Ideas and Eyeballs

How to be a creative genius in 5 easy steps

2016-02-19T07:43:00.001-08:00

Recently I was asked to teach a class on creativity for a local writing group. This is a subject near and dear to my heart. I have made a lifelong study of the subject and have read dozens of books on the subject. One of the best of these is "A technique for producing ideas" by James Webb Young.

This is a an old book, originally published in 1940 but has never been out of print.

It is a small book, just 60 pages or so.

It is a simple book, written in simple language.

Most of all, it is a practical book written by a man who built a career on coming up with ideas for his advertising clients. James Webb Young was a giant of the advertising business in the early to mid 20th century. Unlike artists who can work for years on a single creative project, advertising people have to produce ideas on demand under the pressure of an immovable deadline. Young was exceptionally good at this and excelled in the industry. When others approached him as a mentor, he analyzed his creative process and broke it down into 5 simple steps:

Gathering information
Digesting the materials
Incubating the idea
Birth of the idea
Developing and refining the idea

Though it is over 75 years old, I think "A technique for producing ideas" is a "must read" for anyone in advertising or any other creative enterprise. It is available for just a few dollars on

Amazon ( you can use the attached link). It is at once an easy and entertaining book and a book that will greatly enhance your abilities.

Thanks for reading and for referring this blog to others.

Jim Busch

Link to: A technique for producing ideas

Selling When the Shot Clock is Ticking

2015-08-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

The good ~~news~~ is that you've finally been able to reach the decision maker at a key account after months of trying..

The bad news is he/she says, "Okay, you've got two minutes to show me what you've got!"

What do you do? Do you start talking a mile a minute and try to compress a half hour presentation into two minutes? Do you skip the entire presentation process and ask for an order?

It is unlikely that either of these strategies will work. You simply do not have enough time to position the value of your product in the customer's mind. In this scenario you have to read between the lines to hear what the prospect is really saying. The translation of, "you've got 2 minutes" is, "Don't waste my time." It is unlikely that the customer really has to be somewhere in 2 minutes, he is just saying that is the most time I'm willing to waste.

The key in these situations is not to get flustered, to stay calm and collected. When you get the two minute warning, you're job is to engage the customer and make him think, "This guy/gal might have something to offer after all. It can't hurt to listen to what they have to say." If you can use a question, a testimonial or make a statement that gets the customer thinking, you will get the time you need to properly present your product.

As with most things in life, it pays to be prepared. Thinking about what you're going to say before the clock starts ticking greatly increases your chance of staying in the game long after the 2 minute buzzer has sounded.

Thanks for reading.

Jim Busch

This is your brain in print!

2014-10-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting study from across the pond. The United Kingdom's Royal Mail Service wanted to understand the differences between how readers process direct mail messages versus ads viewed on a screen. They asked the firm of Millward-Brown to look into this issue. Working with Bangor University Millward-Brown conducted a rigorous study of the issue using fMRI technology.

Their study found that readers presented with information in card format (physical ad) were much more engaged with the message than readers presented the material in a digital (virtual) format. They found that the physical were more engaging both intellectually and emotionally. This lead them to surmise that the brain would be better able to recall the printed ad over a similar digital one.

Here is a link to a brief synopsis of the study in PDF form:

e-studies/MillwardBrown_CaseStudy_Neuroscience.pdf

This study is a good justification for print advertising as well as for direct mail.

Thanks for reading.

Jim Busch

David Ogilvy's vision of a good leader

2014-10-09T13:46:00.001-07:00

Thirty years ago when I got into advertising sales, I wanted to educate myself about my new industry. I hit the library and discovered "Confessions of an Advertising Man" by David Ogilvy. Since that time, Ogilvy has been one of my heroes. He was that rare person who excelled in all aspects of the business. He was an incredibly creative copywriter, a great sales person and an excellent manager/leader. His thoughts are as valuable today as they were back in the "Mad Man" era when he helped shape modern advertising. Here are his thoughts on what it takes to be a leader from the book : The Unpublished Ogilvy :

The qualifications I (David Ogilvy) look for in our leaders are these:

High standards of personal ethics.
Big people, without pettiness.
Guts under pressure, resilience in defeat.
Brilliant brains--not safe plodders.
A capacity for hard work and midnight oil.
Charisma--charm and persuasiveness.
A streak of unorthodoxy--creative innovators.
The courage to make tough decisions.
Inspiring enthusiasts--with thrust and gusto.
A sense of humor

Not a bad list to look for or aspire to.

