Right Ideas/Bright Ideas

Be Smart - 11 Steps To Being Amazing

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 18:34:00 +0000

Are You A Smarty Pants?

"Be Smart"

Years ago I started telling our kids those two words when they left for school every morning. I didn't plan it -- the words just came out. Years and many mornings have gone by and I still punctuate each day with the idea.

It was bedtime last week when Andrew, 11 years old and front-loaded with energy and attitude, cornered me. "Dad, what do you mean by ‘be smart’?" If you've ever been around kids, then you know how they can blind-side you. So I did my best to dodge the question as I switched off the light and ducked for the door.

Being Smart

Later I wondered: What DID I mean? What do you do to "Be Smart?" I wish I could brag that the answer came in a flash of creative inspiration but it didn't. I had to think about it for hours. About midnight I started writing things down, and I put a list on the refrigerator door the next morning. Andrew read them and walked off with, "I get it. Thanks, Dad." From our herd that's a supreme compliment.

11 Steps To "Be Smart"

I came up with 11 steps – because even numbers are boring. Think them over and see if you have anything to add. How can YOU "Be Smart?"

1. Pay attention to the people and things around you.

2. Ask questions and then listen more than you talk.

3. Make sure you understand the instructions before you start.

4. Do your homework -- do the hard things first.

5. Find the fun in everything.

6. Respect everyone.

7. Don't fall in love with your own ideas. If you do a good job, people will notice.

8. Hang around with smart people. There is always someone smarter than you are.

9. Average is never amazing -- discover your difference and then be different.

10. Never feel too satisfied by success. Constantly ask, "How can we make it better?"

11. Use the talents and intelligence you have well. They are a gift, so don't waste them.

You Are As Smart As You Want To Be

NOTE TO MYSELF -- Never get so old and think you are so wise that you forget to view the world through the eyes of a child. Things are simple, obvious and fun if we allow them to be.

Okay, have a great day and Be Smart.

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Andy Johnston is an multi-faceted communication professional with deep experience from strategic planning, to messaging, to marketing, to media, to events, to training, to creative direction … and there are several other ”to’s.” Andy is known for his energy, creativity and his unique ability to discover the key results that must be generated – and then to develop ingenious ways to engage and motivate audiences.

Become Unforgettable - Marketing Tips From the Twilight Zone

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:39:00 +0000

An ice-bound airport in pre-dawn Ithaca, New York. Two travelers sit, cold and waiting. In moments one would learn an unexpected lesson that would last a lifetime. Their plane was bound for Philadelphia but made an unscheduled stop in the Twilight Zone.

The Wondrous Dimension Of Imagination

Rod Serling was chain-smoking and wrestling a stack of papers. I was sitting a few seats away locked in a silent debate over whether to bother him. I won and lost at the same time. I introduced myself and muttered a cliché he'd heard thousands of times before, "I really appreciate your work."

By 1973 Serling was a world-famous author, screenwriter, television producer and winner of multiple Emmy, Golden Globe and Peabody awards. And he was the man who created and hosted the Twilight Zone. This was the show that made me want to write. Rod Serling was teaching at Ithaca College at the time and maybe that gave him a little extra patience with bumbling young people. He muttered a thank you, paused to look at me and asked, "What do you like about my work?"

I thought for a second, "I like the characters. The stories are wonderful but I like the endings the best. The endings make them special … something I remember."

What Makes You Memorable

Serling stubbed out his Viceroy cigarette, dumped the papers on the floor and started talking. "That's the fillip … a little unexpected something that suddenly changes how you see things. It's that twist that makes something memorable. It doesn't matter if it's a television show, a play, a book or a commercial … if it's not memorable it's mediocre."

--- Fillip ---

That was the hallmark of the Twilight Zone. The plot took you to the brink of a comfortable conclusion, then, at the last possible minute, he'd throw in a plot twist that would change everything. Think of the fillip as a reset button. All of a sudden you are paying 100% attention and rethinking everything.

Where is the fillip in your marketing? Where is the surprise twist in your brand? Where is the unexpected "something" that makes doing business with you memorable?

That's A Signpost Up Ahead: Your Next Stop: The Twilight Zone!

The majority of communication is ignored. Emails are instantly dumped. 85% of marketing is never really noticed. Remember awareness is not an objective. The customer or buyer sees the message but the value never registers and there's no motivation to do something - right now.

Let's try a quick experiment. Find some marketing, advertising or communication from your major competition. Substitute your name, the name of your product or the main topic of your meeting or program. Now read it. Can you tell any difference? If you can't your customers, clients or employees can't either. It's time for a fillip. You can't afford to be forgettable. If you're forgettable you might as well be invisible.

If You're Forgettable You Might As Well Be Invisible

Irrelevant is invisible
Predictable is invisible
Formula is invisible
Boring is invisible
Unfocused is invisible
Bad timing is invisible
Useless energy is invisible
Anything that's just like the competition is invisible

Submitted For Your Consideration

Rod Serling talked for about 15 minutes as we sat in the airport. He spoke about characters, the curse of predictability and looking for the unforgettable. I've tried to sum up some of what he said. Consider these marketing tips from the Twilight Zone.

Keep it human - businesses and corporations have no feelings or motivations. Put every benefit in "people" terms.

Express things in unexpected ways - but make it realistic and not exaggerated.

Be emotional to connect - not everything has to be "new & exciting!" Every emotion carries a message.

Toss out old, tired approaches - assume they've heard it all before. Eject the old promises and come up with some new ones.

Look for one unique, memorable twist - something unforgettable that you can claim for your own.

Time Enough At Last

As I hope you can tell this was a major experience for me. After far too little time the plane boarded and that was it. Still 30 minutes with Rod Serling kicked me further down the road to where I wanted to go in life. How do you use this story? All that matters is what people notice, remember and do. So make a personal pledge to balance the familiar with the intriguing and add a memorable twist to solving a problem or providing a reason to buy - now. Add your own fillip and make your messages unforgettable.

"This is the stuff of fantasy, the thread of imagination, the ingredients of the Twilight Zone."

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Million Dollar Answers - They're So Easy It's Stupid

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:34:00 +0000

Corporate objectives - Tell me like I'm stupid.

Marketing goals - Tell me like I'm stupid.

Custom content needs - Tell me like I'm stupid.

RFP details - Tell me like I'm stupid.

Project specifications - Tell me like I'm stupid.

Meeting and event plans - Tell me like I'm stupid.

I've made the same request of U.S. Senators, CEOs, Chairmen of the Board, Corporate Presidents and a host of directors, managers, clients, ministers and folks at the Genius Bar at the Apple Store. No one was ever offended.

How Much Are The Right Answers Worth To Your Business?

The quality of the information you learn is directly dependent on the questions you ask and how well you understand the answers. People who either don't ask questions or who are embarrassed to admit they don't understand constantly amaze me. Years ago I started asking people to make things very simple for me … I mean basic and rudimentary. Since then I get more, better information and have a better idea what to do with it.

Socrates The Sneaky

Socrates was the most famous of the Greek philosophers. Without dipping more than a toe into the pond of history, Socrates seemed to be a former soldier who somehow managed to avoid work and spend his time discussing philosophy and asking questions. His technique has been called the Socratic Method or in Latin "lascivio stolidus." That means playing dumb. Socrates would ask extremely simple questions and pretend to not understand so his students kept simplifying and simplifying. It worked really well for Socrates until he screwed up a very important question: "Which cup has the hemlock in it?" Since hemlock is a deadly poison, it wasn't so smart to play dumb.

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

There is a big difference between playing dumb and asking people to explain things in the simplest way. That's what I'm suggesting. So here's how to ask better questions and get more value from the answers. Before you ask the first question, you need to do two critical things. Skip these steps and your chances of success are pretty slim.

#1 - Decide what you need to know. Few people have the time or patience for an aimless fishing expedition. Do some homework, have a clear objective in mind and ask questions to meet it.

#2 - Decide why they should tell you. Why should that person take the time to answer your questions? Make sure you can provide a compelling motivation. This is the single reason most people don't walk away with the high-quality information they need. The other person has no reason to give it to them.

Make It Easy To Tell You

It isn't about you it's about them and what they know. Unless it's an investigative report for 60 Minutes you don't want confrontation. You want cooperation and to make sure they don't feel like you've wasted their time.

The Super Secret Inside Story On Asking Questions

It is basic human nature. People want to please you. Subconsciously they want to know that they gave you the answer you want and need. So make it easy. When I ask them to tell me like I'm stupid I explain that I will ask some very simple, basic questions. I'm not really dumb but simple questions make it easier for them to explain in a way that makes sure I understand what they're telling me.

99% of the time this is met by a laugh, a smile and a sign of relief. Suddenly we're partners in the questions and the answers. I even ask if there's a better way to word the question. Now let's get down to business.

If you want a specific answer ask a specific question - No trick or vague questions. Don't expect the other person to guess what you mean, tell them.

Start with something very simple - Listen carefully and follow up on anything that might need additional explanation. Then go on to the next logical question, again very, very simple.

Let their answer lead you to your next question - Don't walk in with 20 prepared questions and go through them one-by-one regardless of what the person says.

It doesn't matter what you know so don't pretend to be smart - It's best that it look like you don't know anything. "How" and "Why" are often the most revealing but the questions few people really ask.

It's okay to admit you don't understand - If you don't know what something means you are wasting everyone's time by not asking for a better explanation. If you don't it will only get worse. Have you ever spent an hour in a meeting where the client keeps talking about their "DGP process" and, after the meeting, you ask everyone what the "DGP Process" is and no one knows? Now the client expects you to understand because no one asked.

It's So Easy It's Stupid

Tell me like I'm stupid simplifies everything. Instead of trying to decide if you should be asking a probing, leading, funnel, rhetorical, open or closed question you can focus on understanding the answer. It's like a trip on the interstate. The direct route is the most efficient but it can be more interesting to take a few side roads. You get to the same destination.

Now you may have a better approach that works for you and I'd like to know it. But, please, tell me like I'm stupid.

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Sharpen Your Personal Edge - You Gotta Play The Part

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:24:00 +0000

Take 60 seconds and read this. It's worth it.

"Think outside the box. That's where all the warning labels are."

A Wise Man

Who Do You Need To Be Today?

Think about it for a moment. You are facing different challenges, demands and expectations each day. Who do you need to be to satisfy them? What character will you play? Yeah, you are playing roles and being different versions of "you." Once you realize that work is theater and the experience is the play the more successful you'll be and the more satisfied your customers, co-workers and company will become. Oh, and you'll find your career improving.

Have you ever been in a meeting and at the end looked at some of the other people and wondered why they were there? They didn't provide anything, contribute anything or create any value at all. Woody Allen once said that, "80 percent of success is just showing up. Well it isn't if you end up being the wrong person.

To have a personal edge, play the role of the right person.

Why Are You There?

Figuring out who you need to be isn't that complicated. Just answer a few questions based on what you see for a single day.

What talents are they paying you for?
What are you expected to do?
How do you fit in to the rest of the team or situation?
What can you do that will be of the most value?
Who do I need to be to accomplish my personal goals?

Okay at this point you may have realized that you are going to play a number of different roles each day. That's the big idea that gives you a personal edge. If all you ever show is one set of abilities and one attitude you'll be forever typecast.

Once you answer these questions play that role. Be the person you need to be. That's how you establish your value. You can be a member of the cast but you'll have your own distinctive script. Remember it's not really about who you are. It's the experience of dealing with who you are.

I've Got To Be Me

Don't you just hate those positive, energetic, ready-for-anything people? Those people who don't seem to complain and seldom gripe about the work, management or clients? Hey, you are just a productive even though you slump over your computer and growl like Cujo at people as they walk past.

Be yourself, but remember Sloppy Joe is a sandwich and not a job description. Change your act and show them someone new. If you need your leadership, manager, team, clients and customers to view you in new ways, then change whom they see.

Get Into Character

You are meeting with a client at 10:00, what's your character? Are you there to fit in or stand out? Do they expect you to listen and understand? Do they expect you to bring information and ideas? Are you a "leader" or a "doer"? From here it's a combination of making sure you are prepared with the right skills and attitude.

I admit it. I actually write little notes or reminders at the top of my yellow legal pad to help me remember my role. Don't talk. Listen. Understand. Solutions. Support. Be invisible. It's just a way of keeping on track and making sure I act my part. It's 50% acting the part and 50% getting in costume.

