I resolve to....

Lose weight? Give up Smokes? Sleep less? Sleep More? Get a new job? Whatever you and others are resolving to do in 2008, someone is there to help you (and make some money too):


LOSING WEIGHT AND QUITTING SMOKING aren't just some of the most common resolutions Americans make every year--they are some of the most lucrative.

Typically, health and fitness resolutions are the most common: myGoals.com, a goal-setting Web site, predicts that 28% of all resolutions will fall in this "lose weight, quit smoking, get to the gym more" category, compared with 27% last year.

But thanks to economic worries, "we expect people to focus a lot of time and energy improving their careers and getting out of debt," the company says. It expects resolutions related to debt reduction to increase sharply as a percentage of all finance-related resolutions (to 52%, up from 26% last year). And it says resolutions related to saving money will rise, from 11% to 24% of all finance-related resolutions.

Another big jump: Career-related changes, which it expects account for 21% of all New Year's resolutions--up from just 12% last year.

Read the rest here.

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2 ways to succeed

It used to be (so I'm told), "Build it and they will come". In the 1960's we had less advertising messages clamoring for our attention and far fewer media options to use for advertising.
We had ABC, CBS and NBC as our three TV choices. Period. Maybe 5 radio stations in our town. Now Arbitron lists over 20 radio stations and our television choices are now ranging from 30 to 200+ in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The landscape has changed but the rules remain the same. You can succeed as a short term flash in the pan, overnight sensation and plan on disappearing after a few weeks, months or years. Or there is the other more profitable, approach to success. This 2nd method follows the Golden Rule of treating everyone the way you would want to be treated. Don't compromise your standards or cut corners. Apologize when something goes wrong. And be real. It lasts longer. Set your measurements for growth in years and decades, not hours and weeks.
The folks at Maple Creative wrote about an example of the second way to succeed on their blog:

A to Z of Marketing: Y - Yuengling

Yes, I like a good beer, especially one with character. Nothing compares to an ice cold, complex ale with a great aroma and a long finish. But that's not why I am telling you about Yuengling.

This is America's oldest beer, brewed in a very humble (take that to mean real) location--Pottsville, Pennsylvania. It remains a family-owned business, dating back to 1829, and is run by a real, hands-on, shirtsleeves-rolled-up sort of owner, Dick Yuengling. He is not a paper-thin, glamorous PR superstar. How cool is that!

And that is a perfect segue into the marketing significance. The story here is that Yuengling is real. It is genuine. The brand and its products reflect the personality, commitment and style of its owners. Yeungling is a brand that is rooted in reality. And in today's over-hyped, glitz-and-glamour, built-to-flip world, real brands are refreshing. Yuengling has steadliy grown its sales over the past decade (more than 25% in fact) without flashy advertising and without hype.

So how has this brand become noteworthy? How has Yuengling grown? Why do I even know about it? (Aside from the fact that I have a couple good friends from Eastern Pa.) Why does my buddy Kerry refer to it as "that golden nectar"? Well, there are a few good reasons.

Primarily, the company has been consistently dedicated to making a great quality of beer. That's the first part. Secondly, Yuengling has had the courage and vision to innovate. No, they have not changed rapidly or whimsically; instead they have changed strategically. For example, to survive Prohibition, it switched production to "almost beer." And when competitors began mass producing lighter beers, Yuengling spotted an opening and filled the niche by introducing more flavorful, richer brews. Finally, Yuengling has benefited from some well-deserved and long overdue earned media coverage. The chart above shows the huge rise in awareness of this brand when a New York Times feature was published (May 2005).

So what's the lesson here? Reality reigns supreme. Consistently great brands prevail. Slow, steady growth sustains companies and brands over decades. That's real success. And that is real great beer!

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Advice for a new year

This time it is from an email from Art Sobczak:

This Week's Tip:
Questions to Ask Yourself for
Your Best Year Ever in 2008

Early Happy New Year!

Today's issue is a New Year's tradition.
It's usually one of our most popular issues of
the year, and most-visited in the archives.

If you're serious about having your best year ever
in 2008, TODAY is the best time to start. I do suggest
you take some time to sit down with these questions
Think about your answers. Challenge yourself. Write
them down. Them go to work!

It's quite simple: if you want to be better in 2008,
YOU need to do more than simply WANT it. You need to
make some changes. Start now.

____________________________________________

What are you going to do to improve your industry and
product knowledge in 2008?


How many inactive customers will you revive and turn
into regular customers again? What do you need to do
to make that happen?


What will you do to ensure you're protecting your
best customers, and adding more value to the
relationships? How will you sell even more to them?


How many new customers will you bring on this year?
How do you plan to do that, specifically?


What will you do to improve your physical health in 2008?


What, specifically, are your sales and production
goals for 2008? How does that break down into quarterly
and monthly goals?


How much more money will you make in 2008? How will
that happen? What will you need to do, today, to take the
first steps in that direction?


What will you need to do to increase THAT number by an
additional 10%


What are you going to do every day to keep your
attitude at a high level?


How much time are you going to spend, daily, to
improve your own sales skills? What will you do?


How many referrals did you get in 2007? How will you get
them? From whom? What will you do to turn them into sales?


Speaking of referrals, will you please forward this issue
to two others who would also benefit from these weekly Tips?
(OK, that's one of mine.)


In which areas will you improve your personal, family, and
spiritual life?


How are you going to maximize the use of your time?
Where will you cut out the time-wasters in each day?


What have you been putting off that you will take
care of within the next two weeks?


Who can you help to feel special every day?


What challenge, wish or desire--that you've never
attempted before--will you finally achieve in 2008?
How will you do that? Why?


Where are you going to write all of this down so you
can review and revise your plans regularly?


What will it LOOK like when you accomplish everything
you've just been thinking about?

How good will it FEEL?


What will it SOUND like when you achieve these things?


Why COULDN'T you do all of this?

Any answer to that last one is not a reason, but rather
a self-imposed limitation, excuse, or lack of desire
or effort. The biggest deterrent to success looks us
in the mirror every day.

