New Marketing Rules

Does Size Matter to Become a Brand Leader?

2010-08-08T19:45:00.003-04:00

Many people have talked about the need for Canada to have a lager population to not only be relevant on the world stage but to remain a competitive one with their iconic brands.

I vehemently disagree.

A small country such as Swtizerland (around 10 million) has dozens of highly visible brand names suchs as Nestle, Swatch, Rolex, ABB, Hoffman LaRoche, Bauer etc. Over in Sweden (population: 5 million) Volvo, Saab, Electrolux, Ericsson, Sandvik among others have shown how a supposedly little country can play on the world stage.

Interestingly, large countries like Russia, India, China, and Brazil have few global brands that we can name.

In the old mass marketing model country size may have been important. Not today. The only thing preventing Canada (3 times the size of Switzerland, and 7 times bigger than Sweden) from creating more iconic brands is creativity, holistic philosophical thinking, and the risk to take chances that may end up in failure....or a huge global success.

The Weakness of Marketing Communication

2010-08-07T19:58:00.000-04:00

Most people when they think of Marketing, they think of promotion (the fourth P) and message communication. While this is still important today, the product/service experience is much more important in creating a strong brand.

Brands provide the bulk of defense against price competition, thus allowing the market to pay a premium for that brand. But this is not because an organization spends more money on advertising or puts out more press releases or even creates a compelling story that goes viral.

The ultimate strength of the brand is based on its performance, not its' promotion - the remark-ability or how purple a product/service is.

While a brand may be initially be launched by its publicity (storytelling) the only sustainable advantage it has is determined by its performance.

In a hyper competitive marketplace companies are realizing that brands are their only hope of gaining attention and respect in an saturated uncaring marketplace. Therefore it is extremely important to see a brand as a promise of value, becoming the organizing concept for all the organization's activities that surround the brand (not the other way around).

If all it took was excellent marketing communication then the dot com boom would still be a boom instead of a big bust in many people's pride and wallets.

The Biggest Misconception of Marketing

2010-04-08T20:12:00.000-04:00

Marketing is a terribly misunderstood subject in all circles of life especially when it comes to business and the public's mind.

Companies think that marketing exists to support manufacturing, to get rid of the company's products. The truth is the reverse: manufacturing exists to support marketing. The company can always outsource its manufacturing, but what makes a company is its marketing offers and ideas which is difficult to permanently outsource (although a consultant can help from time to time) as said company would no longer exist. All the functional areas of business: purchasing, finance, R&D, HR exist to help the company achieves its goals in the customer marketplace

Marketing is also often too confused with selling. Selling is only the tip of the marketing ice berg. What is unseen is the extensive market research, development of product/services, the challenge of pricing them right, finding the right distribution, letting the market know about their product, and measuring it's success. It is thus a more comprehensive process than selling.

Selling starts only when you have a product (downstream), whereas marketing starts way before that (upstream) and is a long term investment effort (this may be way CMO's in public companies are often short lived0

When marketing is done well, it occurs before the company makes any product or enter any market; and continues long after the sale.

How To Increase Voter Turnout

2009-10-03T11:59:00.003-04:00

Don't be like the simplistic state of Maine and make your ballot question so only PhD's can vote.

"Do you want to cut the rate of municipal tax excise by an average of 55% on motor vehicles less than 6 years old and exempt hybrid and other alternative energy and highly fuel efficient motor vehicles from sales tax and threes years of excise tax?"

Ironically, the Clarity Act is what is preventing Quebec from separating from Canada.

How to go viral in 7 days

2009-07-27T08:14:00.002-04:00

Be bold at your wedding.

The stories will last a lifetime.

10 Things Every Entrepreneur Should Know...

2009-07-26T07:50:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of Harvey Schachter

1. Make meaning, not money

Most companies founded to make money fail. They attract the wrong kind of co-founders and early employees – people who are too greedy. Instead, entrepreneurs should focus on making their products mean something more than the sum of its components, and the money will follow. Nike’s aerobic sneakers, which cost a few dollars to make, for example, have been sold to women as standing for efficacy, power and liberation.

2. Make a mantra, not a mission statement

Bland, generic mission statements such as “delivering superior quality products for our customers and communities through leadership innovation and partnerships” serve no one but the consultant brought in to develop them. Instead, keep it short and define yourself by what you want to mean to consumers. Nike stands for “authentic athletic performance,” while FedEx is about “peace of mind.”

3. Leap ahead

Instead of just trying to stay a little bit ahead of competitors, find a way to leap ahead. The goal of a company, say, producing the early daisy-wheel printers, wouldn’t be to develop more font sizes for Helvetica but break through with the laser printer.

4. Roll the DICEE

In product design, you need to roll the DICEE – Mr. Kawasaki’s acronym for five important concepts: D is for deep, or thinking about features that go beyond the norm, as sandal maker Reef Fanning did by building a bottle opener into the sole of its shoes. I is for intelligence, as seen in the design of Panasonic’s BF-104 flashlight, which uses batteries of three different sizes to accommodate the random mix of extra batteries people have around the house. C is for complete, or being not just a product, but including support and service. The first E is for elegance, since beauty matters. And the second E stands for emotive, since great products, like those from Harley-Davidson, generate strong emotions.

5. Be crappy

Your innovation doesn’t have to be perfect and indeed can have elements of crappiness to it. Twitter, he says, has many flaws, but is changing people’s habits.

6. Polarize people

Try to be all things to all people and you often deliver mediocrity. The boxy Toyota Scion xB looks ugly to some people but very cool to its devotees.

7. Let 100 flowers bloom

You never know from where your innovations will flower, so let as many blossom as possible, bringing them to market to see if they attract any attention from customers. Avon Products’ Skin-so-Soft cream became popular as a mosquito repellent. “Learn who’s buying your product, ask them why and give them more reasons. That’s a lot easier than asking people who aren’t interested, ‘why not,’ and trying to change their minds,” he says.

8. Churn, churn, churn

Listen to feedback from customers, and continually improve your product. That’s difficult for innovators, since they often had to ignore the naysayers to get their product launched.

9. Niche yourself

The best products or services are unique and offer value. Successful companies create a separate niche for a high-value offering.

10. Follow the 10-20-30 rule

When pitching to venture capitalists, use no more than 10 PowerPoint slides, keep the pitch to 20 minutes, and employ a 30-point font size in the presentation to keep it simple, as well as readable. The goal of your pitches isn’t to walk home with a cheque, but simply to not be eliminated from consideration.

What Do Your Customers Really Want?

2009-05-06T16:37:00.002-04:00

Interesting Post on this topic here.

I especially like the article for calling out "feature creep". Too often marketers just add more bells and whistles to products that creates artificial differentiation.

If you can't explain your product, service, or idea, in 10 words or less, kill it.

Teaching Marketing

2009-05-01T16:46:00.000-04:00

It's one thing to stand up in front a classroom teaching the in's and out of marketing theory, but it's a whole different ball game to get you and your students into the trenches and learn how to sink or swim. Excellent teachers know how to cross this chasm but sadly many do not (or won't)

Universities are excellent at teaching critical, forward thinking skills, but lack in the practical stuff. Think outside the box and look to the future.

Colleges excel in the practical stuff, but only if that practical stuff doesn't change much over time, and one stays inside the box.

Flaws in both systems. Maybe that's why so many students in retrospect, are unsatisfied with their education.

Marketing Quote of the Decade

2009-03-27T12:34:00.001-04:00

"The best products and services sell themselves. The rest have to be advertised. Moral of the story: if its advertised, it probably sucks"

So where are you investing your scarce marketing resources: in the product or the communication?

Are You Boring?

2009-03-13T00:00:00.001-04:00

Do your customers talk about you?

Do you stay well past quitting time working on rainmaking projects? Or do you fret away with useless applications that no one really cares about.

Do you seek to not only understand the "how" of things but "why" you do it?

Do you avoid cynical, commodity thinking?

Do you prefer to take risky, inspiring ideas and bring them to fruition?

Do you look to cross the chasm from Good to Great?

Then you're not boring.

Becoming unboring is not free. It not only requires time, sweat, and money, but a willingness to be wrong. A willingness to make mistakes.

Being unboring is a choice. Which side are you on?

Understanding Marketing Myopia

2009-03-12T09:08:00.003-04:00

Selling has historically focused on the needs of the seller; marketing, on the needs of the buyer.

Organizations must not think of themselves as a producers of good and services, but as buying customers. Yes, that's right, using la carte de credit, and investing in the people who buy from you.

To do this, you have to go back to the basics: What business are you really in?

Had the railway industry defined itself in the transportation business instead of just trains, it is very likely they would have been well positioned against the future competition of cars, buses, and planes.

It is the reason why Honda doesn't make the best cars in the world, they make the best engines. Successful travel agencies don't book travel, they look to create permanent life memories. Great consultants don't just solve your problems, they make sure they stay solved.

Failing to focus on what your real core strengths in a vertical (industry) rather than horizontal (different sectors) creates companies that end up being stuck in a rut with no prospects for future success.

The road to success is lined with mediocre, short sighted train wreck,s that prevent you from crossing the chasm of good to great.

Don't be one of them.

The only sustainable competitive advantage you have...

2009-03-09T09:20:00.002-04:00

Is superior understanding of your customers.

You cannot, repeat, cannot, maintain a tech or marketing advantage in the long run, as its way too easy for somebody to copy what you're doing.

You must not only figure out what customer's value your product/service/idea, but why.

Why pay a premium for you product when the competition sells for less?
Why drive the extra 25 km to a corner store when they are 4 less than a block away?
Why should I tell my friends about you?
Why is your offering so irresistible I cannot be forced to keep it a secret?
Why value our relationship?
Why are you remarkable?
Why should I stick by your side in good times and bad?

If you don't understand your customers, your competition just might. And that might put you out of business for good. Especially during recessions.

The Real Economic Problem

2009-03-05T10:35:00.000-05:00

Today's major world problem is not the current recession but what caused it: overcapacity.

Customers are scarce, but products aren't
Finding demand for an idea is tough, but supply is easy.
Following the crowd is safe, being different is hard and scary.

When we have overcapacity (real estate bubble, and financial interments that no one really understands) hyper competition becomes a serious threat to our way of life. With too many goods chasing too few customers, coupled with a lack of real differentiation, a dog eat dog behaviour ensues, leading to market failure.

The old economy is based on manufacturing industries. The new economy is based on creating knowledge that is worthy and highly spreadable.

Sometimes its really hard to notice the writing on the wall, but the sooner we do, the faster we can prepare for the future.

Forget the marketing mix - Introducing the 4 C's of Marketing

2009-03-01T09:29:00.001-05:00

We all know about the 4 P's of Marketing: Product, Price, Place and Promotion.

The problem with this approach is its selfish marketing. Inward thinking. Creating the product before creating the marketing. The traditional way of "marketer knows best" thinking.

It seems not much has changed since the invention wayyyy back in the 1940's, except that approx 80% of all new products fail each year using this model. So much for foolproof thinking.

Marketers who subscribe to the new marketing philosophy of customer centric marketing know we've already moved past this model, thanks to Bob Lauterborn to the four C's:

Customer
Developing a product and then trying to sell it to the mass market doesn't work so well anymore (I wonder why). Studying what your customer wants and attract them with something each wants. This is much like Seth's book on Tribe building. Find a tribe of unsatisfied customers and then develop your offering to solve their problem. The marketing comes before the product!

Cost
Never (ever) compete on price alone. There are far too many businesses that are willing to go bankrupt before you on price - don't be one of them. Unless your Wal-mart or have some secret distributive strategy that makes Amazon and China jealous, you need to understand that cost is only one part of the value equation. People may well pay more money (and they do) if the value is higher than the cheap mass market alternative. Understand the true cost to satisfy your client. Think in resources and value, not dollars and cents.

Convenience
You must think of convenience to buy instead of place. Not everyone prefers to buy the same way. Some prefer online shopping, others bricks and mortar. Some require 24 hour round the clock support (late majority), while others prefer the challenge of figuring how to use your product (innovator/early adopters). Understanding how they buy and what resources they need before/during/after a sale is critical.

Communication
Promotion can be (is!) manipulative. People have been burned for far too long about gimmicks, guarantees, and questionable offerings to be duped later on. Communication requires a two way dialogue between the buyer and seller, that personalized, anticipated, and relevant to their wants. Never mind the fact that being a facilitator and collaborator instead of a dictator/manipulator can do wonders to brand building.

Remember who keeps you in business.

Leveraging Your Expertise

2009-02-23T20:15:00.005-05:00

Talking with a friend today over lunch, we were discussing the frustrations and enormity of creating change in the workplace. Especially when one is still young, ambitious, and full of ideas.

When any young professional comes out of school, they are often in for a rude awakening of how little change or efficacy they have.

They quickly learn that they must wait. Wait for the day for the baby boomers to keel over and retire before they can make their strike.

Going to work for a large, top heavy organization (especially government) one's spirit for change gets slowly eroded as they must wait 20 odd years or so before they have moved up the ladder enough to actually create the change the wish they want to see.

Unfortunately for most people - by the time they reach that run on the ladder, they're tired, cynical, and stuck in their ways. The enthusiasm and idealistic spirit is gone, replace by the countdown to retirement.