Thanks for reading!

Jim Busch

Is this the next "disruptive technology" that will change advertising

2014-06-04T18:47:00.000-07:00

I just watched an extremely interesting Charlie Rose interview. Charlie's guests were the founders of SPRITZ. Spritz is a new digital reading system. Since the Sumerians first starting making marks on a clay tablet thousands of yeqrs ago, text has been presented as groups of words covering a page. This was the only way to deliver complete messages on a clay tablet or...on a tablet computer. SPRITZ presents words one of a time in a rapid sequence. To facilitate reading the letter which is the focal point of each word is shown in red to draw the eye quickly to the message. I tried this system on their website ( http://www.spritzinc.com/ ) and it is amazing how quickly one can absorb printed information using Spritz. Spritz claims that it is possible to read a 1,000 words a minute using their method.

The question is, "How does this impact advertising?" Typically people would be attracted by the content of a page and would stumble upon the advertising sharing the page when they are reading. With Spritz, one only see the desired content one word at a time. If this system catches on, which I think is a very real possibility, it could change web and mobile technology. This will be an interesting innovation to watch, a potential game changer.

Thanks for reading.

Jim Busch

The "one-two punch" technique for cold calling

2014-02-18T19:35:00.000-08:00

It is estimated that some 80% of business calls end up in voice mail. I would not be surprised if a similar percentage of business e-mails end up in the "junk mail" or "deleted items" folders. I heard a technique today that should increase your chance of getting through to a decision maker.

The technique starts with a phone call. When you get voice-mail, leave a message something like this: "This is Jim Busch from Company Name, I know you're busy so I will send you a e-mail detailing how businesses like yours are attracting new clients. Look it over and if you're interested, give me a call. Thanks."

this low key approach doesn't sound overly "salesie" and enhances the chances of your e-mail being read.

Follow this up with an e-mail using the subject line: "Per my e-mail"

In your e-mail use a customer testimonial and tell the prospect you'd like to give them some information that they will find valuable. Do not give them all the details. Include your number and ask them to call or e-mail you.

If the customer calls back be prepared to share some research or ideas with them to make good on your promise. If they do not call back, follow-up in a few days leaving a message that you are following up on your voice-mail and e-mail messages. This will tell the customer that you have made an effort to reach them and they may feel obligated to call back.

Will this work? I'm not sure but this is a good idea to experiment.

Thanks for reading

Jim Busch

Double your pleasure

2013-10-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

Many customers look at advertising as an "either/or" proposition. They will advertise either in the daily or the weekly paper. They will do cable or print. This attitude stems from a desire to save money and they see reaching the same consumer twice as a waste of money. There are two reasons why this is penny wise and pound foolish. First, each media attracts a unique readership. While many people may access multiple media, few are touched by all the available media in their area. By leaving your paper out of the mix the "thrifty" advertiser misses readers who may be the ideal customer for the product or service they sell. The best way to ensure the success of your business is to reach as many potential customers as possible. The customers that they reach in one media that they do not reach in another represents their unduplicated reach.

Advertisers should also ask themselves, "is duplication necessarily a bad thing?" Customers assume that when a consumer sees their ad, it is love at first sight. That they will jump up out of their chair and head for the advertisers business as soon as they see their ad. This is a very unrealistic view of how advertising works. Most people take much more convincing. The more often they see the customer's message, the more likely they are to recall their name. After a while the consumer begins to associate the business with the products they sell. The more often a consumer sees the customer's name and is exposed to their message, the more likely they are to patronize the advertiser's business. I argue that far from being an unnecessary waste of money, that duplicated reach actually provides the advertiser with a significant benefit.

I hope you found this post valuable. Please feel free to post your thoughts on this subject in the comments section and to pass this blog along to others.

Thanks for reading.

