Category: General

21 Oct 2009
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Complacent Mediocritization

Yup. Those are both real words. I looked them up on dictionary .com. Microsoft word doesn’t even recognize them. They are not a good blog post title, but I don’t care. I digress. It is easy. You get caught in a rut. The same monotonous routine day in and day out. For some this their […]

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16 Oct 2009
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The Secret to Addressing Your Product’s Failure

It’s not “if” your product fails, it’s when Everyone drops the ball. Even the most reliable products and services will inevitably fail, your employees will say something incorrect (or, if you’re lucky, inappropriate) or something will just get missed. So, it isn’t that your product will fail, it’s when. So, make sure you are prepared […]

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07 Oct 2009
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Perseverance

There is something to be said for perseverance. Whether in a sales role or maybe in a romantic situation. Books, seminars, training classes are quite abundant on the subject and for good reason. Perseverance can get you a long way. It can close that sale or persuade that woman (or man) to finally go out […]

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21 Apr 2009
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The Recession is Good

Wow. That is a bold statement for a blog post. Who in their right mind would think a recession is good?
People are losing their jobs, the housing market is in the toilet and no one can get any kind of loan.

Let me explain my way of thinking.

Reasons recession is good for the individual
The reason a recession is good is that it forces people out of complacency. When times are good, we go through our daily routine, sell the way we have always sold, marketed the way we have always marketed, bought the way we have always bought, etc… So we tend be liberal with our money, and throw it around a bit. The recession has made us all think more about where our salaries go.

Reasons recession is good for companies
Companies are now forced to really concentrate on what their product/service offers. There are many “me too” products out there that satisfy a need but are of lower quality and have no real value. Companies that exploit this are going under and when they do they are removing their crap from the market. Once the economy gets going again, demand for all products will go up, consumer spending will rise and there will be fewer retailers out there to provide the supply to the consumer. These stronger companies will benefit immensely from all the second rate businesses that have been taking market share. Jobs will return, sales will increase and we will have weeded out all the weaker firms. I guess it is like a Darwinian business theory.
The other reason a recession is good for companies is because they will now be forced to innovate to improve their offerings. For example, I went to a gas station the other day and as soon as I pulled up, an attendant came walking out of the store directly to me. I was wondering what he was doing until I realized that this particular gas station was now full service!! With no increase in the price of gas.

I vaguely remember this as a kid and haven’t seen something like this in quite a while. I thought it was a terrific idea. A truly value-added service that can really differentiate this chain of gas stations from all the others. Now this isn’t the invention of the iPod or the Wright brothers and the first flight, but I believe this will make this chain stand head and shoulders above the crowd.

The recession is forcing companies to think about their offerings, products, services and in some cases, their entire business  models. No complacency means better products for us, the consumers. Long live the recession!! (not really, but you get my  point)

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19 Mar 2009
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Do you bring Value?

I work with a variety of different vendors that provide a variety of different products and services to myself and my companies. The majority of them are very competent, professional and helpful. They really attempt to build rapport with me, my staff and even my boss. They take time to empathize with me about my marketing pieces and understand what is important to me. Which is what I want them to do. I want them to make me feel that my projects are just as important as a Fortune 500 company.

However, there is one such vendor that brings me nothing but issues. The sales rep is a nice lady and is, coincidentally, the owner as well. She is very knowledgeable about her products and provides direction and opinion on which products would fit us best. After the buying decision is made is when the issues start.

Now, I do all the graphic design for my company even though I am not formally trained in the discipline. But, I try to design campaigns that are not too over the top or complicated and I know I do a good enough job to keep our brand identity consistent. The pieces I design get the job done.

When I finish a design, I ask this particular vendor what format, resolution, etc she needs the artwork in to fulfill our order. She provides that to me and that is what I provide to her. But everytime without fail, she contacts me saying there is something wrong. It maybe the smallest issue that could be fixed in a few minutes, but she doesn’t have the resources to do it. So here are the things I find wrong with her firm.

