A few years ago, several buildings around us have created ‘echo chambers’ that focus and concentrate ambient city noise thus amplifying it substantially – to the point of disturbing our sleep at night. We searched high and wide for someone to solve the problem, seeking out sound specialists, consulting a specialist architect… To no avail.

That’s when Adrian Lafleur of Magnetite came into the picture. We were armed with acoustic readings of the noise we were experiencing – we had a noise expert leave a meter overnight to capture the different sounds and frequencies. Noise is all about two things – decibels or volume and frequency – high (dolphin squeak) versus low (whale sounds).

The solution was a double glazed enclosure that was colour-matched to the existing window frame which was installed in one day with no mess and no damage to our unit. This is important because every other tradie that’s come into our unit has left an unwanted mark/reminder.

The reason this is a great customer service case study is because:

• Adrian was courteous, flexible and responsive to our needs. He listened to what we wanted to accomplish acoustically and cosmetically.
• He took measurements, not once, but twice and confirmed pricing and installation details promptly and in sufficient detail.
• Adrian explained all the theory and physical considerations regarding sound proofing.
• Magnetite offered us the choice of plastic “clip” frame with plexiglass OR metal frame with glass, which is what we chose for durability and superior performance.
• The installation was scheduled on a mutually agreeable date.
• The installation team came in at the assigned time, ready with protective plastic to make sure they didn’t leave any mess behind.
• The window system was perfectly color-matched to our existing windows.
• The installation was completed on time with no marks on our walls or any other unpleasant nicks or other reminders they were here.
• Best of all, the solution has sound proofed our master bedroom so that we only hear the odd siren now and then!

I wanted to blog about this because to give a testimonial is one thing, making it public like this is even more powerful. We need to reward suppliers who do a great job, to push out and remove the marginal ones that leave a bad taste in your mouth or worse.

If you need to get a room in your home or office sound proofed, I highly recommend Magnetite.

That being said, HUNDREDS of people have attended Bootcamps, but only DOZENS have attended more than once. Most people think once the box is ticked, that’s it. “They know it all.”

That’s like thinking one tennis lesson is enough to make you Roger Federer or Serena Williams.

Today’s post is two examples from multiple Bootcamp attendees…

Business Growth Strategy Case Study #1: Bree Robbins of Paddington Pups

At the Bootcamp, I use antimimeticisomorphism examples that show how thinking differently can trigger innovative and creative ideas. One of the images was appropriate for Bree since she owns a doggy day care in Brisbane. The day after the Bootcamp, I sent her the impossible dog photo along with some links and voila! We both optimised our search engine rankings.

On the last night of every Exponential Business Building Bootcamp there is a session on Internet Strategies where participants can ask any question to increase their online traffic, sales and/or conversions. The Internet Marketing Strategies we teach are proven and tested for real brick and mortar businesses – not the spam0like ‘link building’ and other affiliate marketing strategies associated with get rich quick schemes. The strategies we teach are based on leveraging my 1 Percent Improvement Doctrine.

Business Growth Strategy Case Study #2: Gavin Buckett – The Gourmet Guardian

Another Exponential Growth Strategy, among the HUNDREDS covered at the Exponential Business Building Bootcamp is the strategy of preeminence. We spend all morning of day one covering all the tips and techniques to make sure you become the ultimate source of information, knowledge and expertise in your industry or market. The reasons you want to do this are beyond today’s blog post, but what I wanted to show you is how a multi-award winner takes action.

As part of  the Exponential Business Building Bootcamp there is Pre Program Preparation™ and Post Program Planning™ that ensures participants get the maximum out of the event. Today, Gavin responded to message #9 with the following:

“The statistic I found WHILE AT THE BOOTCAMP is that out of 2070 members of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST), only 25 (1%) have a cooking qualification/ experience. That means that 99% of my professional competitors have not worked in kitchens and food businesses.

