March 2008 - Page 2 of 3 - McLellan Marketing Group

Did Dilbert write your mission statement?

March 21, 2008

See how familiar this sounds:

"At XYZ Corporation, we work with integrity to deliver value driven solutions that propel our clients to their ultimate success. We do this with a spirit of fairness, teamwork and recognizing that the XYZ family is our greatest resource."

Blech. Lots of words. Very little meaning.

Mission statements. What is it about them that is so difficult for most companies? For every good one out there, there are 100 that make you just scratch your head.

My most recent post at Marketing Profs Daily Fix explores the struggle that many companies have with creating a mission statement that actually says something meaningful about their organization. Come join us in the conversation.

Or….feel free to go the Dilbert route — this is worth a laugh or two.

HEY! Give me your attention!

March 20, 2008

We’ve talked about how difficult it is to break through the clutter and actually get someone’s attention. Sometimes it’s easier to understand when you see it. Invest the 30 seconds and watch.

You’ll be thinking about that all day, eh?

Hat tip to Seth for sharing this.

Are you making a marketing mistake that could cost your business thousands of dollars a month?

March 17, 2008

Pretty compelling, isn’t it?

Questions have a unique power. They open our minds. Even if we don’t really want them to be opened. Humans are naturally curious.

When someone asks us a question, even one that doesn’t really matter to us – we have to wonder. We can’t help ourselves.

If I ask you what was the name of the ad agency that employed Darrin on the TV show Bewitched, most of you aren’t going to remember. Everyone will wonder for a few seconds. (Some of the younger readers may wonder what the heck is Bewitched!) Some will dismiss it. Others will ask around. Some will even research it on the internet.

All for a trivia question about a 60’s TV show. Knowing the answer to that question won’t make you any money, save you time or impress your friends. Yet, you’ll wonder. At least a little.

That’s the secret of asking questions. You can use questions to create demand. To stimulate doubt. To intrigue. Or to inspire. Questions invite your audience into the conversation.

Sometime this week, ask yourself this. How could you use questions more effectively in your marketing efforts?

Remind your customers why they chose you

March 17, 2008

I recently received this e-mail from my credit card front man — United. I originally chose this card over the others because of the perks tied to it. But over time, I’d forgotten most of them and certainly wasn’t taking advantage of them.

This e-mail reinforced my buying decision. It reminded me of some benefits that I had not really explored or used on a regular basis. And, it squelched any thoughts I had about making a switch.

When was the last time you gently reminded your clients about all the value you provide for them? Do they really know how good they’ve got it? Are they not using services or products that would make them even more loyal to you? Should you nudge them a little?

Remember, just because you told them once (or twice) doesn’t mean they remember. How could you tastefully check in to see if they need a little reminder?

Do the numbers have it?

March 14, 2008

Numbers can be a compelling sales motivator. No matter what we’re buying, as consumers we like to see some data.

It validates our choice and either helps us feel like part of the crowd –"4 out of 5 dentists recommend Trident" or in an elite group of special customers — "only one in every 2,000 applicants will be invited to join."

But use them with caution because numbers alone don’t convince most people to actually buy. They need something else. They need the story.

When we show consumers a bunch of number or a comparison chart – they see the data but they don’t always see the relevance to their life or needs. But when your marketing materials tell a memorable story and put the numbers into a rich context, your potential buyer understands why the numbers matter.

When you wrap the numbers into a testimonial or a before and after story, you’re bringing whatever you sell to life. You tap into the emotional needs or wants of your potential consumer by helping them envision just how your product or service will help them. You paint a picture that makes them want what you’re selling. Then, the numbers validate their desire. It turns a want into a smart buying decision. You have now appealed to both sides of the buyers’ brains. And both sides can see, in the way it processes information best, the value of your product/service.

Next time you’re writing copy for any of your marketing materials, make sure you blend the power of numbers with some good old-fashioned storytelling.

WowOwow! And I really mean it.

March 9, 2008

Look at this list of women. Do your best not to say WOW at least once.

Lesley Stahl, Peggy Noonan, Liz Smith, Joni Evans, Mary Wells, Sheila Nevins, Joan Juliet Buck, Whoopi Goldberg, Julia Reed, Joan Ganz Cooney, Judith Martin, Candice Bergen, Lily Tomlin, Jane Wagner, and Marlo Thomas.

I know…can’t be done. Go ahead. Give yourself permission. Wow.

That is a power-packed list. Women who have incredible influence in many different fields. Apparently, they’ve been friends for some time and as they say:

"And for years we have been talking to each other about everything under the sun – our families, our work, our worlds. No matter what was happening in our lives, we made the time. We’ve shared what we think, observe and experience each day.

And now we want to share it with you."