So what to do?

Besides quitting your job and going to work for a smaller organization who may give you that leverage (hard to do in a recession), you must consider three pillars of leveraging your influence in a large organization:

1. What is the probability of success of your idea? (Is there a market for it)
No one can totally predict the future, but providing quantifiable ways ofs to determine the probablity of success is a large reassurer for your skeptical, risk averse colleagues. Using the known to make the unknown more palatable is key for getting people on side.

2. Is your idea worth doing? (Executability)

Even if the sucess seems high, remarkable ideas are never short of hard work. Theres time, risk and effort involved, and no one likes to waste time on projects that go nowhere. Remember: it's easy to come up with ideas, but the execution is a whole different ball game. Just because you may great at generating ideas doesnt mean theres a market (see #1) or worth spending scarce resources on.

To combat the exeuction problem, determine each of your stakeholder's worldview so you can provide them with a "what's in it for me?" incentive. Some people are all about numbers, others about cool design, while other people are in love with raising the visibility of the organization or themselves.

3. Are you the right person to champion the idea?

Leaders aren't born. They're made. And leadership comes in all different types. You need to build your champion status in advance prior to putting forth your ida. The bigger the idea the more personal brand equity you will need to be taken serious. It's a given that everyone has a personal brand, but you would be surprised how few go about managing themselves to be viewed as experts in their field

Yes, you can always put yourself away for endless years at grad school and other accreditiated programs, but there are many other ways of becoming credible that don't involve thousands of dollars, and ridiculous admission requirments. Instead try creating a blog, volunteer for projects that are in line with your expertise, write an e-book, teach a course for free, offer free advice on business network forums, or even become an active member in your chamber of commerce. They key is that there are an infinite ways to become an credible source, you just have to consistently and authenitcally display it.

Barring all that, you could just become an independent consultant :)

You Will Be Punished

2009-02-18T20:03:00.000-05:00

You will be punished for not getting the job because of your counter intuitive, holistic, marketing views.
You will be punished if you think outside the box that goes against the grain of your colleague's thinking - or worse, your bosses.
You will be punished for speaking out at your weekly meeting for questioning the team's motivations.
Society will punish you if you deviate away from a formal education path (you're too risky)
Your peers will punish you for being "too different" or "weird" because of your creative thinking
You will be punished for speaking out, as those who speak out seek change, and it's much more easy to label them a sh*t disturber then entertain their ideas.
Being idealistic is definitely punishable. Pragmatism must rule the day.
Don't have the necessary credentials to meet the artificial barriers? Punishment will be swift.
Challenging your peers thinking, and promoting a higher standard of thinking is highly punishable by shunning.
By being risky, and focusing on niche ideas, you are asking the mass market to forever punish you.

With it being so easy, safe, and convenient (in the short run) to embrace the status-quo and blend in with the crowd, are you really sure you want to be an entrepreneur or agent of change?

Remember, you will be punished.

Why People Don't Buy From You

2009-02-17T16:49:00.004-05:00

Whether your a profit 100 company, struggling political party, or ambitious (arrogant) entrepreneur, knowing why people are passing you up for the competition is critical to your survival.

1. They don't trust you.

Who knows why. After all you thought you had a good story to sell. But maybe that's your problem. Too much inward thinking instead more outward thinking. Authenticity matters, and you can't build trust without your target market actually thinking your the real McCoy. Which brings us to number 2.

2. Don't know what's in it for them

People don't buy drill bits, they buy holes. They don't buy insurance, they buy peace of mind. If you do a poor job of communicating, you don't deserve to make the sale.

And above else....

3. People rarely buy. They're often sold.

Buying is a logical/rational process - lowest price and convenience is the name of the game.

Being sold is an emotional/sensual experience - one involving another human, creating a relationship and thus loyalty.

Attracting that special someone online

2009-02-14T17:34:00.003-05:00

The secret to building a great website/online profile is all about what you want your prospect to do, when they arrive at your site.

Want them to take immediate action on something? Try using arousing stimuli.

Want visitors to stay longer? Adorn your pages and links with very pleasing/enjoyable things to do to encourage browsing.

Oh and keeping your mind out of the gutter helps too.

Making it easier to work with clients

2009-02-01T17:07:00.002-05:00

1. Realize you are selling - you need to be formal and overt about this.

2. Ask lots of questions - not everybody needs a retro style toaster or can afford your monthly subscription. Figure out who your real customer is by qualifying your prospects with targeted questions to avoid wasting your time with tire kickers.

3. Creating a review cycle - If you are selling custom products or services, build in sufficient time for review. That way you never have to tell the client that the choice is between making a change or busting the schedule.

4. Build In Milestones - this way the client understand the consequences of not sticking to the agreed terms.

5. Maximize your authenticity - work very smartly to ensure you are the real deal to your client, so that they are likely to believe what you say.

6. Keep the conversation focused - talk about work, not your personal feelings or the process. You would be amazed at how bogged down you can get with too much off topic chat.

7. Ask the obligating question: If I do xxx, will you be able to buy it then? And make sue to list everything as part of the xxx.

8. Invite feedback - ask "what else" a lot. Make sure you get both positive AND negative feedback. This is not the time for warm pats on the back.

9. Establish a written trail for everything - everyone hates the paper trail, so get really organized with a project management system to keep track of every critical detail.

10. Step by step selling is key - start by getting their buy in, then on your side, and then their signature.

New Blog: The Garrett Marketing Watch

2008-12-14T05:21:00.009-05:00

No I'm not abandoning this blog (to all you faithful anonymous viewers).

However, I am starting a marketing news watch. It will focus as a mini news aggregator on topics marketers can ill afford to ignore. Take a gander here.

Your feedback is always welcome - on either blog. After all, these blogs are for you (yes you!) who are into really cool marketing.

Ottawa is burning - and people are noticing (for a change)

2008-12-08T05:27:00.000-05:00

There's been a lot of crazy stuff happening on parliament hill, and I promise you a detailed analysis on the political marketing issues and what this means for our country, and why you the voter, should care.

A week is truly a lifetime in politics, and it's hard (even for a political junkie like myself) to keep up.

More to come...

History of Marketing

2008-12-04T05:48:00.001-05:00

Marketing is relatively a new discipline (came out the economics field in the early 1900's) and has many different (albeit painful) stages:

1. Production Concept - consumers favouring products that are available and highly affordable. The "Model T Ford" assembly line comes to mind here. WalMart has taken this to a totally new level with a distribution centre that has a conveyor belt that never shuts off!

2. Product Concept - consumers favouring continuous product improvements. This bred the cliche "new and improved" labels that have lingered like a bad stink. Personal goods that the mass marketers at P&G and Johnson & Johnson are all over this. How many different brands of Tide do you really need to clean your clothes? Really.

3. Selling Concept - people won't come near you until you've done the slick sales offering complete with snake oil, and plaid suited salespeople. Extra points if it's a cheap Italian suit. You don't have to look far for used cars sales or the need to be bubble wrapped in insurance before you set foot out the doors. Marketers who have lots (unlimited?) product to sell, will love you like no one else.

4. Marketing Concept - what modern marketing is known for: achieving organizational goals by understanding the needs and wants of their target market. Delivery this offering better than their competitors helps too. Unless your Microsoft, where you'll just buy out your competition! Most marketing consultants, experts, ganja, and ivory tower academics subscribe to this inward thinking.

5. Societal Marketing Concept - welcome to the new frontier of new marketing. Where companies make remarkably marketing by considering customer's wants (their needs are already fulfilled), their long run interests (being treated like a human being), and society's long run interests (no more spam, clutter, or interrupting ads). Inward thinking has been shown the door, and marketing now revolves around outward thinking (who's my customer, and where do they hang out?), and how best to create relationships (loyalty) in a low trust world.

You can probably guess which category I fall in so I'll spare the obvious. Speaking of categories, while they may be useful for organizing your information, your target audience really doesn't care about being put in a box. They rather just be treated special, in a permissive, interactive, way.

Death of TV Advertising

2008-11-30T04:54:00.003-05:00

This is just another nail in the traditional marketing coffin:

"It looks like 2008 will be the first year in 48 years that TV-station
advertising will decline in a presidential election and Olympic year.."
-Michael Nathanson, media analyst, Sanford Bernstein

If your still using traditional ads, whether they be on TV, Radio, or Print, you seriously need to revaluate your marketing strategy and what you really hope to accomplish.

We as marketers, are no longer in control. Cue the new marketing.

5 Steps to Attracting Customers During a Recession

2008-11-29T10:53:00.004-05:00

With fragmented markets, consumer loyalty at an all time low, along with economic uncertainty, relationship marketing cannot be overlooked. If you want to attract customers in bad times (and keep them for the good times), humanizing the marketing experience is required. This is a huge pillar in the new marketing philsophy - not to mention excellent brand building.

1. Offer your customer/prospect an incentive to volunteer - that is find ways to have your customer raise their hand when they are interested in buying something from you. This incentive can be a prize, reward points, a promise for free (unique) info. Whatever it is, make sure your offering has an emotional bonus that is easily idenfiable.

2. Provide a Curriculum - with the attention offered by a prospect, you need to build a teaching tool that over time, educates the consumer about your product or service. In short, the prospect feels motivated to return to you due to the freshness (and relevances) of the content. This is known as the drip, drip method - offering differnt types of chocolate each time instead of a chocolate box all at once (where's the surprise in that?)

3. Use Reinforcement - ensure that your incentive is communicated at each stage to maintain permission and open lines of communication. Readers of this blog will know that coming back frequently, leads to one being well educated in new marketing techniques.

4. Offer additional Incentives - to get even more permission from the consumer. Say you have an email inquiry from a prospect but no phone #. "I can come over today for that consultation, if you can provide me with your phone # and address" could be your response. You benefit with increased information about your prospect (where they leave, how serious they are), and the time conscious prospect gets preferred (customized) treatment. Treating people differently is the key to making customers feel special.

5. Leverage the relationship - Over time use the permission given to change the customer's behaviours towards profits. This can be where you close a sale, offer additional products/services that are relevant, or just maintaining consistent communication letting your customer know you care about them.

Notice how the word permission is used a lot in the steps. What I am referring to here is permissive marketing. Instead of interrupting your customers with cold calls, traditional ads, or useless direct mail or email campaigns, create extraordinary content that makes the customer find you and feel motivated to contact you, for more information.

Attracting and retaining customers is a lot like dating. Just because we're entering bad economic times, doesn't mean people want to stop being cared about.

Website Best Practices

2008-11-28T07:00:00.002-05:00

1. Get traffic to your website

Use Google AdWords (or other permissive pay per click advertising)
Identify people who will spread the word for you (think existing customers)
Content is queen. That means focusing on content that matters to your audience, that makes them want to come back again and again. This will create organic SEO as well.

2. Tell a remarkable story

Your story must be in sync with you original marketing message, as you have a very short time to make a first impression. Mainly because people don't remember the second one.
Note I say "remarkable", not average, very good, or good enough. If it doesn't stand out, doesn't sound edgy enough, rewrite it.
Your story should be able to be summed up in 10 words or less by your customer, employees, or anyone else who interacts with your organization.

3. Treat People Differently

Contrary to popular belief, treating people the same is like preaching a "one size fits all". Marketing to everyone the same means no one feels special. You will be ignored.
Instead offer a free prize (purple cow) or other emotional bonus. Surprising your customers (in a good way) is the real reason people buy (and stay) with you.

4. Test and Measure

What you can't measure you'll find hard to market. And there's really no excuse in today's Internet age to adopt some form of quantitative system to gauge customer activity.
Web analytics is pretty much a given, but don't forget to look at your offline activities as well. Find out who's buying from you, when, where, and why. Keep track of this data in a customer relationship management (CRM) software.
While logic/rational data is what CRM's are best known for, don't forget to also track emotional/sensual information as well. People tend to make their decision based on emotions and justify it later with facts (cognitive dissonance)
And if you don't have a website, blog, or other forum of online presence - what are you waiting for? With that being said approach your online presence as a living tree - needing constant care and attention. That means updating a on a frequent schedule

Still need help? Give me a shout (top left) and I can steer you in the right direction.

7 Ways to Win at Customer Service

2008-11-23T03:34:00.002-05:00

Contrary to popular belief marketing is not all about the sellers side. Consumer empowmerment is just as important - marketing yourself as one who can't (won't) be taken advantaged of:

1. “What’s your name?” Without a doubt, the single most important thing you can ask in any customer-service conversation is that simple question. Using the agent’s name during the call also keeps things friendly and reminds him that you know who he is. (He knows that he can’t put you on permanent hold or hang up without repercussions.) The more information you can get about the person—his call center, years of service, hobbies—the better. Of course, make sure you write it all down in case you need it later.

2. “Be calm.” This is something you say to yourself. No matter how frustrated you are or how badly you’ve been treated, you must keep your cool. If you don’t, you’ll give the company you’re dealing with reason to dismiss you without taking care of you. When you feel like shouting, start talking softly. The harder someone has to listen, the more likely he is to hear what you have to say. Sometimes the most compelling words are those said most casually. Just remember Anthony Hopkins’ smiling recollection about “fava beans and Chianti” in the movie Silence of the Lambs. Was anything ever so ominous?

