Progressive profiling is not a new concept. Unfortunately, the theory behind it hasn’t been put into practice as much as it should be. This is evident to anyone wishing to join one of the various websites that offer numerous would-be subscribers with registration forms with 15 or more fields to fill in—all to receive a simple newsletter or free download. Long registration forms can, and often do, hinder new sign ups and conversion rates.

Top quality data is the key to running a business effectively. The quality of the data in a list can make or break a company. Lists comprised of inaccurate or outdated data mean wasted time and wasted money. Additionally, following the leads on such a list is inefficient, and unfruitful. Quality is a big consideration in list sourcing. It is vital to manage and update the data from lists regularly. Otherwise, the likelihood of generating any revenue from lists is virtually nil.

The following scenario is often the case in most companies. Someone has a revolutionary idea during a board meeting about a new company initiative, and there is a lot of agreement and enthusiasm. However, when it is time to implement the new idea into place, there is dragging of feet. Getting a company dashboard will fit into this category.

It's tempting to try to research your way into a strategy. But, as Andrea Fishman points out in a ClickZ article, research can be misleading. Unlike Andrea, I don't think this is a problem with poor research. I think it's a problem with all research. And the solution is not to get better at research. Instead, I suggest we try something else.

Website overhauls often cause a rousing and lively discussion leading to long meetings, lists of lists to be collected, strategic decision-maker input, and sometimes even talking to the end users about the site. And it seems inevitable that all of these goals and ideas need to be wrapped in a cleaner and newer interface design with a dash of the latest marketing trends. And it has to be better than your competitors (or other departments). Then the technology questions hit.

Strategy and tactics are two of the most common terms in the marketing world. Yet, perhaps because they are so common, it’s hard to know what they really mean. The trouble with this is two major challenges. If we don’t know what these things really are, then how can we evaluate them?

Both missions and revivals try to attract converts, but they work in different ways. The "downtown mission" of movie lore attracts people by offering food and shelter. And, usually in unspoken exchange, they seek to convert these people. A revival directly caters only to those people who want to be converted. Which one is more like selling today?

It's a common phrase: "strategic project". It's used a lot, but what does it mean? All too often, it's used to mean that a company's strategy is coincident with a project. But, this is exactly the wrong way of thinking.