Month: September 2019

Categories
Monday Mash-Up

Monday Mashup 2019.09.30

Monday, September 30
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-Up

Presentation Tips
Don’t Be That Person with the 15-Bullet Slide

Here’s a good article with tips on how to improve your presentation from “good enough” to “great.” I’d heard some of these tips before, but not all of them. Some fresh, strong advice.  

From the Blog
Wield Your Power of Persuasion Responsibly
 
I published this post on the MarketVolt blog after yet another salesman resorted to stupid tricks to get me to open his email. Ditch the tricks, dear marketers. You have the power of persuasion. Wield it responsibly. 

Great Public Service Ads

Denver, Colorado faces constant water shortages so its city government encourages residents to conserve. The marketing campaign to promote conservation is great. Here are some highlights. Very entertaining and creative!   

Recommended Listening and Viewing
Ken Burns’ “Country Music” Film is a Masterpiece

You don’t have to love country music to enjoy the latest PBS documentary from Ken Burns, but that would help. Broadcast this month on PBS over eight two-hour episodes, the film is loaded with incredible stories about fascinating people.

If you missed the broadcasts (or want to watch again), you can stream the episodes here. 

You also can listen to the featured music by buying the soundtrack here. 

Quotable 

“Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.” 

Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, Nobel Laureate, and author who was born on this day in 1928

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

Wednesday Mailing Welcome Guest

Earlier this month, I shared the news that marketing great Dan Kennedy was in hospice care.

Since then, I’ve been recalling many of the valuable lessons I learned over the years from Dan. 

Here’s one of my favorites: 

Dan often told the story of being disturbed at home by a door-to-door salesman who rang the doorbell while he was watching the ballgame. 

An unwanted pest! 

A few weeks later, again while Dan was watching a ballgame, someone started pounding on his back patio door. This time Dan was really P-O’d and was ready to let this pest have it. 

Turns out, it wasn’t a salesman this time. It was a passerby telling him that some brush in the backyard was ablaze. The good Samaritan diverted Dan’s attention from the ballgame, but he was far from an unwanted pest…

…He helped Dan avert tragedy. 

He was a welcome guest. 

The best marketers devise strategies and tactics to be a welcome guest, not an unwanted pest. 

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. We help businesses figure out what they sell and how. Then we help them identify and connect with their target markets so people will view you as a welcome guest and 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 2019.09.23

Monday, September 23
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-Up

Marketing Tips
How to Increase Revenue from Existing Customers

We preach this all the time: Develop strategies to maximize the value of existing customer relationships. So many businesses focus all their marketing energy on chasing new leads. That’s important, but it’s far less expensive to build on existing relationships. Here’s a great article from Forbes to spark some ideas on how to do it.

Great Advertising
Creative Print Ads Remove the “Blur” from Great Paintings
 
I came across these ads from five years ago recently by the eyewear maker Keloptic. Funny and effective.

Marketoonist Mocks New Product “Innovation”

Apple released a new phone last week. (Yawn!). Remember the days when people waited breathlessly for the next new thing from Apple and other “innovators?” My favorite marketing cartoonist offers a hilarious take on how times have changed.  

Great Advice
Freshen and Re-Use Old Content

Many businesses struggle with content marketing because they find it difficult to produce new content regularly. Here’s a useful post from Duct Tape Marketing’s John Jantsch that will help: “How Repurposing Your Old Content Brings New Life and New Traffic.” 

Quotable 

“Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake Up and Live!” 

Bob Marley, who appeared on stage for the last time on this day in 1980.

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

Wednesday mailing: Seller who explained price won me over

I’m about to buy a new car in Chicago and ship it to my hometown, St. Louis (see last week’s email about the car salesman who yelled at me when I told him I wasn’t buying his car). 

I requested shipping bids through an online brokerage and received dozens of offers ranging from $250 to $400. 

I’m going with the $400 bid. Why? Because the shipper who bid $400 was the only one who explained her price. 

I won’t bore you with her explanation. I’ll simply say I learned a lot, and I appreciated the education. 

