Month: June 2019

Categories
Weekly Story

Weekly Story – Michael Jackson Debate

Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death.

So the TV talking heads spent a bunch of airtime debating whether it’s OK to enjoy the King of Pop’s music.

The debate goes like this…

On one side are those who cite allegations that Jackson molested children. You can’t separate the art from the artist, they argue. If the artist is a criminally perverted creep, you should reject his art.

On the other side are those who say the art should stand on its own. Michael Jackson created beautiful music that made/makes people happy. Sure, he might be a creep. But that doesn’t mean you should deprive yourself of his art.

Interesting debate.

For some, the quality of the product trumps all other concerns.

For others, the qualities of the creator/vendor cause people to shun an otherwise appealing product.

So it goes in mass entertainment.

So it goes in business.

You’ve created a great product or service. Better than others. Perhaps the best.

Some prospects will weigh your product against other options and choose yours…

…no matter what…

…because it’s better.

But like it or not, others will judge your product or service not just on its merits. They’ll also judge you and your people.

They’ll consider: Were they nice when I spoke to them? Did they make me feel comfortable? Do they care about me or do they take me for granted? Do they value me when I purchase, or am I just another transaction, an anonymous noone with a customer ID number? Are they likeable?

All of that stuff matters.

Not to everyone. But to enough people that it will affect your business.

Marketing is not just about attracting a prospect and closing the sale. It’s about building a community of prospects and customers who know, like and trust you.

That’s why it matters…

…What you say and how you say it when you pick up the phone…

…How you say thank you when the deal gets done…

…What you do to deliver value to prospects and customers before and after the sale…

…How you demonstrate that you care and don’t take customers for granted.

Sure, you can ignore all that stuff and just let the product or service stand on its own merits. You’ll sell some.

But those who believe you can’t separate the art from the artist (and there are plenty of those people) — They’ll turn elsewhere even if that means depriving themselves of your great offering.

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. We help businesses identify and connect with their target markets so people will listen to what you’re saying. If you want to discuss how to make it happen for your business, email me at tom@marketvolt.com. For no charge and no strings attached, we’ll discuss with you how you’re building email lists, generating new leads and generally finding and connecting with prospects.

p.p.s. If you like these emails, please do me this favor: Forward this to someone who might also enjoy it and encourage them to sign up for future emails on our website at MarketVolt.com.

Categories
Monday Mash-Up

2019.06.24

Monday, June 24, 2019
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-Up

Myth-Busters
My Pal Adam Blows Away the B.S. About Email Marketing

Adam Kreitman is my friend and one of my marketing heroes. He knows his stuff, and he shares it in emails he sends every Monday through Friday. You can sign up here.  He sent an email last night that I especially liked. It starts like this: “Recently I’ve been struck by the glaring lies and misconceptions that still permeate out there about email. So I want to take this moment to clear the air for you dear readers so you don’t fall for the email BS the folks I talk about below do.” It continues here…  

Website Tips
Are You Making These Mistakes

I like this article: 10 Web Design Mistakes You’re Making That You Love (& Your Visitors Hate).  Great advice that has us re-thinking a couple of things about our own site. How’s your site doing?

Marketing Insights
Why Do People Buy

This is a great summary to help you understand what drives human beings to make buying decisions. Helpful stuff for marketers and salespeople: The seven cognitive shortcuts that dictate what people buy – and what they don’t

Recommended Viewing and Listening
Movie and Soundtrack Echo the 60s California Sound
Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles was the center of folk rock in the mid-1960s. A new movie called Echo in the Canyon tells the story of Laurel Canyon and tracks the creation of a new album on which current artists, led by Jakob Dylan, recreate songs from the era. The movie and the soundtrack are both great — must see/listen for anyone who likes folk rock — such as the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, The Mamas and the Papas, The Beach Boys and similar artists. 

Quotable

Of course it could be better.
That’s not the question, not really.
The question is, “what are you going to do about it?”

– Seth Godin

Any reading, listening, quoting, resourcing that you think we should share? Send us a tip.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of this week and the weekend.

Tom

Categories
Weekly Story

Weekly Story — Ferriss Names His Book

Before publishing his first best-seller, Tim Ferriss tested options.

He came up with six potential titles. Then he purchased Google Adwords ads — one version for each title — targeting search terms related to the book’s topics.

Each ad used the potential book title as the headline and used the book’s tagline for the ad’s body (same in each ad).

He spent less than $200 to discover that the ad with the headline “The 4-Hour Workweek” was generating the most clicks, by far.

So that’s what he called his book.

Published in 2007, “The 4-Hour Workweek — Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich” spent more than four years on the New York Times Bestseller List and has sold more than 2.1 million copies.

That’s pretty good for a book that cost less than $200 to name.

I love this story because it reveals several important lessons that apply to all of us in business…

Testing works.

Guessing doesn’t (unless you’re lucky, and luck runs out).

It’s often easier and less expensive to test a business idea than you might imagine.

By the way, an interviewer once asked Ferriss about the book’s title.