Looking The Part

Back in the late 1970's and early 1980's corporate life was transformed. It wasn't a management philosophy or marketing strategy - it was power dressing. In "Dress For Success" John T. Molloy conducted extensive research on the psychological reaction to how people dress. He showed the effect of clothing on a person's success in business. Bottom line was to select your clothes to meet your goals and to fit the role you need to play. Subconsciously we act like we dress. Want to become a manager then dress like one. Want to become the head of the department then dress like one. For customers to have confidence in your company, they need to have confidence in you.

If you're frustrated because people only think you can do one thing - then change your character. Show them someone new. It all comes down to how you present yourself. Your dress and attitude communicate the impact you're working to create.

To Thine Own Self Be True

That Shakespeare guy is certainly quotable. Of course you shouldn't deceive people or yourself. But realize that thine own self should learn, change and grow. Of course it helps if thine own self is practical, realistic and has a regular paycheck.

Work Is Theater And The Experience Is The Play

Today the key focus is on the "experience." Everything revolves around it. It's up to you to write the script about the experience of working with you. So decide how you can be most valuable and play your part. Look for opportunities to show new sides of you. Be who you want to become. Dress the part and become the part. You create your own personal edge by letting people see all the roles you can play.

"When an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character, I say, 'It's in the script.' If he says, 'But what's my motivation?' I say, 'Your salary."

Alfred Hitchcock

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7 Critical Things You Can't Afford To Forget - Lessons From Pop's Basement

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 02:15:00 +0000

"Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday."

John Wayne

It’s funny how things that happened years before become valuable later, but that is how I learned so many corporate lessons - in Pop's basement. The steps to the basement were steep, narrow and lined with an odd assortment of coats, baskets and shotguns. The smell was a heady mixture of coal and cigar smoke.

Pop was my grandfather and a world-class tinkerer and storyteller. Have you ever heard the expression "catching lightning in a bottle"? That was Pop - smart, patient, funny and bestowed with a gentle wisdom.

Making Something Out Of Nothing

"I'm glad you're here. What do you think of this?" That was the way most of my childhood afternoons with him began. On the workbench would be a broken "something" or the project de jour. Blessed with insatiable curiosity, Pop was always busy. Every project began with the same step: Thinking. One day, he pointed to a box filled with ancient broken boards. "It looks like junk to me," was my expert analysis. He picked up a battered leg and handed it to me. "That's what I thought until I looked it over. That's a new table … we just have to make it."

Now you have to admit that was more than enough to hook a 10-year old. Fifty years later I'm still using what he helped me learn. We spread the parts on the floor and pulled them together like a jigsaw puzzle with half the pieces missing. There were two legs, the front of a drawer, two parts of the frame and one small sections of what once was a round top. "How are we going to fix this?" I wondered. "Just put the pieces together in your mind and build what you see." That's when I learned about vision.

Seeing The Endings

In the corner of the workshop was a pile of scrap wood. Pop grabbed some odd boards and hammered together a big square. Using a thumbtack, string and the stub of a pencil, he drew a circle that matched the section of the old top. Five minutes on the band saw and it was done. He quickly cut other boards to match the broken frame sections and measured some 2x4s for the legs. Start to finish, we spent less than two hours on the table. It looked terrible!

"Pop, where are going to put that?" I asked. He smiled. "We're just going to look at it. It's a plan — sort of a test so we can decide what we like and don't like. Then we'll do the real one." That's when I learned about planning.

I whispered, "I don't like it at all." I didn't want to hurt my grandfather's feelings. Pop didn't answer. He was staring at the table while his cigar waved back and forth. When Pop was in the basement, he usually had a Hav-A-Tampa cigar in his mouth for company. When he was deep in thought, the cigar would … well, it would wiggle from side to side in a tiny arc.

Give Yourself Time To Think

"Are we going to fix it today?" I really didn’t want to. "No, Thursday will be fine. We're going fishing tomorrow." This was Monday and for the next couple of days we fished and I ran off to do things kids did during the summer. Still, from time to time, Pop would head back to the basement to contemplate the table. That's when I Iearned about thinking things through.

The telephone rang at 9:00 in the morning. "Send Andy over. I need his help." By 9:30 we were both sharing a group stare. The cigar was waving quickly in time to some silent tune. "I think it's too low," Pop began. "Do you like a round top or an oval one?" I tried to mimic his serious studying. "Oval would be good." He glanced down at me. "We'll have to make it smaller." That sounded important. "Is it okay to make it smaller?" Suddenly the cigar stopped with a decisive chomp. "Smaller will be fine, just fine."

Making A Plan Into Reality

In a matter of minutes the test table was disassembled. Along the way, measurements were adjusted. Pop used the pieces as templates to cut the oak boards. When it came time for the legs, Pop clamped one of the old, hand-carved legs into the lathe, grabbed a chisel and turned a new one. He meticulously followed the old one. "It took a lot of time to carve these legs by hand. We want to make sure we don't forget all that work."

It took a day to build the table and two days to finish it. Sandpaper smoothed the rough parts and steel wool polished it. There was no rushing the process. That’s when I learned about patience. "If you cheat now, you'll have to live with it from here on. All you'll see are the mistakes."

The Biggest Pay-Off

Late Sunday afternoon we invited my grandmother down into the basement to see the final results. Nana was careful with her praise and seldom dispensed it casually. She stood back, looked at our handiwork and ran her fingers across the top. Then she did something I'd never seen her do before — she gave Pop a hug! "Tommy Lester, it's beautiful. Thank you." She kneeled and planted a kiss on my cheek. "Your Pop made that old table when we were first married. We didn't have many tools on the farm so he whittled it out one winter. We ate on it every day for years. We left it with Aunt Alma when we moved to town."

Lessons Learned

There are things I learned making that table that I have drawn on countless times in business during the years that followed.

• Vision is seeing the ending as clearly as you see the beginning.

• Planning is the cheapest time you spend.

• Things are always easier if you have a blueprint or a template to go by.

• Take time to think things through.

• There is a natural direction to all things. Go with the grain and not against it.

• The same things that can smooth and polish your idea can also grind it down if you aren't careful and use too much pressure.

• For something to really matter, you have to put some of yourself into it.

So the next time you’re muddling over a project, think about it, envision it, plan it – then “go fishing” for a day. When you return, it will truly be time to clench that mental cigar in your teeth and go to work.

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Success Smack Down - Don't Manage Time, Manage Results

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:51:00 +0000

Productivity Grudge Match!

You can spend all your time making money

You can spend all your love making time

EAGLES

If you're looking for time management tips this isn't it. We're talking about how to get the results you need and get job done. Not enough time to do it? The challenge isn't time management it's managing ourselves.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics we work 8.3 hours per day. Wow, we are slamming! But other research shows that we waste about 2 hours of that long day because of distractions and starting over on tasks. Stephen Covey points out that we can't manage time no matter how hard we try. We can use it or waste it but we can't save it. So let's use it well, reduce the stress, increase the productivity and get things done.

Let's Get Real

The vast majority of time management systems, plans and software programs are just excuses for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Spending hours of each day organizing, listing, prioritizing and formatting the things you need to do is, I know you see this coming - wasting your time. Don't confuse activity with productivity.

Manage Results

The goal is to get things done in ways that generate the results you need. It isn't to see who can work the longest and transform a week into a living hell. So let's make it simple and not complicated. The big idea is to be driven by results and not effort.

1. Decide what has to get done - Make it a simple, short list of results you need to generate and when. These are tasks and not steps. A detailed list can bite you in the butt because it can make things look overwhelming. Don't make things harder in the name of organization and management. Not everything needs to be managed it just needs to get done.

2. Focus on results - Decide what you must accomplish every day, break large tasks into small one or two-hour chunks and assign each piece a deadline. It doesn't matter when the "official" deadline is these are your deadlines. These aren't jobs or projects - they are results.

3. Go to work - The best time to start something is "right now." The key, boys and girls, is focus. Get organized, get it done and then move on to the next thing. Don't go back.

Do the hardest things first.
Do the things that take the longest time first.
Do the things you can control first.
Meet the deadlines and generate the results.
Relax!

4. Don't multitask - Gasp, doesn't he know this is the computer-driven 21st century? Hey, you may be doing five things at once and you feel like a Project God. What you are really doing is constantly starting over on five things. Every time you shift from one dangling job to the next you waste time. You've lost focus, let deadlines slide and drifted farther away from accomplishing your results for the day. Stay focused on priorities.

Avoiding Distractions

Dang, there's someone - on the phone, at the door, requesting a meeting - and you don't want to be distracted. I know that there are loads of suggestions but here are some that work for me.

Take the name sign off your door. If they can't find you they can't bother you.

Wear a Hazmat suit. This and a "Quarantine" sign are really effective.

Find an empty cubical or office and "squat" there for a day - then move. You can't hit a moving target.

Just in case those don't work for you here are the real ones.

Suggestion #1 - "I'm sorry I'm slamming on a deadline for (add name of clients or top executive). I can't talk right now." This stops most interruptions. If the person tries anyway follow-up with, "I have to get this done right now. Let's talk tomorrow."

Suggestion #2 - When they come into your office or cubical, stand up and hold the conversation next to the door. This gives it a feeling of immediacy. They are just one step away from "good-bye."

Suggestion #3 - When you answer the phone cut to the chase. After you say "hello" ask “What can I do for you?” Now the focus is on the need. If there isn't one see suggestion #1.

That's Why They Call It A Job

As I've said before there is a difference between who you are and what you do. Remember those stats from the Bureau of Labor Statistics? We work 8.3 hours per day. We also spend 5.8 hours kicking back. What would happen if you shifted more time from column A into column B? That leisure time is who you are.

The honest purpose of time management is not to enable you to get 3 days of work accomplished in one day. It's to get the work that's necessary accomplished very, very well so you can go home and have a life. So count results and not hours. H. Jackson Brown said it this way;

"Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein."

Okay, you've wasted enough time. Go make something happen.

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Are You What You Do? - What's The Balance In Your Self-Worth Account?

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:21:00 +0000

What Are You Worth?

Hey, don't take it personally its only business. No … it's personal. It's always been personal.

When jobs go well it's an accomplishment. It is a matter or pride, honor and professionalism to please the client. Living the rule of "the customer is always right" requires sacrifice, especially when you know that the customer is wrong. Professionalism requires that you put other peoples wants and needs ahead of your own. So, how do you become a success in business without sacrificing your own values and self-worth? It all begins by realizing that there is a big difference between your business worth and your self-worth.

You Are Not What You Do

I know it's good to say that you are delivering value but remember we don't determine value. The customer or client does. Be realistic with yourself. You are putting a price on your talent, experience and ability. If it sounds like selling yourself - you are. In the most basic terms you are exchanging hours and days of your life for a certain amount of money. That is the worth of the particular service or product you provide. This is not your worth as a person. Don't let what you do define who you are.

Understand What You're Selling

Your worth is determined by your customer's budget, other suppliers providing comparable products and services and how urgently the customer needs you. It's what they are willing to pay based on their expectations.

My Dad was a mechanical engineer and owned the company. He designed massive, complex projects for carpet mills and changed accordingly. However there were many weekends when he would grab his tools to go fix someone's toilet because his plumbers were busy. He billed $15.00 per hour - the same rate as any of his crews. The customer wasn't buying an engineer, just someone to unplug the toilet.

Value Is As Value Does

People don't automatically recognize the value we can provide or agree with our price for it. That's reality. Remember value has to be recognized, proved and appreciated. It's up to you to prove your value. Now one will take your word for it.

Trust Your Gut

There's this little voice in the back of my head that whispers to me. Sometimes it screams. Without fail ever time I've ignored it I've been screwed. If you pay attention, ask questions, really listen and use your common sense then you'll know which jobs will be a good experience and which ones will be a royal pain. Few customers or clients will actually treat you better as the work progresses. If there is friction, misunderstanding and a lack of mutual respect at the beginning it won't get better. Listen to your gut and know what the rules are.

You Knew The Job Was Dangerous When You Took It

Super Chicken was a crazy cartoon character from the 1970's and that was his slogan. Few of us have so much work that we can afford to turn projects down. In close to 30 years I've turned down less than a dozen. There were lots that I should have turned down but life doesn't always give you that luxury. If you understand that the job, project or the client is going to be exceptionally difficult and uncomfortable and you take the job ... then you can't really complain.

Remember Why You Do What You Do

Back in the beginning there was a reason why you set off on this adventure. The path may have meandered and you might be somewhere you never anticipated. No matter where you are the path that led you had to have been rewarding or you would have never made the trip. Remember the rewards. Savor the feelings and satisfaction. Smile as you recall the people you've met and the achievements you've shared. Money pays the bills but it's a rotten companion. Your secret of contentment isn't the pay, that's only how you keep score.

