Johnny The Bagger

I received this from a colleague. Please watch, it will change your world if you let it.

Once in a great while you will see something that will bypass the brain and go straight to the heart. We guarantee that this short three minute movie will be one of those times.

No matter how many times you watch this, we know that you'll love it more each time you watch it. Not only does it bring service into perspective, it brings life into perspective!

Don't forget to pay it forward by sharing this email with friends, family, and co-workers. They'll thank you for doing it!

Just click here to watch.

Stay Motivated,

Your Friends at Motivation in a Minute

A Simple Truths Company

Time To Look In The Mirror.......

.....and ask yourself a question. Be careful, you may not like the answer that comes back!

Why would a customer or prospect choose to do business with you instead of your competitor? Now, write it down.

Are these things that my customers or prospects really care about? Is it enough to differentiate you or your business?

These questions apply to you personally as well as your business.

If you don't have 3 to 5 reasons, it is time to look a little deeper into the mirror and figure it out.

If you have them, please post here to share with everyone.

Email me if you need help. rcovert@gpmnow.com

Check Your Intensity

Remembering what good looks like.

I started a training regimen about 8 months ago. To date, I have lost about 50 pounds of weight and 80 pounds of fat. I work out daily. Lifting weights or cardio. I watch what I eat. I thought I was working out hard. Until today.

I had a work out session with Rudy Reyes. Former Recon Marine, Kung Fu champion, Personal Trainer. You will hear more about Rudy in the upcoming months. But for today, Rudy got me inspired to begin my fitness journey with a single session 8 months ago. I hadn't seen him since. He was in town and asked me to work out this morning. I couldn't wait for him to see the progress I had made.

I thought I was training hard. Until this morning. Working out with Rudy, I remembered what intensity was like. It was great. I was sore before I left the gym, but it was great. I am recharged to up my intensity level. I have been working hard, but I can do better. If I am going to spend the time in the gym, why not maximize the results?

Much like your daily life. If you are spending 10 hours a day at work, why not step it up a notch and make it count? Can you do it a little better. A little more intensity. You are there. Why not do it better? If you are in sales, make that one more presentation. If you have a retail business, greet the customer with just a little more enthusiasm. Encourage a co-worker. Kick it up a notch.

I have attached a link to part of the workout. It's worth watching the whole thing! Then try it!

Don't let yourself get stuck in a rut. What area of your life and or career can YOU kick up the intensity? Post here or shoot me an email if this inspires you to do something a little better.

Beyond The Product

While I was researching a quote for yesterday's blog, I stumbled on another quote from Don Beveridge, International Business Consultant and author of the book "The Achievement Challenge. I was able to see Don speak several years ago and I think he is on of the best sales and management consultants I have ever had the pleasure to learn from. The book was published in 1988, and is well worth the search to get a copy.

On to the quote. "Only 40% of a buyer's decision relates to the product. 60% is relative to what you do for the cuastomer beyond the product." Don Beveridge

In most cases, multiple businesses offer virtually the same product or service. It is how you differentiate beyond the product that counts. This is all part of your overall strategy. What little extra thing can you offer your customer that no one else can or will? It doesn't have to be big.

For example, when was the last time that you got a hand written thank you note after a purchase? Were you surprised? What if every time you took your car in for service, the dealer washed and vacuumed it at no charge? Your gas station had someone that came out and cleaned your windows while you filled up. We have a local bank that offers fresh baked cookies any time you come in.

From a personal selling standpoint, what can you do beyond the product? Research your prospects business and ask questions that are important to your prospect. Dress more professionally. Hand write thank you notes. Do exactly what you say you will do. Become perceived as a part of the prospects staff. I worked with a car dealer that did a live nativity scene on their lot for 2 weeks before Christmas. I ran the spotlight for them every night. Outside. In the cold. They spent twice as much with me as with any other rep. Coincidence? You decide.

What will you do to differentiate beyond the product? Feel free to post any experiences that you have had or what you do to differentiate.

When Good Strategies Go Bad

So, now with the fact established that a good strategy will work even if it is executed poorly, it begs the question Why execute it poorly? If a good strategy will work with weak execution, let's add to that flawless execution. Or at least SOME execution. This is where the best plans fail.

