Wisdom From The Poker Tables

Are You Results Oriented?

Most would proudly answer this question with a resounding, YES I AM!

I guess that's ok, but results oriented mindsets just set us up for disappointment.

For example, I am an avid on line poker player. I used to get so frustrated when I continually lost hands where I was a 60/40 favorite or better. I almost quit the game. Then, while posting my frustration on a well known poker forum one night, I was given some very solid advice.

"Stop being results oriented and be process oriented. Make the correct decisions every time and don't worry about the outcome. You can't control that. All you can do is CONTINUE doing the right things and over time, the results will come.It is all about volume."

This quote from a twenty something on line poker player hit me like a lightning bolt. He was right. These losses or "bad beats" in poker lingo do even out over time. Especially when you increase the volume of the games that you play. It is amazing that since I started following this advice, my frustration is gone and my win rate is increasing dramatically. Every loss when I made a correct decision puts me one more closer to a win.

In sales, we need to insure that we are following a solid process ENOUGH times to get past the no's and get to the yes! If you spend all of your time evaluating the results, you will spiral into a deep well of self pity and frustration. Have faith in the process and do it more. When that silly customer irrationally says no to the perfect idea, smile on the inside, knowing that you are one step closer to the customer that makes the correct decision and says YES!

Writing The Ad Is Easy

If You Have A Good Strategy

I have been asked several times lately to help teach better copy writing for commercials. Truth is, I am no more than average when it come to the writing of commercials. I strive every day to be better.

What I am good at is developing a strategy. When you find a good strategy, the commercials almost write themselves.

Uncover what the goal of the advertising is and matching it with why consumers will care enough to buy. Sounds simple, huh? It should be. Much too often commercials are focused on the advertiser and not what the consumers care about. Here are a few simple questions to ask prior to writing that next commercial.

1. Why Advertise? What is the advertiser hoping to accomplish with this commercial?

2. Is there a demand for the product or service? Why?

3. Why will the consumer care about the message you are writing?

4. Who is the competition?

5. How does the advertiser compare, good and bad to the competition?

6. How will you measure the success?

7. What is the time horizon?

8. If the advertiser meets a potential customer on the street, what would they say in :60 seconds to convince them to use their product or service?

9. Can any competitors say the same things?

10. At the end of the day, what does the advertiser want to be known for? Why?

These are just a few starters that will get you on the right path to developing a solid strategy. Once these are answered, a picture should start coming into focus.

Shoot me an email if you want to discuss further. Let's get rid of bad ads, one customer at a time!

Come On In

The Water's Fine

The message in church this Sunday was called "Coming To Grips With Our Power Shortage". Now, not to get religiony here, but this particular message applies to many of our lives and careers. (It was a great message and you can hear it online at www.lfmc.org)

There were several messages in the sermon, but I really want to focus on one portion. It was called How To Appropriate Power.

a. Admit Our Lack Of Power (In whatever area of our life we are struggling) Basically, admit that you need help. Without this admission, your are doomed to a life of dointg the same things over!

b. Believe In Faith in what you are doing. Just let go and do it no matter what past experience has shown and what your mind and heart says.

c. Act In Faith. Immaturity is living by our feelings. Maturity is living by our commitment. Sometimes you just have to do what you know is right and believe in the process. A perfect example is in this verse from The Book Of Joshua (3:13-16)

"When the priests who carry the Covenant Box of the Lord of all the earth put their feet in the water, the Jordan will stop flowing, and the water coming downstream will pile up in one place.".....the river was in flood...As soon as the priests stepped into the river, the water stopped flowing and piled up...and the people were able to cross near Jericho.

Point is, the step had to be taken BEFORE the water stopped flowing. That is a bit of a nervous moment. It required total belief in the process. Too much of the time, we don't believe enough belief to take the required steps to success in career or relationship. Even when we know it is the right thing to do.

Saying that you believe is one thing. Stepping into the water is truly another. Do you really believe? I mean really? Let me know if this hits home with you.

Step into the water.

Commit To It

That Includes Your Marketing Plan

I see it time and time again. An advertiser launch a very solid campaign with a good message. In his or her mind is some arbitrary time line and criteria to judge it's effectiveness. They have already begun thinking what to do with their advertising dollars when this doesn't live up to what they expect.

