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Monday Mash-Up

Monday Mashup #5

Hello: Here’s the fifth edition of MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-up. We’ll kick off every week with this quick collection of tips, recommendations, observations and other interesting, valuable stuff.

– Tom 


Monday, February 5, 2018
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-Up

Which Ads Did You Like? 

Each year following the Super Bowl, I re-watch the ads. Always good for a few laughs. Always good for a few marketing lessons. Here’s a collection of the “best” ads, compiled by Time Magazine. 

Which was your favorite? Click here for a one-question survey to vote for your favorite. If you haven’t watched the ads, you can see most of them here. I’ll report the survey results next week. 

My all-time favorite remains an unsung gem by Honda from 2010. I wrote about it (and link to the ad) on the MarketVolt blog where I also shared some important marketing lessons you can draw from it. 

Another February Viewing Ritual…

Every February, I re-watch Groundhog Day. Here’s one of my favorite clips — featuring Phil Connors (Bill Murray) and his high school classmate Ned Ryerson. 

Check your inbox on Wednesday. I’ll remind you how Phil finally handles Ned, and I’ll share some marketing lessons from that scene. 

Great Music Resource

AllMusic.com is my go-to resource for discovering new music or vetting recommendations. Search for an artist. Read the bio. Check out reviews of all albums. Discover related artists. I bet 20% of the albums in my collection came from research I conducted on this site. I especially love to search for the highest-rated albums for an artist I already know. I’m amazed how often I discover great stuff I hadn’t heard — even from artists whom I already know. 

I’m listening to…

…5-star albums, as reviewed by AllMusic.com. This requires a subscription streaming service (such as GooglePlay, Apple, or Spotify). Most days, I click “Advanced Search” on AllMusic.com, pick a genre, and filter by 5 stars only. I then listen to at least three albums I’ve never heard before. In my opinion, some deserve the high praise (and immediately become keepers in my online collection). Others not so much. But disagreeing with the critics is half the fun. 
Quote we’re pondering…

“It is far more lucrative and fun to leverage your strengths instead of attempting to fix all the chinks in your armor. The choice is between multiplication of results using strengths or incremental improvement fixing weaknesses that will, at best, become mediocre. Focus on better use of your best.”

–Tim Ferris in The 4-Hour Workweek

In business, we spend a lot of time spinning our wheels. Tim’s advice strikes a chord with those of us who need to off-load the work that someone else can do better or that we don’t find fulfilling. When we follow this advice, we’re happier and our business performs better. 
 
Reason we’re grateful…

I got some great feedback from a reader last week who said my email last Wednesday (about Leonardo da Vinci) was too hard on Filippino Lippi. He was a great painter in his own right, she noted. The feedback prompted me to learn more about Lippi. He was a great painter. And as I noted in the email, he was a good businessman. 

I love the feedback. Please keep it coming!

***

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
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Monday Mash-Up

Monday Mashup #4 – 2018.01.29

Hello: Here’s the fourth edition of MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-up. We’ll kick off every week with this quick collection of tips, recommendations, observations and other interesting, valuable stuff.

– Tom 


Monday, January 29, 2018
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-Up

I’m reading…

Leonardo da Vinci — by Walter Isaacson, who wrote great biographies of Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin. This book is entertaining and educational. We all can learn from studying geniuses, and Leonardo rates on two fronts — art and science. Lots of business lessons in this book. Watch for an email from me on Wednesday that shares one of those lessons. 

I’m listening to…

…Albums that should have won a Grammy (at least, according to the Washington Post). In an article previewing last night’s award ceremony, the Post argued that “the Grammy’s never get it right.” The article listed the past 38 years of Album of the Year nominees and winners. The critic lists the albums he thinks should have been nominated and won. 

Some of those albums are among my favorites already. Others I’m hearing for the first time. Quote we’re pondering…

In the book The Power of Habit (by Charles Duhigg), former Starbucks president Howard Behar says, “We’re not in the coffee business serving people. We’re in the people business serving coffee.”