Jim Busch

The Lazy Reader

2013-06-21T12:37:00.003-07:00

Henry Ford once said, "Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably why so few engage in it." Henry was ahead of his time. Modern scientific studies have found that human beings naturally try to keep their thinking to a minimum. We seek "Cognitive Ease" because as Mr. Ford had guessed, thinking is the hardest work we do. Though it only makes up about 2% of our body mass, the brain consumes up to 20% of the energy used by our bodies. Because of this disproportionate use of resources, we have evolved strategies to conserve energy and limit our processing of information. This is why it is so important to make sales presentations and ads simple and easy to understand.

Using laser technology researchers can precisely track where a reader is looking on a page. These studies have shown that readers will skip over an ad that is crowded or too complex. Readers prefer an ad that is easy to follow and clearly offers them a benefit. The same is true of a sales presentation. FMRI studies, which track brain activity, show that most people "zone out" when presented with too many facts or if the presenter is too hard to follow. Salespeople who present only one or two ideas at a time and who use analogies and other tools to help the prospect understand their message will be far more successful than someone who buries them in information. In presentations, more is certainly less.

Obviously we need to get our customers thinking about our products. The best way to do this is stay completely focused on the customer's needs and desires. If we can use simple presentations to demonstrate how our products can help the customer, they will be more than willing to invest the energy required to consider our proposals.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post or found it useful please feel free to pass it along.

Jim B.

Time Warp Questions

2013-04-09T08:14:00.001-07:00

I am a powerful believer in the power of questions. A skilled sales person can use questions to steer the direction of a conversation and to reveal the prospect's "hot buttons." Great sales people prefer to ask questions rather than make statements. Research has shown that the more the customer talks, the more likely they are to buy. Questions are the tool that gets them talking.

In addition to revealing the customer's business situation and needs, questions can be used to reveal the customer's motivations and their purchasing patterns. For this purpose I like to use what I call "time warp" or "origin" questions. These are questions that ask the prospect to go "back in time" and tell you why they did something. When I meet a prospect for the first time, I like to ask them, "So, what led you to get into the whatever business?" Their answer tells me a lot about their personality and their goals. If they say, "I like being my own boss, the guy I was working for was doing shoddy work and I like to take pride in what I do," I know that I need to talk to them about promoting quality rather than price. If, on the other hand, they say, "I knew I could beat any body's price," I know to go the other direction. What led them into business, reveals a lot about the prospect and how to sell them.

In competitive situations if you ask a customer why they are advertising in a competitive product, they may see this as a personal challenge. They may think you are attacking the competitive media and therefore attacking their decision to go that route. I find it is far better to say something like, "I'm glad to hear that you see the value of advertising, many of my customers also advertise in the XYZ. Can I ask what led you to go with XYZ?" This accomplishes several things, I defuses a potentially tense situation, it tells the customer that there is no reason that they can't advertise in both media and helps you to uncover their advertising goals. This is a way to gain insight into the thought process they use when purchasing advertising. I often use a follow up question like "You said that one of your goals was to increase your carry-out business. Have you accomplished this?" Rather than challenging the competitor directly, this gets the prospect thinking about the other media's performance.

"Time warp" questions are non-threatening because they take the issue out of context. They force the customer to step back and look at their situation from a distance. These questions can be used to remind customers of their goals and their dreams. Putting them in this frame of mind makes them much more receptive to you ideas on how they can achieve their objectives.

On another note, I recently started a new blog featuring some of my favorite quotes. You can check it out at http://theapothegmatist.blogspot.com/ The first post will explain this blog's rather "geeky" tile. As always, I welcome you comments, feedback and ideas. Thanks for reading.

Jim Busch

The "IKEA Effect"

2013-02-12T09:14:00.000-08:00

In the 1940's and 1950's, American food companies began making cake mixes. To make a cake, all the housewife (it was the 50's) had to do was add water and bake. These mixes were convenient, quick, and easy to prepare; the only problem was that nobody bought them. Market researchers found that they were "too easy," that women wanted to feel like they were making an effort to feed their families. The companies removed the powdered eggs from the mix, changed the instructions to "add 1 egg," and the problem was solved. The act of breaking and adding an egg made the family cook feel like she was part of the process. Psychologists have dubbed this behavior the "IKEA Effect." This is based on the fact that people overvalue IKEA furniture because they can point to a bookcase with pride and say "I built that!" The act of assembling a piece of furniture engages them physically and emotionally. This gives them an enhanced sense of ownership that far surpasses their feeling for a piece that was delivered ready to use.