3. “We…” You’re more likely to get what you’re asking for if you enlist the agent in your cause. Statements such as, “I know we can find a satisfactory solution,” dilute the adversarial nature of the conversation. The feeling of teamwork you impart creates a framework in which you and the agent are working together to solve a common problem.

4. “My goal is…” Be specific and realistic about what you’re seeking. You should ask for your money’s worth—a product that works as advertised or a service to the standard you paid for. Asking compensation for your time, punitive damages, or letters of apology are not realistic demands. State your need clearly. “If you can ship me a replacement within a couple of days, I’ll be satisfied.” The more you help the agent see her way to making you happy and getting you off the line, the closer you will be to achieving your goal.

5. “I’m not going away.” This isn’t a threat; it’s a promise that you aren’t going to give up easily. Customer service agents toss out phrases such as “it’s our policy” and “there’s nothing I can do” in hopes that you will accept their version of reality and go away. When you don’t hang up the phone, they are forced to continue dealing with you.

6.“Escalate.” This is customer service speak for “take me to your leader.” Using professional jargon indicates that you are a knowledgeable consumer. Telling the agent that if she can’t help you, you’d like her to “escalate the call,” is equivalent to asking to speak to a supervisor. Agents get dinged for every call they have to bump upstairs. So let her know that’s your intention while giving her one last time to give you what you’re asking for.

7. “Thank you.” While it’s sometimes difficult to remember that the agent is a human, too, and not just a cog in a corporate machine, you will enhance your position if you express your gratitude for her efforts. This positive reinforcement doesn’t mean that you are giving anything up or taking less than you deserve. It does make you stand out as a good guy in the endless chain of complaining customers that the agent deals with as the regular part of her job. Simply put, people are more likely to help those who are nice to them.

The common element here: The more you appear to be a reasonable person willing to accept a reasonable solution, the better your chances will be at getting what you’re asking for. Remember, you’re coming from a position of strength—you are in the right, and you’re only asking for what you deserve.

How to Listen to Your Clients

2008-11-05T04:51:00.000-05:00

It's no coincidence that the human body has two ears and one mouth. To be really good at marketing, persuading, or selling you must find ot how to use these natural listening devices in proportion: Listening twice as much as you talk.

To develop your ear, try these two simple exercises:

1. Listen to someone selling to others, or trying to sell to you.

Pay attention to what his words are doing. While you're listening, ask yourself these questions:

Do his words paint positive or negative mental pictures? Remember people think in images far more often than they think in words or numbers.

Do his words say anything that may raise a new objection to his product/service? Objections are a sign of doubt, but a signal that the client is interested in being persuaded.

Are all his words necessary? Brevity is king in an attention deficit world

Does he ask questions and thenc arefully listen to the prospect's answers?

Does he move forware with questions, or gett off course by talking about features and benefits the customer has not expressed a need for?

2. Record yourself with a customer (ask for permission first)

You may be shocked at how much chatter you cut out (I know I was). To detect what you need to cut, consider the following:

What is the quality of questions I ask? Do you get to the point or beat around the bush.

Am I asking information gathering questions to help move forward with a sale, or just filling a sound void?

As you discover more about listening well, the phrase "putting your foot in your mouth" will gain a totally new meaning. After all, you can't put your foot in your mouth if it's closed. So close it, and listen more!

Finding Out Who Your Customer Is

2008-10-19T04:20:00.003-04:00

One of the first things you do when you meet with a prospective customer is to determine whether they would be a good fit with your product offering - also known as "qualifying them".

Excellent relationships are based on being mutually beneficial (each party wins) and your time, money, and sweat are too precious to be wasting your resources on people who have no interest in your offer, or wanting to rip you off.

To help you focus on your clients needs remember this creative acronym - NEADS

N: What does your prospect have now?
E: What does your prospect enjoy most about what she has now?
A: What is your prospect willing to change or alter what they have now?
D: Who is the final decision maker?
S: How can you find the best solution for her needs

Sometimes the best solution is recommending a prospect to your competition. I am reminded of the a lady going to an shoe store and asking for a particular shoe in a size 7. "I'm sorry", says the sales clerk, "we don't sell that shoe in a size 7, how bout we try fitting you in a 8 or 9". Instead of sending this lady to her competition, the clerk is more anxious about making a sale than finding her right size - with size being critical for long term comfort/happiness.

This is because your authenticity (and brand) are more important than a quick sale. Poor qualified customers can have long lasting repercussions ("can you believe I fell for that sales pitch?") and will often find ways to criticize you, whether you like it or not. People know it's against business nature to turn down a sale, instead of focusing on their best interests. So why not surprise them?

Customers are more likely to not only remember such a remarkable feat ("go see our competition down the road"), they're also more likely to tell their friends about your business - who may end up being your real target audience.

Choosing "who" vs. "how many" is an excellent way to build a loyal customer following, strong brand, while practising ethical marketing.

6 Steps to Handling Objections

2008-10-01T05:24:00.001-04:00

One of the most important steps in the selling cycle (which goes hand in hand with marketing), is listening and responding to your prospect's/customer's concerns.

Its important to remember that objections are not impasses, but rather an opportunity to reassure your client and demonstrate why your idea is best suited to them. Often times, criticism is a signal your client/prospect has been paying attention to your marketing/sales pitch and is interested in learning more.

Here are some key steps to overcoming objections:

1. Hear your customer/prospect out.

Don't be quick to address every phrase your prospect utters. Give her time: encourage them to tell you the whole story behind her concern. If you don't get the whole story, you won't know what to do or say to change their mind.

2. Feed the objection back

By rephrasing your customer's concern, you are in effect asking for more information. You want to be sure that they have aired all of their concerns, so no other objections come up after this one (this is often one of the most overlooked problems when people deal with assumptive closes!)

3. Question the objection.

Subtlety and tact come into play here. Be sure to find out what feeling is behind each objection and reassure our prospect that you product/service is right for them.

4. Answer the objection

When you're sure you have the whole story behind her concern, you can answer that objection with confidence (leadership matters!)

5. Confirm the answer.

"Does that answer your question Jenn?" Not completing this step will often make your customer raise that objection again.

6. Change gears with "By the way..."

These three words are some of the most useful words for persuading, or showing a person your side of the story. Use these words to change gears - to move on to the next topic. Blathering on, will not help you stay focused on solving you target audiences needs or make your presentation purposeful.

Cleaning Up Your Brand

2008-09-25T03:31:00.007-04:00

With the proliferation of the Internet and blogosphere small, bombshells seem to be dripping each day from all political stripes on their candidates backgrounds.

The stakes are huge in this election (at least one federal leader is destined to step down afterward), so any incremental advantage you leverage over your opponent is fair game, and bloggers/media aren't ones to shy away from red meat.

Drip, drip, drip...

How does one get itself in such a bee's nest? Aside from doing stupid (or illegal) acts, a lot has to do with the fact that many people online, forget that the net is truly a public place that forgets nothing.

That's right: anything you post on the Internet is on here for good. So with that in mind you should really consider your reputation in the long run and how that will affect your personal brand. Will you be comfortable defending any (questionable) comments or acts 5, 10, 15, 25+ years down the road? Are your activities creating the persona your looking to portray?

Authenticity matters.

It's not only business or corporations that have a brand; we all do. And the sooner we start paying attention to the impacts of our actions in a wired world, the better off you will be should controversy later erupt.

Instead of calling the fire dept after the house is burned down consider creating a "fire prevention strategy". Call it "proactive PR". There's a reason why the crisis communications specialists get paid handsomely - urgent reputation management is not easy when your trying to put out a blaze.

But if you do get stuck here are a couple tips from monster to cleaning up your online presence:

1. Scope Out the Damage

First, determine what damaging information exists. Enter your name at Google, MSN and Yahoo and see what turns up in the first four or five pages of results. Anything troubling? Mark it for action. Then sign up for the alerts available at spots like Google Alerts; when information about you is added or updated, you’ll find out via email.

2. Request Removal

You may be able to have the material removed, but remember that much of what appears online is archived at the Internet Archive, a nonprofit initiative designed to be a resource for historians and researchers.

Just be sure to learn as much as possible about the site before making your move. If you’re dealing with an in-your-face blog, sending an email to the blogger requesting that something about you be removed can backfire. Bloggers have been known to post those emails, so be aware that your request could end up casting more unfavorable attention on you.

As for search engines, don’t bother. You won’t have any luck asking them to rig their results in your favor.

3. Hire a Cleanup Service

A growing number of services can help you manage or clean up your online reputation. Along with ReputationDefender, these services include Defendmyname and Naymz. ReputationDefender’s reports, for instance, include a “destroy” option; choose that, and for $29.95, ReputationDefender will attempt to have a particular item about you removed. “We aim to save our clients time,” Chanin says. “We can do in two or three hours what it might take you from 72 to 96 hours [to do].”

But managing your reputation doesn’t always come cheap. ReputationDefender offers another level of service for $10,000. Under this plan, the company uses a variety of tactics to improve your online rep and ensure that the positive material about you rises to the top of search-engine results.

Public relations strategy doesn't have to expensive, but it can be if you don't invest enough time on a consistent basis, to check whats being said about you.

The Internet is (and will continue to remain) a double edge sword.

Preventative PR, is your best bet in keeping that swinging blade from drawing blood.

Focus on What Matters to your Customers

2008-09-24T02:07:00.003-04:00

I was sitting in a consumer behaviour class watching as the instructor giving out magazines to each table; with the instructions being very simple:

Find an ad that really appeals to you and then present your findings to the class, using the arcane categories provided (I won't list them for your sake).

What I found was absolutely stunning. Instead of focusing on the big picture, people were dissecting the minutiae of every aspect of their chosen ad: logo placement, type font, and other meaningless details that a typical consumer would not even pick up in the 3 second glance they would give an ad. Never mind if they have already ignored magazine ads, or worse, the magazine didn't even appeal to their target market!

When marketers were in control of the message, and people's attention was plentiful, all this minor stuff matters. But in an attention deficit world attempting to discern consumer behaviour techniques from traditional advertising is a complete waste of time.

Sure you may get a response rate of 2-3%, but that means your ad was a 97-98% failure in reaching your target audience! Your time (and money) are better spent looking for ways to channel permissive marketing which has a 60,70,80 (or higher) percent response rate.

Incremental growth of a product almost always comes when your product is in a mature or decilning prodcut life cycle. Instead of pouring over the microscopic ways to discern an ad, try focusing your attention on the "big" strategic idea, where your product is inviting to your audience and can be easily communicated to others.

They say the devil is in the details, and you can see why; devil ideas don't build your brand in the long run!

7 Ways to Get Attention for Your Product

2008-09-22T11:48:00.003-04:00

1. Your marketing must have intrinsic drama that appeals to your audience: what makes your target market tick? Is it scantily clad models or a new ways to better oneself? Psychographics matter

2. Your marketing must request participation from your audience: We don't live in a Web 1.0 world anymore (although you wouldn't know it judging from the passive websites out there). It's time to interact with your audience. Whether that be through comments on a blog, or the easiness of sharing your product with your customer's friends; there must be a call to action.

3. Your marketing should create an emotional response: people don't think in words or numbers, they think in images and stories. People already have their needs satisfied. It's time to look for that emotional extra, that consumers want from your product.

4. Your marketing must stimulate curiosity: Do I want to know more about your product, idea, or service? Creating this desire forces your audience to slow down and study your idea. Remember: the story your target customers tells themselves will determine whether they buy into your product or not.

5. Your marketing should surprise your audience: A startling headline, an unexpected visual image, and unusual opening gambit in a sales presentation, or a weird display window in a store; all have the power to attract key influences by surprising them (in a good way).

6. Your marketing must communicate expected information - in a detcepxenu way: (Hint: try reading the mystery word backwards) A creative twist, or a fresh way of saying or looking at something makes the expected unexpected. You have to get the obvious information in: what the brand does, who it benefits, and how. But doing it in an average, mediocre, middle of the road way is a great way for your target market to ignore you.

7. Your marketing should violate the rules of traditional marketing: People notice things that violate expected patterns (and patterns certainly exist in marketing). This means no spam, no interruptive marketing, and no throwing large amounts of money at advertising that doesn't work, or worse, can't measure. Creating remarkable products that invite users to sign up, raise their hand for more information sows the seeds for a long term relationship. Avoid the quickie sale and opt for the monogamous one.

To do marketing that has unexpected drama, violates traditional business beliefs, and causes people to talk about your product requires being creative and risky. So the real secret to stopping power is not to be average, stuck in the middle competing on price, it's to move to the extreme edges, where there is less competition, and unfulfilled markets waiting to seek out your product.

It's not easy. But that's why great marketing isn't seen as a cost, it's seen as in investment.

Let me know if you need help. I'll be glad to lend a hand.

5 Deadly Sins of Marketing Communications

2008-09-21T12:20:00.001-04:00

Marketing Communications (also known as MarComm) deals with the promotional aspect of marketing. It is often the most visible part of marketing, and is what most people think of when they hear the word "marketing"

We all know marketing is much more than promotion, but I often see people communicating (or attempting to) in very poor fashion.

