Kraft Marketing Fail

Part of me wants to preface the following rant with an introduction to Vegemite, how it’s an Australian intitution despite being owned by an American company, blah blah blah, but really, that’s Googleable data. Let’s cut to the chase, viz: iSnack 2.0, the recently chosen and equally recently abandoned name for Kraft’s new Vegemite-with-cream-cheese spread.

I mean, seriously: iSnack two-point-oh. There are so many things wrong with this that it’s difficult to know where to begin. Cribbing Apple’s lowercase i-prefix in an ironic context is one thing – it falls into the same category as using ‘Mc’ to denote cheap, homogenised and tacky produce, a la McDonalds – but bestowing a stolen moniker on an actual, honest-to-god product? It’s like Kraft has set out to mock themselves.

Pardon by French, but what the fuck does a glorified condiment have to do with the already amorphous concept of  Web 2.0? Both technologically-oriented parts of the name constitute the most dismal attempt at being Hip To The Young People I have ever seen. Even the civilian who came up with the title as part of Kraft’s ‘Name Me’ campaign admits it was ‘all a bit tongue in cheek’ – something which Kraft, in their rush to appear savvy, seem not to have noticed. The name was chosen, they say – or said, before the mockery set in - ’based on its personal call to action, relevance to snacking and clear identification of a new and different Vegemite.’ Say wha?

How does Vegemite with cream cheese constitute a personal call to action? How is referencing the internet and the products of a successful computer company in any way relevant to snacking? I mean, wow. Really. That is some grade-A bullshit right there. And another thing: given that Kraft presumably wants this product to endure in the same way regular Vegemite has, why would they name it after the techno-cultural ephemera of the noughties? When Web 2.0 is but a naff reference to past events and Apple or somesuch corporation has long since replaced the iGen fad with something newer and cooler, how obsolete would something called iSnack 2.0 be? Give it a couple of decades, and maybe it would be retro, but until then, you’re stuck with an unberably passe product name that causes mass hysteria and blindness. 

Even by the standards of bad marketing, this stands out as a clusterfuck of epic proportions. Kraft might change the name, but it’ll be a long time before they live this error down – and rightly so.

LFL: Lingerie Footbal League!!!!

La mayor fantasía de todo hombre: chicas en sus paños peleándose por una pelota, tirándose una encima de la otra, cuerpos sudorosos, tocándose de forma agresiva pero al mismo tiempo con cierta intimidad, etc. Eso es lo que hacen las chicas más sensuales y fuertes, jugar fútbol americano en lenceria. Y nosotros como hombres simplemente podemos ver y apreciar la espléndida forma en que han cambiado este juego. Solo esperamos que los jugadores hombres no intenten hacer lo mismo, pues no sería nada bonito ver a un montón de grandulones en boxers o en tangas rozándose los cuerpos…..

Agradecemos a Kachler por el tip y por introducirnos a este fabuloso mundo de este deporte….

Marketing Manifesto - Individual Performance

When I was chosen to lead the marketing program at the American Red Cross of Greater Kansas City, I wanted to make sure each person on the team was pulling in the same direction.

Within my first 90 days, I led my group through a two-day planning session to 1) discuss organizational priorities, 2) plan marketing projects and 3) enlist the commitment of each individual to the team effort. By the end of the retreat we had defined the following 10 characteristics that every contributing member of the marketing department should be able use in describing his or her dedication, passion and internal beliefs:

1. I see the big picture.
2. I see how the individual pieces fit together, and I understand the importance of my unique role.
3. I prioritize my work and spend considerable time working in Quadrant II on projects that are important but not urgent. Because of this, I am proactive and in control of my job, my career and my life.
4. I think strategically before acting tactically.
5. As an internal marketing consultant, I ask affirming, empowering questions of myself and others.
6. I approach consulting projects in a collaborative manner, finding ways to say “yes” and facilitate the success of others.
7. I own and manage important projects where I assume responsibility for the entire planning, production and evaluation my projects.
8. I am a collaborative team player, contributing my energy and expertise to those projects managed by others.
9. I have a deep desire to learn, to create and to explore. Knowing that the status quo often leads to obsolescence, I seek innovation and welcome change.
10. I make a difference. I do work that really matters.

La brecha digital existe

Está presente en casi todas las conversaciones sobre el futuro del marketing. ¿Seguirá viviendo el mktradicional o será devorado por el 2.0? De hecho, en un debate en Linkedin sobre Fidelización y captación, las posturas eran tres:

1.- Los conservadores. Casi todos por encima de los 40 años, no pueden ni imaginarse un mundo sin el marketing tradicional. “¿Qué no habrá folletos? ¿Qué no habrá inserciones en los medios? ¿Que no habrá periódicos en papel? ¿Qué los libros van a desaparecer? Imposible. Si son unas herramientas muy eficientes…”. Muchos negocios morirán por colapso ante la conquista de la 2.0 del país del marketing y la publicidad.

2.- Los equilibristas, menos aterrorizados, se aventuran a imaginar un cierto equilibrio, “convivirán los dos modelos, apoyándose el uno en el otro y en función del target”. Es un pensamiento de transición que, sin duda, permite afrontar el futuro sin demasiado miedo.

3. Los apocalípticos son tan beligerantes como los “conservadores” y anuncian el fin del mundo del marketing tradicional. Se apoyan en el cambio generacional y anuncian que cuando la generación 2.0, la tecnificada e inferior a los 35 años, llegue a los centros de decisión el marketing tradicional será cosa de museos y de tiendas de decoración vanguardistas.

Yo creo que la brecha digital existe y crece impulsada por la tecnología, la reducción de costes para los anunciantes y por una generación que comparten los valores clave del 2.0: siempre conectado, siempre individual, siempre activo, siempre hipervinculado… El estudio de Accenture y AETIC parece avalarlo con datos.

Para el marketing tradicional, y las agencias y profesionales que lo integran, ha llegado la hora de la revolución.

1.- Migrar el centro de beneficios de la intermediación a la aportación de valor.

2.- Vincular el margen al R.O.I.

3.- Rejuvenecer su estructura, incorporando a jóvenes menores de 35 años en los puestos de dirección.

4.- Sumar conocimiento y restar efectismo.

5.- “Agárrense los machos” y a lidiar en un océano convulso y tormentoso: el del marketing en tiempo de crisis.

En esta guerra silenciosa, que concurre con la crisis económica, el marketing y la publicidad no hacen más que adelantarse a los cambios sociales venideros. Así ocurrió con la telefonía móvil. Al final de la década de los 80 andaba yo con un TMA, ese maletón con teléfono, y escuchaba a mis superiores de entonces decir que era una moda pasajera, que era de mal gusto y mala educación. En el boom de las puntocom otros directivos, pero igual de visionarios, no tenían nada claro la rentabilidad de los servicios en Internet, más allá de la especulación que les llevo a la suspensión de pagos.

¿Y hoy? ¿Qué pensarían del 2.0?

The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good

By Bryan Watson

The perfect is the enemy of the good. – Voltaire

Far from a sanction of shoddy work, or an excuse not to think things through, Voltaire makes an excellent point that all start-ups should pay heed to. Attaining perfection, be it in a technology or a business plan, becomes infinitely more difficult as you get closer to achieving it.

There comes a time in every start-up’s life where the CEO must decide that the technology is good enough for the market and the business plan significantly addresses the majority of the issues he is likely to face.

At that time the CEO has a choice:

1. Tweak and tune the technology or business plan alone in the basement to make it ‘perfect’ (something I would argue you will never achieve that way anyway…); or
2. Get out there, sell, get the market validation a company needs to grow, integrate customer feedback as you grow.

At some point every would-be entrepreneur must decide to jump into business and make a go of it – and potentially fail. Working to perfect a business plan or technology is the deceptively safe alternative. Why deceptively? Because, in the end, all you have is the unrealised down-side of opportunity cost. I have seen a number of people fall into this trap. Don’t let it happen to you. Get out there, even if what you have isn’t perfect, it might just be good enough to start a killer business.

Angel Summit

Canada is at a crossroads, having to immediately restore employment and economic confidence, while also building the knowledge-based industries that represent our future prosperity.  NACO is working diligently to satisfy these policy objectives by stimulating Angel investment activity throughout the country.

In a continued effort to rev the Engine for Commercialization in Canada, the National Angel Capital Organization will be hosting the 9th Annual National Angel Summit in Toronto, ON on October 14th and 15th. As with previous Summits, this year’s event will bring together Angels from acrosss Canada, US, and abroad to discuss the state of Angel investing and share best practices and network.

Previous Summits have given rise to new initiatives and drawn national attention towards Angel investing.  This year’s event will continue to elevate the importance and necessity of Angel investing in Canada (and abroad) while hosting the premier networking and educational event for Angels in Canada. Visit Angel Summit for details.

Throughout his career, both in Canada and the UK, Bryan J. Watson has been a champion of entrepreneurship as a vector for the commercialization of advanced technologies. Upon his return to Canada in 2004, Bryan established his venture development consulting practice to help emerging-growth companies overcome the barriers to success they face in the Canadian commercialization ecosystem.  Visit Bryan’s blog and the National Angel Capital Organization.

Cacau Show vs. Brasil Cacau vs. Kopenhagen vs. Comportamento Online

“A rede de franquias Brasil Cacau, especializada na venda de chocolates, foi criada pelo grupo CRM, o mesmo da Kopenhagen, para atender o público da classe C”. Revista Desafios

O mercado de chocolates no Brasil vem sendo observado há tempos, especialmente depois do sucesso da Cacau Show. O grupo CRM, por exemplo, investiu na abertura de uma nova marca, chamada Brasil Cacau para disputar essa mesma fatia de mercado.

Antes de começar uma análise da percepção dos clientes para cada marca (Brasil Cacau VS. Cacau Show), vamos descrever aqui um pouco da estratégia de negócios de ambas:

Cacau Show – Um show de chocolate

Bom, logo ao entrar no site, me deparei com uma frase que me chamou atenção: Cacau Show – a maior rede de chocolates finos do mundo.