I have met many business owners, managers and sales reps for that matter that KNEW the right things to do. They had a great core strategy, but were not executing it at all. Why? Because the path of least resistance is to do what is easiest. Usually, the right strategy isn't easiest becuse if it was.....everyone would be doing it.

International consultant Don Beveridge, writes, "From my 30 years of experience, I've found that most people DO have a working knowledge of the information you think they require. The problem is not deficiency of knowledge or "D.K." but rather "D.E." deficiency of execution."

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do." Goethe

What is it that you know you should be doing in your career or your business to make you better that you don't currently do? What is that strategy that is there and available to you that you can put into play today?

If you are wondering, yes, this does apply to YOU.

If you really want to suceed, you must put your strategies to work. If you need help asking the tough questions, send me an email. I would be glad to help.

Strategy Vs. Execution

Which works better in advertising, excellent execution of a weak strategy or weak execution of an excellent strategy?

Quite simply, if your strategy is sound, even if it is executed poorly, you fill be far more successful than if you did a great job executing without a quality strategy. We have all seem and heard great "ADS" that made us laugh that did absolutely nothing to persuade us to try a product. For that matter, look at most Super Bowl commercials. Great production but poor strategy in that they do not persuade us to do something different or remember the product.

If you look to a previous post, Morris Hite said, "If an ad campaign is built around a weak idea - or as is so often the case, no idea at all - I don't give a damn how good the execution is, it's going to fail. If you have a good selling idea, your secretary can write your ad for you."

Roy H. Williams, The Wizard Of Ads writes,

"Most advertising professionals are unwilling to question a client's strategy because they're afraid of losing the account. So they happily pretend that "good writing, scientifically selected colors, powerful pictures and reaching the right audience" is all that's needed to make money in America. Give me average writing, bland colors, no pictures, the wrong people and a strong strategy and I'll have to rent a trailer to haul my money to the bank. Could good advertising save a bad restaurant? No, but these restaurants succeed in spite of bad food and no advertising when they're the only restaurant in the hotel. Strategy triumphs again."

So, before you write that next ad, what is YOUR strategy going to be? I have tons of examples of good AND bad ads. Email me if you would like some examples. If you have any examples of great advertising and marketing strategy that seems to work in spite of poor execution, please feel free to post below!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

I would like to congratulate Collins Jones of Cookeville, TN for winning the contest yesterday and best answering the question :

Which works better in advertising, excellent execution of a weak strategy or poor execution of an excellent strategy?

It is definitely worth the read. If you can make it through the whole thing while laughing. Collins is definitel on the right path! Thanks to all who submitted. My answer to the question will follow shortly. Your book is on the way Collins. Your gold star is on this post!

Collins writes :

i would normally say a excellent execution however to be devils advocate (cause most everone is choosing that) i am going to say poor execution of an excellent stategy. because strategy is key when defining your product or service. how, when, what and why are important in our everyday lifes. even if you have a terrible means of getting out your message or a real dummy for an ad rep your strategy will still come through. some examples of terrible executions but good stategies are below and were created by me in about 15 minutes so it isnt a really good novel just a novel.

WHY? 2 examples

1. say you have a piece of furniture that is one of a kind worth 1 million bucks. you decide to advertise it in a circulation of only 5 households in the world. however those households are the biggest collectors in the world of furniture. The stategy is to sell it in one day. how? to offer it at 500k. i dont care if you have a picture of a kid standing on a piece of furniture those guys are gonna take a look and one will buy it. 1 of those 5 guys will have to have it. your radio ad says "hey mom look im dancing on this nice piece of furniture with a coke in my hand", but its only 500k and worth million at auction. one of these five guys will be on it like fly's on well??? what flys get on... anyways the example i have just stated shows a particular item.

2. Now lets look at an item that is simple, say a new brand of a cell phone. i mean this phone will do anything from jump start your car to give you a foot massage. then your execution of a promotion is to place 2000 phones in a horsetrack that when after the horses race everyone gets to go down and pick up a phone. well nearly all will be broken but a few wont be and those 2000 goofy tech people that like great technology has the opportunity to have this nice new phone. then the other people watching and wanting, but got a broken one, will probably go and at least look at the item even if its priced more than they make in a month. so the strategy was to build up a chance of winning these awesome phones and giving people a lesson before the race on what that phone could do. Then the execution is the horses trampling on it in a race, terrible right, or is it????? you created monsters in your store or business place people have to have their technology. "and thats my story and im sticking to it" quote from jimmy buffet

Win a Prize.