Frankly, I would probably be OK with one of the lower-cost bidders. They’re all insured, and I have schedule flexibility. 

But I trust and I’m more comfortable with the $400 bidder because she said, “…because…” 

“Our bid is probably a bit higher than others because…” she said. 

Try “because” in your business. It can work wonders. 

“We’re raising our prices because…” (You’ll be surprised how few of your customers flinch and how many commend you). 

“I’m sorry we can’t do that for you because…” (They may be disappointed, but they’ll appreciate you more the explanation.)

“We’re having a sale because…” (You’ll sell more than if you simply trumpet the sale with no explanation.)

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. We help businesses figure out what they sell. Then we help them 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 2019.09.16

Monday, September 16
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-Up

From the MarketVolt Blog
The “Next Big Thing” Is Not Necessarily the Best Thing

In last week’s Mash-Up, I paid homage to marketing genius Dan Kennedy. Here’s a post from MarketVolt’s blog that was inspired by advice I received from Dan several years ago. The lessons still apply today. 

What Matters Most in Marketing
 
I’ve seen lots of businesses struggle, even when they have a great product or service. The problem: They don’t develop strong relationships with prospects and customers. Here’s a short, profound and powerful post from Seth Godin that gets at this idea.  

Vanity Metrics Don’t Pay the Bills

I say this often: You can’t cash a Facebook “like” at the bank. Yet some businesses spend big bucks chasing likes (and other vanity metrics) and then celebrate when they generate big numbers. My favorite marketing cartoonist captured this insanity with this cartoon/post all the way back in 2011.   

Recommended Listening
Sheryl Crow’s Latest (and Last) Album is a Gem

Sheryl Crow says her latest album, Threads, will be her last.

Talk about last, but not least! This is a great album. Crow collaborates on each song with famous artists from various genres — Willie Nelson, Keith Richards, James Taylor, Joe Walsh, Bonnie Raitt, Jason Isbell, Sting, Eric Clapton, Stevie Nicks and more. 

By the way, Crow isn’t retiring. She’ll continue to release music, one track at a time. But she believes music consumers no longer want or need full-length albums. Maybe so, but I’ve been playing this one repeatedly from start to finish since I bought it. 

Quotable 

“No matter how chaotic it is, wildflowers will still spring up in the middle of nowhere.” 

Sheryl Crow

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

Wednesday mailing: Car Guy Yelled at Me

A car salesman yelled at me the other day.

He called to ask whether I was still interested in the car I test-drove with him.

I told him I was leaning toward another car, which I named.

“Have you read the Consumer Reports article about that car!?” he barked.

(He may as well have said, “What are you, some kind of idiot? You’d be a fool to buy that car!”)

“No,” I mumbled, “I haven’t read it.”

“Well you should,” he said sternly. “And then we should talk again.”

“Fat chance!” I thought.

I don’t get it when salespeople try to browbeat and belittle prospects.

I guess that  works for some salespeople.

But it doesn’t work on me.

The irony in this case: I told him I was leaning toward the other car, not certain to buy it.

The deal for my favored car may fall through. But if that happens, I’m not crawling back to the barking salesman.

Here’s what works with me (and works best for prospects in most situations): Mutual respect.

Barking like this salesman is blatant disrespect. It seems like a no-brainer no-no to me.

The challenge for us non-barkers is to refrain from more subtle forms of disrespect…

…Talking over prospects instead of listening…

…Assuming that we have “just the ticket” for a prospect when we have no understanding of the prospect’s aspirations and fears…

…emphasizing features instead of benefits.

Yeah, I said it… Emphasizing features instead of benefits is a form of disrespect. When we do this (and we’ve all done it), we put ourselves and our products at the center of the story. The prospects and the outcomes they desire become secondary.

Putting yourself first and your prospect second is a subtle form of disrespect.

It may be less blatant than barking at a prospect.

But subtle disrespect is still disrespect. The more you do it, the less you’ll sell.

