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.
Thursday, 30 July 2009
Look the other way
Last week, some anonymous reader posted a comment on this blog. That's brilliant - I often ask for comments so it's always nice to see that people are reading what I have to say and are even motivated further to write something themselves.
Sadly, this same person felt that all of my blog posts allude to my having some sort of chip on my shoulder and that I should consider getting out of sales all together. It's an interesting theory - certainly my blog does have a certain acerbic wit to it, but then that's just my writing style. I poke fun at the world in the hope that the world collectively says "Hey Paul, we're not all like that you know and whilst we're here, can we please order some merchandise?"
For the most part, this blog has done its job. I have a presence on line and my customers and I regularly talk about what I've written and how it brought a smile to their day. So if a chip on my shoulder is bringing a little joy into people's lives then I welcome it. In fact I'm off to deep fry some more potatoes for the other shoulder too!
And so to this week's thought. Have you asked someone how business was lately? I ask it all the time, and I also get it asked of me. Now we know that there's a recession on, but has everyone's response been "terrible". No? Me neither. I get people telling me that sales are up and that morale is great. I get people telling me that they're hiring staff, rebranding, expanding their marketing - the news is all good!
So what's their secret ingredient? More importantly, are they prepared to share it with us? No - and it's not because they're mean, it's because in ANY economic situation, some will be up whereas others will be down. This isn't rocket science and you don't need degrees in Economics to work it out. The fact is that anything in life relies upon BALANCE. You cannot have an up without a down.
Some believe that where you are depends upon how you look at things. I suppose that's true. When things are quiet on the sales front, you can either look at your shoes and wait for the phone to ring, or you could start thinking of more inventive ways to attract new business. We are, all of us, surrounded by opportunity - it just might not be knocking as loudly as it used to!
So how are your customers feeling about their business? Have you asked them? It seems that as time goes on in the ever so politely named 'Economic Downturn', people don't want to ask the question any more. If they do, it's with a tone that suggests they expect the answer to be negative. We've stopped asking, but we haven't stopped caring.
You know, when you take the 'sale' out of a conversation with a customer, incredible things start to happen. You actually start to listen to each other. You learn things that you wished you'd known for years. You discover more shared interests, common contacts and aspirations. The nature of your relationship can change in the blink of an eye into something so much more rewarding.
The people that are doing well are more than happy to tell you how they're doing it, and the people that aren't doing so well are even happier to listen to the teachings of someone who is.
There are so many gains to be made every single day, and it's those people that are pushing for those gains that are telling you how great things are. They're not deluded - they're positive. I'm speaking from personal experience here - I myself have not had a great month, but I've had so many fantastic conversations in this quiet period that I know I'm going to have a great August.
I do hope that you can find the space for some optimistic thinking in your day and if you're struggling, then just give me a call or drop me a line and I'll see what I can do to cheer you up. I charge one smile per session.
Sadly, this same person felt that all of my blog posts allude to my having some sort of chip on my shoulder and that I should consider getting out of sales all together. It's an interesting theory - certainly my blog does have a certain acerbic wit to it, but then that's just my writing style. I poke fun at the world in the hope that the world collectively says "Hey Paul, we're not all like that you know and whilst we're here, can we please order some merchandise?"
For the most part, this blog has done its job. I have a presence on line and my customers and I regularly talk about what I've written and how it brought a smile to their day. So if a chip on my shoulder is bringing a little joy into people's lives then I welcome it. In fact I'm off to deep fry some more potatoes for the other shoulder too!
And so to this week's thought. Have you asked someone how business was lately? I ask it all the time, and I also get it asked of me. Now we know that there's a recession on, but has everyone's response been "terrible". No? Me neither. I get people telling me that sales are up and that morale is great. I get people telling me that they're hiring staff, rebranding, expanding their marketing - the news is all good!
So what's their secret ingredient? More importantly, are they prepared to share it with us? No - and it's not because they're mean, it's because in ANY economic situation, some will be up whereas others will be down. This isn't rocket science and you don't need degrees in Economics to work it out. The fact is that anything in life relies upon BALANCE. You cannot have an up without a down.
