In the last week I'm proud to announce that this blog has been picked up by companies in Europe and the USA, and they'll be using certain posts in their own white papers and blogs. I feel like I've been syndicated, and it would be so much more exciting if I was actually getting paid, but it's still nice to be acknowledged and may I offer a big hearty hello and welcome to my new international readers. If you appreciate the irony that is British humour, you’re going to love it. If not, watching old Benny Hill clips is not going to give you the education you think you need, so don’t waste your time.
This week I found myself posed with a bit of a dilemma. A supplier showed me a new product of which they had already sold millions of units. Their client base was very impressive, and with offices in 4 different countries, one had to believe that things were going well for them. So what was the problem? I thought the product was – and I’ll choose my words carefully here – ordinary.
Yup, that just about sums it up – it was ordinary. Obviously it would be wrong for me to describe the product to you here but what you need to know is that I just couldn’t get inspired by this thing. It wasn’t that I was having a bad day or that I was not open to seeing new things, it’s just that I simply didn’t “get it”.
Now before you think that this is my effort to sound all “Dragon’s Den”, I should explain that it was what happened next that really opened my eyes.
The person presenting this thing to me told me about their success stories. She told me about the clients that had taken it on and how well it had been received by their customers. She pointed out that one had to look beyond the product and actually think about the solution instead.
This got me thinking. Have I become focussed on product? Despite having access to millions of items of merchandise, have I started to limit myself to only selling that which is readily available? It’s always a good idea to be self critical – it helps you look for those areas in which you can find room for improvement, and what better way than to look for new and interesting ways to help your customers.
But where to begin? You see, most people that I work with are not looking for a solution because they don’t think that they have a problem. They’re launching a product or going to an exhibition and they need merchandise. Their biggest problems are usually short lead times and low budgets, and those are problems that we can usually solve.
So how about this? What if, just for one day, you told yourself that your biggest problem was that you were not a multi millionaire, sipping champagne on your private yacht whilst customers queued up to buy your products and services? What if you still had to actually work for a living? Now how would you change that? If you improve upon the customer experience, they will come back and they will tell their friends too.
One easy way to do that is to look at what your customers already know, and then look at what they DON’T know. In most cases, that second question will yield a frightening answer. It’s not really all that scary though, because once you find out what they don’t know, all you have to do is find inventive ways to tell them.
That’s where we come in. We’ll take a look at your image and how your customers relate to you and then we’ll work with you to create a new and interesting campaign. We’ll go beyond mere product and look at a genuine solution – a way to put your business exactly where you want it to be.
Funny thing, but the more I type this, the more interested I am in that very ordinary product. With just five minutes of perspective, I can see thousands of possibilities for it. In fact, I think I’m going to give them a call……
Have a good week.
Thursday 27 August 2009
Thursday 20 August 2009
The Digital Revolution
Well how are you today? Yes I know that I could have found that out by following you on Twitter or looking at your status on Facebook but some times I just like to be a little bit old fashioned. I'm great, and thank you for asking.
It seems that there are some companies out there that think that the tried and tested means of marketing themselves are becoming old fashioned and that they should therefore stop doing them altogether. Now of course it is important to show off your company as innovative and "down with the kids", but why let go of things that worked for you previously. Better still, why not combine the two?
"But how can we do that Paul?" I hear you cry. Actually, it's really rather simple. It all comes down to looking at the end result. Runners don't visualise the starting pistol or the years of training - they picture themselves crossing that finish line. Unless they're Usain Bolt, in which case they just picture a massive blur as they whizz past it.
Ask a lot of people what they want from their marketing and the answer will be very similar - brand awareness. But what does that mean exactly? I'm aware of loads of brands, but it doesn't make me a customer. Negative publicity can create brand awareness, but it's not exactly going to get you any more customers is it?
It's not enough for people to know you exist. People have to be convinced of a reason to use your products and services. Now you may well have the coolest website around. It could be presented by virtual video hosts, a totally new type of navigation system and the coolest graphics since The Matrix came out, but there's still a problem.
"If you build it, they will come". No - they won't. If you build it, market it, update it, market it some more and then get some of your visitors talking about it, they MIGHT come. People spend so much time thinking about Search Engine Optimisation that they miss one very fundamental point. If you've got something that noone has ever seen before, then they are NOT going to be searching for it in the first place.