Thus, I have developed the following sins when trying to communicate your idea:

Your message fails to come to a point. What do you really stand for?
You use passive communication - where you can't tell who does what to whom.
You employ a sophisticated vocabulary without a good reason - big words on their own can actually make people confused by your offering.
Using difficult verb tenses instead of present tense. I.e. "writing would have to communicate" instead of "writing communicates"
Boring your customer - focus on telling a story not lecturing them!

Originality and surprise creates stopping power when your audience reads it. But if your message is too complicated, wordy, or can't be described in ten words or less, your target market will move on.

101 Ways to Destroy Your Business

2008-09-19T03:01:00.005-04:00

We've all heard countless ways of attracting, and retaining our customers, but has anyone thought of spelling out the ways to kill your business?

Ed has: he created a fascinating document for those who can't go out of business fast enough. Originally posted on triiibes.com, a website to discuss new marketing and group behaviour. Ed has given us permission to share it publicly with his blessing.

Sometimes thinking backwards can help us think forward.

Some of my favourites are:

1. When you have a great product that’s selling well - look for ways to make it cheaper – your customers won’t really be able to tell the difference.

11. Use focus groups – don’t engage in real conversations with customers.

18. Don’t empower your customer service people to make wise decisions that make customers happy.

47. Make sure everyone in your company understands that people are loyal to products and brands, NOT other people.

48. When marketing – shoot for the masses – you know – the biggest audience – like the Super Bowl.

71. Only hire big “well-known” consulting firms to help you. After all, they’re the only people who know anything.

86. Punish those who challenge the status quo of your organization

101. Always charge for ice. If a customer refuses to pay for ice with his/her tea – give them hot tea without ice. How dare they try to pull one over on you!

When Crisis Communications Can't Work

2008-09-18T00:42:00.002-04:00

When you make a comment that glorifies or wishes for the death of a fellow human being, no amount of PR spin will be acceptable.

Did Gerry Ritz make a gaffe? No, he made a (borderline) psychopathic, inhumane statement. He simply didn't care about the people affected by Listeriosis or his fellow parliamentarian.

A verbal statement almost always reflects what the speaker is thinking, from the deep subconscious part of a human being. They don't come out of nowhere.

You cannot defend the indefensible.

The only honourable thing to in a situation like this is to resign. Except there is no honour for Gerry. He left that (along with his dignity) on the conference call on Aug 30.

Time to go Gerry.

Lipstick + Pig = Still a Pig

2008-09-17T02:29:00.004-04:00

Most marketing people focus too much of their time on improving their communication or promotional activities: "If only we could get all the branding integrated properly we would experience incremental increases in revenue!" screams your brand manager.

Often times it's the product that's really at fault. You can hang up on your previous brands like Bell did, but the products themselves are often the real reason people aren't engaged in your offer.

Faced with a classroom crunch, Ryerson University went looking for lecture style halls to meet the demand of their space starved campus. Not only did they find that space with a nearby Movie Theater, they accidentally improved their product (teaching) by having more comfortable seats, large visible screens, with an acoustic designed room.

The payoff? It seems attendance in class has not only remained strong, students are actually looking forward to going to class.

Improving the product often leads to improved communication; if your product is remarkable enough, people will tell their friends about your story.

Now if only my Alma mater could get rid of their 1960's style furniture...

Why People Hate Marketers

2008-09-15T03:06:00.003-04:00

Kellogg's gets the dumbest marketing move of the year award - Lego Candy for kids!

And parent's are less than thrilled:

I would love to know what sick bastard at Kellogg's came up with this genius idea. I just spent the first three years of my sons life trying to get him not to eat blocks, and now you're telling him they taste like f***ing strawberries. Thanks a lot a**holes. Seriously, how in the hell did this ever get past their legal department. You can't tell me that this isn't a lawsuit just waiting to happen. I can only assume that their next product is fruit flavored thumbtacks.

Line extension of a product can be really dangerous (literally). Do you really want to alienate your key target audience? Especially those that are key influencers (parents) telling their friends (who are mostly likely parents as well). Safety issues are always a noteworthy issue that people feel compelled to pass along - especially when it deals with children.

Gotta love the good press here!

I suspect Kellogg's will end up pulling this product, albeit in an embarrassing fashion

Beating Stephen Harper

2008-09-11T17:28:00.006-04:00

This post reaffirms this post on what the Liberals have to do if they want to form Government.

The same can be true for Opposition:

"Breeding Familiarity Can Maintain the Status Quo"

Choose your poison wisely.

Does Your Marketing Matter?

2008-09-11T16:38:00.003-04:00

Seth has some very important marketing questions that I think every Canadian Politician should answer while campaigning in this election.

Granted they may seem simple, but I can guarantee your answers will not be:

Is it worth doing?
What was my impact?
Will it matter in the long haul?
What sort of connections did I create?
Wherever you live, whatever you do, you have an obligation. What is your obligation?

Attracting Customers (and keeping them)

2008-09-11T13:35:00.001-04:00

What is the best way to influence your ideas on others?

Is it through cold calling prospects all day? Dropping off brochures in neighborhoods? Or paying a premium to run an ad in newspaper, top radio station, or national TV network?

I think there's a much easier way with better return on your buck and time.

Instead of interrupting people's day (or worse: when they're eating), why not create fabulous content for them to find you?

If you idea is so noteworthy people will be compelled to tell their friends about you. Their friends in return will tell others, and many of those the people who hear your story may contact you for more information.

This is what new marketing is really all about - creating product that are personalized, anticipated, and relevant to your target audience; while making it easy for them to spread your message.

Bringing us back to influence, you should ask yourself how your time is best spent. Is it with media buyers or learning how to blog? Is it with canvassing your local neighborhood or spending more time with your existing clientèle? How bout adding more customers/prospects to your CRM software or finding out what really motivates your customers to stay with you?

Remember you only have 24 hours in a day and it can be very expensive to buy time (i.e. outsource). So making a plan on (what and who) you want to spend time with is so much more important than just spending time working "in" your business.

Finding key channels of influence can bring you more attention, more qualified customers, and more productivity to a sleepless, time starved, society.

What Marketing Is Really About

2008-09-10T19:22:00.000-04:00

Marketing, more than any other business function deals with your customers. Customers can be anybody, a select group of people, the public at large, or even stakeholders.

Getting a sale at any cost was traditional marketing. Creating customer value and satisfaction is at the very heart of modern marketing. Creating this value while dealing with a noisy and cluttered marketplace is what new marketing is all about.

Ultimately, marketing is about delivering customer satisfaction at a profit (you decide what profit means). By under promising on your offering and over delivering on your product you create value. Real value. Value that creates long term relationship (think dating). Sometimes those relationships term into marriages (think brand Loyalty).

But it's not easy to do marketing as it used to. People distrust messages they hear from organizations, and trust their friends more. People are afraid of commitment and want to explore different purchasing avenues.

The job of marketing is not getting any easier. It's important to distinguish between a new marketer and an old one when looking for help or advice. They come from different schools of thought and have different ways of solving problems.

Everyone markets whether they believe it or not. It's up to you to decide what marketing means to you and how you will use it grow your business, organization, or personal brand.

When Ads Cross The Line

2008-09-09T17:24:00.003-04:00

This is just tasteless.

No matter which poltical party you belong to, no matter what issue you fight to stand for, you do NOT deserve to have bird feces dropped on you or any other vile act to discredit your story.

I think Stepehn Harper's "running on his record" campaign is going to take a serious hit to his party's brand (or his personal brand; I can't make the dinstinctinon). As a seasoned campaginer, Harper should have known better when Kim Campbell tried something similar. It only takes one serious blow to derail your authencity of your brand and consistency of your message. Expect to see the opposition to leverage this issue for days (if not weeks) to come.

If this is the only way you know how to communicate a message, you should not be marketing or running any type of organization. Ever.

What Happens If We Don't Organize?

2008-09-08T07:29:00.010-04:00

We've heard it time and time again:

If you "fail to plan" you "plan to fail".

Cliche, but true. But cliches are not what this post's about.

If you truly want to do have a remarkable marketing message, you need to understand what critical areas need organizing:

For politicians - its the hordes of volunteers that can not only staff the campaign office, but can sneeze their candidate's ideas to their undecided friends.
For Realtors, travel agents, and the self-employed - you need to organize around your own personal brand. That means finding ways to attract new customers while maintaining (and nurturing) your existing relationships.
For multi national corporations - its all about being able to respond to customers and contentious issues with the same speed/quality of a mom and pop shop (Yes I'm talking to you Bell).
For mom and pop shops - its about organizing around the quality and value you provide instead of competing on price.

Regardless of who you are or what you stand for, most power lies with those that can not only organize well but organize key areas of their business. Areas that are not only visible to your target audience, but can be talked about behind your back and cause you great harm.

The Internet has changed the playing field for organization. Now any of your customers can complain to your brand (hello trip advisor) with an audience waiting to listen. Or can spread the good news about your organization (hello face book) to those who are engaged in your brand.

Organizing yourself to make it easier, better, and worth telling other people, will give you the leverage to build your brand.

Power comes to those who organize, and organize well. How well do you organize?

Canadians Go to the Polls (and why you should care)

2008-09-07T08:12:00.001-04:00

And they're off!

I will be blogging frequently about this snap election the Prime Minster called, but for now a synopsis on how Canadians vote.

Political marketing is still an exciting field, and something all political parties take very seriously.

The big issue right now is the bar has been set very high for Stephen Harper as some polls are already showing him in majority territory.

There are three ways you can basically cast your vote in our parliamentary system. This makes for a plethora of different marketing strategies parties use, to capture your vote:

Vote for the leader - this works if a political party has a leader that is perceived to strong and in control but lacks in substance (read: policy) that resonates with their target audience. Expect to see take this road, with lots of him and very little of his party.
Vote for the party - multilateral ism at its best. This works if the leader isn't as strong individually, but has a diverse range of expertise on their front bench that can work together to bring about change or new ideas. Expect to see Stephane Dion play this card with his "Dream Team".
Vote for the individual - don't like the party or the leader? Then one can vote strictly on who's running locally. This strategy is most successful when an candidate has a household brand and is very popular in their riding. It's how Chuck Cadman, Carolyn Parrish, and Thomas Mulcair were elected

So how will Canadians decide? Usually its a combination of 2/3 above. One key aspect in swaying the vote is organization, but we'll leave that for tomorrow.

For now, I'm not placing any bets.....yet.

Do Political Ads Matter?

2008-09-06T04:53:00.001-04:00

In the old days when money bought attention, they certainly did.

However political marketing today still relies on mass marketing. Why? Because it's a zero sum game. That's right winner takes all and the losers go home. How many still matters more than "who". Yes mass marketing is not dead in this arena...yet.

It also helps that largest bloc of Canadian voters are the baby boomers; and they still pay attention to traditional advertising, especially political ads.

What about the younger ones? Youtube is a fun place to hang out altough the viewership is still low. Something political parties should think about when they look to engage the "unreachables"

This is only one area where niche marketing doesn't do well. Just ask the Green Party.

So the answer is a yes and no. Political marketing is a great recipe for an integrated marketing communications approach. The key lies in the execution (see organization post). Those that can bridge new marketing (for younger voters) and traditional marketing (for older ones) can do quite well in the next election.

It also helps if you target the undecided instead of preaching to the converted. Especially if the converted wasn't going to vote for you in the first place!

Why Canadians Don't Support the War in Afghanistan

2008-09-06T03:03:00.017-04:00

It's often been said people don't have enough time and they need more space.

But it's really about a time & space continuum that forces us (or not) to pay attention:

Time - the more urgent it is to make a decision the more I pay attention. The more time I have to make a decision, the less I really care about it.

Space - If I can't see, touch, or smell it on the horizon I can't fathom the issue. Outta sight, outta mind.

When the time and space continuum converge, nasty things happen. Take the War in Afghanistan:many Canadians cannot fathom what it's like fighting the Taliban over there, and many more don't see an end in sight. A new poll confirming this is not surprising.

The same goes for climate change, good economic policies, savings, and credit cards. We are so consumed in the now, we forget or don't care about tomorrow.

This is the same for your product, idea, or service. People's minds are short; and if you can't (vividly) say it in 10 words or less, how the heck am I supposed to care about you later?

On the Importance of Creativity in Business

2008-09-05T05:05:00.005-04:00

Don't get screwed like Lou!

What action are you taking that makes a difference, and matters to your customers?

Social Media Tools for Business

2008-09-04T07:02:00.002-04:00

Social media shouldn't be a scary topic for people to engage their audience online, but for many it is. Most people don't know where to start or what tools are best suited for their situation. The real secret is to not utilize many social media devices in a mediocre way.

Instead concentrate on just a few, that you know you can do really really well with. People can sniff average organizations trying to add pizazz to their product through social media. Being real and authentic to your customers in how you communicate to them is the best way to engage people online.

1. Big Business (Aka "The Enterprise")

Corporate blog, blog aggregation, social bookmarking, social networking, internal wiki, Facebook applications

2. Small to Medium Sized Business

Company or personal blog, Facebook/Myspace, Video Sharing (Youtube), Flickr, Social tagging/bookmarking

3. Self Employed and Consultants

Personal blog, LinkedIn, Flickr, Social tagging/bookmarking

It should also be noted that social media tools really work best when the organizational culture and structure embrace this type of new marketing. That is, do not use social media because everyone else is doing it, use social media because your organizational culture believes in such tools.