Never Lose The Joy

Take confidence in the realization that you have never been more prepared and experienced. Everything you've ever done is training for the next thing you do.

My Personal Secret

Still, let's be practical. There are some projects and people that stretch the best attitude and philosophy to the breaking point. That's when I step back, take a deep breath and whisper, "A few days from now you'll just be nothing but an invoice."

You'll be amazed how well that works!

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Brain Freeze - Can You Handle The Pain Of Choice Overload?

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:17:00 +0000

Welcome Key Word Academy! Please read this article before you leave.

Don't Give Customers Too Many Choices

The biggest challenge is not knowing when to shut up - it's knowing HOW to shut up.

You're shoveling ice cream in as fast as you can and it zaps you - brain freeze. Technically it's called sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia, which is enough to paralyze your brain all on its own. It seems that shoving too many choices down the throats of customers and clients can have the same brain-numbing effect.

Let's face it, we like the idea of choices. Give me options and I'll take the responsibility of pleasing myself. As businesses and marketers we like to think that our customers will appreciate us if we give them more options. So we end up with 25-page restaurant menus, 1200 shades of house paint and over a dozen variations of blue jeans.

You Can't Handle Options

We like the idea of lots of choices … but hate lots of options. Human beings are creatures of habit. We don't use the vast majority of choices we have. According to Nielsen Research the average U.S. home gets about 118 TV channels. How many do we actually watch? Survey says - 15! We don't even check out more than 5 other channels if we explore at all, which is bad news for the 24-hour chicken wrestling channel.

Too Many Choices

The whole choice question started in 1995 with research by Sheena Lyengar, a psychologist at Columbia University. She set up a display of jams in a gourmet food shop. On the first day she offered samples of six flavors. The next day she offered samples of 30 different flavors. Her findings rattled lots of corporate cages. On each day the majority of customers tasted just two flavors, that's all. And even though more people were attracted by the big assortment of jams - only 3 percent bought one. More people bought from the smaller display!

Here's something that's even more revealing. Of the people who made a purchase the ones who only had six choices actually felt more satisfied with their selections. Over the past 15 years more psychologists and economists studied the issue and came to the same conclusion - an overload of options may actually paralyze decision-making. When faced with too many choices we will actually make bad decisions just to get it over.

If you have ever stood behind someone at McDonalds whose life had come to a grinding halt when faced with the decision between a Big Mac and Quarter Pounder then you know what this means. It shouldn't take five minutes to answer the question, "Do you want fries with that?"

Body Surfing, Beach Towels & Play-It-Safe Marketing - What I Learned On My Summer Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:17:00 +0000

It all started with a crazy man on the beach. Here's a true summer story.

Surf's Up!

The kids fearlessly attached the waves and the Atlantic Ocean seemed to cringe a little. It was the first day of our vacation and ten-year old triplets and a six year old were ready to ride the wild surf with foam boards and no fear. I'll be the first to admit that the surf on the coast of Georgia doesn't rival the Banzai Pipeline or Waimea Bay but a 3-foot wave looks pretty big when you're only 4 feet tall.

I was on "Daddy Duty" and spent my time attempting to herd the brood into a small enough clump so I could keep an eye on everyone. Periodically I would yell and point to where I wanted them to go. At first the kids would listen but after a time I'd have to bellow and wave to get their attention. Soon I was screaming and doing my imitation of a windmill to earn some reluctant action. I wasn't alone. There were 4-5 other sets of parents joining the chorus of frustration.

Out of desperation I started waving a bright orange and yellow beach towel - one in a bloated floral pattern you only see in coastal fashions and in motel drapes. The kids stopped, actually paid attention and moved. It was a short-lived revelation because soon it was off the radar.

Total Insanity

I don't know if it was the sun or the SPF 100 I was wearing but I started waving more energetically. No, that's not right, I started cavorting with the beach towel. I spun it, twirled it and tossed it in the air. As I did … I sang. Let me help you picture the scene. Imagine the salt & pepper sophistication of George Clooney and the ripped body of Brad Pitt. Lock that image in your mind. Got it? Well I don't look anything like that.

The other parents slowly moved their chairs down the beach to put a little extra space between them and the wild middle-age man with the total lack of restraint. Every time my kids looked over there was a new act. Sponge Bob, surf music, a killer Beatles medley, free-style ballet and some dance moves I hadn't attempted since college for obvious reasons.

Now here's the cool part. It wasn't long before they'd follow me just to see what I was going to do next. As I said the other adults kept a close eye on me as they kept yelling for attention. They were considering calling 911 until they noticed that their kids were following my antics too. Instead of being scattered up and down the beach they were all watching "that crazy old man."

A Quick Detour

Later I realized that what happened has a lot to do with our marketing. It's called play-it-safe marketing and everyone has done it. Identify a need, match it with a product or service and then market it to a specific group of customers. Play-It-Safe strategy works - once. You are unique to that target audience the first time. If you keep marketing the same need satisfaction message you aren't unique anymore. Your customers just tune you out and this is the greatest danger of playing it safe.

We play-it-safe because it's predictable. Do the same things in the same ways all in the name of consistency and building recall. There's a difference between repetition and lack of variety. If you want mega results that can transform a year you can't Play-It-Safe. Your marketing must go beyond the safe, standard and tried-and-tested.

Features, advantages and benefits aren't automatically interesting even if they're logical. To market with imagination you have to market to imagination - to the emotions and lifestyles of your customers. Reach them in ways that go beyond facts, logic and benefits. Be consistently conspicuous, distinctive, remarkable, noticeable, striking and disruptive. Wave a gaudy beach towel and dance in the sand but make them pay attention. They'll follow.

Back At The Beach

After a while I came to my senses and looked around to see if anyone was ready to exchange my beach towel for a straight jacket. Guess what, the other parents had left their inhibitions behind and were doing their own improvisational dances in the sand. Their kids weren't watching me any more; they were locked on their Moms and Dads.

It was late when the fearless body surfers trudged their way toward the house. The other parents and kids were packing up too. As we walked past the adults smiled, waved and then did something that stunned me. They applauded my performance. They appreciated the show. The only time in my life I ever received an ovation was on a beach - for playing the fool. Hey, at least I didn't Play-It-Safe.

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Send Your Marketing To The Hot Tub Time Machine

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:54:00 +0000

Dumb'n Down Is Dumb

Dumb marketing attracts dumb customers. Are you sure you're not insulting your customers, clients and consumers?

Everyone In The Hot Tub!

In the movie, Hot Tub Time Machine four losers get blind drunk in a hot tub. When they regain consciousness they find they have gone back in time. Now they try to make better decisions and fix their mistakes. When they find themselves back in the future their lives are completely changed and better. It all seems like a testimony to the miraculous healing powers of alcohol and getting wasted.

Still there's a moral in there. We don't have to live with the decisions of the past - especially our marketing decisions. Dumbing down is dumb. It's time to check your marketing to make sure you're not insulting your customer's intelligence.

Doofus Marketing

You see it on television every day in shows and commercials. To create Doofus Marketing you sell:

Dumb men to women
Nude women to men
Stupid, out of touch parents to kids
Effortless weight loss to overweight people
"Debt relief" to people who over-spend
Instant results and gratification
No experience or brains required

Why is there so much Doofus Marketing? Dumb is easier to write - it doesn't take much talent, just a formula.

This Dud's For You

Who seems to be the most comfortable with Doofus Marketing? You got it - beer brewers. Beer commercials have used dumb humor for decades to create the "image" of their consumers. Sophisticated and intelligent these are drinkers who fit into every social situation. They are the top of the heap, style-setters, leaders and innovators. The future is safe in their hands. Oh yeah!

I'm not sure what's worse, the men who stand around, totally lost and without a clue - living beer fantasies … or the idea that women are worked into a sexual frenzy by stupid guys with blank stares who haven't shaved or bathed - all because of the brand of brew the dude is holding. Unless you fit the profile, should you feel complimented?

Customers Aren't Buying Dumb

There is panic in the marketplace. Beer shipments are down 4% for the first half of 2010 and have been declining for close to a year. What has been the industry response? They've jumped back into Doofus Marketing after changing the focus to "drinkability." Let's say that if their perception of their consumers is accurate, then is it any surprise that campaigns based on the concept of "drinkability" failed? These are companies that privately refer to some of their own brands as "ghetto beer."

The problem is underestimating the intelligence of their customers. They've been marketing the same brands in the same ways for generations. But new generations of drinkers want brands that relate to their lifestyles. Like it or not Bud Lite is "Dad Beer."

Not Every Customer Is 50, 40 Or 30

There isn't one customer. It doesn't matter what we are in business to do, the challenge is to deliver brands, products and services that our customers can "own." We have to market in ways that relate to new generations without alienating our core customers. We start by answering a simple question.

"How smart do you have to be to buy your product or service?"

If you are too dumb to touch a beer to see if it's cold and need a bottle that turns blue then you may not be the best target customer. If you are a college-educated executive who makes decisions that impact the success of the group, division or corporation then let's talk to you that way.

Smarting Up Not Dumbing Down

Forget how you have been marketing. Who are the people you need to attract to accomplish your goals now? Where are they in their organizations? How did they get there? What is their education and experience level?

Now, create messages that explain the value you provide in the simplest terms that these prime-quality customers understand? Smart Up your marketing. Focus on the specific results that matter the most. You can write your marketing at an 8th-grade reading level without treating your customers like tweenagers. Focus on the specific core value and benefits.

Be clever not gimmicky

Be relevant not basic

Be efficient not repetitious

Be clear not vague

Tell them what any intelligent customer wants to know - the value, the price, the benefits and how to buy.

Back To The Future

Hop in the hot tub time machine, cut loose the past, focus on forward and get smart. Engage with some real creative ideas that impress customers. Compliment them by not insulting their intelligence. Who knows, you may end up toasting your mutual success with expensive champagne and not cheap beer.

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_________________________

The Gutsiest Business Strategy - Scratching The Value Itch

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:01:00 +0000

Unbelievable

It's the most amazing pricing strategy I've ever seen. The wildest thing is - it works!

I was sitting in a psychologist's office. No, it wasn't a therapy session. I'm certifiable but not dangerous. We were talking business. He was a professor at a University and just starting a corporate consulting business on the side. I asked about his strategy for pricing and attracting business. He smiled, "I tell people that they probably can't afford me."

"Aaaa-eeeee-iiiiiiii-ooooo," I worked my way through my vowels for a moment. "How's that working for you?"

He was only able to devote ten hours a week to consulting, was booked solid for the next eight months - at $300 per hour. This was 20 years ago and he was pulling in $300 per hour! You have to believe I had some questions. Here was his strategy. He put price first and not last and addressed how much the client expected to pay. If the potential client was only fishing and didn't have any resources the call ended quickly. If the conversation continued everything was focused on what the client needed to happen, the business issues. Is this strategy crazy or inspired?

Ignoring Price

Pricing is difficult, which may be why we tend to skip over it or push it to the last possible moment. Deep down there's the fear that we are either charging too much or too little. Just like any other part of our businesses we must manage price. Pricing isn't a tool it's the whole point of the game. Attract business that you can perform in a way that satisfies the customer, ensures repeat business and makes profit for the company. If pricing is wrong it's all wrong.

Scratching Their Itch

Customers don’t just want a specific product or service; most of the times they want to solve their pain points or business issues … or they want some cool new shoes. They have an itch and are looking for a way to scratch it. They don't want you to educate them on skin irritation and the development of your back scratcher - they want you to scratch.

Find Out Where To Scratch

What are the things that matter most to the customer or client? The supplier who gets the job or the sale will be the one that achieves more of these goals than the nearest competitor. So your job is clear.

Step #1 - Determine the things that matter most to the customer or client?

Step #2 - Deliver more of them than anyone else

Step #3 - Communicating the value you supply

What Do They Expect To Pay?

Notice that price isn't a step? Clients define value and, like it or not, clients control price. Every pricing strategies boils down to this - what does the customer or client expect to pay? The fancy term is reference price. If you're at or under that amount it's a fair price. Presto it's off their radar and they don't think about it anymore. If you're over their expectation you have to pinpoint other value you are providing to justify the additional cost. If the cost of the additional value is fair then price is no longer an issue again. Just as long as they feel you aren't taking advantage of them the price is cool - even if it is higher than what they expected at first.

Look at it this way. If you don't get the customer to see, understand and value how you are providing more of the things that matter most - your price doesn't matter. So deal with price first and then focus on providing the things the client or customer values the most.

The Gutsy Secret

Oh, back to the psychologist I was telling you about. I ran into him at the airport a couple of years ago after he was returning from three weeks in Europe attending a conference and meeting with corporate clients. He's an Emeritus now, which is Latin for retired. We chatted about how surprised I was at his strategy. He told me his ultimate secret.