This is complete hogwash. (i know, strong words)If the strategy is good today and the message conveys the strategy, commit to it. Without a timeline. It will work. Do not judge it based on if people say they heard or saw it, but if revenue increases. That is all that really matters.

Too many advertisers think that they should be able to determine a consumer's time of need. Nope. You can't. Just be prepared when the need arises!

Matter of fact, most advertising campaigns work exponentially better in their second or third year. Most advertisers skip out between 13 weeks and a year searching for the magic advertising elixir to solve all of their challenges overnight.

Today's picture is a good illustration. When the business started, they did not put up a tent, planning to move and set up elsewhere if this business didn't work and try something else. Don't treat advertising that way!

I'm On A Horse

This weeks' Monday Morning Memo from Roy Williams. If you are not a subscriber, please get it!

Swim to Kansas

“Hello ladies. Look at your man. Now back to me. Now back at your man. Now back to me. Sadly, he isn’t me. But if he stopped using lady-scented body wash and switched to Old Spice, he could smell like he’s me. Look down. Back up. Where are you? You’re on a boat with the man your man could smell like. What’s in your hand? Back at me. I have it. It’s an oyster with two tickets to that thing you love. Look again. The tickets are now diamonds. Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady. I’m on a horse.”

Much has been made of the new TV ad from Old Spice, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.” Yes, its seamless one-shot videography and old-school stage effects are impressive and I’m certain the oyster in his hand is supposed to trigger unconscious sexual appetite, especially when its location is invaded by a massive, Old Spice cylinder that rises slowly upward.

But these are not the things that captivate us. Impressive special effects and hidden sexual triggers are everywhere, no big deal.

That script, however, is a big deal. It’s fabulous. I’m going to pause for a moment to applaud the writer of that ad.

Okay, I’m back now. (And yes, I really did quit typing and applaud.)

The magic of the Old Spice script is hidden in plain sight; imperative voice is the sound of command: “Look at your man. Now back to me.” Swim to Kansas. Walk your dog. Kick a can. Lead the imagination. Don’t be ignored. Write imperative voice.

Imperative: 1. Expressing a command or plea.

2. Having the power or authority to command or control.

3. Impossible to deter or evade; pressing.
Do it. Open with a 3-word sentence. Make the first word a verb. Prepare to be amazed.

Imperative voice gets attention.
Lift the receiver. Dial the number. Two nine five, fifty-seven hundred. Kristin will answer. Make a donation. Finish the tower. Attend a class. Go home smiling. Make big money.

The area code is 512.

I shared all this with my partners during a 2-day training session last month. Tm Miles, a brilliant ad writer with so many clients that he no longer accepts new ones – ka-ching – sent me the following email a few days later:

Subject: Short Sentences Rock!Dude,
That short, impactful sentence exercise we did last week? I used it to write lines for an ad that started Monday. We saw an immediate increase in the number of generated leads. Seriously - BANG like a gun.
Thanks for the technique.
Tim

Here’s a 10-second example:

Swim to Kansas. Forget the water. The arms of the propeller on your Piper Meridian will move you quickly, safely and in powerful style. Swim the grand ocean… of the sky.
These are the keys:1. Short sentences. Four words are okay. Three are better. Two rock.2. Open with verbs. Walk. Sing. Wiggle. Kick. Dance. Jump. Swim. Lift.3. Imperative voice. Tight. Taut. Command.

This week’s memo is short.

I’m on a horse.

Roy H. Williams

Thomas wrote the Declaration of Independence and left you this advice:
“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.”- Thomas Jefferson
PS - Spoelstra! "The goal of life is to take everything that made you weird as a kid and get people to pay you money for it when you're older."- David "Swim to Kansas" Freemanscreenwriter extraordinaire and Wizard Academy adjunct faculty

The World Is Full Of Experts

If You Don't Believe Me, Just Ask Them

Just because someone decides that they are in the marketing and advertising business doesn't mean they understand it or are any good at it.

It has been my experience that people that don't make it in the world of advertising sales end up working for an ad agency somewhere and all of the sudden become an expert. There is a reason they didn't make it in direct sales with customers. Don't assume they know any more in the role they now have.

Advertising agencies in general spend most of their time with demographic targeting and scheduling and very little time on the actual message strategy. This creates ad campaigns that are ineffective and the media that ran it gets thrown under the bus as not having the right audience.