I'll blog in another post exactly how each of these tools can specifically help you.

Why Canadian Political Parties Don't Get It

2008-09-02T21:35:00.003-04:00

The traditional way to run a political campaign is to control your message. Control what you say
and when you say it. Control who hears it.

Tell one story to your raving fans, and a more moderate story to people in the center.

As voters have seen again and again, politicians are good at this. Some people call it lying. Others say it's stretching the truth. But in general, politicians have gotten away with it; and you the voter have been resigned to that.

The top-down, control-the-message strategy worked in the past for a few reasons:

Media companies were complicit in not embarrassing the people they counted on to appear on their shows and authorize their licenses.
Politicians could decide where and when to show up and could choose whether or not they wanted to engage.
Bad news didn’t spread far unless it was exceptionally juicy. Especially if included sex, corruption, or people dying.

One of the key cornerstones of traditional political marketing has been to just change the communication. Use different positions for different target segments, if only they can find that sweet spot in the marketing communications mix they could finally reach their audience. This has been noted in a recent globe article:

Canadian politicos are fascinated by the campaign's use of social networking.

“There's eight million Canadian accounts … on Facebook,” says Nammi Poorooshasb, federal New Democrat director of communications.

“We've been looking at ways to mobilize these people in those communities.”

Sure they may be 9 million plus people on facebook but how many of them are identified with any political party? Or even care to hear about traditional ideas from traditional political parties? Judging by the numbers (and my own network) very few.

You can change the message, tactics, promotion, and marketing channels and add as many hot toppings of social media to be "with it" - but you will fail.

The dream has been simple for Canadian political parties: if we can just enough of today's hot web marketing everything else will be take care of itself.

The reason why people (especially youth) are not involved in politics isn't because of the lack of promotion to youth or to whatever market; it's because new media marketing can only work if you choose to reorganize your organization.

That is moving from a top down approach to a bottom up, whereby a party is a collaborator not a messenger. Whereby a political party realizes they no longer control the message and need a grassroots (different tribes if you will) to do their communicating for them. Where those tribes actually participate in creating party policy that is binding on the party to adopt - not sweep under the rug and pretend it doesn't exist. Where real meaningful change of structure and responsiveness can occur and by ordinary members.

People don't stay around too long when they don't feel wanted or worse - can't find meaningful work to do.

It's not the marketing that brings about transformation, it's the organizations structure, values, and ideas. It's how easy it is for the grassroots members can easily do participate with a political party. That is, people of all types can become involved and actually see the change the wish to see. This means no centralized power around the leaders office, no old boys club, and no ignoring the grassroots when they speak up.

Right now no Canadian political party doesn't embody this approach . There is no uniform message and worse - they're still using traditional structures to grow their party base, win votes, and try to form government.

Just as technology propelled certain organizations through the industrial revolutions, new marketing can drive the right organization through the digital revolution.

It's a wonder when we do go to vote, we end up voting for more of the same.

50 Blogging Ideas for Business

2008-08-28T04:06:00.001-04:00

Great post from Chris that I couldn't resist sharing for those trying to kick start your corporate blog.

Now whats your excuse going to be, for those of you suffering from blogger's block?

How to get the most from our customer service department.
The best way to recommend an improvement to our product or service.
Podcast - complete installation instructions in audio and video.
What would you like to see in next year’s catalog?
Our favourite projects over the coming months.
Some tricks that might keep you from needing support.
Upcoming coupons and offers for the next two weeks.
We want to talk. How should we contact you? Where?
Choose our product’s price.
Five tips for getting more from your ______ .
A little bit about us.
A walk in our neighborhood.
Photos from our community meetup.
What goes into our decision process.
Video - a tour of the plant, and a day in the life of your product.
What it’s like to work for our company.
We support these causes, and here’s why.
The next two years: how we grow with you.
We want to come to work with you (and learn how we can help)!
Giving back to the community: our plan.
What we worry about over the coming year.
How we handle your disputes or complaints.
Can you recommend a better process for this?
Sometimes, we have to say no.
Your call is important to us. We’ll tell you how important.
We’re sorry, and here’s how we’ll handle things next time.
Report from our independent community review board.
How to close out your account with us. (Imagine how risky this is?)
The economy is piling up costs, and we have to share the burden.
Understanding what went wrong.
Birthday announcements for August. (Imagine listing your customers’ names on a birthday calendar?)
Fourteen ways to customize your _______.
Why we like our competitor’s product better, and how we’ll catch up.
Customer Profile - Sedah D’Abdul.
Our fourth annual YOU awards.
What we think is unique about us. Do you agree?
Communities in your neighborhood, and several on the Web.
Your blog posts: Javier Mendoza suggests ways we could improve.
Companies to consider when you get too big for us.
Why we believe participation pays off.
Meet our four favorite customer service reps for September.
Vendors that serve us so we can help you.
Our global plan - Vietnam, Italy, and your back yard.
What we look for in our leadership.
Video - our new smaller offices downtown.
Green is our new favorite color- save energy and money with your _____.
How corporate responsibility saved us $3Mil last year.
Growing up but staying fun.
Your event, our treat.
Five promises we’ve kept over the last few years

What Brand Managers Don't Want You To Know

2008-08-27T16:55:00.003-04:00

"Past performance is not indicative of future performance"

At least that's what financial planners are trained to say. Mutual fund companies wouldn't dare create any sales literature that didn't have this caveat in the fine print.

Except that it's wrong when it comes to marketing.

Welcome to the halo effect: where global evaluations of a brand spill over into every day judgments.

Have you ever noticed that beautiful people are rated much higher in other categories like intelligence, athletics, and being successful compared to ugly people?

Its how companies like Apple have leveraged their branding power so that every product created (Mac, Ipod, Iphone etc.) are deemed remarkable and worth paying a premium for.
Books written as a "Harvard Classic" can demand twice the price than books without such an endorsement. The same is true in the fashion world. What fits better: designer clothes from Bloor Street, or the no name brand from Zellers?

And the funny thing is: we often don't know when it's happening to us. Are we really buying the product or the brand? Is there really a difference in functionality to worth paying more for?
It's a question brand managers like to blur. And we're often too ignorant to notice.

Consumer empowerment really comes from knowing how you are being marketed to. The next time you are choosing to purchase something or vote for for a politician, ask yourself if the halo effect is operating on you. What story are you really trying to tell yourself? Are you really judging something on it's merit or past performance?

This simple check can save you a lot of time, a lot of money, and even friends that you would have otherwise rejected.

Marketing is Changing (and What to Do About it)

2008-08-26T23:54:00.015-04:00

      WHAT'S IN?                                             WHAT'S OUT?

One-to-one marketing               "Dear customer" letters


Permission marketing                 Spam in your e-mail
                                   or regular mailbox

High quality, creative papers        Boring, impersonal or
with a handmade, hand-touched       mass-produced looking
         look                        direct-mail pieces

Community involvement                Thinking your cheque 
beyond your cheque-book.                 is enough. 
    

Personalized, anticipated,           "Take a number..."
relevant service           

Long-term branding              Short-term product movement

Customer retention                Customer churn and burn

Marketing to consumers who     Focusing all your marketing
care about your product;      efforts on the mass consumer.
who can easily spread your    People that hardly care about
message to others               you; who are only with you
                                 because of price.

Notice how the selfish top down approach to marketing was so yesterday?

That's because consumers are fed up of being told what to do. They
don't believe the lies anymore (and they are lies).

Think of it as dating. Would you randomly go up to someone in a noisy bar, interrupt
what they doing, and shout to them why you're such a great person?
Throw in alcohol, drunken behaviour and selfish idiots; you can
see why online dating has become so popular.

Despite what the cynics say, the ideas listed above aren't fads. Far from it.
Think of them as a return to making people feel human again - like the good old days when you knew who you bought from and the story behind it.

And that my friends, making certain people feel good about themselves, is what it's all about. By delivering anticipated, personalized, and relevant results, you are on the way to
remarkable marketing.

The Problem With Marketing Today

2008-08-25T14:35:00.005-04:00

and decreasing brand loyalty,
" lower return on traditional advertising,
" a noisy and cluttered marketplace,
" poor ROI,
" poor sales conversions,
" websites that don't get traffic,
" social media not living up to expectations,
" no one paying attention to your product or cause...

Is all because we have too much choice.

Do the math: more products/services/competition for attention are being introduced in greater numbers every year. Yet time in a day has remained the same - 24 hours, that's all you get, and 8 (for most people) are spent sleeping.

People don't believe in products, services, or causes that don't match their world view. It's why targeting the masses doesn't work like it used to. It's why when creating a new product, marketing needs to be at the decision table along with R&D, not regulated to just promoting it afterwards. It's why going after the "who" over the "how many" is much more effective to cut through the noise and attention deficit people.

Creating products for the masses that no one really cares about is a great way to get lost in the shuffle.

Creating products that people want (think market research), that are so remarkable your target audience feels compelled to tell their friends. That's a great way to build brand loyalty, and solve all the other problems above.

There and endless mediocre products to choose from, but very few that edgy, worth paying attention to, and charging a premium for.

Changing the Boxer: Apple Vs. (now) Seinfeld

2008-08-21T19:54:00.006-04:00

Your not supposed to be changing the fighter halfway through a showdown, but Billy has never been one to play by the rules.

Microsoft is teaming up with Seinfeld as reported here in response to staggering sales while getting a beating from Apple with it's "Mac vs PC" campaign.

Basically they're paying Jerry Seinfeld a cool 10 million to refresh Microsoft's "boring" brand in the wake of Apple's success with personal computers.

The article goes on to say Microsoft has hired one of the most prestigious ad agencies Crispin Porter + Bogusky, to reinvent their brand. There is one quote in the article that really takes the cake:

“Given Crispin's track record, it's tough to argue with the choice of agency – unless, of course, you don't think Microsoft's problem is one an ad agency can solve.”

This is EXACTLY the problem with Microsoft and companies that think throwing a little (a lot?) of dough to solve a communications problem, is all that's really needed.

Ironically an analyst (in the same article) hit the nail on the head:

Microsoft needs to keep focused on improving products. The biggest factor in Apple's success in the past few years has been its ability to get people into its stores with products like the iPod and then entice them to buy computers and more

Remarkably products get talked about. Improving the product, and narrowing your focus on core strengths is far better marketing power than any stand up comedian can provide.

And that's exactly what Microsoft needs. More innovation, less spin.

Ever had to reboot Windows Jerry? Let the new round begin.

How To Do Public Relations

2008-08-21T18:10:00.003-04:00

Well we all know how not to do public relations thanks to Greyhound. Here's a great example of Maple Leaf Foods handling a public health nightmare properly.

Key takeaways:

1. Responding quickly with helpful information lots of great information, front and centre on their website about what products are affected, symptoms of the disease, and where to go for further information. I still can't find information on Greyhound's website on this matter. Did they think people wouldn't look for it there?

2. Protecting your brand instead of legal liability - Maple leaf Food has decided that legal issues can wait. Right now ensuring no one else gets sick or dies is top priority even if this means taking an hit in the short term. Greyhound on other hand, was too consumed about the liability of it's actions (or inaction) to really care about future customers.

3. Acting Courageous in the face of a difficult situation - the article profiles marketing experts who agree Maple Leaf Foods is stepping up to the plate above and beyond what is normally seen. On the other Greyhound couldn't be bothered to leave the comfort of their own offices to provide a brave public face.

Despite the seriousness of this problem, Maple Leaf Foods has really done something that most companies can't fathom: demonstrating that they care.

Needs Vs. Wants - Blurring the Lines

2008-08-20T05:10:00.003-04:00

- In life there are very few things that we need to get by: roof over our head, clothes on our back, food on the table, and companionship from loved ones and friends.

Everything else is want. Wanting to be connected 24/7 via a blackberry or cellphone. Wanting to have nicer surroundings, newer nicer clothes, and to subscribe to the latest fashions/trends.

Yup those are wants. Sometimes we have a hard time distinguishing between what we actually need vs. what we actually want. You can thank marketers for this.

Since the 1950's marketers have taken advantage of your attention, trust, and purchasing power and used (questionable) tactics to win your heart, soul, and wallet. Mainstream ads were very effective to depict what "normal" people do and what you should do to be normal.

The tobacco companies were notorious for promoting their cancer causing brands to insecure and vulnerable people so that they could be normal. And yet to this day, they still won't admit their product is addictive

The proliferation of the suburbs (thank you Don Mills, Ontario) is another great example of this. While people may have always yearned for more space, with access to urban amenities it took Levitt and Sons to consolidate all these wants for livability, and market them as a "modern need". It's no secret that many of our modern needs have huge social and environmental side effects that most do not fathom about, as marketing and consumer behaviour has traditionally focused on the "now"

It doesn't have to be that way anymore.

The moment you are able to discern between "nice to have" and "must have" you have created thinking style that threatens the core strength of a mass marketer. Marketers would rather you do things right (it's why big cities appear much more fashionable and culturally vibrant) than doing the right things (it's why Stephane Dion is having a hard time as Liberal opposition leader)

The 21st century belongs to the consumer and their decision making, largely due to arrogance in marketing. But this doesn't mean you should be selfish, or acquire materialistic items just for the short term high.