He replied, “I wanted to name it ‘The 3-Hour Workweek,’ but my publisher didn’t think that was realistic. So we settled on ‘The 4-Hour Workweek.’”

Ha! Ha! As if….

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. We help businesses identify and connect with their target markets so people will listen to what you’re saying. If you want to discuss how to make it happen for your business, email me at tom@marketvolt.com. For no charge and no strings attached, we’ll discuss with you how you’re building email lists, generating new leads and generally finding and connecting with prospects.

p.p.s. If you like these emails, please do me this favor: Forward this to someone who might also enjoy it and encourage them to sign up for future emails on our website at MarketVolt.com.

Categories
Monday Mash-Up

Monday Mashup 2019.06.17

Monday, June 17, 2019
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-Up


Last Wednesday, my beloved St. Louis Blues hockey club won the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup Championship for the first time in franchise history. On Saturday, I was among the 400,000+ fans who celebrated at the championship parade in downtown St. Louis. 

In honor of all of the above, here is the Stanley Cup Edition of the Monday Mash-Up. If you’re a Blues fan, you get it. If you’re not a Blues fan, you’ll still find plenty of useful information in what follows…


Leadership Lessons
Business Lessons from Blues Coach Craig Berube

After a slow start at the beginning of the season, the Blues fired head coach Mike Yeo and tapped Craig Berube to replace him. Berube pushed all the right buttons in leading the Blues to the championship. Here’s a great article in Forbes, written by St. Louisan Shep Hyken, that draws business lessons from Berube’s leadership this season.       

Marketing Lessons
Blues Journey Offers Blueprint for Business Recovery

On January 3, the Blues had the worst record in the NHL. Six months later they were hoisting the Stanley Cup. This is among the greatest turnaround stories ever in professional sports. The qualities and practices that led to this turnaround can be applied to a business that is struggling. Here’s an article that describes how…

Celebrate Good Times
Blues Parade Reminds Us to Cheer Victories — Big and Small

Saturday’s parade was a celebration for the ages. Celebrations matter and they motivate. Too often in business, we don’t celebrate enough. Here’s a great article I clipped long ago that reminds us that we should celebrate small successes, not just the huge, once-in-a-lifetime achievements. 

The Economics of Winning
Championships Generate “Psychic” and Actual Income
What’s in it for a city and its residents when the local team wins a championship. This article in Forbes, says a championship can confer great benefits on a city. Both St. Louis and Toronto (which just won the National Basketball Association crown) are currently reaping those benefits. The article shares some fascinating data about the benefits for both cities. 

Recommended Listening…
One Song Defines Blues Championship Run

I admit it. Gloria is not the greatest song. But it’s currently my favorite song. And thousands (maybe millions) of Blues fans would say the same.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about… If you didn’t know that the Blues adopted “Gloria” as their victory anthem, here’s the story.

Any reading, listening, quoting, resourcing that you think we should share? Send us a tip.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of this week and the weekend.

Tom

Categories
Weekly Story

Weekly Story – How do you know if your marketing is working

A marketing novice wondered whether a direct mail ad he received from a restaurant was any good. He described the ad in an online discussion board and waited for responses.

Dozens of people replied with all sorts of marketing advice.

Lots of them said they liked the ad.

Some asked to see the advertisement so they could analyze it more carefully.

Others said there was no way to know if the ad was good without assessing “a variety of factors.”

One wise person replied, “Is the restaurant busy?”

Pretty good question. The bottom line.

Sure, some businesses do well…

…despite bad advertising.

And some businesses do poorly…

…despite good advertising.

But more often than not, good marketing leads to a better, busier business.

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. We help businesses identify and connect with their target markets so people will listen to what you’re saying. If you want to discuss how to make it happen for your business, email me at tom@marketvolt.com. For no charge and no strings attached, we’ll discuss with you how you’re building email lists, generating new leads and generally finding and connecting with prospects.

p.p.s. If you like these emails, please do me this favor: Forward this to someone who might also enjoy it and encourage them to sign up for future emails on our website at MarketVolt.com.

Categories
Monday Mash-Up

Monday Mashup 2019.06.10

Monday, June 10, 2019
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-Up

More Important than a Game
Blues Stanley Cup Run Introduces World to Inspiring Girl

I live in St. Louis, and I root for the St. Blues hockey club. So I’m disappointed this morning that the Blues lost last night to the Boston Bruins and didn’t clinch the Stanley Cup championship on home ice (they’ll try again on Wednesday in Boston). 

To cheer myself up, I watched this video last night — the story of Laila Anderson, a young Blues fan who is battling a rare disease with courage and grace. Her story inspires everyone who hears it — including Blues players. I love this story. It reminds me that so many things are more important than a hockey game.         

Marketing Guidance
Email Marketing Tips

I like this article from Search Engine Journal and agree with the advice: 
11 Powerful Email Marketing Tips You Need to Know

Recommended Reading
Mary Karr is a Master

Mary Karr is one of my favorite writers. Her first memoir, The Liar’s Club, is great — funny, insightful, heartbreaking, riveting. in 2015, she published The Art of the Memoir — a book about writing, particularly about the art of writing memoirs. This too is a great book. It’s full of great insights for anyone who writes, not just a memoirist. 