I have been preparing this morning to consult with a customer that has spent tens of thousands of dollars promoting a new product.(in one of our other markets) It is not working. The agency is looking for some promotion from the radio stations to boost the sales immediately. Our staff is getting together to brainstorm on behalf of this client. Great idea, except no matter what brilliant promotion they come up with (and i am sure they will) it will not work unless the MESSAGE changes.

This is a cell phone client that is now providing a service that works with wireless internet to save your cell minutes. Seamless coverage. Really cool. After three weeks, the service is not moving. They bought plenty of commercials. No significant results. My first thought? Check the message.

Sure enough, it was weak. It sounded like every other cell phone ad on the market. It was very well produced......with absolutely no strategy.

I spent an hour researching last night to figure out what direction the commercials need to go to motivate consumers to buy a cell phone. I found out that cell phones have 90% penetration in the U.S. and 90% of those are under contract. There are not many prospects out there that do not currently have a phone. People are not going to leave a service with a contract unless they are unhappy with it.

Other concerns uncovered in the research include ease of switching, keeping their current number, call quality, reliable coverage and annual savings. Each of these could be specifically addressed in a commercial series or campaign.

We must quit trying to predict consumers' moment of need and tell them WHY to use our product and wait for WHEN they are ready. It will happen with the right strategy and a modicum of patience.

Major League Baseball Players Start Spring Training

Ever Wonder Why?

Professional baseball players migrate to a warm climate in late February every year for"Spring Training". They start "Exhibition Games" in early March and do not play the first games that count until April.

That is over six weeks of practice. These are professional baseball players. Most have been playing for over 20 years. They are arguably the best in the world. Why do they need to practice for six weeks at the beginning of every season? Because they are arguably the best players in the world.

They understand the importance of executing the fundamentals in order to win.

I watched a video of the best player of our generation and reigning Most Valuable Player having a discussion with his hitting coach on some things that he thought he could do this year to get better. He is the best player in the world right now. He reported early to Spring Training.

I realized that in every business, if we do not execute our fundamentals, it makes the jobs much more difficult.

In our business, we brainstorm a strategy for a customer each morning. If the rep for that client has done their job, this meeting is easy and productive. If not, it is virtually impossible.

For example, one fundamental tool that we use is the Why Advertise Checklist. It allows us a starting point to develop solutions. If we develop solutions when we have no idea what the advertiser WANTS from their advertising, we have made our job exponentially more difficult.

It is like trying to catch a baseball with your glove on the wrong hand. It might work, but it sure is difficult.

Practice and execute your fundamentals. It's good enough for the best baseball players in the world, it should be for you!

Play Ball!

Things Aren't So Bad

Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.

I heard this years ago. So many years that I don't even remember who said it. I have used it for so long, I think that I can now take it as my own. (I said that I used it, but sometimes I forget that it applies to me as well)

When you look at your current situation, work or personal, is it really that bad? Sure, business may not be as good as it could be or was. Bills at home may be piling up and you are fighting with your spouse or significant other. You don't agree with the boss at work and you can't stand your co-workers. We all face a certain amount of challenges in our life, but the most successful people take it in stride and just deal with it. Is your bad day REALLY that bad or is it just not the way you want it?

I was jolted into reality two weeks ago when one of those phone calls at 3am on a Sunday came in. It was my Sister in law. My Mother in laws' house had burned down in Columbia, MO. She was on her way to the hospital. She has been in the burn ICU since. Please pray for her full recovery.

For grandma(my Mother in law), getting better is just hurdle number one. When she gets out of the hospital, she has no home, not one outfit to wear and her beloved dog perished in the fire. She lives month to month working at Dillards and they don't pay you while you are in the hospital. Bills are still due. Is your current situation really that bad?

I would just like us all to put things into perspective and approach things in your life with a new and positive attitude. It's not easy, but it's worth it.

If This Doesn't Apply To Us, Nothing Does

I had a planned topic for this morning, but when I read this, I had to pass it on. It really hit home in so many ways. Please read and comment. Thanks.

Look In the Mirror Before Firing That 'Stupid' Employee

A Message from Radio Ink Publisher Eric Rhoads

"I'll sprint into Radio Shack and grab a couple of gifts for the triplets' eighth birthday," I thought, rushing to get home.