Some believe that where you are depends upon how you look at things. I suppose that's true. When things are quiet on the sales front, you can either look at your shoes and wait for the phone to ring, or you could start thinking of more inventive ways to attract new business. We are, all of us, surrounded by opportunity - it just might not be knocking as loudly as it used to!
So how are your customers feeling about their business? Have you asked them? It seems that as time goes on in the ever so politely named 'Economic Downturn', people don't want to ask the question any more. If they do, it's with a tone that suggests they expect the answer to be negative. We've stopped asking, but we haven't stopped caring.
You know, when you take the 'sale' out of a conversation with a customer, incredible things start to happen. You actually start to listen to each other. You learn things that you wished you'd known for years. You discover more shared interests, common contacts and aspirations. The nature of your relationship can change in the blink of an eye into something so much more rewarding.
The people that are doing well are more than happy to tell you how they're doing it, and the people that aren't doing so well are even happier to listen to the teachings of someone who is.
There are so many gains to be made every single day, and it's those people that are pushing for those gains that are telling you how great things are. They're not deluded - they're positive. I'm speaking from personal experience here - I myself have not had a great month, but I've had so many fantastic conversations in this quiet period that I know I'm going to have a great August.
I do hope that you can find the space for some optimistic thinking in your day and if you're struggling, then just give me a call or drop me a line and I'll see what I can do to cheer you up. I charge one smile per session.
Thursday, 23 July 2009
Do you want ideas or action?
Did you ever find yourself logging on to Facebook or Twitter and thinking, "I wish I'd thought of that"? Or how about queuing up in Starbucks and asking yourself why you didn't come up with the notion that people would be more than happy to pay over £3 for a cup of coffee?
We've all been there, but what might surprise you is that you may well be amongst the many thousands of people that did invent Facebook. You sat at your computer one day and a little thought went off in your head that said, "Wouldn't it be cool if there was a way to tell everyone what I was doing right now."
The difference between you and the guy that did invent it (apart from the fact that I don't have an overwhelming desire to smack you in the mouth) is that you didn't do anything with your idea. Those people you see on Dragons Den have what they refer to as entrepreneurial spirit. In simple terms, they got up off of their backsides and took action.
Now let's be fair, there are plenty of ideas out there that are just plain rubbish, but the only reason you know about them is because the creators took the plunge and put them on the shelves. Some of these ideas will flourish and many more will never make their creators rich. Regardless, those people will be satisfied that they at least had the courage to try.
Many people at the moment are a lot more reserved. Taking the plunge in an economic downturn makes about as much sense as booking JLS to sing at your next corporate function - lots of money and zero staying power, it's just not worth the expense.
None the less, a lot of those same people are currently sitting on the next genius marketing idea. A campaign so clever that it's not only going to generate revenue, but it's probably going to win awards. This one campaign is THE SINGLE GREATEST IDEA SINCE GOD SAID LET THERE BE LIGHT. But of course, your Financial Director simply cannot sign off on it, because there is no budget.
AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH! Are we back to this again? A bunch of non creative, scared, conservative number crunchers who cannot see beyond the end of their calculators. Why should you have to "sell" good ideas within your own company? Weren't you hired in the first place for your creativity? Perhaps they liked you because you had a track record of taking risks that proved to be successful. Whatever it was, it seems to have vanished amidst a fog of fear and doubt and guess what, as soon as the economy picks up, you'll magically become creative all over again!
See my point? If you're not being allowed to flex your creative muscle, you need to do something about it. You need to point out that the rewards will outweigh the risks. You need to put your best foot forward and show your company that you mean business.
The next time you see a problem and find yourself thinking, "Someone should do something about that", remember that you ARE someone, and go and do something about it.
We've all been there, but what might surprise you is that you may well be amongst the many thousands of people that did invent Facebook. You sat at your computer one day and a little thought went off in your head that said, "Wouldn't it be cool if there was a way to tell everyone what I was doing right now."
