what people exchange with you in return for value at different stages of a buying decision. If you can crack this, your marketing will almost always deliver for you. As someone goes...

Three sales-boosting tips for your business blog

This is the fourth in a series of five blogs on blogging this week. A business blog is one of the simplest ways of overcoming Leak #7 (Information Overload) of the Thirteen Touchpoint Leaks. It acts as invitation information and a stepping stone between...

Leak 8: How (format)

Growing business through increased volume

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceIn Bryony’s original blog ‘Growth: Do you want lifetime value, margin or volume?’, she explained the different types of growth a business can achieve through putting the right kind of marketing in place across...

3 examples of effective video marketing from zero budget upwards

Video is quickly moving into the 'must-have' category for even the smallest of businesses. In Touchpoint Leak 8 - How detailed in my book, Watertight Marketing - we talk about a six part matrix for ensuring your content is presented for the way people's brain's are...

One piece of content. 20 ways to use it.

In my last post, I gave you some ideas for creating key marketing content, and roughly how long it might take. Today, I wanted to make crystal clear that each iteration does not have to have unique content. In fact, repurposing, cutting up, re-using, and...

Leak 9: Where (channel)

Growing business through increased volume

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceIn Bryony’s original blog ‘Growth: Do you want lifetime value, margin or volume?’, she explained the different types of growth a business can achieve through putting the right kind of marketing in place across...

Where does telemarketing sit in your toolkit?

< Back to the Blog Telemarketing is a hotly debated topic in both sales and marketing circles. It's a bit of a love/hate relationship. Anyone who knows the Watertight Marketing methodology will know that we're advocates of gentle permission-led marketing. But, that...

A day in the life of a small business tweet

< Back to the Blog Or, how Twitter can join the dots between people, products and profit Tweeting has been commonplace in the small business marketing landscape for some time now. With the right strategy and tools in place, and along side other activity, Twitter...

Leak 10: When (timing)

Growing business through increased volume

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceIn Bryony’s original blog ‘Growth: Do you want lifetime value, margin or volume?’, she explained the different types of growth a business can achieve through putting the right kind of marketing in place across...

How often do you repeat yourself in your marketing?

Are you worried about repetition in marketing? We often encounter an uneasiness and sense of mounting pressure in businesses where marketing includes putting out high quality content. Perhaps they've made a commitment to a baseline of weekly blogs, monthly videos,...

Leak 11: Who (Influencers)

How marketing helps you find the right prospects

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceIn a blog I wrote recently, I mentioned that one of the four growth strategies was looking for like-minded prospects. This is step two of the process we’d recommend to help you find, win and keep more of the...

How Inside Travel Group got their marketing stars aligned

← Back to Case Studies Inside Travel Group engaged Watertight Marketing to undertake a Marketing Team Alignment, Benchmark and Plan, and then have gone on to apply the results“The Watertight Marketing Team Alignment and Benchmark did two powerful jobs for us...

Is it time to Validate Concerns rather than Overcome Objections?

< Back to the Blog It’s received wisdom amongst many sales professionals that a key part of their role is to overcome the objections that people may have to buying what they have on offer. Indeed, many a training session and book can be found on the skills involved...

Leak 12: What

Growing business through increased volume

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceIn Bryony’s original blog ‘Growth: Do you want lifetime value, margin or volume?’, she explained the different types of growth a business can achieve through putting the right kind of marketing in place across...

Leak 13: No Emotional Impact

Growing business through increased volume

< Back to the Blog Join us in March for our conferenceIn Bryony’s original blog ‘Growth: Do you want lifetime value, margin or volume?’, she explained the different types of growth a business can achieve through putting the right kind of marketing in place across...