Some of you may not know this but I’ve been a single mother for almost 20 years. When I say I raised my daughter by myself it’s not an exaggeration. I own a home, paid for private school education and have been able to travel all while working commission only sales jobs during some of the worst economic times. Right now we are on the verge of yet another sustained economic downturn and as most know, finances can and will get tight. Planning ahead and a lot of creativity can help make a little, go a long way.

Adulting 101. You MUST have a budget. It doesn’t have to be fancy. I prefer simple myself and use a free service called mint.com. In order to get finances in order, you have to know every cent coming in and every cent going out. Sync your accounts and don’t spend more than you have on any given month. Going into debt is the very last resort and you should avoid it at all costs. Avoid using credit cards if you can’t clear the balance every month. Similarly, do NOT dip into your retirement accounts unless it’s to avoid catastrophe.

Here are seven spending categories that can be creatively cut.

1. Housing: Be mindful of how much of your budget goes to housing and if necessary find a cheaper place to live or add roommates to offset the expense. Housing costs include your utilities. Be mindful of energy consumption. Turn off lights, turn down the heat, wear a sweater, close the doors and windows, water the lawn less frequently, etc. All of these will help reduce costs.

2. Food: Eat at home. Eat your way through your freezer and keep in mind, food is fuel. Not every meal will be your favorite. Prep future meals and pack your lunch so you aren’t tempted to go out or grab fast food. Look at how much your food costs and consider cheaper cuts of meat and generic store brands instead of name brand items. Follow sales, clip coupons and look for markdowns.

3. Shopping: Is it a want or a need? All purchases should require a 24 hour waiting period. Sure, you can put it in your virtual cart but you should wait at least a day to buy it. Did the desire for the purchase go away? Do you go shopping to cure boredom? Take your walk outside instead of going into Target. When you go to the store, don’t grab a shopping cart. If you have to lug it to the front of the store you may decide against it. Make a list and only buy what is on the list, regardless of the sale price and perception (deception) of savings.

4. Transportation: Cars are a luxury item. You could sell your car and take public transit or buy a cheaper car if public transit is not available. Car payments, insurance, gas, repairs, and maintenance can cost hundreds if not thousands each month. Locate the nearest bus or train stop and download the local transit app. Unless you live in a remote area there should be frequent and cost efficient ways to travel. If you must have a car consider increasing your deductible, carpooling, and trip planning to avoid unnecessary trips. Heck, you can save the climate at the same time.

5. Personal care: The nails, lashes, extensions, highlights, facials, waxing, and lasers are all optional. You can live without it, I promise. I get one or two haircuts a year and when I want summer highlights, I use a kit from the grocery store or spray lemon juice and sit in the sun. Find a haircut that needs less maintenance. Return to your natural hair color. Watch tutorials online and learn how to do things for yourself.

6. Entertainment: Take a look at your subscriptions and memberships and cancel them all. You don’t need cable television, you can work out at home, find free streaming options for music and videos, and consider your public library with their online options. Take your date out on no cost dates, take the family to the park, on a hike, or play games at home. Have the kids write stories, perform plays, or put on a talent show. Avoid expensive entertainment devices like game systems that require frequent upgrades or expensive games or controllers.

7. Communication: You don’t need a new phone. Really. Avoid the upgrade trap and look at gently used phones on resell sites. Look at your data usage and inquire about a cheaper plan. Consider switching to a new provider if their monthly deal is cheaper, you can always transfer your number.

I’m hopeful that our economy will make a swift recovery from this latest storm but I’m also preparing for the worst. By cutting spending today and creating a mindful budget before it’s a crisis, you will be well on your way to weathering this and all future storms.

Stay safe friends!

XO

1. Create a similar work-space to what you have at work. If you work on a bed at the office... well, okay... Most of you work at a desk so have a dedicated desk-like surface for your home office. Laying in bed, or lounging on the couch is not going to be as productive. Find a quiet corner of your house and set up shop there.
2. Get dressed for work. Put on pants. Brush the things, wash the things and dress the things. If you feel like you are going to work you will be more productive.
3. Time block your workday as if you are at the office. Take breaks at the normal time you would at the office. Take lunch at lunchtime. Quit working at quitting time.
4. Do not do housework or home-related work during work hours. Ignore the dishes, laundry or yard until after work hours. It will wait for you, I promise.
5. Find child care for your children or for older children plan engaging activities for them that don't require your constant supervision.
6. Have quick food options for snacks and lunchtime that don't require a lot of preparation time.
7. Set daily prioritized goals for productivity and give yourself rigid deadlines. Do the most challenging projects first thing in the morning.
8. Keep distractors like pets, children, and spouses, out of your work-space during working hours.
9. Connect through technology so you can continue to collaborate with your peers. Video, audio and instant message platforms are great at keeping the synergy going while working offsite.
10. Have an accountability partner. Your boss, your project manager or a workplace counterpart can all help you stay on task and maintain or increase your productivity. Keep daily contact with someone who will hold you accountable.

GOOD LUCK!
XO

BE ACTION MINDED

Part 4 of my BAM! Training program is directed at sales professionals that need some easy tips for filling and maintaining their sales pipeline a.k.a sales funnel. 

My sales career began in earnest when I was a Brownie selling Thin Mints and in one fashion or another I've been in sales ever since. Unlike Thin Mints, most products aren't that easy to sell or that scrumptious.... those delicious crisp wafers, that hint of mint and the shell of dark chocolate that leaves a waxy residue on your teeth and that tell-tell smudge at the corners of your mouth. Nope, most products don't sell themselves and you as a sales professional will sometimes face rejection, unlike Brownie Girl Scouts. Who can resist those cute faces? Not me!  

Most of my career has been in outside sales -more specifically, selling media advertising and marketing. One lovely aspect of sales is that no matter how well you do, they always, always increase your goals! So in order for us to meet our ever increasing sales goals we have to continuously increase our sales opportunities. 

Part 4 of my BAM! Training program gives you 4 easy techniques for increasing your prospects, your pipeline and ultimately your bottom line. 

1. Schedule appointments with yourself! Keep these appointments like you would a client. Every week sales professionals need to have appointments with potential customers to makes sales but we also need to set aside time for cold calling, prospecting and researching.  I recommend committing large blocks of time (4 hours+) to each of those activities and avoid other distractions. Getting into a flow helps with productivity, offers better outcomes and makes the process feel easier.  
   • Schedule time for cold calling for appointments. Does that work best all day on Monday? or all day on Friday? Or do you do it three afternoons per week?
   • If you have a geographical territory, walk/drive your territory and identify prime prospects. Some of the best sales gems in my territories were hidden on 3rd and 4th floors of office buildings I had never set foot in... Go explore!
   • Schedule time before and after your set appointments to prospect next door and across the street from your appointment. Cluster appointments within a geographical territory whenever possible. 
2. Set DAILY activity goals! We know our sales revenue goals and they are usually calculated by year, quarter, month etc. but by setting our own daily activity goals we can create our own customized pathway to success. For me, I would set daily phone call goals, daily email goals and daily appointment setting goals. Those would give me a weekly outcome of success I could predict and ultimately I was able to exceed sales goals consistently using this strategy. To this day I tell my clients facing large, seemingly unattainable goals, "How do you eat an elephant? One small bite at a time!"                                                                                                                                                                         
3. Research your prospects! Don't waste your time on lousy prospects. Ask questions early in the sales process to weed out non qualified buyers and non-decision makers who would waste your valuable sales time. Doing a quick Google search, LinkedIn search or Hoovers search can save you a lot of disappointment down the line. By qualifying your prospects early you won't waste so much time on non-buyers. 
   • Know who your most ideal clients are and start at the top with the market leaders 
   • Know your products so well that you uncover potential untapped markets
   • Make sure the person you are in contact with can make the buying decision, has the budget and can make the purchase within a reasonable time period. 
4. Schedule follow up calls! Not everyone wants to meet with you now but "Not today" does not mean "Never-ever". If they are a well qualified customer, ask permission to stay in touch, ask when you should get back in touch and schedule that call, even if it's a year from today. I was never the most aggressive sales person but I was the most tenacious and persistent. The larger the organization, the longer the sales process will be so don't make the mistake of give up right before they agree to meet or buy! 

I hope you have found these 4 quick and easy tips helpful! I'd love your feedback! If I can help you build your pipeline click here! If I can help train your team to build pipelines click here! Or if you need business consulting or marketing consulting click here! For other amazing tips, suggestions and insights give me a follow on social media! 

Thanks for reading and now "Go Sell Like Hell! 

BE ACTION MINDED

BE ACTION MINDED

In part 3 of my BAM! Training program, I give you the shortest training on greetings ever created. It's ONLY 3 seconds long! 

Early in my career I worked in retail and in restaurants as many of us have and frankly I think ALL of us should. Working with the public on a daily basis gives you an appreciation like no other. In one of my earliest jobs I worked in a fine jewelry store and all employees were required to greet everyone who came into the store- immediately. At first I thought it was silly and wondered why it had to be immediate. It was later explained to me that it was not only a customer service issue but it was also a security issue. Who'd a thunk?

It got me thinking though... acknowledgement as you enter the threshold of a business is never a bad thing! I started observing how long it took to be greeting, if at all, and it definitely impacted my desire to proceed. In fact, I believe it can make the difference between a sale and not.

How often have you entered a boutique, shopped, found an item to try on and had to search for a sales clerk. Have you ever mistaken another shopper for an employee? I have, oops! Have you ever approached the host stand at a restaurant and then had to flag down a server or busser to find the host? How long have you waited at reception desks in professional offices waiting for the attendant to return? 

These delays in service are actually your business creating unnecessary obstacles for your customers to do business with you and will set a tone for their entire experience. In truth, the experience begins before they hit the front door (a good topic for a future blog) but you can greatly impact the outcome once they have darkened your doorstep. 

Recently, I've been working with a client that has very young front line employees and I've been creating short, easy to consume training modules for the team. 

Here is Bam! 3 Second Rule for Greeting Customers!

3 Seconds to LIFT OFF!

When guests arrive they must be greeted within 3 seconds!

3. Be Watchful! Be expecting customers at all times! 

2. Act FAST! Drop whatever you are doing!

1. Be FRIENDLY! Smiling is always the best greeting! Be warm, be excited to see them, be respectful and be attentive! 

"Hi, Welcome to ____! How may I help you?

There are many distractions and other work that needs to be completed so it's easy to forget why we are there. However, the customer standing before you must always come first. They should be prioritized over the person emailing and phoning because this customer got into their car and drove across town to do business with you. The best way to differentiate your business from your competitors is to offer a better buying experience. The little details like greeting someone when they enter your place of business can be the edge you need in today's highly competitive business-scape. When it's this simple, why wouldn't you?

If you are interested in seeing the other segments of Bam! Training click here! If you would like me to help train your team, click here! If you need other business consulting or marketing consulting or other random suggestions click here!

Thanks for reading and you can always get even more great content on my social media platforms. Give me a follow! 

BE ACTION MINDED!

This is part 2 in my BAM! Training Series that focuses on what to do when problems arise. Which are guaranteed to happen! 

For this training exercise the client wanted a short, high impact way for their front line employees to help solve problems quickly and effectively and to mitigate problems upon initial contact. Keep in mind their front line employees are very young and very early in their career. These are Problem Solving Basics!

3 Simple Steps for Problem Solving

WHEN approached by an unhappy customer (not if, but when)

1. LISTEN!

Really listening is actually a hard task to accomplish, especially when faced with an unhappy customer. Instead of thinking of what you are going to say, listen carefully. Be sure to face the customer, look in their eyes, smile, and wait until they are finished before speaking, then ask for additional information for further clarification. Make sure you really understand the problem.  

"Please tell me more about that."

"Could you elaborate?"

"I'm listening."

"And then what happened?

2. APOLOGIZE & ACKNOWLEDGE! 

While sincerely apologizing for things we didn't do or had any control over doesn't always sit well with us, it will be far better for the customer relationship in the future if you say I'm sorry.  Next, make sure you understand their concern by repeating back to them. 

"I'm so sorry, Sir. Let me make sure I understand what happened."

I'm sorry, Ma'am. Do I understand correctly that _______ happened?

"I apologize that this has happened!"

3. REASSURE & REMEDY!

Customers that bring problems to your attention are actually doing business owners an enormous favor. Most customers don't! They will simply move on. For this reason we should thank the customer for bringing their concern and assure them the problem will be fixed quickly. 

"Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention. We will fix this immediately!"

"I really appreciate you telling me about this. I will find someone to take care of this right away!"

"I'm grateful you said something, now we can fix this for future customers."

BUT, what if a customer is wrong? What if someone is not following the rules? In some cases, you will have to say "no" to a customer, ask them to correct a behavior or deliver bad news. 

Problem Solving! Part 2

How to Deliver Bad News

1. BE POLITE

Politely request their attention. Speak up with a firm voice but do not shout. Smile, face them directly and look at them when you speak. 

"Hi, can I get your attention please?"

"Excuse me, Ma'am."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Sir."

"Pardon for the intrusion."

2. BE FIRM

Be gentle but firm and respect their privacy. If they are in a group ask them to step to a more private area to address the concern. 

"I need to speak to you, Let's step over here."

"Would you mind following me, I need to speak to you."

"Can we have a quick conversation over there?"

3. REMEDY

State the problem calmly and explain the expectations clearly. No need to argue, simply state what is expected and then thank them for complying. 

"We appreciate you coming in today, but we don't allow _____. Please refrain from doing _______ again. Thank you."

"I need to ask you to stop ____ing. Thanks!"

"Please stop doing _____. Thanks!"

Our interactions with the public can lead to life long customers or to an abysmal Yelp review. The good news is that you can control that outcome 99% of the time.  By giving your employees the tools and direction you can create brand ambassadors and repeat customers. 

If you need additional problem solving tips or more industry specific techniques, feel free to contact me HERE. 