The difference between you and the guy that did invent it (apart from the fact that I don't have an overwhelming desire to smack you in the mouth) is that you didn't do anything with your idea. Those people you see on Dragons Den have what they refer to as entrepreneurial spirit. In simple terms, they got up off of their backsides and took action.
Now let's be fair, there are plenty of ideas out there that are just plain rubbish, but the only reason you know about them is because the creators took the plunge and put them on the shelves. Some of these ideas will flourish and many more will never make their creators rich. Regardless, those people will be satisfied that they at least had the courage to try.
Many people at the moment are a lot more reserved. Taking the plunge in an economic downturn makes about as much sense as booking JLS to sing at your next corporate function - lots of money and zero staying power, it's just not worth the expense.
None the less, a lot of those same people are currently sitting on the next genius marketing idea. A campaign so clever that it's not only going to generate revenue, but it's probably going to win awards. This one campaign is THE SINGLE GREATEST IDEA SINCE GOD SAID LET THERE BE LIGHT. But of course, your Financial Director simply cannot sign off on it, because there is no budget.
AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH! Are we back to this again? A bunch of non creative, scared, conservative number crunchers who cannot see beyond the end of their calculators. Why should you have to "sell" good ideas within your own company? Weren't you hired in the first place for your creativity? Perhaps they liked you because you had a track record of taking risks that proved to be successful. Whatever it was, it seems to have vanished amidst a fog of fear and doubt and guess what, as soon as the economy picks up, you'll magically become creative all over again!
See my point? If you're not being allowed to flex your creative muscle, you need to do something about it. You need to point out that the rewards will outweigh the risks. You need to put your best foot forward and show your company that you mean business.
The next time you see a problem and find yourself thinking, "Someone should do something about that", remember that you ARE someone, and go and do something about it.
Thursday, 16 July 2009
A long term view
Well for the three of you that haven't come down with Piggyitis, or Swine Flu as it's more commonly known, hello. I'm a little worried that some doctors are just getting lazy with this pandemic.
"Doctor, this man's been shot!"
"No problem nurse, it's clearly another case of swine flu - plenty of rest and fluids and he'll be fine."
"Shouldn't we remove the bullet?"
"Nah - couple of Lemsip should do the trick."
But I digress, as indeed I often do. To be fair, if I didn't include those parts where I do digress, this blog would only ever be about 2 sentences long, so I appreciate your patience.
Recently I was put on to a company called Infusionsoft. As I am not an official partner, I have not included a link here but I did want to give them credit for a particular philosophy: People buy when THEY are ready to buy, not when YOU are ready to sell.
I thought about that for a while and it actually makes perfect sense to me. I make a lot of sales calls in any given day but if I only applied myself to those people who had a need when I called, I really would be limiting the amount of opportunity that there is out there.
In the world of promotional merchandise, this way of thinking has become more important than ever. So many customers are telling me that their budgets have been cut or frozen and that they don't anticipate needing anything for at least six months.
Now it would be easy for me to be disappointed, but actually I'm just the opposite - I'm delighted to have called them when I did. You see we get a lot of phone calls from people who need a complicated order delivered yesterday. It happens all the time and I have spoken about planning in this blog on more than one occassion. So how wonderful to get the chance to speak with a company who are not panicking - who have time to strategise and partner themselves with new suppliers and new ways of thinking.
I am now and have always been interested in the long term. I want people to see what we do and how we add value so that when they find themselves in need of some new marketing ideas, they won't need to trawl through piles and piles of catalogues which all look the same. They'll think of Merchandise Mania and they'll call.
Great for me, but how does it apply to you? Well just how are you keeping yourself in the minds of people who told you three months ago that they weren't looking for your services right now? Did you diarise a time to follow up and did you share something with them that they could use right now? In most cases, the answer is no, and that's a shame, because you may well have just handed your next great customer over to your competitors.
Fortunately, there is a solution. Get yourself on their desk. Get yourself in their home and in their car. Get yourself in their reception and in the minds of all of their staff. A useful piece of promotional merchandise will create a buzz in the minds of your potential customers and when they are ready to buy, just who do you think they will call first?