Think of all of those products that you can buy that you can not physically hold - minutes on your mobile, comedy ringtones, credits on sites with questionable content. We've become a society that's ready to accept a virtual presence, but we still need an old fashioned means to get us there.
Some of the oldest, and, dare I say, most ordinary merchandise can do wonders for driving traffic to your website. How about sending your customers a mousemat with a screen grab of your home page? You could send them a calendar with twelve different shots of the coolest images from your site. If all else fails, how about a pen with your web address on it? Yes I said it - A PEN!!!
We're all of us searching for the next big thing. The next killer application or piece of hardware that will change the way we do certain tasks forever. Your company may very well have already made it, but if you don't tell us it's out there, how are we supposed to know?
Right. I'm off in my time machine to check out the year 1955. Don't worry, there's little chance of my interrupting my parents from meeting each other as that didn't happen until 1967. For details on time travel, you can visit www.imadeitallup.com/obviously.html
See you next time.
It seems that there are some companies out there that think that the tried and tested means of marketing themselves are becoming old fashioned and that they should therefore stop doing them altogether. Now of course it is important to show off your company as innovative and "down with the kids", but why let go of things that worked for you previously. Better still, why not combine the two?
"But how can we do that Paul?" I hear you cry. Actually, it's really rather simple. It all comes down to looking at the end result. Runners don't visualise the starting pistol or the years of training - they picture themselves crossing that finish line. Unless they're Usain Bolt, in which case they just picture a massive blur as they whizz past it.
Ask a lot of people what they want from their marketing and the answer will be very similar - brand awareness. But what does that mean exactly? I'm aware of loads of brands, but it doesn't make me a customer. Negative publicity can create brand awareness, but it's not exactly going to get you any more customers is it?
It's not enough for people to know you exist. People have to be convinced of a reason to use your products and services. Now you may well have the coolest website around. It could be presented by virtual video hosts, a totally new type of navigation system and the coolest graphics since The Matrix came out, but there's still a problem.
"If you build it, they will come". No - they won't. If you build it, market it, update it, market it some more and then get some of your visitors talking about it, they MIGHT come. People spend so much time thinking about Search Engine Optimisation that they miss one very fundamental point. If you've got something that noone has ever seen before, then they are NOT going to be searching for it in the first place.
Think of all of those products that you can buy that you can not physically hold - minutes on your mobile, comedy ringtones, credits on sites with questionable content. We've become a society that's ready to accept a virtual presence, but we still need an old fashioned means to get us there.
Some of the oldest, and, dare I say, most ordinary merchandise can do wonders for driving traffic to your website. How about sending your customers a mousemat with a screen grab of your home page? You could send them a calendar with twelve different shots of the coolest images from your site. If all else fails, how about a pen with your web address on it? Yes I said it - A PEN!!!
We're all of us searching for the next big thing. The next killer application or piece of hardware that will change the way we do certain tasks forever. Your company may very well have already made it, but if you don't tell us it's out there, how are we supposed to know?
Right. I'm off in my time machine to check out the year 1955. Don't worry, there's little chance of my interrupting my parents from meeting each other as that didn't happen until 1967. For details on time travel, you can visit www.imadeitallup.com/obviously.html
See you next time.
Thursday 13 August 2009
Doing what I promised in the first place
Looking back over recent weeks, it seems that this blog has become a place where I can rant about pretty much anything I like. We all of us need a means by which to vent some steam. Some of us blog, whilst others climb the nearest clock tower armed with nothing more than a twisted sense of morality and an M16 assault rifle.
None the less, I took a look at the very first post I ever made - one where I mentioned that I would share products and ideas with you, as well as opinion on all things promotional. So this week, rather than add more salt and vinegar to the massive chip on my shoulder, I thought I would tell you about one of my favourite products.
It's a USB stick.
Yup, that's about it- no massive build up, no fanfair, no parade of pretty girls in short skirts doing somersaults (the budget wouldn't stretch to it), just simple information.
OK, it's not just a USB stick. No, this is something that could set your next USB purchase aside from the competition. You see, everyone just wants to get their hands on the cheapest stick available, and all that means is that everyone is giving away the same gift to the same potential client base. The result? Nobody wins.
What you need to do is give them something special. Do you remember when USB sticks were the newest and most exciting product on the planet? I do. In fact, I recently found an archived email from 2004 where I quoted a customer on a 128Mb drive - the price was £112 and that was considered reasonable!