Bare that in mind when you next go to the supermarket and try something new – 99% of food technologists have no practical cooking experience.”

Gavin Buckett is The Gourmet Guardian – an Australian Food Safety Specialist. You have to admit that with a quote like this (which he has started to use in his advertising and promotional material), you are positively predisposed to consider him more of an expert. That is one of the many reasons his business is growing by more than 200% per annum. He has attended the Exponential Business Building Bootcamp 4, maybe 5 times and each time gets additional distinctions to take his sales and profitability one level higher.

These two case studies show you first-hand how quick, easy and inexpensive these strategies are – that is the beauty and elegance of Exponential Marketing Strategies. You don’t need a multi-million dollar advertising budget – you just need to THINK and ACT EXPONENTIALLY. Contact us to find out how you can join the Platinum Program – it’s not just a great program, we guarantee that for every $1 you invest, you’ll make $3 – GUARANTEED!

A barber had been noticing that his clients had been dropping off slowly over the last eighteen months or so. He blamed the economy and people moving on and such things and just kept plodding on as you would expect.

The last straw for him was when,  just two doors down from his barber shop, someone opened up another barber shop! His competitor put up signage all over the front of the store windows announcing “hair cuts $5” .

When they opened, there were people spilling out the door lining up for haircuts. This went on for days and as you can guess his clients dropped off dramatically to the point that he decided that he would rather sit at home watching Oprah than do hair cuts for five dollars. He even decided he would close down his shop at the end of the week.

That afternoon, a gentleman walked in and asked if he could get a hair cut. The barber warned him that he charged fifteen dollars. The gentleman said that’s fine as he did not have time to stand in line and wait two hours for the barber two doors down .

After he finished the gentleman stood up looked and thanked the barber for a really good haircut. He also said he would be back next time he needed a trim because he was very satisfied with his haircut. That’s when the barber advised him that he was going to close his shop because he couldn’t compete with $5 hair cuts.

The gentleman looked at him smiled and asked “If I can increase the number of clients, would you be willing to pay me two hundred dollars?” The barber said he would only have two days to do it since he was going to close the shop on the third day. The gentleman confidently said that would not be as issue. The barber could not help but like this cocky guy in a suit and since it was only two hundred dollars, he thought he really didn’t have much to lose.

The next day, when the barber showed up, there were people waiting for him to open his door! They continued to stream in all day his phone was ring hot taking bookings! He was so busy that by the end of the day, he was exhausted. He could not remember ever being that busy.

The next day the same thing happened and about lunch time the gentleman walked in smiling and asked how things were going. The barber told him about all the clients and bookings and asked him what he did to change things around so quickly -  hoping he hadn’t done anything illegal. The gentleman smiled and assured the barber that everything was OK and that after work there would be something out the front of the store for him.

That night, the barber walked out the front of his shop and saw an A frame – he could not stop laughing when he read what was written:

FIVE DOLLAR HAIRCUTS FIXED HERE

This is a totally exponential strategy – but here are a few questions I have for you.

• How can you use this story to your advantage?
• How can you leverage someone else’s efforts in a legal and morally acceptable way?
• How can you make the most of your marketing budget to get the very best results?

A lot of people have either heard this story or others similar to it. They get a laugh and move on to something else.

Very few learn the lesson. Very few learn HOW to leverage something like this.

That’s what I teach my clients to do, as their business coach, adviser or mentor. I explain to them that this is not just a funny story. It’s a lesson to be learned and applied. I then usually explain via one of my case study examples or one from a client.  In this case, I heard this story and used it to close a $250,000 sale to a top 50 ASX company.

I know you’d love to know how I did that, but sorry – I keep that information for my Platinum Members!

The thing about having an Exponential Mindset is not just thinking differently, but making sure you walk the thought. That only happens when you’re taught how to translate a great story like this one INTO a practical system and process that you can use in your own business.

Otherwise, it’s just another fun story to tell mates over a cold beer at your local.

