Baby Boomer Info

Looking for information on those born between 1945 and 1964? Some of the numbers may surprise you. Just click here.

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Cable Television Channel Changes

Two thoughts on this subject. First is the battle that is going on between Verizon and Comcast. Click here to read the details and what they should be doing.

2nd thought was inspired by a story about the History Channel. Except they are no longer going to be called the History Channel. Just History.

Problem is that they are not just History as the story below points out.

So, what's a name worth these days? Especially a name for a product or service that doesn't quite describe it anymore.

Step back into the previous century and the birth of traditional Radio and Television. We had the Mutual Broadcasting System, National Broadcasting Company, American Broadcasting Company, and the Columbia Broadcast System. Mutual Broadcasting was the radio home of the Lone Ranger and later Larry King.

ABC, CBS and NBC are now known by their acronyms and are easily identified by their 3 letter monikers. The 4th broadcast network that debuted in the 1980's is Fox. Unlike the other three, the word Fox is not an acronym, but got it's name from it's sister company, 20th Century Fox.

When MTV debuted, they were 24 hours of music videos, like a visual top 40 radio station. It was Music TV, but evolved into it's current line up of regular programming with a focus on pop culture aimed at teens and young adults.

The Cable News Network became known as CNN and like MTV spawned differnet, seperate channels such as Headline News.

But what about this move by the History Channel to drop the word Channel? Will it make a difference? Will anyone notice or care? I guess only time (and history) will tell.

Here's the story from my email from Mediapost:

Cable Net Now Just "History"
Associated Press
The History Channel has dropped the beginning and end of its long held moniker and now wants to be known as "History." Says Nancy Dubuc, the network's executive vice president, "Our brand is, in the media landscape, synonymous with the genre of history, so I don't think it's presumptuous of us to call ourselves History."

She adds that many viewers already refer to it that way and that using "Channel" drags down its efforts to establish the brand in other media like the Internet. The net has also changed its "H" logo to make it look bolder and supposedly less ancient as it switches to a more "immersive" style, Dubuc, says, one that shows rather than tells.

Besides, between adventure job shows like "Ice Road Truckers" and the series "MonsterQuest," history ain't what it used to be. "It's not exactly history, is it?" says Sean Wilentz, a professor at Princeton University. "Anybody who thinks that there's only one place to go for history is badly mistaken." - Read the whole story...

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Business to Business Connections

From Mediaweek:


LinkedIn's Business Directory Goes Live
Professional networking site LinkedIn has launched the beta version of its business directory, called LinkedIn Company Profiles, with data provided by BusinessWeek and Capital IQ supplementing LinkedIn's member information. Over 150,000 companies and organizations are indexed in the directory, working it into a Hoovers-esque database that ties into LinkedIn's social features. Caroline McCarthy of CNET News.com reports. more »

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How to create an effective Website

MarketingProfs.com is a good source of Marketing Wisdom. Here's an example that came in my email regarding your website content:

Creating Your Company's Own Online Reality

"While many business owners are beginning to understand that information is the currency of the Internet," says Rick Sloboda of WebCopyPlus," few act on it." Yes, your business has the potential to create a website that can go toe-to-toe with larger corporate sites, but there's a chance that ill-defined, irrelevant and self-centered content may conspire to undermine this natural advantage.

Instead, use language to create an online reality that impresses your target audience. "The right web content will make you concrete and credible on the ... Internet," he says. Here are some tips on creating the right image:

• Use customer-centric copy. Small businesses tend to be preoccupied with their own story. People who visit your website don't want to hear about you; they want to know what you or your product can do for them.
• Publish case studies. This is something larger companies do—so why shouldn't you? It never hurts to offer a detailed examination of a successful project. In addition, case studies build a sense of trust.
• Put your guarantee in plain sight. Highlighting your promise communicates confidence, and creates a sense of stability.

The Po!nt: "Your web copywriting doesn't describe reality, it creates it," says Sloboda. "In fact, every word you feature on your website has the ability to build—or damage—how prospects perceive you."

Source: An unpublished article by Rick Sloboda. Copyright © 2000-2008 MarketingProfs, LLC All Rights Reserved.