Ok, so I am looking for a little interaction on the blog. I have a question. The best answer by the end of the day today on the blogspot will win a copy of "Secret Formulas Of The Wizard Of Ads", by Roy H. Williams, a gold star AND your response will be posted on the blog tomorrow morning! Just log in to the blog and respond on the site. Answer the question and support it with WHY. It's not a trick question.

Which works better in advertising, excellent execution of a weak strategy or poor execution of an excellent strategy?

Feel free to support your answer with quotes and sources. Creativity is encouraged. (deadline is midnight tonight 6/22/09)

More On Morris

After quoting Morris Hite a few days ago, I did a little more research. Enjoy the quotes below, especially the ones in bold. I will be coming back to them very soon. I also ordered the book Adman: Morris Hite's Methods For Winning The Ad Game. Can't wait to read it. Yes, I am a geek when it comes to this stuff.

Advertising is salesmanship mass produced. No one would bother to use advertising if he could talk to all his prospects face-to-face. But he can't.

Advertising moves people toward goods; merchandising moves goods toward people.

If an ad campaign is built around a weak idea - or as is so often the case, no idea at all - I don't give a damn how good the execution is, it's going to fail.

If you have a good selling idea, your secretary can write your ad for you.

Is advertising moral? It is part and parcel of the American free enterprise system... I challenge anybody to show any economic system that has done as much for so many in so short a time.

It is not the purpose of the ad or commercial to make the reader or listener say, 'My what a clever ad.' It is the purpose of advertising to make the reader say, 'I believe I'll buy one when I'm shopping tomorrow'.

It takes good clients to make a good advertising agency. Regardless of how much talent an ad agency may have, it is ineffective without good products and services to advertise.

The headline is the most important element of an ad. It must offer a promise to the reader of a believable benefit. And it must be phrased in a way to give it memory value.

The ultimate test of a finished account executive is his ability to write a sound marketing plan.

There is no such thing as national advertising. All advertising is local and personal. It's one man or woman reading one newspaper in the kitchen or watching TV in the den.

Lesson From Alice In Wonderland

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there." The Cheshire Cat, Alice In Wonderland

Businesses spend millions of dollars on advertising and creating commercials without a clear vision of where they want the advertising to take them. What does success of the advertising look like for you?

You must begin with the end in mind. Many advertisers say that they "Just want to get their name out there." That makes no sense. If you are going to spend the money, make sure you have a clear plan to get a return on that investment. It can be short term strategy or a long term one, but advertise with a purpose. It can be done.

I have a tool called The Why Advertise Checklist to help get you started on the path. If you would like a copy, send me an email to rcovert@gpmnow.com .

Happy Father's Day!

How Buying Decisions Are REALLY Made

I wrote a few days ago that reaching the right people was far less important than saying the right thing. Decisions are rarely made in a vacuum. It is very hard to predict a consumers' moment of need. I had a great example of this with a real client and a real consumer. Me.

I have a golf shop client that is airing commercials for Father's Day. This customer, like most, was concerned with what audience he was speaking to. As always, I downplayed the need to worry. He thought that for Father's Day, it was important to target the female buying for the Dad. Nope. Decisions are not made in a vacuum.

The new ad has ULTRALIGHT GOLF BAGS, regularly $129, on sale for $79. It just so happens that my bag is falling apart. So, I take two of my girls with me to the grocery store after work and accidentally take a detour and stop at the golf shop to show the girls what Mom could get me for Father's Day. (in case she asks)

Now, when Mom goes in (hopefully) to buy the golf bag for me for Father's Day, it would appear that targetting the female was the right thing. Was it? No, because decisions are rarely made in a vacuum. In the end does it really matter? No. Because the client made the sale. And Dad got what he wanted for Father's Day.....if my daughter's do their job.