If you want someone to help you turn things around, like the barber – contact us and we’ll show you how to get people lining up at your shop front door, into your business or if you’re online – visiting your website.

Transactional Relationship Marketing: The Cost Effective and Environmentally Friendly Strategy

Transactional Marketing

“Transactional marketing is an approach that focuses upon one-off exchanges with consumers.”

“Transactional marketing: Orientation towards single purchase. Limited direct customer / supplier contact. Focus on product benefits. Emphasis on near-term performance. Limited level of customer service. Goal of customer satisfaction. Quality a manufacturing responsibility.”[ii]

Relationship Marketing

“Relationship marketing is a business philosophy which aims to develop strong relationships with a range of stakeholders, such as suppliers, media, intermediaries and public organisations, as well as with customers.”

“Relationship marketing is a form of marketing that emerged in the 1980s, in which emphasis is placed on building longer term relationships with customers rather than on individual transactions. It involves understanding the customers’ needs as they go through their life cycles. It emphasizes providing a range of products or services to existing customers as they need them.”

The new kid on the block is a strategy called Transactional Relationship Marketing, or TRM. This is a process trademarked by direct mail company, Hermes Precisa (HPA).

Transactional Relationship Marketing

“TRM uses ‘essential’ communication, such as electricity or phone bills, to give marketers the ability to reach potential users. By tapping into customer profiles and buying patterns through payment transactions, TRM delivers relevant promotions to customers based on their buying trends and without the need for a separate customer relationship management system.”[v]

By combining essential mail (that is: invoices, bills, etc) with specially and personally targeted offers, HPA have created “Transactional Relationship Marketing”.

HPA say that by analysing people’s spending habits and sending them personally targeted promotions, they are getting double-digit response rates, where the industry average is single digits.[vi]

How does Transactional Relationship Marketing work?

HPA gives an example of how large telecommunications companies might use TRM.

“… a hypothetical example of a telecommunications company, which holds the profiles of two million people who call the United kingdom each month and an airline that annually flies thousands of people to London. The airline can target its offer by piggybacking on the telco’s essential communication to its customers.”[vii]

But how would it work for a small business?

Let’s say, for instance, that you run a pharmacy. You have a certain percentage of your clients on 30 day accounts.

When the clients are being billed, you notice that Mr X. has been buying large quantities of mouthwash and floss. So, when Mr X.’s bill goes out to him, it does so with an offer from a local dentist.

The offer may be for a free consultation, x-rays, cosmetic assessment or teeth cleaning with new equipment. In fact, it may be an offer that incorporates all of these elements, allowing Mr X. to self-select and choose what he feels will suit him best.

The offers should be more enticing than merely a coupon. A professional copywriter can help you (or the dentist) put together a long sales letter.

It’s important when using sales letters to test a number of variations. You’ll need multiple headlines, body copy and calls to action. How many multiples? This 3 x 3 Marketing Momentum Matrix™, created by Dr Marc Dussault, Managing Director of Exponential Programs, works well for a medium sized mailout.

Of course, the permutations of this are more than just three letters – for instance you could test headline 2 with body copy 1 and call to action 3.

This level of email sophistication is taught in The Platinum Program to ensure that you get the most from your marketing spend so that you can replicate what works and stop doing what doesn’t. Often, once combination will out-perform the other by orders of magnitude! But that is a discussion for another day – let’s get back to THIS campaign and how it relates to Transactional Relationship Marketing.

The dentist may include, with the offers, educational material such as a survey on dental hygiene, an FAQ on dental cosmetic procedures or a “Top 5 Dental Cosmetic Dangers to Avoid” brochure. This will help to cement him as the pre-eminent source of dental education in Mr X.’s mind.

TRM is a strategy in which everyone wins.

Mr X wins because he gets something he needs being offered directly to him. He receives educational material that is of direct benefit to his situation. Perhaps most importantly, he doesn’t need to feel embarrassed about asking for this information – because it has confidentially and sensitively come to him.