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Starbucks, Radio, & Your Business Focus

Updated on April 20, 2008: Lot's of you are here because Google sent you here when you were looking for information on Starbucks history and advertising. I suggest you click here to get a complete run down on Starbucks history and Starbucks advertising. Otherwise, read on:

Warning: The following is directed to radio station insiders.

The radio station sales people or managers that are wanting you to do business with them probably don't want you to read this.

However, I have no fear of you having this insiders perspective, because I know that by holding ourselves to a higher standard, it creates a winning situation for all involved.

And the stations I work with, are positioned to follow the advice that follows.

Also, this is excellent business advice, no matter what line of work you are in.

This is from Mark Ramsey and his Hear 2 Blog:

Fixing Radio the Starbucks Way

More than 45 million customers worldwide buy something from Starbucks every week - still, there are signs that the company has been slipping.

Does this sound familiar, radio broadcasters? Tons of usage - but erosion in usage is notable and growing?

Yes, Starbucks is ailing, and its CEO Howard Schultz wants to fix it.

Not by broadening their offerings or trying to be more things to more people - not by going "outside the box," but by going deeper into the Starbucks "box" and doing a better job delivering to the primary reason consumers drop into their stores every week: For coffee products and the experience which surrounds them.

USA Today gathered some industry experts to provide their own prescriptions for Starbucks. Here are a few that might apply to our industry as well as Schultz's:

Smell good again.

"A cafe should smell of fresh, ground coffee. It's a powerful emotional trigger," says Malcolm Knapp, a restaurant consultant.

Schultz has this one on the way. By mid-August, coffee again will be ground and scooped at Starbucks' 7,100 company-owned U.S. stores. Some 50 stores already are.

"Smell" isn't the right sense for radio, "sound" is. How much of the attention at your station or your group is aimed at boosting your listenership by actually making your station sound better, rather than simply cost-cutting your way to quality? Can you improve what's on the air and make the content more compelling? Even if that comes at a higher cost? After all, better quality doesn't come cheap. "Smelling good" will cost Starbucks more, and they think it's worth it. What about you?

Embrace wired youth.

Social networking could create "a deeper emotional connection" with its customers, says Kevin Higar, a consultant at Technomic.

Schultz says social networking will be addressed, perhaps as early as today, but offered no details.

In Radio, social networking is just part of a broader challenge to mobilize our audiences online. Most stations are at a very early stage in this process if they understand the process at all. I predict that this techno-disparity between radio and other "old media" must either get resolved soon, or our laggard status will increasingly make the headlines and discourage our advertisers - especially nationally - from taking us seriously as a vehicle to connect their products and services with consumers.

I hate to break it to you but this is one of the key reasons why your national business is down. What are you doing about it?

Reward loyalty.

Starbucks could build "customer engagement" with a creative loyalty program, says Technomic's Higar. It should have one with a twist — and cutting-edge technology, he says.

Schultz says he will talk about such a program Wednesday.

Loyalty programs have a long history in radio, and not necessarily a distinguished one. That's because few of our "databases" or communities are particularly large. The vast majority of the stations I visit bemoan the small size of their communities and have relatively little motivation and few resources to increase those numbers, let along leverage them.

Ironically, the tools and resources to make this happen in our industry are readily available and easily monetizable. But when your staff is cut to shreds prioritizing for critical new initiatives is difficult, while paying for them is impossible.

If this doesn't change, folks we will only have ourselves to blame.

Sell unique coffees.

Starbucks needs more coffee drinks that aren't available elsewhere, says consultant Bob Sandelman.

Schultz says he's working on just that. In "the next 18 months, we'll bring in more innovation than over the past five years."

Innovation is one of Schultz's key thrusts. Is it one of yours?

List five major things you innovated in the last twelve months that are designed to create measurable ratings and/or revenue leverage.

Can you list even one?

Cut the clutter.

Customers don't know if they're in a "coffee shop or variety store" Knapp says.

Schultz agrees. Stores will have "fewer things" that are "more focused on elevating the coffee experience at home." He adds that store redesigns are coming in 2009.

If PPM teaches us anything, it's that audiences reject clutter. And by "clutter" I mean anything that isn't central to the reason listeners are at your station in the first place.