"When I tell them they probably can't afford me most people subconsciously think, oh yeah, I'll show you I can afford you. They prove me wrong. It's worked for over 20 years."

His chauffeur and limo picked him up at the curb.

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Gourmet Marketing Or Hell's Kitchen? - Faster, Smarter, Leaner Business Results

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:17:00 +0000

Red Hot Marketing

Is your marketing like a trip to Hell's Kitchen? If you dread doing marketing you aren't doing it right. Here's how to make it a feast of results and productivity.

Marketing is supposed to be exciting, stimulating, energizing and rewarding. Pleasing people is the whole idea. You are giving people what they want, need, value and appreciate. Plus you are being paid to do it. What could be better? Somehow over the past decade marketing has gotten complicated, tedious and s-l-o-w!

We Make It Too Difficult

Just between you and me marketing has a lot in common with gourmet cooking, Frisbee tossing and satisfying sex. You have to:

Focus on preparation
Know what you want to accomplish
Execute a lot of fancy flips, turns, posturing and positioning that are just for show
Realize that it gets better over time. The first time is the worst it will ever be
Accept that sometimes you have to get a little kinky just to keep things interesting

No Need To Hyperventilate

Marketing is easy if you just remember to care about your customers or clients and communicate that concern to them. These are people, not metrics or statistics. They haven't read the marketing plan.

So make it simple. Use logic, reason and trust yourself and your experience. Make the objective to get more marketing to your target customers and clients quicker. It doesn't have to be perfect - it has to be there. There are no unmet needs. There are only better-met needs so make your single "big concept" delivering a level of customer connection that your competition can’t match.

Don't Over-Think It - Do It

Unless you are the CMO of a giant global corporation with billions in the balance, you may be over-thinking your marketing. You perceive a marketing opportunity and months and tens-of-thousands of dollars later you finally get it on the street. Marketing doesn't have to be so complicated and laborious.

Consumer ethnography, focus groups, testing and analytics are tools - not requirements. If we are honest we will admit that they don't guarantee success they just provide "plausible deniability." We are trying to stack the deck. Remember every major failed marketing/advertising campaign was the one that tested the best. But verily I say unto you that the infallible rule is everything has to be tested, analyzed and in place before the marketing or advertising begins. Right, and Tiger Woods was just working on his stroke.

Take The Fast Track Challenge

Simple challenge. Marketing Team #1 develops a short list of 2-3 ideas, trial creative and a timeline. It's fast-track marketing.

Marketing Team #2 develops a longer list of potential ideas and then slices and dices research, customer profiles, focus group comments and a number of preliminary creative concepts. Based on this research they develop a short list of 2-3 ideas, trial creative and a timeline.

What's the difference? Marketing Team #1 has marketing "on the street" in six weeks. Marketing Team #2 has marketing working in six months. The moral is this - Marketing doesn't have to be perfect—it just has to be there. Over-thinking isn't a formula for success; it's a recipe for failure.

Gourmet Marketing

When you go to a gourmet restaurant you expect something better than you can make a home. That superstar chef gives you more than an individual dish, she or he gives you a meal with courses that build on each other to create a memorable experience. Taste - technique - presentation - and surprise. Every dish is an adventure. That's how you want your marketing to be for your consumers, customers and clients. Get it to them while it's hot.

Decide today to simplify the process and compress the timeline. The goal is to be fresh, fast, surprising. Make a clear customer connection based on the moment. By the time your competitors finally get their message to market you'll be on the third course of your gourmet meal. Plus, you can react to their real-life responses.

Want to make your marketing and advertising exciting, stimulating, energizing and rewarding? Then rediscover the freedom of being unpredictable - it will drive the "other guys" crazy. Marketing isn't "Yes", "No" or "Definitely" … it's "Let's find out" and "Let's see what this does."

Anyone want dessert?

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Special Guest Illustrator

From time to time we feature the work of a talented illustrator to spice up the view around here and help catch your attention. Jason Edwards is a 3D illustrator with over 15 years collective experience in Maya, Photoshop and Zbrush. He is based out of the UK but Jason you can save a trip by going to www.outlaws3d.com. Seriously amazing work.

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Has Advertising Killed Facebook? The Truth Behind Selling Privacy

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Tue, 18 May 2010 18:19:00 +0000

Did Facebook Blow It Or Did We?

How you market on Facebook is about to change. You're about to discover why and what you need to do. It even surprised us.

The friendly face changes, contorts, twists into something we hardly recognize. Now we stare into the cold, cruel eyes filled with greed. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - jump back, this is the face of Facebook. What? We love Facebook! It's like a favorite aunt, your best friend or and old running buddy you shared many a road trip with down through the years. How could FB screw us over by selling our personal data and private information?

The Dr. Jekyll Side

Just like Jekyll and Hyde I'm of two minds about the entire furor over Facebook in particular and Internet privacy as a whole. From a marketing perspective consumers and customers have to be confident that key information will be secure so the entire web commerce thing works. I want to know that Amazon won't scatter my credit card information and Bank of America will protect my online banking.

The Mr. Hyde Side

But as an individual I can't help but shake my head at the "delete your account" or "boycott Facebook" movements and question their grip on reality. Look at it this way. Your individual data is what you put onto the Internet. We think it's private and it's not and never ever was.

Standby for Paranoia

Everything you've every said, sent, viewed, spoken or entered on the Internet is still out there. You might remove it but it's not gone. Even old websites never disappear. The Internet Archive has 150 billion web pages archived from 1996. Forget diamonds, the Internet is forever. As a wise man once said, "Trying to take something off the Internet is like trying to take pee out of a pool."

The Writing On The Wall - Your Facebook Wall

The idea is to create a network to help friends, family and people with similar interest connect with each other. Thanks to Facebook high school classmates I've avoided for over 40 years can find me. None of this could have happened if my name and my personal information were locked away and totally secure.

With very few exceptions no one has hacked into the social media sites and stolen data. Our friends and we have simply given it away. Over a third of us have posted something online that has come back to haunt us. According to a survey by Retrevo nearly 1/3 of the people who posted before they thought said it ruined their marriage, relationships or caused problems at home or work. I know it's obvious but if you'd be embarrassed, compromised or penalized by something on a social media site … don't put it there. FB may feel like your BFF but that's not their goal.

It's All About What You Like

Facebook is five years old and valued at approximately $15 billion. But it never made a profit until 2010 when Mark Zuckerberg announced it was "free cash flow positive." How does a company lose money for five years and is worth $15 billion?

According to ComScore online marketers showed a record 1.1 trillion display ads to U.S. Internet users in the first quarter of 2010 … a 15% increase from last year. At the head of the line is Facebook with 176 billion display impressions and a 16.2% market share. And we thought Facebook was about family vacations and embarrassing pictures from that party when I got really drunk. Social media sites are building humongous databases on every member, friend and visitor. All this insight is sold to advertisers and marketers who target the display ads to our specific interests.

Has Marketing Killed Facebook?

"People like you have ruined Facebook forever!" That's what one of my neighbors spat at me at the pool last weekend. She is deleting her account in protest and feels marketing is to blame. She and many FB members are concerned that their personal data being sold to third parties. What they are missing is it has to be done. Social media isn't a right and users don't own the experience. Just because it's free doesn't mean that the tooth fairy pops up once a month to pay the bills. The intent has always been to make a profit. To increase revenue social media sites have two obvious alternatives - charge subscription fees, increase advertising options - or both.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Linkedin are like social crack. They are addictive. Let's say that 10,000 FB members cancel out of 400 million active users … net results is what? What is the alternative for their addiction? They'll come back because they "need" the sharing and the personal forum. The average Facebook user visits the site at least once a day and spends an astounding 55 minutes engaging friends and family. What will they do without it? Social media companies know this and make this addiction their business models.

So Do You Follow Dr. Jekyll Or Mr. Hyde?

Facebook needs the warm, friendly Jekyll image to attract the 1-billion users worldwide that CEO Mark Kuckerberg has targeted. And they need the action-driven, pragmatic Mr. Hyde to generate the revenue they need. What we are seeing is the social media sites facing the reality that they are in the business of selling advertising and our preferences and personal data is the marketing bait. They aren't in the relationship business.

Facebook hasn't been any more successful at social marketing than the rest of us and is struggling to make it deliver a ROI. They have to provide an effective way to capitalize on all those relationships. Display ads are clean, acceptable and measurable. That's where social marketing is going and Facebook will be offering more options at different price points.

The Big Take Away - Remember This

Marketing through a company or business page simply doesn't work and they know it. The investment in time, resources and money doesn't pay off for businesses. Content targeting will make the tool of choice display ads driven by a constantly updated database of user preferences. Every push of the "Like" button sharpens the focus on specific individuals who have the greatest interest in your product, service or company. Plus users recognize the marketing and accept it. Managing relationships is harder and more expensive than taking advantage of them. It's time to rethink those marketing plans one more time.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are going to be very, very busy.

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Feet On The Street - Become A Marketing Money Machine Like Sesame Street

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Tue, 11 May 2010 11:49:00 +0000

Let Me Tell You How To Get To …

What debt does Sesame Street owe to an Italian porn movie? You'll find out.

Marketing flat? Customers and audiences bored? You need to polish your messages with Mad Men like Kermit, Big Bird and Elmo. We aren't talking fuzzy and fun; this is serious feet on the street.

In 1969 I raced to my college apartment to drink beer and watch Sesame Street. There wasn't anything like it on television. In one galaxy-shaking "Duh" someone noticed that kids liked commercials better than the programs. So the innovative people at Children's Television Workshop created a show that was all commercials. Chop the topics into 60-second chunks; add animation, Muppets and sprinkle liberally with jingles. Hey, it worked for Snap, Crackle and Pop.

Sesame Street changed how just about anyone under 45 learned, thought and reacted to marketing. The difference was it was intentional, designed and researched. The show had and still has far more in common with a marketing and advertising program than a television program. Okay boys and girls; grab your crayons because you're invited to sing along with Sesame Street Greatest Hits - marketing style.

Pinball Number Count

It all started with numbers. Listen to Big Bird. Never fall in love with your own research. Let research and analytics inform you but don't let them make your decisions. The Street's constant research helped guide thinking and overcome challenges still, in many cases; they did not follow the findings. Logic and experience are you’re your best guides. Focus groups are just snapshots. Remember every failed advertising and marketing program rated well with their focus groups.

Elmo's Song

Elmo isn't a details kind of - well whatever he is. Elmo loves reactions and so should you. Evaluate reactions and not approval or disapproval. How your audience responds is far more important than if they like or don't like your product, service, company or idea. Results come from action and not an intellectual exercise. Look at the responses.

Rubber Duckie

Ernie is in the tub and coming clean on how to structure your content. Don't avoid negatives. A negative can have more influence than a positive. Sesame Street doesn't sugarcoat life in the neighborhood. What you might lose is much more of a motivator to most people than what they have to gain. That's why Oscar the Grouch is always negative but always makes a point.

I Love Trash

What's that Oscar is saying? Repetition is important. Words, letters, ideas were presented over and over - day after day. Kids loved it. It bred familiarity, involvement and fostered a critical aspect of every form of early education - a false sense of security. Remember that 50-year old marketing principle that says a person needs five marketing impressions to be motivated to take the desired action? Well it's right.

It's Not Easy Being Green

I bet you thought Kermit was singing about being a frog? Nope he was singing about making money by playing to your audience. Make it easy and do two key things.

Capture Their Attention - The longer you hold your target audience's attention the greater the chance of attaining your desired results. Sesame Workshop tests every episode. If it doesn't hold a child's attention 80-90% of the time they don't air it. How do you capture attention? Kiddies you get focused.

Zero in on your audience and a single result. Sesame Street is aimed at preschoolers. That's it. Each show was "brought to you by" a letter of the alphabet but not the entire alphabet. During the episode the letter kept popping up and shuffling in and out of the other ideas and information. By the end of the show you knew that letter and could count to ten in Spanish. I bet you can still do it. Target an audience, a single, valuable idea and concept and focus on it.

C is for Cookie, That's Good Enough For Me

Listen to Cookie Monster. Who is saying something is often more important than what is being said. Sesame Street delivers friendly faces, memorable characters and a neighborhood. Put the message where it's logical and then put the person there too. If your message is about building supplies put your presenter in the store or on the building site. If you're selling fried chicken go where people enjoy your food. Boardrooms are so 1995.