A good calendar will stay on a desk for a whole year. A fun toy may well go to the child of a powerful CEO who will think of you every time he sees his kid playing. Even a simple pen might be the one thing they needed to scribble down the contact information of their next big client and thank goodness your pen was there!
Think about it, a good piece of merchandise is an extension of your sales force. I met someone last week who wanted to send out mouse mats to 1000 potential customers. Now if any of these customers sign up, they're worth £5000 each. Now what do you imagine the chances are that out of 1000 people, that at least one of them will convert into a client? The mats were 85p each. Now if I told you I could turn 85p into £5000 you'd give me the money, right?
I almost feel like an employment agency sometimes. I have the cheapest labour on the market. I will get you a sales representative who will actually sit on your potential customer's desk and remind him about you every single day, and all for under a pound! I challenge you to find a better deal than that.
Remember, people buy when THEY are ready to buy, not when YOU are ready to sell. Position yourself correctly, and they will be ready to buy from you.
"Doctor, this man's been shot!"
"No problem nurse, it's clearly another case of swine flu - plenty of rest and fluids and he'll be fine."
"Shouldn't we remove the bullet?"
"Nah - couple of Lemsip should do the trick."
But I digress, as indeed I often do. To be fair, if I didn't include those parts where I do digress, this blog would only ever be about 2 sentences long, so I appreciate your patience.
Recently I was put on to a company called Infusionsoft. As I am not an official partner, I have not included a link here but I did want to give them credit for a particular philosophy: People buy when THEY are ready to buy, not when YOU are ready to sell.
I thought about that for a while and it actually makes perfect sense to me. I make a lot of sales calls in any given day but if I only applied myself to those people who had a need when I called, I really would be limiting the amount of opportunity that there is out there.
In the world of promotional merchandise, this way of thinking has become more important than ever. So many customers are telling me that their budgets have been cut or frozen and that they don't anticipate needing anything for at least six months.
Now it would be easy for me to be disappointed, but actually I'm just the opposite - I'm delighted to have called them when I did. You see we get a lot of phone calls from people who need a complicated order delivered yesterday. It happens all the time and I have spoken about planning in this blog on more than one occassion. So how wonderful to get the chance to speak with a company who are not panicking - who have time to strategise and partner themselves with new suppliers and new ways of thinking.
I am now and have always been interested in the long term. I want people to see what we do and how we add value so that when they find themselves in need of some new marketing ideas, they won't need to trawl through piles and piles of catalogues which all look the same. They'll think of Merchandise Mania and they'll call.
Great for me, but how does it apply to you? Well just how are you keeping yourself in the minds of people who told you three months ago that they weren't looking for your services right now? Did you diarise a time to follow up and did you share something with them that they could use right now? In most cases, the answer is no, and that's a shame, because you may well have just handed your next great customer over to your competitors.
Fortunately, there is a solution. Get yourself on their desk. Get yourself in their home and in their car. Get yourself in their reception and in the minds of all of their staff. A useful piece of promotional merchandise will create a buzz in the minds of your potential customers and when they are ready to buy, just who do you think they will call first?
A good calendar will stay on a desk for a whole year. A fun toy may well go to the child of a powerful CEO who will think of you every time he sees his kid playing. Even a simple pen might be the one thing they needed to scribble down the contact information of their next big client and thank goodness your pen was there!
Think about it, a good piece of merchandise is an extension of your sales force. I met someone last week who wanted to send out mouse mats to 1000 potential customers. Now if any of these customers sign up, they're worth £5000 each. Now what do you imagine the chances are that out of 1000 people, that at least one of them will convert into a client? The mats were 85p each. Now if I told you I could turn 85p into £5000 you'd give me the money, right?
I almost feel like an employment agency sometimes. I have the cheapest labour on the market. I will get you a sales representative who will actually sit on your potential customer's desk and remind him about you every single day, and all for under a pound! I challenge you to find a better deal than that.
Remember, people buy when THEY are ready to buy, not when YOU are ready to sell. Position yourself correctly, and they will be ready to buy from you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