Stop trying to "build a radio station" and focus instead on fulfilling the main reason listeners are at YOUR radio station. If that doesn't require a morning show then don't have one. If it doesn't require feature programs then skip them.

Revive "coffee theater."

Starbucks needs to refocus on the "mystique" of its coffee, says consultant Dennis Lombardi. Recent retraining of baristas is a start, he says, but more needs to be done.

What's the "mystique" of your station or your content? How much emphasis do you put on the fun of your brand? How much do you consider that radio remains (despite some of our best efforts) to be about entertainment?

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Follow up on the Networking tips from The Name Tag Guy

Have you done any of Scott Ginsberg's Networking Tips? I have a true story of what happened to me recently when I did #14: When you read an article you like, email the author. Tell him what you liked about it and introduce yourself. He'll usually write back. Just Click Here.

Also, If you let Scott Ginsburg, THE Name Tag Guy that you are writing about him or linking to him, he will likely write back.

One more Also; if you missed the video of the name tag guy, click here.

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Updating "The Look"

Over the next few days, I will be updating the appearance of this and other blogs I write and edit.

So far the ScLoHoNet-The Book (also know as the Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo) has a fresh look. And the one you are staring at right now has a couple of tweaks too.

Your input is always welcome.

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Newspaper vs. Internet

Direct from my email:

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Younger Online News Consumers are Not Newspaper Readers

A new comScore, study of the differences in online behavior among heavy, medium, light and non-newspaper readers showed that non-newspaper readers are likely to be younger, but are actually heavier than average online news consumers. Meanwhile, heavy newspaper readers are more likely than average to engage with traditional print news brands online.

Those age 65 and older are nearly 3 times more likely than average to read the print edition of newspapers 6 times per week, while those age 18-24 are 38 percent more likely than average to not read a print newspaper at all during a typical week.

Demographic Profile of Print Newspaper Reader Segments (Summer 2007 Total U.S. Persons 18+, Home/Work Locations)
	Composition Index
Age	Heavy	Medium	Light	Non-Readers
18+ (Total Audience)	100	100	100	100
18-24	31	80	139	138
25-34	51	87	106	127
35-44	73	110	107	109
45-54	116	123	90	76
55-64	186	100	80	71
65+	296	60	49	37
Source: comScore Plan Metrix, March 2008 Composition Index = Percent of Newspaper Reader Segments/Percent of Internet Users x 100; Index of 100 represents parity.

Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore, said "... the Internet represents a significant opportunity to extend... and improve upon... existing news brands... because print circulations are declining does not mean there are fewer news consumers. In fact, just the opposite is true."

Several key takeaways emerged from this study, says the report:

• Based on their heavier than average visitation across most key news sites, those who do not read print versions of newspapers are not necessarily light news consumers. In fact, they show a high propensity to visit the majority of sites studied, including print (e.g. LA Times), TV (e.g. FoxNews.com), and Internet (e.g. Topix.com) brands.
• Both the heavy print newspaper readers and the non-readers show heavy consumption of print news brands online, which suggests that print news sites are not merely an extension of their offline brands but have a stand-alone brand presence in the online world. The Web sites for three of New York Times, LA Times and Chicago Tribune show above average visitation from both heavy newspaper readers and non-readers.
• TV news brands are also heavily visited by non-print newspaper readers, underscoring the importance of sight, sound and motion to the digital news experience. Non-readers were 29 percent more likely than the average Internet user to visit FoxNews.com and 15 percent more likely to visit CBS News Digital.

General News Site Visitation among Print Newspaper Reader Segments (Summer 2007 Total U.S. Persons 18+, Home/Work Location)
	Composition Index
Print News Brands	Heavy	Medium	Light	Non-Readers
NY times.Com	103	85	91	104
WSJ.Com	147	41	119	106
Washingtonpost.Com	109	58	101	95
LA Times	109	98	95	112
Chicago Tribune	106	94	93	108
TV News Brands
MSNBC	99	95	112	106
CNN	82	93	90	109
Foxnews.Com	104	90	82	129
CBS News Digital	113	106	110	115
ABC News Digital	94	88	84	102
Internet News Brands
Google News Search	82	99	95	118
AOL News	109	99	106	94
Yahoo! News	94	106	99	99
Topix.Com	82	105	116	124
Digg.Com	75	102	122	102*
Source: comScore Plan Metrix, March 2008 Composition Index = Percent of Newspaper Reader Segments/Percent of Internet Users x 100; Index of 100 represents parity.