Radio Reach Stays Strong

RADAR 101: Radio Reaches More Than 235 Million Every Week

COLUMBIA, MD -- June 15, 2009: The latest RADAR report on network radio shows that radio reaches more than 235 million Americans 12+ every week. That's 92 percent of people 12+, and Arbitron points out that radio also reaches 89 percent 12 to 17-year-olds weekly, and 85 percent of the "ad-elusive and media multi-taskers" between 18 and 34. The 7,700 RADAR network stations reach 213 million people each week.

RADAR has included results from PPM respondents since late 2007, and Arbitron says, "As additional markets transition to electronic measurement, total radio reach is revealed to be larger than in previous surveys."

In other stats, Arbitron says radio reaches 92 percent of black non-Hispanic persons 12 and older and 93 percent of Hispanic persons 12 and up, and about 93 percent of 18-49s among both black non-Hispanics and Hispanics.

Additionally, radio reaches more than 94 percent of college graduates 25-54, and 95 percent of adults 25-54 with a college degree and annual income of $500,000 or more.

The complete RADAR 101 report is due out on Monday, June 22.

What's The Word?

Word of mouth that is.

I am an advertising guy. Today I am going to let you in on a little secret that most advertising people do not want you to know. But you mustn't let anyone know that you heard it from me.

Word of mouth is the absolute most powerful form of advertising. There, I said it. Whew, I feel better to have that off of my chest.

Now, here is the caveat. Modern day advertising pioneer Morris Hite said, "Advertising is salesmanship mass produced. No one would bother to use advertising if he could talk to all his prospects face-to-face. But he can't." That is where good advertising comes in.

Good advertising is multiplied word of mouth. The good news is that we are able to direct that word of mouth by what we say in our ads. We create word of mouth by carefully crafting persuasive ads that cause people to think about us.

Remember, decisions are rarely made in a vacuum. When you make a purchasing decision, you will generally get an opinion of where to go for a product or service from family, friends or co-workers. They tell you, "I heard so and so was the place to go." You go and tell them that a friend told you to come by. Great word of mouth. Except that the friend had never been there either. The friend had been hearing the ads and viola! word of mouth works again.

What are you telling people to tell others about you?

Everyone Knows About Branding......

Don't they?

In my experience, most people in advertising as well as business owners and managers do not have a true grasp of branding. Most simply think that branding is getting your name out there, advertising consistently or making sure the logo looks cool.

Branding is affected somewhat by those factors, but that is not branding. The act of branding is to attatch meaning to a name. When someone hears or sees your business name, what do they think of? In order to brand your business, you must decide what it is that you want people to think about you and then begin to create that image in the mind of the consumer in everything that you do. Refer to the marketing bridge article from a few days ago to remind you that just as marketing is any touch between you and a potential customer, your brand has to be consistent in every area of the marketing bridge. http://covertmarketingstrategies.blogspot.com/2009/06/how-is-your-marketing-bridge.html

Here is the tough part. You have a brand right now, good OR bad. What are you doing to control the evolution of your brand. Do you really know what you want it to be? What do you want your name to mean in the mind of your customers and potential customers? Figure this out BEFORE you begin to advertise. Send me an email at rcovert@gpmnow.com if you want to talk about developing a strategy for YOUR brand.

What Motivates You?

AHHH, the motivational speaker. We have all seen them. We sit through a seminar and can't wait to change the world. Until we get home, never open the notes again and change absolutely nothing in our lives. After experiencing this phenomena over and over, it led me to realize that while someone can get me excited, NO ONE can MOTIVATE me. Except me. Your surroundings can make it easier to get motivated, but in the end it comes from within.

Only YOU know what makes you get out of bed in the morning. What drives you to get better or to make more money. What is it? What motivates you? Once you figure this out, bring it to the forefront, focus on it. Don't let anyone or any circumstance block Your path to Your motivation. You are responsible. Life if only 10% what happens and 90% how you react to it. Take accountability for yourself and your life. Motivate yourself every day. No one can do it for you. But if you need a little motivation today, check out my favorite motivational speaker below!"http://

STOP Demographic Profiling!

Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, writes, "I have never seen a business fail by reaching the wrong people, but I have seen thousands fail by saying the wrong thing."

Every day, I have the same conversations with advertisers. "This is my target audience." "I want this customer in the store." "This is the demographic I am trying to reach." My answer is always the same, "Why, don't you just want to sell your product or service?"