Things have certainly changed a lot, and right now the prices on USB seem to be spiralling out of control. I'm only able to hold prices for 2 days before they jump by another 50p, but that's not the point of this week's blog.
The point was to tell you about the Stickydrive. Stickydrive is software that lives on your flash drive. It enables you to give your customers a bespoke interface, built in music player, photo viewer, full document indexing, unlimited weblinks, video and - here is the best part - you can update their content remotely!
Think about it. If your company regularly uploads data onto a stick before handing it out, this new method could be so much more powerful. You can sell sponsorship opportunities right up to the date of your event. You could upload video of your keynote speakers that delegates can take away on the same day. You could let customers know about new products and special offers and all from a piece of merchandise that is being used all over the world.
This really is something you need to see to fully appreciate, and I'd be more than happy to come and present it to you or to welcome you to our showroom here in Borehamwood in Hertfordshire.
Rarely do I get excited about a product. Frankly, after 7 years, it's easy to believe that I've seen it all before. Let's face it, a USB stick with a floating plastic fish inside it is still just a USB stick - the fish does nothing to enhance your marketing potential, but this time we've actually got something that will.
Have a good week in business and feel free to post comments. You never know, we might get into one of those long streams which start out all pleasantly and which rapidly descend into name calling and insults about each other's mums. Seriously, have these people nothing better to do?
None the less, I took a look at the very first post I ever made - one where I mentioned that I would share products and ideas with you, as well as opinion on all things promotional. So this week, rather than add more salt and vinegar to the massive chip on my shoulder, I thought I would tell you about one of my favourite products.
It's a USB stick.
Yup, that's about it- no massive build up, no fanfair, no parade of pretty girls in short skirts doing somersaults (the budget wouldn't stretch to it), just simple information.
OK, it's not just a USB stick. No, this is something that could set your next USB purchase aside from the competition. You see, everyone just wants to get their hands on the cheapest stick available, and all that means is that everyone is giving away the same gift to the same potential client base. The result? Nobody wins.
What you need to do is give them something special. Do you remember when USB sticks were the newest and most exciting product on the planet? I do. In fact, I recently found an archived email from 2004 where I quoted a customer on a 128Mb drive - the price was £112 and that was considered reasonable!
Things have certainly changed a lot, and right now the prices on USB seem to be spiralling out of control. I'm only able to hold prices for 2 days before they jump by another 50p, but that's not the point of this week's blog.
The point was to tell you about the Stickydrive. Stickydrive is software that lives on your flash drive. It enables you to give your customers a bespoke interface, built in music player, photo viewer, full document indexing, unlimited weblinks, video and - here is the best part - you can update their content remotely!
Think about it. If your company regularly uploads data onto a stick before handing it out, this new method could be so much more powerful. You can sell sponsorship opportunities right up to the date of your event. You could upload video of your keynote speakers that delegates can take away on the same day. You could let customers know about new products and special offers and all from a piece of merchandise that is being used all over the world.
This really is something you need to see to fully appreciate, and I'd be more than happy to come and present it to you or to welcome you to our showroom here in Borehamwood in Hertfordshire.
Rarely do I get excited about a product. Frankly, after 7 years, it's easy to believe that I've seen it all before. Let's face it, a USB stick with a floating plastic fish inside it is still just a USB stick - the fish does nothing to enhance your marketing potential, but this time we've actually got something that will.
Have a good week in business and feel free to post comments. You never know, we might get into one of those long streams which start out all pleasantly and which rapidly descend into name calling and insults about each other's mums. Seriously, have these people nothing better to do?
Thursday 6 August 2009
Here's to another 50!
I just logged on to write this week's blog and noticed that I have written 50 posts since I started this thing. I think that's quite a milestone and to celebrate my golden anniversary, everyone who reads this week's blog will be sent a 9 carat gold bracelet*
I had the most wonderful phone call toward the end of last week and I wanted to share it all with you. Now the most important point to make here is that I didn't do any business with this person at all. In fact - I never even got to speak to the person that I was calling, and nobody else within the organisation was in a position to help me otherwise!
Intrigued? Well that was the basic idea, so let me tell you how the call went. I asked if I could speak with someone whose name was on our database. Now this was (and I'm going to use the C word here) a cold call, but having a name is always so much more powerful than asking for "someone in marketing".
After a few seconds, the receptionist returned to me to advise me that the person I wanted had "declined my call". "Declined my call? What does that mean exactly?" I asked. "It means that she is not interested in speaking with you".