As I entered the store, there was a man sitting at the counter, slumped over at his computer. Without looking up, he mumbled, "Let me know if you need anything." No eye contact. I was instantly turned off. I could tell my high-speed shopping experience was about to downshift into low gear.

"I'm ready to check out," I say, laying my pile of goodies on the counter. Slumpy mumbles something about "the guy in the back...." Who comes forward, a decade later, to check me out.
"Is there something wrong with my credit card?" I ask.

"No, it's this slow computer. This stupid company is to cheap to buy us new computers."

I grimace, debating whether I should bite my tongue. I can't.

"In all due respect," I said, "if I heard that one of my employees had just trashed the company to a customer, that person would not be working for me tomorrow."

He looked up, with anger in his eyes. Before he could say anything, I said, "You should be thankful you have a job. Do you have any idea how many people in this country would kill for this job and its slow computers today?"

He stammered a bit, handed me my merchandise, and mumbled something I can't repeat.
News flash: Unemployment is skyrocketing. It's bad business to share your internal frustrations with the customers. My little purchase probably paid three hours of his wages. His "stupid company" is fortunate to be in business, and upgrading computers is probably the last thing on their minds at the moment. They're thinking about survival.

OK, I'm venting. Like everyone in this economy, I'm spending less. And yet I EXPECT to be treated well when I go out of my way to spend money with any retailer. I throw nickels around like manhole covers -- and they're welcomed in other places that will treat me well.
Under no circumstances do I want to get anyone fired. I'm not that big of a jerk. Yet, as a business owner, hearing that one of my employees did this would be cause for a stern discussion. But the warning is not just to the employee. It's to the manager of that employee and, ultimately, to me.

In the case of Radio Shack, my first instinct was to call the manager, but my guess is that the manager is the problem. He or she HIRED this loser and has failed to properly train him and help him understand what good and bad customer service looks like. So if anyone should be fired, it's the manager ... or the regional manager ... or the CEO ... or the board of directors. After all, you know what they say rolls downhill.

I'll be phoning no one because I've had dozens of wonderful experiences in this Radio Shack. But if I saw a pattern, I'd call their CEO, just as I would hope my customers would call me. But they don't until someone is gone, and then they say, "I wanted to tell you what a loser that guy was, but I didn't have the heart." Frankly, I'd rather know early.

Frustrations run high in an economy like this. As managers, we have to accept the blame for all imperfections. Maybe the computers at Radio Shack are slow and the employees are frustrated. If fixing that one thing made employees feel like the company listens and empowers them to make changes, would it make a 10 percent difference in sales? It might.

Brad Anderson, the CEO at Best Buy, once told me that listening to employees and changing the order entry program made a huge difference in employee attitude and thus their sales. So maybe the managers should listen and eliminate that frustration.

But everyone is in survival mode. Maybe Radio Shack can't spend the money to fix the slow computers. Maybe the employee is slow, not the computer. One thing we all CAN do is improve our employee communication so frustrations can be on the table and so our employees know what good customer service looks like.

Have you designed and articulated the ideal customer experience? Do the people who touch customers at all levels understand what a bad customer service experience is? Do you have standards of performance for all customer touchpoints? It's one thing we can do even in this economy, and if it improves our customers' attitudes about us, it can make a difference in our business.

Eric RhoadsRadio Ink

PS: Though we can make improvements in our own businesses, you may want to share this with local retailers who can also benefit.

If I'd Only Known Then

The Last Twelve Months Would've Been Easier

While having lunch with a customer yesterday, a small business owner, the conversation turned to recovering the lost business of the past year or so. It is on the horizon. We can't wait.

The most interesting part of this conversation was about how much had to change within our businesses to weather this storm. Changes to how the business is run. Changes that we never thought we could pull off when things were rolling along. (Good times mask poor performance)

He said, "If I had made the changes I did in 2009, sooner, I would have had enough money in the bank to cruise through the last year. I am so much more prepared now."

Most of these changes were in expenses. Spending we thought was needed. Staffing too many people, many that didn't have the same respect for the health of the business and the concept of honest days work for an honest days pay. The staff that is left are glad to still be working and theywork harder and smarter to prove it. That's not such a bad thing.

