Most companies don't have a business plan, so it's hard to expect that they would have a marketing strategy. But most companies just get by. Do you want to be "most companies" or do you want to be a shining star?

Remember when you could only use a keyboard to search on the internet? Those times were so long ago and only two years ago a UK website predicted that more than half of all searches would be done via voice by 2020. While that prediction is off the market, they did have a point and as we move closer to this key milestone, many consumers are realising that it is much easier to talk to your phone then to send a text. While in the office the keyboard still has a prominent role, the significance of the impact of search trends is turning the tables on companies that focus on Google rankings.

It's that time of year when entrepreneurs, business leaders and marketing professionals re-evaluate their businesses on multiple levels. The market has changed and with this fluid transformation companies are needing to draw on data, research and experience to navigate the future.

Robotic Marketer is about to do it's big launch, but while we are all getting everything ready, we are doing what the marketing industry calls a "soft launch".

When it comes to employee appraisals, it is important for the appraisee to look at industry standards, benchmarking and peer group feedback. It's not just managers that know what is happening on the floor and numbers are can never truly reflect an employees contribution to an organisation.

Every marketer has tricks up their sleeve. If they didn't, they are not trying hard enough. Having been a marketing consultant for many years, I have had the pleasure of rolling up my sleeve and showing the world (well, mostly people in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney) how they too can use some of the tricks of the trade to accelerate their marketing reach.

If you are time poor just like me, then where you spend your time obtaining information that helps your career or business is critically important. Time is money and if a blog fails to meet your expectations, chances are that it won't get a second sighting.

Travelling from Sydney to Melbourne each week in between taking the trek from Australia to the US on a regular basis, I get to spend a lot of time thinking. Mostly I think about business, which may be boring for most, but what the heck...it's who I am and I won't apologise.

I'm binge watching The Good Wife. I feel almost guilty to say this out loud, but I am and for years I have avoided it because the name of the show and the images they used to sell it wasn't enticing enough.