The customer looks at me like I am from Mars and says, "Well, yeah." I usually say that we should put demographic profiling aside and discuss what we are going to say to these people and tackle who we reach later. Besides, you do have an equal opportunity business, right? You will sell your product or service to pretty much anyone that has the money. Stop trying to pick who they are and let them decide. Put an end to demographic profiling! It all starts with you.

I then find out about friendly service, knowledgeable staff, great selection, good customer service and on and on. Or, better yet they say, "Just work somethin' up. Now let's talk about who I want to reach again." (If your ads say any of the above, I am positive you are not happy with your advertising return on investment.)

I can't stress enough the importance of getting to WHY CUSTOMERS WOULD DO BUSINESS WITH YOU. Specifically, what differentiates you from your competition. How do we communicate it to persuade someone to come to you. If you get this right, who you reach is virtually irrelevant. Decisions are not made in a vacuum. The people you do reach know the people you do not. They talk. If this intrigues you, doesn't make sense or you want to know more, email me and we can chat.

You Just Gotta Ask!

I was with a car dealer client that took a phone call from someone asking is they had a specific model vehicle in stock. Big deal, right? Actually the rest of the conversation was. This successful car guy did some very basic things that get missed more often or not in business. Remember, the end result is to get a chance to sell the customer. It is hard to do over the phone, and this customer is shopping. The average salesperson would have answered the questions and hung up the phone, hoping the customer would come in sometime. This car dealer didn't. He asked for the name of the person on the other end of the phone. He asked for a phone number. He asked to set up an appointment to look at the car. And guess what, he set the appointment. If nothing else, he can make a follow up phone call if the customer fails to make the appointment.

Whether or not the car gets sold, this car dealer put himself in a much better position to close the sale. Ask for the appointment to show your product or service. Ask the customer to buy. Do it with confidence. Because if you don't, someone else will.

Now Is The Time To Advertise

Reduced Advertising During Recession Negatively Impacts Consumer Perception

More than 48% of U.S. adults believe that a lack of advertising by a retail store, bank or auto dealership during a recession indicates the business must be struggling. Likewise, a vast majority perceives businesses that continue to advertise as being competitive or committed to doing business. According to a new study by Ad-ology Research, advertising appears to play a key role in consumers' view of how a business is doing, and by not advertising, businesses may be sending a warning signal to current and potential customers. For more on consumer trends, go to http://www.admall.com/

How Is Your Marketing Bridge?

Advertising can't do it all.

As a matter of fact, if your Marketing Bridge is not in tact, advertising will actually hurt your business.

Before I further explain the Marketing Bridge, we must understand what marketing really is. Marketing is ANY touch between your business and a potential customer, internal and external.

The Marketing Bridge represents the 5 areas that connect your business and your customer.

The bridge begins with an evaluation of Your Business before a customer ever enters into the picture.

YOUR BUSINESS
¨Quality Products
¨Location
¨Reputation
¨Service
¨Financing
¨Parking
¨Business VitalityDelivery

Now, you don't have to be the cheapest, but we need to know where you stand in the competitive environment. We need to build a value story in order to justify the pricing. This is a whole other topic i will cover later.

PRICE/VALUE
¨Is Your Price Right for Value received?
¨Is Your Price Competitive?

Next we move to Advertising, that link that connects you with the customer. All that advertising can do is communicate. If your strategy is sound and the message is persuasive, people will give you a shot.

ADVERTISING
¨PROPER MEDIUM
¨QUANTITY
¨CONSISTENCY
¨PLANNING
¨TIMELINESS

Now that you have advertisied and people come to you or call, what is their experience going to be like.

MERCHANDISING
¨Cleanliness
¨Attractiveness
¨Display
¨Lighting
¨Items Properly Marked
¨Orderly
¨Timely

PERSONAL SELLING
¨Product Knowledge
¨Suggest Selling
¨Product Benefits
¨Sincere
¨Helpful Attitude
¨Smiling
¨Dress

We have covered the 5 areas of the Marketing Bridge and it is up to you to decide strengths, weaknesses, areas to improve, etc. You don't have to be perfect, just understand where you are.