I wasn't so fortunate, my first job was as a cashier at a discount department store during their beyond insane new market launch. I would count for you the numerous ways that job sucked but I can't count that high and you don't care anyway.  Where was I?  

Oh yes, BAM!  The Museum's largest challenge was revenue and they had experienced declining revenues for several years which was worrisome for the longevity of this valuable community resource. The board hired a new Executive Director, who in turn hired consultants like me to evaluate, identify and work to solve the problems. In my early research we discovered that the primary source of revenue beyond large donors was their annual membership for families. The problem you ask?

No one was selling them.

Oh yah.... BAM! It's funny, really. And a little sad too. If you don't ask someone to do something, there is an almost 100% probability that they won't do it. On the other hand, if you ask someone to do something, there is a much higher probability that they will actually do it.... Like buying an annual membership to a children's museum! This is what we call low hanging fruit and we immediately go after it with gusto!

One tiny obstacle though.... How do I teach the floor staff of primarily early childhood educators how to "sell"? 

I needed to create a way to keep the message simple yet high impact and also to encapsulate the message in a concise and creative way. It came to me with a BANG! Well, really it was a BAM! 

So what's the message? 

BAM is an acronym.

BAM stands for Be Action Minded!

BAM is where we begin. 

The FIRST and very most important step in my BAM program is to empower the young team. If they don't feel like they are an important part of the organization and that they have the power to move the process forward they will not give their best efforts. Psych 101. 

STEP 1:

It begins with my VIP talk. I stress the importance of their role in the organization in the following ways. 

You are all VIPs!

You are the “face” of the organization!

You are the “first” impression!

You are the “last” impression!

You are the “reason” families buy! 

You are ALL VIP’s!!

It's always important to explain "WHY" to the team so they can better understand the larger picture and take ownership of the success. Here's the why for this organization. 

The primary source of revenue for the museum is selling memberships. 

Every staff member is either selling or renewing a membership with EVERY guest interaction. 

We need everyone to sell memberships everyday!  

STEP 2:

Next we move on to what I call "The Basics". These are the minimum expectations of professionalism. 

First are the "Do's"

Appearance matters 

Be Punctual 

Be Positive 

Be Helpful 

Smile

Next, the "Don'ts"

Don’t be a grump

Don’t curse

Don’t gossip

Don’t hide from your mistakes

Don’t use your phone

STEP 3:

Be Action Minded!!

This is the most critical element of the training. This will help management recognize leadership potential within specific employees and help identify those who are not committed to the process who may benefit from additional training or if necessary, dismissal.  

HOW TO B.A.M.?

Greet every guest every time!

Encourage guests to participate!

Invite guests to play with you!

Talk about the benefits of membership!

Speak up if you see a potential problem!

Offer to help your co-workers!

And finally, 

Have PRIDE! 

The first month after rolling out the BAM program, the museum met the membership sales goal the first time in.... well, no one could remember that last time they had met the goal! They are on track now to make up valuable lost ground in their annual goal for membership sales and are optimistic they can meet their goals for their next fiscal year! BAM! 

________

If you liked this article, please feel free to share it! If your organization could benefit from my talents get in touch HERE! 

I would have paid more, a lot more.  

While being an el-cheapo at heart, I WILL pay the right price for the right value and while I love a freebie, you have to pay to get quality.  

So how does this relate to traditional advertising?  

Several ways actually.  

field of dreams

One of my favorite marketing myths is the adage, "If I build it, they will come."  

Ummm, no they won't.

Seriously.

No.

Never in the history of business has that worked. Never. No one has set up shop, told no one, put up no signs, bought no ads and was successful. No one.  

When that conversation happens, I will usually assume they mean they believe in the power of referral marketing and the ripple effect.  

Now the ripple effect is something I DO wholeheartedly believe in.   But, where does the ripple begin? 

9 times out of 10 word of mouth and referral marketing begins with some form of traditional advertising.  A sign on the door, an ad in media, a direct mailing to nearby homes or business, a printed business card.  Those are all forms of traditional advertising.  

But in the world of FREE social media and dreams of "going VIRAL", should you buy advertising?   Here are 6 of the top reasons.  

Traditional paid advertising in its simplest form are broken into two types of ads.  (You can make this topic much more complicated but today's blog is all about keepin' it simple!)  

Ads that tell your brand story and ads that promote a specific product or service.  

Can you name the logo below?  Does anyone call it "Facial Tissue"?  

Let's take a peak at the types of media we are going to discuss today and the top level pro's and con's for each.  

Each type of media has it's strengths and weaknesses and your marketing goals will dictate the campaign content and ad placement.  Here are 4 steps to aid in that process.  

And finally, after a LOT of years of doing this.  I've compiled a list of some of my favorite industry secrets and tricks to getting the best dealio possible... and you KNOW how I love a good deal!  

There is a time and place for traditional advertising and the best part is you can still have free, viral and DIY in the mix.  Something about cake and eating it, or better yet, Via Spiga and wearing them!  ~J

As always, I'd LOVE to help you build your marketing strategy!  You can sign up for my newsletter HERE to get my content first, you can contact me HERE to get immediate help or you can follow me on social media for my daily musings and content I dig up from other awesome marketing experts to share with you fine folks. Just click on any of the colorful buttons on the bottom!  

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]]>Traditional Advertising Ain't Dead Yet! How and When to Buy AdsadvertisingMarketingeventssalesJanet JorgensenWed, 29 Jul 2015 12:30:00 +0000https://www.janetjorgensen.com/blog/are-trade-shows-marketing-money-well-spent-yes-if-done-correctly/2015/7/1253f37b24e4b0514b8e62e6e9:53f39efae4b03fd9c3212750:55a2d11ae4b04267aaf21f66

Verifiable return on investment at trade shows doesn't have to be an unattainable dream.  It is possible to create a system to track and manage all aspects of your trade show marketing strategy and budget and to assess the merits of trade shows for targeted marketing and lead sourcing.  

Quit laughing, I'm serious!

While nothing I say here will make up for the hard concrete floors, inadequate air conditioning, poor hygiene of your neighboring booth-mates, or the greasy ill-tasting concessions, with these tips and strategies I can make sure your trade shows suck a little less!  

Target Market 

Targeting the most profitable market segment can be elusive in b2b marketing strategies because most sales efforts are done by outbound calling one at a time.  While extremely effective it can also be extremely time consuming and if travel is required can be cost prohibitive.  BUT wouldn't it be great if someone threw a party and conveniently gathered up all your best prospective clients into one large room?   Trade shows offer the opportunity to network to a large gathering of industry specific professionals in an environment where they will be receptive and open to new information and opportunities.  

Show Selection

The trade show selection process can seem daunting and if done incorrectly can cost 10's of thousands of dollars.   When researching shows to consider,  check out professional associations, organizations or societies as well as trade groups and educational organizations within your industry.  Taking the time to properly research each trade show's audience, traffic and the other exhibitors will give you a clear idea of who attends, who exhibits and what kind of traffic you can expect to see pass by your booth.  BUT should you exhibit or should you walk the show?  

Quick Tip:  If your prospective customers are exhibiting you should NOT exhibit.  The show is intended for your customer's customers.  Instead you should plan to walk the show to visit your prospects at their booth.  

If you see competitors on the exhibitor list that would be a good indicator for you that it is worth looking into with more depth.  You want to exhibit at the trade shows that your prospective clients will be walking through seeking information and solutions.  Every decision should be made with that in mind.  What will my target customer be looking for and what can I do to engage with them quickly, easily and effectively.  

Budget 

As much as we would all like unlimited marketing budgets that just isn't reality.  Dag-nab-it!  Budgeting is necessary to begin the process of calculating return on investment.   Once you've identified a few shows you'd like to consider you need to establish a realistic budget.  The first time I did this I had complete STICKER SHOCK at what things actually cost. I soon realized that by careful planning and cost comparison you CAN and WILL meet your budget and still have the outcome you desire.

 For about a half a second I considered going into the exhibitor services industry for the FAT wallets I imagine they must enjoy but my sanity returned!

  Size of Booth 

Most trade shows (in the US) offer booths in increments of 10' (feet) with the smallest typically being 10' x 10'.  The pricing is determined by the square footage so a 10x10 booth = 100 square feet.  If a show is charging $45 per square foot the 10x10 will cost $4500 for literally just the space on the exhibit floor, nothing else.  You can go up to 10'x20' or 10'x30' but some of the most impressive booths I've seen are "island" booths and costs can go up to the 100's of thousands.  They are open on all sides and are usually front and center at the big shows.  Prices across various industries will vary widely, the pricing I'm using as an example is a common price per foot in the medical industry.  This is where research will pay off.  Most trade shows have websites with their prospectus so you can review pricing in advance of committing.  I recently booked a 10'x10' booth for a client for only $850 and felt like I'd won the lottery!  

Floor Location 

Similar to site selection for locating your business within your market, the location of your booth will greatly impact the success.  As with retail, you want to be front and center!  Consider points of entry and exit, gathering spaces, convention services locations like concessions and restrooms and the natural traffic flows.  Outer corners tend to be less traveled as is the very back of the exhibit hall.  Often, the "better" shows will have their stages and seminars located in the less desirable areas to help booth traffic flow in those areas.  By reserving EARLY, you get to pick better locations so it pays huge dividends to plan ahead.  

Booth Design

This is my favorite part of the trade show marketing strategy but this can be overwhelming to those who don't absolutely love design.  Most companies who intend to participate in trade shows regularly are best served by hiring a booth designer to assist in developing the best booth for their industry and company.  Your booth needs to be functional, offer enough signage space to convey your messaging, offer enough display space to effectively showcase your products (if any) and also offer a space conducive to your staff and client needs.  Do you need shelving?  Literature racks?  Multimedia monitors or screens?  Closed cases that lock?  Seating for client meetings?  Make a list of what you'd like to see in your booth, google images to see what styles appeal, and present all of your wish list to your designer.  

Quick tip:  If you have product samples to showcase, consider showcasing them vertically instead of laying them down on a table!  You can purchase stands with up-lights to make your samples sparkle like jewelry.  You know, if they aren't actual jewelry!

Booth Messaging  

"Ummm, what do you do?"  Is NOT something people walking past your booth should be asking!  Consider how people view your booth; Top to bottom, left to right.  Your messaging should be large enough to read from a good distance, have enough color contrast to make it easily readable and be in an easy to skim font.... God loves garamond!  

Additionally, your messaging should follow a logical hierarchy, with your all encompassing message being first and your benefits following.  Too much text will kill your impact and large high resolution images can be an important component of your messaging!  

i.e. Janet's Awesome Clothing Shop!

Where awesome people come to look even more awesome. 

Our awesome clothing will make you taller, thinner and smarter!  

Staff Engagement 

I may be an awful person but if booth staff is sloppily dressed and are engrossed in their phones or computers, I figure they don't want to sell me anything and I keep walkin'!  Booth staff MUST be neat and clean and engage with attendees, get out from behind the counter and great people as they walk by!  Offer literature, samples, premiums or candy to start conversations.  Greet people by name as they approach (most attendees wear name badges with crucial information printed right there for you). Put on your best and biggest smile and pretend everyone there has been eagerly anticipating learning about your widget!  

Booth Merchandising 

If you are selling products from within your booth your booth needs to function as a mini store, if you are sampling products your booth will need to function as a showroom.  Seems obvious but let's consider the differences:  

Retail stores need to be able to get product into the consumers hands and complete the transaction quickly.  They also need to maintain additional product inventory and plan for restocking.  

Showrooms exhibit the product but do not need to maintain inventory beyond the sample and do not need to accommodate monetary transactions.  There will be more in depth conversation with booth attendees and literature or brochures will likely be handed out.  

Booth Engagement

At a show I attended recently there was a large booth with several women in LBD's wearing neon pink wigs.  WOW!  We joked about the "booth babes" but I'll be damned if I can remember what that booth was selling!  While they got a lot of attention, that would be a booth failure on their part.  Another booth at the same show had a really tall  and funky metal robot sculpture as part of their booth and guess what, they do custom metalwork.  THAT booth had the right idea!  Other great booths had interactive displays and some even gave away really cool prizes.  I'm a sucker for a good giveaway.  

Your booth needs to draw people in but for the right reasons!  Your "get attention" tactics need to relate back to your product or service.  Video, lights, motion and sound are great attention getters as are large high quality photographs and well displayed samples.  You can also lure people in by offering free WiFi or offering phone charging stations.  Or a place to sit, seriously, if you've ever walked a 100k foot exhibit hall, a comfy chair would win me over every time!  Damn these heals!  

Show Marketing

You can have the best booth in the best spot with the best stuff but if you haven't marketed yourself you will miss out on company exposure that could make it or break it for the show's ROI.  The best strategy is to be consistent and to market before, during and after the show.  

Pre-show marketing is the opportunity to tell your best prospects and current clients that you will be exhibiting at the show and they should plan to stop by and see your newest products or services.  Promote your upcoming shows on your website, your social media, your industry advertising and even your email signature!  

At-show marketing can be an extremely effective way to get access to your prospective clients.  Most shows offer sponsorship opportunities that you can use to expand your brands messaging beyond your booth boundaries.  Consider sponsoring a trade show event like a networking social or a seminar on a relevant topic.  Also, continue to promote to your own audience while you are the show using social media and email marketing.  You will also want to include in this category your sales literature and any items you give away.  

Post-show marketing is a great method for keeping your brand in the forefront of attendees minds by reminding them of your product offerings and continuing the conversation with prospects after the show.  Be sure to thank attendees for visiting your booth and send out follow up offers or discounts.  

Lead Tracking

Lead tracking can be the nemesis of many a booth exhibitor.  If you ever struggled with a badge scanner that wouldn't scan or scanned badges only to find out they took another persons spot at the last minute you know the struggle is real.  It is a necessary evil and the better your staff is at engaging attendees the better your lead tracking can be accomplished.  Badge scanners can be helpful, having a lead tracking form that your staff uses to capture attendee information is also very helpful.  I've even seen exhibitors photograph the attendees (with permission) to aid in lead tracking.  