1. She doesn’t have a graphic designer on staff- Her entire business model is based on promotional material in which artwork as to be submitted for every project!!!
2. She doesn’t have the updated software to even view submitted artwork- See #1
3. She doesn’t have a way to submit artwork to her through electronic means- There is no FTP site and if you attempt to email a file to her, in inevitably bounces back because the file is always too large
4. She is snooty- She just seems pretentious, which makes me even more angry because of the other issues I have with her

My entire point is: she isn’t providing me with anything of value. She provides me the bare minimum, but it is a hassle for me to do business with her. Then why do I do business with her, you ask? My boss likes her. So, I must grin and bear it. However, if the decision is ever passed to me whether or not to change vendors, she will be gone in a heartbeat.

So, my question to you is: Do you provide value to your clients? Beyond what is the norm? Beyond what is expected?
Many businesses are starting to ask for more, for less from their vendors. If you are not keeping up with what your competitors are providing, you aren’t meeting your clients’ expectations. Which means you are going to lose that business. Make sure you are providing products and services that are more than satisfactory.

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03 Mar 2009
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Scarcity Creates Demand

Girl Scout Cookies.
They are only here once a year. People purchase cases of the things because they are scarce 11 months of the year.

What a great way to create buzz, word of mouth marketing and PR.

McDonald’s does the same thing with the McRib. There are fanatical followers of the McRib all across this country and they talk and talk and talk about it. Does your company have such loyal followers? If not, you should look into how to implement a strategy like that.

I have always said that Krispy Kreme ruined their business model by expanding their products into retail establishments. I remember when they opened the first Denver location. There were lines out the door day in and day out. People who actually got through the line and purchased donuts were treated like Charlie Bucket finding Willy Wonka’s golden ticket!! People talked about it, a lot! The demand for those donuts were through the roof!! In addition, the local media were constantly doing a story on the store. TV, radio, the newspaper. They were there everyday! You can’t pay for that much exposure!

Scarcity can create such great viral marketing, it maybe something to consider….

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24 Feb 2009
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Never Imply Permission

During the course of my work, I happen upon some very upsetting trends and events that do nothing but damage someone’s credibility, trust and personal brand. In addition, if those events people are participating in are under the umbrella of their employer, it is damaging that company’s brand as well.

Several months ago, my marketing assistant quit unexpectedly and I needed to get someone in to fill that position immediately. Our Accounting Manager uses a recruiting company on a regular basis and suggested I contact them. Since this was my first time using a placement service, I was a little skeptical that they could fill my need with a person of the correct skill set. After was all said and done, I had a competent, resourceful and pleasant assistant jumping right into the thick of things and doing a satisfactory job.

What happened after this is what upsets me.

To use this service, an Account Manager from the placement company visited me asking relevant questions about the position and what my requirements were. Now, that isn’t the issue I have with the process. That comes with the territory. What I do have an issue with is the inundation of spam emails I now receive from the Account Manager.

During the course of the meetings, I gave her my business card which has my email address on it. However, this does not imply I would now like to receive emails from her outlining potential candidates with accounting, finance and legal expertise. I work in the Marketing Dept! Why would I need to know about applicants outside of my discipline? The short answer is: I do not.

She assumed that it is ok to start sending me emails without asking me if she could. During the course of our conversations, she was told that I do not have a large or even moderate need for her staffing services. In spite of that, I start receiving spam. Let’s face it. That is what it is. It is unsolicited and it is boilerplate.

She has damaged her credibility and trust with me. In fact, I am not sure if I do have a need in the future if she will be the one I call. If she had generated some content that I would be of interest or benefit to me and was providing it to me to make my life easier, it would have boosted her brand with me.

The old school sales tactics are not going to get people the same results anymore. In fact, they are going to start hurting them more than ever.

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13 Feb 2009
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Gratuitous Self Promotion

This post doesn’t have any topic that may help in the business world or even you personal life. It is completely self serving to myself and my business partner.