"Non-newspaper readers are a particularly important segment to reach because they are heavier than average news consumers - they just prefer to consume it in a digital format," continued Flanagan. "That they are receptive to print, TV, and Internet news brands indicates a broad opportunity online, but the brands that will ultimately win over these key news consumers are the ones that successfully integrate cutting edge digital content with high quality journalism."

Segments are defined based on the number of days respondents said they read a print version of a newspaper in an average week, excluding the Sunday edition.

• Heavy Newspaper Readers: 6 times per week
• Medium Newspaper Readers: 3-5 times per week
• Light Newspaper Readers: 1-2 times per week
• Non Newspaper Readers: 0 times per week

For more information from comScore, please visit here.

And there's more stat's for you:

Older Internet Users Feel Web Advertising and Content Not Relevant

A recent BurstMedia survey of more than 13,000 web users 18 years and older found that online content providers are not meeting the needs of all age segments. A majority of Internet users 45 years and older believe online content is focused on younger age segments.

Overall, 52.0% of respondents believe Internet content is primarily focused toward people their own age. Not surprisingly, says the study, younger respondents are most likely to say online content is focused on people their age. This is particularly true for the 18-24 year and 25-34 year segments. Additionally, 55.7% of respondents 35-44 years perceive online content as focused toward their age segment. Few respondents 55 years and older say Internet content is primarily focused on people their age.

Respondents Who Believe Web Content is Focused Towards People their Own Age (% of respondents)
Age	% of Respondents
18-24	76.0%
25-34	73.9
35-44	55.7
45-54	35.4
55-64	22.9
65+	12.0
Source: BurstMedia, February 2008

Similar to the content findings, 75.9% of respondents 18-34 years say websites are designed for people their age. Among respondents 35-45 year this perception slips to 55.2%.

• Only 36.9% of respondents 45-54 years believe websites are designed for people their age
• 19.9% of respondents 55 years and older say websites are designed for people their age.

Overall, only 38.6% of respondents believe online advertising is focused on people their age. It is only among respondents 18-24 and 25-34 years that a majority believes online advertising is focused on their age groups, 56.6% and 56.5% respectively.

Among respondents 35 years and older the prevailing perception is that online advertising is focused on younger age segments.

• 43.8% of respondents 35-44 years, say online advertising is focused on people their ages
• 52.9% say online advertising is focused on people younger
• 72.5% of respondents 45-54 years say online advertising is focused on people younger than they are
• 83.2% of respondents 55 years and older feel the focus is on younger people

Overall, three out of five of respondents are visiting more websites in a typical week than they were one year ago. An expanded catalogue of sites visited is not only a phenomenon of the young, but is found among all age segments. In fact, 62.8% of respondents 55 years and older say they are visiting more sites today in a typical week of web surfing than they were one year ago.

Number of Sites Visited During Typical Week Compared to One Year Ago (% of Respondents)
Sites Visited	% of Respondents
Many more	33.8%
A few more	25.8
About the same	26.2
Fewer	7.2
Not sure	7.0
Source: BurstMedia, February 2008

Local/national news is the most popular content consumed online with half (48.9%) of respondents regularly seeking it out. There are differences in the types of content consumed by age segments. Among respondents 18-34 years, entertainment information (44.7%) is the most regularly sought online content, followed by:

• Local/national news (40.1%)
• Online games (38.1%)
• Shopping/product information (36.1%)
• Information for work (35.0%)
• Online communities such as social networks, forums and blogs (31.4%)

Local/national news (54.2%) is the most popular online content for respondents 35-54 years. Other types of online content sought by this age group include:

• Shopping/product information (44.8%)
• Information for work (42.7%)
• Health information (37.1%)
• Entertainment information (37.0%)
• Travel information (33.7%)

Local/national news is by far the most popular online content for respondents 55 years and older - with over one-half (55.9%) of this segment saying they regularly seek it out online. Other types of content sought include:

• Shopping/product information (44.0%)
• Health information (42.5%)
• International news (38.9%)
• Travel information (38.2%)
• Food information/recipes (34.1%)

Two-thirds (67.7%) of respondents say their daily routine would be disrupted if their Internet access was taken away and not available for one week (42.9% say "significantly"). This survey findings are consistent among all age segments, with the oldest segment looking very much like the youngest segment

For more information, please visit Burst Media here.