I don't know about you, but I've gotta go--I'm not done
yet working on my own answers. 2007 was my best year
ever, and I'm going to be sure that 2008 beats that.

Now, go out and plan to have, no, COMMIT to ...
... YOUR BEST YEAR EVER IN 2008!

Art



QUOTES TO BEGIN 2008

"Leap, and the net will appear."
Julie Cameron


"Everything you want is out there waiting for you to
ask. Everything you want also wants you. But you have
to take action to get it."
Jack Canfield


"Jump into the middle of things, get your hands dirty,
fall flat on your face, and then reach for the stars."
Joan L. Curcio


"Your actions, and your action alone, determines
your worth."
Johann G. Fichte


"Do not wait; the time will never be 'just right.'
Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools
you may have at your command, and better tools will
be found as you go along."
Napoleon Hill

Contact: Art Sobczak, President, Business By Phone Inc. 13254 Stevens St.,
Omaha, NE 68137, (402) 895-9399

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How do you sell into a market that is not yet established?

From the email files today came this:

Educate Your Market Before Entering It

by Glenn Mangurian

12/26/2007

How do you sell into a market that is not yet established? This is one of several dilemmas that emerging companies face as they create the next new thing.

Marketing skills have been honed on creating new products for established markets and marketing established products to new markets. Increasingly product development is about creating markets where customers don’t yet realize they have a need.

Emerging and established companies must educate the new markets before they can sell into them. Increasingly, potentially powerful products fail to get market traction because company marketers are blinded by the promise of their ideas.

In today’s go-go competitive marketplace they fall prey to five traps of marketing:

Trap 1: We built it, but no one came. Thousands of entrepreneurs are dreaming up new ideas to win big through the Internet. Each believes he is on to the next “killer app” and all he needs is capital to build it and sell to customers knocking down his door.

But getting beyond the idea stage requires answering some basic questions: Who are our potential customers and early adopters? What need do they have that my product could fill? If they don’t know they have a need, how will we create that awareness? Do we have the time, patience and competence to educate the market? Once they understand their need and the availability of our product, why should they be willing to spend money to get it?

Getting early market traction requires a combination of careful targeting, effective and educational selling, a compelling value proposition, willingness to do what is necessary to create a market success and referenceable customers.

The best way to sell something to someone who doesn’t know they need it is to attach it to something they already buy and offer it at little additional cost. Seeking complimentary relationships early can accelerate market traction.

Trap 2: They bought it, but they didn’t know how to use it. Most new products are over-engineered for completeness and under-designed for usability. That combination is dangerous for first-time customers who learned they have a need but may not have the patience to figure how to use the product.

Emerging companies should assume that first-time users won’t know how to use their products and are likely to get frustrated quickly if they are left alone to figure it out. While marketers may be able to hold the hands of a few, they face major challenges during initial market expansion.

An alternative approach is to resist the over-engineering of the product from the start. Most products are initially designed to include features for differing markets. That approach is fine if you are jumping into an established mass market. On the other hand, if you are trying to create a market that doesn’t exist, it is likely to render the product too complex to use at the start. It might be better to design to fit target niche markets. It is easier to design for simplicity if you are focused on specific target customers than on diverse and often conflicting needs of a mass market.

Trap 3: They used it, but they didn’t generate value. Companies must understand not only what business need their products fill, but also what their customers have to do to generate value from the products. In today’s competitive environment new products are not likely to get past early trials unless there is a perceived cause and effect relationship between use and value. Before companies can roll out a new product they need to know how early customers measure value, set up support systems to monitor value creation and then build that evidence into future promotion activities.

Trap 4: We promoted it to many, but few actually tried it. A product’s early adopter success does not translate into mass market readiness. All the issues that forced you to choose a target niche market at launch are likely still present for other segments.

Rather than promote to a mass market, the product should be offered to adjacent niche markets. Adjacent markets are those that have similar characteristics to the initial target but offer access to a new customer base. Adjacency marketing is necessary until a critical mass of segments have been captured to tip the readiness of the overall market for broad acceptance.

Trap 5: We created the market, but we don’t own it. If you create a market, competitors will eventually enter and it will be difficult to sustain leadership.

Much has been written about the advantages of first mover status. This is worthless if there are low barriers to entry, low switching costs and you have an inferior product. To sustain leadership, plan to renew your product and its value proposition while you are trying to capture market share.

Leading edge companies need to master the creation of new markets that don’t exist. They must first establish a solid base of market acceptance on which to grow. This involves converting an idea into a powerful value proposition, creating market beachhead and scaling through adjacency marketing. Otherwise, it will be left at the starting line with no race to run in.

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You cannot do it!

Seth Godin wrote on his blog about the benefits of exclusion when you are a business or organization. You can read it below. But first, think about how you can be more exclusive.

For nearly 5 years, I have worked for a company that grew from 5 radio stations to 6 radio stations. More is better! Wrong. Unless you are able to handle the "more", it may be better to be less. We did it and it has paid off. The last effort we made to be successful with 6 radio stations was to have a separate sales staff of 3 to 5 for each station. That's 18 to 30 sales people on the streets, generating revenue. Should have worked except the overhead was too much and the 80/20 rule kicked in. Except it was more like the 90/10 rule. Also there simply are not enough quality sales people in our community to support the size of staff we were trying to assemble. Many managers came and went and discovered this.



The 80/20 theory is that 80% of your revenue is produced by 20% of your efforts, or sales staff, and we could figure out which 80% to reduce we would be more cost efficient. We had 3 or 4 people bringing in the money to run the entire organization. Last year we reduced our stations to 3. This year we slashed the sales force from around 15 down to 5. And the results have been tremendous. It is easy to look at sales performance and determine who is producing. We will add one more person about every 6 months, IF we can find the right person.

Now each individual person cannot be all things to all people. You have a limited number of hours in a week (168). The key is to determine which area you want to be exclusive in and who you want to exclude. Then stick to it. You CAN do it! Now here's Seth:

Exclusion

When I was in college, the Dean tried to put together an advisory group of students. Nobody he invited joined--it wasn't worth the time. Then he named it, "The Group of 100" and in just a few days, it was filled. The easiest way to have insiders is to have outsiders.