Mas pera aí! Chocolates finos não são aqueles que uma trufa custa R$10,00, tipo a Saint Phylippe ou mesmo a Kopenhagen? Tudo bem, na vida me ensinaram a não julgar o conteúdo pela capa, portanto o valor do chocolate não quer dizer muita coisa. Sendo assim, tive que experimentar. Realmente, aprovado! Não sei se vale o que custa… nem ouro tinha dentro!! Mas dava para perceber que estávamos falando de chocolates realmente finos!

Voltando a estratégia da Cacau Show. O que eu entendi é que eles produzem esse tal de chocolate fino em grande escala e por isso, conseguem os custos baixinhos baixinhos. Assim, uma trufa Cacau Show custa menos da metade de um Saint Phylippe.

Brasil Cacau – Chocolates de qualidade

Para desenvolver essa marca, o grupo apostou na diversidade do Brasil. Apesar do layout da loja, bem como embalagens super coloridas, os produtos são basicamente os mesmos. Visitando uma loja da marca, fica na cara a estratégia de tentar roubar uma fatia de mercado da Cacau Show.

O que fica claro aqui, é que a Cacau Show descobriu um nicho de mercado extremamente interessante para os investidores. Eles produzem chocolates de qualidade a baixos custos, voltados à classe C (que alias, só faz crescer no Brasil).

Eu experimentei as 2 marcas. São um pouco parecidas… Na verdade, ambas parecem ser bastante industrializadas e nada artesanais.

Bom, “convencida” que as 2 marcas estavam buscando os mesmos clientes, decidi fazer uma pesquisa para saber qual marca é mais popular no universo online.

Fonte: Google Trends

E me veio algo intrigante na cabeça…

Ok. Os meses de procuras são basicamente os mesmos. Abril, março, dezembro, coincidindo com páscoa e natal. Mas, não é que de 2007 em diante a Cacau Show superou a popularidade online da Kopenhagen?

Agora as estratégias ficam bem mais claras!

Se o marketing da Cacau Show bate tanto na tecla dos chocolates finos a preço baixo, isso só poderia alfinetar 1 marca com grande capacidade de produção: Kopenhagen! (que produz chocolates finos a preços altos)

Então, a Grupo CRM se empenhou em construir uma nova marca porque provavelmente eles perderam alguns (muitos!!) clientes da Kopenhagen para Cacau Show e não porque simplesmente pegaram carona em um novo nicho de mercado.

Ou seja, o rival da Cacau Show não é a Brasil Cacau (como o grupo quer fazer a gente pensar) e sim a Kopenhagen. Mas, com a abertura de uma nova marca, os holofotes mudaram de lugar… deixando a Kopenhagen livre para tomar outros caminhos para se diferenciar.  

Agora, caro leitor, eu te pergunto: Será que essa estratégia vai colar?

Mýty okolo eshopů a podnikání na internetu

Zde uvádím několik mýtů kolem eshopů. Člověk až žasne kolik ignorantů potkává. Toto se dá ovšem aplikovat nejen na eshopy ale i obecně na weby.

Mýtus 1 – Postavím si eshop a budu vydělávat

Tak toto je velice rozšířený mýtus a osobně jsem tento názor pozoroval nesčetněkrát. V jednom fóru jsem nedávno viděl dotaz typu: dodělal jsem eshop, co mám v administraci zmáčknout aby jsem se objevil na Google a začal prodávat.

Internet je velice tvrdé konkurenční prostředí a pokud máte o prodeji na Internetu podobné představy tak si ušetřete čas a s eshopem raději ani nezačínejte. Tvorba internetového obchodu a jeho naplnění produkty je jen první kamínek celé skládačky a určitě není ten nejobtížnější.

Mýtus 2 – Co je zdarma není kvalitní

Toto pravidlo na Internetu nemusí vždy platit. Existuje množství open source řešení zdarma, která drží krok nebo předčí komerční produkty.

Uvědomte si, že např. OS Joomla má již 10miliónů stažení – tzn. potenciálních uživatelů. Taková komunita je obrovská, systém je otestovaný v mnoha variantách a během komunikace v tak veliké komunitě vznikají velmi dobrá rozšíření celého systému. V mnoha případech jsou pak okopírovány “profesionály” a vydávány za vlastní produkt.

To samé se týká celách systémů. Možná i Vy znáte podobné případy, kdy autor prodává systém, který stojí na OS. Ironií je, že si můžete zakoupit profesionální řešení, které můžete téměř ve stejné podobě získat zdarma.

Mýtus 3 – Čím více zboží tím více peněz

V tomto případě asi zjistíte, že marketing padesáti sortimentů není levná a nijak jednoduchá záležitost. Pokud tedy s eshopem začínáte, doporučil bych spíše nějaké zaměření na žádaný sortiment než vybudování megastore.

Mýtus 4 – Více návštěvníků – více peněz

Když si postavíte eshop a nakoupíte všechnu dostupnou reklamu, pravděpodobně zjistíte, že část investic vyšla nazmar.

Doporučuji tedy každou kampaň maximálně cílit a průběžně vyhodnocovat její návratnost. Samozřejmě je to podmíněno systémem, který to umožňuje. Např. PrestaShop loguje u každé objednávky stránku odkud kupující přišel.

Mýtus 5 – Zaplatím SEO a budu první

Ani toto neplatí z následujících důvodů:

1. Místa je málo a jen jeden může být první:)

2. Žádný SEO expert, ani ti nejlepší neznají 100% systém řazení výsledků. Takže pokud vám někdo garantuje první pozici, berte takový slib s rezervou.

3. Stojí proti vám konkurence a pravděpodobně také platí SEO.

Než si otevřete eshop, doporučuji nejen zvážit co chci prodávat, ale hlavně jak to budu prodávat.

WHO IS "GK SCOTT?" A FICTION SELLING YOU A ROLEX!

Most companies would be proud to put their name on their company.

The GK Scott who purports to sell Rolexes DOES NOT EXIST.

“GK Scott” is the fictional name of 3 junior college drop-outs selling watches out of their apartment.

What are they scared of?

Why do they have to MAKE UP a name for their company?

Sounds like some stoned dudes cooking up a scheme to make money with a pretty website and most questionable business practices.

They figure in these days of internet ridiculousness, there’s money to be made from fools parting with their money.

**************************

If you’d like to actually see and try on the watches at “GK Scott,” you’ll have to give a call and wake the guys up at their apartment.

Give ‘em enough lead time to pull the Rolexes out of the shoe boxes from under their futons.

( Oh, and does this mean you’re going to sue us for libel?  Try this: Tell your potential Rolex Buyers EXACTLY what you are selling.  Tell your potential Rolex Buyers that if they buy a Rolex from “GK Scott” they are essentially SHUT OFF from ALL Official Rolex Services.

And that means your buyers are left dealing with 3 dudes in an apartment.

Like buying a Maserati and being told that all future repairs and service must be performed by that unlicensed Pakistani mechanic with the garage behind the falafel shop. )

Duuuuudes!

The Importance of Marketing a Business

Winning new customers is one of the first issues that entrepreneurs, when they start to focus a business. Of course, they must survive the necessary competencies to the business to primarily have. The project can begin as soon as the customer and continue the work while the money comes after the customers were acquired.

This cycle continues until the company finds new clients or the clients themselves find new places to take care of their business.However, few among the thousands of companies, I have had the opportunity to see the ever focused on the distribution of a company.

Few business leaders recognize that the marketing of a company is one of the most important things that can help them grow their business. Many people still see new clients as marketing a business, but this is far from the truth. Of course, getting new customers is one of the important aspects of the business method.

However, marketing aSales are part of a whole lot more than just get hold of customers. For example, branding and marketing are also important parts of it. Even something as backend oriented as accounting and bookkeeping is also considered as part of marketing a business.

Creating a brand for the company is an important aspect, an expansion of business activities. To collect every company that starts a brand that has a good reputation. Customers will then inventory to collect it once, it is possible a large enoughReputation.

It is important that you should not assume that a company is to market an easy job, because it is a serious and back breaking business news. It takes years of diligent application, a lot of patience and constant, consistent and dedicated effort before a company can only begin to build a good reputation.

The complaints do not make a deal to an end when a reputation has been built, because it needs to continue. This is the only effective way to draw the benefits. Youshould be seriously entertained create a plan for marketing a company to the next time the thought of starting your own business.

Thanks To : sponsoredlinks sales force Sponsored Links

Essentials of today's "online marketing"

Essentials of today’s online marketing business have expanded through the “world wide web” (www) and has exploded into many types and variations of advertisement for virtually every business that is out there. Competitition has migrated all over and has taken many new forms of techniques to stay Ahead. As an ENTREPRENEUR I FeeL THaT It Is MY DUTY to share my experience and to give back what I’ve LEARNEd in hopes to spread another oppurtunity for one’s LIFETIME. 0

Times are ROUGH, The majority of families stare destiny in destruction as everyday goes by, and there is little or no hope for a chance to fortify yourself against a compfronting imbalanced society. We are all looking for that gleem of light, the thing is that we are all focusing at the end of the tunnel, instead of whats in our nearsites of modern living and how technology has forfronted us with insights to accomplish our
instant world communication. Twenty-nine years ago this was just a
dream. Today IT IS REALITY.

Marketing Online gives everybody the oppurtunity to take their experience and intelect, then, be able to minuplate many strategies towards their business advertisement. Here are just a few basic essentials that you will need to know before ,and as you start, to grow your online marketing business.

1. Of course your going to need access to the internet with a legimate account, have a product, and ADVERTISE.

2. You need the ability to use sound judgement of every decesion that you make.

3. An Extraordinary mindset to balance your pass and your future.

4. Be comprehensive and informative.

5. A system that guides you through all the online marketing techniques that has been hidden from all of us, until recently.