Over, Under, Around & Through

Tell them when you do something new. While you focus and reinforce with repetition tease the "next new thing" while you have attention. My kids are excited to distraction by the promise of a new episode of SpongeBob SquarePants. A night of premiers almost makes them wet their pants. Now look at how Lancôme teases the next free gift. You get the idea?

Sing, Sing A Song - About Your Brand

Never assume you know how your audience thinks and that it never changes. Treat idea extensions like brand extensions. What else can you do with an idea or concept? How can it be spread, modified and used again? This is what Microsoft calls the power of increasing returns. Work every idea until you wring the last possible result out of it. By its 40th anniversary in 2009, Sesame Street has been broadcast in over 120 countries with 20 independent international versions. This idea extension drives the global marketing that pays the bills and builds the brand.

Mah Na Mah Na

Don't over-think it. Mah Na Mah Na is my favorite Sesame Street song. The lyrics are just melodic babble but it is one of the most famous songs from the show. Mah Na Mah Na is the poster child of how global generations of adults have been taught to respond. It generates a reaction. It is pleasantly but obsessively repetitious. It captures your attention with the memorable characters and the situation and I can guarantee you that no focus group ever selected it. Believe it or not but the song was originally used in an Italian porn movie. But, when Bip Bipadotta sang it we all listened and watched. They didn't over-think the message. It didn't matter if it didn't make one lick of sense. Hey it was Sesame Street. 40 years and a billion dollars of revenue later … it's what we call marketing.

Mah Na Mah Na

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Special Guest Illustrator

From time to time we feature the work of a talented illustrator to spice up the view around here and help catch your attention. Jason Towers is web and print designer as well as a versatile illustrator. He is based out of Australia but Jason is as close as www.savvywebdesign.net. As he says the Internet has no boundaries.

Scroll down - there's much more!

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Stop Scope Creep - The #1 Killer Of Projects, Programs, Marketing & Events

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Tue, 04 May 2010 16:06:00 +0000

The Curse of the Scope Creep

Scope Creep may well be the #1 cause why projects, initiatives, programs and events don't meet expectations, targets and objectives. "The unplanned expansion in the size, requirements or parameters of a project." That's just one definition for what we all know and loathe as Scope Creep but let me add mine.

Scope Creep is the difference between getting what you want - and wanting what you get.

Have you ever stared blankly at the end results, looked to the heavens and screamed, "Where did it all go wrong?" Dear Heart you have been trampled upon by the insidious requirement crawl. Let me put it as unemotionally as possible.

Scope Creep is an insidious killer … it murders opportunity, results and returns. It strangles communication, personalization, involvement and willingness. It destroys relationships and fosters resentment, frustration and dissatisfaction.

Was that objective an unemotional enough? I strive for professional detachment.

The Cause of the Creep

No one starts out to manage a project that does a death spiral into a black hole. So, where does it come from?

Cause #1 is a "jump right in" mentality. The project begins before you investigate and take the time to think it through and develop attainable requirements.

Cause #2 is asking the wrong people at the beginning and listening to the wrong people along the way. It takes the right people, the high-level managers or executives who have a wide-ranging understanding of the desired results and the ultimate end-user, customer or audience. How many times have you watched people attempt to get everything decided before they show it to upper management only to have the entire thing get derailed because of assumptions?

Cause #3 is not clearly defining the desired results, the ultimate end-user and the boundaries of the project. Decide on what you are going to do and what you are not going to do. And determine the "language" of the job. We assume that everyone understands a “process” in the same way. Why are we doing this and what do we want to happen?

Cause #4 is too much navel contemplation and putting the wrong things first. Head scratching is not a job description. A meeting is for the audience and not the people on stage. A program, initiative, or project is for the end-users or customers. If it doesn't fit into their logic, workflow or ways of doing things it simply doesn't work. The time to think about adoption, integration, marketing, and usability is at the beginning and not at the end.

Cause #5 is what I call the Subway Sandwich Syndrome. Have you seen the TV commercial where the annoying boy keeps pestering his parents with requests? They keep saying "No" until the kid gets to a Subway Restaurant where he's told, "You can have anything you want for the same price." Along the way there will be attempts to add things or change the project. In some cases it's an effort to squeeze elements in without increasing the budget. In other cases it's changing things in the name of "adding value" that really add very little. The simple truth is you can't have anything you want for the same price.

As you might have guessed I'm not a big fan of Scope Creep. I've seen too many valuable programs stagger off-track like a bunch of drunken goats.

Two Sides To Scope Creep

If you are developing an internal project, program or initiative keep your eyes on the prize. Think about "what else we can do" after you have delivered the project and evaluated its performance. Make delivering on the primary results Job #1.

If you are developing or producing a project or event as an outside supplier create a formal Scope of Project. Explain that your budget and deliverables are based on this agreement. This makes it easier to tell a client that you can't absorb additional costs when things change. It's your choice to do a 15-minute video for the cost of a 10-minute one, not the client's. But when you look at your profit at the end of the job remember all those times when you said, "Okay." You may discover you are the Scope Creep.

Killing the Creep

Remember those old movies where the angry mob chased the monster down? Well you can do the same thing and improve your efficiency and billables. The way to head off scope creep is not to let it get started. Before the project begins get serious about defining the scope.

1. Determine the results and focus.

2. Assemble the high-level core team based on ability, insight and capability.

3. Research the ultimate end-user or audience to determine what is valuable, needed and will have the greatest positive impact.

4. Research the ultimate end-user to determine how the project, program, initiative or event can be structured to make it valuable, practical convenient and logical. How do they want it?

5. Clearly define the scope, boundaries and who has the responsibility for approvals.

6. Set a development/creative/production schedule that gets everything completed, tested and perfected in the least practical time.

7. Determine the "change management" procedures that would justify modifying the scope of the project. Then stick to them. This is the biggest "Must Do" step.

Getting What You Want

Put everything into a Scope of Project that's written in simple language, distribute it to the critical people and get their agreement. Make sure that everyone understands that modifications have an impact on time, costs and resources. Someone will be absorbing them with every change or unplanned expansion of the project. Then monitor the heck out of it.

Keep the focus on the desired results and the most important people, the end-user, customer or audience. Challenge every unplanned change or addition against the desired results. If it doesn't make it faster, easier, more efficient, more enjoyable, more affordable and more valuable - don't do it.

Managing a project is like sailing a ship across the ocean. Set the course and follow the compass exactly. Just a few degrees off course can put you hundreds of miles away from your destination at the end. You want to make this a pleasure cruise and make sure that the Scope Creep misses the boat.

It's the difference between getting what you want - and wanting what you get.

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Getting Paid On Time - How To Keep The Relationship & Not Get Screwed

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 22:30:00 +0000

GASP!!!!!

The letter was ominous looking. The contents were even more chilling. With no warning a major client had unceremoniously gone into bankruptcy and we were stuck going to court to attempt to collect our outstanding invoices. What is worse is that loss is my fault. I broke my own rules and did the job on a handshake agreement and now I'm responsible for the consequences.

100% Responsibility

There's a little sign on the wall near my desk that reads 100% Responsible. About 25 years ago I ran across the philosophy from Hyler Bracey at The Atlanta Consulting Group. It's a deceptively simple idea - we are all 100% responsible for our organization's and our personal success and results. What that means is you can't expect your clients or customers to look after the best interests of your business. It's not their jobs … it's your job.

Why Companies Don't Pay Bills On Time

It's easy to imagine a greedy, dollar-driven super villain deliberately plotting to screw over suppliers. It may be a satisfying picture but in the vast majority of cases it isn't true. Things are tough and every company is fighting to stay in business so they build financial stability by getting money from customers sooner, paying bills at the last possible moment and building up cash to earn money from the float. Float is interest, etc. that you earn between receiving money and paying it. Of course there are some other reasons that are less sophisticated. Saying that it isn't easy getting some customers to pay bills on time would be like warning that you might see some tall guys at an NBA game. So what can you do?

Preventing The Problem

The time to worry about being paid is before you do the job. Don't be so eager to get some business in the door that you accept "Stupid Work." Take a moment to check out the company. Ask around, at least do a Google check. If it doesn't feel right, don't do it.

Ask about their payment cycle before you accept the job. Make sure you know the "rules." If the potential client starts to tap-dance it's a red flag.

Have a solid contract or work agreement. Please don't download one or use a generic contract from the office supply store. And don't even attempt to play lawyer and write your own. My attorney explained that he can spot an amateur contract at 50 yards and so can the worst lawyer in the graduating class. Do it right and hire a business attorney.

Put it in the contract. Define the scope of work; the terms of payment and what happens when financial and other contractual obligations are not met. Make the client's payment terms part of the work agreement.

Get money up front. Require a partial payment at the beginning of the project or order. Make sure this covers your key expenses and out-of-pocket expenses. 50% is not too much. If it's a rush job or something unusual ask for 100% up front and bill for overages later.

Have Sign Off sheets for each phase of the project. Ask the client to sign them and make sure they include an authorization for payment. What you are doing is establishing you own paper trail. More about it later.

Invoice immediately. I admit this is one of my biggest failings. I've been known to wait weeks, even months to bill after a job is completed. This is why I have an accountant. Don't wait until the end of the month (an antiquated 20th century idea), prepare the invoice in advance and send it 30 minutes after the job is completed.

Be Easy To Pay. Let them pay by credit card and PayPal ... the idea is to make paying you as convenient and painless as possible.

Don't discount thinking it will encourage quicker payment. They'll just take the 5% anyway. Discounts don't work. Instead of discounts, see the suggestion above.

Collecting

Okay, take a deep breath. What is the client worth today and long term? There are ways to collect without destroying the relationship.

1. Be personal - when the bill is due pick up the phone and call the client. Emails are too impersonal and can be deleted. Often a gentle reminder that the bill is due is all you need. Ask if there are any reasons that the payment is delayed.

2. Be persistent - be prepared to re-bill. You can include copies of the Sign Off sheets showing that the invoices are authorized.

3. Escalate - move up the food chain to Accounts Payable and ask if the invoice has been received and is being processed. Don't be confrontational but be sure to find out when the payment is scheduled. Get a name and an email address to follow-up.

4. Play Hardball - the last resort. Turn off the emotion. Don't threaten anything you are not prepared and capable of carrying out. At this point, the less you say the better. Don't mention legal action and let your attorney send a "get well" letter.

Depending on the size of the invoice and your State laws you are looking at Small Claims Court. If it's above the limit it's a civil suit. In a civil suit the court looks at the preponderance of evidence. That means you have to back up your claim with as much convincing evidence as it takes to prove what you say is true. This is where your paper trail pays off. Those Sign Off sheets are golden.

Gentle Persuasion

Here's my insider tip. If nothing works and you can't afford to sue, report them to Experian, TransUnion and Equifax as a bad debt. It costs less than $100 and corporations are very concerned with their credit ratings. A few years ago a major Fortune 500 company refused to pay a $750.00 invoice. After most of the things I suggested failed I reported them as a bad debt and forgot about it. About 9 months later I received a telephone call from one of top financial executives. The corporation can't have bad debts on their credit report. The bill was paid in a week. Don't be afraid to do the unexpected but don't cross the line. There are clear laws that define what you can and can't do to attempt to collect a debt. In short - be cool.

Getting Paid

An astonishing amount of work is performed with nothing more than a handshake agreement. It works … until it doesn't. Remember you are 100% Responsible for selecting your clients and getting paid. Don't apologize for being professional, having a legal agreement and wanting your money on time. If a client is late give them the benefit of the doubt and negotiate. More often than not the problem isn't the client it's how Accounts Receivable is processing invoices. Make the client your advocate and preserve the relationship. The big idea is to get paid and also get the next job.

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Pitch Like Jay Leno - Sell Your Ideas, Messages, Strategic Plans And Corporate Vision

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:56:00 +0000

The Perfect Pitch

"You cannot be mad at somebody who makes you laugh - it's as simple as that."

Jay Leno

The band rocks and people are on their feet. Jay Leno walks out and immediately starts shaking hands. He's connecting, interacting and setting the stage for the challenge he faces every show, hundreds of times a year. Even after 18 seasons headlining at NBC he is still doing the same thing you do every day. He's pitching ideas.

I don't care who you are, the president of the United States, CEO of the company, Chief Marketing Officer, director, manager, salesperson, producer or the host of a big-time network talk show - you are constantly having to sell your ideas. You have to get in front of the right people and make sure those people understand you well enough to act decisively.

All You Need Are Great Ideas

"There is no off position on the genius switch."

David Letterman

Coming up with a great idea actually isn't very hard. There are literally millions of fantastic ideas out there every day and tomorrow there will be a new crop. Doing something with the idea is hard … extremely hard. Before you even begin take a moment and inspect your "spark of brilliance." There is no point in trying to propose an idea that's not going to make a significant difference.