The new website www.thecrushproject.com is where we are attempting to collect real accounts of people’s crushes they have had over the years. We hear about them in social situations at the pub or dinner parties and they are a huge topic of conversation.
We think people want to hear these stories, so thecrushproject.com was created. We encourage anyone and everyone to share with us the romantic experiences that have shaped their lives. Please keep it classy and do not get into sexual specifics. That is not what we want to hear(well maybe some of us).

We hope this can help people share their experiences and/or release a burden. We also think we all want to hear real stories from real people.

Enjoy!

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05 Feb 2009
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Phelps has fallen? No surprise here…

So America’s golden boy, Michael Phelps, has fallen from the good graces of the public. I am not surprised. The man is 23 years old and for all his life has been living under the scrutiny of public life. Not to mention the scrutiny of an American athlete. No wonder he wants to blow off some steam. The problem: he got caught.

Although he has made a mistake and it cost him dearly, he is handling this with professionalism and surprising maturity. Either he is very smart or his publicist is on top of things. I am guessing the latter.  His personal brand has been tarnished. This is an enormous issue since the majority of his income is based on his brand. Sponsorship deals are making him a multi-millionaire. How should you handle a mistake? Exactly how Phelps handled it. He immediately admitted his mistake and apologized for it.
We should all follow this example, not only in our personal lives, but in our professional lives as well. When your product or service has failed someone’s expectations, admit that you did wrong. No one person/company/product/service is perfect and the ball will be dropped sooner or later. What matters is how you handle the situation when it does. Be honest. Ask for forgiveness. And make moves to ensure the issue doesn’t happen again. People are surprisingly forgiving when you address problems like that. They are less forgiving when they know you are lying or pointing fingers somewhere else.

So, it comes down to this: Phelps’ lucrative sponsorship deals are in jeopardy. Rosetta Stone has not renewed his contract, but it had expired prior to the release of the picture. Omega and Speedo have stuck by him. A few other sponsors have dropped him, but that is going to happen.

Phelps will be ok. America will forgive him and he will be pulling in more gold metals in 2012. Let’s just hope he doesn’t test positive for steroids. Then it would get serious. See: A-Rod

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28 Jan 2009
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Shocker!! USPS is cutting out a day of mail.

If you are a US Postal worker, I would start refreshing my resume. You will soon be out of a job.

Today, the Postmaster General told Congress that they may need to cut one day out of postal delivery.(full article here) Only ONE?? Although I am a proponent of an integrated marketing campaign which can include direct mail, I have know for quite a while now that the physical delivery of paper mail pieces is going away. And soon….

Many large companies have already given people the option of going green by not receiving paper bills. I for one, welcome the alternative: a quick email with a pdf of my bill. It is much easier to track and less of a hassle. With online bill pay systems in place as well, I never even have to respond to the bill. The money comes straight out of my bank account. Talk about convenience!

Direct mail is not far behind. For years, people have complained about all the “junk” mail they receive on a daily basis. Because they are so inundated with it, the vast majority of it goes directly to the trash can. In fact, at my mailbox, there is a trash can directly next to the rows of boxes and is full everyday!
If these pieces didn’t interest me from a design perspective, I, too, would place them directly in the round file cabinet.
In addition to that, the green trend isn’t going away anytime soon and some people see direct mail as wasting earth’s resources, which I can partially agree with. So Direct Mail will also be facing an increased campaign against it. That is a very uphill battle and backers of direct mail better start to prepare for it, if they even want to fight. Long term, direct mail is going to lose.
Social Media is also rising in relevance and people are using that medium as a very successful marketing tool. This tool will start to cannibalize direct mail even more than it is now. Direct mail utilizes a lot of resources: material and financial. Social media takes place in the virtual world and is free, it’s reach is broader and more relevant. Which one would you choose?

So, unfortunately for postal workers, your days of job security are limited. Please read the writing on the wall and start pursuing new skills. This will be an opportunity for you to start a career that you have always wanted. This is the push you need. Otherwise you will be part of the millions on unemployment.

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