Last, and most important, IT IS ESSENTIAL, NEVER give up on your Destiny

Business Intelligence Boosts a Dairy Coop's Profits

from: intelligententerprise.com

“Who knew organic farming could be so technology driven? You picture the free range and synthetic-hormone-free cows and chickens. But who would have thought data integration and reporting would be so vital to keeping the whole operation humming? In fact, Organic Valley, the largest organic dairy coop in the United States, has been thriving, with sales growing more than 600 percent over the last eight years to reach $530 million in 2008. In an industry in which slim, two-percent margins are common, business intelligence has been the key to keeping the 1,400-member coop profitable.”

Full Article Here

Is Print Advertising Obsolete?

At present, the United States owns the highest number of newspapers, magazines, journals etc, with the highest total circulation in the world. According to a research done an average American spends half an hour on reading newspapers etc. So with such a high popularity and readership print media remains a best option for advertisers.

Advertisements presented in print media persuade the public to buy a product, a service or an idea. They help in forming a good public image for a company. The most essential objective of print advertising is that it enables to create a good public image of the company rather than of the product. Print Advertisements grab their attention by their size, color, visualization, layout, positioning or by a striking headline or slogan or appeal. They create interest by holding out to consumers the hope or promise of achieving something or being someone. They stimulate desire for the product by various strategies such as making you feel “modern”, “cool” or perhaps by offering certain incentives. Further readership surveys provide advertisers with statistical data on which to base their media plans.

 Print media offers a wide variety of ways to advertise and helps in targeting the specific audience. A women’s magazine would target those products or services that relate to women, a sports magazine would present sports related ads to cater to its readers. There is no depletion of resources as ads target the specific audiences. Finally, print advertisements impart conviction and in turn urge action to buy the product, service or an idea.

Apex Bizness Solutions can help you with the design and printing of your ad. Contact us today for assistance. For more information please view our website at www.firstchoiceprints.com.

Twitter no tiene planes de incorporar publicidad este año

Twitter no tiene planes de incorporar publicidad este año en el exitoso sitio de microblogs, dijo el martes Biz Stone, uno de sus fundadores, en medio de fuertes presiones para que la exitosa plataforma de internet empiece a generar dinero tras dos años de funcionamiento.

Stone, dijo que Twitter estaba “bastante bien ahora” financieramente, y enfatizó en que el enfoque inmediato de la compañía era tener funciones que vayan desde mejores búsquedas hasta pago de cuentas comerciales.

“Cualquier tipo de acercamiento a la publicidad tardará un tiempo (…) Aún no estamos pensando en publicidad”, dijo Stone en el evento “140: Twitter Conference” en Los Angeles.

Twitter, firma conocida por sus blogs con entradas de hasta 140 caracteres, ha recibido muchas inversiones, pero Stone no quiso revelar los montos o los valores.

Aún en su infancia, la flamante compañía se ha convertido rápidamente en un fenómeno cultural, pero Twitter y otros sitios de redes sociales aún no han mostrado a los inversionistas cómo comenzarán a obtener ganancias.

Más información: Puromarketing.com

Building Best Internet Marketing Leverage

If you have an online or internet business, it is very important that you should build up your internet marketing leverage. The internet is a very big world and there are many people who are doing similar businesses. This is why you must have a certain influence or leverage on your market. Without it, you will not be able to win those potential customers in your market niche.

In any kind of business, whether it is online or offline, you still have the same requirement. It is to increase your marketing leverage. You won’t be able to convert your market to real consumers of your product without it. There are many techniques and methods to achieve this leverage. You may wonder if these are really that effective for your business.

The techniques and methods have already been used by most internet marketers. All you have to do is to gather any information you can about it. Study the strengths and weaknesses, the advantages and disadvantages in applying that specific technique. By doing so, thoroughly, you will have a better chance of getting the internet marketing leverage you need for your business.

But as with all kind of marketing techniques, there are no shortcuts. You still have to spend some time and dedication in really studying how to correctly implement that plan. Many are tempted to skip right to the implementation phase to immediately get that marketing leverage. But without really understanding it by heart, then you will probably fail.

There are also many pressures and distractions that comes along with running a business. But those are there just to hinder you from getting that marketing leverage you want. Just focus on your goal and all that distractions will be faded by your motivation.

Yes, it is not easy to get that marketing leverage you need for your business. But with a little sacrifice and some dedication, you will surely get your goal in time. Again, always focus on your goal. It will get you the motivation you need to achieve success and marketing leverage for your business.

Other References:
1. What is Leverage?
2. Marketing Leverage – Jason Van Orden

Emirates' global pitch moves on to round 2 two

Emirates has confirmed the completion of the first round of the global advertising pitch it instigated in early June.

Commenting on the pitch’s progress, Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ divisional senior vice president, corporate communications, said: “We are finalising our shortlist and are looking to progress to the next stage of agency reviews next month [October].”

The process has already seen an unexpected development when Emirates moved its $5.7 million UK advertising account out of incumbent Leagas Delaney and into VCCP’s London office without a pitch.

VCCP, which has an office in Abu Dhabi and works with clients such as Qatari Financial Centre, was asked to handle the business after its presentation to the airline as part of the $270 million global advertising pitch.

Speaking at the time, an Emirates spokesman admitted that the account had moved but said it had nothing to do with the global review.

He said: We can confirm that Leagas Delaney is being replaced by VCCP. This is entirely unconnected with the pitch for a global marcomms agency. It is purely a UK appointment by Emirates.”

This represents the first time VCCP has worked with Emirates. However, the VCCP Group-owned brand promotion specialist Branded Moments of Truth worked on a project for the airline three years ago, and Bell Pottinger, which is part of the VCCP parent Chime Communications, handles the airline’s public relations.

21st Century Attraction Network Marketing: The Ticket to Success for the Frustrated Majority

By Greg Taylor

It’s been said that for the average person, network marketing is the best path to wealth. If that’s the case, why do 95% of distributors fail to build successful businesses? In reality, the top 5% consists of those who already have the recipe for success. They have contacts, skill and personality developed from previous success in life. So the reality is, in most cases the average person simply does not have the ingredients for success in the business. But it doesn’t have to be that way; there is a recipe for the masses.

It amazes me that as much as the Internet has changed the face of marketing, network marketing has primarily remained old school. Yes, websites and online video have replaced tapes, cds and brochures to some extent, but the old tired methods remain the same. Distributors are still taught to create a list, bug their friends and family, and invite them to watch a video or attend a meeting. With the same old school methods, the modern tools still do little to increase the likelihood of success—for the average person.

Despite the failure of most networking marketing companies to provide a formula of success to the average distributor, there are a handful of entrepreneurs who have discovered the recipe for success on their own. They have studied the Internet, learned what successful Internet marketers are doing, and then tailored those strategies to network marketing. For the few who have managed to create their own Internet based formulas, their success has been staggering.

Mike Ray’s company told him that it was not possible to build his organization online; he should follow his upline and do what they do. They advised him to hold meetings and share the plan. He dismissed their advice and proceeded to build an organization of over 32,000 distributors. Amazingly he did this without holding a single hotel opportunity meeting.

In another example, a frustrated network marketer named Dan Putnam modeled Mike Ray’s Internet strategies to build a massive down line of over 51,000 people in less than 18 months. He primarily did this all from home, opting to skip the meetings and bugging of friends and family.

These are just a few of the many examples of a new breed of network marketer who are finding tremendous success, after traditional methods failed them. So what’s their secret? It’s pretty simple; they don’t chase people. They use the power of the Internet to attract the right people to them.

It’s called attraction Internet network marketing, and puts to rest the one of the most common reasons for failure in network marketing. Which is, when you have to pressure someone into a business, they should not be in the business in the first place. With attraction marketing, you only work with people that want to work with you. This reversal of strategy makes it far more likely for an average person to be successful in network marketing.

With the recent explosion of social networks like face book, you tube, and twitter, savvy Internet network marketers are drawing prospects to them like never before. These technologies are powerful, because they are natural conduits for the basis of network marketing; word of mouth advertising. They also allow the 21st century network marketer to develop an online relationship with a prospect before an opportunity is presented.

In many cases, these are not even formal relationships. They are simply the product of trust built up through education. Effective 21st century network marketing uses automated marketing systems to educate prospects first, and then present the opportunity later. The smart marketer presents the tools of success first, often selling them. Then having armed the prospect with the right tools and training, they are free to present the vehicle, which is their network marketing opportunity.

Using these strategies, many of the negative aspects of traditional network marketing disappear. You can skip bugging your friends and family; there is an ocean of prospective entrepreneurs scouring the Internet for the right opportunity. You can bag the hotel and living room meetings, webinar technology provides the ability to present the opportunity or train people all around the world from the comfort of your own home. No more tapes and Cds. Websites, videos, podcasts and conference calls deliver the message for you.

A new breed of network marketer is truly beginning to make their mark in the industry. As successful as they may be, those committed to old school methods will soon find themselves lagging in the race. Thanks to new technologies and attraction marketing methods, 21st century attraction network marketing, may truly be the average persons best ticket to wealth.

Greg has also partnered with online network marketers Dave Taylor and Spencer Campbell in a group blog the combines their knowledge and expertise on the subject. You can view their blog at www.leapfrogtosuccess.com/blog

You can learn more about the phenomenal success secrets of Mike Ray and Dan Putnam at http://lighthousemarketer.com/gtaylor

Teaser

Why do 95% of network marketer’s fail? Because in most cases, they simply don’t have the ingredients for success that the other 5% possess. Their success is the result of the contacts, skills and personality the have developed through prior success in life. Finally, for the frustrated majority of network marketer’s, there is a formula for success. A few savvy network marketers are building huge down lines, entirely online without bugging friends or family, or ever holding a meeting. So can you.