The call it a conversation on the internet. I call it a blog. But….in very short order, we’re going to call it a force. Their question of the day for yesterday was….which 4 women would you like to see on Mt. Rushmore. 70+ comments.

Umm, that was on the day of their launch, International Women’s Day. Imagine how popular they’ll be in a week!

Hats off to these ladies, their fascinating conversations and their wisdom in inviting us to join in.

So here’s what I am wondering. How will this site and these women influence the blogosphere, the media, advertisers or public perception?

Nothing matters more than selling

March 9, 2008

Or so says Michael Masterson. In his new book, Ready, Fire, Aim: From Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat" he says:

"Nothing matters more than selling. Many first-time entrepreneurs have the impression that they are doing things in a logical order when they look for the perfect office space, have logos designed, and order a lot of inventory. The reality is they are wasting valuable resources on secondary and tertiary endeavors. If no one is going to buy what you want to sell, you’ve just wasted a bunch of money on a business that will never be."

Masterson’s book identifies four stages of a business (infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood) and points out the unique characteristics of each – with its own unique problems, challenges and opportunities. He asserts that with the information in Ready, Fire, Aim, any investor, business owner, or employee can recognize these stages and see how to move their business to the next level.

The book includes the three-step process that entrepreneurs should (but often don’t) follow in order to build a successful business.
Step one: Get the product ready enough to sell, but don’t worry about perfecting it. (Ready)
Step two: Sell it. (Fire)
Step three: If it sells, make it better. (Aim)

Masterson also takes on some of the biggest myths about starting and growing businesses, providing in-depth insights and expert advice based on his real-life experience growing dozens of multi-million dollar businesses over the past two decades.

The author introduction makes a bold promise:

"If you don’t have your own business but are thinking of starting one, this book is for you. If you have a new business but can’t get it to grow, you’ll know how after you read this. If your business is already pretty large but has hit a plateau, don’t worry. There are answers here for you. If your business is great but you are working too much, you can breathe easy. You are reading the right book. The answers are here."

While it may not be quite that cut and dried…I found the book to be very thought-provoking and practical. As you know, I don’t enjoy business books that don’t help me actually apply what I am reading and learning. I found myself asking some tough questions about my own business as I was reading. I spotted some definite areas that could use some tweaking and will start to do a few things differently as a result.

My own valuation of a book is….did I learn something I can apply that will improve my business in a tangible and significant way? If so, the book was well worth the 2 hours I invested.

This book was well worth the two hours. I think you’ll agree.

Blogger Social — here we come!

March 8, 2008

Who’s attending the BIG event?

We have "Socialites" (marketing bloggers) traveling from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Italy, the Middle East, the United Kingdom, East Coast, MidWest, West Coast, Down South and Up North…and many more places all over this amazingly connected and shrinking world.

People from 8 countries and 20 different states within the US are going to descend onto NYC like a swarm of shouting, hugging and laughing communicators who are going to pack more fun and memories into 48 hours than anyone can imagine!

(just click on the graphic above to view it at full size)

We are proud to be hosting the following brainy, and beautiful!, Socialites featured in the below video…links to all the blogs of our Socialites available here.

(Special thanks to Mark Goren for creating the collage and video.) Want to see what we’re going to do all weekend? Check out our Event Guide. That’s located right here.

Want to get a feel for the energy and excitement (not to mention the beautiful faces) of the weekend? Take a couple minutes and watch this video.

Want to join us? Mark your calendar for next year because believe it or not…Blogger Social ’08 is sold out, standing room only! Many thanks to the brave souls who stuck their neck and and said "if CK and Drew are throwing a party….I want to be there."

We cannot wait to see you!

What will you be doing 3 weeks from today? I know!

March 8, 2008

You are going to be buying a copy of Age of Conversation from Amazon.com to support the Social Media Bum Rush!

We have finally overcome the litany of issues plaguing the retail distribution of The Age of Conversation –and are now planning an Age of Conversation Bum Rush. That’s right, we want to bring this ground-breaking work to a wider audience and have now made it available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other quality retail book selling sites.

But wait! Don’t rush out just yet to purchase your copy. Hold off until March 29. Here’s why … Chris Wilson has set out a plan of action designed to push the Age of Conversation up the best seller charts. Here’s how it works …

Plan of Action for March 29, 2008 …

Here’s the plan of attack, thanks to Chris. We need everyone’s help to make this a success. Remember, not only do you get a copy of a great book, but the children of Variety’s LifeLine literally get the gift of life.

The idea is to generate as many touch points around the web as possible so that it will be hard not to spot the Age of Conversation activity.