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. We help businesses figure out what they sell. Then we help them 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 2019.09.09

Monday, September 9
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-Up

Marketing Genius
Thank You Dan Kennedy

I’ve learned more about marketing from Dan Kennedy than from all other marketing experts combined. So it’s with a heavy heart that I tell you he’s on his deathbed. For those of you who don’t know Dan Kennedy, I recommend his book Magnetic Marketing. You can get a free copy here (you pay shipping). 

I learned about Dan’s condition by reading a letter he wrote last month. It begins, “I find myself in the unusual position of regretfully announcing my death.” What follows is an explanation that brought him to this point and, more importantly, a beautiful expression of gratitude and his hope for us marketers who will outlive him. 

Life Imitating Art
How a TV Drama Generated a Real-Life Ad
 
Here’s a fascinating and informative article about great copy-writing over the years. Read example #4 to learn how a fictional ad, developed by a TV character named Don Draper, evolved into a real campaign. Real life imitating fiction. 

Recommended Viewing
How to Power Your Business with Customer Feedback Surveys

Last month, I shared some advice about customer feedback surveys at an event hosted by Experts 4 entrepreneurs in St. Louis. Here’s a video of the presentation in which I reveal how to craft a great survey, analyze results intelligently and follow-up effectively. (Note: You have to register with your name and email address to see the video. When you register, you’ll have access to a huge library of business tips from other experts).  

Marketing Tips
Make Your Content More Accessible

This is a great article that begins, “We have, for a long time, ensured that our emails read well. We check if they render correctly, display in all email clients, have a fallback image (should there be interactivity or animation), all while trying to be innovative and creative. One thing we haven’t always considered is whether everyone can read the emails we send. Our emails need to readable for people with impaired vision, color blindness, dyslexia and even epilepsy.”

The article offers some great, simple tips to make your content more accessible. 

Quotable 

“I think a dream is just a suggestion to start something out, do something.” 

Col. Harland Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, who was born on this day in 1890

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
Monday Mash-Up Weekly Story

Wednesday Mailing: Popeyes

A hungry man in Houston threatened employees at Popeyes with a handgun on Monday after they told him they didn’t have any chicken sandwiches.

My first reaction: This is NOT Popeyes fault.

Everyone knows: Chicken sandwiches don’t cause violence, people do!

But upon further investigation, Popeyes deserves some blame.

Last month, the fast-food chain introduced its new chicken sandwich with claims that it was tastier than the competition’s.

The product launch sparked loud debates on social media. In one corner, the reigning chicken sandwich champion from Chick-fil-A. In the other corner, the upstart challenger from Popeyes.

My news and social media feeds were flooded with articles and comments from food critics choosing sides. From my perspective, Popeyes won the media fight…

…and the marketing fight.

Customers began to flock to Popeyes.

They lined up out the door.

Clever chicken sandwich scalpers resold the vittles for 5X the retail price.

A huge success, right?

Well…not so much.

I visited Popeyes several times last month (I had to see what all the fuss was about!).

First time: No sandwiches and no idea when they’d have them again.

Second time: No sandwiches and “Come back tomorrow at 11:30. We’ll be out of them by noon.”

Third time (the day after the second time): No sandwiches and “Sorry ‘bout that. We didn’t get the shipment we expected.”

Fourth time: Hallelujah. A sandwich. Pretty good.

Every time: The place was a madhouse. The bathrooms were a mess, out of paper towels and T-P. The soda fountain was a mess. Out of root beer. Out of Coke. Out of Fanta. The tables were a mess (the guy responsible for cleaning them must have been out hunting for chicken sandwiches). The staff was…well…running around like chickens with their heads cut off (sorry, I couldn’t resist).

I don’t condone it, but I can understand how all of this ended in near-violence.

This was a massive systems and operational failure.

And therein lies the moral of this story…

Be ready for growth. Marketing success can quickly turn to business failure if you don’t have the systems in place to support growth. Customers won’t tolerate chaos and broken promises, no matter how tasty your sandwich is.

Thanks for reading.  

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. We help businesses figure out what they sell. Then we help them 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.