Credit card companies have made billions by selling a card that others can't get.

Politicians stand up and talk about their (exclusive) religion, or pit one special interest group against another.

And of course, the best nightclubs have the biggest velvet ropes and the pickiest doormen.

Limiting the supply of your service, or the quantity of your product, or being aggressive in who you sell to (and who you don't) are all time-tested ways to build a killer brand. Humans like being insiders, and will work hard to create their own imaginary demarcations to demonstrate that they've made it inside.

Populism is almost always a hard sell, it seems.

When Tiffany's lowered prices and quality and tried to reach out to the masses, they almost went bankrupt.

The Net seems to be turning some of this upside down. Twitter and Yahoo mail and eBay are completely populist. Hotornot, flickr and other websites have embraced this idea as well. (Worth noting that gmail started as a totally insider service, with a limited number of invites, shared person to person).

It's interesting to take a second to look at wikipedia. It started with the most populist, inclusionary point of view of all, but over time, people being people, a hierarchy and inner circle has been created. The exclusion is based on effort and skill, not race or income, but it's still exclusionary. And at its best, it makes the site work. When it fails, it limits discussion, reinforces small thinking and enrages the outsiders.

The first thing I'd ask myself before launching a product, a service, or a candidate is, "who are we leaving out?" If the answer is no one, be prepared for uncharted waters. The future of marketing (at least the big successes) is going to be fueled by those with the guts to embrace the masses. The profits, at least in the short run, may well be found by those that embrace exclusion.

One last thing: while people are delighted to be included (and seem to enjoy excluding others), the benefits they feel are dwarfed by the anger and disappointment of those excluded. It's something that people remember for their entire lives.

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Actions Speak Louder Than......

From my Christmas Eve email came these words from Roy Williams Monday Morning Memo:



I'm a big believer in the power of words. But when words aren't backed by corresponding actions, talk is cheap.

Have you ever felt a disconnection between what a company promised you in their ads and what they actually delivered?

I carry a list of companies in my head called the "Never Again As Long As I Live" list. I'll bet you have one, too.

Was it the advertising of these companies that put them on our lists? Of course not. It was their actions.

One dumb decision can undo years of good advertising.

What decisions have you made that send signals to your customers?

"Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying."
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

1. What are you saying in your ads?
2. Who are you being in your store?
3. Is there a disconnect?

A dog doesn't have to growl to let me know it's dangerous. Just bare you teeth, doggie. I'll understand. This small, direct signal from the dog overrides all the assurances of its owner: "He won't bite, he's a friendly dog. I've had him for 10 years. His breed never bites. It's been proven. Here, watch this. See, he didn't bite me and he won't bite you either. What are you afraid of? Here are some testimonials from other people who have petted him. Did you know this dog was voted Most Pettable Dog of 2007? He won't bite you, he likes you. Trust me. We care about our customers."

What is advertising but the assurances of a dog owner?

Talk, when it costs you nothing, is cheap.

"Here are ten, hundred-dollar bills. Put them in your pocket. If this dog so much as snaps at you, they're yours. He wasn't baring his teeth to scare you. He was smiling at you."

Wow. A smiling dog. I think I'll pet him.

Actions are powerful signals when they agree with your words.

These action-signals gain credibility to the degree they cost you one or more of the following:

1. Material Wealth
2. Time & Energy
3. Opportunity
4. Power & Control
5. Reputation & Prestige
6. Safety & Well Being

What do your signals cost you? What are you risking?

Words that cost you little have little meaning.

Tom Wanek is an authority on how to use signals and counter-signals in business. Tom has agreed to speak for one very special hour on the subject during the next Free Public Seminar in Austin, Texas.

Prepare to be amazed.

Roy H. Williams

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The Secret Revealed

In this article from Forbes, how to reach Moms and why!

Entrepreneurs
How To Market To The Modern Mom
Lisa LaMotta, 12.18.07, 1:40 PM ET

Marketers know that mothers make most household purchasing decisions. By some estimates, moms in the U.S. spend $2.1 trillion a year--about 15% of the country's entire economy.

What marketers may not know, however, is that this segment is still ripe for the picking.

"Moms have their own language," says Nancy Lowman LaBadie, an executive vice president at Marina Maher Communications, a public relations agency that handles many of Procter & Gamble's female-focused products, such as Secret deodorant, Dawn dish soap and Clairol hair color. "I think companies who learn [that language], understand it and connect with it will reap the rewards."

Yet things get lost in translation. According to a recent survey of 3,500 U.S. mothers by BSM Media, 65% of mothers feel that they are "under-served" by advertisers--either because mom-focused ads don't resonate with moms or because the ads aren't aimed at moms at all. Strike the right nerve, though, and there's a mountain of money to be made.

In Pictures: How To Market To The Modern Mom

First, consider the medium. Print magazines tend to be more effective at catching a mom's eye than newspapers. Moms read an average of 4.1 magazines a month, according to BSM Media. Radio works, too: Moms spend a lot of time in the car.

Moms are also increasingly online: 71% use the Internet to research purchases. By contrast, only about 20% comb newspaper ads.

How-to videos hit home. In May, BSM Media launched NewBaby.com, a YouTube for moms featuring videos on subjects like infant massage and how to tell your boss that you're pregnant. And this summer, computer giant Hewlett-Packard launched 10 videos on how to take digital pictures--say, of fast-moving kids--to help promote its cameras and photo printers.

"[Moms] don't use a camera because it has eight mega-pixels, but because it captures their memories," says Karen Cage, a spokesperson for HP. "Making that technology understandable and approachable is beneficial to the consumer."

On the Web, don't just rely on banner ads--moms want to engage in a conversation. A good deal of action happens at social networks like Maya's Mom and Café Mom, and at mom-centric blogs like BlogHer.