Email me if you would like a copy of the Marketing Bridge and Marketing Bridge Review Worksheet. rcovert@gpmnow.com I am available to teach your staff about the importance of the Marketing Bridge and how to make your advertising work better. Would you like your advertising to work better?

Success Doesn't Just Happen

You gotta work at it.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a very competitive person. I have always needed something in my life to balance with work and family. Age and years of competitive softball, taekwon do, racquetball have caught up to me and after surgery to fuse my spine three years ago, I had to give those things up. In the Spring of 2007, I decided that I would try to play golf as my main recreational activity. How hard could that be?
After playing more than I ever had, I got a little better. I was playing well enough that I thought that I could compete in the City championship in the “C Flight” (Golf puts players in different categories based on their average score to give everyone a chance to compete). On the par 71 course, I shot a 126. (That’s 55 shots OVER par in one round of golf). I finished the tournament second to last and just to add insult to injury, they published the complete results in the local newspaper for all of my friends, family and clients to read. Luckily, newspaper circulation and readership is down.
I was devastated. I had not so completely failed in my entire life. I have been successful at virtually everything that I had attempted my entire life. How could this happen? I know, you are thinking that it is a golf tournament, get over it. I’m not wired that way, sorry. After wallowing in self pity for a few days, I realized that I had not applied to golf the steps that had always made me successful. So, while taking off from golf from September through March to rehab another back problem, I put my plan together. Following are the steps that I am using. Apply these in your life and I am sure they will help you as well.
SET A CLEAR GOAL “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” From Alice in Wonderland. If you do not have a specific goal to always refer back to, you cannot be sure if you are making progress. Everything that you do has to ultimately stand up to the question, IS THIS GETTING ME CLOSER TO MY GOAL? My goal for golf is to finish in the top 3 of the same tournament that I finished second to last in July of last year. (I didn’t set my goal for first place because I can’t control what golfers sign up for flights below their ability just so they can win)
GATHER KNOWLEDGE & GET TRAINING – Seek out successful people that can help you get better. Don’t wait for someone to come to you and offer. It usually doesn’t happen. Throughout my career, I have always tried to get knowledge from other successful people. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. As a matter of fact, some say it is the ultimate sign of strength. For my golf game, I read several books that were recommended and took lessons for the first time in my life. I had played golf off and on for 20 years and never had a lesson. I highly suggest it. Within 15 minutes, I had the first things that I needed to work on and sound fundamentals on a golf swing that would be best suited for me.
MENTAL PREPARATION – Visualize what success looks like for you. See yourself in that success. I will close my eyes in bed and picture each hole that I play and how I could play it better and then see myself doing it. I picture myself playing the rounds of the city tournament and writing down my winning scores. You must first see it in your mind before it is possible to accomplish it.
PHYSICAL PREPARATION – Is there anything physically that is holding you back from your goal? If you do not feel your best, your goal will be much more difficult. I decided that I was to heavy and my endurance was not good enough to be at my peak for an entire round of competitive golf. I immediately began more exercise and a sensible eating plan. At the time of this writing, I have lost 23 pounds and feel much better. Even if your goal is not a physical one, feeling good is imperative. How can you improve your physical self?
PRACTICE – Jack Nicklaus is widely considered the best golfer in history (prior to Tiger Woods). In the foreword to Jack’s instructional book, “Golf My Way”, Jack’s golf coach, Jack Grout writes:
Today Jack plays such sensational golf with such apparent ease that many people who watch him probably gain the impression that his skills are heaven sent rather than self developed. That isn’t true. No one ever worked harder at golf than Jack Nicklaus during his teens and early twenties. At the age of ten, in his first year of golf, Jack must have averaged three hundred practice shots and eighteen holes of play daily. In later years, he would often hit double the number of practice shots and play thirty-six------even fifty-four-----holes of golf a day during the summer. I have seen him practice for hours in rain, violent winds, snow, intense heat---nothing would keep him away from golf. Even a slight case o polio failed to prevent him from showing up at Scioto for a golf match. With this kind of dedication, and all his other assets, it would have been surprising if he had NOT become a great player.
I set my practice routine to go to the range every day that I am in town and don’t have an appointment during lunch. I hit at least two buckets of balls, chip a bucket and putt for 15 minutes. I practice in the cold, wind, light rain or whatever. I play after work once a week and early mornings on the weekend before the family wakes up so that I still have my family time.
PUT YOURSELF IN A POSITION TO SUCCEED – If you make all of the preparations, but never put it into action, you can never get there. It might sound silly, but fear of failure or rejection holds too many people back. Did you make that next sales call, that follow up phone call? I entered our country club member guest tournament yesterday with a client. Seventeen teams of pretty hard core golfers. Long story short, we won the tournament by three strokes. As a two man team, we shot a 60 after our handicap was applied. (Remember that 126 from last year) We didn’t even play that well, but after a few bad holes, we were able to re-group and play well enough to win. Some might call your success lucky. There is no such thing as luck. Luck is when opportunity meets preparedness. Lessons are there for everyone. The driving range is always open. Take lottery tickets for example. The winning ticket is there for anyone to buy, but only the person that took the time to buy it can ever get the winning ticket. That person was prepared to win the lottery.
My journey has just begun since I have a tournament in July to place in. Progress is now measurable. What goal would you like to attain? What are you prepared to do to get there? Without a plan, a goal is no more than a dream.

