Wizard Wisdom

Here's the latest from Craig in Australia:

Dear Scott, "The reason history must repeat itself is because we pay so little attention to it the first time." - Blackie Sherrod In this issue: Curse of the Cold Feet… Booking Long-Term Media A Crisis! Time for the Brave to Prosper The Brain... a Lazy Piece of Meat? A New Partner... A New Book Now is No Time to be Timid Curse of the Cold Feet… Things You should Consider When Booking Long-Term Media By guest writer and media employed copywriter Anna Gerard "After running just 6 commercials in a 12-month agreement the advertiser wanted to cancel." Cold feet happens in all relationships… advertising included. So how do you rate when it comes to the “c” word? Have you ever committed to a long term branding campaign, only to get nervous and change your mind just weeks in? Is it buyer’s remorse? Or commitment jitters? Just last month I helped launch advertising for 40 new branding clients… But less than 60 days in, cold feet is beginning to make more than a few nervous. One email from a client was sent after just six branding commercials ran in their 12 month campaign - “we’ve had no response, we’ve decided to cancel”. Six commercials would barely register a response as call to action, let alone the marathon runner of branding! So what makes a business look for the early exit? And how can we start to warm those feet before they get cold? Here are a few considerations:- Expectations… Understand the difference between branding and call to action. Branding is “commitment”. Branding is long term strategy. Branding is the tortoise, not the hare. Do not expect call to action results from a branding campaign. You are telling people “why” they should buy from you, not “when” they should buy from you – they will decide the when. Budget… Check your finances before you commit. Can you afford this advertising over the long term? If you’re after an instant gain in profits to cover the costs of branding – think twice before signing on the dotted line. Structure your approach… Set some realistic goals with your media advisor. All advertising should be measurable, but it may be 6 months before you notice results. Agree on how and when you will measure a campaign. And know your options if a campaign fails to attract the desired results. Set key times to re-assess. Every campaign should be reviewed and given a health check. Run a microscope over all your advertising… Check the direction, are you on course? Have you changed direction but your advertising hasn’t? Don’t just run that fine tooth comb over your advertising, run it over your business as well… You may discover it’s not the advertising letting you down but something else internal. Be prepared to contribute more than your money. You and your staff need to commit to the strategy and the goals you want to achieve. If you don’t get staff “buy-in” the customer experience may not meet expectations set by your advertising. Remember advertising is like a relationship… You have to be prepared to commit to make it work. PS. The Editor: Next week I'll give you my views on media "Branding Campaigns." A Crisis! Time for the Brave to Prosper "I love a crisis because that's when people are stupid. I've always liked fast-moving markets because the fools make more mistakes so I'm able to profit by it."- Simon Cawkwell, know in London as King of the short sellers That may seem a little arrogant and mean. However it does sum up what happens in a crisis. The bulk lose their heads, while the brave and cool of head can turn a bad situation to their advantage. When it comes to advertising, the brave and cool of head will continue their current ad spend, even as their market potential tightens and skrinks. The really brave may increase their spend. Meanwhile, the competition cuts and slashes ad spend. Result? The brave grab a larger share of the shrinking market. Even though this will most likely mean less revenue than the previous year. But, when the market inflates again, their bravery will be rewarded with much higher revenue than pre-downturn. They'll grow their business simply by holding their nerve. The Brain... a Lazy Piece of Meat? Last week this quote appeared about half way down... “Did you know that when you see the same thing over and over again, your brain uses less and less energy? Your mind already knows what it’s seeing, so it doesn’t make the effort to process the event again. Just putting yourself in new situations can make you see things differently and jump-start your creativity.” – inside front flap, Iconoclast, by Dr Gregory Berns, neuroscientist This week Dr Berns opens the memo... “The brain has three natural roadblocks that stand in the way of truly innovative thinking: 1. flawed perception 2. fear of failure 3. the inability to persuade others.” – Dr. Gregory Berns, neuroscientist, psychiatrist, and Distinguished Chair of Neuroeconomics at Emory University. Then you are asked these questions... "Need a fresh perspective? Want to alter your perception, think new thoughts, create a whole new paradigm?" Curious? Read "How to Think Outside the Box" Part 1 by Roy H. Williams then... Read "Thinking Outside the Box, Part 2: If You've Got the Nerve." A New Partner... A New Book "And to coincide with joining the Wizard Group, Dan Hollis has released his first book, The Magic of Selling, A Treasure Map for the Future Successful Salesperson." I am constantly asked how do you become a Wizard of Ads Partner? Is it a franchise? How much does it cost to join? So here are some answers. Wizard of Ads is a worldwide group of consultants, authors, teachers, and researchers. We have Partners in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Central America, and Australia. Our core purpose is to help grow Owner-Operated businesses. To join, it is strictly invitation only. You can not buy your way in. It is not what the group can do for you, it is what you can contribute to the group. You must first prove yourself. From first contact, to Partner acceptance, can take a number of years. So you'll need a long-time horizon and patience. As you can now understand, accepting a new Partner to the group is not something we take lightly, or rush. So Wizard of Ads is proud to welcome new Partner, Dan Hollis. Dan's passion and area of speciality is selling. And to coincide with joining the Wizard Group, Dan has released his first book, The Magic of Selling, A Treasure Map for the Future Successful Salesperson. You'll be hearing much more about Dan on this site, but for now do yourself a favour and buy the book. Now is No Time to be Timid Wizard Partner Steve Rae raises some interesting issues in his new post, The Meek Will Not Inherit The Earth. Here's a peek... Hiring an inexperienced marketing manager. "The car wash owner’s daughter graduated from college with a marketing degree and they promptly fired us from doing their advertising. This is not uncommon, but the result is almost always the same. The marketing grad decides to stamp their own imprint on the advertising and not put all their eggs in one basket. So they cut back on radio, add a little newspaper, try some direct mail and begin to wander aimlessly like a nomad in the desert. After a year or so, they call to re-hire us because although they haven’t lost any customers, their business is down and they can’t figure out why The advantages of an economic downturn. But what a great opportunity for anyone who’s competitors are among the meek. Now is the perfect time to buy more market share. In fact you may never get another opportunity like this until the next economic downturn. So what do you do? Read Steve's article... The Meek Will Not Inherit The Earth. Or you can watch the video post here. Previous stories, just in case you missed them: Undressing a Makeup Success The Great Secret of Success Deliver What You Say Wizard Words... The Sword in the Stone A Closing Thought "If you don't know jewelry, know the jeweler." - Warren E. Buffett See you next week. Craig Arthur Wizard of Ads PS. Need help to attract more customers and grow your business? Australia Call (07) 4728 4866 or email craigarthur@wizardofads.com North America Call 308-254-2732 or email daveyoung@wizardofads.com Call 440-610-9746 or email tomwanek@wizardofads.com We will never try and sell you. You may punch us in the arm really, really hard if we do. Call or email to book a FREE alignment meeting. No obligation. No pressure. It is at this meeting we both decide if there is a fit between our 2 companies. It is only then can we explore your options. We will never try to sell you. Call (07) 4728 4866.

Wizard Partners Australia. Call Us: (07) 4728 4866

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