When It Works & When It Doesn't

Now imagine that you are a stand-up comedian. It's just you and the audience. You know very quickly if they are buying your ideas because they laugh. Somehow Jay Leno, David Letterman and Conan O'Brien make it seem effortless night after night. Comedy is serious business and each of these "top bananas" knows they have to sell their ideas fast. If you don't see yourself in first few moments of their shows you are gone in the click of a remote.

Two Realities Of Pitching Ideas

Presentations skills won't do it. Videos, PowerPoint, storyboards, gimmicks won't do it. You have to understand the Two Realities Of Ideas. Let me warn you, they are rough on your ego.

Reality #1 - It isn't your idea. Don't even think you own it. You can't sell "your" ideas. Make them the decision-maker's ideas. Focus on results and not on getting the credit. If it works the right people will know who came up with it. If it doesn't work then everyone will know who came up with it.

Reality #2 - Make them feel smart. You'll never sell an idea by making people "wrong." You don't want them to "agree" with you. You want them to realize that your idea "agrees with them." It fits into their way of thinking. You aren't there to impress them with your intelligent. You want them to feel very smart by seeing the value in the idea.

Learn From Leno

Ready to take center stage and become the headliner? It takes material, preparation and performance. Here's how to make it sizzle and not fizzle.

Bring Your "A" Material

They aren't buying you or your idea. They are buying all the things the idea will do for them. So describe it in the simplest terms. They have to understand it, see the value, personalize the value and appreciate the value. They don't need every detail.

Don't fall in love with your ideas or overestimate the benefits. Test the idea before you get there. Every comic tests her or his material before the big show. Don't fall into, "I came up with the idea all they have to do is make it work." It doesn't matter if your presentation and persuasion skills are in the Guinness Book of World Records a well-tested idea trumps you everytime.

Know The Room

Know the decision-makers or your audience. Play to everyone in the room and not just whom you perceive is the top dog. Take the time to explain in their language. If you think you are there to educate you are "shooting above the room."

Rock The House

I realize this may seem a little obvious but know what you are talking about. If the client or decision maker decides that you don't know them, their business or their challenges then the BS meter goes off and you are registering negative trust. Start strong and talk about them.

Don't wait until you start to set the expectations. When the "big three" step out you know what to expect. It's human nature to be uncertain about how to react and the people you are hoping to persuade are no different. Leno, Letterman and O'Brien are masters of setting up an audience. They let them know that it's okay to laugh. When you are selling your idea you want to set up the people on the other side and let them know that it's okay to question, comment, contribute and agree.

Always Leave Them Laughing

End with something memorable, your hook - the biggest "ah-ha" moment. Sum up the need that the idea solves or the opportunity it creates. Pinpoint the main advantages of adopting the idea or the potential loses of not adopting it. And explain why you think the idea should be adopted.

Will you always be a hit? Nope and neither are the "big three." Each one bombed a thousand times. But they can share one more lesson. Not every idea will be valued, believed and adopted. If your idea is rejected you still want to be accepted. That way you can come back again with another exceptional idea that will make a significant idea. Pitching ideas never ends.

"If you work really hard, and you're kind, amazing things will happen."

Conan O'Brien

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Sink, Swim or Drown - What's Your Plan B?

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:33:00 +0000

Stunned, Dumb & Motionless

It's a short trip from king of the world to the bottom of the sea. Everyone loves the idea of being flexible. Flexibility is an asset (insert bending palm trees, Cirque du Soleil or your favorite analogy) so why do we consider changing a business model or marketing plan a failure?

Hold on, I have a quick nautical illustration. My father is a former British navel officer - 88 years old and still alive and kicking. He once told me that the first people off a sinking ship had the greatest chance of survival. The people who clung to the rail until the last moment almost always drowned. The hardest decision a businessperson has to make is when to go to Plan B.

Markets change, consumers and customers change, competition changes and your own organization changes - but many, many companies have no Plan B!!! Can you afford to be a deer in the headlights?

Corporate Roadkill

Eyes wide, feet frozen to the spot and brain in pause it's almost like playing dead, except you're still standing in traffic and waiting for disaster. Wake up! You don't have the luxury of being inactive or reactive you have to be proactive. Plan A doesn't have to fail to signal that's it is time to jump out of the middle of the road. Sure the current marketing strategy may be working - BUT. It's the "but" that gets you. There is a strong tendency to delay any decision to change because of a secret hope that good things last forever or "it's going to turn around." Once you attain your desired results, once the performance begins to flatten out, when sales momentum begins to slow, at the first sign of weakness - go to Plan B.

But this is where rationalization steps in and people start to line up all those "buts" we talked about. Use your data and metrics and reevaluate. Don't use last year's standards to justify your decisions. Plan B has to be based on a different set of rules and assumptions. Draw the line and stick to it. If the current strategy or plan doesn't generate measurable results or increases in 60 days don't ride down to the bottom. Go to Plan B.

A Backup Plan Is A Sign Of Weakness

I love the John Wayne approach to leadership. Old John is in a foxhole and blew up the bridge behind his squad so they have no choice except to run headlong into enemy fire. You hear him say, "Failure is not an option. Developing a Plan B is just planning to fail so it's do or die and nothing else!" I'm sorry, it makes a great scene in a movie but I don't consider "do or die" a viable business model. I'd appreciate some creative thinking between the two extremes.

Develop it, think it through, budget it and establish a timeline. Put it all in writing and have it ready. The process of finalizing a Plan B gives you alternatives and options. I've actually seen clients like Plan B so much they rethought Plan A. And sadly I've seen more corporate leaders consider having a Plan B as a sign of weakness and indecision that would undermine the organization's determination and focus. That's a great macho move and almost criminal neglect for corporate responsibility and any sort of stewardship for employees and their families.

Always Have A Plan B

“The most successful people are those who are good at Plan B.”

James Yorke

In your personal and professional life your most important challenge is to decide what parts of your initial plan aren't working and then change them. Always have a Plan B that's as well designed as Plan A. And make sure it's ready to go. I hope you picked up on that; the time to develop Plan B is while you are developing your initial plan. Don't wait, don't substitute an outline, notes or rough ideas. You'll only dig yourself in deeper if your backup plan isn't ready when you need it.

How Do You Know When To Go?

Are your desired results still valid and attainable?
What parts of your current delivery system still work and which ones don't? The deliver system is the process you use to deliver whatever you are selling and the value it provides.
How has your customer or client's needs changed? They might not find you valuable anymore.
How has your customer or client's buying cycle changed? You may not be easy to buy or work with anymore.
Is the market shrinking or disappearing? This might not be the time to aspire to be the dominant player in the facsimile machine market.
Has the current strategy or plan generated measurable results or increases in 60 days? If it's flat-line or decreasing - there's a message here.
What's the worse that can happen?

What Will We Do If It Doesn't Work?

Have a Plan B to handle the worst. Developing a backup plan that you are confident will work makes it easier to make difficult decisions. At the first indications that the initial plan or strategy isn't working or is weakening - review Plan B. Update the assumptions to current data. Then you have clearer choices.

There Is Not A Step Called "Determine Why Plan A Failed."

Remember action is a critical factor. You have all the time in the world to analyze the failure after you have corrected the situation. Be decisive and act. Waiting until you have lost all your options and opportunities in the name of analysis only puts you back on the deck of the sinking ship.

So don't be a deer in the headlights … on the bow of the Titanic … as a semi-truck barrels down … on a giant iceberg. Okay, okay, what's your Plan B?

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Core Benefits Take You Nowhere - Market Like Lady Gaga

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:04:00 +0000

Market Like A Superstar

Author's Note - Even the most conservative company has a lot to learn from Lady Gaga. If you ever questioned that the single most important aspect of business is differentiation --- then read on. You will be convinced.

She leaves me speechless. She is a human strobe light, blinding, dazzling, and freezing time in flashes of music, dance, feathers, costumes and extreme. But beyond the enormity of her image Lady Gaga is the most inspired marketer of 2010.

Be Different Or Die

Stefani Germanotta was a child protégé. Fast-forward to her late teens - 2005. Stefani could sing, but the world is filled with people who can sing. She could dance but the world is filled with dancers. She could hold an audience but even that wasn't unique or distinctive. Talent isn't enough. One night she stood on a smoky stage of a club filled with booze-numb NYU students who completely ignored her. Stefani stripped down to bra and panties and started playing the piano. The world changed - the drunks noticed. She became "different." Exit Stefani Germanotta and enter Lady Gaga.

3/25/2010 Lady Gaga made Internet history when online analytic company Visible Measures reported that just three of her music videos had received over 1-billion total views! No corporation, movie, performer, candidate or even nation has hit that mark.

The driving force behind the world-shaking success is differentiation. Persona branding isn't new. Cher, Madonna, Queen, KISS, Beyonce, Britney helped define it and now ubiquitous boy bands and sound-alike singers are standard issue in entertainment. Careers explode like popcorn and soon end up under the sofa cushions of public attention. Lady Gaga is so different in so many ways we can't help but watch. But with all the glam and sequined gold hotpants she's even worked it out so that she can ditch the wigs and crazy clothes and actually go to the mall looking like everyone else!

Differentiation = Survival

Lady Gaga is concept and controversy backed by carefully planned and flawlessly executed marketing. As Forbes put it, “Lady Gaga understands viral marketing better than anyone on the pop scene today.” She flourishes through constant attention, focus and discussion. She survives because no one can duplicate her point of differentiation.

The #1 Lesson You Must Learn

Any difference that your competition can duplicate isn't a difference.

What are the essential "givens" of your business or industry? Delivering these features and benefits, no matter how well you do it isn't a point of differentiation. It doesn't matter how important they are to your customers because these core benefits are what they expect every competent supplier to provide. You have to go beyond the expected. You have to be willing to play the piano in your underwear.

You don't have to be the leader, the innovator or even deliver the highest value if you are different. The goal is to make customers and consumers notice you and give them valid reasons to be devoted to you.

Many organizations are simply afraid to be different. Different requires cutting loose the hype and hope of what you say you want the company to be … and actually become it. It feels dangerous, reckless and almost irresponsible to trash established policies, procedures, practices, pricing … all the things that defined who you were and leap off the cliff to sail towards what you need to be.

Be Different And Market Like A Super Star

I've spent about a month reading and analyzing the Lady Gaga phenomenon. Even if her music, style and notoriety aren't to your taste you can learn from her strategy, planning and unerring execution.

1. Never waste an opportunity to put your brand or yourself in the spotlight. Let nothing get in the way of popularizing your brand.

2. Develop a loyal base then focus on it. Target 100% of their available attention/business.

3. Target three forms of marketing media and focus on them. Chose the ones that your target audience prefers and develop the ability to engage across multiple-platforms. Don't media-hop.

4. If you can't do it well, don't do it. Shoot high, promise more and exceed every expectation. Don't promise what you can't deliver.

5. Know who you are and what you want to be. Have a single, focused vision, aim to be the best at it and then stay on course. Never compromise or detour.

6. Be simple, direct, easy to understand and easy to buy. If you need to explain or justify, it doesn't work. Be intentional, integrated and in control from beginning to end.

7. Be different in innovative ways. Take nothing for granted and constantly re-invent your company, products and yourself. People are attracted and riveted by surprise. Forget the mid-ground, the typical or the expected. Go for the extreme, the fascinating and the enthralling. Always give them a show.

The Core Is A Bore

What would happen if Lady Gaga had just provided the core benefits five years ago? What if she just delivered what her consumers and customers had already come to expect from a professional entertainer? Core benefits are requirements … but every competitor has the same ones.

Forget the core benefits. Clearly and deliberately position your brand as very different. In a world of similar competitors become a choice of one. Reduce the comparable, acceptable choices to - you.

Take a new approach, think bigger, and be more assertive and obviously different than the competition. That's how you get noticed, considered, valued and establish relationships with your target customers. Do whatever it takes to be different. Play the piano in your underwear.

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How Do You Solve The Conflict Between Business Process & Events? It's A Devilish Dilemma!

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:49:00 +0000

Events Need Process & Process Needs Events

Do you want to make your business processes more effective? Do you want to make your events more relevant? Do you want your people more engaged and motivated? Here's how.

Did you ever see one of those cartoons where the person has an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other - and both are whispering sweet temptations. That's how many corporations view business process and events. Some people view process as a fun-sucker draining the life and excitement out of an organization. Other people view events as silliness that kills the vital processes that make the company successful. Right in the middle is leadership, management, marketing and every member of the team. I say let's work over both the angels and the devils. Before we get started let's agree on some definitions.