The dentist wins because he has a qualified lead with whom he has now built rapport and to who he is now a pre-eminent source of dental education. Using this strategy alone, a dentist could easily fill his practice without doing any other kind of advertising – saving him, potentially, thousands of dollars each year.

You win because you have offered your client something that is very valuable to him – with no motive other than to help him out. This also builds your pre-eminence with Mr X. – after all, who is he more likely to go to for his pharmaceutical needs? The mega-hyper-super-store that just opened down the road and who may be a few dollars cheaper? Or the pharmacy that has sent him educational material and promotional offers that increase the quality of his life?

The environment wins because you are reducing waste – not only are you sending several promotions in one envelope, the promotions are also targeted, going to people who will actually value them and who are unlikely to just throw them away.

Of course, you could accept payment from the dentist for the advertising. Better yet – you could form a host-beneficiary partnership with the dentist. In return for the TRM promotion, the dentist could send a letter to all of his patients, recommending and endorsing your pharmacy. You might even work out a trailing commission arrangement, so that you each get a certain percentage of sales for the lifetime of the client.

References:

[iii] Beech, J. and Chadwick, S “The Business of Tourism Management: Glossary”, Pearson Education, November 2005,

[iv] Wikipedia entry, “Relationship Marketing”, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relationship_marketing

[v] Blackie, T., “Lifecycle Potential: Bill sweetener”, BRW, June 28-August 1 2007, page 106

[vi] Blackie, T., “Lifecycle Potential: Bill sweetener”, BRW, June 28-August 1 2007, page 106

[vii] Blackie, T., “Lifecycle Potential: Bill sweetener”, BRW, June 28-August 1 2007, page 106

One of the things I didn’t have time to cover is why a restaurant needs to be on the Internet – trust me, it’s not what you think!

Watch this 3-minute video to find out what 95% of people on the Internet don’t know… that can make the difference between a restaurant full of paying customers and one filled with empty tables.

I mean it – Anyone that I know who is struggling financially or professionally (and I don’t know that many) EVERY SINGLE ONE has appalling email communication skills.

There, I said it.

Now I feel better. But y’know what? It doesn’t matter that you tell these people that in 2010 it’s unacceptable that they take 3, 4, 5 or more days to respond to a PERSONAL – non mass broadcast email.

They are DINOSAURS.

They are completely and totally obsolete – they just don’t know it yet.

Their suspects, prospects and clients know it – they are dealing with other more RESPONSIVE companies.

I know I am.

I have ‘left’ at least 3 unresponsive companies/suppliers since the beginning of this year alone. Not because they can’t offer the product or service, but because they can’t and won’t respond quickly enough.

These dinosaurs have no idea that EXTINCTION is around the corner…

Here’s the thing – let’s put them out of their misery more quickly — QUIT USING ANYONE WHO DOESN’T RESPOND QUICKLY ENOUGH AND REWARD THE GO GETTERS WITH MORE WORK!

I know that’s what I’m doing and that’s what I am suggesting my clients do – to get BETTER results, in today’s inter-connected world and economy, it’s a MUST.

If you don’t know how to get through all your emails – you need to join my Platinum Program. I have already revealed at least 10 email management tips on my various blogs over the past 2-3 years… If those haven’t worked – you need hands-on assistance!

You’ll quickly get involved in the situation his clients were faced with, one that is often quite intimidating for people who are focused on getting married or celebrating an anniversary. Making the right decision when it comes to customised jewellery is not easy. Sam, with his private studio makes the process personal, intimate and stress-free.

Leveraging case studies is one of the many exponential strategies I teach my Business Mastery Platinum Program Members to help them grow their businesses leveraging the 1 Percent Improvement Doctrine that wins them awards, but more importantly wins their clients hearts.

If you considered attending the first time around, make it happen now -> click here <- to register.