I love Seth Godin!

Well, maybe not exactly love, but am extremely inspired and motivated by his sage words!  One of Seth’s recent blog posts was Things to ask before you redo your website and, although websites aren’t my bag (I leave that to the super talented Katrina Thompson of katproductions who works wonders with websites that work for small businesses), many of the considerations apply equally well to any form of marketing or pr activity and serve as a very useful checklist.  Many businesses (especially start ups) waste precious pounds by employing marketing techniques that are not appropriate to their business and then claim that marketing doesn’t work. Adopting the right marketing and pr tactics for the right business reasons most definitely does work.

Internet Marketing "Slaps"

The old adage’don’t put your eggs all in one basket’ is applicable to many areas of life, and online marketing is no exception.

web Marketers ( IMers ) have a selection of potential income streams, and a variety of SEO secrets open to them. If an IMer is depending too heavily on only one technique or income source, small changes that are outside of their control can have devastating results.
The term’slap’ is utilized when a third party makes a change in something which has a negative impact on an IMer.
years ago there was a burst of IMers employing a strategy involving an income stream from Google’s ad program. The program is known as AdSense, and the plan was called’arbitrage’. The technique basically worked by buying PPC advertising for keywords that were inexpensive, and point them to the IMer’s site, which was covered up with ads for similar, related keywords that paid big money per click.

So, Google made many changes. They changed the way keywords were bid to make it tougher to grab’cheap’ keywords.

eBay marketers also received a huge slap. When eBay changed their policy about delivering digital products, some companies ( who had formerly sold millions of greenbacks of product every year ) went into bankruptcy altogether. EBay decided the headache of dealing with duplicate/copyrighted e-books was too much. Oh…and eBay only gave about 2 weeks notice of the change.

there are other examples, from Scribd, to’nofollow’ tags, where strategies or earnings streams that once worked well have vanished. There are too many factors that are outside of the IMer’s control which can have huge effect on their business, so they must be clever about putting their eggs in numerous baskets.
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Addressing Fear of Food

As we addressed on the 9/14 post, youth today, especially Gen Yers and college students, eat little produce or don’t eat what they should.   That’s often because they lack  information about what certain foods are or do.  We are also all aware of the immense problems with obesity in children and young adults.  

To help separate fact from fiction about food, Texas Tech University is embarking on an interesting and worthwhile project. 

On September 24th, the University’s FIT Tech Program will be launching an educational initiative entitled “Food Fear Factor”.  The goal of this event is to debunk major myths surrounding nutrition, cost, preparation, and safety of specific foods and to provide an opportunity for students to identify and taste fruits and vegetables.

To kick off the event our director of merchandising, Robin Lucky, has worked with FIT Tech to develop a quiz.  Each question on the True/ False quiz debunks a popular myth (i.e. “Potatoes are very fattening” etc).  Students who submit “A+” papers will be eligible to receive a gift certificate to the local United Supermarkets.

Texas Tech and FIT Tech deserve kudos for embarking on a program that is innovative, non-threatening, provides reward for participation, and even ties in local businesses.  They understand marketing!  After the event we will report the results.

Meanwhile, check out this intrepid group at www.ttu.edu./fittech or contact Dr. Debra Reed at 806-742-3068 for additional information.    Robin Lucky, a TTU alum, is a newly-elected board member of the TTU International Center for Food Industry Excellence .

Lapel Pins

Did you know that there is a simple, easy-to-follow and apply marketing strategy for attracting new customers to your business. It is perfect for growing any type of small business and it doesn’t cost a fortune. This marketing strategy is called promotional products. Promotional products are one of the easiest methods of marketing that insures top-of-mind awareness.

The simple act of choosing a promotional product and imprinting your company name or message on it creates on going advertising for your company. You see people wearing promotional products just about everywhere. The best time to give a promotional item is after the customer has purchased your product or service as a thank you. You can also give a promotional item to a potential customer. While they are thinking about making a purchase they are giving you free advertising by constantly using the item you gave them.

The items to give that generate free advertising are called wearables: T-Shirts, Caps, Bandanas, Polo Shirts, Jackets, Sweatshirts, Windbreakers, Raincoats, even Underwear. Anything that can be worn and seen by another person. Just think how many folks will see your company name if you gave a customer or potential customer a T-Shirt with your company name and message imprinted on it. The average person loves wearing T-Shirts with logos on them. This person is walking around doing their daily routine and advertising your company free of charge.

Or what about a cap? Guys and girls love to wear caps. A cap is worn on the head, so if a person is wearing a cap with your company name or message imprinted on it this is most likely the first thing other people see when they look at the person wearing the cap.

Lapel Pins can attract tons of new customers to your business. Not only can customers and potential customers give you free advertising your employees can too. Having employees wear lapel pins imprinted with your company logo on them gives the impression that you are a professional business. Be generous and give your employees several new shirts so they are always wearing nice clean shirts while representing and advertising your company.

When imprinting a wearable with a message make sure you don’t offend anyone. The entire point of choosing a wearable promotional product is to generate new customers and advertise your business. You don’t want to drive anyone away. You want them to contact your company. Don’t forget to imprint your company web site so other people viewing your company name can contact you.

Es gibt 3 Wichtige Wege, mehr Geld zu verdienen - Heiko Häusler zeigt sie!

Hallo liebe Shoppingworld Freunde,

wussten Sie eigentlich, dass es nur 3 Möglichkeiten gibt, mit Internet-Marketing MEHR Geld zu verdienen.

Ja, genau, gerade mal 3…!

Hier erfahren Sie mehr:

Heikohäusler.com

In diesem kostenlosen Video stellt Ihnen der Internet-Marketer Heiko Häusler die 3 Möglichkeiten ausführlich vor. Schauen Sie vorbei, sicher können Sie auch für Ihr Internet-Geschäft einige hilfreiche Tipps und Tricks aufschnappen.

Klicken Sie einfach auf diesen Link hier und schauen Sie sich das Video an:

Heikohäusler.com

Grüße

P.S. Wenn Sie einen vierten Weg entdecken, dann melden Sie sich. Aber Sie werden sehen, es sind WIRKLICH nur 3…!

Hier geht’s zum Video:

Heikohäusler.com

AVE: limp delusion

Advertising value equivalent (AVE), particularly in the online context, has been derided as an outmoded measure of return on investment. And for good reason: no two people use the same formula and it’s laden with too many assumptions, among others.

In my book, it’s simply too much effort for too meaningless a result.

The effort depends on the formula you subscribe to, but good luck identifying and trawling sites.

The result, however angled, is nothing more than a measure of efficiency that harks back to when (if ever) reach and frequency were the holy grail of ROI measurements, and might have some semblance of relevance only if your sole objective is to scrimp on paid media placement.

It does nothing to address effectiveness in achieving macro-level objectives.

Don’t blame the agency rep who tries to pull the wool over your eyes, though. Chances are he has been wired not to see through the wool over his own peepers.

Beauty Salon Marketing

Maybe you're a techie and want to have a website. Perhaps the best way to go is with a combination plan that integrates all of these, or only some of the relevant components. What ever you do, you want to have a plan and not to them piecemeal.

Traditional advertising methods, you will receive the largest local audience promulgated. Where are the most bang for your buck is important in a limited advertising budget. Some think of the things that are the size and content of theView. You, note the age of your target customers. They do not want advertising for new trendy cuts, if you want middle-aged and elderly ladies to frequent your salon. The same applies in reverse. You want to win not advertise your products and wrinkle dyes for gray hair to customers in their early twenties too. If there are two newspapers in the area, then you should run the same ad in both newspapers.

With vouchers has fallen into disfavor with many salons. The reasons for thisdistinguish any company, but they are a tried and tested method of marketing your salon, while attracting new customers. You can try old customers get new products with the right coupon. How often have you bought a different brand of something, because the coupon made the price much lower? Hundreds of times would be the usual reaction. Why not use that for your beauty salon marketing strategy?

Technically knowledgeable salon owners may want toStart your own website. We have reached a much wider range of potential customers in this way. When a site is known to you give to each service you are offering you product to sell, and all deals with the same time. The cost of a decent website may slightly under $ 500. If the person who knows the site for you, really, what will they do, they will be your site to some of the automatic promotion websites that are out there, get in touch. These pages will place related ads on your site. These Showing you pay each time someone clicks on their ad from your site. It is a nice way to advertise and make money at the same time.

Your Beauty Salon Marketing strategy should actually also a variety of displays and use different types of media. You do not want to put all your eggs in one basket. Newspapers, local magazines, coupons, flyers and a website are all great ways to market your business. One striking sign at the door will help them in rolls, too. A> Beauty salon can never have too much advertising.

Free Salon & Spa Marketing Mini Course – Discover why everything you have ever said about Salon & Spa Marketing and advertising is wrong and how to avoid that an "advertising victim".

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Another Brick in the Wal-Mart

It’s been almost a year since I saw anything really compelling in games retail, so I was surprised to see a cool idea out of… Wal-Mart of all places.  I’ve only been inside Wal-Mart a handful of times, having grown up in southeast Michigan and thus buying everything at Meijer for the first 20 years of my life.  But Wal-Mart’s in-store “Family Night Center” sounds like it could solve some serious problems getting more casual gamers to warm up to purchasing more games throughout the year.

In a nutshell, it’s a section of the store that is full of products that could help plan a fun family night in, regardless of product category.  So you’ll find family-friendly DVD movies right next to the Doritos right next to Scattergories.  This being Wal-Mart and times being what they are, they put a $30 ceiling on everything in the section.  Smart.

If this section really takes off, it could mean big things for board and video games.  Settlers of Catan* is retailing for right around $30 now, and most of the games on my shelf could really use the boost that would come from being available at the world’s largest retailer.