"We recognize that we don't always do a really good job via advertising or providing a comfortable dealer experience [to women and moms]," says Christopher Barger, director of global communications technology for General Motors. "We have been looking at how we can use [online] social media to improve our efforts there."

Better yet, offer an experience. That's what GM did last month when it chauffeurred around 75 moms in its cars for a weekend in Newport, R.I., in conjunction with a weekly podcast called Manic Mommies (produced by two moms). One participant remarked: "I appreciate that they recognize moms as an important-enough sector to treat us with first-class service."

When it comes to marketing, not all moms are created equal, so craft your messages accordingly. Take one key segment: Gen-X moms, between ages 26 and 41. Gen-Xers don't want to conquer the world (as perhaps their own Baby Boomer moms did), but are looking for balance among work, family and leisure. Products and services that make life simpler tend to resonate.

Finally, remember that moms want a better world for their kids. Show that your company cares, and you might hook a few more matronly customers. Flavored-water outfit HINT recently teamed up with a slew of causes--including AIDS Walk New York and Ladies Who Launch--to promote its brand among moms. And Sunkist brought its lemons into the limelight by giving away 11,000 pre-formed lemonade stands, collecting $800,000 in lemonade sales for multiple charities.

Says Lowman LaBadie: "Moms are going to bond with brands that take the welfare of their families into consideration."

In Pictures: How To Market To The Modern Mom

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Read beyond the headlines

A headline may only tell part of the story or be completely misleading (Thus the success of Jay Leno's Headlines feature on the Tonight show which returns after the new year.)

Yet as I read the information below the headline in the following story, I saw that more and more businesses want to be involved with the Internet, not the printed phone book like the headline implies. Read it for yourself:

AT&T Study: Small Businesses Sticking To Traditional Media

by Aaron Baar, Friday, Dec 21, 2007 5:00 AM ET

MEET THE NEW MEDIA. SAME as the old media--at least when it comes to small businesses. According to an independent study commissioned by AT&T, the majority of small-business owners see directory advertising as their most effective marketing tool. According to the survey of 1,000 businesses with 25 employees or less, nearly two-thirds (63%) still advertise in a printed directory. In addition, 72% of those small businesses said they would spend the same amount on printed directory advertising in the coming year. Eleven percent said they would spend more. Nineteen percent said they would spend more next year on newspaper and magazine ads, which were cited as the second-most effective marketing tool by the small businesses. While only about 23% of the respondents said they currently use online advertising (and two-thirds said they have their own Web sites), some 53% of them said they expected to buy online advertising featuring video over the next two to three years, according to the survey. "Small businesses still see strong value [in directory advertising], but they're also eager to get online," Bob Mueller, executive director of business operations for AT&T, tells Marketing Daily. "The fact is, consumers are using all sorts of places to get their local information." Obviously, AT&T, which publishes the well-known Yellow Pages directory, has a vested interest in the survey. But to eliminate bias, the company contracted Western Wats Data Collection Agency in Utah to conduct the survey, Mueller says. The small-businesses survey is intended to back up research from The Kelsey Group, in which 61% of Americans say they still use a printed directory to find local information, Mueller says. That survey found that 13% of consumers used search engines to find local information, while 7% used Internet directories (e.g., Yellowpages.com). The results of both surveys show that businesses and consumers looking for local information are still turning to the tried-and-true book. Mueller says. The top five categories for directory searches are: restaurants, physicians, auto parts suppliers, auto repair shops and pizza, Mueller says. Accordingly, small businesses have intentions of moving more of their marketing dollars to Internet-based services. According to the survey, 20% said they expected to spend more on Internet directories, and 38% expected to spend more on Internet banner ads. When it comes to search-word marketing, 43% said they spent more this year than last year, and 34% said they expected to increase search word spending next year.

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Focus on the basics

Sometimes with the busyness of our day to day activities, we get distracted from our primary focus. Or perhaps you have been so busy that you never determined what your primary focus should be. A third possibility is that your world has changed and you should re-think and re-focus on what you are needing to do for the future.

If any of these scenarios are true for you, then, take some time and think, plan, observe, and focus on the basics. I recently came across another blog that has some good ideas including the following which came in my email today:

5 Things People Want to See Before the Sale

Over the years I’ve spent marketing small businesses, I’ve learned that there are five basic things people want to see before they buy anything. Businesses that constantly show all five during the sales process do remarkably well, whereas companies who can’t or won’t show them tend to do a lot worse.

Without further ado, here’s what you need to show your potential buyers:

1. An explanation of how buying will benefit them.

The first and most important thing you need to show potential buyers is why they will benefit from your product. If you don’t show that to them quickly, it’s not likely you’ll have their attention to show them anything else.

People want to know what’s in it for them, how they’re going to benefit, and why they should part with their hard-earned cash. Not only do they want to know that, but they want it explained clearly and specifically so they don’t have to spend time figuring it out for themselves.

2. A reason to buy from you, and not someone else.

Most markets are so competitive that it’s hard to convince anyone that you’re the only choice. Most people intend to try several companies before even thinking about picking one, so you need to explain why your company deserves their business. And you need to explain it well.

Taking it one step further, it’s often a good idea to offer some intangible benefits that your competition can never offer—something that is unique to your company (think customer experience). With that, you can position yourself ahead of the competition without worrying about them copying or stealing your benefits (but do watch out for their intangible benefits).

3. Testimonials and customer feedback

As much as I might wish it were effective, bragging about your own company doesn’t really work well. Getting other people to brag about you, however, is much more useful. Humans are social creatures by nature, and most of the time people want to check with others to see if they’re making a “good choice” according to society. A raw and honest group of testimonials can sometimes convince them that they are making a good choice by purchasing from you.

As the marketer and salesman for your company (most of us small business owners are) you have to corroborate your testimonials in a way that provides a believable picture of what society thinks about you. If you can convince other people that society looks upon you positively, than you are one step closer to the sale.

4. A portfolio, sample, or other type of test product.

Even with testimonials and clear benefits, most people still won’t be ready to buy from you. Think about it—would you buy a car without test-driving it first?