Event = a one-time experience that happens in a given place and time - meeting, executive briefing, planning session, organizational gathering, conference, training, team building - you get the idea.

Process = a continuing procedure, system or methods to achieve a result over time. Process is a way to standardize tactics and procedures. It gets everyone on the same side of a challenge and pushing in the same direction.

Oh the sweet temptation on each side. That angel and devil aren't whispering, they're screaming different things! Events are fun and motivating but maybe a bit frivolous and meaningless. Process is necessary and valuable but tends to be dull, boring and uninspiring. How do you get the best from both?

You Think Your Company Is Driven By Process And You're Wrong

If you gathered 100 executives and managers in a room and asked, "Are you an event company or a process company?" about 99 out of 100 would say - Process - and they would be wrong. Look at your strategic plans, marketing plans - any process. How is it delivered over time? Is it really continuous from your staff or customer's perspective? Think about it for a moment.

In most situations the process is actually delivered as a well-executed series of activities and events with nothing behind them. Everyone gets the information and procedures and leaves encouraged and enthusiastic. Then the process slowly grinds to a halt and the desired results fade away. What you needed was a way to monitor, moderate and motivate the process over time by taking a more coordinated, message-driven approach.

It's Really An Event

Marketing Program with no specific results, customer/client rewards, integrated messages, motivation and measurements - It's an Event.

Customer/Franchisee/Affiliate Communication with no specific results, deadlines, expectations and clear returns - It's an Event.

Training with no specific results, follow-up, monitoring, measurement, continuous reinforcement and fine-tuning - It's an Event.

Business Management Process with no specific results, time limits and focused on structured activities rather than measurable improvement - It's an Event.

Process And Events Are Good But They Are Better Together

Process is the path and direction. Events build the momentum you need to get up and over the hills and to keep moving. It's easy to view process and events to be 180-degrees apart - total opposites. John Maxwell spends some time discussing the difference between process and events in 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Well, he's a process-only-kind-of-guy so that's where he thinks the world should be. With all respect to Mr. Maxwell the two can be complementary parts of the same results-delivery system. This is how I see the relationship between the two.

Process is objective-driven while events are message-driven.
Process uses measurement to gauge success while events use willingness.
Process is the method of generating the desired results while events provide the enlistment and the alignment necessary to complete the process.
Process develops a culture while an event reflects or celebrates a culture.
Process tends to be a solitary experience while an event emphasizes a community that shares common goals, values and rewards.
Process implements towards a goal while an event helps discover and identify opportunities.
Process is highly structured and predefined while events are more dynamic, experiential and personalized.
Process is building a house while events are living in it.

Take A “Meet In The Middle” Strategy

1. Set the overall goals and clearly define the specific desired result.

2. Design the process that supports attaining the desired results.

3. Determine what the critical people need to learn, understand, value, appreciate and do to generate the desired results?

4. Divide the process into sections, benchmarks and transitions.

5. Identify areas where events support and facilitate the process. Events can stimulate the process at key milestones and at transitions in the work streams.

6. Plug events or mini-events into the process at strategic times and for specific purposes.

7. Blend process and events to move people towards the desired results.

Let Each Do What It Does Best

The value of events is in their ability to add emotion and energy at specific moments within the process. The assumption is events must be big and require a large group. When you view them as an occurrence that is memorable, personal and unusual then events take on a different perspective. Events provide punctuation, energy and personalization at critical moments in the process. Remember events don't need to be large, involve sets, production and loads of money. An event can be five minutes just as long as it is personal, emotional and people-focused.

Give Into Sweet Temptation

By taking a “Meet in the Middle” strategy the best strengths of both can be incorporated to generate the desired results. Process supports the human aspects of events – as events support the critical business drivers of the process.

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Viral Marketing - Do You Really Want To Be Infected?

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:43:00 +0000

Viral, Viral Viral!

Deadly, relentless they live deep inside your cells, waiting to spread and destroy you. They are worse than germs - they are virus! To me the term Viral makes me want to grab the can of Lysol and start wiping down the doorknobs. There are no "nice" viruses. They aren't interested in sex, communication or community … they just spread geometrically.

Now invest three minutes to decide if viral marketing works for you and your company.

Epidemic Marketing

In 1994 Douglas Rushkoff wrote about a "media virus" that later mutated into the expression "viral marketing." You can imagine him chugging half a bottle of Nyquil to come up with the concept of how a susceptible user is infected by an idea, message or advertisement. The person then infects more people who infect others and soon you have a full-blown epidemic of Andromeda Strain proportions - or at least Night of the Living Dead.

Word of mouth advertising is undoubtedly the oldest type of viral marketing. What is the difference between word of mouth, Ponzi schemes, multi-level marketing and the Susan Boyle YouTube explosion that generated over 47-million online viewers? The answer - it took longer to type about Susan Boyle. They are all essentially the same things. Both real viruses and viral marketing rely on a big supply of susceptible, easily influenced people. Based on this "Bernie" Madoff is the undisputed king of viral marketing having designed and executed the largest Ponzi scheme in history.

The Basic Rules of Viral

The majority of what is labeled viral marketing isn't. Genuine, authentic, honest viral has three common characteristics:

Viral marketing is spread from one person to another. They make the decision and carry the message voluntarily.

The person spreading the message isn't paid, given tools, resources, donations, demo products or any incentives at all.

The message takes on a life if its own. If you have to keep promoting it, it isn't viral.

Everyone wants to go viral - Not!

The hope is that the message or image is so engaging and compelling that it grabs someone's attention so strongly they tell their friends about it who tell more people and the momentum builds. When something goes viral it's like a sneeze splattering 2-million infected droplets all over the place. The message goes everywhere.

Question #1 - Do you need your message going everywhere?

Take a moment to remember those ultra slow-motion videos you saw of a sneeze back in school. Pretty gross and totally uncontrolled. Now plug your marketing plan into the scene. Viral messages are uncontrolled. Once they start you can't stop, clarify or spin them. And, just like a virus, they mutate.

Question #2 - Does everyone really care?

Viral is demand driven. It has the attention span of a hyper three-year-old after a couple of Red Bulls. You can't be a commodity. Differentiation is 100-times more important in viral or those millions of instant eyeballs will talk about the message and forget about the product. The equalizer is this. Is there anything about your product or service that would get people so excited that they would call their friends and families, write and blog about it and make it a cause in their lives - even for ten minutes?

Question #3 - How soon do you need response?

Becoming a viral phenomenon is like standing in your yard and being hit by lightning. There is no formula. There are no viral marketing secrets. On YouTube most people scroll down to Most Popular and watch what's there. Is the goal to accumulate a massive body count or to market your business in tangible, productive, profitable ways?

What You Can Learn From Going Viral

As much as we all love something that's hot and sizzling there really isn't anything new in what is generating conversation and attention online. These are the same content principles that are behind successful marketing and advertising.

Grab attention instantly.
Have a clear message and call to action.
Allow people to care. You can't make people care.
The message has to be emotional. When something makes us feel we are compelled to share that sentiment with others. Viral is never ambivalent.
Sell the experience.
Be unexpected, different, stunning, bizarre, cute, funny, outrageous and memorable. But it must be genuine and real. As network newscaster Daniel Schorr said, "Sincerity: if you can fake it, you've got it made."

Rethink Viral

Look at your company, your customers and how you serve them. Viral isn't the goal, it's the spark. Do you want to be a blazing flash that's brilliant for an instant and then gone? The impression you want to build is not an infection it's more of a wildfire. You have to ignite attention and recognition. Awareness is not an objective. Then you have to keep adding fuel in the form of involvement and interaction. The biggest attraction of going viral is instant gratification and the impression that it's cheap. Reality is marketing is deliberate, strategic and very intentional.

Just because a marketing message is on the Internet or includes a video or is designed to be spread through word of mouth to a niche audience doesn't instantly make it viral marketing. It makes it Internet marketing. Separate the terms from the outcome for a moment. If your message or content doesn't go viral then there is no viral marketing. There is no such thing as a viral marketing campaign. There is just marketing. Remember, you create a marketing message. Your customers make it viral.

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Social Media Makes Me Feel Stupid - How Do You "Get" It?

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:57:00 +0000

Duh!

I'm confused and I admit it. I understand the concept of informal communities. I appreciate the dynamic nature of everyday people sharing interests and opinions. Those things I understand. But when I read the blogs and I talk to the social media consultants I feel like the entire cast of Dumb & Dumber. Do you feel stupid too?

I'm The Elephant Man Of Marketing

I'm cursed. What's wrong with me? They keep telling me I don't get social media. I ask questions and social media experts jump in to explain and suddenly it's like when the adults are talking on a Charlie Brown TV Special - wah-wah-wah. Part of the confusion is no one can make up their minds about what to call the thing. Is it social media, social networking or social marketing?

Social media doesn't define media like the rest of the world. Social marketing isn't about marketing and social networking is redundant since all networking is social or it doesn't exist. I actually heard an executive from a Social Marketing Agency explain that "social media is about how social networking is utilized for social marketing." I missed that entirely, but I don't get social media.

"If you can't convince 'em, confuse 'em." Harry Truman.

Make Social Marketing Less Confusing & Easier To Plan, Target And Use

If social media makes you feel stupid then my goal is to reduce the confusion. If your company, large or small is considering social marketing here are a few things you should understand and consider.

1. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter And Linkedin Don't Matter

Forget where you are going to do social marketing until you figure out how you are going to do it. Signing up is easy, doing something isn't. What social media tools do your customers or clients use? That's where you should go.

2. Find Your Target People And Join Them

Begin with your marketing plan. You are looking for your target customers so invest the time to go online and find where they are in the universe of social whatever. Now this involves more than a couple of Venti Java Chip Frappacinos with a shot of espresso, topped with whipped cream and Maalox. Your customers may be participating in social media, but what they are doing may have nothing to do with your company or its products and services. When the time comes you will joining them and not the other way around.

3. Social Marketing Is Not Free

Social Marketing takes a lot of time, effort, attention and money. Most online experts seem to agree that maintaining relationships on Facebook or MySpace translates to an average of 3-4 hours per day. On Twitter the sweet spot is an average of 20 "tweets" per day. This is for a small business over the course of eight hours.

If that feels like you're living on the computer you are right. It takes people, budget and a very narrow focus. Be very careful before you start. Unless you are prepared to staff your SM efforts 24/7 then don't go anywhere near customer service. Unless your SM staff is trained and empowered to handle business issues just don't go there.

4. Think Baby Steps and Not Quantum Leaps

Take a look at your overall marketing plan and assign some simple objectives to social marketing. Start small, slow and humble. Realize that it isn't like what you have done before. You might make your goal to find your target customers and become a member of their special interests. That's it.

5. There Is No ROI In Social Marketing

You'll find all sorts of claims on this but 1 out of 1000 at the best can actually find something to measure. Major corporations are spending tons of money trying to find some way to make social marketing deliverable measurable, repeatable results. They haven't yet so don't waste any sleep over it. Analytics, web stats and your Google ranking aren't what CFOs have in mind when they think ROI. I know it might sound very capitalistic but at the end of the day all that matters is "dollars in the door." How much profit can you generate by using social marketing compared to your costs? How much profit can you generate by using social marketing compared to other channels?

6. Traditional Marketing Is Not Dead

Social marketing doesn't sell your product, service or company. It really doesn't sell at all. It isn't going to deliver thousands of motivated, qualified customers or clients to you. Remember the purpose of the online social experience is conversation and community. It is slowly building preference. I have to smile whenever I read a press release or news story about some executive proclaiming that traditional marketing is dead. For decades marketing and advertising have been accused of following the fads and trends. Now all of a sudden we're entrenched and right in there with Fred and Barney. But, I just don't get social media.

Please Don't Tell Me That I Just Don't "Get" Social Media

"It's simply beyond words. It's incalculable." Michael Scott on The Office.

I'm not stupid. Social media excites me. But let's not attempt to make it more than it is. Business is looking for someway out of an economic recession and is hoping that social media might generate revenue- somehow. And at the other end are individuals desperate to have something to sell so they make social media into a cause-passion-political-social-economic movement. The reality is social media is simply people talking.

MySpace, Facebook, Twitter - there is already discussion that they are on the decline because they have become too mainstream. Too many ordinary people and companies are using them. It won't be long before social marketing is just one more marketing channel. Then, the fans of the latest innovation will look at it and declare that social marketing is dead … and we just don't get the "next new thing."

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The Invasion of the Business Snatchers - Alien FAQs May Be Killing Your Business

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:05:00 +0000

They're Here!