I love it. No matter what product or service you offer, you’re in the people business. Some of the books I’ve recommended (Setting the Table and Crucial Conversations) are all about that. 
  
Great Resource

Pixlr — a suite of digital editing tools. We recommend Pixlr to all of our clients who want an online tool for resizing, cropping, and processing digital images. It’s simple to use, but it also has plenty of advanced features. Best of all, it’s free. 

Reason we’re grateful…

We’ve been getting a ton of feedback on our new Monday and Wednesday emails. Lots of positive reactions. Some constructive criticism which we’re taking to heart. We’re grateful to all of you who are reading and to those who have offered feedback. Keep it coming!

***

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

Monday Mashup #3

Hello: Here’s the third edition of MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-up. We’ll kick off every week with this quick collection of tips, recommendations, observations and other interesting, valuable stuff.

– Tom 


Monday, January 22, 2018
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-Up

I’m reading…

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High. This book may be the one I recommend more than any other. And it’s one I re-read every few years. This book has made me a better communicator in business and my personal life. 

Here’s how the publishers put it: “When stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong, you have three choices: Avoid a crucial conversation and suffer the consequences; handle the conversation badly and suffer the consequences; or read Crucial Conversations and discover how to communicate best when it matters most. ”  

I’m listening to…

St. Louis-based soul singer Brian Owens.  I’ll keep this short. Check him out: Covering Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire (!)Killing it on Sam Cook’s A Change is Gonna ComeHis original Love, Love (The Anthem), written in response to the events in Ferguson, MO
Quote we’re pondering…

“Copy cannot create desire for a product. It can only take the hopes, dreams, fears and desire that already exist in the hearts of millions of people, and focus those already existing desires onto a particular product. ” 

Eugene Schwartz (from Breakthrough Advertising)

Great Resource

Instapaper. When I come across an article or other online content I’d like to read later, I click the “Instapaper” button built into my browser (extensions for Chrome, Firefox and others). A stripped down version of the content is saved to my free Instapaper account. Later, I load my Instapaper app on my phone, tablet or computer and all of my saved content is there to read — even if I don’t have an internet connection. 

Reason we’re grateful…

Most of us at MarketVolt live and work in St. Louis, MO. We’re grateful to be here. I was thinking about St. Louis over the last few days as news broke that it isn’t among the 20 finalists for Amazon’s second headquarters. The news prompted me to read the proposal St. Louis submitted to Amazon.  The proposal described  what I already knew — this is a place with a vibrant business community, great housing that’s way more affordable than coastal cities, a central location, terrific cultural resources and good people. Yes, we have our challenges. In praising this place, I don’t mean to ignore or diminish those issues. But despite those challenges, I’m happy to be raising a family and running a business in St. Louis. 

***

We’re grateful to you for reading.  

Please email me with requests, suggestions and feedback. What do you like? What don’t you like? 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

Monday Mashup #2

Hello: Here’s the second-ever edition of MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-up. We’ll kick off every week with this quick collection of tips, recommendations, observations and other stuff that you may value — all designed to entertain, educate and enhance. Enjoy!

– Tom 


Monday, January 15, 2018
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-Up

I’m reading…

Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business by Danny Meyer. Here in St. Louis, we recently celebrated the grand-opening of our city’s first “Shake Shack,” the burger joint created by famed restaurateur (and native son) Meyer. He built his restaurant empire on strong customer service, and he shares his philosophy of “enlightened hospitality” in this book.  The lessons apply to any business.   

I’m listening to…

Lots of David Bowie.

January 8 would have been his 71st birthday, and January 10 was the one-year anniversary of his death. 

I went to high school in the 80s, when the threat of nuclear war with the Soviets was still a real thing. This was my yearbook quote: “In the event that this fantastic voyage should turn to erosion, and we never grow old, remember it’s true: Dignity is valuable, but our lives are valuable, too.” (David Bowie, “Fantastic Voyage” from the Lodger album)Sadly, this seems to be a timely message again. 