What does this have to do with selling advertising--everything! If we can get a prospect involved in creating their program, they are much more likely to buy it and much less likely to cancel. My company uses software from Tactician Media to map out a customer's coverage area. I will take my laptop into a call and locate the customer's business on the map. I hand them a pencil and ask them to point out where they would like to sell their products. I keep adding these to the map. When I am closing the sale, they often tell me they want to cut the cost. I take them back to the map and ask them which areas they would like to cut. Since they have personally chosen the areas, they have a hard time cutting them out. In the ancient days before laptops, I would use a similar method with a blank map and a highlighter

Another technique I use is getting the customer involved in designing an ad for their business. We work together to determine what consumers need to know about them. I ask a lot of questions like, "What kind of art do you think would work the best?" This engages them fully and like the map example above, they are very reluctant to cut anything out.

You can use the "IKEA Effect" to engage customers and get them to take ownership of their advertising. When they are involved they are less likely to quibble about price or to cut back. When they are involved in the process, you are no longer talking about "an" ad; you are talking with them about "their" ad.

Thanks

Jim B.

Have I told you lately why you love me?

2013-01-10T08:29:00.001-08:00

We all know the 4 "W's" of information gathering: Who-What-Where-Why. Working with sales people, I have found that far too many reps and copywriters get so bogged down in the the first three of these that they forget to make use of the 4th, and in my opinion most important, "W" the why. Selling advertising is all about motivation. We have to figure out what will motivate someone to buy an ad and then we have to design an ad that motivates their customers to patronize them. Motivation is driven by "why's." Why should I advertise? Why should I advertise with you? We need to answer these questions on every sales call. We need to answer these questions even if the customer doesn't ask them. When I am working in the field, many reps do a great job with the "who:" I am from the Pennysaver. They cover the "what:" I have this special home improvement tab. And they do a great job with the "where:" it is delivered to every home in your local community. Where their presentation falls apart is on the "why." They give their customer all the details on pricing, ad sizes etc. but fail to tell the customer that the special section will bring in new customers and MAKE THEM MORE MONEY! I believe this omission stems from the fact that they understand how advertising works and they assume that the prospect shares this insight. They think that everyone knows that if you deliver a marketing message to 10,000 homes that some of these people will become customers. Reps need to explain this to their customers and explain the "why" of advertising. Mr. Customer, This special section will be of great interest to your potential customers, by telling these people about all the great services you have to offer, you will generate a lot of calls so that your crews will be busy when the weather breaks. This is a great way to make sure you have a profitable start to the season.

The same thing is true with your customer's ads. Scanning through our publications I see many ads that tell me everything that the customer sells. I read through lists of dozens of pizza toppings in 6 point type. I see cartoon pizza flippers and the customer's name at the top of the layout. What I fail to see in many cases is a "why." Is the customer's food good? Do they have great prices? Great service?" To be effective an ad must tell the reader what they should do business with the advertiser. Research has shown a headline as simple as "Best Pizza in Town" will greatly enhance the response to the advertising.

Don't make your prospects or your readers have to figure out for themselves why they should do business with you or your client. Every time you give anyone a "who," a "what," or a "where" make sure that it is accompanied by a clearly stated "WHY!" "WHY" should you do this--because YOU'LL MAKE MORE MONEY!

Thanks for reading--Jim Busch

Free holiday content for your paper

2012-12-05T19:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a gift for all my free paper friends. In addition to my sales training and research duties, I write features for my company. I also have had some success as a freelance writer. Several years ago I wrote and published a Christmas article titled "Miracle on Aisle 3." This non fiction inspirational piece produced more positive feedback than anything that I've ever written. In the spirit of Christmas, I am offering this article to any paper at no charge. It runs about a thousand words. All I ask is that you use my byline and let me know if you decide to publish it. If you would like to review this article send an e-mail to ideasandeyeballs@gmail.com and I will send it to you. I wish you a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous 2013. Thanks--Jim Busch

Does your selling style reflect your buying style?