Once you have the lead's information you will then enter it into your CRM (customer relationship management) system.  Even if that system is a simple spreadsheet, you need to capture all the information in one place so you can track the leads through the sales pipeline to a completed sale for the sake of calculating return on investment.  I've always suggested having one staff person responsible, they gather up the cards, they manage the information scanned in and they compile one lead list for each show.  

All leads should be contacted by their assigned sales person within 24 hours of the show.  I. am. not. kidding.  24 hours max!

Hidden Costs

Most trade shows charge exhibitors for every little thing.  Trash cans can cost up to $75 and you don't even get to keep it.  Things to be aware of that can add tremendously to your booth expenses; carpeting and pad (yes, you want the padding!), electricity for your lights,  monitors and to charge your laptop and phone, exhibit and furniture rentals, waste removal, booth cleaning services like vacuuming, booth graphics on rental booths, freight and labor charges for shipping your exhibit to the show, labor charges for moving your exhibit on and off the exhibit floor, warehousing charges for storing your exhibit, crating and labor to assemble or disassemble your exhibits, lead tracking systems, advertising, event sponsorship, signage and so on and so on and so on...   

Pitfalls

As with any marketing  vehicle there are potential pitfalls.  Selecting the wrong shows, poor attendance, not having what you need, staff performance and competition can all negatively impact your show performance, however, learn from your mistakes.  All marketing avenues run the risk of under-performing and trade shows run the same risk.  By taking the time to plan in advance and be thorough in your strategy your will avoid the pitfalls.  You know what?  Sometimes, shit happens and you just gotta role with it.  Take the lesson and move forward with the knowledge gained.  

Post Show Assessment

A week or so after the show gather up your staff and have a debriefing.  What worked?  What didn't work?  Also get updates on lead activity, finalize the show expenses and  proceed with your post show marketing and lead nurturing sequences.  

Update your post show assessment every 30 days and be sure to track any sales resulting from contact at the show.  Without that data you can't calculate ROI and that's the entire point to this rather long and loquacious article.   What helpful tips can you add?  

If you would like my help in developing your customized trade show strategy, contact me here!  

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]]>Are Trade Shows Marketing Money Well Spent? YES, If Done Correctly!advertisingMarketingpublishingJanet JorgensenThu, 25 Jun 2015 20:57:13 +0000https://www.janetjorgensen.com/blog/color-theory-and-why-you-should-care/2015/6/2553f37b24e4b0514b8e62e6e9:53f39efae4b03fd9c3212750:558c5403e4b0bed359258dd1A couple of months ago, I was working with a client that was considering a re-brand of their company identity. They were struggling to look like they were a serious contender in a world of much more polished and professional looking competitors. They were struggling to convey the right corporate image and to give the correct first impression to potential customers. After a thorough assessment period wherein I evaluated all of their past and present marketing, their corporate reputation and global identity, I recommended a drastic rebranding because they needed to start fresh!  New messaging, New logo, New website, New EVERYTHING!  Talk about FUN!  Okay, maybe not fun but absolutely necessary.  

A lot goes into rebranding and the first step is being able to articulate in your marketing strategy who you are as a company and where you want the business to go.   Seems simple enough, eh?   This was a major stumbling block for the aforementioned company but within your organization I'm confident you already know this so we'll move on to the second step which is the color theory for the rebranding process.  

Color Evokes Emotion:

Large corporations with major brands and major branding budgets have known this for years but it can be incredibly helpful for launching a new brand or even for a small brand looking long term to take into consideration the emotional connection consumers have with color.  For example bright colors can offer strong impact while muted tones can offer sophistication and scrutinizing the logos in our daily lives can help in the color selection process for our own businesses. Consider how you react to colors within yourself.    

Here is an infographic from Logo Company that I found really helpful in explaining the connection between color to emotion.  

You can see above there are many brands we are familiar with and interact with on a daily basis.  Lots of our food brands contain red in their logos because it's high impact and make us hungry.  Blue, any shade of blue, offers a feeling of quality and dependability, silver, gold or shades of grey are luxurious, orange and yellow make us happy and multiple colors combine for impact and emotional connectivity!  

While your company may not be McDonald's or Apple yet, you still should give this thoughtful consideration.  Let's start by identifying two or three emotions you would like your brand to evoke.   Then rank those in order of importance to the consumer at the time they are making a buying decision.  Congratulations, you've just made your preliminary corporate color palette!  

If you are an international company color can have implications that are different than your own beliefs.  While white might mean purity to USA businesses, it is the color of mourning in several cultures.   Red can be exciting and highly impactful but it can also signal danger!   Here is another helpful infographic from Information is Beautiful that can be a helping guide to colors among various cultures.  

For additional suggestions or help in developing your color palette contact me here!  Please connect with me on social media to say hello and if you like my content, please consider sharing it!  

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]]>Color Theory and Why You Should Care!MarketingadvertisingpublishingsaleseventsJanet JorgensenSat, 21 Mar 2015 17:50:35 +0000https://www.janetjorgensen.com/blog/gettin-real-about-roi/2015/3/2153f37b24e4b0514b8e62e6e9:53f39efae4b03fd9c3212750:550d9d26e4b0c3aa90da4992If I took a poll of 100 small business owners and simply asked if they knew what their ROI (return on investment) was for just one of their marketing efforts, I would estimate only 1 or 2 would know the real numbers.  

Say WHAT??

Before you judge them (or me) let's talk about why that is happening.  

First, there is a lot more that goes into calculating ROI than just the cost of the media placement.  Let's think about that for just a moment.  

• How much time did it take you?  How much do you pay yourself?  Time x Hours = Expense
• How much time did it take your staff?  How much do you pay your staff?  Time x Hours = Expense
• What existing infrastructure was used for this?  What did that cost to create?  What does it cost to maintain?  Infrastructure cost total / Amount used = Expense
• What follow up costs will there be after the marketing effort begins?  What does your tracking system cost in staff time and your time?  Time x hours = Expense

Take all your ancillary expenses, even those I didn't list above,  then ADD THE ACTUAL MARKETING COST and that is your total.  Now divide that number by the number of leads that marketing effort generated to get your Cost Per Lead (CPL).  

Oh wait, you ARE TRACKING this right?  

RIGHT?  

If not, let's quickly go over two relatively easy ways to track.  

1. Aided tracking:  Ask any incoming calls, emails, or foot traffic if they saw your marketing messages in any / or all of the following ways and give them the list to pick from.  They can pick more than one.  " Did you see my ad here or here or here?"
2. Unaided tracking:  If you don't want to prolong the discussion or need that kind of accuracy you can simply ask, "To improve my marketing efforts, could you please tell me how you heard about my business?"

This means the second issue with calculating ROI is the lack of calculable data.  If you don't track ALL of your traffic you are operating without critical information!  That ain't good!

One caution, web traffic is nicely trackable but only to a certain degree!  Much like the phone book got credit for all other media in the 80's, Google gets credit for being the top referrer today.  The message of your business to your prospective customer began in all likelihood long before they Google searched.  So while having your ranking high in Google is important (SEO/SEM) is a conversation for another day), it is equally important that you don't limit your messaging.  

Once you know what the REAL COST of marketing is, you can calculate your cost per lead (CPL).  

But it doesn't end here....  

Nope.  This is really just the beginning!

Now that we know what our CPL is, we need to calculate what a customer is worth to us in actual dollars.  Looking at your sales records, what is your average sale amount?  If you get repeat sales how often do they repeat?  Average sale $ x # of repeats = Value of a customer.

We can now compare our cots per lead vs the value of our customer....  

This can be a sad moment for some business owners.  

It's okay....

Just let it all out...

That's why you are here today reading this article.  

Once you've admitted you have a problem, the next step is recovery.

 If your cost per lead is more than your cost per customer.  STOP!  Stop doing whatever it is you are doing.  You are on a bad, very bad, no good can come from this, path.  If this is you, stop reading and contact me for immediate help.  

It goes without saying that now is the time to reevaluate your marketing efforts as well as your sales conversion efforts.  You need to start the following two-fold action plan today.  

1. Reduce your cost per lead. 
2. Increase the value of a customer.  

If, after calculating all the numbers, your cost per lead is less than the value of a customer you are doing better than most!  YEAH YOU!  But let's not settle, it can always be improved.  

Your marketing efforts MUST remain fluid and evolving.  This is not a set it once and forget it aspect of business.  Your customers will be consuming media differently all the time.  New things pop up frequently and just as quickly things may devolve into obscurity.  Understanding how, where and when your ideal customers are using media will help you craft and curate your messaging for best ROI potential.  

If you like this post, please feel free to share it!  Also, if you'd like to get my new content delivered right to your inbox, please sign up below.  

XOXO

Janet 

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]]>Gettin' Real About ROIJanet JorgensenMon, 23 Feb 2015 00:30:22 +0000https://www.janetjorgensen.com/blog/ask-for-help-or-read-the-instructions/2015/2/1753f37b24e4b0514b8e62e6e9:53f39efae4b03fd9c3212750:54e41e07e4b0004c77592033Admit it!  You've tried to short cut the assembly of cheap but awesomely designed Swedish furniture by dumping out all the various parts and pieces and just going for it.  

And then. 

You  had to take  it all apart and start over.  

Right?

RIGHT!?

...yup, that's what I thought.  

We've ALL done it!   I've done it. More. than. once.  (I'm a wee bit slow on the uptake)

So, what did you gain?  Did it save you time?  Did it save you effort?  

Well?   

(crickets chirping)

Since you all just got eerily quiet, I'll volunteer to answer the question.  I gained nothing.  Nada.  In fact, it took WAY more time and effort to NOT get clear direction prior to beginning.  

Why must we learn the hard way?  

In truth, we don't  have to learn the hard way.  We choose to learn the hard way because we are afraid to ask for help or to find the resources we need.  Sometimes these lessons learned the hard way can be catastrophic.    So to help, I've compiled a list of business lessons to NOT learn the hard way.  

1. Specialize:  Do one thing well and focus on that.  If you can't do it well, don't do it.  
2. You can't do it alone:  Build a trusted and reliable team to support your business focus and you can ask for help. 
3. Get customer feedback: If you ask your customers and prospective customers what they would like, they will tell you!  Consider market needs when developing your business.  
4. Find a mentor:  Find someone within your industry that has the knowledge and experience you seek and create in them an ally, educator and cheer leader.  
5. Be fair in pricing:  Too cheap isn't sustainable, too expensive isn't sustainable.  Do your market research and create a fair pricing structure.  
6. Get paid:  It isn't a sale if you don't get paid.  Get at least some of the money up front.  
7. Learn:  Make a commitment to life long learning.  Read in your sector, read about other business sectors, trend spot, learn something new often.  
8. Admit when you're wrong:  You can save a business deal much easier by admitting the error than by insisting you are right and they are wrong.  Take the high road.  
9. Save for a rainy day:  The rain will come.  Usually when you least expect it and are the least prepared.  Be prepared even if it isn't currently raining and there isn't a cloud in sight. 
10. Be grateful:  Take care of those who take care of you and show gratitude in all business dealings.  

But wait, there's more!  There are some things we NEED to learn the hard way and while it may be wise to follow a map, read the instructions or ask our wise mentors.... sometimes you need to experience things first hand for the lesson to be real and lasting.  Here's a list of things you SHOULD learn the hard way.  

1. Don't try to please everyone.  It's impossible to please everyone and some people will give you terrible advice.    Consider, then disregard. 
2. Don't care so much what others think of you.  What someone else thinks of you is none of your business.  If you are making decisions based on outside approval, rethink that strategy and reevaluate.  
3. Take risks.  Yes, sometimes you will fail.  Great risk offers great reward.  Lack of risk means regret.  
4. Work hard.  You are not going to have success unless you really work for it.  Right about the time you are ready to give up, remember this and stay committed.  
5. Throw out the map. No one is like you, no one has done it how you would do it.  Consider their advice and then go blaze your own path.  Draw your own road map to success.  

What lessons have you learned the hard way?  What advice could you offer?  

But before you go!  If you'd like to get these blog updates in your email, sign up!  

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]]>Ask for Help OR Read the !@#$ Instructions!MarketingadvertisingpublishingJanet JorgensenTue, 10 Feb 2015 22:38:33 +0000https://www.janetjorgensen.com/blog/facebook-marketing-tips-for-lovers/2015/2/1053f37b24e4b0514b8e62e6e9:53f39efae4b03fd9c3212750:54da6b15e4b0e9733e13a1c1This might be an inappropriate thing to say but I LOVE FACEBOOK!    I like Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and LinkedIn but that's just infatuation.... sometimes lust (hello ello!)... but never TRUE LOVE.

It was my FIRST TIME doing it.    Ya' know.... Shhhh! 

It was new!

It was exhilarating! 

It was even a smidgen naughty!  

......My first time on social media!!   

Ewwww!  What did you think was talking about?  

Back in '08, I was a social media virgin and I was eager yet nervous about the online world.  I worried that my privacy would be lost, that my safety could be compromised and that I would do it wrong!  AND NOW... I'm insatiable! 

I LOVE that Facebook lets me stay in touch with old friends, I LOVE that Facebook lets me follow cool brands, I LOVE that I can enter contests and I LOVE that I can get news from multiple sources!  (icymi, I'm a news junky)  

BUT....

There's always a but....  

I also see how people can abuse it and even perhaps unintentionally create problems for themselves personally as well as professionally by not using the platform in the proper way.  

As a service to LOVERS of Facebook everywhere, here are my tips to using Facebook.  