In a knowledge based society, where everything (except for your mind) can be outsourced, ideas and creativity will matter. These are things no marketer, person can take from you, and will provide a much more fulfilling life than any material good will ever.

New marketing isn't about materialism. Its about spreading ideas, creativity, celebrating diversity and creating relationships instead of a one night stand. It's why I am so passionate about marketing and communication when most have a disdain view on the profession. New marketing seeks to correct this. Breaking down traditional thinking barriers and fostering an interdisciplinary approach; whereby geography and psychology matter just as much as business and statistics. That is the essence of effective marketing: focusing around the customer instead of business cliques.

Lastly, new marketing is about making a clear distinction about needs and wants - call it ethical marketing if you will. While human beings will always have unlimited wants, and quite a few needs, the solution to those problems isn't necessarily to fill it with short lived materialistic goods.

When interview a plane crash survivor, they almost always tell you their lives have changed, mostly for the better. They usually cite new things: family being more important, having fun being more important, and not wasting your life on trivial matters that really don't mean much in then end.

For some it takes a near death experience to realize this. Others can grapple this notion much easier and earlier in life.

For you, I hope this post provides an inspiration into whats really important in your life. It's not too late to change your thinking.

4 Critical Steps of Social Media

2008-08-19T06:41:00.005-04:00

Identify and create a community
Deliver consistent and clear messages that authenticates your experience or brand.
Offer a place for your target audience to interact & comment.
Make it easy for your audience to spread your message.

Have you notice two recurring themes?

Authenticity and Consistency. You can't have one without the other, and it's one of the many secrets to new marketing. Don't server-crashing traffic right away, this is after all about brand building and long term relationships.

Following those goals outline above will put you ahead of many other business/not for profit bloggers who are still trying to get their head around social network and new media.

Less Is Really More

2008-08-15T04:21:00.000-04:00

How much time do you have to communicate your message?

With thousands of new brands being introduced every year, competing with time starved individual's attention - not very much.

Eric distills this idea quite well: communicate your value proposition quickly and clearly.

It's a sad but revealing truth that people don't care about your idea. They are too busy putting out their own fires and dealing with efficiencies in their day, to really pay attention.

This is why permissive marketing is such a better option than interruptive marketing. Create an idea that's worth talking about, easy to spread to others, and you will be surprised to see people actually care about you!

Branding 101 Show

2008-08-12T17:26:00.005-04:00

Shameless promotion yes, but a free prize to those who want to learn more about marketing.

I was recently featured on Blogtalkradio doing an interview on branding, what it entails, and how to brand in the new century. We only had 15 minutes so we couldn't go too far in depth of any particular topic, but still a great overview of the importance of branding an organization or oneself.

Check it out and let me know what you think. Special thanks to Khaliph Young of Ojoin.com for hosting the show.

3 Myths About Pricing

2008-08-11T15:33:00.006-04:00

1. Pricing Your Products to Cover Full Costs will Make you Profitable

This idea works on the notion that people make thier consumer decisions in a vacuum of knowledge. Nothing can be further from the truth than with the proliferation of the internet and water cooler conversations. You should instead determine your target customer's perceived value of each offering. After all it's the market that ultimately determines if your price is worth or not. One should determine if you are selling commodity (average) or extra-ordinary (niche) products. This will determine your volume distribution, and whether you will be focusiong on the "who" or the "how many"

2. Pricing to Grow Market Share will Make you Profitable
Market share is determined by the value of your offering and subsequent message. Mass marketers often get caught in this trap, trying to sell thier products to everbody. Finding a specific share of the market that you can profitaby serve, is much more effective in the long term. Yes this involves a bit of business planning - but don't let that scare you. Writing things down can be a great motivator to actually accomplishing your goals.

3. Pricing Your Products to Meet Demand Will Make you Profitable
There are plenty of busineses willing to compete on the lowest common denominator and go bankrupt in the process. Resist the urge to join them in their russian roulette pursuits. Instead of competing on price, try to find ways to add value to your product to justify your price. Dynamic pricing (think multiple pricing tiers) can help give your customer different levels of opportunity cost of doing business with you.

Despite what many Economists think, price is not overriding factor to purchasing behaviour compared to quality and other benefits. People care more about the pre/post sales support, delivery (on time), shipping, and what emotional bonuses you're willing to put into the relationship.

In short, instead of cutting prices, add value, and do it at every stage of the relationship. Don't wait for your audience to complain or react. Be the proactive leader, and champion your cause. Doing the right things is far more important than doing things right - especially with with early adopters/innovators.

Start with that, and your customers may end up marrying you!

Caring Is Contagious

2008-08-10T17:21:00.000-04:00

...And it starts with you.

Sean has a great article here about reciprocity.

If you want to be loved, start showing the love to the people you want affection from.
Its a great marketing strategy, and doesn't have to cost much other than your time.

Colour Me Confused

2008-08-09T01:03:00.000-04:00

Whats in a colour?

Some colours make us feel warm and fuzzy while others leave us feeling stark and cold.

Waterloo Regional Police force recently introduced a paint job for all its cruisers:

Police cruisers are also getting a new look. Traditionally, cruisers have been plain white with red and blue stripes. The new cruisers are two-toned in blue and white -- something (Chief) Thomlison said will make them more visible.

The problem with the new paint job is simple:

Two toned police cars work great as authoritative highway intercerptors, but do little to improve the community policing the force is trying to build.

The OPP gets away with this, as they police cold, stale, and (sometimes) dangerous highways. Authoritative colours work well in this case as immediate compliance is the message. It also helps when your force's traditional colours are black and white.

Community policing requires a different approach, a more subtle blend of law enforcemetion with crime prevention. Trying to perform copycat marketing with the OPP is likely to fail.

Colours play a larger role in our decision making than we like to believe. After all it's all part of the story and lens we view society through. Making sure the colours you choose integrate well with your message, is a great way to build a strong brand. Copycat marketing is not.

Reaching Below the Belt

2008-08-07T00:42:00.000-04:00

If you thought the Greyhound tradegy was vile, just consider the marketing strategy PETA was going to leverage, off the death of Tim Mclean.

Yes, emotional and controversial ads breed attention and discussion. However, you have to ask yourself if this is the attention you wish to convey? At what point does your consdcience and ethical side kick in and realize you are in essence profitting off someone else's tradegy?

PETA has clearly demonstrated their extreme poor taste in marketing, and lack of sensitivity for tragic deaths. This is why when one markets, you have to approach marketing as if your mother or father is watching. You must look at ALL side effects of your message and heavily consider current events.

In the online era, everyone can become a critic (or supporter) of your brand. Past loyalts is no longer a given for continued loyalty, and I think that PETA will lose much loyalty from current and future supporters.

Don't make the same mistake.

The Secret to Great Marketing...

2008-08-05T18:20:00.006-04:00

...and customer service, sales, communication, or any other functional business area is to:

Under Promise and Over Deliver!

I apologize for the lack of sticker shock, but sometimes brevity in marketing is all that is needed.

If Steve Jobs can do it, then so can you.

I'll blog more about this later if anyone would like me to expand on this....

Why You Can't Buy Attention Anymore

2008-08-04T10:22:00.005-04:00

Here's a good example of traditional marketing at work, that didn't work for Tim Hortons when they introduced their Slow Roast Beef Sandwich. New earning reports are out and things are looking for beefy for Canada's #1 brand:

Beef sandwiches were a hot commodity in the second quarter, and Tim Hortons got in on the action with its Slow Roast Beef offering.

It faced fresh competition, as McDonald's Canada launched its Angus Burger and A&W introduced its Sirloin Burger for a limited run. (All carried the same $4.99 price tag.) The A&W offering was popular - and led to a quarterly same-stores-sale increase of 9.1 per cent. Tim Hortons' sandwich, however, didn't last very long, despite heavy marketing

Now do you think introducing more sandwiches to the menu is going to boast sales when your real specialty is coffee and doughnuts?

How bout throwing endless marketing dollars to interrupt people, screaming pay attention!?

Line extension can work for some brands, however it doesn't work for most. This is why playing to your core strengths is so important. And why A&W has succeed with the Sirloin burger, after all they are in the beef business and that's what their target audience is looking for.

Do you think Tim's existing audience really thinks about sandwiches, let alone beef sandwiches when they have their caffeine/sugar fix? Not to mention the sandwich is way over priced ($5) for such a small portion. This isn't fine dining folks, portions = value.

When you attempt to promote a premium product when you are a value based chain, and then believe heavy marketing is all you need to be successful - you've got a serious problem.

Stick to your coffee and doughnuts Timmy, you'll do so much better.

What If You Were Blind?

2008-08-03T15:56:00.002-04:00

Would looks matter? Would brands matter? Would you feel compelled to go buy the most fashionable clothes to look good, even though you can't see what you look like?

What if the whole world was blind? How would marketing change? My guess is that we would focus more on smell and touch, to maintain the livable experiences we call life.

It's an interesting concept to ponder because we base so much of our marketing messages on how we look and act, compared to other people.

Eyesight is something we take for granted. I hope you don't do the same, when creating your marketing plan.

On How Not To Do Public Relations

2008-08-02T11:41:00.001-04:00

I don't envy Greyhound Canada's position they are in

What happened in recent days on a lone road in Manitoba was absolutely sickening and appalling. But that doesn't mean you can stick your head in the sand and wait for the sensationalism to die down.

I have blogged before about the terrible responsiveness and (lack of) service that coach companies provide, but this one really takes the cake.

So how did Greyhound respond?

1. Did not offer a local spokesperson to be physically present for questions, and instead redirected all calls to their American office for interviews.

2. Read from a scripted response that contained no new information and was a waste of time.

3. Displayed no lack of emotional sincerity in the tone of their response.

4. Posted no information or new releases on their Canadian or American website

5. Did not conduct a press conference to reiterate their physical involvement in this tragedy.

The RCMP is also on the hook: taking too long ( a full day) to notify the next of kin, with the victim's family only finding out their son was killed, via the media!

Good public relations is essential in marketing your organization's brand. What Greyhound should have done was:

Taking responsibility for lack of security on buses - this is different from accepting blame. The public respects an organization that accepts responsibility
Respond quickly - This means physical presence on the scene and immediate availability to media. Greyhound's message did not seem to be sincere, nor did it reflect who they were trying to convey the message to
Communicate very clearly what has gone wrong - this means no buzz, weasel words, or overly rhetorical speeches. If a grade 6 kid can't understand it, re-write it.
Communicate what you are doing about it - offering assistance to passengers on the bus is a normal step, but what are you offering to reassure future passengers?
Describe the steps you are taking to ensure it doesn't happen again - Calling a situation an isolated incident does you no good when you already have a history of problems.

And most importantly: consider an apology, if an apology is warranted. If the public is satisfied with your efforts in rectifying the problem, they will most likely forgive and move on.

Giving the severity and virility of this event, I don't know how easy it will be to move on...

Rest In Peace, Tim Mclean

Attention is the New Currency

2008-08-01T01:11:00.000-04:00

Just ask this guy

I have stated many times before and I'll say it again: the noise and distractions are only going to get louder

Sometimes common sense is really common courtesy. How much are you willing to pay attention?

You Know You Have a Good Presentation When...

2008-07-31T23:19:00.000-04:00

Everyone else talks about your ideas in their presentations!

I was recently doing a presentation on e-marketing talking about the new marketing philosophy and how we practice what we preach in our company. What I wasn't expecting was all the presenters afterwards to reference my presentation in their presentation.

Maybe it was because they felt threatened, or maybe they really liked my ideas. Either way it was free publicity for which I was grateful and proud of.

Cliche but so true: Ideas that spread, will make you win!

14 Trends of New Marketing

2008-07-29T03:27:00.003-04:00

Ok, I lied. If you pay attention to the first 14th, we'll throw in the 15th at no extra charge!

I found this post delivered by Seth Godin on avoiding Meatball Sundaes: a highly unpalatable dish that combines traditional commodity marketing with new marketing.

1. Direct Communication - between users and the people who make stuff. Your organization should be open to this direct communication to users. Make it easy, seductive, and fun to contact your company.

2. Amplification of Consumers - every consumer has become a critic and every consumer has the power to speak loudly. If you own a restaurant, every person that comes in is the potential reviewer because of the power of the Internet. If you run a hotel - every guest has the potential to be a reviewer for Fodor’s. If you run a cable TV company and one of your installers falls asleep while he’s supposed to be installing cable and it ends up on You Tube - it will undo millions of dollars worth of advertising.

After discussing these two points, Godin switched gears for a moment to stress that we always have a choice - he am not suggesting you stop making meatballs- he is suggesting that you choose that you either make meatballs or you don’t. Need to pick an integrated solution that is coherent.

3. Authentic Stories - what we know now is that you can’t tell two different stories to one person. The constituents are going to talk to each other. Your stories must be authentic and consistent. If the story is coherent and is shared - then the story will last fall longer than the facts ever do. People buy stories - good stories hold up under scrutiny.

4. Speed - has reached whole new levels. Two types of organization - one’s that are organized around speed and those that have competitors who have organized around speed.