I thanked the lady for her time and moved on, but this call really struck a chord with me. I was not offended at her direct response, nor did I find it rude. I found it to be refreshingly honest, and what's more, I actually emailed the person to commend her company on their policy of total honesty.
Putting this happy little anecdote aside for the minute, I was forced to wonder just why it was that I found this honesty to be so refreshing, and then it occurred to me - we're all preconditioned to accept being lied to. Think about all of the little lies that you'll hear in any given day -
"He's away from his desk right now". "Sorry, she doesn't appear to be picking up her phone." "They're in a meeting," and so on. The point is that we just don't believe these statements any more. Every time you call someone they're always in a meeting. Really? With that many meetings going on, how do they have the time to do any actual work?
It's a shame isn't it? We know they're lying - THEY know they're lying and what's worse, they know that we know that they're lying. But why is the truth so terrifying? It might be a cliche but the truth really can set you free. A good salesperson rarely calls just once - he or she will keep calling until appropriate contact is made. If they're told that the person they need is not answering the phone, they're just going to call again. And again. And again....and the poor person answering going to have to continue lying to them.
How much more powerful to be told "Listen lovely sales person, I appreciate that you would like to speak with Mr Bigwig here, but he just doesn't want to take your call". Any true professional will make a note and move on. Sure, they are going to try again, but at least it won't be every 5 minutes.
So what's your policy on honesty? How do you tell a caller that their call is being rejected or declined? Or are your colleagues in the longest meeting ever known?
A straight and honest answer will yield its own rewards. Trust me - there's absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Have a good week.
*The offer of a gold bracelet is a complete lie, but it was done to prove a point - you didn't believe it any more than I did. As soon as you saw that little asterisk at the end, you figured that there would be some ridiculous set of Terms and Conditions and that there was clearly going to be a catch. Well, there's no catch. But there's also no bracelet.
I had the most wonderful phone call toward the end of last week and I wanted to share it all with you. Now the most important point to make here is that I didn't do any business with this person at all. In fact - I never even got to speak to the person that I was calling, and nobody else within the organisation was in a position to help me otherwise!
Intrigued? Well that was the basic idea, so let me tell you how the call went. I asked if I could speak with someone whose name was on our database. Now this was (and I'm going to use the C word here) a cold call, but having a name is always so much more powerful than asking for "someone in marketing".
After a few seconds, the receptionist returned to me to advise me that the person I wanted had "declined my call". "Declined my call? What does that mean exactly?" I asked. "It means that she is not interested in speaking with you".
I thanked the lady for her time and moved on, but this call really struck a chord with me. I was not offended at her direct response, nor did I find it rude. I found it to be refreshingly honest, and what's more, I actually emailed the person to commend her company on their policy of total honesty.
Putting this happy little anecdote aside for the minute, I was forced to wonder just why it was that I found this honesty to be so refreshing, and then it occurred to me - we're all preconditioned to accept being lied to. Think about all of the little lies that you'll hear in any given day -
"He's away from his desk right now". "Sorry, she doesn't appear to be picking up her phone." "They're in a meeting," and so on. The point is that we just don't believe these statements any more. Every time you call someone they're always in a meeting. Really? With that many meetings going on, how do they have the time to do any actual work?
It's a shame isn't it? We know they're lying - THEY know they're lying and what's worse, they know that we know that they're lying. But why is the truth so terrifying? It might be a cliche but the truth really can set you free. A good salesperson rarely calls just once - he or she will keep calling until appropriate contact is made. If they're told that the person they need is not answering the phone, they're just going to call again. And again. And again....and the poor person answering going to have to continue lying to them.
How much more powerful to be told "Listen lovely sales person, I appreciate that you would like to speak with Mr Bigwig here, but he just doesn't want to take your call". Any true professional will make a note and move on. Sure, they are going to try again, but at least it won't be every 5 minutes.
So what's your policy on honesty? How do you tell a caller that their call is being rejected or declined? Or are your colleagues in the longest meeting ever known?
A straight and honest answer will yield its own rewards. Trust me - there's absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Have a good week.
*The offer of a gold bracelet is a complete lie, but it was done to prove a point - you didn't believe it any more than I did. As soon as you saw that little asterisk at the end, you figured that there would be some ridiculous set of Terms and Conditions and that there was clearly going to be a catch. Well, there's no catch. But there's also no bracelet.
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