Offering a sample or preview of your work will help them get rid of quality concerns and any other negative ideas they might have. It also gives them a chance to get to know your company a little better, which brings them yet another step closer to buying.

5. A method of recourse if things don’t work out.

It’s a fact that no business can satisfy everyone; and your potential customers know it. Most potential buyers are well aware of the chance for things to go sour, and they don’t want to get into a situation where they have no way out. The best way to address this concern is to offer a solid guarantee or return policy. Once you have that in place, they will be much happier buying from you.

If it’s not feasible to offer a guarantee or return in your industry, then I recommend loading up on your portfolio or samples. That way people can get a really good idea about what they’re getting themselves into, and will be less likely to walk away from the sale because of your no-return policy.

Show them proof

As much as you can, try to show each of the five different parts, as opposed to just saying them. In sales, words are a flimsy way to prove a point. Potential buyers are very skeptical about what salespeople say (and for good reason), so it’s important that you show as much physical and social evidence as you can.

Action Plan: Think about where you first engage your potential buyers, and then try to picture all of the other places you’re likely to interact with them before the sale. How many of the five things do you show them before asking them to buy? Are there ways to make it easier for them to see all of the information? Use this brain-storming session to fit a few more of these into your sales process, or to strengthen the weak ones if you already have all five.

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Did you know?

Nearly 95% of the U.S. watches television at least once a month. And those in the media and tech world often think that changes are happening very fast compared to 10, 20, 40 years ago. Yet, we better rethink what the general public is aware of as the following demonstrates. There is a simple lesson to remember when thinking about change: Until it affects an individual personally, there is no reason for that individual to pay attention to the changes that are going on around us. That's why there are still an incredible number of people that do not have cell phones, email, or a home computer. It will take time for certain changes to occur in our lives and how long it takes depends on the impact of an individuals lifestyle.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Half Of The Population Unaware Of Digital TV Transition in 2009

According to the CTAM Pulse, a nationwide survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers conducted last month by the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing, forty-eight percent of U.S. households are aware of the planned digital TV transition, compared to just 29 percent from a survey taken in July 2005

After February 17, 2009, the nation's broadcast television stations will begin broadcasting exclusively in digital. Any consumer receiving broadcast TV over the air on an analog TV set must take some action for that TV to continue receiving programs from the local TV stations. Those options include:

• Obtaining a digital-to-analog converter
• Subscribing to cable TV or other multichannel video service
• Replacing the analog set with one equipped with a digital TV tuner

Major findings of the CTAM survey show that:

• Groups most familiar with the transition are subscribers to broadband services (45 percent), digital cable service (40 percent), and basic cable service (39 percent);
• Seventeen percent of survey respondents - representing more than 19 million homes - don't have any televisions connected to a video service provider.
• Forty-seven percent of respondents said they do not know when the digital transition will occur, and 26 percent believe it will take place sometime other than the designated year 2009.

Char Beales, President and CEO, CTAM, said "In the months ahead, cable companies will reassure their customers... analog sets will continue to display the new broadcast digital TV signals, ...(as well as)... aggressively communicating with all consumers to alert them to the transition... help them understand... how they can benefit from this further transition to digital television technology."

Of those who are aware of the DTV transition,

• 38 percent said they'd learned about it from TV
• 26 percent had read of it in the newspaper
• 20 percent had heard about it from friends or family
• Fifty percent of households that watch TV exclusively over the air said they don't know where to turn for information about the transition

25 percent of "connected" households - or 23.3 million homes - said they also have at least one or more "unconnected" sets in their homes:

• 40 percent of them said they use those sets to watch broadcast TV programs only
• 22 percent use them to watch DVDs
• 16 percent use them for video games

The Complete CTAM Pulse report is available on the CTAM Web site here.

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Just what do women want?

From my email came the following today:

Volume 1 Issue 12 December 19, 2007

1.	Fold-down rear seats, for storage, are the #1 feature women (62%) want in a car, according to LeaseTrader.com. Roadside assistance, thought to be a major selling point, is cited by fewer than half of one percent.
2.	Diamonds are still a girl's best friend: 96% of women expect a diamond when they get engaged, with 5% of diamonds purchased over the Internet, reports Fortune.

3.	Older heterosexual couples are the fastest growing segment of the living-together population in the U.S., says the Center For Family & Demographic Research at Bowling Green State University.
4.	Women aged 26-59 (67%) are most likely to participate in retail loyalty programs, but only 14% feel their membership in such programs earns them preferential treatment, according to Colloquy, a loyalty marketing consulting organization.
5.	62% of women say they watch sports most often on TV, compared to 42% who cite soap operas, says BIGresearch.

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Marketing To Women (MTW) delivers research, market intelligence and business leads that demonstrate the best strategies for brands, media, non-profits and service providers to connect with today's women. Download a free sample issue to discover how the monthly MTW can lead you to more successful advertising and promotion campaigns.

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Now playing while you pump.... (part 2)

3 weeks ago I shared a story about a radio network that plays music and commercials at gas stations. Now we can watch our favorite shows, (if the writers strike ends), while we are filling our tanks. Just another way to distract us from the $50 to $75 we just spent on gas.

CBS To Appear On Gas Station TV

by Erik Sass, Wednesday, Dec 19, 2007 8:00 AM ET

AS WITH OTHER KINDS OF place-based video, the major TV networks are pairing off with companies that operate digital video displays at gas pumps, reaching consumers during the two-to-three minutes of down time it takes to fill their gas tanks. The latest deal brings CBS content to Gas Station TV, which currently operates about 5,000 such displays in 300 cities around the country. GSTV also gets content from ESPN. GSTV claims to reach 30 million gas station customers a month in big markets like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas and Houston. In addition to providing recognizable content to GSTV, the deal increases exposure for CBS shows--part of the network's larger "Outernet" strategy, which includes distribution of content via place-based video networks. CBS isn't alone in seeking place-based distribution. In the gas station video market, NBC is providing content to the FuelCast Network, and ABC News partnered with a third competitor, PumpTopTV. More broadly, CBS is providing content to Healium, a video network serving waiting rooms in doctors' offices, and has struck deals with American Airlines, Royal Caribbean, Starwood Hotels, Indoor Direct, Mall of America, Simon Malls and Ripple TV. It also purchased SignStorey, an in-store video network that has been rebranded the "CBS Outernet." Meanwhile, NBC has partnered with Channel One, an in-school video network that delivers a 12-minute news broadcast; Premier Retail Networks' "Supermarket Checkout TV," at more than 1,000 stores; and Clear Channel Taxi Media in New York City. A third deal is in the works to display NBCU content, including ads, on PATH commuter trains running between New York and New Jersey.