5. The Long Tail - simple law of physics/human nature. As you add choices - sales go up. If you can own all of those choices - you win. Example. Amazon gets ½ their revenue from titles that Barnes and Noble doesn’t even carry. The ones that go down the long tail the faster - wins

6. Outsourcing - we are no longer in the factory business. The businesses that you own that make the meatball is old fashioned - outsourcing takes the factory out of the picture. Ex. Jott.com - you call and say you want to Jott something to yourself. Within 20 minutes, you get an email written what you said. A great way if you want to remember something when you are on the road. Godin wanted to know how they did this - and it turns out that they outsourced it to the third world where people listen to your Jott and then send you that email.

7. The Dicing of Everything - Google has shred the world a little big. The internet allows Google to take front doors and bust them open. They take things that are in bundles and they unbundled them. When you need information, you go to Google for your information, no need to go to bundled sites like cnet for your info.

8. Infinite channels of communication- Now there is an infinite number of ways to get information out there. Ex. look at the selection of analgesics, brands of beer, you have to understand that scarcity is no longer the power there used to be. Those scarcity rules are gone - you have to come up with a different way. It isn’t branding - we are branding our ways to death. You aren’t entitled to my attention.

9. Consumer to consumer - the fact is that your consumers are ganging up on you. They are talking to each other. You can enable that (Kiva, EBay) you can create industries where industries never used to exist. Connecting people who didn’t used to be connected.

10. Difference and the shift between scarcity and abundance - A good example is 6 years ago - a disposable cell phone seemed like a good idea. Today - we’d be queasy about the environmental impact. Used to be that fresh water was abundant - but today it isn’t. Take a hard look at what’s in short supply, and what’s not - and realize that our business is busy trying to make scare what is abundant and trying to use things that are abundant as if they are scarce - we can turn those things upside down.

11. Big Ideas - Big ideas are far more powerful than they were previously. Big product ideas. Example, the iPhone was hyped by the users because it was fun to talk about. When someone has something fun to talk about (example Numa Numa video) - it spreads like wildfire - Not because it’s a big marketing idea - not because it’s a big advertising idea - but because it’s a big idea in and of itself. Big reward for people who can find those ideas and bring them to market.

12. Who vs. How Many - Companies pay a premium to advertise on the Superbowl because of how many are watching. It used to be if you were selling to the masses, it matter a little bit that you reached the masses. Now, you care a lot more about who. A blog that only reaches a 1000 people could very well be more useful than the Superbowl.

13. The New Rich - The difference between the old rich and the new rich. The old rich were all the same - they were easy to find, they lived in Newport, they played polo, they played golf, they all read the same magazines etc. The new rich are like us - they are much more democratic, they do stuff that rich people didn’t used to, this idea means that there are some rich people in every demographic which changes the way you segment your marketing and the stuff you choose to make.

14. New Gatekeepers and No gatekeepers - People who used to have power as gatekeepers are finding their power disappearing. Instead, you have people having enormous of power and they are the gatekeepers. In addition, there are no gatekeepers, if you have a great idea, put it on YouTube - no one can say no, build your own website, your own Squidoo page - no one can say no.

15. The death zone between scarcity and ubiquity - In an inverted bell curve, there is a death zone between scarcity and ubiquity. Godin suggested that at either end of the spectrum, you win. You win if you are everywhere (Jerry Seinfeld) you win and if you are only a few places - but are in high demand - you also when. It’s when you are in the middle that you have trouble.

A Remarkable Drapery Lady

2008-07-04T08:23:00.000-04:00

One of my clients I have been working with, be sure to check out her new website and let me know what you think!

Overcoming Barriers

2008-06-26T02:12:00.000-04:00

I really like this youtube of a younger Jack Nicholson trying to overcome the waitress's objections to his order.

Speaking of objections/barriers have you noticed that the terms and conditions of doing business with people is growing?

Greyhound and Coach Canada are notorious for this. Case in point: the driver is able to accept payment from anyone not having a pre purchased ticket but they will not accept payment from you when there is still 2 mins left prior to departure and force you back to the ticket counter. With that little time to spare, the chances of the apathetic driver waiting past departure time are slim to none.

Sure the argument can be made that you should have been there 45 mins prior to departure(terms and conditions), however is this really a necessary barrier?

The marketing message from Coach Drivers: We don't really Care about your business.

Erecting barriers for your customers to overcome is a great way to race to the bottom of marketing efficiency. It is NOT great for building a remarkable company that compels people to say nice things about you.

Update: Yes I understand that coach travel is a commodity, but why should it be? Why not increase profits even more by increasing customer value, and rider experience? There is a huge disconnect between the marketing table at Greyhound/Coach Canada and what the actual perception of their marketing is.

Marketing because you want is so much more authentic than marketing because you have to.

When Marketing Doesn't Work

2008-06-26T01:59:00.001-04:00

If you lie or sell junk, no marketing can help. People will find out. When they do, they’ll leave, and tell others about you.

Those who see marketing as investment, will ultimately succeed. Those who view marketing as an expense will ultimately fail.

Harsh words, but so true.

Substance vs Style

2008-06-08T03:49:00.000-04:00

Back in the good old days it used to be that substance marketing prevailed - rational middle class people bought goods based on logic and reason. People needed flour (general store), their shoes repaired instead of buying new ones, all while staying in touch with family/friends (Bell Telephone). All logical "decisions" for a normal life.

Back then it was perfectly logical (and reasonable) to expect your wife to douche herself with lysol in order to be "loved", and kept out of the web of indifference. Nobody objected to this rationale. Lysol is still around selling this product - albeit in "spray form" and (now) for household cleaning purposes.

When marketers began to understand how the human brain works specifically on emotion and senses; they acted accordingly on their ads and messages. Now sex is in, lifestyle positioning is Queen, and everybody is looking for the next emotional rush (hello green marketing).

Good marketing doesn't distinguish between these targeting strategies. Good marketing needs both. It needs to capture the emotion and senses of your target audience while providing a rationale that will last way beyond the initial purchase. If you are going to market a green product, it is no good to market the logical (financial savings) reasons but the emotional (helping combat global climate change) in an integrated fashion.

Remember customers buy based on emotion and senses, and then rationalize their purchases afterwards. They need your help and commitment behind what you sell so they have an excuse to buy from you.

Sounds easy? Not likely.

Most marketers and companies only like to take limited responsibility for their marketing side affects. What I just said involves being responsibility's for ALL side effects and responding accordingly. So if your Abercrombie shirts really make people look fat, thats your problem not the customers. If you fail to explain all the terms and condition behind your credit card, you the bank are liable, not the customer.

You're on the right track if you think this sounds like dating. If everyone started marketing like they were talking to a potential companion, we would be in such a better place.

Six Principles of New Marketing

2008-06-08T02:22:00.000-04:00

Many people ask me what is "New Marketing" and how it differentiates from Old Marketing?

Below are some of the key principles from Harvard Business Review. It's important to note that New Marketing ideas have been around for a very long time (Peter Drucker was one of the pioneers). But it's only in recent years with the saturation of ads, noise, and a time starved world, that this ideology is finally coming to fruition.

Marketing is everything and everything is marketing, suggests that marketing is like quality. It is not a function but an all-pervasive way of doing business
The goal of marketing is to own the market, not just to sell the product," is a remedy for companies that adopt a limiting "market-share mentality." When you own a market, you lead the market
Marketing evolves as technology evolves." Programmable technology means that companies can promise customers "any thing, any way, any time." Now marketing is evolving to deliver on that promise
Marketing moves from monologue to dialogue - argues that advertising is obsolete. Talking at customers is no longer useful. The new marketing requires a feedback loop--a dialogue between company and customer
Marketing a product is marketing a service is marketing a product." The line between the categories is fast eroding: the best manufacturing companies provide great service, the best service companies think of themselves as offering high-quality products
Technology markets technology," points out the inevitable marriage of marketing and technology and predicts the emergence of marketing workstations, a marketing counterpart to engineers' CAD/CAM systems

The key cornerstone of modern marketing is the integration of marketing into all business activities. This means marketing is placed at the fore front of the production cycle - that is, make solutions for what people demand not what the business demand. All and then promoting your activities to your target audience after you've gained their permission.

Yes it's hard, and yes that's why very few organizations adopt this approach. But then again very few companies are remarkable. Remarkable people recognize the effort is worth it. That the long term success is worth the short term pain.

Are you looking to be remarkable or just average?

Marketing Is The New Finance

2008-06-04T03:17:00.000-04:00

According to Hal Varian, Google's Chief Economist, marekting is about to undergo an quantitative revolution like the financial services sector did with qualitative subjects in the 1970's.

Wait, stop right there.

Google has a Chief Economist???

Remember, no one really cares about the product/service you sell. You are just another noisy fish in a very big ocean, trying to get attention. Chances are, if you're selling a commodity (read: competing on price) you may not be around as long as you think.

However Google is different. People care about Google. If you don't believe me, just go research how much the Google T-Shirt alone goes for.

When Google talks people listen, all because they're a remarkable company, that understands their audience and where they need to go to stay noteworthy.

Bring out the ruler and start measuring. And change accordingly.

Consistency

2008-05-26T23:18:00.000-04:00

The large bad boy companies are notorious for getting this wrong.

Usually it's the astounding difference of service your customer's face when calling in regards a problem they have. Or worse yet: being told 10 different stories regarding a product you thought was going to solve your problem: "Internet not working? It must be your router or your non warranty copper wires, but it's definitely not our fault, we just sell the service. Let me transfer you"

As mentioned in the previous post: if you can't market your brand as being real (authentic), you may as well pack up and head home.

Same goes for consistency. Consistency goes hand in hand with authenticity. Not only do you have to keep it real, you must do this for every customer.

Remember that people don't but what they need, they buy on what story they tell themselves.

Therefore it's essential that how you answer the phone, to how you manage your website, to your in person meetings are all consistent with your brand, and the story you tell your target market.

Bell Canada lost lots of internet customers because they couldn't keep their story straight, but apparently TekSavvy can when it comes to internet providing. This goes to show that people will talk about your brand (or lack thereof) whether you like it or not.

Find your inconsistencies in your message, fix them fast, and maybe just maybe your customers will say nice things about you.

Authenticity

2008-05-13T19:10:00.002-04:00

What is real?

In today's over crowded market we are constantly bombarded with ads, calls, and people getting in our face screaming for our attention.

One secret to breaking through this noise is how Authentic is your product/service? Do you have to bluntly tell people what you are all about? Do people see through your claims and unique selling proposition?

Good marketers know that while you can fool some people you can't fool all people. To build trust for your brand you have to start with an authentic product. One that promises what it delivers, does not insult your target community, and leaves the prospect giving you their permission to have more.

Chances are that if you have to say your product contains 100% juice, that you are the #1 at XXX, or using generic photos for your brochures, your not authentic. Same goes for people's attention to your message.

Start with authenitcating your brand and you may suprise yourself with the results.

Just Do It

2008-05-06T09:20:00.000-04:00

Nike was right all along...

Sometimes the fastest way to remarkable marketing is to just start somewhere, get some traction, and revise according to trial and error.

I see too many people who are semantically posturing their ideas and business plans to get anything done.

The result? Someone else gets their first, establishes the position, and you lose.

Ideas that can spread, ultimately win. What are you waiting for?

Why Most of Us Won't Become Millionaires

2008-04-17T17:19:00.000-04:00

There are over a billion ways to become a millionaire. No longer is the club reserved for those who have paid their corporate dues, or were in the right spot at the right time with the right seed capital.

In fact you would never know who is a millionaire or not because the look and style of a millionaire is so varied, so different, your neighbour next door with their modest house and car could easily be part of the club.

So why won't most of us become millionaires?

The traditional way calls for us to go to school (often now for long period of times) go work for someone else, be told what to do for XX years, and hopefully be in a spot of control where we can tell other people what to do while raking in the dough with maybe a few stock options in our back pocket.

The problem with that world view is that it's no longer realistic. The ladder has all but been replaced with a ramp. More people are moving laterally into positions than up. Why? As you move up there is fewer and fewer space but with more competition. After all your playing by their rules.

It's really hard to spread your ideas with all the noise and competition. Those who truly want to be millionaires have to break the rules. Start your own business, find your own niche, and become the ultimate expert of your field. Then and only then do you stand a chance of being remarkable.

But for most people the problems still persist

Being safe and secure in a mediocore paying job is less risky
Entrepreneurship involves moving outside your comfort zone and (gasp) outside a 9 to 5 work environment
Short term results are favoured over long term ones
Being told what to do is much easier than telling others what to do
If our parents could do well climbing the ladder, so can we
Shortcuts are preferable to going down the long road
People are comforted by what everyone else is doing
Going it alone seems too risky, too hard, too unrewarding for the generation that wants everything yesterday

Unless your willing to break the traditional rules, a mediocore life is sure to follow. But then again that is what most of us want, right?

You decide

Being Stephane Dion

2007-12-27T02:49:00.000-05:00

I had recently sent this op ed to some prominent newspapers in the country in the hopes that it would get published. The official opposition leader, Stephane Dion has had a rough year and I thought it would be beneficial to air some of my creative marketing ideas he might find useful to know.

Incidentally the major news makers weren't interested in hearing what I said. I only realized this after I had sent this piece off, that newspapers are really mass communication devices. In other words they are the total anti thesis of my blog - which serves a much smaller niche market (see I am a human). My ideas are less likely to spread in mass market newspapers so should that stop me from attempting to spread my ideas?