2012-10-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

One of the wisest things I've ever read came from the pen of American writer Anais Nin. She said, "We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are." It is human nature to imprint the way we see the world on everyone and everything we encounter. This behavioral quirk can have a direct effect on how we perform on sales calls. We spend our workdays as sales people, but we spend a good deal of our leisure time as consumers. We purchase everything from a pair of socks to a new car, from a magazine to a 4 bedroom home. How we approach making a purchase, our personal "buying style", is as unique as a fingerprint. Some people are impulse buyers and make snap decisions on even major items. Others like to research and deliberate when shopping for something they want. Some of us are price shoppers while others are more focused on quality and brand names.

It is quite dangerous to assume that our customers share our buying style. I have a much deserved reputation for being the world's cheapest man. I drive a 1995 Ford Escort and buy a lot of my clothes at Goodwill. This is great for my savings account, but my frugality hurt my sales efforts when I started in the business. As a young rep, I thought that customers would always be interested in the lowest cost option. As I gained experience, I came to learn that many buyers were more interested in results, or the best coverage etc. They were more interested in advertising that addressed these concerns than they were in buying the least expensive program. Not being aware of a customer's buying style, and your own, can lead to communication difficulties. If the rep is an impulse buyer, they may not understand why a customer needs research to make a decision. Once, I was with a rep who liked to collect as much information as possible before making a buying decision. We presented a program to a customer who immediately responded, "That sounds good to me!" The rep actually had trouble recognizing this buying signal. He said to the customer, "I'm sure you'll need time to think this over." He would have walked away from the sale if I hadn't been there to close the sale for him. The key here is to recognize your own bias and to observe the customer to determine their individual style.

Managers should ask their sales people about their individual buying style. Asking a rep to describe the process they use to purchase a car or other big ticket item will help the manager to understand their rep's individual approaches to selling. By helping our reps to understand how their behavior as a customer influences their behavior as a seller is sure to increase their sales.

Sticky Presentations

2012-08-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

We live in a crazy busy world. Everyone is constantly inundated with information and sales pitches. This creates a challenge for sales people becasue we have to break through the clutter and make our presentations memorable and impactful. We need to make our presentations "sticky," to get the prospect engaged so that they retain the information we share with them. I like to use "visual analogies" to sell advetising.

For example: I was doing a presentation to a customer who advertised in a competitive product to convince him to include us in his marketing mix. I did some research and found that about one third of the market read their product exclusively and almost an equal number read only my paper. The remaining third read both publications. I could have printed out the research and shared the numbers, but in most cases this overwhelms the customer. Instead I bought three cheap clear plastic vases and two bags of Hershey's Kisses, one milk and one dark choclate. I put milk chocolate candy in one vase and the dark chocolate kisses in another. The third vase was left empty. During the presentation I pulled out the three vases and told the customer that they represented the readership of the two local papers. The vase on the left with the silver wrapped candy was my paper, ant the purple wrapped candy on the right was my competitor. I then poured some of each into the empty vase in the middle telling him that this was a more accurate description of the market because a third of local residents read both. I then took the vase of milk chocolate candy away and put it behind my back. I told the customer "You current program misses one third of your potential customers" and pointing the the mixed vase "you are cutting your exposure to these people in half." This image helped the customer to understand what he was doing much more clearly than any chart or PowerPoint could do, The sight of having his "candy" taken away invoked the natural human tendency to avoid loss. Making my point visually burned this into the customer's brain and helped position the value of my paper. They expanded their budget and now advertise in both papers.

One final point: I first considered using dried beans to make my point but decided to go with the chocolate. After my demo, the client ate some of my"props" and I left the rest for his staff. This small gift made the presentation more memorable and literally left a "good taste in the customer's mouth." Whenever possible use visual analogies to prove the value of your products. Doing so will make what your presentations much "stickier!"

Remembering Stephen Covey

2012-07-21T21:00:00.001-07:00

This week I learned of the passing of Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People plus numerous other books and articles. Covey was one of the great thinkers of our day. I read the 7 habits over 25 years ago and it has had an immense impact on my life and my work.

