Typically businesses can identify their “Target Market” with vague, overarching terminology. It’s often overloaded with assumptions and sweeping generalities that make you think that lots of people need your products and services. But in reality, you actually only sell to a small number of very specific “Personas.”

When it comes to marketing, there are a lot of “magic bullets.” The key, though, is to weigh the WHAT vs. the WHY. Think of this scenario: Your buddy calls you up because he’s trying a new marketing tactic that’s making great headway.

“Hey Bill, we’re getting a ton of leads from this direct mail campaign that we are running. You HAVE to be doing this. It’s EXPLODING our phones!!! How is your marketing person not doing this!?!”

I am frequently asked, “Why did you name the company, Rake Development?”  Partly I wanted a name that made people ask that very question. However, there is a bigger story behind the name. Ultimately, I wanted to name the company after an idea that was unique not only to the company but also to the people the company services.