After a Sales Meeting this morning, one of the members of the sales team forwarded this short movie to the entire staff. It is right on target for everyone in business and their personal life. It just stresses the fine line between winning and losing. The text is below, but for the full effect, you need the audio. Turn up the speakers and check it out here. http://www.212movie.com/

At 211 degrees water is hot.
At 212 degrees it boils.
And with boiling water comes steam.
And steam can power a locomotive.
One extra degree makes all the difference.
And the one extra degree of effort in business and in life separates the good from the great.
The average margin of victory for the last 25 years in all major golf tournaments combined was less than three strokes.
The margin of victory between an Olympic Gold Medal and no medal at all is extremely small.
In 2004 Men's 800 meter the margin was .77 seconds.
In the Indy 500 the average margin for victory the past ten years has been 1.54 seconds.
The winner received 1,278,813.
Second place won $621, 321.
The difference is $647,492.
It's your life.
You are responsible for your results.
It's time to turn up the heat.
To get what we've never had we must do what we've never done.
The only thing that stands between a person and what they want in life is the will to try it and the faith to believe it possible.
"Its one of the most beautiful compensations in life--we can never help another without helping ourselves." Emerson
Belief fuels enthusiasm, enthusiasm explodes into passion. It fires our souls and lifts our spirits.
Having a simple, clearly defined goal can capture the imagination and inspire passion. It can cut through the dark like a beacon in the fog.
Perseverance isn't a long race; it is a many short races one after the other.
You are now aware. You now have a target for everything you do.
212 degrees.
I have long used the example of the baseball player that hits .200 that can't make any baseball team while one that can consistently hit .300 will very likely be enshrined in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. The difference is a mere one hit for every 10 at bats. What can you do today to get one more hit in every ten at bats? Let me know what it is.

I Only Had 34 Coupons Returned

What is a customer worth?

A few months ago, we had the opportunity to purchase an advertising shopper magazine to accompany our group of radio stations. It was a good deal, we bought it. We knew nothing of running a print publication. How hard can it be?

Needless to say, the customers that advertise in this publication are very transactional customers and expect instant gratification. This is a little different sale for an organization that has tried to specialize in the world of the "tell them why and wait for when" relational customer.

The following is a rough account of the follow up with an advertiser after the first run of a $70 ad that consisted of two coupons for a local burger joint that also serve breakfast.

"I am not happy with the results from your magazine, I only got 17 coupons back last week." (It was actually 34 total we find out later, 17 of each coupon. Sometimes advertisers aren't 100% accurate with the information they share.)
"I really expected a couple of hundred.: (Establishing and controlling expectations could be addressed here, but I will save that for later.) "I think I will try something else."

My rep returns very dejected and angry at the customer for not being happy with a return of 34 coupons. I counsel the rep to look at it from the advertisers perspective, he expected 200 or so coupons and got a lousy 34. Sounds crappy, huh? The good news is that all is not really lost if we help the advertiser look a little deeper. Just because we are selling print ads does not mean that we forget what we know about marketing.