I have always admired Covey's work because he understood that life is seamless. That it was worthless to become a better business person if doing so costs us our humanity. Dr. Covey's 7 habits offers lessons on being not just a better business person, but how to get the most from every aspect of our lives. He does not teach how to "beat the other guy" but rather how to foster communication and cooperation to develop solutions that benefits all parties involved in any interaction.

Dr. Covey's teaching affirmed the possibility of change and growth as a human being. He encouraged his readers to decide what they wanted from life and to evaluate every action against this yardstick. He believed that we differ from the animals because of our ability to respond rather than react to our environments. He believed in living mindfully. My favorite Stephen Covey quote is that "we should live out of our imagination rather than our history." He believed that we can recreate ourselves and that we can transcend our past and our current situation.

Finally, I commend Dr. Covey for his honesty. His book has remained on the business/self help books bestseller lists for decades while many other books which offered a quick fix have come and gone. He doesn't tell us that we can "double our income over night" or "become a business genius in a week." Covey's book are deep with meaning and require multiple reading to fully grasp their message. He tells the reader that becoming a better person requires hard work and constant effort. Covey tells us that we must achieve a private victory before we deserve to win victories in the world at large. He acknowledges that anything worthwhile must be earned.

I have tried to apply Dr. Covey's principles to my life and to my work. I believe that they have helped me to achieve professional success, but I am absolutely confident that his ideas have enriched my life. Stephen Covey maintained that the best way to absorb his ideas was to teach them. Over the years I have given away dozens of copies of the 7 habits to co-workers and friends. I have taught his ideas in my training classes and coaching sessions. I highly recommend that you read, or reread, the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People as the information it offers is truly timeless.

Several years ago i wrote a series of Link and Learn articles on applying Dr. Covey's Seven habits to selling advertising. If you would like to read these, you'll find them in the Link and Learn archive at PaperChain.org

In the 7 habits Stephen Covey tells us that we should "begin with the end in mind." He recommended that as an exercise we should imagine our own deaths, He told us to think about what our families, our friends and our co-workers would say about us. He suggested we keep this in mind and to live our lives so that we will be pleased with what they say at our graveside. Well Dr. Covey, thank you for all you've given to the world, you will be missed.

Three great books for sales people and managers

2012-07-11T07:22:00.002-07:00

On my 60th birthday, I asked my wife when I am allowed to become a "crotchety old man--DAG NABBIT!" She said not yet but she'd get back to me. I believe the secret to staying mentally young is to constantly feed the mind with new ideas. I have recently read three books that gave the old neurons a great workout and which offered some valuable insights for anyone in sales or sale management. Here are brief reviews of these books:

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahnemen. this book reviews much of the current research into how the human brain functions. This book is packed with studies that delve into the decision making process and the motivations that drive us. Since we make our livings getting others to decide to buy our products or to motivate our teams to do what we need them to do, this book is a powerful tool for advertising professionals. Because of the sheer amount of data contained between its cover, this is not an easy book to get through, but it is well worth the effort.

Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer. I chose Ideas and Eyeballs for the name of my training/consulting business for a reason...I think the key to success in advertising, and in any enterprise, is creativity. Creativity expands the world and helps us to find new ways to help our customers. Creativity is the well spring of value, generating new ideas is what we get paid to do. Jonah Lehrer's book explores the creative process and provides some valuable techniques for creating an environment that encourages the creative process. A easy entertaining book to read, Imagine helped me to understand my own creative processes.

It Worked for Me by Gen. Colin Powell. Like serving dessert, I saved the best book for last. This book is as entertaining as a novel, but still offers some great hands-on ideas about leadership and career success. Whether you agree or disagree with Colin Powell's actions or politics, you must admit that he is an extraordinary man. A ROTC officer from a small public college, he surpassed his West Point educated peers to become the leader of the US military machine and then secretary of state. This book relates many incidents from his long career and the lessons he learned from them. Unlike many books by those who achieved greatness, Powell doesn't give the impression that he is coming down the mountain with all the answers carved into stone tablets. His title says it all, he is simply relating what worked for him in his long career. He not only writes about what success taught him, but also what he learned form his mistakes. This book is a series of short anecdotal chapters written in a simple conversational style that makes it hard to put down, I highly recommend this book for anyone but especially for those in, or those who aspire to, a position of leadership.

