<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>Trilix</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com</link><description>Trilix | Marketing, Advertising, Web Design and Development, Media Relations, Public Relations</description><lastBuildDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500</lastBuildDate><language>en-us</language><atom:link href="http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/rss/index.php" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><item><title>Schedule, Plan and Execute.</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/schedule-plan-and-execute/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/schedule-plan-and-execute/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[When taking on your first &ldquo;real&rdquo; project as an intern, a lot of thoughts go through your mind, &ldquo;Am I ready for this? Where do I start? I hope I don&rsquo;t blow this,&rdquo; but none can beat the rush you get when you realize...]]></description></item><item><title>Manufacturing Marketing Mistake #30: Ignoring The Conversation</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/manufacturing-marketing-mistake-30-ignoring-the-conversation/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/manufacturing-marketing-mistake-30-ignoring-the-conversation/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[They&rsquo;re talking about you. You may not know it, but your company, its products and employees are being talked about every day online. Blogs, Twitter, Facebook&hellip; all are dotted with mentions that can affect how your company, brand and...]]></description></item><item><title>Finding Your Niche</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/finding-your-niche/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/finding-your-niche/</guid><pubDate>Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Ah, it&rsquo;s a beautiful morning and you&rsquo;re jonesing for a caffeine fix. You need a cup of coffee STAT. You have two options: brew a pot at home or head down to Starbucks for a cup of joe. Before you know it, you&rsquo;re half way out the...]]></description></item><item><title>Why I Moved to Trilix</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/why-i-moved-to-trilix/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/why-i-moved-to-trilix/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[A lot of people ask me why I closed Genesis Marketing and Research, Inc. and joined Trilix Research after 9 years.&nbsp; The short answer is that it felt about time to do something different. Why?&nbsp; The economy had gotten tougher the last couple...]]></description></item><item><title>The Independent Dealer</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/the-independent-dealer/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/the-independent-dealer/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Your dealers and distributors are one of the most valuable sales and marketing resources you have. They are on the front line of customer interaction and can absolutely make or break a new initiative or product line. Having a dealer/distributor...]]></description></item><item><title>Forgetting That Websites Are Sales Tools</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/manufacturing-marketing-mistake-37-forgetting-that-web-sites-are-sales-tools/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/manufacturing-marketing-mistake-37-forgetting-that-web-sites-are-sales-tools/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Most companies have had a website for 10 years or more. They&rsquo;ve probably completely revamped it two or three times. And They&rsquo;ve probably never really found the pot of gold at the end of the cyber rainbow.
That&rsquo;s because they built...]]></description></item><item><title>How to Measure Event Success</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/how-to-measure-event-success/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/how-to-measure-event-success/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Ah, trade show season is upon us. Trade shows cost a lot of money &ndash; not only the time employees will be out of the office, but costs for a display booth, collateral materials, airfare, lodging, meals and miscellaneous expenses always come into...]]></description></item><item><title>Too Many Marketers</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/too-many-marketers/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/too-many-marketers/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[When your sales team has a marketing challenge or opportunity, who are they calling? If you&rsquo;re like many of today&rsquo;s companies, there&rsquo;s likely no one to call on, so your sales people end up doing the work themselves. Unfortunately,...]]></description></item><item><title>No Dealer Love</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/no-dealer-love/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/no-dealer-love/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[If your company is like most manufacturing companies, you don&rsquo;t sell directly to customers. There&rsquo;s a dealership, distributor or retailer between you and the end customer. An intermediary you rely on to move product, drive profits and...]]></description></item><item><title>Over Engineering</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/over-engineering/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/over-engineering/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Many of the manufacturing companies we&rsquo;ve come across share a common internal characteristic &mdash; they&rsquo;re consumed by an engineering mindset. And for good reason. But this feature-minded, product-centric outlook causes trouble for...]]></description></item><item><title>Ignoring Your Most Important Audience</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/ignoring-your-most-important-audience/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/ignoring-your-most-important-audience/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Your marketing and sales message has to make its way out to a number of groups... all of which are vital to your success. But if one particular group doesn&rsquo;t get the message and climb on board, everything else is moot.
Your most important...]]></description></item><item><title>Experience.  Experience.  Experience.  A.K.A. - The Internship</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/experience-experience-experience-a-k-a-the-internship/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/experience-experience-experience-a-k-a-the-internship/</guid><pubDate>Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[After chatting with professionals in the field of advertising, I cannot tell you how many times I heard, &ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t have any experience in the crazy world of advertising, chances are you won&rsquo;t be considered for a...]]></description></item><item><title>Failing To Live The Brand</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/failing-to-live-the-brand/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/failing-to-live-the-brand/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[A brand is more than a name, logo or tagline. It&rsquo;s a promise. A promise to customers and prospects of exactly what they can expect when they do business with an organization.