Absolutely not. Hence why my creative article appears below for those wishing to take a gander:

On How Stephane Dion Can Spread The Message

It is no secret that the Leader of her Majesty's Loyal Opposition is one of the toughest on Parliament Hill. Stephane Dion has been in the job for no less than 12 months and there are already rumblings from his own party that he has to go.

Attention span of consumers (translate: voters) has gone down over recent history. It used to be that party leaders had three kicks at the can before being given the boot, now it looks like Dion may only have one shot at - and only if he agrees to go to polls sooner rather than later.

Stephane this message is directed towards you. Other party leader and politicians alike may read this but this advice I'm about to give you is no more relevant than to you:

1. You were elected leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. As Donald Trump would say, it doesn't matter how much your opponents lost by, they lost and you won. Do not take this a zero sum game (your Dream Team notion is remarkable). Understand that the buck stops with you.

2. Stop reacting to Stephen Harper's story and start changing it. I know you have been trying very hard to do this but, he has set traps all around the Liberal boat, and you don't have to play his game - unless you want to. This also includes the media. The media loves to cover winners and castrate losers. Right now you are a loser in the media's eyes. This will change if you start changing the story into a winnable idea.

3. Right now you suffer as not being seen as a front runner among voters. Why keep playing that game with media, and your opponents? So why not change the game? Instead of waiting for a TV network to invite you to an interview, why not make your own TV show? Debate Jack Layton and other opponents in public - start in Calgary . Broadcast the whole thing on YouTube, Myspace, Facebook. When you're done, challenge the Prime Minister to debate you, one on one. On your channel. What are they, chicken?

4. Harper has tried to control the message very carefully, and to somewhat of a success. Voters don't care about the "Ottawa Bubble" (i.e. Harper's dislike of the media and vice versa) but they are very concerned about where our planet, economy, and health is headed. Appeal to voters with emotion and senses rather than logic and rational. Please note this is not a trade off of substance for fluff. Find a way to invoke your substance into quick easy to understand sound bytes for Canadians to consider. This is crucial as voter's attention span is at an all time low. Make a "Dion souvenir" that is practical but informative for Canadians to remember you by. Give them to party members across the country to hand out.

5. Your Dream Team idea is excellent. Find ways to create to create other remarkable ideas (see #3) that can be turned into stories that can spread to Canadians. Further you need to get your dream team front and centre, allowing each of them to use their own strengths, and talents, to complement each other and make your leadership even stronger. Parade them around the country as a force to be reckoned with. Find ways to use non traditional ways of communicating with your target base. Hint: not traditional media.

6. Make it a point to visit as many university campuses as possible. After all this is your comfortable turf, and there are countless numbers of Young Liberals and other progressive voters who would love the opportunity to meet you and hear your ideas. Universities are a great marketing tool to engage not only students but many community members as well. If cost is an issue, do a webcast (Think: Alan Greenspan at the Sheraton Centre). Have a funny (but serious) mannequin stand in.

7. Speaking of youth, get the Young Liberals more active. No political party has a more active youth wing (the Conservatives disbanded theirs). Ottawa is full of so many old (and sometime grumpy) people. Surrounding yourself with tomorrow's generation will not only show you as progressive ("and with it"), you might actually learn something from them. They are best source for market research. Make all events free for them. Have senior members to subsidize their involvement in the party. Don't worry those young liberals will turn into regular members who will return the favour down the road. By making this a liberal tradition, it will create a sense of excitement and party engagement that the party has been looking for after throwing the Old Boy's club out.

8. Don't let your perceived lack of charisma become an Achilles heel. Sure you'll never have the charisma of your predecessors, but playing to your strengths (geeky but fun) will make you a more authentic individual in the long run. The party didn't vote for your charisma they voted for your leadership and substance. Play to that. Everyone said Harper was Canada's youngest old man with no personality; It's obvious this is not a prerequisite for the keys to 24 Sussex.

9. Keep your message consistent. And it should be a message that Canadians can remember outside of (and during) an election. Again having the Young Liberals and your Dream Team spread this message is key. It is crucial that you give them the proper marketing tools to do so. Don't assume they can do this on there own - all the more reason to visit them (see #6).

10. Finally don't give up. You are in a Dip but Not on a cliff, understand the difference. People who are in the Dip with perseverance can get out of it. People who quit midway through are never seen or heard from again. Read the Dip by Seth Godin (it's short and easy to understand). Keep Mrs. Dion around for Support, let's see more of her. And most of all never stop smiling, you do it so much better than Stephen Harper. I think he's jealous.

Garrett Saunders is Founder and Agent of Change, of Canadian Beaver Consulting, a Marketing Service Firm in Waterloo, Ontario. He can be reached at marketing.change@gmail.com

On Cell Phones

2007-11-19T12:09:00.000-05:00

I used to work for a cell phone dealer (I won't tell you which one), and one thing I learned very quickly was the name of the game for the Big Three (Read: Bell, Rogers, Telus) confusion and staying within the legality (but not spirit) of the law. We always tried our best to explain everything including extra charges, terms and conditions and such, however the game kept changing and customers were more infatuated with their phone then worry ing about the contract they just signed.

This has been shortcut for higher profits for the telecommunication's industry. But no more. CBC.ca has a new special on Cellphones which can hopefully lead to a consumer revolution and a serious market correction.

Using shortcuts and confusion will not lead you to marketing success in the long term. Just ask JetBlue.

On Learning

2007-11-06T00:13:00.000-05:00

Recently I went to Toronto to visit a few friends. One of them was my former boss when I worked as an Executive Assistant for the UW Federation of Students. He gave me a tour of his new job (he's a Urban Planner for a Hospital), and two things struck me while conversing with him.

His story (read ideas and ambitions) have not changed. In fact they have been very consistent and authentic in terms of his ideological predispositions on society. This is extremely important for personal marketing (and branding) if you wish to effect greater social change.
He had difficulty answering a basic question: What is the most important thing you've learned in your position? His non verbal communique suggested I put him in an uncomfortable position. That this type of question is too weird (or worse shouldn't be asked).

After much reflection and thought he came up with an answer - but it didn't seem authentic. You've heard it many times a response just to kinda shut you up and move on. Don't get me wrong I'm pretty sure he's doing an excellent job in his field, but why is it so difficult for people to answer such basic questions? Because they perceive them as loaded questions, and are used to verbose answers with lots of stilted language.

I think answering this fundamental questions is one of the most precious ways to not only market yourself, but help those around you make sense of the world. As Seth Godin puts it: "Being Safe is Risky", remarkable ideas, things, or people don't come from being safe - quite the opposite.

Educating others can be one of the most profitable and rewarding things that you can do. When was the last time you educated someone? Try it, (it doesn't have to be long) short and simple will do just fine in this attention deficit economy.

If You Sell Bubbletea...

2007-07-19T00:28:00.000-04:00

Too often many small businesses create loyalty cards to create, well "loyal" customers. This can be done in a variety of ways with a wide range of "strings" attached.

I currently visited my local Bubbletea shop "Sweat Dreams" and I noticed that you don't get a stamp on your "loyalty card" if you order a small size; stamps only apply to large drinks.

Nowhere is this "string" idea told or communicated to the customer. It's only after you make your purchase is the bad news told to you.

Loyalty is created when everyone has an equal opportunity to be treated unique (in this case free bubble tea after X amount of purchases). By creating a double standard or encouraging people to pay more for a size they don't want, you are effectively killing many opportunities for loyalty.

Keeping strings to a minimum or better yet - not hiding them from the customer is just plain good ethical marketing.

Bad ideas spread much faster than good ones.

How are you ensuring that the good ideas are spreading in your organization?

Federal Elections

2007-07-14T11:59:00.000-04:00

Political parties rarely (if ever) win because of their international agenda. Rather it's the domestic agenda that really brings the voters to mark an X beside your name.

Why is that you might ask?

Because space and time make it less tangible for the voter and the voter likes tangible items. They want to see things that they can see and touch without having to wait. This is why items like the GST cut are so popular, as the voter sees the immediate savings. Yes I know what your thinking GST cuts aren't the way to go when income taxes are still too high, but how many times do you file your taxes a year? Oh yeah, thats right, only once. How many times do you go buy items at the store with your disposable income? A lot more times than you file your taxes!

So whats a political party to do?

Especially since one needs to demonstrate leadership on the international stage in order to gain power. The answer: campaign about domestic issues, and less about international issues, ensuring a generalized plan for your international platform. Canadians will remember what you promised domestically, and less internationally.

Regardless of the savings and benefit, space and time matter. A LOT

If Your Conrad Black

2007-07-14T08:17:00.000-04:00

First stop should be the prestigious Nordstrom to pick up some blush to replace all of the blood that has disappeared from his pale face.

This was an extraordinary case with some pundits claiming this as the trial of the century. It is interesting to note that the public at large was not hurt due to Mr. Black, but rather private shareholders. Yet he himself is facing a long prison term similar to other disgraced corporate figures that not only robbed the piggy bank but stole from mom and pop's pension.

I do not believe Conrad, received a fair trail. The whole notion that the prosecution gets the last word through a final rebuttal of the defense's closing statement, with the idea that they must sit 2-3 times further away from the jury, provides a strategic advantage to the prosecution. Patrick Fitzgerald's assertion that the prosecution deserves this due to the burden of proof being higher for the state, means that they forget that some one's liberty is at stake, and this trial is the result of their (the Government's) actions. Not being able (or willing) to follow the same rules as the defense is indicative of a weak prosecution case, and should raise a reasonable doubt in anyone's mind.

Understand that trial by juries are based on emotion and senses rather than on logic and rationale. This is exactly why the whole idea of corporate perks were constantly thrown on the table for the jury to engulf in. Perks that these low incomers will never ever in their lifetime enjoy, is a classic yield of resentment at its best.

No matter how hard one tries to be logical and rational, they will fail in that act, not because of their effort or intelligence, but due to the simple fact that they are.......(wait for it) a human being. If your a child sex offender your better off with a judge who must employ more logic and rational (otherwise appeals become more frequent) than a jury of mothers of father (who do not have to explain their rationale). In Black''s case the jurors present were not truly reflective of his peers as the social/income disparity was so great, I can't help but wonder if this had anything to do with his conviction.

With that said, this case came down to credibility. Many of the star witness (Radler and the Audit Committee) were completely discredited, with it coming down to who do you believe? The government who wants to bask in the limelight of fighting for the little guy (in this case the shareholders) or the pompous arrogant Black who had made his lifetime story based on cheating (selling exams at Upper Canada college) to deceitfulness (getting the old ladies to sign away their inheritances) to deviance (defying a court order) to another court judge ruling that Black's credibility is as good as the bully in the schoolyard.

It is interesting to note that when talking to any legal scholar or prominent lawyer on this case, there is no consensus of opinion. Just as many thought he would be found guilty, as innocent, and just as many thought Kipanis would walk free, instead of heading to the jail cell.

As you can see Conrad Black has come full circle - From getting expelled out of private school, to using other people's money to fund his empire, to becoming a media magnate, to revoking his Canadian citizenship. to the House of Lords, to his decline and criminal charges. He has led a colourful life that is nothing short of remarkable, and has led to his reputation being shredded into confetti.

It is interesting to note that he has held many anti-Canadian views and seen as sorts, as an American apologist whereby Canada should be absorbed into the U.S. Now he conveniently wants his Canadian Citizenship back and wants nothing to do with the U.S., and according to his lawyers wants to stay in Canada awaiting his sentencing hearing. It remains to be seen though as he is a British citizen if he will be allowed to serve his sentence there instead of in America. There is no doubt he will not be barred from Canadian Citizenship due his conviction. This is Poetic Justice at it's best.

I don't believe Black is done with his life, where he'll just go sit in some Jail cell and start knitting. He is known for his defiance and going against the grain of society and therefore we can expect to hear more from him in the future. Whether this be in new publishing's or in the appeal courts, he is truly the anti-thesis of boring.

On Firing Your Customers

2007-07-13T04:04:00.000-04:00

Customers fall into two general camps: angels and devils. Angel customers are people who apologize for wasting the organization's time when they call in, or better yet don't complain. They pay their bills on time, and have nothing but good things to say about their provider.

Devils on the other hand look for any crass opportunity to seize upon. They will call up demanding credits, questionable refunds, and have no problem wasting the organization's time. They have an axe to grind and are looking out for any new potential victim, where exploit their unfair tactics.

Most people fall somewhere between these two extremes. Cause for concern becomes an issue when one moves from one end of the spectrum to the other (especially Angel to Devil), where one should evaluate getting rid of the "Devils".

Recently Sprint has announced the firing of a 1000 or so customers off their cell phone system, due to excessive inquiries and demands.

So whats the idea here?

I guess Spring thought they (the bad customers) were were costing more money than they were actually worth. Seth Godin's article on Sprints flawed logic is bang on, where the 1000 customers complaining too much is a symptom of an even bigger problem.

What companies need to be worried about is moving customers from being Angels to Devils due to their psychopathic/neglectful customer service.

The story that those 1000 "devil" customers had been telling about Sprint, all of a sudden just got that much bigger.