Thanks

Jim Busch

Frequency = Trust

2012-06-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

I am currently reading Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. This book is a review of current psychological research concerning the human decsion making process and the subconscious. A lot of the material covered in this excellent book is directly related to the selling process and to ad design. Of particular interest was the book's discussion of the "mere exposure effect." As media people we've always known that regular advertising is the key to building a business, this concept explains why frequency matters and provides experimental proof of its impact on the minds of readers. One study described in Kahneman's book used ads placed in a unniversity newspaper featuring a series of made up nonsense words. Some words appeared just twice, some five times, 10 times and so on up to 50 times. The ads only contained the one word and when inquiries were made about them, the callers were told "the advertiser has requested anonymity." After all the ads ran, readers were surveyed and asked if the words conveyed "good" things or "bad" things. The reposndents expressed "good" feelings about the words that they had seen most frequently and "bad" thoughts about those repeated less often. Psychologists believe that when we are exposed to something on a regular basis and nothing "bad" happens we come to trust that item. In addition to building TOMA (top of the mind awareness), frequent advertising builds trust in the advertiser's business. This trust is particularly important in a tight economy when consumers are reticent to part with their money until they are 100% confident they are making the right decision.

The 142 million dollar question!

2012-05-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

The 142 million dollar question--"Why did Warren Buffet spend 142 million dollars on a bunch of newspapers when everyone knows that print is dead?" Perhaps the answer is that Warren Buffet is not "everyone," in fact he is one of the smartest business people in American history. The secret of Buffet's success is his knack for seeing value that less astute observers miss. While most investors were listening to the "experts" he took a look at the financials of the publishing industry. In his typical understated manner, Buffet said "I think the economics (of newspapers) will work out OK. It's nothing like the old days, but I think it will work out OK." One of the keystones of Buffet's investing strategy is his belief in buying businesses that provide good value to their customers and fill a marlet need. On this subject he said "Newspapers are still primary in many areas. They still tell me something primary that I can't find elsewhere." Warren Buffet takes a long-term view, buying firms that are positioned for consistent earnings and incremental growth. This is why he chose to prchase a firm heavily weighted toward community newspapers. Here's what the "sage of Omaha" said about our industry "In towns and cities where there is a strong sense of community, there is no more important institution than the local paper." The next time someone tells you that "print is dead", tell them that the most successful business person in the US strongly disagrees.

Advertising in tough times

2012-05-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

Customers often ask us, What is the cost of advertising?" The question they should be asking is, "What is the cost of NOT advertising?" The price of advertising can be counted in dollars and cents, the cost of not advertising is immeasurable, not advertising can result in bankruptcy. We are selling the one thing every business needs--CUSTOMERS! Look at this information collected by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB)and reported in the December 28, 2011 edition of the New York Times:

1 in 4 NFIB members believe their biggest problem is weak sales.

William Dunkelberg, chief economist for the NFIB, expressed it this way: "The key to everything is cash coming in the front door." This is what we deliver, customers with cash in their pockets walking in the front door or picking up the phone to do business with our advertisers.

Never forget:

Nobody wants to buy advertising--everybody wants more customers!
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Don't talk to your customers about your paper, talk to your customers about your readers. That is what they really want to buy.

Take it easy, but take it!

Thanks for reading.

Jim Busch

"Escape" Television

2012-05-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

When I talk to a business owner who is considering advertising on television (Cable or Local Broadcast) I ask them if they watch "Escape Routes" on NBC. Escape Routes is a television program that was produced by the Ford Motor Company and given at no charge to NBC. NBC could air the program and sell advertising around it, the only stipulation being that the network would not sell any other automotive ads on Escape Routes. This show features a group of young adults traveling around the country in their Ford Escapes and trying to win a new Ford by competing in challenges. This is a full 60 minutes of product placement. Ford decided to go this route (no pun intended) when they looked at the results from their advertising on American Idol. Coke whose products were featured during the show did much better than Ford who used traditional commercials. Ford realized that 44% of US homes now own a DVR (Digital Video Recorder such as a TIVO) This is an 11% increase in ownership of these commercial killing machines over just two years ago.Research indicates that DVR owners fast forward through more than 1/2 of the commercials during the programs they watch. Ford countered this trend by building their products into the show's content but this option is not available to small business advertisers. Thess devices coupled with the growing number of people who are watching TV on their laptops and tablet computers greatly reduces the impact of TV advertising.