Some Links: Earlier this month, HBO debuted a great documentary called David Bowie: The Last Five Years (trailer here).Video of Bowie and Bing Crosby singing “The Little Drummer Boy / Peace on Earth” (from 1977). That brightens the day. Recording of Bowie as guest DJ on BBC in 1979, playing his favorite songs at the time. Martin Luther King said…

“…If you can’t fly then run. If you can’t run then walk. If you can’t walk then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” 

Useful and Fun Resource 

The Wayback Machine saves archived versions of web sites over time.

“What was the name of that guy who used to work at that company back in 1998?” I can jump way back to the 1998 version of that company’s web site and look at the “About Us” page. 

I’ve used it to research companies I’m prospecting, to help with competitor research or just to have fun…

…Here’s how MarketVolt.com looked  way back when — 13 years ago. 

And look who owned the domain “facebook.com” before Mark Zuckerberg started his little business…

Reason we’re grateful…

We get great, constructive feedback from our readers. Last week, one (politely) suggested it would help to link to my website if I promote it in an email. Last week, I mentioned the website without including the address or a link (D’Oh!). My bad. 

Thanks for that and all feedback. We strive to improve, and your feedback helps make that happen.

(Our recently renovated website can be found at MarketVolt.com. We’d welcome feedback.) 

***

We’re grateful to you for reading.

Please email me with requests, suggestions and feedback. What do you like? What don’t you like? 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

Monday Mashup 2018.01.08

Hello: Here’s the first-ever edition of MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-up. We’ll kick off every week with this quick collection of tips, recommendations, observations and other stuff that you may value — all designed to entertain, educate and enhance. Enjoy!

– Tom 


Monday, January 8, 2018
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-Up

Recommended reading…

…anything by Mike Weinberg. Mike is a sales expert who has written two great books: New Sales Simplified and Sales Management Simplified. I’ve read and re-read both. And his blog (https://www.newsalescoach.com/blog/) is at the top of my link list. Whether you’re an experienced sales champion or just getting started, check out Mike if you have any role in growing a business.

Stream this…

I can’t get enough of The War & Treaty (https://www.thewarandtreaty.com/) and their debut album “Down to the River.” A husband (Michael Trotter) and wife (Tanya Blount-Trotter) duo, theirs is one of those you-can’t-make-this-stuff-up stories. He was a soldier in Iraq, stationed in one of Saddam Hussein’s captured palaces. His unit found a piano in the basement. When Michael shared the fact he could sing, his fellow soldiers encouraged him to teach himself to play on Saddam’s old piano. For the next three years, he entertained and brought solace to his unit. Fast forward to now (skipping the part about boy returns from war, meets girl who sings like an angel, falls in love, forms a musical act, etc.)… ‘ nuff said. Just listen and let the music speak for itself.

Word’s we’re quoting…

If the people don’t want to come out to the ballpark, nobody’s going to stop them. (Yogi Berra).

Yogi starred on the baseball diamond, not in the marketing biz. But there’s some deep marketing wisdom in that quote. The point: We don’t create desire in the marketplace. We just tap it. It’s better to know your market and deliver what it wants than try to convince your market to buy what it doesn’t want.

Recommended resource…

I’ve been using LastPass password vault (https://www.lastpass.com) for years. Each time I create a username/password combination, LastPass stores it in my vault. When I revisit a site for which I’ve stored credentials, LastPass automatically loads them into the login form. Simple. Time-saving. Secure. Free.

Reason we’re grateful…

We gotta give a shout out to Tim Ferriss who delivers great business-building, life-expanding content week-after-week (https://tim.blog/). His Five-Bullet Friday email is the primary inspiration for this Mash-Up. The words and the ideas are ours, but the format and approach were inspired by Tim. We’re grateful for smart, successful people who educate and inspire us!

***

And we’re grateful to you for reading.

Please email me with requests, suggestions and feedback. What do you like? What don’t you like? 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

p.s. We updated our website last month. Take a look and email me (tom@marketvolt.com) to let us know what you think.