 "3 P's: Privacy, Permission, and Politics" for personal use of Facebook

1. Privacy:  For your own safety and as service to your family and your friends, set your profile to private and have your default setting on your posts set to post only so friends can see your posts.  
2. Permission:  If you are posting about other people, only do so with their permission.  Even if you think that behind the shower curtain photo is hilarious, chances are they don't!  
3. Politics:  In general, it's wise to not post inflammatory content and in particular political posts, religious doctrines or posts of polarizing topics can lead to unintended consequences both online and in real life.   

For Pro's, business owners and those managing business pages  

• The 3 P's apply here too so refer to the first list!
• Stay on topic.  If you have a page related to your business, it is best practice to keep your content professional and relevant to your business.  Personal posts should be on your personal page only.  
• Promote within the rules.  Facebook has a long list of rules on how to promote products, events and contests on their site.  Read them, know them and follow them.  
• Post frequently.  Organic reach on Facebook is all but gone away now and only a handful of your audience will actually see your posts.  In order to grow your organic reach you need to engage your audience with every post and in order to engage your audience you should be posting several times per day.  Ask readers of your posts to help spread the love for you.  When Facebook sees this happen it will expand the audience size for that particular post.  
• Use Insights.  Facebook offers great reporting and analytics so you can see who makes up your audience, what posts they are seeing, when they are online and in turn that information will allow you to customize your posts to your ideal demographic and also the best time of day to reach them.
• Use Graph Search.  This is a great way to find resources, competitors, media and potential clients.  
• Use Targeting.  You can customize who gets your posts by location and language.  If you are paying to promote your page or posts, you can also target your messaging to specific demographics, interests and buying habits to give you the best possible return on investment for ad dollars spent.  

As my infatuation grows for other social media platforms, I'll put together some tips and tricks for those too!  XOXO  If you find this post or any of my posts helpful, useful or simply entertaining please feel free to like, comment and/or share the love!  

If you'd like to get email updates, sign up here!  

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]]>Facebook Marketing Tips for Lovers!advertisingMarketingpublishingeventssalesJanet JorgensenSat, 07 Feb 2015 18:07:13 +0000https://www.janetjorgensen.com/blog/what-the-is-ux-you-could-be-using-it-everyday/2015/2/753f37b24e4b0514b8e62e6e9:53f39efae4b03fd9c3212750:54d6414fe4b0701606fba4feMany of you are  probably one of these too, but I am a voracious reader of industry info, business tips, marketing articles,  trend-spotting feeds and.... a whole lot of trashy internet crap.

 I confess!  I'm a news junky and it's not always BBC or NPR!

Did you know Kim K CUT HER HAIR?  OMG!  

I'm totally kidding, I really don't care about her  hair (only my own, especially after this happened!) but it did come up on my news feed about a bazillion times yesterday and somehow Kim Kardashian's sultry pout and shattered bob got me thinking about UX and how we as consumers and business owners are using it nearly everyday.  If not, we should be!  Here's why.  

First, what the hell is UX?  In simplest terms it is how you as a consumer (User) eXperiences the business and as a business, it is how your consumers are experiencing your brand. It is the intersection of buyers and sellers, that special moment when a consumers' needs meets a sellers' product.  And BOOM!  

For example, it could be how a consumer (i.e. a news junky like me)  interacts with your app or website for news about Kim K's haircut or it could be how a consumer experiences your physical product, i.e. the shears the hairstylist used to cut the now infamous new hairstyle.  I realized these are silly examples but bear with me....

As business owners (and/or UX designers) we need to curate the brand experience to create that special moment.  Keep in the mind the needs of your particular business and products PLUS the needs of your most ideal customers.  Here's how:

• Who (demographic profiles of your users)
• What (meet the need, whatever that might be)
• Where (where are your users?)
• How (How are you reaching them?)
• Why (Why your product? How will you differentiate yourself?)

The process should begin BEFORE you even create your first product, (seriously!) it should continue throughout the bringing it to market process, and NOT END once the purchase is made, it MUST continue through the life-cycle of the product.  Keeping those key elements in mind during every stage of product development, marketing, through the sales pipelines and after the sale will create a UX that will result in business growth and consumer satisfaction.   

I'd love to hear from you, What do you see as the most important element of UX in your business?  What is your UX process?  

Before you go.....  If you'd like to get my updates in your email inbox, sign up below!  XO

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]]>What the !@#$ is UX? You could be using it everyday!advertisingMarketingpublishingJanet JorgensenMon, 26 Jan 2015 13:55:00 +0000https://www.janetjorgensen.com/blog/what-my-french-maid-brigitte-taught-me-about-scheduling/2015/1/2253f37b24e4b0514b8e62e6e9:53f39efae4b03fd9c3212750:54c12c74e4b03df34208ad9cMeet Brigitte. 

I know!  

She doesn't look French at all!   

In an earlier post here,  I mentioned that I love to nickname people and apparently that extends to robotic vacuums too.  

Brigitte came to us via Amazon.com a few years ago and has quickly become a valued and indispensable member of our family.  We cater to Brigitte like we would anyone in the household.  We pick up socks so she doesn't choke, we tuck cords so she doesn't get stuck and we set her free when she gets high centered on air grates.  We also have her programmed to start each morning at 7:20 am on-the-dot with the exception of Saturday.  

On weekdays, we need to leave the house to get Lil Red to school "on time" by 7:30 am..... Brigitte serves a very important morning-time service of gently reminding Lil Red that she needs to finish getting ready.  When Lil Red hears Brigitte start, she knows she needs to gather up her backpack and head to the car.  Mornings had been rough* prior to Brigitte...  

*Rough = The Dark Side of Hell

BUT now, Brigitte replaces what was snarly and mean with her cheery little beep-beep-beep followed by her industrious whirring noise as she happily bumps along picking up last night's dinner crumbs.  This SAVES mom from being the nag and if you have a teenager you know how vital this can be in keeping world peace, I mean, household peace.  She also keeps the floors looking pretty good in between deep cleanings!  Yeah Brigitte!  

As you might imagine, this got me thinking about scheduling and automation and what else I could do to make my hectic schedule ever so slightly less hectic.  My good friend, Cody Redmond over at Custom Code, Inc., who specializes in home automation, tells me that you can literally have a house smarter than you!  It can turn lights on and off, turn heating and air on and off, arm and disarm alarms, turn on your shower in the morning to the perfect temperature, run full audio/visual in every room and integrate all of those things into one system AND THEN make you a cup of really good coffee!  Ahh, the good life!  ...perhaps someday.

Until then, I'll focus these dreams on my business and in turn, on yours.  Surprisingly, or not, automating your marketing is relatively easy to do.  

Don't groan... It's not just "easy for me" because I do it all the time!

 It is something you can do too!  

Promise. 

Here's how:

• Consider scheduling your social media posts to post while you are on vacation or out doing other work. I currently use www.bufferapp.com and have one hundred posts pre-scheduled on each of my five platforms but there are many options for this service.
• Consider using an email client for email marketing advance scheduling.  I use www.mailchimp.com to send out an email within 24 hours of new online content, but there are many to choose from!  
• Consider scheduling blog posts in advance.  I use www.squarespace.com which offers blog content scheduling and auto-feed to social media or I can load the link to buffer.  
• Customize your posts for the platform.  Twitter=140 characters but Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and others all vary in size and style. 
• Review your analytics frequently to see which posts are getting the most attention and adjust accordingly.  What is your best content?  What time did you post it?  Who is your target audience?  

See?  Not so hard!  And in all seriousness, if I can do this, YOU CAN DO THIS!  

I'm considering adding a second shift for Brigitte in the evenings but it would involve crème brûlée and Veuve Clicquot...   

Before you go, if you'd like to get that aforementioned email, please complete this form.  If you don't want to take this on yourself and might want me to do it for you contact me here!  

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]]>What my French Maid, Brigitte, Taught Me About Scheduling AutomationadvertisingeventsMarketingpublishingsalesJanet JorgensenWed, 21 Jan 2015 17:11:59 +0000https://www.janetjorgensen.com/blog/retraining-old-dogs-with-new-tricks-yes-i-mean-you/2015/1/2153f37b24e4b0514b8e62e6e9:53f39efae4b03fd9c3212750:54bfc75be4b08839cc013aa8

My goal this past long weekend was to retrain Baxter Bug Royal on the leash....  Baxter is my little warrior prince, a West Highland White terror, err, I mean Terrier.  He's a small dog who doesn't know he's small.  Luckily for all of us he's all bark, no bite and once you are on his side of the fence he rolls onto his back for belly scratches.  

Because we have a good sized yard and he has his usual run pattern, daily walks have not been necessary to keep him in good doggy shape.  Needless to say all of our early leash training was lost and replaced instead with Lil Red's training to get him to pull her on her skateboard, scooter or roller skates.  Much like a sled dog.... only much smaller!   While this is awesome if you are a 9 year old girl on wheels, it's not so much fun when you are, let's say, older than 9 and don't want your arm yanked out of your shoulder.    With close proximity to a lovely river walk parkway I thought that would be a good place to work on retraining.  

Here's how it went....

Day 1:  Holy Hell!  I think the dog is going to choke himself to death on his collar from pulling so hard!  AND my left arm is kinda sore!  Damn dog!

Day 2: I'm pretty sure that gasping, wheezing noise isn't good for him OR ME!  And even the cyclists on the parkway are giving me withering looks.  Switching to the right arm....

Day 3:  Started out better.... much less pulling, seems happy to trot along side me with some slack in the leash!  Yeah!  BUT then he spotted something (furry woodland creature?) in the weeds down by the water.  I'm REALLY glad there were no cyclists going past us at that exact moment, that would have been UGLY for everyone.  Damn Dog! 

Day 4:  I've got a humdinger of a kink in my neck, how did I do that?  Started out better.... didn't give him quite as much slack in the leash as to avoid whiplash today.  And..... I'd say we have PROGRESS!  No gasping, no wheezing, no lunging at wild life, no lunging at non wild life.... Dare I hope we've crossed a hurdle?  

He's an old (ish) dog at seven which is middle age for a dog and he's learning, albeit slowly, something new!  

That gave me hope!  

I'm an old (ish) dog too! What does that mean for me and other old (ish) dogs like you?

I'd say that means we can learn new tricks too!  

Seriously!  

Okay, let me ask you this.  

• Have you learned anything new since college?  Duh, Janet, of course!
• Have you learned anything new since you started your current job or started your recent business? Oh yah!  Those first few months were a steep learning curve!
•  Did you willingly learn or was it forced upon you?  Ummm, do I have to answer?
• Is there anything you feel like you should know more about but haven't yet taken the next step? Can I plead the fifth?

With the marketing landscape changing so rapidly,with social media, website optimization, paid online ads, paid off line ads, and so many other choices of marketing strategy, how can an old dog learn the new tricks?  The new tricks that are becoming so NECESSARY to stay relevant in a constantly shifting business climate?  

Willingness to learn is a major hurdle for many.  I call it being "coach-able" and use that term frequently with Lil Red, especially at basketball practice... with seven other stubborn teenagers... three times a week...

Being coach-able means that our mind is open to the idea that we don't already know everything we need to know.  It is open to the possibility of learning a new methodology.  It is recognizing we don't have all the answers.  It is willingness to retrain 'da brain!  

I'll give you an example.  

My background is in print magazine advertising.  

I know!  

I used to hear all the time how "Print is dead!" and I agreed.  

Say what?!  

Yes, print advertising IS dead, and with it all traditional marketing, if you are doing it the same way you did it 20, 10 or even 5 years ago.  However, print doesn't have to be dead if you embrace the new ways!  i.e. Digital versions of print products, embedded mixed media, niche (targeted) publications with supporting websites, print on apps, etc.  Those in the print (or any) industry not actively evolving, growing and learning are the ones rapidly going out of business and if you are aligned with them, get out now.  It's time.  

But if you are an old dog willing to learn, the huge upside to all of this is that all of those years of experience give you a tremendous advantage over the young dogs.  You can take those basic tenants of truth from the "old way" and incorporate those into the "new way".   For an even better way!  That's the truth, Dawg!  

One thing I forgot to mention earlier, my old (ish) but sweet as pie little dog actually trained me on how best to manage him on the leash.  Give Baxter some slack, let him sniff and distract him with vigorous ear scratches so he doesn't notice the ducks in the pond until we are safely past them.  

Until next time, if you'd like to stay in touch please sign up for my updates below and if you need "coaching" contact me here!  

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]]>Retraining Old Dogs with New Tricks! Yes, I mean you!advertisingeventsMarketingpublishingsalesJanet JorgensenFri, 16 Jan 2015 13:00:00 +0000https://www.janetjorgensen.com/blog/when-vendors-disappoint-dont-panic-or-do-and-then-write-a-blog-about-it/2015/1/1453f37b24e4b0514b8e62e6e9:53f39efae4b03fd9c3212750:54b6f4c8e4b013117df5e79bWhen I was younger I was...

well let's say.....

 a smidgen VAIN.

BUT in a down-to-earth, sometimes tom boy way!  All right, if I'm going to be completely honest, I was quite vain. I loved wearing cool trendy clothes, funky not entirely practical shoes, I hated my ugly orange car so I made everyone else drive and I had awesome hair.  

Long, luxurious dark blonde locks with just the perfect amount of sun kissed highlights. Highlights, I (or paid professionals) slaved over.... lemon juice, highlighting sprays, foiled and even hand painted to catch the light just so.  A crowing glory!  

But then, Lil Red happened and life got REAL, really fast, if you know what I'm sayin'!  Single mom, working full time in media sales with a baby.... needless to say, my vanity left the building... at light speed!

Don't misunderstand, I still WANT to dress cool, I still WANT to run with the cool kids but lifestyle changes over the past umpteen years have resulted in a rather boring and mostly black wardrobe, comfortable shoes and a really effin' awesome luxury car!  Yup, at least I have a nice car now.  And my hair!  I've always had good hair.  That is, until last Tuesday when this happened.  

I had won a cut and color from one of the many networking events I attend and saved it for the New Year.  I have a usual gal, but I haven't been able to afford to go to her since losing my job and starting this venture, so this was a HUGE treat and I was super excited!  I asked for subtle, fine highlights and face framing layers.  She quickly lopped off several inches of hair and foiled me up.  It was right after she rinsed the color off my hair while I was still dripping wet in the chair, when she cut a deep gash into her finger.  So deep, it wouldn't stop bleeding.  

She couldn't continue.  

She handed me a comb, a hair dryer and told me she'd call me as she fled the salon with her hand wrapped in paper towels.  

At first I thought someone else in the salon would come help.  Nope.  

Then I thought the owner of the salon would step in.  Nope.  

So, I left.  

I went home, dried my hair, took the above photo, panicked a lot and called my friends for moral support.  I had half a haircut and weird splotchy colors all over my head.  

And a job interview in TWO DAYS!!  WHAT WAS I GOING TO DO?!?

(deep calming breath)

Day 1, no phone call. 

Day 2, no phone call.  I'll remind you that TODAY is the interview!  Thankfully, the folks at the interview were all rather short!  Being tall (ish) and wearing high heels meant they couldn't see the top of my head.  We won't discuss the hat I wore to a board meeting that morning!

Day 3, I text her.  "How's the finger?"  She texts back, "Healing!  When can you come back?

Day 4, more texting and more texting and VOILA! By mid afternoon, I'm back in the salon.

Why did I go back?  

I thought about NOT going back.  

I debated and debated.  

I even took a poll on Facebook which was evenly split. 

But the more I thought about it the more I realized that sometimes shit happens.  Sometimes, vendors disappoint.  Sometimes, in spite of our best efforts and intentions, things go horribly wrong.  

PLUS- I've been there!  I've given bad news to customers.  I've made errors.  I've disappointed people.  It sucks when that happens but what you do in that situation will result in one of two things.  

• chase away your customer forever

OR

• be an opportunity to create a customer for life

What SHOULD you do when everything goes horribly wrong? 

1. Confess!  AS EARLY as possible and hopefully before the customer figures out something is wrong.  Fall on your sword and never try to shift blame to others. 
2. Apologize!  Do it immediately, do it frequently and do it sincerely!  
3. Reassure!  Bad news always comes as a shock so be ready to reassure the customer that you have several potential solutions already in mind.  
4. Empower!  Give the customer the power to choose their preferred method of resolution.  i.e. Refund, alternative product, make good, discount, etc. 
5. More apologies!  Be sincere!
6. More reassurance! They need to know that you are actively working on fixing their problem.  
7. Commitment to improve!  Problems often happen because of a flaw in  our systems. These can and should be learning experiences and you should commit to your negatively impacted customer that your company will fix this!  
8. Gratitude!  Giving thanks to the customer for their patience, their understanding and for allowing you the opportunity to fix the problem. 

Now, back to the saga of my hair.  I gave her the opportunity to fix it.  She apologized profusely and she vowed to improve her system so accidents like that won't happen again.  

To be honest, I don't know that I'll ever go back to her salon.  Hidden under my sensible clothes and Dansko clogs is a wrinkly, middle aged, hair goddess who needs perfectly foiled and coiffed strands.  BUT I do appreciate her efforts to right the wrong!  Plus, she inspired a blog!

Have you ever been disappointed by a vendor?  What happened next?  

Have you ever been the disappointing vendor?  What did you do?  

BUT, before you go!  Let's stay in touch!  

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]]>When Vendors Disappoint, Don't Panic! Or do and then write a blog about it!advertisingMarketingpublishingJanet JorgensenMon, 12 Jan 2015 22:55:46 +0000https://www.janetjorgensen.com/blog/content-content-content-ie-marcia-marcia-marcia/2015/1/1253f37b24e4b0514b8e62e6e9:53f39efae4b03fd9c3212750:54b43b3fe4b0be772af2706dI hear ya, sista!  Creating content, managing content and publishing content can be as painful as being the freckled, bespectacled, middle sister in a 70's sitcom.  But instead of WHINING about it, 

button up your flares,

lace up your platforms and

let's take action!  

We all know the feeling.  You see another business being a "Marcia Brady".  They have more friends, more followers and presumably more customers.  They are the pretty, popular, cheerleader and you feel like the shlumpy, dumpy Jan Brady.  As if you aren't quite pretty enough, aren't quite popular enough and you just don't quite measure up.  Don't you worry little sis, I have a few helpful tips that can create immediate Marcia Brady like results!

Jan gets upset when Marcia gets all the praise at school. Check out full episodes of The Brady Bunch on CBS.com! http://www.cbs.com/thebradybunch

 "Find out what you do best and then do your best with it!" ~Carol Brady

Here are 4 simple tips for your online content strategy!

1. Schedule time to create your own content.  While sharing others' content is good (Jan Brady), creating your own custom content in your own voice is great (Marcia Brady).  To create compelling content you need to carve out time to do so and you need a distraction free zone.  Schedule an appointment in your calendar. 
2. Know your audience.   Writing to a broad, unknown audience is okay (Jan) but writing content directed at your ideal and targeted audience is much better (Marcia).  Begin by identifying your best customers of today and replicating that to create more of the same type of customer for tomorrow. 
3. Use your keyword strategy in all content.  Your content should include the keywords you have identified as the best to target your ideal audience.  If you don't have a keyword strategy (Jan) you would be well served to start one.  Well defined keyword strategy will create synergy between your content and organic search engine results, positioning your site among the most popular!  (Marcia)
4. Schedule your posts.  Your content will be best received by your audience if they are online to see it (Marcia) and wasted if they are not. (Jan) The best way to be there when they are is to schedule your posts in advance.  Review your audience reports from your various pages to see when you have the largest audience engagement and schedule the posts to auto-feed during those peek times.  Each site will be different so schedule accordingly. 

Eventually Jan Brady was voted the most popular girl at Fillmore Junior High and with these four easy steps your website can start winning popularity contests on Google too!   For more info about how to implement these tips into your marketing strategy, contact me here! 

Before you go, I'd love to stay in touch with you!  Please subscribe below!

Uh oh... I can hear you already. 

"WHAT??  Janet, you are ridiculous! Everyone sets New Year's Resolutions!  What's wrong with you?" 

Of the 87 emails I've gotten so far today, give or take a few dozen, the VAST majority have told me to do something as part of my New Year's Resolutions.  I should shop their sale, start their diet and exercise program, cook their recipe, travel to their destination or sign up for their something.....   

Wait a minute!  Are those MY resolution or THEIRS?

Seriously?!

I'm not suggesting that this isn't a good time to reflect on the past year, to assess what went well and what did not and to set goals for your future year.  Deadlines like year-end and year-beginning can be very motivating HOWEVER.....  Making resolutions feels good only for the first few days because there is nothing of substance to sustain them. 

I'm suggesting that New Year's Resolutions are a fallacy.   

Much like attendance at the gym in February.... You know what I'm talkin' about.  When was the last time your yoga pants actually WENT to yoga? 

Instead of resolutions I suggest we set goals WITH "Actions Plans"!  Stay with me...

Lil Red frequently wants something, an item of clothing, a song from iTunes, an added freedom and being the wicked witch of the west I make her earn things.  {insert teenager eye roll}  We talk about it, and then we write up her action plan where she agrees to do something to earn something.  I even make her sign a contract.  Yup. 

I, Lil Red, the adorable yet feisty daughter of Janet, agree to do the following in exchange for the following. Signed on this date at this time.

The myriad of emails today telling me to resolve to buy this, resolve to do this and resolve to be this, got me thinking about goal setting for grown ups and even goal setting on a much larger scale.  A goal to lose 10 pounds is good but a goal to lose 10 pounds plus a step by step action plan is so much better!  The goal to spend more time with family is good but the goal to spend every Thursday night cooking dinner as a family is so much better!  The goal to build your new, say, marketing business is good but the goal to build your new, say, marketing business by making 50 sales calls a day and setting 15 appointments per week is better. 

My advice? Wait, did anyone actually request my advice?  Nevertheless, here are a few steps to get you started. 

1. Set goals for 2015!  BUT don't stop there!
2. Set your action plan for each goal-be specific and set a timeframe for completion. Think through the process in step by step detail.  What is step one that will lead naturally to step two and so on. 
3. Write it down. On actual paper...with pen, pencil, crayon, glitter glue, whatever!
4. Sign a contract committing to yourself
5. Post somewhere prominent.  Lil Red's is taped to her closet door and you know how often teenagers are in their closet!  Mine is thumbtacked to my cork board in my office and in my desk and in my bedside table and in my wallet.  I know.... I need repetition. 
6. Check in on your progress regularly and adjust the steps as necessary. It's okay, not every path is a straight one!
7. Create an accountability partner by telling someone about your plan.    This one was hard for me... private goals not met are goals never truly set. 

In the interest of full disclosure here are my 2015 goals.  I'll spare you the action plan on each of these, today.... 

Professional:

• Work from home
• make minimum of xxx
• enjoy what I do
• flexible schedule
• limited travel for business
• non-repetitious work
• challenging
• dynamic people around me
• collaborate with partners once a month
• contribute to my professional growth with education

Personal Goals:

• be the best mother, daughter, friend and sister I can be
• have my family and friends' trust, respect and affection
• support my family well financially, emotionally and spiritually
• Spend quality time with Lil Red everyday
• go somewhere new with Lil Red once a month
• take two vacations per year
• talk to both sisters and both parents at least one a week
• volunteer at school, church and the community
• pray daily
• read a new book each month
• physical activity 3 days per week
• contribute to my personal growth by self evaluate and education

I'd love to know your goals too and if you want an accountability partner, I'm game! 

But before you go, I'd love to start the year with a bang by having several new eager to get started clients, if you or someone you know needs my help, please let me know! Thanks!

We are not alone on our journey. Thank goodness!! There are always people along the way that will inspire something within us.  This week, I'm highlighting a few of those individuals who have helped me on my new business journey.  Look for my daily fave #inspiringpeople posts on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.  I'd love to know who inspires you?

_____________

I'm calling this my #breakthroughyear!  

Yes, it has even gained its own hashtag... Hey! Why the hell not? 

I'm at the mid point in my #breakthroughyear so it felt timely to reflect on a small handful of people who have inspired in some way the course and scope of the journey I've undertaken.   The list could be hundreds perhaps thousands long and I may do this again because it is kinda fun!  But I wanted to focus in on those who've helped me shape and clarify my vision and who have helped illuminate the path.  Starting tomorrow morning, instead of my usual blog post this week, look for my #inspiringpeople posts on social media everyday through Friday. 

These are people who are doing great work, attaining lofty goals and genuinely doing work they love to create a life they adore.  #dailyfave #inspiringpeople

You can find me here:

I'd love to know who inspires you!  Please comment, like, share and follow!

Tuesday:

Daily Fave #inspiringpeople! #CourtneyCarver from Be More With Less- she's truthful, insightful & compassionate! XO http://buff.ly/12Ny9YZ

Wednesday:

Daily Fave #inspiringpeople! Heidi Larsen w/ #foodiecrush She's brilliant, creative and elegant! XO http://buff.ly/1qwEenS

Thursday:

Daily Fave #inspiringpeople! #DanielleLaPorte She is motivating, grounding and reassuring! Love her #truthbombs

Friday:

Daily Fave #inspiringpeople! #MarieForleo She is optimistic, engaging and encouraging! Love #MarieTV http://buff.ly/1Dc8Q3F

Thanks and have an amazing weekend! 

XOXO

~Janet

Something happened to me when I was pregnant with Lil Red.  Well, let's be honest, a LOT of things happen during pregnancy, but along with the lingering stretch marks and saggy bits, I took away something else that I don't always enjoy and can be rather inconvenient at times. 

I turned into a sap. 

A sentimental fool with a proclivity to getting misty eyed over the strangest things!  

A cry-baby!

I've always been a sympathetic crier.  If you cry, I will definitely cry.   Much to my dismay I'm an angry crier too.  BUT I've never been a person to become verklempt over a 30 second commercial. 

But then, this happened.  I remember watching TV and becoming so overcome with emotion over a commercial I called my twin sister.  Her advice?

"Turn off the damn TV."   Yup, keepin' it real!  She's good that way. 

But did I? 

Of course NOT! 

It is somehow oddly satisfying and cathartic to have a good sentimental cry! Which brings me to my point.

  Why do we love to cry at TV commercials?

WHY?  

Because we love a good warm and fuzzy moment! These commercials connect with us on a deeply personal level and trigger either a cherished memory or a wishful fantasy and that generates our emotional response.  Include babies, puppies and/or heroes?  I'm a big ol' puddle of sniffly mush!    

BUT DOES IT WORK? 

These are advertising commercials after all... Does this type of marketing actually work and result in increased sales? 

OH HELL, YES! 

The reason? Empathy.  Especially during times of economic struggle, war or national pride, when we connect that deeply with a commercial, it will create fierce brand loyalty.   We will search out and even pay more to buy that "special" brand as a result!  Wow!

Being the polished professional marketer, I took a research poll. 

Okay, okay,  I just asked a handful of Facebook friends to tell me their favorite sentimental commercial but the results were awesome! 

In no particular order are the winners:

For teaching us that falling only makes us stronger. For giving us the encouragement to try again. Thank you, Mom. Learn more about P&G Thank You, Mom at http://www.facebook.com/ThankYouMom.

Uploaded by hallmarkcards on 2014-01-31.

Ah HELL!  Hang on a minute, I've got to go get the box of Kleenex. 

(sniffling)

Let's get back to the list....

Watch Budweiser's Super Bowl XLVIII commercial following the special friendship between the Clydesdales and a puppy. #BestBuds budweiser.com Learn about the starring Clydesdales on our blog. http://www.budweiser.com/clydesdales/blog/the-clydesdale-stars-of--puppy-love--commercial---budweiser-supe.html Music: Let Her Go by Passenger © 2012

This is a restored version of the famous "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" ad from 1971. Called the "Hilltop" ad at the time, it is recognized as one of the most beloved and well-known commercials in history. The commercial was highly popular and was part of our 1971 "It's the Real Thing" campaign.

Sometimes the little things last the longest. Give Extra, get extra. https://www.extragum.com

Actress Peggy Miley portrays the loveliest grandmother in this memorable Christmas Cheerios commercial.

http://OurCoffeeTime.com - Click the link and enter your email to get your FREE Folgers Gourmet Coffee. Folger's Coffee Peter Comes Home For Christmas Full Length http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY5IgbuW5Ps

It's Apple. No one uploaded original one so I posted.

Between 1988 - 1992, Japan Railway aired a series of Christmas commercials - all revolving around the theme of couples reuniting during Christmas..... and all set to the song 'Christmas Eve' by Tatsuro Yamashita. I compiled the commercials and put it in one video with the full version of the song.

(mopping eyes and blowing nose)

I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!  You too?

The take away: Bringing your customers along  on a sentimental journey to brand loyalty will  enhance your relationship with your customers and will increase your bottom line. 

Any good cathartic ads to add to this list?

Please feel free to share, comment and like, be sure to sign up for the newsletter and please follow me on social media!    Thanks for reading! 

If you'd like to do business, contact me here!

The other morning I asked Lil Red (NOW 14 y/o!) what she wanted for Christmas as I have every year for many moons.  I KNOW she wants a smartphone.  She's been SUPER DUPER clear with me about that.  So I cautiously approached her about any NON PHONE gifts she might want and quickly retreated in case I got a repeat performance of her emphatic and impassioned speech about how she NEEDS a smartphone and how EVERYONE else has one and how I just don't UNDERSTAND how important it is....

Now, don't get me wrong.  I adore my daughter and she is the brilliant sun around which my earth revolves! HOWEVER, I'm not a spoiler.  She has a lot of really nice stuff, she just happens to not have a smartphone.  GASP!!  The horror!  BUT, you know what?  She surprised me and didn't go on the smartphone rant!  YEAH!! 

Instead, she concisely gave me her list.  I expected most of this but there were a couple of surprises. 

• Clothes (check)
• Makeup (check)
• A giant stuffed animal (really?)
• Disney stuff (we are back on Disney?)
• Anything by Bethany Mota...   

Ummm, who? 

After the eye roll, I learned that Bethany Mota is a YouTube star who was just on the current season of Dancing with the Stars.   Apparently, she has a fashion line.  Of course she does! 

Thumbs up if you guys wanna see a room tour once I'm finished decorating! Looooove you :) My PO Box! Bethany Mota P.O Box #519 Hilmar, CA 95324 OTHER FUN THINGS :) Twitter: http://twitter.com/bethanymota Spotify Playlist: http://open.spotify.com/user/bethnoelmota Other Channel: http://youtube.com/bethanyslife Instagram: http://instagram.com/bethanynoelm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bethany-Mota/153789846425 Disclaimer: Not a sponsored video!

This got me thinking though...  Lil Red has consistently wanted "Anything by (blank)" for years and years. 

Early on it was her favorite yellow Wiggles t-shirt, then it was any product featuring her beloved Disney Princesses (we cycle back to this one regularly), Hannah Montana, Justin Beiber (ICK!), One Direction, and now Bethany Mota.   Their faces and branding can appear on a wide variety of products too from t-shirts to perfume to school supplies to toothbrushes. 

Yup, toothbrushes that SING!  GAG!  What the HELL was I thinking?

There's a couple of ways celebrities can get their mugs, aka "highly valued images", associated with products and how savvy product makers can utilize the fame of celebrity to sell more stuff.  One way is to endorse products and another is to have a licensing agreement.  The more popular the celebrity or the better their business manager the more products they are associated with and the more money they all make. 

Endorsements are a great way to leverage your marketing and get teenagers like mine to buy your crap-ola, errr I mean, fine-fine products.  For example, right now you'll see the lovely and talented Jennifer Aniston shilling a bottled water company called Smart Water and Aveeno lotions, the super SEXY Brad Pitt is selling Chanel and Tag Hauer, and even Queen B Beyoncé has her pix plastered on anything that will hold still long enough. Celebrity testimonials!  It's brilliant! 

Why drink plain water when you can drink the same water that Jennifer Aniston drinks? 

You too could smell like Brad Pitt!  Imagine the ladies lining up for you then!

Endorsement are great but what IF the celebrity actually "made" the product themselves? 

OMG! Not only can they sing-dance-act they are creative-artistic-design geniuses too?

I use the term "made" loosely because when a product manufacturer licenses a celebrity image or brand it can vary how much creative involvement the celebrity has in the manufacturing process if any at all.  There are those like Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Lopez who are heavily involved and there is the extreme opposite like Lindsey Lohan and Kanye West who famously flopped as fashion designers. 

This has become so popular that there is an entire industry dedicated to setting up these deals.  The problem is it's getting crowded.  Really crowded.  You have to be first out of the gate to secure the hottest up-and-coming celebrity and you have to make sure it makes sense for the brand and the celebrity. 

When it's a good fit for both it can result in HUGE revenues and market growth for both the celebrity and manufacturer.  The (rather bizarre) ads for Lincoln cars featuring Matthew McConaughey have been enormously successful for Lincoln and even earned a spoof ad by Ellen DeGeneres.  High praise right there!

We're introducing the first-ever Lincoln MKC with Matthew McConaughey. Sometimes it's better to take the long way. Visit http://www.Lincoln.com/MKC to learn more. #InTheMoment The Lincoln MKC was built to help you live in your moment.

But when it goes wrong, it goes down in flames.  Big, spectacular, techni-color flames!  Can anyone say Tiger Woods?  His famous car crash, exposé and subsequent lost mega-million dollar empire of endorsements highlights the challenge of marketers who align with often times unpredictable celebrity behavior.  That EPIC fall from grace will be retold as legend a hundred years from now!

So our lesson here is grab 'em while they are hot, then use 'em up and toss 'em before their 15 minutes is up!

Now, where the hell do I find a singing Bethany Mota toothbrush?

~Before you go!  I'm starting a newsletter.  You can sign up here!

If you know me in real life, you will most likely already know I'm NOT a fan of Black Friday.  I  have never and will never go stand out in the freezing cold Utah winter in hopes of scoring a great deal with hundreds of other bargain hunters.   For those of you who do...  God bless ya! 

My reasons?  I hate being cold and it makes me cranky, I'm an early to bed and then stay-in-my-bed kinda gal who thoroughly enjoys her sleep and primarily because I hate ill-behaved crowds and have taken a personal vow to never get trampled by a stampede of angry shoppers.  

No, I am not a coward!  I'm smart.  You see, I served my time as a cashier in a big box store during the hoopla of their new market launch and holiday grand opening and then as a sales clerk in a luxury gadget store in a trendy mall.  Oh, the stories I could tell!  Don't worry.  I won't. 

I. Served. My. Time. 

BUT, with that said.  I do believe that even the Non-Walmarts should take this time of uber-interest in advertising messaging and leverage it to build brand awareness and generate local sales.  But how can a Mom-n-Pop shop compete with the enormous resources of ALL the big box stores advertising at once?  How can a small business be heard during this time of tremendous marketing noise?  I've written about noise in marketing before here but during this time of year there are three SIMPLE strategies that are proven to work. 

1. Participate!   This Thanksgiving Holiday and subsequent shopping extravaganza isn't just for the big box boys.  Find ways in your local community to participate.  Is there a parade?  Attend, sponsor, participate.  Is there a Fun Run? Attend, sponsor, participate.  Is there a sporting event?  Attend, sponsor, participate. Is there a charity event? Attend, sponsor, participate.  

2. Employee Advocacy!  Your BEST business assets everyday of the year are your employees but especially during the holidays.  Engage your employees as Brand Warriors on social media with a special company hashtag (i.e.#janetgivesthanks).  Have them post funny stories of holidays past, share photos of their celebrations, post about what they are thankful for and engage with your customers to get the conversations started.

3. BE THANKFUL!  Seriously.  This is a big damn deal.  Be sincere, be honest, be humble, be thankful.  Tell your staff how wonderful they are and how much you appreciate them.  Tell your vendors how amazing you think they are and how much you love working with them.  Tell your customers how much they truly mean to you and your staff and without them you are nothing.  Do this privately.  Do this publicly.  Do this in writing.  Do this more than once a year.

Dearest Friends and Family,

I LOVE YOU!  Every last pointy-headed one of you.  Without your love and support, I am nothing.  You give me a safe place to vent, a soft place to land when I fail and frequently needed pep talks.  I am a stronger woman, a more loyal friend and a far better mother to Lil Red for knowing and loving you all. 

I pray that you are held close this holiday season by your loved ones and if they are kept away by distance that they know the warmth of your loving embrace within their hearts. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

XOXO

Janet

I am woman, hear me roar!  I will enjoy unparalleled success at work, raise high achieving children, keep an immaculate home, maintain a perfect loving relationship and have fulfilling friendships, oh AND try all those healthy and delicious recipes on Pinterest with success!  

If you just shook your head and said, "What the hell?!" I agree!

What the hell? 

We are collectively buying into a myth that we can accomplish everything everyday without error and all with a spring in our step and a twinkle in our eye.  I'm going to have to call bullshit on this. 

Multi-tasking is a myth.  

Science even supports this.  When you think you are multi-tasking, you are just rapidly stopping and starting different tasks....  BUT more importantly, are you getting any of them done?  Probably not.  How is the quality of your work when you attempt multi-tasking?  Poor?  Probably so. 

On the same side of this particular coin is the multi-tasking business owner.  He will buy the goods, he will market the goods,  he will sell the goods and he will deliver the goods. 

I am business owner, hear me roar!  

Hmm,  nah.  It doesn't have the same ring.

I'm going to have to call bullshit on the myth of multi-tasking in this example too.  So what's the answer?  In this fragmented society of 1000's of things to do each day and 1000's of choices how do we cope? 

How DO we cope? 

We don't. 

You read that correctly. 

We can't do it all.  It's simply not possible, not sustainable and the results will be poor.  Our personal lives and our professional lives will suffer.  Depressing enough?  This isn't a doomsday post...  I really do have an idea of what we can do. Instead.  

In my case, I am a single mother with a house, a yard, a dog and a red headed teenager.  I also have clients, parents, siblings and friends who rely on me each and every day.  There was a time when I thought I had to do it all.  I was absolutely miserable (but you would never have noticed) and didn't do anything well (this was very noticeable).  I felt awful and would berate myself for not being everything to everyone.  

But one particularly bad day that involved a lot of snot and tears and rather harsh self scrutiny I decided to forgive myself for not getting my impossibly long list done.  I forgave myself and gave myself permission to scratch things off the list. Permanently off that }#$*^&! list.  I learned (the hard way) that to be a productive member of my work team and to not be an asshole to my family I needed to prioritize my to do lists.  Only the most crucial would and could get done, I called those "the need to be done's" and "the nice to have done's" would either be wait listed or hired out.  (God Bless Maria!) 

In business it's a very similar process. 

1. Does it need to be done?
2. Does it have to be done by me?
3. What is the cost vs time benefit?
4. Could I hire it done cheaper and easier than doing it myself? 
5. Could I use that time to accomplish core business missives instead?

What on your business to do list is out of your scope of expertise?  What do you DREAD having to do?  What sucks the enthusiasm for your business away?  

Now, forgive yourself for all of those.  You are a successful business person without having to love everything about being in business nor do you have to do it all yourself.     

Now, that list of crap you can't do or hate to do? 

Call someone and hire them to do it. 

Today.

BTW, If you can't or hate to do marketing and such.... I'm your gal!    You can contact me here for a free consultation.  

It comes down to one thing, Emotional Branding.  I've touched on this topic a little in the past in my Pain and Pride blog post but at the root you want your ad strategy to be aligning with your target demographics emotions to create not just customers but brand warriors.   

Today is election day and the "season" of negative advertising is THANKFULLY coming to a close.  If you pay attention to marketing, even as a casual observer, you'll notice that the only industry that deploys truly negative advertising is politics. NEVER products.  But why is that? 

Unlike the political smear campaigns, in using sarcasm, brands can mock and poke fun at competitors without seeming petty or mean.  It also means they can point out weaknesses, flaws, and differences in way that will be more appealing to consumers and not as off-putting as straight negative ads. 

Sarcasm in marketing can be light hearted with a little edge or downright dark with bitterness and here is how it works. 

1. Find out what really pisses off your target market.  What really gets them riled up. 
2. Make sure your brand is able to connect with your audience to that hatred even fix the problem if possible. 
3. Put whatever it is on a pedestal and then tear it down hard.  Hit it hard!
4. Make sure you include your brand's pitch. It's important they remember what you are selling.
5. Show your audience that you align with them.  You hate what they hate. You love what they love. 

Advertisements using sarcasm can range from taking a hard bite out of a competitor to a little 'wink and nod'.  BUT remember emotional branding done well is going to connect the audience to the brand in a way that is almost impossible to tear down. 

The video below is a sarcastic "get out a vote" video that inspired me to delve into this topic.  There are several commercials within this brilliant campaign that have a similar tone but this one was my favorite.  

AND THE BIG WINNER is this IKEA ad.  So worth the next 2:28 minutes of your life. 

For more information about how to create emotional branding ads or for a sarcastic chat, contact me here! 

Don't let this scare you away! 

Social Media is an astonishingly effective marketing tool and should be a top priority in your marketing campaigns.  To aid business owners in how to use social media I've created two short list of 5 things to DO and 5 things to NOT do on social media to give you the best results. 

Do's:

1. Be Authentic!  You have real products and services to offer and you should be as authentic online as you are in your place of business.  Your brand presence should reflect your business identity accurately both online and offline. 
2. Be Conversational!  These are real people online who are interested in you, treat them as you would a potential customer standing in front of you.  If they ask a question online be sure to answer online as well.  If they compliment you, thank them! 
3. Be Consistent!  Post as frequently as you can but be consistent about committing to doing it every day, week or month.  Schedule time in your day to work on SM posts. 
4. Be Positive!  Your message should be about the good things in your business and industry.  Be brand cheerleaders! 
5. Be Relevant! Keep your messages about your business, products and industry.  Stay on topic and make sure your message brings value to your audience. 

Don'ts:

1. Don't be phony.  Don't be dishonest about what you can offer, don't lie, don't overstate. 
2. Don't Preach or Lecture.  This is not a one sided monologue this is a conversation.  People won't want to work with you if you lecture or preach at them.  (except right this second, and with me, right?)
3. Don't be sporadic.  It's not one and done.  If you post something check back in and then post again and again.  There are ways to schedule posts in advance too.  (like this one)
4. Don't be an asshole.  This should go without saying BUT to be safe I'm going to say it.  Unless you are a politician or clergy don't discuss your personal politics or religious beliefs.  Avoid slamming customers, coworkers, competitors or tearing down other businesses. 
5. Don't go off topic.   No one following your business online cares about your outside interests so don't annoy your followers by posting content that doesn't relate to your business.

See?  NOT scary at all! 

Mwah-ha-haaa! 

(I hear this in my head in the voice of The Count from Sesame Street)

Because of the vast opportunity to grow your business using social media it is especially important to make the commitment to being there with consistency.  But if you don't have time or talent to manage your online presence there are many services and professionals (like me) that can take care of this for you.   If you'd like to chat with me about how to do this, contact me here.   

I really hate identifying as a victim.  I REALLY hate it.  It goes against my core principles in a very profound way.  I was the kid born confident!  I have never doubted my ability to do anything my mind was set to do and I have blazed a straight and determined trail to each and every goal, both personal and professional.  I've always carried myself with self assuredness and negotiated myself out of many a sticky situation with nary a scratch.  So to be discovering through reflection that I carry some pretty significant scars from being bullied hasn't been an easy or comfortable process.  

As many of you know from reading this blog posting, I abruptly left my last job.  As a result, I took the summer off to regroup and reflect and then started my own business.  A significant part of my reflection during that time on my deck drinking coffee and scribing in my pretty pink journal, was to evaluate what I really felt was my inner passion.  My first step was to determine what I loved and did not love about my prior work experiences and what lessons could I take forward.  

Boy did that open up a big 'ol can of wiggly, squirminess!  

The part I didn't love was going into the office.  It seemed so dark there.  A black hole.

How ironic.  

The business image was so polished and pretty but caustic negativity simmered just below the surface.  Every time my cell phone rang and it was the office number I felt like I was in trouble and about to be scolded for something.  I made a point of only going in when I needed to pick up supplies and worked primarily from my home office or my car.   Self preservation, I think.  Worse yet, it caused such sadness within me to see my coworkers struggling with esteem and trying to be creative under such pressure.  I wasn't the only one bearing the weight of this unbearable burden and they had no escape. 

The part of the job that I truly loved was the interaction with my clients and prospects, being able to positively shape their businesses with creative marketing and advertising strategies, by creating events to help promote their products and services and by engaging with them on a deeper level to find out what their truest needs were.... hidden under the surface.  What could I do to make them feel successful?  Feel success?  Interesting thought here, because there is no single measure of success.  What one person says is success wouldn't be another's definition.  It's too subjective and personal.  Success is not a fact, it's a feeling.  You'll only know it when you feel it.   

But I hadn't felt success in quite a while.  What I was feeling was.... FEAR.  

 Fear?  

Workplace bullying is an insidious thing.  Subtle.  Seemingly innocuous.  Creeping in slowly over time.  Funny thing, I didn't realize I was being bullied.  

Until the other day.  

When I got an email from a new client wanting an status update.  Seems innocent enough, right?  Yes, BUT!  In my mind I was suddenly whisked back to my old job and it was the office calling....  I felt afraid that I'd done something wrong.  I felt afraid that I must have forgotten to do something but didn't know what.  I felt afraid that I would be scolded. I was in that nightmare!  Yet.  Again.  

Then an interesting thing happened.  None of my fears actually came true.  

But it was jarring to me that I had such a visceral reaction.  I had joked to a colleague months before that I suspected I had PTSD from the job.  She said that I absolutely did!   But I had laughed disbelievingly.  Now, as I look back on the continuous attack of criticism and negativity, I see it all so clearly.

Managing a team by fear results in a team being afraid.  

Afraid to make decisions. 

Afraid to move forward. 

Afraid to voice concerns in a healthy positive way.  

Workplace bullying can be as destructive as school yard bullying. It needs to end.  Today.  Managing a team by fear is lazy and ineffective and will result in both a loss of productivity and high turnover.  Two things businesses can't afford.  

There is a better way.  

We, as managers and colleagues, can lead by example.  Lead our team by promoting positive discourse and productive discussions where everyone feels empowered and important.  Lead our team by setting clear expectations and encouraging reaching for new heights.  Lead our team by finding and providing what makes them FEEL SUCCESSFUL.  

Have you been bullied in the workplace?  How did you fix it?  How do you lead your successful teams?  What makes for an effective leader?

After working in the magazine publishing business for over 15 years, I've seen first hand the arduous process of writing, editing, designing, proof reading and approvals that happens for every page in every issue of every magazine.  When done well the work looks easy and seamless, when done wrong the letters start arriving from retired school teachers with thoughtful and thorough scoldings.    

Those letters really suck.  

Embarrassing as they are... 

Wouldn't it be worse if no one told you?  

Think about that for a moment.  

I'll wait.  

The reason why this is such a poignant example is because it hits home in an uncomfortable way for most businesses regardless of industry.  When your business success is based on presenting a polished professional presence having even small errors can seem enormous and leave a lasting negative impression.  

But it goes far beyond errors in magazines or on websites. Thoughtful review and analysis of your business systems as a whole on an ongoing basis is going to be key to staying relevant, keeping up on crucial business trends and also make sure you are presenting to the public your best possible image.  

Here are 5 areas of business that could use a 2nd glance, or third or fourth.  

1. Collateral Materials:  Do your printed pieces contain accurate, current and symbiotic information?    Does everything contain similar messages, layout/design and reflect the modern image of your branding?  
2. Website and online presence:  Is your website updated, accurate and contain relevant updated information?  Do the pages and links work?   Have you Googled your business to see if there are online errors about your business?
3. Budget/Pricing Strategy:  Have your business needs changed in such a way that you need to reallocate budget?  Is it time to review costs with current vendors and/or source new vendors?  Do you need to adjust your pricing strategy to reflect cost changes or competitive challenges?  
4. Trend Spotting: Are you staying educated on your competitor's new products?  Do you keep up on new developments in technology, manufacturing and distribution that could benefit your business?  Are you looking at new materials, new product lines or new business opportunities?    
5. Sales/Marketing Strategy:  Do you have new competing products or services within your sector?  Has your ideal customer changed, evolved or altered how they consume your product or service?  Are you still able to reach them effectively with your current sales and marketing strategies?  Has your source of leads dried up or are your closing percentages lagging?  

It may seem like a lot of unnecessary work when the thought process is so often, "do it once and then forget about it!" but I assure you it is well worth your time and attention to monitor and make slight corrections rather than "letting things get away from you", as my mother says.  Keeping your materials and business systems current in an ongoing fashion is going to create a fine tuned business flow that builds momentum.  The results are a business that is never behind the times, caught by surprise or left in the dust.  

What are you doing in your business to stay ahead of the competition?  Do you have additional tips?

For help in keeping your business relevant and generating new customers, contact me here!  

Thankfully, she once again said YES! I know the sad day will come when she says no.  I eagerly drove off to the school, got my "I ate lunch with my kid" sticker at the office and headed to the gym.  The 8th graders eat earlier than the other students so the gym was mostly empty.  I sat down on the bleachers and waited for some of the other parents to show.  And waited...  No one else showed up... 

The galloping herd of plaid clad 8th graders arrived and lined up for their hot lunches.  A few cold lunch kids wandered over to where I was sitting and joined me.  Then a few more.  Lil Red and her bff's came with their hot lunches, running over shouting "MAMA J!!" and giving me a hugs.  I was the de facto mother of nine teenage girls!  

One of the girls said to Lil Red, "You're lucky, my parents NEVER come to these!" Another said to me, "We always sit with you Mama J, because you are the only one that shows up!"  Lil Red beamed the entire time.  

Now, don't get me wrong,  I understand not every parent has the luxury of rearranging their schedule to do this.  Also, I'm not self congratulating here.  I'm never going to win Mother of the Year.  NEVER.  I do a lot wrong.  A helluva lot wrong.  I sometimes lose my temper.  Sometimes I curse.  (Gasp!)  I'm not always a good example to follow (yes, that is popcorn for dinner, whatofit?) and my numerous other flaws are obvious to the most casual of observers. 

But, 

I.   show.    up.  

And by simply showing up.

 I WIN!  

I was treated to the most enjoyable, albeit gossipy, lunch with my very most precious peep, as well as 8 other extra special peeps.  But more importantly, I was able to convey to my favorite red headed peep that she is worth showing up for.  

In business, we are always searching for ways to expedite the sales process.  We are continually seeking ways to utilize technology to bring in more traffic to our websites and to our stores, restaurants and offices.  

We devise.  

We advertise.  

We strategize.  

But sometimes we can overlook the value of simply showing up.  Person to Person.  Peep to Peep.  

In my past life of selling advertising, I could easily email someone information, leave voice mail and occasionally someone would buy but the VAST majority of my long term, loyal and frequent advertisers were with people in which I had developed a personal relationship.  The only way to create that type of relationship is by showing up.  

The same is true of most industries.  I can always buy shoes online or from strangers but if I know someone who has a shoe store, how much more likely am I to buy from them and buy repeatedly?   You are also much more likely to refer business to someone you know personally, not a business you saw advertise that you've never experienced.  The inverse is true, if I buy shoes online due to a lack of relationships but then get to know the business personally, if they acknowledge me, thank me, or follow up with me peep to peep, the more likely I am to buy from them again.  If they use my name, whoa, that's huge to me!  

As business owners and sales professionals, the best way to show your customers you care about them and their ongoing support of your company is by deepening the relationship. Let your customers know they are worth showing up for.

Get offline, get out of your office and get Peep to Peep.  

If you would like more information about growing your business through peep to peep relationship selling, contact me here!  

Pay close attention my friends.  Anyone, I really mean EVERYONE, has an online presence that is precariously positive at best and potentially damning at worst.  We've all heard about people posting questionable tidbits to social media not realizing their privacy setting aren't set properly (I'm talking to you Trey Burke).  We also hear of celebrities having personal data hacked from their devices and cloud storage (we're looking at you Jennifer Lawrence).  

BUT did you know that on some review sites, one negative review or 1 star rating can take your 5 star rating all the way down to a 2 star!   In one click!  

OUCH!  ouch.  

Imagine a Michelin caliber restaurant going from 5 stars to 2 stars because a disgruntled past employee had a vendetta.  OR Imagine that your business name is similar to another business located in a different state but you are getting THEIR BAD REVIEWS on your listings.  

Here's the rub.

72% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

But wait!  Here's more bad news. 

90% of customers say buying decisions are influenced by online reviews.

AND then it gets worse. 

Mobile platform usage has surpassed desktop & laptop which means only the star ratings and very most recent reviews are being read on that teeny, tiny screen.  

So what can be done?  I've compiled 5 easy steps.  

• 1. Claim your listings:  Sounds simple enough and it is but it is SUPER time consuming.  
• 2. Submit corrections: Once you've claimed your listing, you may submit corrections for some sites.  Not all sites allow corrections and even better, some sites make you PAY to update the information.  (there is a special place in hell for these folks)
• 3. Resubmit corrections: Due to the gargantuan data chewing machines controlling the internet who think they are much smarter than you or I are, they will reload all the incorrect data back on the sites.  Seriously.  You will have to resubmit several times for the corrections to actually stick.  Plan on doing this for several months.  
• 4. Stay alert:  Keep track of what is being posted online and check back frequently.
• 5. Respond:  If you discover a negative review,  on most claimed sites you can respond to them and resolve the problem.  Your TOP PRIORITY should be to immediately take negative customers offline to discuss their concerns privately and directly. 

Another suggestion would be to encourage your happy customers to write positive reviews BUT be careful of being too solicitous.   Fake positives can be more damaging than a courteous and thoughtful response to a negative review.  See #5. 

For more information on professional reputation management or any marketing questions feel free to contact me here.  

What they would NOT say: "How are you, Janet?"  "So good to see you, Janet."  "It's been so long since I've seen you, Janet." 

Wanna know why?  I'm a twin.  Identical.  The "gosh, you-two-look-a-lot-alike" kind.  Yup..... We knew we looked a lot alike, we definitely didn't need it pointed out and we didn't much enjoy it either.  In fact, for most of our younger years we hated it.  Hated it!

The biggest issue with being a twin is you have no singular identity.  You are part of a "matched set" as our mother loved to say.  Biggest pet peeve? No first name!  No one called us by our first name, well, except for each other.  Even our parents would struggle.... "J!  J-J-J!  Ja!  Ju!  "whoever you are, come here!"  Our mother says she never stuttered until she named all her girls "J's". 

Our classmates devised their own system for telling us apart.  They decided that my sis was "the mean one" and I was "the nice one".  Hell yeah!  I milked that for all it was worth!  Teachers simply called us by our last name, even teachers who were less formal with other students still insisted on calling us Ms. Jorgensen.  In high school we switched seats as a prank but the teacher didn't even notice!  Other adults in our lives simply chose not to address us by name at all. 

"Oh, you are one of the twins". 

(Sigh.....) Yes.  I am one of the twins. 

I imagine it was done out of fear of being wrong.  Not wanting to be embarrassed when we corrected someone for the 10th time or the 100th time or the billionth time.  Geesh!  Can't you tell us apart?!?!  We look nothing alike, her eyes are slightly wider set and my mole is on the opposite side!  ARG!   Okay, maybe we weren't the most patient about it either....  But Anyhoo!

My sister and I, who are polar opposites in temperament and personality, put great effort into NOT looking so much alike but we were routinely thwarted by my mom who loved to dress us in matching outfits... in every family photo, same outfit, same hair style, down to matching hand-crotchet hair bows. We matched in every way.  Ugh.  In our earliest efforts to differentiate ourselves, we insisted on wearing different colors, my color was usually blue and my twin sis was usually in red.  To add a layer of confusion and frustration, we wore uniforms to school.  Guess what happens when you dress 200 kids in the same plaid? THEY ALL look alike. At this point, my sis and I had to really step up our game. We began actively plotting to look different, if she wore plaid pants, I wore plaid skirts and if, God forbid, we accidentally brought the same t-shirt for gym class (mom bought everything in pairs), one of us had to wear our uniform dress shirt instead.  We never, ever, allowed our mom to buy us the same shoes.  Ever.   

As we got older, my sister took the radical route and chopped off all of her hair.  We stopped hanging out together so much, she played different sports than I, we explored different art and music interests, we found different social circles and then we went to college.  The funniest thing happened when we went to college. 

I GOT A FIRST NAME!!!!   For the first time in my life people actually called me by my first name.  At first, it sounded strange.... In all honesty, I sometimes felt like I was in trouble.  Like when your mother uses your entire name and stresses each SYL-LA-BLE.  But slowly, over time, bit by bit, I got used to it.  Janet, Janet, Janet.  Now, I kinda love it. 

My twin sis and I still hang out a lot, but the twin thing is more of a novelty now.  My peers are shocked (if not alarmed) when they meet my twin.  She will sometimes run into one of my clients which can cause some confusion, brief embarrassment and then laughter.  She works as a Sergeant in law enforcement so I'd really rather not run into her customers, if you know what I mean...  Did I mention we are complete opposites?  We still NEVER dress alike, but we have come to embrace the twin thing as adults.  Being an identical twin IS different!  We are unique because of our SAMEness.   Besides, you never break up a matched set. 

Whether you are an identical twin, a marketing consultant, a business owner or selling a specific product, you must differentiate yourself in this chaotic market of sameness and copycatting.  If you would like help in making a name for yourself.  Contact me here. 

"Hey!  Are you the one that is the COP?!"

No, I'm the other one....  Ugh, here we go again!

Why am I yelling? 

Because I can't hear you over the noise of all the competing advertising messages I'm being bombarded with every minute of every day!  Are you shouting too?  Why are you shouting?  TO BE HEARD? Are you NOISE? 

Noise in the market are all the various advertising voices vying for every customer's attention all day everyday and ultimately their dollars.  Each message getting progressively louder to cancel out the other messages.  ....cosmetics ads, BEER ADS, AUTOMOTIVE ADS!  TV, RADIO, INTERNET, SOCIAL MEDIA, BILLBOARDS, TRANSIT!  THE NOISE IS DEAFENING AND IT'S EVERY- (oh! excuse me, getting carried away with the caps) where. It's everywhere. 

Tell me this.  Does it work to shout at your kids? 

Your spouse?

Your pets?

Nope. Nope. and nope, (at least not for my furry wildebeest). 

Well, guess what?  It won't work to shout at your potential customers either.  No one likes a yeller. Are your prospects tuning you out because there is simply too much noise? Then turn down the dial, Turbo! 

Shhhhhhh........ 

....ahhhh, that's better. 

How do you get your prospective customers to hear you without pumping up the volume? How can you possibly compete with those enormous advertising budgets and their super colorful, crazy-frantic-busy, celebrity packed, million dollar ads?

Eliminate. the. noise. 

Brilliant, Janet, but how?

You go where there isn't so much noise. 

Where?

By marketing your business to people who are already listening for your message.  Targeting potential customers who may already be considering a purchase within your category will eliminate the noise and allows you to have a civilized conversation that will result in more happy, satisfied, and hopefully long term, customers.

• Target by geography.  Do you really need to market globally or nationally?  Try focusing within your own region, state, city or neighborhood. 
• Target by demographic.   Who are your best customers? Target by income level, education level, gender, age range, etc.
• Target by purchase history.  Are they brand loyalists? Do they regularly consume your category of products or services?
• Target by intended purchases.  Is your product or service the next in a series of intended purchases? Is your product or service a newer, more awesome version?

The more you narrow the target to your ideal customer the quieter it gets and the clearer your message will be received. The only sounds you'll hear?  Cash register bells. 

Don't waste precious time and resources being NOISE! 

For information on how to eliminate the noise and target to your ideal customer, contact me here! 

The Parasite

next she was The Alien

and so on....

Peanut

Pumpkin

Snickerdoodle

Stinky Butt

Wiggle Bottom McGee

Chicka

Divalicous Bratitis

Chicklette

Bratasaurous Rex

Red Headed Warrior Princess

and most recently,

Lil Red. 

I call her Lil Red on social media to protect her true identity.  But let me be clear.  I did not name her Penny and have never called her Penny.  Not once.

If you've ever watched children play, they seem to be innately good at putting on personas and characters for their own entertainment.  As they get a little older they try on personalities.  In our house some were more pleasant than others.   But for me, the best example of single-focused, determined, reinvention came in the third grade version of my red headed warrior princess of a daughter. 

At the end of third grade I made the difficult and painful decision to move her to a new school.  She had been at her school since pre-k and she had been in the classroom with the same children for many years.  We were closely bonded with their families and they were our primary social circle as well.  I presented the news expecting her to have a lot of negative emotions but her reaction was an enormous surprise and relief!  She simply stated, in her matter of fact way, "That's fine. I wanted to reinvent myself anyway."  My thoughts went in the following order: "What the hell?" "How does she know what reinvent means?" "Why does a third grader need to reinvent herself?" 

So, I did what all subpar moms are wont to do and I ignored it.  

That fall, she suited up in her new plaid skirt and off she went to her new school, her new fourth grade class room and her new classmates. 

As "Penny" 

Penny Jorgensen

When she came home and told me she had instructed everyone to call her Penny, I chuckled and believed she was kidding. 

Fast forward a couple of months and I'm now coaching the basketball team.  (Don't ask, I get sucked in to these things frequently) The first day of practice arrives and I'm meeting her classmates and their families for the first time. 

Hey Penny, pass me the ball! 

Hey, are you Penny's Mom?

Wow, Penny is so tall! 

Wait!  What?  Holy Shit!  They are all calling her Penny!  Even the other parents!  AND THE TEACHERS TOO!  This little feisty, opinionated, ginger haired daughter 'o mine had done it.  I had to know.  Why Penny?  She patiently explained to her daft mother, she chose Penny as in copper penny, to match her hair.  

The lesson for me, courtesy my genius daughter, was, If you don't like it, eliminate it!  If it's wrong , fix it!  If it's not working for ya, change it!    You don't have to be an 8 year old red headed fourth grader in plaid to change your destiny.  You are never too young to reinvent yourself.... or in my case, old. 

Let's chat about reinventing your business identity!  Contact me. 

In our house, I've preached for the past 13 or so years, "Less Attitude, More Gratitude".  I've threatened to put it on billboards and bumper stickers, to have t-shirts made and to make that the daily uniform for Lil Red.  Less Attitude, More Gratitude.  I loved the sound of it... it rhymes and I'm a sucker for that.   I've said it so frequently, at times I was sick of hearing myself say it.  Nowadays, I just get an exaggerated eye roll and the teenage huff-n-puff.  Ever feel like the teacher in a Charlie Brown comic? You might imagine that's not the reaction I sought and I felt like my message had gone largely unheard. 

Then I got fired. 

Whoa! Talk about a harsh reality check!  When I took the summer off to decide what I wanted to do professionally, a personal awakening happened as well.   I realized I was the one with the attitude problem and it was me seriously lacking in gratitude.  Man, introspection sucks!  That glaring light illuminating your personal and professional shortcomings really takes a bite out of your ego.  Crap!  I was so busy reminding my poor sweet daughter to be grateful,  I was the one missing the message entirely!

Dear Lil Red, I'm so sorry darlin'!   I love you more. Yes, I do.  Yes , I DO!  XO Momma

Thus begins my NEW mantra, "Less talking, more doing".   I, Janet, solemnly swear that I will have much less attitude (unless I'm wearing my leopard print stilettos, then all bets are off).  I will have a oodles more gratitude.  I will take steps each day to tell those around me how much I appreciate them.  I will stop being a damn hypocrite to my amazing and talented daughter and to the rest of ya'll. 

Thank you, all three of my readers, for supporting me in this new venture.  I really appreciate your support.  XO ~Janet

How do you show gratitude in your personal life?  Professional life?

If you are interested in introducing gratitude into your marketing campaigns or corporate culture, let's talk about ways to do that.  Contact me.

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]]>Eating crow... tastes nothing like chicken. A lesson in gratitude.MarketingadvertisingJanet JorgensenThu, 04 Sep 2014 21:32:18 +0000https://www.janetjorgensen.com/blog/2014/8/28/show-me-where-it-hurts-pain-and-pride-in-marketing53f37b24e4b0514b8e62e6e9:53f39efae4b03fd9c3212750:53ff87d2e4b022cbda181768Hi, my name is Janet and I'm addicted to marketing.  Hi Janet! 

And shoes...  But that's a story for another day. 

I love marketing in all its messy, confusing, wonderfulness. The problem for many is they get caught up in the messy and confusing but fail to get to wonderful.  It's so easy to do and happens to the best of us!  We, as marketers, have a lot of information to convey, options to sell, and demographics to target.  But, if we aren't careful, it can quickly become all about minutia with the core strategy lost.  

Say you are a flower shop and you want to make a brochure to sell floral arrangement services for corporate clients.  You can include pictures of every arrangement, you can espouse on how your flowers are the prettiest, the freshest and how many delivery trucks you have but in truth no one cares about that stuff until they have already made a buying decision and probably not even then.   Once you strip away the extraneous information, what's the strategic marketing goal?  Simply, what do you want the person to do next?   More importantly, what is going to motivate the person reading your marketing materials to take the next step today? 

 Here are two top motivational triggers that will give your campaign immediate results. 

• Pain
• Pride

Pain motivates when and why people consume and is a perfect trigger for creating urgency.  Are they worried something bad will happen if they don't?  (i.e. insurance)  Are they spending too much time working on tasks they hate? (i.e. cleaning services) Are they spending too much money and need a lower cost alternative?   If you can make it stop hurting you've got 'em today but if you continue relieving their pain, you keep 'em forever. 

Secondly, keeping up with the Jones' is a thing.  A very real thing.  Pride, ego and vanity are superb motivators for those wanting recognition for success or those seeking to be built up.  Are they going to miss out if they don't buy? (i.e. limited edition) Will it give them prestige within their peer group? (i.e. luxury ) Will this purchase give them self satisfaction?  Do they deserve this?  When used strategically and tastefully, pride triggers can be extremely effective for business continuity and for building long term brand loyalty.

Now, back to the flower shop.  By committing to her corporate flower service her customers will have more time (pain), spend less money (pain), will build greater credibility with current clients increasing retention (pride) and will impress prospective clients resulting in increased revenue (pride).   Oh and that daughter of yours?  This flower shop does weddings too. 

Avoid the mess and confusion and get to the wonderfulness!  Focus your marketing strategy on these two primary motivational triggers for fast and effective results. 

If you'd like more information on this or any marketing strategies get in touch!  hello@janetjorgensen.com

First, I was numb,

then I was sad,

THEN I WAS MAD,

SO VERY MAD,

then I was sad again. 

In fact.

I'm still a little bit sad.

But I'm no longer mad.

As much as it sucks to get fired, and trust me it does, here is my take away.  They actually did me a huge favor.  HUGE.  And I was, grateful?  While I was toiling away each day selling crap loads of advertising, I was dreaming of the day I could quit.  I kept pushing it into the future.  Once the Volvo is paid off, then I'll quit.  Wait.  Once the house is paid off, THEN I'll quit.  Wait.  Someday, yep, someday soon, I'll quit and do what I really want.  I'll bet you can see where I'm headed with this. 

It is someday, today!  

Today is my someday. 

I decided while I was sad- then mad- then sad, to simply take the summer off.  I would take the luxury of time to decide what it was that I really wanted to do.  You see, I hadn't gotten quite that far in my dreaming.  I had the quitting my job part nailed down though.  To be honest, I'm slightly bummed they took that away from me as it was going to be a thing of beauty and legend but nevertheless.  I had not yet painted the picture of my dream with any clarity.  It was a big, blurry mess.  

Each morning, before Lil Red was up, I would make my gigantic cup of coffee, grab my pretty pink journal and head out to the deck to sort out my shit.  I would sit in the summer sun and I would grieve my loss.  I would plan and execute really fantastic revenge sequences in my imagination. I would berate myself for being that person, you know, the one who screws things up and gets fired from what everyone else thinks is a dream job.  But I also spent a lot of time dissecting what I loved about my work, what I loved about my clients and what brought me the most joy. 

Gratitude is an amazing thing.  Gratitude for golden sunrises, dark roast beans, a smoothly gliding pen and even gratitude for getting my sorry ass fired.  I'm not sure when that moment occurred.  But in that moment, warm from the morning sun, I was grateful for what had been such a poignantly negative blow to my surprisingly fragile esteem.  Grateful.  But I was not grateful for the magpies.  Damn, those birds are just annoying, and loud.  So very loud. 

It was there, over the roar of the magpies, that I decided that I could take the knowledge, experience, creativity and joy from my past and carve it into something fulfilling for my future.  With that said, I introduce you to http://janetjorgensen.com  This is me, in my humblest form, doing what I love.  Working with talented people who want to create amazing results together.   

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