When you go to the event page you can read about all the elements that I cover, but fundamentally, you want to attend for one reason and one reason only. To learn how to think like a champion, a winner. That’s all there is to it. The full day event covers the 4 dimensions of an Exponential Mindset because it’s a holistic approach, not a bunch of hit or miss tactics.

When you think Exponentially, you start to act Exponentially and your results become Exponential – which simply means INCREASING at an INCREASING rate.

If you want the best results with the least amount of effort and want to TEST DRIVE EXPONENTIAL STRATEGIES – Saturday’s your second chance!

Click here to check out what it’s all about and register.

The winners will be presented their awards at a series of Exponential Extravaganza events to be held in Brisbane (June 5), Melbourne (June 19) and Sydney (June 26).

Bree Robbins – Paddington Pups Category: Queensland Service Industry

Gavin Buckett – The Gourmet Guardian Category: Victoria Service Industry

Ray Keefe – Successful Endeavours Category: Engineering Consultant

David Conroy – The Lone Drainer And Pronto! Category: New South Wales Service Industry

Sam Kritsotakis – Eskae Jeweller Category: New South Wales Start Up

The Exponential Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards will be presented in Brisbane on Saturday 5 June, in Melbourne on Saturday 19 June and in Sydney on Saturday 26 June at the Exponential Extravaganza events. It covers the 4 pillars of an Exponential Mindset: Business, Internet, Professional and Personal Mastery Principles. Attend to find out how you can become an award-winning business entrepreneur and get the results that go with it!

But here’s the thing…

This is the ONLY Free event I’m doing in 2010. It’s the ONLY chance to test drive the strategies you’ve been reading about on this and my other blogs.

The reason I’m doing this FREE event one last time is to make sure I give everyone in my database the chance to come see me LIVE at my cost ONE LAST TIME.

At this event, we’re going to launch our new Apple App, release a song as well as a few other prizes and surprises…

When all is said and done, if you’ve enjoyed reading this blog, why not head on down to one of the events and come say hello in person?

After all – you’ll be spending the day with other Exponential Mindset enthusiasts, a great way to invest a Saturday!

Go to http://www.exponentialprograms.com/extravaganza and book your FREE ticket while they remain available. In fact, you should book a Premium seat for $97 to ENSURE and GUARANTEE you have a seat. We actually expect the PREMIUM seats to FILL the room… Of course we’ll let you know when that happens, but I wouldn’t take the risk if I were you…

Mr Prahalad burst onto the management scene with two path-breaking articles in the Harvard Business Review, “Strategic Intent” (1989) and “The Core Competence of the Corporation” (1990), and a bestselling book, “Competing for the Future” (1996), all co-written with his former pupil, Gary Hamel. “Core competence” remains one of the most frequently reprinted articles ever published by Harvard Business Review.

Click the URL to read the Economist Magazine’s summary of his stellar career and contribution to management thinking.

If you have never heard of C.K. Prahalad, it’s a shame because he’s given countless entrepreneurs the ‘keys to the vault’ – I integrate his teachings and methodologies within my Platinum Program curriculum.

I will be revealing some of my secret strategies at an upcoming series of events in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, I call it the Exponential Extravaganza because of the smorgasbord of stuff that I’m going to include… It’s the only chance you can get exposure to what and how I can guarantee RESULTS for my top clients.

I actually guarantee that for every $1 invested, my clients will make $3. I can’t do that unless my strategies work. They work because I not only learn stuff that most people never come across, but I APPLY what I learn in real-life situations. To learn more, come to the Exponential Extravaganza.