Keeping that promise in every aspect of how a business is run is...]]></description></item><item><title>Experience Great Ape Trust Like Never Before</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/experience-great-ape-trust-like-never-before/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/experience-great-ape-trust-like-never-before/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 26 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[If you&rsquo;ve never heard of Great Ape Trust, now is your chance to check out the fascinating science, research and conservation that this world-class organization has to offer.
Trilix recently partnered with Great Ape Trust on a website...]]></description></item><item><title>Failure To Find The Breakeven Point</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/failure-to-find-the-breakeven-point/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/failure-to-find-the-breakeven-point/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 25 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[There are few things the CEO or company president hates more than losing money. And that goes doubly when those losses could have been avoided. But doing their homework and using a little common sense can ensure that marketers won&rsquo;t be forced...]]></description></item><item><title>Don't Change For The Sake Of Change</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/don-t-change-for-the-sake-of-change/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/don-t-change-for-the-sake-of-change/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 18 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Marketers are always really close to their marketing. They live, sleep, eat and breathe it every day. It consumes them. They roll out a new campaign and are tired of looking at it before it ever hits the streets. And if it&rsquo;s not immediately...]]></description></item><item><title>Keeping Sales Out Of Marketing</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/keeping-sales-out-of-marketing/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/keeping-sales-out-of-marketing/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 11 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[The primary goal of a manufacturer&rsquo;s marketing efforts is to generate leads for a sales team and dealer channel. Educating the marketplace, positioning products versus the competition and brand building are all parts of the message&hellip; but...]]></description></item><item><title>Preparing for the Real World</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/preparing-for-the-real-world/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/preparing-for-the-real-world/</guid><pubDate>Mon, 10 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[The endless nights of studying. The meetings that started at 10:00 p.m. Going on 5 hours of sleep. An intramural game tipping off at 1:00 a.m. Nothing can quite prepare you for the fun of college. But one thing&rsquo;s for sure &ndash; if you let...]]></description></item><item><title>Failing To Adapt Messaging To Changing Economic Times</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/failing-to-adapt-messaging-to-changing-economic-times/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/failing-to-adapt-messaging-to-changing-economic-times/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Times have changed&hellip; and how quickly it&rsquo;s happened. 2007 might as well be two decades ago. Marketing strategies have most certainly shifted in response to the changing economy. Marketers have been forced to cut back, put projects on hold...]]></description></item><item><title>Hey, I Know You! I'm @KeyleeP.</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/hey-i-know-you-i-m-keyleep/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/hey-i-know-you-i-m-keyleep/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Last week, I attended the National AgriMarketing (NAMA) conference in Kansas City. The 2010 conference drew a record number of agri-marketing professionals and featured two days of social media, e-mail marketing and branding discussions. Armed with...]]></description></item><item><title>Still no crisis? Time to dust off that crisis plan!</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/still-no-crisis-time-to-dust-off-that-crisis-plan/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/still-no-crisis-time-to-dust-off-that-crisis-plan/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Crisis plans &ndash; every business has one, right? You probably spent a lot of time and money putting a plan together. So where is it right now? Probably on a shelf in an executive&rsquo;s office, collecting dust. How should you keep that plan...]]></description></item><item><title>Cutting The Wrong Things During Downtimes</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/cutting-the-wrong-things-during-downtimes/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/cutting-the-wrong-things-during-downtimes/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s not any big secret, so we&rsquo;ll just say it. The economy stinks right now. And as much as they say &ldquo;don&rsquo;t cut marketing when the economy tanks,&rdquo; most marketers are being forced to make cuts. It&rsquo;s only prudent,...]]></description></item><item><title>Ignoring Industry Trade Pubs</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/ignoring-industry-trade-pubs/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/ignoring-industry-trade-pubs/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Some of the most powerful and influential people in the industry don&rsquo;t work for a manufacturing company. They don&rsquo;t work for the trade association and they don&rsquo;t work for the government or a university. They write and edit the...]]></description></item><item><title>"Me Too" Marketing</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/me-too-marketing/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/me-too-marketing/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 13 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Too often, companies claim to be &ldquo;market leaders&rdquo; but when it comes to their marketing and advertising, they behave much more like market followers. Your biggest competitor just started running ads in a national trade pub? Me too! They...]]></description></item><item><title>Chasing The Flavor</title><link>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/chasing-the-flavor/</link><guid>http://www.trilixgroup.com/the-agency/against-the-grain/chasing-the-flavor/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><description><![CDATA[&nbsp;
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There's a malady we see quite a bit in this business. We call it "chasing the flavor." It happens when sales and marketing executives are constantly dropping one initiative for the latest flavor of the month. One month it's 3-D...]]></description></item></channel></rss>