You think they are your friends but they are secretly plotting to destroy your business. They are alien FAQs! You trust them, believe in them but they aren't your friends anymore.

Quick Sherman to the WABAC Machine! Back in the Dark Ages of Information computer power was small and storage was limited and expensive. The team at NASA who managed the mailing list got tired of dealing with inquiries from public so they just compiled a bunch of standard Q&A and sent them back automatically. "Presto, problem solved, let's get Dr. Sally Ride into space."

Did you see the strange twist in the story? The office team handling the mailing list cooked up the first Jurassic FAQs because they were lazy. The actual needs of all those interested taxpayers weren't an issue. Now take a close, objective look at your Frequently Asked Questions. If the critical people you depend upon for success and profitability keep asking the same questions - it's a signal that you aren't communicating well.

The #1 Most Commonly Asked Question

In an unscientific analysis motivated by the desire to ignore four screaming kids I read FAQs on 25 websites chosen at random. The #1 Most Commonly Asked Question is - How do I contact you? Why should a customer have to search or ask how to contact a company? Shouldn't that information be prominent on every page?

Most Common Question #2 is - How can I return a product for a refund? I admit this one stunned me. If so many customers ask this question isn't it a loud signal that you have quality issues? The product or service is so bad you have to put this information right up front because so many customers ask. I may be going out on a limb here but this might be tied to that consistent, nagging revenue crisis.

What does a FAQ list with 20-30 or more entries say about your company? It says you don't talk to your customers you talk at them. A long list of FAQs isn't an indication of good communication or usability. Your content should answer most of these questions as your customers explore your site. Frequently Asked Questions aren't content.

In the vast majority of cases your customers don't want to search out the answer to questions you should address in the content. Don't make them hunt for what they need to know to do business with you in some strange obscure corner of the site. If the link in is micro-mini-mouse-type at the very bottom of the page that's a dead giveaway.

Don't Make The Same Mistake as NASA

Customer Service or the Help Desk is complaining that customer calls are taking too long and the CSRs are having to answer the same questions over and over. So how about one of those entertaining On-Hold recordings that direct customers to the website? Let the FAQs handle it. But, how did all those people get the Help Desk telephone number? They got it from the website after they discovered that the FAQs SUX. The assumption is FAQs allow people to answer their own questions. But what people really want is to not have to ask.

How to Know If the Aliens have Invaded

• Many of the FAQs are actually things you just wish people would ask. If you see your value proposition and marketing messages mixed in - the Aliens have invaded.

• If the questions sound like lawyers wrote them - the Aliens have invaded.

• If the question is answered in a sentence or two followed by two paragraphs of exceptions, conditions and qualifications - the Aliens have invaded.

• If the answers don't "answer" the question or worse if the answer just refers the person to a different answer - the Aliens have invaded.

• If instead of legitimate questions and answers it's filled with random information that you stuck in on the off chance that someone might want it sometime - the Aliens have invaded.

• If you intentionally avoid a question that you know everyone is asking because you don't have an acceptable answer - the Aliens have invaded.

Repelling The Invaders

Ask your own questions and ask them frequently. Where did the questions come from? Were they actually compiled from customer emails or calls to Customer Service? What is the source of the answers? Are they the best ones? Ask what value do they provide to your customers rather than what convenience do they offer internal departments? How often are the questions you classify as the Most Frequently Asked visited on your site? If they aren't then no one is really asking those questions.

Make it a goal to reduce the number of Frequently Asked Questions instead of adding to them. The less your customers have to work to do business with you the better. Have you ever wondered why your customers aren't really excited about having go to work for your company and attempt to handle their own questions? Try this experiment. Go to your search engine of choice and search for - FAQs about frequently asked questions. I found a massive list of 110-million responses - and not one answered the question.

Bottom line, the best way to answer a customer question is to not make them ask.

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Influencer Marketing ROI - Real Or The Old Jedi Mind Trick?

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:25:00 +0000

In Star Wars the Jedi Masters were able to influence and control the minds of others by using the Jedi Mind Trick. "These are not the droids you're looking for." Who knew that Obi-Wan Kenobi would give us a glimpse into the world of social influence and Influencer Marketing?

The idea behind Influencer Marketing is deceptively simple - identify people who have influence over your potential customers. By winning their business you gain their followers. Just like Obi-Wan Kenobi they mold our minds at the wave of a hand. We watch them so we can do what they do, wear what they wear, eat what they eat and go where they go.

It shouldn't be any surprise that a new mythos has grown up about these god-like beings who dwell in the Narnia of social media. But, the idea of Influencers began a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Okay, in California about 55 years ago.

Mickey Mouse Jedi Master

Walt Disney was a very shrewd businessman. When he opened Disneyland in 1955 he realized that he could never afford the advertising necessary to support it. So he didn't advertise, he influenced. The same year the park opened the Mickey Mouse Club debuted on ABC along with his own weekly TV show - Disneyland. He sold commercials on his shows to other advertisers and let his characters begin to influence generations of consumers for free. He created his own Influencers in every story, song and program.

Of course this was only the beginning. For decades high school football fields and gymnasiums have proudly displayed their Coca-Cola scoreboards. Ronald McDonald appeared in 1963 to act as the company-owned Influencer. Athletes on Wheaties boxes, blurbs on book jackets, celebrity endorsements all have one thing in common - the characters or activities exist to serve as Influences to guide potential customers. In the old days we politely called it building preference. Quietly we called it breeding consumers. The choices people make growing up are with them for the rest of their lives. I pray that excludes Barney.

A Disturbance In The Force

Influencers Rule! Where can I get a lot of them and turn them loose to make me more money? Well that's the problem. Many experts quickly point out that about 1-in-10 of your customers are Influencers. 10%! If they are so powerful and are role models and leaders to the rest of us - why are there so many of them? What's worse they are actually losing influence.

It's been widely reported that Edelman Financial Services' annual Trust Barometer showed that the number of people who view friends, family, coworkers and Influencers as credible sources of information dropped for the third straight year. It's dropped by almost half - 45% to 25% since 2008. The timing couldn't be worse for marketers who declared traditional marketing DOA and positioned peer influence as the key reason for pushing social media to the top of the marketing plan. Pepsi may be taking a second look at that decision to scrap TV advertising for social marketing. What's happening is that all the followers out there have gotten smarter. We're simply not as instantly trusting. The same access to information and social conversation that created the Influencers is making them unnecessary. They aren't worth the effort.

I've Got A Very Bad Feeling About This

It is extremely difficult to decide in advance which potential Influencer can actually make a difference. To capitalize on these people (make money) a company has to first identify them, next decide if they are worth the effort and then actually woo them and create special places for them to say good things about the company. You tease and please them with content and subtle incentives to help guide the conversation. But you don't want to tell them what to say. So you pray that they tell their followers the right things that translate into ROI at some undetermined date in the future.

The Solution Is To Forget About Influencers

Social influence is a force but instead of searching for the wily and elusive Influencers invest your marketing budget in your friends. Do what Disney did. You can call them devotees, enthusiasts, raving fans or friends of the family but the key ideas is this - transform your satisfied customers into Influencers. It's an obvious idea that people like Ken Blanchard and Tara Hunt have suggested before.

• Reduce the time and expense by focusing on brand enthusiasts who will persuade more people at a lower expense and with a higher ROI.

• The process is basically the same as Influencer Marketing just faster and more predictable.

• Determine who is already happy, pleased and enthusiastic about your product, service or company.

• Engage, motivate and reward them for talking and spreading the word.

• Create two types of social networking locations. Create one space where your enthusiast can talk as a community and one where they can have networking conversations with potential customers.

It doesn't take algorithms and complex science to encourage your loyal customers and fans to use their social influence. The idea already works well in the music industry that uses fan-based marketing to sell CDs and tickets. You involve your fans and let them work for you. Here's what this means to you. Even with the full power and resources of social media the Influencers you are targeting might mention you to their followers. And, these are most like the same people your competition is attempting to target also.

Make your enthusiasts into a Force to enlist new customers. Use the Force and you can be assured the faithful will mention you to more people, more often. Influencers versus Enthusiast - the fans always win. One group might take action while the other will take action. The difference is passion, personalization, involvement, motivation and action. Hey, isn't that what we're all after?

May the Force be with you

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Top Five Banned Marketing Techniques - Can You Use Them?

noreply@blogger.com (Think Consulting Group) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 04:19:00 +0000

Can You Stand It?

Banned, forbidden, unspoken marketing techniques that most companies would never admit they use - but they do. What can you learn from them? It all started in 1973. The very first Super Bowl TV commercial featured a breathy blonde inviting viewers to watch Broadway Joe Namath get creamed. Noxzema shaving cream, what were you thinking? It set the tone for 44 years of racy, raunchy, strange and extreme ads that didn't push the envelope, they shredded it. Marketing talks about the laws of attraction, understanding the customer and providing consistent value - then everything falls apart on Super Bowl Sunday.

It's Good To Be Banned

Once again the Cult of the Controversial had a very big weekend. Just days before the mega event the Super Bowl commercials made their debut on the Internet. The same day the Banned Commercials also appeared. Gee I wonder which ones burned up the web? The answer is about as predictable as a Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction.

A spot for a male gay dating website was banned. Somehow it was way too controversial for a game where men in tight pants pat each other on the butt in front of 95 million people.

Animal rights group PETA had their commercial banned because it showcased half-naked women who seemed to love their veggies a little too much. I guess it gave new meaning to tossing your salad.

And Internet domain company GoDaddy continued its streak for getting officially canned and then cashing in. Web traffic to the GoDaddy site to view the "too hot for prime time" ad generated more response in 2010 than any other Super Bowl since 2005. It was all planned, orchestrated and intentional. Still, it was little more than a polite media burp compared to the barrage of banned behavior from major corporations we all know and respect.

Coming In Under The Radar

Let's call it Stealth Marketing - activities designed to enflame rumors, enrage competitors and ensnare the media. It's not lies, not disinformation or actually misinformation it's - controlled leaks and baiting the public. According to every business ethics class I attended it is corporate behavior that in unacceptable and banned. Which is exactly why it's done. So get ready to see what you can learn from the very top of the Fortune 500. All this happened in approximately the last three months. Here are the Top Five Banned Marketing Techniques.

Top Five Banned Marketing Techniques

The "Nudge, Nudge, Wink, Wink" Leak - Someone in the organization, who is never named, leaks information about a product, service or situation. The leak builds anticipation, shifts attention or actually "tests the waters" for a launch or business recovery plan. Lot's of controversy and intrigue. (Apple iPad launch or Toyota safety recalls)

The Unconfirmed Confirmation - An official of the organization responds to the leak but doesn't actually deny the information. Three-way marketing, the leak, the response and what wasn't said. (Steven Jobs about the iPad, Toyota Pres. Jim Lentz about brakes and accelerator pedals)

The Semi-Confirmed Rumor - A member of the media reports inside information based on an informal conversation with a company executive about a totally different subject. Since it was never confirmed the story was run by "accident." If there is a big mess everyone can claim it was a simple misunderstanding. (Apple and the Wall Street Journal on the iPad, Google Tablet and CNN)

The Piggyback Announcement - Company #1 is getting a lot of attention before a big announcement so Company #2 jumps in to either dispute the announcement or make their announcement first. #2 gets a free ride even if their product or service actually has little to do with the subject. (Microsoft in response to the Apple iPad, iPhone, HP Slate and Windows Mobile)

"Anti-Marketing" Marketing - The company markets using advertising or materials that are intentionally objectionable or controversial. They proclaim that their target audience is cynical of traditional marketing strategies. Their consumers are too cool for anything less than the bleeding edge. Of course this is all discussed in the mainstream media. The truth is they deliberately produce ads they know will offend someone that gives them plenty of publicity so they don't have to spend media placement money. (Calvin Klein, Armani or Red Bull)

We Just Don't Want To Talk About It - You don't talk about your products, services or company at all. Instead you carefully create a situation where customers or consumers do it for you and then market their responses. Presto - instant credibility. You look impartial and not really surprised since you already know how great you are. The important thing to remember is you hand-select the customers or consumers. (Ford and the Fiesta Movement social networking campaign)

All in all there is enough "controlled leakage" to make you want to invest in the Depends Party Pack. What can we learn from all this? Back in Marketing 101 we learned that the three keys to a successful campaign are - Frequency, Consistency and Variety. It's fascinating to watch how major organizations from Apple, Microsoft and Ford … to non-profit groups like PETA massage and manipulate all the rest of us. And we love it … we really do … because they do it so frequently, consistently and with infinite variety.

Oops I better be careful. Using a technique like that might get me banned!

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