This "Burger Magnate" works his own drive thru and knows his regular customers very well. "Ask him how many of those 34 customers are new." It turns out on the follow up call that an estimated 20 of those customers were new. "Assuming he delivers a wonderful customer experience, how often will each return over the next 12 months?" We found out that once a month would be a number he was comfortable with. "How much will they spend on each visit?" The average single person ticket hovers around $6.

We now assume that these 20 customers tell no one else to visit and that they dine alone each time they come in. Over the next year, these 20 customers will account for 240 separate visits and will spend an average of $6 per visit. The customers that came in from a $70 ad will spend $1,440 in incremental revenue during the upcoming year. How many advertisers would do back flips with this type of return on investment? Oh, and by the way, the burger place we refer to is still an advertiser!

Would You Like Fries With That?

Upselling for a better bottom line.

Would you like fries with that?" has evolved to"Do you want to supersize your meal?" McDonalds does this because they know that there are only two strategies for them to grow revenue.
#1 Get New Customers. McDonalds generally does a great job of market penetration and during peak times can only get so many cars through the drive through in an hour. (that's why now they have two lanes taking orders at many locations).
#2 Sell More to (Upsell) Your Existing Customers. This can be accomplished by, either getting customers to visit more often or increase what they spend during each transaction.(or if you are really good, BOTH)
Most local, small businesses focus on getting new customers when upselling existing customers would have such an immediate impact.
We see it everywhere. From McDonalds with those supersize options, clothing stores have ties pre-matched to a shirt. shoes are displayed near the dress that just happen to "make the outfit." These larger businesses UPSELL because it works.
Banks set goals for their executives based on increasing the number of accounts each customer has. Checking, Savings, Credit Card, CD's, Home Loans, Auto Loans, and more. Many financial Institutions now offer other services such as insurance.
If you are a heating and air business and go on a service call to fix a broken air conditioner, why not offer a special on changing filters, a furnace service special, duct cleaning. The list is endless. You are already there; maximize your visit to that customer and show them how it might save them money as well.
You already have a core of customers and they know that you have great products and provide at least satisfactory service. (If not, this article might not be for you) It's much easier to make sales to someone you already have a relationship with and is already doing business with you.
Use every opportunity to increase your sales volume within the customers that you already have. Do you have a product that goes with the one they are purchasing? Offer it to them at the register or when you quote a price. What can YOU do today to increase the dollars that a customer spends on each visit? If you want to brainstorm, give me a call. Be aware, the initial brainstorming is free, but I might ask you if you like fries!

People Don’t Care About You

Unless You Care About Them First

People don’t care about you. That’s a great way to start an article. A little harsh but true.
This applies to both sales people and advertising. First of all, in sales, most reps spend far too much time talking about the products they have to sell and never really know if it is what their client needs or wants. Sales people forget that the client doesn’t want the product they are selling, but what that product can do for them. I used this example in a sales meeting this morning. Very sick, you walk into a Dr’s office and wait patiently. The Dr. walks in, writes you a prescription and hands it to you excitedly without asking a thing about your condition. “These are absolutely the best anti-depressants on the market today, but they are very limited in production. Hurry and fill this before they are all gone!“ Shocked, you reply, “But Doc, I have a 104 degree fever.” As if he didn’t care how you felt, “That’s great, but these anti-depressants are awesome, I am so excited to prescribe them to you!” Sound far fetched? Sales Reps do the equivalent EVERY DAY. Customers could care less about what you are selling unless it helps with a need that they have. Ask them and prescribe a product that can help them get where they want to be.
The same holds true for advertising. Advertisers ramble on about how long they have been in business, awards they have won, the experience of their staff. YAWN. A good rule of thumb when writing good ads is that (no matter the medium), if there is anything in it that can illicit the response, “Well, Duh”, then leave it out. For example, a body shop that does free estimates, paint matching or we take insurance claims. Well, Duh. How about the plumber that claims in an ad that they do sewer and drain cleaning, water heaters and toilets? “Well, Duh”, you are a plumber. When writing your ads, consider what the consumer really cares about. I really just want my drain unclogged, as soon as possible so that I can finish dinner and watch American Idol.
On both fronts, sales and advertising, make sure that you understand the needs of your end customer and show them that you understand. For heaven’s sake, give them what they need, not what you think they need or what you need to sell!