Dunlap Develops the Future of Business Pt2

Posted on by Kaitlin Dunlap

Written by Audrey Tuttle

Last week we started the exciting piece covering our intern’s reflection on their time so far at Dunlap Marketing. Of course, we understand that one part would simply not be enough to cover the fun Q&A with our fantastic group of interns, so here we present the second part…

What is your favorite thing about working at Dunlap?

“My favorite thing about working at Dunlap Marketing is the breakout sessions that we have once a week. Some of my favorite topics have been professionalism and budgeting. These two concepts are so important because they will both be key in ensuring our success in the real world after college, but also can be carried over to my personal life!” Grace Mosby, The University of Texas at Austin, Business Major

“I have absolutely loved gaining work experience from a very intellectual leadership team. They have created a great culture and friendly work environment here at Dunlap Marketing. I really look forward to coming to the office every day and learning more from them.” Audrey Tuttle, Texas Tech University, Marketing

How has your experience been working with the leadership team at Dunlap?

“Kaitlin and Mike are both incredibly encouraging, which has helped me to feel comfortable and has been really motivating! Their care for the work and for the people at Dunlap Marketing is contagious.” Allison Holleb, Washington University in St. Louis, Psychological and Brain Sciences/Political Science

“Mike and Kaitlin have been so great to work with, they are very helpful and accommodating. Any time I have a question, they are quick to help, and are great with keeping me busy and challenged with my work. I am so grateful for the opportunity they gave me.” Grant Haney, Texas A&M University, Finance

Is there anything that you have learned here that will be beneficial in your future within the business world? If so, what is it?

“At Dunlap, I have learned a lot about setting individual and realistic professional goals for both short and long periods of time. I think this will help me a lot in the business world by preparing me to set expectations for myself and others that are attainable and push me to work harder at the same time.” Addi Barrett, Belmont University, Commercial Music/Songwriting

“The biggest thing that I have learned at Dunlap Marketing is the importance of continually seeking out opportunities to learn from those around you, whether it’s from people within your own organization or from people you meet through networking!” Allison Holleb, Washington University in St. Louis, Psychological and Brain Sciences/Political Science

These students learn a lot within the classrooms of their renown universities, but there is only so much you can learn in the classroom setting. It takes hands on experience in the work force to truly grasp the knowledge of the corporate world. The Dunlap Marketing team thoroughly enjoys watching this bright group of students excel at putting their classroom knowledge to the test in real-life work experiences. We are proud to be part of our interns continued growth and anxiously await to see the impact they will have on the business world.

Dunlap Develops the Future of Business

Posted on by Kaitlin Dunlap

Written by Audrey Tuttle

The future of the business world ultimately lies within the hands of our current generation of college students, and Dunlap Marketing is doing its part in guiding these individuals to a successful future. Our summer internship program has created an opportunity for these ambitious individuals to work first hand with the leadership team and staff at Dunlap Marketing. The five-year program is moving into its second month of operation this summer, and these five college students could not be happier to continue getting their feet wet within the field.

Our interns have built upon their prior knowledge of business and have gained the skills that are critical to have in your tool box before taking the big step of earning a job after college. They have gained experience in cold calling, lead generation, telemarketing, marketing through social media, data research, B2B operations, and much more. Additionally, through the weekly breakout sessions with Mike Dunlap and Kaitlin Dunlap Cuevas, the interns have gained expertise on the ins and outs of being successful in the work force.

Of course, these statements can only be backed with a fun Q&A with the interns…

What work you have been doing at Dunlap Marketing?

“Making phone calls to capture data, working with other employees on campaigns, acquiring new clients for businesses.” Grant Haney, Texas A&M University, Finance

 “I have had the opportunity to build upon my communication skills through cold-calling and acquiring important information for databases. My other work responsibility has allowed me to expand my creativity as it involves creating and scheduling all social media posts for the company and writing company articles.” Audrey Tuttle, Texas Tech University, Marketing

What skills have you developed while working at Dunlap?

“Through my internship at Dunlap Marketing, I have enhanced my communication skills through phone calls and learned how to be persistent when making sales calls. I have developed a better sense of self-motivation and worked on adapting to whatever campaign I am assigned to.” Grace Mosby, The University of Texas at Austin, Business Major

“Some skills I have developed while working at Dunlap are spreadsheet organization and navigation, phone call communication skills, and more effective time management.” Addi Barrett, Belmont University, Commercial Music/Songwriting

            What exciting things our interns have to say about their internship experience! Don’t worry, we have more responses where that came from! Check out next week’s article for a part two of the intern’s Q&A. You won’t want to miss it.

Six Steps to Redefine Your Target Market

Posted on by Mike Dunlap

Who is Your New “Best” Customer?

What to do when your current customers are negatively impacted by the economic state and they no longer need or can afford your services

Between oil prices and the pandemic, some businesses have been turned upside down.  Our best customers are no longer our best customers, they have been greatly impacted by either or both of these major economic bombs.  For our businesses to survive, we now have to figure out how to identify a new target market, also known as our best prospects and customers.

We will be discussing in detail the six steps to redefine your target market. Those steps consist of identifying second and third tier prospects and customers, creating your list, researching industry classifications, identifying patterns, researching similar companies that match patterns, and building a list based on research findings.

Let’s start by thinking about who our second or third best customer was prior to the drop in oil prices or the pandemic.  In doing this, focus on who these customers are by identifying what industries they might be in. For example, many of our customers are in different industries and are B2B with us as we perform marketing research services for them.  This exercise is not impactful if all of your best customers are inside the same industry.  Think in terms of “best customers” by different industry types.

My suggestion is to look into your current customer list and flag those second and third tier customers, ideally less impacted by our current state of the economy.  Once flagged, create a list of these accounts and include their address, city, and state.  With this information you are able to research their industry classification.  Document industry classification for each and you might start seeing a pattern of industry segments.  It is helpful but not critical to see patterns.

If you’re starting to see a pattern that you trust; next, think about refining your new target market.  Most common ways to refine include adding annual revenue and/or employee counts into the equation.  Geography might also be helpful.  Once you have captured all the necessary data, your final step will be to match other companies that mirror the final product of your research.

If you do not immediately see a pattern, consider adding more customers to your research list.  Or, you might find that you have a broader profile of customers.  When this is the case, often it becomes helpful to tighten up your requirements by making sure other elements are included in the search.  Often these include annual revenue, number of employees and geography, the same as above.  These elements are important in broad profiles because they allow you to make best efforts at zeroing in on your potential customer a bit more.

The final step is to build a new list of potential prospects based on the research work just done.  There are several list tools available to do this or Dunlap Marketing will be happy to do it for you.  The result is you have a spreadsheet of new prospect companies.  Now its time to reach out and promote the message of who you are and why these prospects should consider your products or services.  At this point you have adjusted your business based on world events, and you are on your way to making new “best” customers.