There’s tremendous potential here for the industry to embrace.  Last month, we saw Wal-Mart slash the price of Batman: Arkham Asylum at release in all of its Canadian stores to just above the $30 threshold for the Family Night Center.  It was so well-received, Canadian Gamestops had to follow suit.  I’m guessing this was a test from the überetailer to see how marquee games perform as a  loss leader in a non-holiday part of the year.

Wal-Mart tested lower pricing for the stellar Batman:AA in Canada

New revenue streams like in-game ads and microtransactions could make it entirely reasonable for a big publisher to put out a serious title at a price point of $30 or less, if it means achieving the scale that comes with prestige shelf position inside Wal-Mart.  We’ve already seen plenty of manufacturers create special versions of their product specifically to meet Wal-Mart’s pricing standards.  So by the same logic, couldn’t a developer like EA put together a much less feature-rich version of their next Skate game  for a lower retail price as a Wal-Mart exclusive, qualify for sale inside the Family Game Center (which no doubt boosts the hell out of sales), get a ton more customers into the game, and then reap greater awards by selling these consumers new skaters, outfits and levels a few dollars at a time?  Let’s talk, guys.

*In case you missed it, be sure to check out Andrew Curry’s excellent Wired piece on Settlers of Catan.  After years of reading about what a great game it is, and seeing so many outstanding videogame developers list Settlers among their greatest influences, it became my gateway into more elaborate games designed with adults in mind.

Starbucks and the plan

Today I leave the world of food to talk about my fascination of the world of business and how it all comes together when it works well. However, the food will surely be brought back on another day!

Oh how I am captivated by the business world! Let me rephrase that: How I love the business world when I believe it is done correctly! The best way possible. With thoughts of long-term profits to keep it going. To continue the support of its employees, because this business would realize the value of good employees. This business would offer decent salaries to employees as it grows, as a way to not only reward them, but to attract the best, and to be able to eliminate the ones that are not worth the training or salaries or benefits that are offered. All people are worthy in the scheme of life, but not all are worth the extra $$$$ and time in a particular business. If an employee is constantly late, cannot fulfill the duties needed, or complains a lot about the work and the employer, then maybe he/she is in the wrong place and they need to go elsewhere. That person may do well and succeed in another setting. A totally different job.

[Realize here I am not talking about the employee who is let go to a downturn in sales and/or the economy. I’m talking about the one who just really does not want to support the efforts of the current employer.]

I’m going to talk about retail here, because retail is what I know best. I want to go into a store and know that the person at the counter or on the sales floor is glad to see me. They want to make my day even better. After all, I’m about to (maybe) give them my money in exchange for a product or service, and I want to know that this exchange is appreciated. I had to work for that money, too. Anyway, I went into a store yesterday to make a purchase, and, well, I can be rather perky. Sometimes annoyingly so to those around me. But in Kansas, it is normal. I do love that friendly aspect of Kansas! So I walked up to the young man behind the counter and said, “Good morning! How are you today?” And he replied, “I’m here I guess.” I wanted to say something back like, “Really? Is that how you feel about me today?” Always wanting to be the teacher, I reckon. But I did not, I just laughed and said something like, “Well I’m glad you are here because I need someone to – - – - ! And it’s all about me!” He laughed, a little, though he didn’t really see the humor. Neither did I honestly.

Starbucks may be a global company. They are huge. But to me, they do it well. Some complain that they take away business from the small guy. Let’s first realize that there were very, very few coffee shops that offered the “third place” experience before Howard Schultz got excited and spread the word. Sorta like Christopher Columbus. Columbus may not have been the first explorer to set foot in “the new world”, but he was surely the first one to get so excited about it! He went back to Europe and marketed his enthusiasm, spreading the word of this wonderful new place and blah blah blah…..and here I am in the center of that “new world” this morning. [Yes, we can and should continue to talk about all the horrible tragedies that transpired involving the American Indian, but that is a conversation for another day.] The point is, Howard Schultz may not have been the exact first, but he surely ran forward and spread the glorious idea!

When I lived in Chapel Hill, NC, starting my morning reading a book or newspaper over a cup of coffee was a favorite activity. In the beginning, most mornings I walked to a locally-owned coffee shop. Very artsy. Loved the decor! There was hardly ever anyone else there, and soon I realized why. The coffee was not bad, but there was not a smile in the place. No one to make me feel welcomed. The man behind the counter always made me feel like if I had not come in he could still be in the bed!

Soon I was a regular at the Starbucks about a block away. In no time they knew my “regular”. They made me feel welcomed. Made me feel like they were very glad to see me. Almost as if we were all part of the same team. People were walking in all morning, lining up to take their coffees with them to work. Every once-in-a-while I would try the independent store again, because I do believe in supporting them, but couldn’t stay. Nope. For my money I also wanted to feel appreciated – not in the way!

Once in 1998, and once in 2006, I seriously considered opening a bookstore and small coffee shop in my small town in Virginia. I planned strenuously and strategically. Studied my community (what worked in Richmond or Durham would not necessarily be the best for my own community). Found the perfect locations. Planned on salaries of valid employees. Offering students (also valid employees) before and after school the chance to earn a little money and learn about customer service and business and profits if they really wanted a job. Training for employees. Training for myself. Opening the hours most needed by my community. Marketing plans were of the utmost importance!

I went to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for a blueprint of sorts to make my plans. (SO much is available online, now. Unbelievable!!) I had already taken a few accounting classes, so I knew some about financial planning and balance sheets. I read all I could about Howard Schultz, and his first book, Pour Your heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One cup at a Time, was my favorite. I read more about coffees and brewing. And teas. Read about bookstores and the importance of a small business staying involved in the community. Ways to market and advertise. How to choose the best employees. Customer Service. Always customer service. In 1998 the SBA representative even told me after showing my plans to the group that was reviewing my work: I had the best business plan they had ever seen. Ever! Let me say here I was thrilled, but you must know it was not because I am so brilliant, it’s just because I followed their steps to a valid business plan step by step. I do know how to follow rules!

However, both times it came down to money. Both times the SBA encouraged me to continue through with my plan, follow through with my paperwork, but I was scared. There was so much money to borrow, so much money to pay back, and I did not believe I could do it. One thing I did not understand in financing was how to get investors. There were a couple people that simply came forward and said they wanted to invest – they knew me and wanted such a store in our community. It would have meant long hours for me, but after being a mom for many years, I was used to that! However, I just did not have the guts to take the risk. Period. The possibility of not being able to pay back people that believed in me? And the possibility of losing our house obviously would affect more people than myself. So I walked away from the opportunity.

However, I am so fortunate that I love my job as a librarian and know that for right now I am in the best place for me. However, I still think of my own business plans when I see another business done well.

Mtn Dew

Obviously I have been intensely preoccupied with school, so I thought Hey, why don’t I blog about school? Because if I keep waiting for life to happen, or another Fail Ad to come my way, cybersyrup is going to end up in Wherever Blogs go to Die in Cyperspace.

Therefore in theory, you can call this entry inspired. Because I got inspired to blog about school, right? Hah.

Anyroads.

I was sitting in my Marketing class today and we were discussing what marketers can do in times of inflation. People brought up strategies like adding more value to your product, etc (It’s really only ‘etc’ because I wasn’t paying attention). One girl then said it might be a good idea to offer the option of paying for your product in installments. Professor MAR showed the first real signs of life all morning and vehemently agreed that it was indeed a good idea. For some unfathomable reason, this exchange I heard loud and clear and actually paid attention to (Or, the Mountain Dew finally kicked in). The cogs in my brain slowly chugga-chuggaed into motion and I thought Hey! Inflation? Instalments? Instalments during times of inflation? What about Interest rates? Inflated interest rates…?

Yup, it was in that exact order and lack of coherence. (Don’t judge, it was 9.30AM and who thinks in full sentences anyway??)

So I decided to be a jerk and rebut her point. I also decided that I should do it nicely.

This were my exact words, “I’m just wondering tho… if during times of inflation, the interest rates would also, you know, be higher than it would be normally? And would that put consumers off? If they were to buy a product and pay for it in installments, it’s going to cost so much more…”

The professor looked at me and mumbled somethingorother. Clearly I didn’t catch it because I was basking in the afterglow of having made such an acute observation.

Moral of the story: Drink Mountain Dew (or Mtn Dew, pshhh yeahh abbreviations revamp your brand for the win) for breakfast.

The end,

Y

Nespresso, ou você tem uma ou...

Andei pensando em Nespresso estes dias por causa desta notícia. A Nespresso está abrindo esta semana mais uma Boutique Nespresso no país. Desta vez é no Morumbi Shopping em São Paulo. O novo endereço da marca vai vender máquinas de café espresso para o consumo no lar e máquinas da linha profissional, para uso em restaurantes, bares, hotéis e escritórios, além das cápsulas e acessórios, para uma “Experiência Suprema em Café”.

A empresa é líder mundial do mercado de café premium em porções individuais e passa a ter 7 boutiques no Brasil (6 em São Paulo).

Mas o que me impressiona mesmo, é  outra coisa. Como a Nespresso virou símbolo de status. Todas as agências e fornecedores que conheço têm uma máquina Nespresso. Virou símbolo de status corporativo. Se você não tem uma, é porque não deve estar bem das pernas.

Acho que eles realmente acertaram a mão naquelas cápsulas… ninguém presta atenção na cafeteira, mas aquela caixa de cápsulas é um show. Tenho um cliente que (logo no início do fenômeno) passou 30m explicando o processo e os sabores.

Espetáculo.

Is resistance the “real” dream killer?

Much debate goes on about what kills dreams these days, and of course there are many things.  But, how many of these things can be directly attributed to the person themselves?  What I mean is, instead of blaming the world, money, people, competition and everything outside of us, why not look within us first.

I just finished this book, The War of Art, Break Through The Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield. It was given to me at a Dan Kennedy workshop called the 7 Figure Academy.  The sole focus of this workshop was on the 7 ways to take your 6 figure business to 7 figures.  It was fascinating to me because a lot of this stuff I already knew and was using to help my clients.  Yet, it was assembled and explained to me in a way that I really got it on a whole other level too.