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Don't Disqualify Yourself

As I read the following, it reminded me of a former General Manager that sat in on an interview that I was having with a prospective sales candidate for our company. Everything was going well for the first 3 minutes, when she popped her gum. At that moment, my boss stood up and thanked her for coming in and promptly and abruptly ended the interview.

She had just disqualified herself to represent our company. Read this that came from BusinessKnowHow.com to see why:

Everything Counts in First Impressions

by Bill Lampton, Ph.D.

Waiting at the baggage carousel at Logan International Airport in Boston, I noticed a young man walking by. Right away, he impressed me very positively.

• Confident and pleasant facial expression
• Posture that added to his "I'm in command" appearance
• A first-class business suit that boosted his professionalism
• His brisk stride made him appear energetic
• He was physically fit, even athletic looking

Then suddenly, in less than two seconds, my opinion changed. Why? He blew a bubble with his gum, and popped it. Suddenly, he was no longer the accomplished, sophisticated business man who had grabbed my attention. One simple flaw tarnished his image. He dropped from leader to another face in the crowd, just that quickly.

The incident reinforced a major communication principle: Everything we do, say, or look like either adds to or detracts from our first impression.

To score well during that all-important first encounter, realize that every detail counts. You're not being frivolous or vain when you check yourself in the mirror and mentally rehearse the major points you will talk about.

Beware of these 20 destructive behaviors:

• Interrupting repeatedly
• Dominating the conversation
• Inconsistent eye contact
• Standing too close, invading "personal space"
• Taking a cell phone call or even letting it ring
• Chewing anything, unless you're at a luncheon
• Arriving late
• Being longwinded
• Risky humor
• Wrinkled clothing
• Checking your watch frequently
• Not listening, missing key points
• Poor table manners
• Boasting (I call it "I" disease)
• Looking and sounding bored
• Complaining about anything
• Distracting noises, such as tapping on a table
• Notebook or briefcase needing replacement
• Power Point that won't work
• Cluttered office when someone visits you

As Roger Ailes, President of Fox news said in his terrific book You Are the Message--a book I recommend highly--"You are the message. The words themselves are meaningless unless the rest of you is in synchronization. The total you affects how others feel about you and respond to you."

Recall Ralph Waldo Emerson: "What you are speaks so loudly I cannot hear a word you say."

Here's an invitation: If you think of other annoying behaviors that mar first impressions, E-mail them to me, listing them as I did above. Title your E-mail EVERYTHING COUNTS. Here's the link: drbill@championshipcommunication.com

---

Bill Lampton, Ph.D., helps organizations improve their communication, motivation, sales and customer service. His speeches, seminars, consulting and coaching share the advice included in his book, The Complete Communicator: Change Your Communication-change Your Life! Visit his Web site and sign up for his complimentary monthly newsletter: http://www.ChampionshipCommunication.com. Call Dr. Lampton at 770-534-3425.

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Television Viewership Predictions

From my email was this via MarketingCharts.com (Hopefully this poll is more accurate than recent political polls) (Click on the charts to make them BIGGER):

TV Viewership in ‘08 to Be Strong, Bolstered by Olympics, Election, Idol Finale

Viewers are going back to their favorite TV shows after the writers’ strike, with some heading online - but many more anticipating viewing upcoming special-event TV programming, including the Olympics, presidential election and American Idol, according to Carat.

Some primetime viewers have reacted to the end of the writers’ strike by watching more TV (9% are doing so) - but as many as 82% are watching the same amount as during the strike, a Carat survey found.