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Local Blogging

Is there a directory or forum in your town for locals to find a local blog? Here in Fort Wayne, our local Public Radio station is doing a series on local blogging. The following is from Fort Wayne Observed:

Audio of Public Radio's Fort Wayne "blogosphere" story

WBOI FM broadcast Don Clemmer's story on the Fort Wayne blogosphere.

Jeannette Dillon and Don Clemmer have provided Fort Wayne Observed with an mp3 of the first broadcast segment from Northeast Indiana Public Radio.

You may listen to the segment by clicking here.

Second segment of the NIPR blog feature

Click here to listen to the second part of Don Clemmer's story on the Fort Wayne blogosphere which was first broadcast on Northeast Indiana Public Radio.

From NIPR's introduction:

In part one of our two part series exploring Fort Wayne’s blogosphere we learned that Fort Wayne actually has one of the strongest blogospheres in the country. In part two, local bloggers discuss blog behavior, politics and the media.

New Generation Radio’s Don Clemmer reports for Northeast Indiana Public Radio.

I have a list of Local blogs on the right hand side of my other blog you can access here.

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The path to Success

I came across this the other day...

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15 Sales Tips To Start Selling Smarter In 2008

Jim Meinsenheimer. I've bought his stuff. I get his weekly (free) newsletter. And I recommend him to others. No shortcuts, no tricks, just good reminders of what works in sales. Here's his advice for 2008 from todays email:


15 Sales Tips To Start Selling Smarter In 2008

Here are 15 sales tips you can use to sell smarter during 2008. With the right sales motivation, you can become as successful as you want to be!

However, you must come to grips with this fact. If you aren't outrageously successful at this moment, thinking about it won't make it happen.

The end of the year is a busy time of the year for most of us, I know it is for me. I'm looking at where I've been this year, where I am at this moment, and where I want to be at the end of 2008.

Here is a short list of 15 sales tips you can use to make 2008 your best sales year ever:

1. Analyze what worked for you during 2007.

2. Likewise - analyze what didn't work for you during 2007.

3. Establish personal and professional goals in writing for 2008 - goal-setting is critical for sales success.

4. Put these goals on a white board in your office - the bigger the white board the better. If you can't see your goals you're less to stay focused on them throughout the new year.

5. Create written action plans, and the emphasis is written, for all goals with specific completion dates - these dates should be added to your electronic calendar.

6. Call your biggest and best customers and thank them, again, for their business.

7. Get the biggest trash can liner you can find and toss away everything that isn't absolutely essential to your success. Go through your office, your car, and your briefcase. Clutter has no place in an organized office. It just gets in the way, even blocks, your momentum.

8. Ask yourself, "What is holding you back?" It's a serious question which deserves some serious thought. It's stupid to do the same stupid things over and over!

9. Ask your sales manager what his priorities are for 2008. Don't assume you know what they are. Listen carefully to his response.

10. You should also ask your best customers the same question. Ask them what their challenges are for the new year. Ask them how they're planning to grow their business in the new year. Ask them how they're planning to measure success with their suppliers. These questions and others found in my book titled, "The 12 Best Questions To Ask Customers" will give you a significant advantage over your competitors.

11. Allocate 30 minutes a day to reading about your profession - okay listening to CDs is acceptable. This requires discipline. You will become an expert and a giant in your industry if you do this. If you don't, you'll just be in step with the mediocrity brigade. This sales tips is easy to say and hard to do. Do it and you'll be rewarded with more sales and of course added wisdom.

12. Get involved with a mastermind group which means starting one if you have to. My group, Masters Speakers International, of course we had to give it a sexy name, has been meeting four times a year for 10 years. My time with this group of talented people has made a huge difference in my life and in my business.

13. I can't tell you how many e-mails I receive saying, "as soon as I start making more money, I'm going to start buying some of your products." Unfortunately, good intentions won't make you outrageously successful. Investing in yourself is a requirement, not something that depends on your income. Your personal business Library is a good predictor of your future success. You can't put a price on a good idea. And it takes a steady stream of good ideas to become outrageously successful.

14. Here's another sales tip - don't try to do everything yourself. You'd be absolutely amazed at what you can outsource for a very reasonable price. The next time you have a small project you wish you could give to somebody else, go to www.elance.com and see what they can do for you. You just might be surprised!

15. Finally, it's impossible to be good at everything. If there is something that you are not good at and you need to be good at it, for Pete's sake hire a sales coach. A good sales coach won't cost you anything. Yup, a good coach doesn't cost, he pays. A good coach can help convert your sales weaknesses into sales strengths. If you like what you read in my Newsletters, you'll love what I can do for you as your sales coach. You can get more information here. http://www.meisenheimer.com/sales_coaching/index.shtml

Look - you can use these 15 sales tips to start selling more in 2008! You deserve it!

It sad but true, not everybody wants to be outrageously successful.

Some people don't want to be accountable for their results - they prefer a pity party. Some people prefer mediocrity over superiority. Why would anyone ever think like that?

Some people postpone living to sometime in the future, when in fact the only time we are guaranteed is today.

We live in a great country, we really do. Sure things aren't always hunky-dory. But you sure do have to admit that America has unlimited opportunities for those who have desire, focus, ** discipline **, commitment, passion, and a great deal of enthusiasm for life and for business.

Van VanBebber says, in The Wall Street Journal, "We should all save and study more, and spend and weigh less." That's pretty good advice as we head into the New Year.