There was a lot of discussion and time spent on overcoming resistance.  Let’s face it, in order to be a successful entrepreneur and business owner, we have a lot of obstacles we need to face and overcome.  The biggest one I think is that huge internal one, you know what I’m talking about, those little voices inside of you that try to stop you from being successful. The ones that say you’re not good enough, or you don’t deserve this, or you’re going to fail, or instilling huge fear in you so much so that it freezes you right in your tracks and stops you from getting what you want and being successful.  These same voices that unfortunately have taken some great people from us like Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, John Belushi and others… they suffered from their inner demons and in the end couldn’t over come them. In fact, Oprah just had Whitney Houston on her opening show, wow, talk about demons and resistance.  Hers kept her from singing for almost 7 years.  Thank goodness she has a wonderful mom, who stepped in so she could find her incredible gift again, get past her demons of resistance and share her voice once more with the world.

I call them my little internal demons.  They rear their ugly heads when I least expect it.  In  Pressfield’s book, he talks a lot about how resistance shows up in your life and gives you some really great concrete ways to handle and push through them.  Here’s a great quote: Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.  Wow, that is so true. And another truth is we’re not alone in our resistance, we all struggle with it. Like when I was sitting down at the computer to write this, I could thing of a million other things I had to do and got up and did a few of them because I was “resistant” to writing this blog!

So my advice to you, is to be aware and pay more attention to yourself.  When you don’t want to do something, stop for a second, see if this is resistance calling and keeping you from doing something really great.  Make a daily plan where you’re focusing on core actions that will bring in more clients and more money each day.  Don’t fill your days with too many activities that will leave you feeling empty and like you have accomplished nothing. Face your internal demons and chip away at them so you can be the success entrepreneur that you came here to be.

One last thing that I have found really helps, join a group of like-minded entrepreneurs that meet on a regular basis. I”m in 2 different mastermind mind groups which were and still are awesome in helping me grow my business.  Nothing beats having like-minded entrepreneurs, who are incredibly successful, all working together to help you ensure your success as well.  This helps keep you stay on track with your business and make bigger leaps of  progress in shorter time frames. Remember isolation is a dream killer, that’s when the resistance demon strikes best.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes, “a rising tide floats all boats.” So work on overcoming your resistance and even helping others with this a long the way. We are much stronger together than we are separately.  There’s much power within in us.  Don’t let your fear and resistance take you away from being the incredible successful entrepreneur that you truly are and came here to be.

The art, science and ethics of software box shots

I have recently revamped the PerfectTablePlan payment pages. I asked Andrew Gibson of 3d-box-shot.com to create an image of the PerfectTablePlan packaging, using the existing artwork. I was very impressed with the result. The image is much cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing than I could have achieved by photographing the physical packaging. But I am much less keen on the practice of using box shots of software where is no box (i.e. download only). It seems disingenuous, at best.  Andrew kindly agreed to write a guest article for this blog with an insider’s view on the art, science and ethics of software box shots.

Almost every time the subject of box shots is raised in any sort of software marketing forum, opinion seems to split diametrically in two opposing camps. The first group don’t see any ethical problem with displaying a box shot for a “download only” product. The typical argument used in favour of box shots is that it makes a product appear more tangible to consumers. They can see what you’re selling without having to read about it. It removes any doubt that the site they are looking at has software to sell and, when used effectively, can add an air of professionalism to a site. Finally, there’s a widely held belief that because of this, displaying a box shot can improve conversion rates.

In contrast, the opposing group believe that displaying a box shot for a “download only” product is ethically wrong and fundamentally dishonest. They maintain that customers would complain about not receiving a physical package in the post that’s identical in every respect to the “bogus” box shot displayed on the website. I run my own Micro ISV, selling amongst other applications, a product called 3D Box Shot. As a result, you might be inclined to think that I fall into the first camp. However, I’m actually quite ambivalent about the issue. I use box shots on some of my sites and have never received a single complaint from a customer about them not receiving a physical product in the mail. However, consumers in different markets don’t all behave the same way, which is why advice that works for some ISV’s can be commercial suicide for others. I’m entirely willing to accept that in some markets, some customers may indeed complain about not receiving a physical product. I just haven’t experienced this first-hand.

It’s worth noting that existing users of your product can often be persuaded to purchase additional copies to give as gifts. They may not even make this connection themselves, so why not put the thought in their heads? Send a festive email offering to ship additional physical copies of your products (gift wrapped) to friends and relatives. Add something like the following to your site to make the point visually:

click for a larger image

It’s often stated that adding a box shot to your site can dramatically improve conversion rates for your products. It may come as a surprise to learn that I’m not convinced that this is true in all cases. Generally speaking a box shot isn’t some sort of magic bullet that will transform your sales overnight. However, if it is an integrated part of your marketing strategy then it can make a real difference.

So how do you go about integrating a box shot into your marketing strategy? From a design perspective you can integrate a box design by keeping everything visually consistent. Use your company and product logo on the box and clearly display your website URL as well. This will help to increase the marketing potential of your box shot.

One less obvious method is to add you box shot to the image for your PAD Screenshot. Most download sites are worse than useless when it comes to driving traffic to your site. So instead of thinking of the screenshot referenced in your PAD file as just a screenshot, think of it as a blank advertising canvass that thousand of download sites are happy to display for you free of charge…

click for a larger image

Using this method, you can attract visitors to your site even from low quality download sites that don’t even supply a link back to your website.

So how do you get a box shot designed? As a designer I have a fairly unique approach to software box design. I treat a design as a conceptual puzzle than needs to be solved in order to create an effective cover. The criteria I use are simple. Someone needs to be able to look at the box shot and immediately understand what the product is and does. If a box doesn’t meet this challenge, then it isn’t doing it’s job. It’s normally possible to create an effective visual metaphor for a product that explains visually what it’s all about. Here are some examples of the sort of designs I’m talking about:

click for a larger image

Trends in box design can change. Not so long ago lots of people were asking for Windows Vista Style boxes, but as it became more apparent that Windows Vista was destined to be seen in the same light as Windows ME, this requirement has tailed off. Nowadays the vast majority of design jobs that I do are for DVD cases, both virtual box shots and full print insert designs.

If you’re artistically talented and have access to a good quality image editing tool like Adobe Photoshop and have an easy means of transforming your 2D designs into a 3D Box, then you may well be able to create an effective looking box shot yourself.  However, once you consider the time this takes, hiring a designer seems a lot more reasonable. Since I design boxes commercially, I’ve acquired a lot of design resources including hundreds of royalty free vector images and a library of stock photography. I can draw on these resources when I’m creating a box design. This lets me develop designs quickly through the draft stage through towards the final design. However, as an experience box designer, I still find it challenging and rewarding work. But it is very time consuming.

If you’re determined to “do it yourself” then bear the following points in mind:

1. The box shot needs to visually show what your product is and does. Show your design to someone that’s never seen your product and ask them to tell you what your product does. If they can’t do this, then your design isn’t up to the job.
2. Make sure your website address is clearly visible on the box shot. If you ship a physical package you’ll have no way of controlling where it ends up. The box itself can drive traffic to your website. You don’t have to slap it on the front of the box, just make sure it’s there and can be seen.
3. Try to design a cover that fits with the look and feel of your website. Use the same (or at least, non conflicting) colour scheme as your site and try to use the same fonts. This will prevent your box shot from standing out on your site like a sore thumb.
4. Never use more than three different fonts in your design. Unless you are selling a font management application, this is sure way to spoil any design.
5. Design so that text is still visible when the box is reduced to a 250 x 250 thumbnail. If the text is legible at this size on your design, then unless the design carries the message all by itself, the box won’t work very well as a marketing tool.

click for a larger image

The image above was created in a rendering application at very high resolution. It took around 6 hours to complete on a dual core system. The resulting image is big enough to be used in print ads, or can easily be resized for use on the web.

Andrew Gibson is the head developer and lead designer for www.3d-box-shot.com, provider of box shots, packaging design, e-book covers and more. Box shot images from scratch start at $100. Box shots images from existing artwork can be created for as little as $25. All the images in this article were created by them. The original PerfectTablePlan packaging was designed by Nicola and Adrian Metcalfe.

Album Release Day! Like a kid in a candy store!

Muse: The Resistance. Released September 15th, 2009.

This is not a review of a new album or an inside look to the inner workings of the music industry, but more of a memory of just ‘BUYING’ music.

There is something to be said for those who ’still’ walk into HMV, or an indie record shop to pick up their favourite new release. With the rise of digital music sales (Somewhat), I can go music shopping while lying in bed using my iPhone. The experience is neat, but definitely does not have the same affect of walking into a record shop, seeing wall to wall CD’s like cereal boxes full of sugary goodness. The colours, sounds and atmosphere of record shops are like casino’s to me; like the first blast of oxygen being pumped into your body as the sounds of slot machines rattles your bones!

Today, I am sad to say, was the first time in a long time where the pure excitement of new music affected me. All day, I couldn’t wait to rush to the mall (of all places) and buy the new Thrice & Muse albums. Great bands – Huge fan! Both albums are on iTunes (Thrice’s Beggars was digitally pre-released to iTunes almost 6 weeks ago), but for some reason, I NEEDED the hard copy, CD, product, artwork, inserts – You get the picture. It’s a dying ‘past time’ to achieve this sensation. Heck, my little cousins havn’t seen a CD in years or even PAID for music in a long time (they don’t understand the VALUE of music! A discussion for another time).

I want to make sure you don’t think this is a knock on what music sales or the music experience has turned into, I am just providing a point of view from an individual who still believes that the CD hard copy has a place in todays digital world.