10 More Tips To Boost Your Direct Mail Response Part 2 Of 2

1. Describe the key benefits of what you are offering. The more illustrative, descriptive and alluring you can make it, the better – think expensive restaurant menu…
2. Make it irresistible to take action right now. Any delay must have a penalty attached to it – even if it’s missing out on being the FIRST to take action.
3. Tell your prospect the exact steps you want them to take. Do you want them to CALL, EMAIL, SUBSCRIBE, COME TO YOUR STORE…
4. Use Management By Metrics to track every aspect of your campaign. Test different headlines, calls to actions, images, text, descriptions and even PRICES!
5. Make a plan for your follow-up and follow-through. Without it, the campaign will fall apart quickly without gaining momentum.
6. Track your results with checklists and systems to make sure you know what’s working and what’s not for the NEXT TIME.
7. Debrief with your team to get their input about what you can improve and change. Be open to ALL criticism.
8. Combine direct mail with email, fax, sms, TV and/or radio campaigns.
   
9. Identify the person you want to reach and label it to them even if you don’t know their name: “To the person who pays the bills” or “To the person sick of high bank fees” or “To the fast track career person who…”
10. Use Killer Kopywriting to increase your direct mail response rates.
    

20 Tips To Boost Your Direct Mail Response Part 1 Of 2

1. Decide exactly to whom you will be mailing. This is the first step and the most important step. Do this one wrong and nothing else will go right. Segment your list as precisely as you can active/inactive accounts, male/female, suspects/prospects, etc.
2. Decide which specific action you want your reader to take, this is the CALL TO ACTION. Without it, NOTHING HAPPENS!
3. Create an outer envelope or other packaging for your mailing. Its primary goal is to get people to open it and study the contents. The more intriguing it is, the better!
4. Come up with an offer that your prospects can’t possibly ignore. Be outrageous and provocative and see what happens. Volkswagen had a very successful campaign in the 1990’s in Canada when they launched the Golf with two bicycles and the roof rack INCLUDED in the purchase!
5. Write a headline and P.S. that compel your prospect to read your letter. EVERYONE reads the P.S. and it MUST have the CALL TO ACTION in it!!!!
6. Describe your offer in the most enticing terms possible, this is Kalled Killer Kopywriting that Konverts Klients!
7. Explain the results your offer will deliver, the main benefits provided rather than the FEATURES and SPECIFICATIONS.
8. Describe why your prospect MUST consider your offer. If you are struggling in your career and feel like you’ve been ostracised by your colleagues, you’re probably right. There’s one reason and guess what? You can fix it immediately when we’ll show you how on day 2 of our Advanced Leadership Workshop!
9. Give your prospect other key benefits of your offer, not just one singular reason to consider your offer. For example “At the Leadership Workshop, you’ll also learn how to create a High Performance Team that manages itself with MINIMAL supervision, you’ll also learn how to become the preeminent source of information that will put you or keep you on the corporate fast track, well ahead of your peers!”
10. Show that you know who your prospect is by using terms, syntax and vocabulary you know they feel comfortable with. For example, “The dental mold material has a quicker setting time and half the volume requirement which is ideal for patients with a strong gag reflex without compromising elasticity whilst maintaining precision and accuracy for crown moldings.”

Bowling Green University recently tested the entrepreneurial skills of two different groups of business students. One group consisted of students who had experience running their own business, and the other was a control group that had only regular classroom instruction. The study tested the students in three areas vital to entrepreneurship; overall business capability, the ability to embrace uncertainty, and the skills to start up a company. The results of the study showed that entrepreneurs test higher in every category.

The entrepreneurs’ overall business capability was 7% higher than the students, they rated 4% higher in risk taking, and 2% higher in start up skills.

The problem is particularly severe for people who have achieved their Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. One would think that a person that graduated with an MBA would be poised for any business situation, but many MBA graduates lack the entrepreneurial spark. MBAs leave school with unrealistic business expectations. They are trained on how to plan, and how to follow through on those plans. But, as many business owners know, things rarely go ‘by the book’ in real life situations.