We both agreed that we wouldn't want to go through 2009 again, but we are stronger for it. Smarter for it. Our businesses will come through it heathier as long as we don't screw it up. We have gone through some difficult times. They are not over, but the lessons that we have learned and our ability to survive tough times have set us up to be extremely successful as the business comes back. And it will.

Give Your Business A Checkup

Google Yourself

Before I get to my point (and I do have one), I would like to give you a little bonus reading. Check out http://www.thedailyblur.com/ . This blog is written by Tim Miles, Wizard of Ads Partner and former colleague of mine in another life. Yesterday, Tim had part one of an interview he did with Bryan Eisenberg, best selling author and guru on internet marketing and new media and technology. Bryan also consults companies such as Dell, Universal Studios and Volvo International. Please read it. You might get a touch smarter.

Reading The Daily Blur prompted me to check out a site called http://www.yelp.com/ . It is a review site. An amazing number of reviews are posted there for local businesses. For example, some restaurants in Lawrence had in excess of 20 reviews. What a way to do a business check up and or start a marketing campaign. You already have an idea what consumers feel strongly enough about to take the time to go on line and write about you. Good or bad, it is more information then you had. (And it's free)

I recommend googling your business or category. If you are a marketing person, do it for your customer. Yelp.com is just one review site. There are dozens of others. Beware, this exercise is not for the faint of heart. You must be prepared for what you find. And do something about it.

Insanity

Stuck In A Rut Part II

I learned the true definition of insanity while sitting in a Don Beveridge seminar years ago. Doing the same things and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. Very similar to staying in the same rut day after day. Earlier we discussed how to get out of the rut, but without looking deeper, odds are we will slip right back into the same rut that we fought so hard to get out of.

We often get into that rut because we are doing what we have always done. Maybe what our industry or business model dictates. Could be it is what made us successful years ago. Odds are, it doesn't work the same TODAY.

I spoke to a group of privately held radio owners and senior managers yesterday via Skype (which by the way is pretty cool) and discussed a new model for selling radio. It challenged a lot of the ways the industry does business. Blew up a few paradigms. I hope it illicits some change. With this group, I think it will. I hope it will. I am looking forward to the feedback.

The real message is about how this new model came about. It started with a few people not being happy about where we were and knowing that things have to change to grow. Challenging norms and brainstorming what if's. We were willing to step out on the bleeding edge so to speak. "Go where no man has gone before." (Thanks Star Trek.) The model is not important for this point, just the fact that a new path is being blazed and we are fighting the insanity. One customer at a time.

Have you ever stepped back and wondered why things are done a certain way in your business or in your own life. What can you do differently? Are you willing to fight the insanity? Let me know if you do.

If you want to know more about our new model for the radio industry, shoot me an email. In the meantime, stay away from ruts and straight jackets.

Stuck In A Rut

If You Are Ready, I Can Pull You Out

Ruts are caused when the same route is travelled over and over. It may be your rut or the rut that everyone follows. You feel safe. You have been there before.

There lies the problem. If you want things to change, you have to get out of the rut.

Today, I am specifically talking about our ability to get more business. There are only two ways to grow reveneue in business. Develop new business or sell more to our existing customers. Sounds simple, right? I am finding that our ability to accomplish either of these are limited by comfort zones. It is easier to stay in the rut. We ask people that we are comfortable with to buy more. When they say no, hey we gave it a shot.

If you are in any type of direct sales and you are not growing your revenue, it is a safe bet that if you analyzed your asks over a period of weeks, over 80 percent of your proposals will be to less than 20 percent of your overall account list AND your prospect to ask conversion ratio is worse than that.

If this makes you a little uncomfortable or if your first reaction is nu uh, that's ok. I have a tow chain hooked on and I am trying to pull you out of the rut. It's not always easy out of the rut. It is just much more profitable.

A Must Read For ANYONE That Cares If Advertising Works

How I Win the Ad Wars

Frankly, I Cheat. You Can, Too.