As I sit and write this, I am looking at my bedroom walls, staring at a Led Zeppelin II vinyl record, a frame full of album inserts of The postal Service, Kasabian, Stars of Track And Field and Refused, wondering who would NOT want to have these ‘collectibles’ as a music lover? It’s hard to think that most people don’t care about that ‘hand held’ product anymore, but what gets to me more, is that my kids may never experience the same adrenaline rush I feel when walking into a music store (I will try and teach them, no doubt).

Today helped me realize that no matter how much the digital world forms our future, there are simple little pleasures that still provide a very ‘human’ emotional sensation. As my network grows and people get to know me better, it’s important to shy away from the typical posts you may read from ‘Vocally Digital’ and discuss these little things that make us who we are. As a recent blogger, I find it important to show more then one side, one thought and one angle. As I listen to Beggars by Thrice, starting with track one: All The World Is mad, I realize that so many probably have this album downloaded for free already – but to me – the sound is much sweeter when I hold the cardboard package and flip through the creative pictured insert…. Priceless!

@JaredGolberg

Join me on Facebook www.facebook.com/jaredgolberg

Listen to my music choices on BLIP http://blip.fm/JaredGolberg

Who are you?

—Defining who you are during a job search

Flying back from Phoenix, I was troubled because I hadn’t been “on my game” in a big job interview.

A major HMO was trying to recruit me for a senior executive position. On the surface, it seemed like the ideal job. The salary was excellent. The title would have looked very impressive on a business card. The responsibilities would have expanded my professional portfolio. I even liked the people I met with. So why didn’t I feel better about the trip? Where was the disconnect?

I searched for answers, and as I got quiet with myself, the reality became obvious:  I had no passion for that job. My heart wasn’t in it because the job responsibilities did not represent who I am!

At my core I’m a marketing professional. I love marketing. My degree, my experience and my heart are all anchored in marketing.

So what was I doing in Phoenix? Well, earlier versions of my resume were misleading. Don’t get me wrong—I hadn’t lied or deceived anyone. The problem was that my resume was too accurate and factual. It led people to make wrong assumptions about who I was. You see, my resume accurately listed the departments for which I had been responsible—marketing, planning, business development, physician services, medical staff recruitment, real estate (as in medical office buildings) and managed care.

Some of those areas—like managed care—were very hot items in the health care industry so recruiters were very attracted to those elements in my portfolio. I suddenly realized that my resume was so accurate that it was actually misleading. It failed to position me for who I am and who I wanted to be. I rewrote it to focus on my core passion—marketing. In the list of responsibilities, I refrained from using the term “managed care” and instead talked about how my portfolio had included building strategic alliances with business partners.

I honed my resume, cover letter and key messages to focus primarily on marketing. I then developed a professional profile (and an elevator speech) that met these criteria:

Passionate. I defined who I was by what I cared most about. There were many facets of my previous job responsibilities that were very hot in the job market, but I don’t feel passionate about them. There were many things I had done, but that didn’t mean I wanted to continue pursuing them in my career.

Differentiating. In a world where we all blend in, I wanted to stand out. I wanted to be known for something that would separate me from the rest of the pack. I wanted to define who I was by using words and phrases that few others could easily use to describe themselves. We are each different, and in a job search we must capture the essence of our unique contribution in this world.

Multidimensional. I found it best to describe myself in one sentence—an overarching statement describing who I am professionally. I then supported that one sentence with three bullet points to help people triangulate my ideal career position. At the top level, my one sentence summary identified me as a marketing professional. The supporting bullet points added depth by focusing my marketing career on 1) planning, 2) corporate communication or 3) business development.

Memorable. When I described who I was professionally, I wanted people to remember me as a marketing professional. One way I did that was to create personal business cards that listed the three bullet points in the title section under my name.

My advice to someone in a job search is:  Develop a memorable script defining who you are. Below are suggested ways in which you can develop a compelling, accurate and differentiating definition of who you are.

1. Write. List the words or phrases that best describe you. Then use those descriptors to write a rough draft.
2. Test. Select three or four trusted friends and get their reactions to what you’ve written.
3. Rewrite. Hone the draft to no more than four or five sentences, if that. Edit. Rewrite. Edit. Rewrite.
4. Differentiate. Describe yourself in a way that your contemporaries could not use in their own professional profiles. Be different and memorable.
5. Practice. Make your elevator speech roll off your tongue with ease. Be conversational when describing who you are.
6. Adapt. Customize your message to a variety of media—resume, cover letter, business cards, LinkedIn summary, Facebook information, Twitter profile, or whatever method you will use to promote yourself.

Please share examples of how you or others have done a good job of creating a professional profile. What additional advice would you share with someone in a job search?

Chiến lược tạo sự khác biệt

Mọi chiến lược thành công đều liên quan đến việc tạo sự khác biệt, ngay cả chiến lược dẫn đầu về chi phí thấp. “Chúng tôi có thể đưa quý vị bay đến Genoa nhanh hơn các đối thủ cạnh tranh”, “Hàng của chúng tôi không thể bán rẻ hơn được nữa”,… Nhưng với hầu hết công ty, sự khác biệt được thể hiện theo cách mà khách hàng đánh giá cao.

Ví dụ, khi Thomas Edison bắt đầu tiếp thị hệ thống đèn điện của mình, các đối thủ chính của ông là những công ty gas địa phương. Cả hai phương pháp chiếu sáng này đều hiệu quả, nhưng phương pháp của Edison có sự khác biệt rõ ràng mà phần lớn khách hàng đều ủng hộ.

Khác với đèn dùng gas, đèn điện không tỏa nhiệt nhiều trong phòng vào những đêm hè nóng bức. Đèn điện lại thuận tiện hơn, chỉ cần ấn nhẹ công tắc để bật hoặc tắt đèn, và nó còn loại bỏ được nguy cơ hỏa hoạn nghiêm trọng trong nhiều ứng dụng. Edison đã tạo ra những khác biệt này khi tấn công và loại bỏ sự thống trị ở lĩnh vực chiếu sáng đô thị của các công ty gas vào cuối thập niên 1800.

Tương tự, ngày nay các công ty áp dụng chiến lược tạo nên sự khác biệt. Hãy xem ngành công nghiệp ô tô. Volvo giới thiệu đặc tính bền vững và an toàn để tạo nên sự khác biệt. Toyota nổi tiếng về chất lượng nhưng giá bán lại cao, và gần đây hãng này lại tạo nên sự khác biệt với mô hình xe Prius sử dụng động cơ hybrid. Mini Cooper thì tuyên bố với khách hàng rằng thật thú vị và đặc biệt khi dùng xe của họ. Porsche cũng làm cho mình khác biệt bằng cách tập trung phát triển các xe thể thao hiệu suất cao. Trong khi GM cung cấp các loại xe phù hợp với ngân sách của mọi gia đình và Toyota tự tin tuyên bố chất lượng và độ tin cậy cao, thì cả hai hãng này lại không tỏ ra hấp dẫn đối với những khách hàng quan tâm đến tốc độ, sự nhanh nhẹn và cảm giác điều khiển đường đua ở LeMans(1). Porsche đã làm được điều này thông qua chiến lược tạo nên sự khác biệt của mình.

Làm sản phẩm thông thường trở nên khác biệt

Ngay cả với những sản phẩm thông thường, các nhà chiến lược kinh doanh cũng tìm thấy và khai thác các cơ hội để làm chúng trở nên khác biệt. Mặc dù giá cả và các đặc điểm sản phẩm có thể như nhau, nhưng vẫn có thể tạo nên sự khác biệt trên cơ sở dịch vụ. Ngành kinh doanh xi măng là một ví dụ. Xi măng vốn là một sản phẩm rất thông thường, không có gì đặc biệt. Tuy nhiên, công ty Cemex tại Mexico – nhà cung cấp lớn thứ ba thế giới – đã phát triển khả năng giao hàng nhanh chóng và tin cậy khiến sản phẩm của họ trở nên khác biệt rõ ràng so với các sản phẩm của nhiều đối thủ cạnh tranh. Cemex đã có được quyền lực công nghiệp mạnh mẽ trong nhiều thị trường vì họ đã chấp nhận chiến lược sản xuất và chiến lược hậu cần công nghệ cao nhằm giao hàng đúng hẹn đến 98% thời gian, so với 34% của hầu hết các đối thủ cạnh tranh. Trong lĩnh vực xây dựng, vốn luôn hoạt động theo quy trình chặt chẽ, việc giao hàng đúng hẹn được đánh giá rất cao, đặc biệt là khi việc giao hàng trễ đồng nghĩa với việc công nhân không có việc làm nhưng vẫn phải trả lương. Trong trường hợp này, uy tín cao đã tạo nên sự khác biệt hiệu quả cho một sản phẩm bình thường. Bạn có thể đạt được điều tương tự bằng cách cung cấp cho khách hàng dịch vụ hỗ trợ hoàn hảo.

Nguồn: Chiến lược kinh doanh hiệu quả

Investing in Hot Markets

by Steve Cook

Frequently, I am approached by investors throughout the country who think they cannot invest where they live because it’s a hot market. Currently, I live in an area ranked as the third hottest market in the country and am still finding great deals. And not only do great deals exist, but they keep getting better!

So what am I doing differently? I’m focusing on doing fewer deals and selecting projects that will result in higher profit margins. Opportunities that will net in excess of $100,000 for rehabbing and at least $20,000 for wholesaling are most desirable. In the past, the average retail value of homes I purchased was about $75,000. Now I purchase homes in the $250,000 range or higher in order to achieve my desired margins.

To achieve these types of margins, I’ve begun pursuing the following types of deals:

Commercial Deals: Although buying, rehabbing and reselling commercial is not my top interest, high margins can be made by buying, improving and holding, or just wholesaling commercial deals. In hot markets there are always people looking for profitable commercial deals. If you don’t have the money to buy the commercial property yourself, consider wholesaling it to someone who has the money.