The article “Robots with Swollen Egos” (a Canadian Business cover story) states that “business schools tend to churn out robots [who are] analytically or technically very skilled, but without enough common sense.” This might be the reason that many companies are hiring less MBAs and more professionals with Bachelor’s or other undergraduate degrees. While MBA recruitment was on the rise in the 1980s, a recent survey found that Human Resource directors are recruiting far less MBA graduates across the board, in America, Canada, and Great Britain.

Many business school graduates are uncomfortable with the ambiguity and loosely-structured, but complex, problems faced by entrepreneurs. They have loads of practical skills, but those abilities are often rendered useless because their classes have robbed them of some of the most vital business skills. Skills such as creativity, innovation, and risk-taking are either discouraged, or lost in the educational shuffle. The Bowling Green test showed that entrepreneurs are 4% more innovative than regular business students.  The students end up graduating without creative stimulus and innovative focus.

Many business scholars recommend that students take a few years off of school and work in the field before they enter higher learning. This gives the student a practical basis for their theoretical classes. An experienced business person knows that, in the face of serious problems, plans and theories pale in comparison the ability to think quickly. That is why real-world experience needs to be applied to business classes, instead of vice-versa.

MBA and other business classes may look very different in the future. Many universities realize that most business classes are not structured in ways that benefit people looking to enter the modern business arena. Future classes may focus on current issues such as globalization, recession economics, and real-world situations, instead of traditional academic studies.

That’s why our Business Mastery Programs are so popular – they teach entrepreneurs how to grow their businesses WITHIN the context and reality of their every day actvities – not in a theoretical classroom setting.

From ZERO Sales To Sold Out In 3 Weeks

Paddington Pups is a Doggy Day Care and Pet Supplies shop. Since we specialise in dogs, I got my hands on Cesar Millan’s the Dog Whisperer Series 1 and 2 DVD sets to sell at the shop. I was excited to be able to stock these for my clients since I know (first hand) that several of them have training and obedience issues with their dogs.

When I ordered in the first and second series I also ordered a “Display Stand”. I was expecting this to be big so it would stand out. However when it arrived, it was not only tiny, it didn’t say anything about the second series. I was quite disappointed to say the least.

After over two weeks, I hadn’t sold a single DVD series.  Now you might be thinking that’s fine but this was the end of November, early December which is the perfect time for people to purchase gifts like this for themselves and/or friends and family.

That’s when Marc came in for a visit and you know what that means – exponential ideas galore!

Marc suggested that I create a bigger, more obvious display to highlight this popular and much sought-after product.

As with anything Marc suggests, I thought about it and discussed it with my husband. Later that night, Ross was on Google looking for a good quality image we could use to create own display poster.

Next he went to our local print shop had the poster printed and laminated in A3 format all for under $50.

Within the next 3 weeks, I sold 4 copies of season one and 6 copies of season two at full price with no discounting. That’s what’s powerful about Marc’s advice. Most consultants would discount the price whereas Marc thinks one step ahead – the ONLY reason no one bought the DVDs was because they didn’t know I had stock. Marc knows The Dog Whisperer Series is a high-value item that is sought after and does not require discounting to sell.

Once I had my new poster up in full view of my clients, several confirmed they didn’t know I had The Dog Whisperer Series with Cesar Millan. In fact, most confirmed what I thought – that they hadn’t been able to find them anywhere.

So not only was I not selling any, I had clients WILLING AND LOOKING for the product I had in stock.

That hurts just writing it. I don’t know about you, but I want to sell as much inventory as I can, as quickly as I can. I consider myself a smart woman, but clearly I wasn’t being smart about this product promotion even though in hindsight it’s self-evident.

That’s what I appreciate about Marc’s advice – not only does he have a view from the ‘outside’, he understands people who buy. His Exponential Mindset is all about making it easy for people to buy from you.

Thanks Marc for your help once again – Come back again soon!

Bree Robbins
Business Entrepreneur

The ketchup packet has been around for more than 40 years, and complaints about it for nearly as long: too messy, too small, too hard to open.