These are good points to share with prospects to get them thinking before they commit their budget to television.

Take it easy but take it!

Thanks Jim Busch

Trapping ideas

2012-04-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

Someone once said that "creativity is the ultimate competitive advantage." This is especially true in the advertising business. Ideas are our stock and trade. As I go through my week I see many things that stimulate my creativity. I see opportunities for new products, a need for a new sales approach or I think about a new sales tool. In the hustle and bustle of the work week, ideas get lost in the midst of a fast paced day. I make a point of carrying an "idea trap." This is a small memo book dedicated to writing down the ideas that occur to me during the day. I suppose more tech savvy people could use their smart phone or I-pad but a simple notebook works best for me. I don't use this notebook for anything else, no phone numbers, expenses etc. At the end of the week, I go through the book and create files for the ideas I want to act on. This technique keeps me supplied with an constant stream of actionable ideas.

Take it easy but TAKE IT! Jim Busch

News you can use

2011-08-17T06:27:00.001-07:00

A great way to open a meaningful conversation with a client or prospect is to reference something from the news. You can use a national story "How do you think the change in the health care law will affect your business?" or more local stories "How will the highway construction impact your store traffic?" These "current events" questions are consultative and get the customer thinking. Most people feel complimented when you ask for their opinion which opens them up and gets them talking, This also get the customer thinking about the future and what he/she needs to do to take advantage or protect themselves from the issue discussed in the news.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Myers-Briggs The Friend Type

2011-08-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

Last week we talked about 4 Myers-Briggs personality types (I learned these as Actor-Doer-Thinker Friend though there are many names for the 4 types). Each of these types have things that identify them and set them apart from the others. Their speech patterns, dress, gestures and even their work spaces distinguish each type. Each requires a certain type of handing if you want to sell them on advertising with you. In my next few blogs I will cover the specific techniques for working with each f the 4 personality types. Here are the basic techniques you will want to use to identify and work with them.

Observe them closely, watch how they move and what gestures they use, how are they dressed?

Listen to what they say and to their speech patterns. Do the speak loudly or softly, quickly or slowly and what do they like to talk about?

Look at their workspace, it is neat or cluttered, strictly business like or personalized, and what is on display?

These clues will help you recognize the customer's type. You can then adapt your personal style to suit theirs by:

Mirroring their speech patterns

Speaking about the typical concerns of their type

Remember that most people's personalities are an amalgam of several types. By playing to their dominant type style you greatly increase your chances of welling them a program. Over the next few blogs I will discuss the 4 types and what you need to do to work with them.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

2011-07-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

"You are today where your thoughts ave brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you." James Allen

This quote is taken from the inspirational, motivational classic "As a man thinketh." In spite of the archaic language in the title and the fact that this book is more than a century old (It has never been out of print) it offers a lot to us living in the second decade of the 21st century. Scientists and psychologists studying human behavior and brain physiology have found that Allen's philosophies are supported by their research. We should get in the habit of listening to what we say and thinking about what we are thinking. This is known as "meta-cognition". This practice is important because it is so easy to slip into negative thought patterns that can cripple your efforts. We can not control what goes on in the outside world but we can control what goes on inside our heads.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

What type of sales person are you?

2011-07-26T06:50:00.000-07:00

Of all the trainings I've taken in my long sales career, one stands out above all the others. During my tenure at the Yellow Pages I participated in a seminar on applying Myers-Briggs personality typing to sales. Myers-Briggs was developed many years ago to help match service men to the military specialties that best suited their personalities. It breaks down people into 4 basic types. Few of us are purely one type or another and we are usually an amalgam of one or two of these classifications. Myers-Briggs is a powerful tool to use in building relationships with your prospects quickly. There are a number of good books on this subject (Type Talk at Work is a good choice) and some sales training companies offers courses on this. I have used this system for well over 25 years and it is one of the reasons for my success as a sales person. Customer typing is well worth the effort to learn. While this blog is not a good way to teach personality typing I will review the basic types in my next few posts.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch