There's a recession on - Spend More!

Don't worry, I haven't lost the plot just yet, although many of you would argue that that happened a long time ago. In the last week I have found myself inspired; not only by the merchandise that I have been seeing, but by how this credit crunch (why is it called a crunch, it feels more like a stomp. I mean some crunchy things are actually quite pleasant - Cadbury's Crunchie, Crunchy Nut Cornflakes.....mmmmmmm....Cornflakes...you know I really need to start eating breakfast before I leave the house, sorry, where was I?) how this credit crunch affords us all the opportunity to really focus on our marketing.

The most important thing to realise here is that it's not about the product itself - it's how you use it that counts. As much as I hate pens, sometimes they can be the perfect marketing tool. Put them in a big bowl at a trade show and they do nothing, but give a nicer pen as a gift to a buyer whose about to sign your contract, and they're gold.

So what is the point in spending more? Well there's a little more to it than that. What I'm talking about is spending more per item, but in total you may actually spend less. I've spoken often about untargetted marketing - giving out trinkets because it seems like the right thing to do. STOP RIGHT THERE - STEP AWAY FROM THE CATALOGUE AND COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD.

If your competitors are all looking in the same catalogues, coming up with the same "ideas" and cutting their budgets to the same level, do you really think your 30 pence pen is going to bring in that new client. Really? DO YOU?

How much more powerful would it be to thank someone for the time they took to meet you by giving them a really special gift? Let them leave with a warm fuzzy feeling that a mere logobug cannot provide. Will they definitely do business with you? Possibly. Will they remember you and speak about you to colleagues and associates? Absolutely. "Hey Jim, like your new desk clock, where'd you get it?......" and away we go.

There are statistics and formulae (oh yes, I can use proper plurals when I have to, I don't have to dumb this down for you people do I? OK, some of you maybe..) that I could share with you that can show you how to not only save money but also improve upon measurable results. Of course I am not going to do it here. If you want to learn how it all works, you're going to need to arrange a meeting.

The idea of speculating to accumulate is not new, and in times of economic downturn, we just let that idea go. Now the title of this blog invites you to spend more. I'm actually going to help you to make more too, so you really only have one question to ask of yourselves -

How much are you willing to pay for a queue of new customers? Now double it - we've got some planning to do.

I already own an iPod

I was stuck for a topic for this week's blog and so I asked my colleague Meena for some inspiration. She told me that I should write about how nice she is. Meena is nice, but frankly I'm not sure how such information would be that useful to you, but at least she feels pretty good about herself right now. (I'd also like to place a side bet that certain other people in my team are now nagging me about their own mentions too, but we'll save those for another week).

This week I want to talk about staff incentives - those little gifts you give to your team to thank them for a job well done and to spur them on to even greater things in exchange for even greater gifts.

Typically, these work amongst sales people, mostly because their efforts are easy to quantify but mainly because we're all a bunch of mercenary gits who would happily put our own grandmothers on eBay given half the chance.

I met with a client this week who was looking to give high end gadgets to people once they crossed certain sales thresholds. They spoke of DVD players, iPods and so on. My immediate response was that anyone capable of selling at the level they were talking about probably already owns an iPod, several DVD players, a wide screen TV, a toaster, a cuddly toy.............

A truly effective incentive needs to be something that they would not go out and get for themselves. It wants to be something that they are excited about having, not least because it will make their colleagues so jealous that they will work just as hard in order to get one for themselves. You see the truth behind an incentive is that it is not really saying "thanks" for a job well done. It's really saying "please" do a really good job for your company.

So are your incentives really working for you, or are you just getting rid of the stuff that was left over from last Christmas? Naturally we can help, so let's get together and talk about how you incentivise your staff. Remember, it's not just about finding the right gift - it's about presenting it in the right way.

Once again, I'd like to thank Meena for being nice.

I want to hate Facebook, but it's getting so hard.

Several years ago, a friend of mine told me that there was a great way for her to let a whole group of friends know about a particular event or gathering. It was a new site called Facebook, and according to her, lots of people were starting to use it.

Being the open minded, cheery, light hearted chap that I am (Oh come on, I only rant in these blogs to release my inner demons. Can you imagine having to deal with someone that negative on a daily basis? You’d have to punch them in the face just to get through the day, and that’s no way to live) I joined Facebook.

Shortly after this, I never bothered looking at it again. The End. OK, not quite, there is a little more to it. You see, I’m a strong believer in networking. I network at trade shows, at parties, even at the occasional networking group. This type of networking however, is a far cry from what passes for this new buzz term of the decade – Social Networking.

Can you imagine being at a party where everyone introduced themselves the same way they do on Facebook? “Hi, I’m Paul and I’m introducing myself to a stranger right now. Would you like to be my friend? That way, I can let you know every time I feel like eating a bloody sandwich!”

That’s not networking. It’s drivel. More recently though, I’ve actually found a use for Facebook. As you know, I’m running in the Marathon. Of course you know that – I only mention it every chance I get. Facebook was a great way for me to let a whole group of people know how they could go about sponsoring me, and I am pleased to say that it actually worked.

Now don’t get me wrong, this has not made me completely change my view on the thousands of people who feel the need to take time out of their day to log on to a website in order to change their status to "Dave is hungry and wants to eat McDonalds". Here’s a clue Dave – go to McDonalds then. Facebook may have a lot less calories than a Big Mac, but then there's no gherkin. I love gherkins, but we'll talk about that some other time.

Networking, in all its forms, does have true value, but only if it’s done properly. Now when you next find yourself in a networking opportunity (that’s any and all conversations you ever have by the way), what information will you leave behind which could lead to more business for you and your company?

A snazzy business card won’t do it. You need a hook – a reason for that person to not only take your call, but to remember you to the people that he is networking with too.

I’m here to help you, and the answers are not going to be found in this blog. I need to meet you. Together, we can work out exactly what your hook is and truly maximise its potential. Call me today and we’ll set up what I hope can be a life changing meeting for both of us.

What do I charge for this guru like consultation?

Nothing at all – it’s free.

That’s my hook.

Remember me?

Happy New Year - How Original!

Do you know, it's been such a crazy week here that I spent all of yesterday thinking it was only Monday. The good news for me is that today has come as a very pleasant surprise. The bad news is that I totally forgot to post the first blog of 2009. I know - I'm as upset about it as you are but don't worry, I promise we have some fun things to talk about this year.

Let me start by wishing you a Happy New Year. It seems like the right thing to do. What was the general sentiment at your New Year's party? For most people, they were delighted to be getting out of 2008; it was a crappy year and they want nothing more to do with it.

Now the psychology of that is interesting isn't it? I've come back into work with new enquiries to handle, new clients, new quotes and new orders. I'm thrilled, but I cannot help but notice that noone has announced that the recession is over. In fact, if you can stand to watch the news for more than 5 minutes without wanting to kill yourself, things are set to get even worse.

So what is it that is so magical about January the 1st? There's nothing mystical to it - the whole calendar is just started at some random point in history. No. What people are excited about is renewal - the excuse to make some sort of resolution and see just how long they can go before it all fades away, only to resurface some time around December.

People resolve to lose weight, to give up smoking, to be more courteous, to work harder, whatever it might be. My question is this - why do you need a change in the date to make a change in your life?

So what are you resolved to in the world of your business? For me, it's to have fewer clients to which I can provide even greater service. Sure, it's all a bit Jerry McGuire but I love that philosophy. I want to make my job about being creative and partnering with my clients. I simply cannot do that if I'm chasing my tail cold calling for new business.

And so it is that I have formed my own special club. My goal is for this club to have no more than 50 members, and in order to join, all you need to do is have a certain committed spend on merchandising between now and December the 31st. I'm not going to tell you that figure, because I don't want to put anybody off, but suffice is to say that it is not a ridiculous amount of money for any company that's truly serious about marketing themselves in 2009.

Membership will certainly have its privelages. The best one being that you won't have anyone here trying to "sell" you anything. We'll be concerned with helping you make the most of your company's exposure.

Want in?