Now ketchup giant H.J. Heinz Co. is unveiling the first major packaging change to the to-go condiment. The new design has a base that’s more like a cup for dipping and also a tear-off end for squeezing, plus it holds three times as much ketchup than a traditional packet.

“The packet has long been the bane of our consumers,” said Dave Ciesinski, vice-president of Heinz Ketchup. “The biggest complaint is there is no way to dip and eat it on-the-go.” Heinz has long struggled to find a design that lets diners dip or squeeze ketchup that could also be sold at a price acceptable to its restaurant customers.

For this effort, it bought its design team a used minivan two years ago to test if their ideas really worked while eating on the road. Heinz sells more than 11 million cases of its ketchup packets in the U.S. every year and it will continue to sell the traditional packet. The new packet is in test markets in the Midwest and Southeast and will roll out at select fast-food restaurants in the fall.

Heinz is still working out prices with customers but said packets will cost a little more than regular packets. Will they catch on? It’s hard telling, but the news may cheer some ketchup fans like Matt Kurtz, a 22-year-old student who finds the problems are as ubiquitous as the packets themselves. The self-proclaimed ketchup aficionado became so annoyed two years ago after spilling the red stuff on his jeans while on a road trip, he started one of hundreds of anti-ketchup packet groups on Facebook. He dubbed it “Prop 57″ as a gentle poke at Heinz, saying it is to “draw awareness” to the packets’ shortcomings. “I said, ‘There has to be a better way’,” he said.

Read more about this business branding story, click here.

The exponential lessons are:

1. As a company, don’t wait 40 years to change the obvious – something ‘everyone knows’ needs to change.
2. Listen to your clients BEFORE it gets to the point where Facebook groups need to move you to action.
3. One person can make a difference – THANKS Matt!!!
4. If there is a cost and the improvement is substantial – many customers will GLADLY pay for it. Don’t be afraid to create a PREMIUM PRODUCT and charge for the added value/convenience/size…
5. When you do get it right, lots of people will reward you for it – like I am right now, giving Heinz the recognition they deserve… IT’S ABOUT TIME!!!

This news item was sent to me by Andrew Powell in Montreal, Canada.

I’m a big fan of Heinz Ketchup that I now call Tom-at-to Sauce, not Tom-8-to Sauce.

I don’t know the details of the story, but I like the fact that the retailer made the decision it wanted to make – to get rid of a disruptive client.

It’s tough to do, but sometimes it’s not worth trying to please ALL the people ALL the time – most people please SOME of the people SOME of the time.

If you’re exponential, you want to please MOST of the people MOST of the time.

They key is SOME, not ALL.

I teach my clients to do this in a politically correct way – this was unfortunately made public, which is not usually necessary.

Entrepreneurs have unfortunately been told for too long that the customer is always right – some customers have taken this to an extreme and for that reason, I applaud Tim Horton’s for taking a stand if only to make a point.

Enough is enough – let’s get some civility back into retail.

If you don’t like what you’re being served – make a comment, then leave. That’s enough for the retailer to get the message.

I call this Twisting The Kube™ and it’s one of the Exponential Mindset strategies that I teach my clients.

It’s easier said than done. I get that.

If if was ‘easy’ everyone would do it.

But here’s the thing – it can be learned.

The fastest, easiest way is to get your hands on my Marc-Ka-Ching Kube™. Within the first few days of Twisting The Kube™, you’ll start to recognise that your thinking is shifting – faster and more easily than you thought possible.

But I have to be honest with you…

Without the Marc-Ka-Ching Kube™ it’s not gonna happen anytime soon.

You have to change your thinking and without a TOOL to help you, it’s not going to happen.

It’s been said that we have 20,000 waking moments per day – the challenge is that we’re having 19,000 that are the SAME AS YESTERDAY.

Get your hands on the Marc-Ka-Ching Kube ™ and starting Twisting The Kube™ so you Kan Kome up with your own Kaleidoscopic Killer Kombinations™ on your own!