I became an advertising salesman so I could buy groceries. A college dropout with no financial safety net, I installed aluminum guttering on houses during the day and changed reel-to-reel tapes in an automated radio station at night. Our format was radio preachers who needed your money to pay for the airtime we sold them.We were the number 23 station in a city of 23 stations. Our best ratings book showed us with a cumulative weekly audience of 18,000 people in a city of 1.3 million. We had between 400 and 800 people listening at any given moment. That sounded like a lot of people to me. One day I asked the manager why our station played no ads.“You think you could sell some ads?” he asked.I nodded like a bobblehead doll.“Do it,” he said as he walked away.I asked the back of his head how much I should charge.“Whatever you can get,” he answered, without ever looking back.When you sell ads on the tiniest station in town, you don’t compete with the other stations, you sell only those businesses with too little money to afford anyone else. In fact, the money my clients gave me every month was usually all the cash they had. If my ads didn’t work, I’d have groceries in my pantry but my clients wouldn’t. A man learns fast in that environment.The first thing I learned is that people are bored by advertising for the same reason they’re bored by anything else: lack of relevance.
"If we could see ourselves as others see us, we would vanish on the spot."- Emil Cioran
When ads are relevant, customers respond. Are your ads relevant, or are they answering questions no one is asking?My job at the radio station paid $3.50 an hour plus 15 percent commission. Within 3 years I was making about $6,000 a month. That was doctor/lawyer money 30 years ago. Strangely, I never made that many sales calls. Most of my clients called the station to ask if they could buy ads from me. Usually, a friend had told them how much money they were making as a result of the ads I was writing and they wanted in on the action. "What does it cost?" they'd ask. These people didn't care about the radio station or its format. They just wanted to grow their businesses. When the owners of my radio station sold it for 11 times what they paid for it, I decided I’d rather become a self-employed ad consultant than move to Los Angeles and become a station manager for them.The second thing I had learned, you see, is that good ads work no matter how they’re delivered. I saw my ads work on virtually every radio and TV station in the city and with tiny variations these same ads performed as direct mail letters and fax machine blasts. The secret wasn’t in reaching the right people. The secret was in crafting a message that would be relevant to the public.My ads worked because I cheated: I insisted my clients let me deliver a message guaranteed to move the needle on the “Who Cares?” meter. Ads fail when no one cares. An extremely common mistake is to believe that discounting the price of a product is guaranteed to win the interest of the public. But I've seen that strategy fail dozens of times. A half-price turd is still a turd. When a client belligerently demanded that I write some magic words to help him sell a load of crap that no one in their right mind would ever want to buy, I looked down at the ground, dropped a wad of spit on the toe of his shoe, then looked up into his face and said, “No.”Yes, it was a rude and vulgar thing to do but I can assure you it shortened the argument. Word of my little stunt spread. Some saw it as the action of an egotistical lunatic. It’s possible these people were right. But others saw it as the mark of a young man who had the courage of his convictions. These people may have been right, too.Every business owner is on the inside, looking out, and what they see is entirely different from what their customers see. Customers are on the outside, looking in. Great ad writers remain on the outside, looking in. They are advocates, not of the business owner, but of the business owner’s customer. This gives them their great advantage.Do you have the courage to learn what your company looks like from the outside, looking in?

The preceding was from Roy H. Williams' Monday Morning Memo this week. If you do not subscribe, go to www.mondaymorningmemo.com

Education without action is entertainment. Will you take action this week? How about today?

Good Habits Are Easy To Break

This is one of the hardest posts I have ever written on this blog. Why? Because I am embarrased that I went nearly three months without writing after posting over 70 times in three months.

I got out of the habit. The hardest time to quit something you need to be doing is the first time. It gets easier after that. You are already a quitter. I wish that worked with bad habits.

It happens in all areas of life. To all of us. Diet, exercise, work, relationships. You skip a few times and you feel guilty. Not guilty enough to jump back in. Before you know it, you have gotten away from the things that you know need to be doing. Things that made you successful to begin with. Things that made you feel better about yourself or led to your goals.

Think about it.

You know it's true.

There is a habit missing in your life. You realize that the first skipped workout was 118 days ago. No need to go back now. You haven't made a cold call in 3 weeks. You hope nobody notices. You haven't called to check on that client in nearly two months. You meant to, but now you have waited so long they won't want to see you for sure!

It happens to all of us in one or more places in our life, Successful people recognize it and get past it. Get back on the horse.The first time is the hardest. What good habit will you work on restarting?

Whew, I am glad I got this one written! It's been bugging me for weeks!