Land Deals: In hot markets, land is always a wise investment and is usually easier to sell than a home. This is primarily because there are many cash buyers waiting for land to build their dream home. In purchasing land, I look for properties that either have the potential for subdivision or have large parcels of land where a lot or two for new homes can be built or sold to a builder.

Obsolete Homes: In the 50’s, there were many homes built and a significant number were small, one bathroom ranchers. It was the American dream! Unfortunately, many people now believe ranchers are insufficient and worthless. This is a good thing for investors. In areas that are hot and have a number of these homes, investors are usually able to buy these ranchers for less than the value of the lot itself. In purchasing this type of home, I will either tear down the rancher and build a new one or build modern additions to make it more attractive to buyers. The key thing most buyers want is a minimum of two bathrooms. When I buy one of these homes slightly under or at market value, I can usually get about $2 back for every $1 in renovation and additions. If I buy a home for $200,000 and put $70,000 into it, getting $350,000 or more for the home isn’t uncommon. Another obsolete and hot item is a house on the water. Recently, I’ve been seeking small cottages on Baltimore’s waterfront (a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay) with the intent of tearing them down and putting up new homes. I’m able to occasionally buy an outdated cottage for $250,000, put a new home up for $200,000 and retail it for $600,000 or more.

Condos: Builders and buyers can’t build enough of them. Taking old apartment buildings and doing condo conversions is hotter than ever. Do a nice job and make them luxury condos, buyers will be lining up for them. Of course, give consideration to location because condos are more desirable in some areas than others. For example, the Manhattan market demands condos. Everyone wants one. However, many are outdated with old kitchens, antiquated bathrooms and horrendous decorations, especially the wallpaper. Although condos in this area frequently sell for over $1 million, they are small and renovations are only needed to the inside of the units. That’s the bonus for investors – no exterior renovations. An AWESOME renovation will cost about $30,000-$40,000 and sell for $150,000 more in many cases.

Pay Full Price and Still Make Quick Cash: There are always hot spots within hot markets. These are areas where people are lining up and waiting for homes to come available. There are more buyers than available inventory. People will make full price or higher offers the day listings come out, regardless of what the home looks like inside. They just want to get into the neighborhood. In pursuing these deals, I would do mailings in these hot neighborhoods and let people know that I’m looking to buy a home, am willing to pay them full price and can save them the realtor’s commission. I would sit back and patiently wait for the sellers to call. Because it’s a private sale, I would tie the homes up with very small deposits and then look to assign my contract to a retail buyer who is willing to pay more than I am to get into the neighborhood. Since no realtor is involved, I would negotiate a fair price with the sellers and get the benefit of the savings plus whatever the buyers are willing to bid over list price. When dealing in markets where homes sell for $400,000 or more, a $20,000 markup or more isn’t that big of a deal. When getting upwards of a million dollar home, $50,000-$100,000 is almost irrelevant to a motivated buyer.

The good news is this – there are opportunities everywhere, everyday. Think outside of the box and approach deals a little differently. With my focus on higher profit margins and the type of deals listed above, four deals now can net me $1 million or more. Before, I had to do about 100 deals to make that amount of money. For those of you who are ready, there is a ton of money to be made in high-end and hot markets. Don’t let a hot market stop you from doing deals – they’re actually easier to make money in than anywhere else.

Condom Commercial Kid and Parenting Wars in Media

You may have seen this Zazoo Condoms nugget that has been circulating around and featured on TV shows about funny commercials. There is even an entry in the Urban Dictionary about it. That’s right. Annoying children everywhere are now being referred to a Condom Commercial Kids. It is said to be BANNED, does anyone know why it was banned? It should be mandatory for high school sex ed classes. I have actually seen a lot of new indie vids that are sort of anti-kids or anti-motherhood. I believe it is backlash from all the current celebrity baby obcessions and constant baby gushing quotes in media.

Motherly Instinct by Walking Contradiction – skit submitted to funnynotslutty.com by Heidi Edsall. Walking Contradiction is a sketch group consisting of Heidi, Keisha Zollar and Selena Coppock. This was just featured at the Boston Comedy Festival.

Pregnant Women are Smug by Garfunkel and Oates

And one more good example,  Sexy Single.

Seems like a storm is brewing. Parents VS Childless. Or is that Child Free?

[Via http://thehumerusuterus.wordpress.com]

Christianity

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[Via http://revavyn.wordpress.com]

Unique British sense of humor.. | FT.com

FACEBOOK vs. TWITTER series 18/800

The Brits are at it again, looking at their tea cup and making up the stats..

zyakaira notes: USA, India and Brazil remain the largest and most active twitter users, high mobile and broadband penetration remain bullwarks of the Chinese and Indian economies growth, but I guess the British must also get ahead

London is staking its claim as the Twitter capital of the world as a flock of local start-ups ride the communications network’s huge wave of growth.

While Twitter is the toast of its native Silicon Valley in California, London boasts more users than any other city in the world. Twitter allows its 40m users to post 140 character updates or “tweets” on the web or via mobile phones.

Even though Twitter itself is yet to generate any revenue, early-stage investors are pouring millions of pounds into small companies in the Twitter “ecosystem” in the London area.

London has produced the most popular of the many third-party tools used to post to Twitter, called Tweetdeck. Reading’s Tweetmeme, which tracks the most popular news stories discussed on Twitter, is attracting millions of visitors a month while Twitterfeed, based in Tooting, is used by thousands of publishers to post their latest headlines on to the site.

“In the UK we’ve got a real phenomenon going on,” says John Borthwick, the British-born chief executive of Betaworks, a New York company that has invested in Tweetdeck, Twitterfeed and Twitter itself. Just as Scandinavia took an early lead in mobile technology, “the UK has become fast-forward in terms of social”, thanks to high broadband penetration.

via FT.com / Media – Twitter branches out as London’s ‘ecosystem’ flies.

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Networking Savvy for Sales and Service Professionals

Networking Savvy for Sales and Service Professionals requires much more than putting your company’s name in the yellow pages. By definition, networking means to weave a relationship fabric with local like-minded individuals for support and mutual assistance. To succeed, you must continuously be pro-active, organized and stick to a strategic plan of action.  In other words, start with your immediate sphere of influence and compile a list to begin your network database. Friends, relatives, friends of relatives, spouse’s relatives and contacts, current colleagues, neighbors, business associates, doctors, lawyers, and professionals that you work with, members of social or church organizations, professional association members, local school associations, etc. With names in hand, begin to construct a client profile of each. Getting to know your customers and potential customers will enable you to both better you can service them and market effectively and efficiently.  Spreading your marketing net too wide will waste both time and money. Choose specific target markets and plan for consistent monthly or bi-monthly contact to ensure high visibility and response rate. Once you’ve established both your sphere of influence and your target market areas, be diligent in your communication. Remember to balance your contact by incorporating the “Send, Call, See” method to your marketing. Send prospects something tangible every 3-6 weeks. Postcards are the most cost effective and automatic method and can be supplemented with letters,　personal notes　or promotional items. Calling your contact list is critical as well every few months to wish a happy holiday, inform them of industry news, upcoming events, promotions, or just to ask if there is anything they need keeps you in their mindset. Take the time to stop and see your clients when possible. Putting the actual face with the name and letting customers know you are available helps them to know you are both personable and accessible. Networking associations can be found in every community. Local chamber of commerce, civic associations, and community groups abound! Most hold monthly or regular meetings, which is a tremendous opportunity to share ideas, find mentors and build relationships. Don’t be a wallflower or passive observer however. Be genuine in your participation and willingness to help your new colleagues. Present yourself with contagious enthusiasm and good nature, and you will soon find yourself first in mind when someone asks a member of your network who they know in your field! Making a name for yourself as your industry’s resource for expertise takes both time and visibility. So start soon! Create short presentations related to your field complete with helpful hints, tips and tools you can share with consumers. Offer to present at local associations, community meetings, school events, public forums, etc. Let your local media know that you are available as well for local cable or talk radio. Put together a series of press releases, articles or both that you can send monthly to your local publications. In a competitive market, spreading the word that you are the “go-to” expert in your field will reap high dividends in the networking long run. In any field, those who follow up will lead, succeed and excel far beyond their competition. Marketing is not a hit or miss proposition. It is a systematic process for building a successful organization. Leads are worthless without follow up and you will never hear from customers who never hear from you. Make sending hand written thank you notes each week a habit. The power behind this old fashioned format is exponential. Always express your gratitude and reaffirm commitments in a timely manner. Timing is EVERYTHING in lead generation. Use every resource at your disposal. Develop a weekly plan to set aside time for email, personal notes and phone calls. Whether that be carving out an hour or two each day or devoting one or two days a week, make it automatic and you will render the best results. Be sure in every case to personalize your contact with as many specifics as possible. It is much too easy to get caught in the timeless trap of working so hard in our business that we lose sight of working on our business. Keep your mind sharp, your sources fresh and your ability to walk the cutting edge by committing to business and personal development. Today’s ability to stay on top of the game by manipulating the internet for industry information, skill building tools, motivation and inspiration makes succeeding simpler than any other time in history! Consider on any given day, at any given hour you can download valuable tools from industry experts to motivate, train and give you the incentives you need to realize your goals, make your dreams possible and truly lead a better life. Take the time this week, this month, and every month to be the very best you can be personally and professionally. Networking then becomes that much simpler as you always have fresh ideas to share, new information to deliver and new opportunities to communicate with those around you. www.prospectsplus.com  today or call us should you need help at 1.866.405.3641.   

 

 

Build in Your Backyard First.  

Don’t Try to be All Things to All People.  

Join In! 

Spread the Word.  

Fuel Your Business With Follow Up!　

Stay in the Know.  

Make today matter. Implement networking strategies and marketing plans that will propel your business and bring you new success. At ProspectsPLUS!, we appreciate your business and consider it our passion and purpose to provide consistent tools and techniques to open new doors and help you solidify your business foundation. Visit

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