I’m Listening to…
Joe Walsh’s Hit that Turns 41 Today
            
Joe Walsh is one of rock’s greatest guitarists and bad-boys. On this day in 1978, he released Life’s Been Good, a song that celebrates and satirizes rock-star life.

Here are some fun facts about the song, from SongFacts.com

Here’s a rockin’ video of Walsh performing the song soon after it was released. 

Here’s a quote I like from Mary Karr:

“I once heard Don DeLillo quip that a fiction writer starts with meaning and then manufactures events to represent it; a memoirist starts with events, then derives meaning from them.”

Any reading, listening, quoting, resourcing that you think we should share? Send us a tip.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of this week and the weekend.

Tom

Categories
Weekly Story

Weekly Story – Raw Chicken

A few months ago, I went to a St. Louis Blues hockey game with my son.

He ordered a chicken sandwich from a concession stand run by a local restaurant.

The chicken was raw. When we returned the food to the stand and asked for a refund, the woman at the cash register apologized and gave us our money back.

But when she handed the sandwich back to the guy cooking the food and explained to him what happened, he glanced at the sandwich, shook his head, rolled his eyes and looked at Jacob and me as if we were criminals.

I’m not a lip-reader, but the guy seemed to say, “F-ing, B-S” (or something like that) as he flung the sandwich into the trash.

The next day, I sent a direct, but polite email to the restaurant. I noted that food prep errors happen, and I can forgive those.

But, I said, it didn’t feel great to have the cook act as if we were wrong for returning the raw chicken he dished out.

The reply from the restaurant: Nada. Zero. Crickets.

What a missed opportunity!

Someone at the restaurant could have replied. Someone could have apologized. Someone could have owned up to a mistake.

Had someone done that, I would have felt much better about the restaurant. I most likely would have overlooked this one-time hiccup. I probably would have gone back to that concession stand or the restaurant to give them another chance.

If they had gone the extra mile and, for example, offered me a gift card, told me how they followed-up with the concession stand cook, or something like that, I would have become a fan of the restaurant. I would have been telling people about their great customer service.

Instead, I’m telling you about their lousy customer service. It’s unlikely I’ll visit that concession stand or restaurant again.

When you own up to your mistakes, good things usually happen.

When you ignore customers who contact you with valid concerns, your business will suffer.

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. We help businesses identify and connect with their target markets so people will listen to what you’re saying. If you want to discuss how to make it happen for your business, email me at tom@marketvolt.com. For no charge and no strings attached, we’ll discuss with you how you’re building email lists, generating new leads and generally finding and connecting with prospects.

p.p.s. If you like these emails, please do me this favor: Forward this to someone who might also enjoy it and encourage them to sign up for future emails on our website at MarketVolt.com.

Categories
Monday Mash-Up

Monday Mashup 2019.06.03

Monday, June 3, 2019
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-Up

Website Development Tip
Use a Honeypot to Reduce Garbage Email Signups

If you have an email signup form on your website, you might suffer from fake signups, generated by automated bots. Adding a CAPTCHA field (i.e. “enter the letters you see to verify you’re human…”) helps prevent this, but this approach can clutter the appearance of your site. Another option is to add code to your web form to create a Honeypot that will detect the automated, fake sign ups. Honeypots are not foolproof, but they’re effective in most cases. Here’s an article that describes how Honeypots work and how you or your web developer can add one to your web form.             

Quick Read
Seth Godin on Culture

I love this short blog post from Seth Godin about culture.

Marketing Tips
How to Get Your Business Listed Online

My friend Will Hanke shared some great tips about how to get your business listed online (and tools to manage your listings) at a recent meeting of Experts For Entrepreneurs in St. Louis. Great advice. 

Recommended Viewing
Aretha Returns to Her Gospel Roots

Aretha Franklin was the daughter of a preacher. She first performed publicly in her father’s church. In January 1972, with eight Grammy Awards and 12 Billboard Top-10 hits under her belt, Aretha returned to her gospel roots. Over two days, she performed live at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles’ Watts neighborhood, backed by the Southern California Community Choir. Audio recordings were released later that year as the “Amazing Grace” album which many consider to be Aretha’s greatest. But video footage from those concerts was never released — until last month. The film “Amazing Grace” is now playing in theaters nationwide. I saw it last week. I highly recommend it. 

Here’s the trailer. 

Here’s a fascinating article about the concert and the history of the film.

Here’s something Aretha said about music (it helps to explain why I like to share music in the Monday Mash-up:

“Music does a lot of things for a lot of people. It’s transporting, for sure. It can take you right back, years back, to the very moment certain things happened in your life. It’s uplifting, it’s encouraging, it’s strengthening.”

Any reading, listening, quoting, resourcing that you think we should share? Send us a tip.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of this week and the weekend.

Tom