Buy the Book & send others to buy the book. This is the number 1 call to action, because this is where we want to see the most impact. NOTE: Please buy 1 copy at a time because Amazon counts bulk orders once, and please use this affiliate link, which will help us in tracking sales. Remember, all the proceeds from the book sales and referrals will go to charity. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1847992994?ie=UTF8&tag= drewmclellan-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325& creativeASIN=1847992994
Blog About It – Make sure you have a prominent link to the Amazon listing so that readers can easily purchase the book. (Remember to use the affiliate link above. All of these earnings will go to charity as well.)
Twitter Commentary – Join Gavin, Chris and I as we give a Bum Rush play-by-play on Twitter. (Follow us: @Freshpeel, @DrewMcLellan, @servantofchaos) We also ask that everyone saying anything about the Bum Rush to use the code #AOC so that it can be picked up by Twemes.com
Trackback or Comment on the post that Chris leaves on March 29, at 12am CST, so that everyone can follow the conversation and help promote exposure on social sites (Digg, StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us, etc.)
Digg the posts listed on Chris’ site and send emails and shouts to friends requesting Diggs.
Stumble the posts listed & tell friends to do the same.
Bookmark your posts on Del.icio.us
Add your post to other social media outlets ( Technorati, Ma.gnolia, Furl, BlinkList, Newsvine, Facebook, etc.)
Send an Old Fashioned email to your friends about the Bum Rush for AoC.
Keep talking – Get on ooVoo, iChat, Aim, or where ever you like to talk, and start talking.

What you can do right now …

Spread the word – Surely you are connected to people outside of your marketing cronies. Start talking … hence the word “conversation” in the title of the book.
Add the Join the Rush Badge to your Blog or Web page. (Just copy and paste the HTML code below.)
<a href="http://freshpeel.com/2008/03/AOC_BumRush_March/"><img src="http://www.freshpeel.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/AOC_banner.jpg" alt="Join the Age of Conversation Bum Rush on March 29th" /></a>
Blog about It – Make sure everyone gets the word that the Bum Rush is on…and we need their help.
Create a podcast or video and upload to Youtube or other streaming video site (Maybe David Brazeal or Anna Farmery can do a special edition?).
Add your Reviews and tags on Amazon – Right now the Amazon page looks a little naked. Help fill it up!
Join the Facebook Group – This is a great way to connect with all of the AOC writers and fans. You can join the group here.
Become an AOC Fan on Facebook – Show your love for AOC. Yet another awesome way to connect with AOC writers and fans. Join AOC fan page here.
Add AOC to Wikipedia – Any experts on Wikipedia guidlines? Made to Stick is a good example of what can be included.

We need your help to make this work. Basically, buy everyone buying a copy on March 29th, we will push Age of Conversation up Amazon’s charts, which will get other people’s attention and hopefully encourage them to buy. Wouldn’t it be cool if Age was the #1 selling book on Amazon that day?

Please help us make this day a huge success for Age and for the kids of Variety.

Need to raise your prices? Here’s how.

March 6, 2008

I know, it’s crazy talk. Or is it?

Raise your prices when we might be facing a recession? But for some organizations, it’s just smart business. Or maybe it is necessary business. Cost of goods may be on the rise, or labor might be costing you more.

Or you might know/believe that consumers respond differently to higher end pricing than they do to lower priced items.

Whatever the reason, there’s a right way and a wrong way to raise your prices. The truth of the matter is in the life cycle of most businesses, prices need to be raised.

Whether you are a law firm that charges by the hour or a manufacturer who sells widgets – your cost of goods is likely to rise. So, your prices need to as well.

Raising prices can also raise the ire of your clients. Depending on the maturity of your business, your customer base, the percentage of increase you’d like to make – there are several ways to accomplish your goal without losing or upsetting clientele.

The most common way to raise prices is to just do it across the board and then send a sincere letter to your customers like "over the past 10 years, ABC Plumbing has worked hard to hold our prices steady. We’re proud of the fact that we’ll be able to contain our price increase to a very modest 2%…" Common, but not without some potential for push back.

Sometimes it is the most common way because it’s the only way. But, how else might you get the increase you want without incurring the wrath of existing customers?

How about charging extra for special privileges? Access to a customer hot-line that skips the on hold queue or upgrades in shipping or turnaround time. Today, one of the most valuable assets for most people is time. If you can save them time, they often will gladly pay extra.

Another way of looking at your pricing is market segments. A business traveler who needs to be in Pittsburgh on Wednesday and back on Thursday will pay more for a plane ticket than a Grandma planning a visit to her family. You probably have similar segments within your customer base.

No matter how you handle a price increase, one element is critical. Be upfront and demonstrate value. Your clients don’t begrudge you making a profit. They just want to get a value for their dollar. Price increases can be a win/win if you think them through and handle them correctly.

Here’s some heartening news. Some research suggests that people like you better if you’re more expensive!

« Previous 1 2 3 Next »