His advice, however, requires a great deal of self-discipline. Are you up for it?

Becoming outrageously successful also requires a great deal of self-discipline.

Do you have what it takes to do what it takes to become outrageously successful?

Here's your choice - you have it or you've had it!

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Fail your way to success

A few years ago, I was introduced to Roy Williams, the self proclaimed WIZARD OF ADS, through a couple of former co-workers. Among the things he does is a Monday Morning Memo. Today's was worth sharing with you:


Time and Chance.

Concorde was a child of the 60s. Flying 11 miles above the earth at twice the speed of sound, this jet was literally faster than a rifle bullet. London to New York in 2 hours and 53 minutes.

The Concorde isn’t flown anymore.

During a routine take-off in July, 2000, Concorde blew a tire after hitting a small piece of metal on a runway in Paris. A chunk of the tire knocked a hole in the wing, spilling fuel down the side of the plane just as it was lifting off. Ninety seconds later, the plane exploded in the air.

The public was terrified. The Concorde fleet was grounded.

After reinforcing the wings with bulletproof Kevlar and installing puncture-proof tires, the senior executives of Concorde’s parent company boarded the plane in September, 2001 and flew halfway across the Atlantic and back to demonstrate their confidence in the plane’s safety. While they were in the air, terrorists flew commercial jets into the World Trade Center.

Now everyone was afraid to travel.

Having already been out of operation for 14 months, Concorde was unable to recover from this second financial whammy.

Solomon, known for his good advice, said, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.”

Then he followed this eye-of-the-tiger pitch by saying in the next verse,
“I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong, 

nor does food come to the wise 

or wealth to the brilliant 

or favor to the learned; 

but time and chance happen to them all.”
– Ecclesiastes chapter 9

Robbie Burns agreed with Solomon’s assessment of time and chance. Apologizing to a mouse whose burrow he accidentally uncovered while plowing his field, he said most famously in 1785: “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

I share these things with you because I know some of you are facing failure. Don’t let it bother you. Failure, like success, is a temporary condition. Tomorrow is a brand new day.

FAILURE: Because sometimes your very best just isn’t good enough.

Amen. Now we’re done with it. Turn your face to the rising sun.

Tigers are happiest when they’re chasing their dinner.
Even when they fail to catch it, the chase is fun.

Let your tiger run.

Roy H. Williams

“Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes.” - Tom Peters

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again… who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
– Theodore Roosevelt, April 23, 1910

Now that we've given you permission to fail with chin held high,
would you like to plan for outrageous success in 2008?

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It's all in your head....

Your attitude, that is. Not just your attitude, but those around you. Everyone of us is a salesperson. When I was a disc jockey, I was selling the song I was playing or the contest we were running. Your receptionist, your delivery driver, your (fill in the blank), what ever the title you and others have, you are a salesperson, as in a representative of your company and that can help or hurt the selling and buying process.

Despite the fact that you may not like "sales" and that's why your title doesn't say "sales", it is the buying and selling of goods and services that pays you and everyone around you. Sales is not bad, but there are some bad sales people. And my job and yours too is to rise above that and be one of the good guys and gals in the sales world.

The preceding was inspired by the following email I got today from Steve Clark:

Sales Jobs Still Seen With Contempt

December 16th, 2007 by Steve Clark

A recent study conducted by Development Dimensions International, a human resources company, found that 41 percent of consumers surveyed rated the sales profession below mediocre. And one in five consumers surveyed said they believe salespeople’s expertise is getting worse.

Not only do consumers see salespeople as incompetent they see sales as an undesirable profession. Survey results reported that 46 percent of those surveyed say they would be ashamed to call themselves a salesperson. (I wonder how many salespeople feel the same way)

The good news in all of this is that buyers still rank salespeople as their number two source of product information. Second to only the internet but ahead of family and friends. Says Bradford Thomas, the company’s sales practice team manager, “In a given week, people make dozens or hundreds of purchase decisions but see the process as a necessary evil. It’s something people have to do but they are not always that jazzed about it. They’re dealing with salespeople way more that they want to.”

How about you? Are you perceived in your marketplace as a welcomed guest or an unwanted pest?

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Preventing the "crash and burn"

I have a love/hate relationship with my computer. Just when I get it set up the way I like it, it goes wacky. I've had three laptops in 5 years. I may need a new one again, but instead I'm doing my best to make do and part of that is to move things to the web instead of just my computer.

My handwriting sucks, so I type most everything including my "To Do Lists". I have found a couple of websites that you can use to manage your important information. The key for me was the ability to customize with the information I wanted, along with the ability to print a paper copy, and it had to be priced right. (That means free!) Here's what I found:



http://www.rememberthemilk.com/
Popular, but not quite what I need.

http://www.tadalist.com/
Too simple, not enough features.

http://todoist.com/
This might be the one I end up using. But there is some learning to needs to be done and I don't want to learn another program right now.

http://www.backpackit.com/
This is what I decided on for now. I can create the lists that I want, access them anywhere, print as I want. This is as close to what I am used to having except it is stored on line instead of my computer.

Any comments or suggesttions would be welcomed.

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Prepare for 2008

From my email came the following from Steve Clark:

What to Think About As the 4th Quarter Comes to a Close

What you do between now and the end of the year will impact your 1st quarter of 2008 greatly.

What are you going to do between now and the end of the year?

Here are some questions for you to ponder, reflect and hopefully act on

1. How many prospects do you want to contact between now and Dec. 31st?
2. Based on your closing percentages how many 1st time conversations will you need to have to hit your production goals? How many do you need per week?
3. How many names do you have on your written prospect list TODAY? (Hint – you need to have more than the answer to question number 2).
4. If you do not have enough names on your prospect list when will you sit down and work on your list?
5. What is your prospecting plan? You do have a written prospecting plan for the 4th quarter don’t you? Is it broken down into measurable, weekly activity?
6. How will you track and keep score of your activity?
7. Have you made daily appointments with yourself to prospect? Are they written in your calendar?

I urge you to sit down and devote some quality time to answer these questions and make a plan. After all In the absence of clearly defined goals and objectives anything becomes acceptable.

You are better than that.

Good Selling

Steve

PS Want to join the ranks of the elite?

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Marketing Flops and the answers

From my email, and from another marketing blog run by the folks at www.maplecreative.com came the following (my answers are in red):

What's Your Biggest Marketing Flop?

I usually ask my audience this question whenever I do a training seminar or speaking engagement: "What is your biggest marketing flop?"

Here's a snapshot of responses from a recent group--

I placed a single ad in the newspaper to promote an event. Received zero response. One Ad, unless it's the Super Bowl will always have a slim to none chance of working. It's always better to get the message out multiple times, to the same consumer, than to blow all your bucks on a single ad.

Have not had any success from newspaper advertising. Any medium can work, if the message is clear and appealing, the cost is in line with the R.O.I. you need to make it work, and you give it the time to work. Also you need to understand how to measure success for the campaign you are doing. Most business owners don't know how to do all of these important elements.

We planned a private retail shopping party. From the RSVPs we thought we had 25 people coming and planned food, staff, etc., accordingly. Only two disinterested people showed up, and we did not sell one dollar's worth of merchandise. I cringe when a client wants to have a private retail shopping party. You are counting on people who are already suffering from time poverty, to carve out the time to come to you and spend their hard earned money. I want to do successful events and invite as many as possible. Also instead of a private event, make it the kick off to a longer sale event. And you must use your connections to bring people in, not just RSVP's.

When I was starting out in business, I got my first call from a reporter. I did not prepare, and the call caught me off guard. Needless to say, my message did not come across in the story as well as it should have. Be prepared. It could be a reporter or your biggest customer.

I have not had any response to my "yellow page" ads. Yellow pages ads do not generate response. I was watching the Steve Martin movie "The Jerk" recently where he is all excited because his name is now in print (listed in the phone book). Remember he was "The Jerk". You need to be more proactive in getting new business, and make yourself known to potential clients before they need you.

Have you had any experiences like these? What could these folks have done differently? Let's hear from you marketing geniuses.

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A crusade to rise above...

Too many commercials scream at you and me.....

Too many ads are full of empty meaningless words...

Too many people think that all you have to do is reach lots of people (and the message doesn't really matter)....

Too many ad agencies are using numbers to justify their jobs...

Too many businesses think that the internet is their savior.....

Too many creative folks, go for the creative, instead of results....

If you are offended by any of this, then I challenge you to examine why.

Yes, there is a place for creativity, the internet, reaching enough people, etc, etc, etc....

But, when you are done with your creation ask yourself this simple question:

Will this motivate me to do what it is supposed to do?

And if the answer is no, then stop and start again.

Rise Above...

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The Chicken or the Egg revisited

In my email was the latest from Chuck McKay:

Restaurants and Monday Nights.

While browsing the web, I recently came across an article titled, "Why is My Restaurant Not Full Every Monday Night?" (Google search if you're all that curious. The article doesn't answer the question, which is why I'm not linking it).

But it does pose a valid question. Why isn't your restaurant full on Mondays?

Its a common desire in retail to advertise the things which aren't selling, and let those which will sell easily sell themselves. This is frequently bad strategy. Very bad.

It may well be part of the reason Wal-Mart thrived while K-Mart worked its way through bankruptcy. Of course, their respective advertising policies may only be a reflection of their inventory management. Then again, this all may be only a coincidence.

And for the record, our story is completely fictitious.

Assume that we have one Wal-Mart store and one K-Mart store, each stocked with various sizes of golf shirts in four colors: red, blue, green, and yellow. We'll further assume that each store stocks ten in each color.


For some reason, the yellow shirts are in hot demand.

Each store sells out of yellow golf shirts.

K-Mart, in the traditional Henry Ford fashion * notes that they still have 30 shirts in stock. No problem.

Wal-Mart however, takes note that they are completely out of yellow golf shirts, and promptly puts ten more in inventory.

Humm. People will buy what they want, when its available to them. The won't necessarily buy what's being advertised. So, while K-Mart is advertising golf shirts in various colors, Wal-Mart advertises that they have yellow golf shirts, and they have them in stock. (Again, this story is of my own invention. It has only a passing relationship to any reality).


Can advertising sell them things they don't want?

The bitter experience of K-Mart would indicate that people will purchase only what appeals to them, rather than what's being advertised.

But our question wasn't about golf shirts, was it? The question was "Why is My Restaurant Not Full Every Monday Night?"

The reason is simple.

Its not lack of advertising. (Rookie media salespeople will assure you that it is. They are wrong. It has nothing to do with advertising.)

It is because people customarily don't go out to dinner on Monday evening.

They just don't want to.

They tend to go out to dinner on Friday nites, on Saturday, even on Sunday. By the time Monday rolls around, they're feeling as if they should stop being so extravagant.

On Mondays they plan to eat at home.


Is there a Monday appeal?

Is there a way to attract a relational customer to your restaurant on a Monday? Sadly, if Monday isn't Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, or a spouse's birthday, there is not. You could maybe get a transactional customer into your restaurant on a Monday if you offered a discount, but transactional customers tend to stay home on Mondays too.

OK, make it a BIG discount. That will insure two things:

1. bad turnout, and
2. no profit from those rare few who do show up.

Humm. Advertising a restaurant is very much like duck hunting. You shoot when there are ducks to shoot at.

So what can you do about those Monday nights in your restaurant?

You can cut back on your staffing on Monday and hold your costs to a minimum. Then advertise your great Friday night specials, or your Saturday dinners, or even your Sunday brunch.

Your will start boosting attendance when you cater to what your customers want - and do so on their timetable. Wait for them to be inclined to dine away from home, then remind them to pick you.

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* Henry Ford is rumored to have said about the available colors of his Model T automobile, "You can have any color you want, as long as that color is black."

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Chuck McKay is a marketing consultant who works with professional practices and owner operated businesses. Questions about maximizing sales during times of natural traffic flow may be directed to ChuckMcKay@ChuckMcKayOnLine.com.

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