Returning to Favorites

Asked whether they will return to their favorite TV show…

• 62% said they will, once it is back on air in late March/April.
• 55% said they will, even if it is not back on air until the fall or winter. In the meantime, within this group…
  • 75% of those viewers said they plan to channel surf or watch other familiar primetime shows.
  • Just 3% said they would go online (to network or video websites) to watch full repeat episodes and/or any online exclusive content (e.g., interviews, previews).

• Only 5% do not plan to tune in to their favorite TV shows at all when those shows return. Within this group…
  • 11% said they are planning to watch TV shows on any video sites.
  • 2% said they will watch shows on TV network websites.
  • Others plan to watch DVDs, go to the movie theater, play videogames and watch free VOD programming (9-10% for each activity).

  

Special-Event Programming

• About half (48%) of respondents expressed interest in watching the 2008 Olympic Games.
• Respondents say they will seek news/info about the Olympics from broadcast networks (92%), cable news channels (52%), and newspapers (38%).
• Some 40% of respondents said the 2008 presidential election is an event they’d be interested in watching on TV.
• Respondents cited broadcast networks (84%), cable news channels (73%), newspapers (50%) as sources of news/info about the election that they will likely turn to.
• Respondents are also interested in watching the American Idol finale in May (32% said so) and spring sports programming such as baseball (27%) and March Madness/NCAA basketball tournament (25%).

About the survey: Carat Insight surveyed 1,000 primetime TV viewers (18+) March 3-5, 2008

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Customer-speak

The folks at Small Fuel Marketing really hit it on the head with their latest posting about advertising in the customers language, not yours. As I've worked with business owners over the years, and tried to find out their uniquenesses, it really didn't matter how many years they've been in business, it mattered that they were tuned in to their customers.

Here's an excerpt from Small Fuel:

"...A customer may or may not want to part with the money in his wallet readily. He has needs, he has desires and he needs to be convinced that you will help him achieve his goals. It doesn’t matter whether you sell lip balm, running shoes, or car wash services.

Your product or service is completely irrelevant to a customer, because that’s not what he’s buying.

Consumers buy results, feelings, visions. They buy products or services that help them achieve their goals of increased comfort or perceived luxury or peace of mind and more. From the customers perspective, your product or service is only a tool to help reach his or her goals and visions..."

Read the entire posting by clicking here.

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Promote your Website

I've got two items for you to read on this subject.

First, if you want to get the word out locally about your website and make the most of your online presence then click here and read How to use your website to reach Local Customers. There are tips on different ways to promote your website to the people in your community.

Also, you can take a look at this story from MediaPost on using the web to help build your brand.

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Surprise Inside

Seth Godin alerted me to this video, (well me and everyone else that subscribes to his blog):

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Shut Up & Learn

It's a common theme in sales training, "Talk Less, Listen More." Here's Art Sobczak's take on the subject from my email:

This Week's Tip:
When You Do This, You Can Hear
Amazing Information

Greetings!

I like to watch the TV show, "Taxicab
Confessions" on HBO.

It is a reality show with hidden cameras
and microphones in cabs in Las Vegas
and New York.

The drivers are exceptional interviewers
and listeners, drawing out the bizarre--and
I do mean really weird--real life stories of
people they pick up late at night or early
in the morning.

At first I was amazed what people shared.
Then I realized it wasn’t that amazing at
all. The drivers were excellent at asking
questions, and then just letting the
passengers ramble.

It’s just like what we experience on
the phone: people will reveal astounding
information if we just shut up long enough
to let them.

One of the best ways to learn about
your prospect or customer is using a
pause at two points in your questioning:

1. After you’ve asked the question, and,

2. After the listener has answered.

Not just a brief pause, but a two-to-three
second pause. Here are some of the
benefits of this technique.

-You won’t feel compelled to continue
talking after asking the question if you
force yourself to pause. People don’t
always immediately answer, and
pausing gives them the opportunity
to think a bit.

-The number and length of responses
will increase. People feel more
comfortable when you give them
time to frame their answers, which
will likely be more comprehensive.

-The amount of unsolicited information
will increase. By not jumping in
immediately after they’ve answered,
they’re given a little time to contemplate
what they’ve just said, which may
prompt additional comments.

-You’ll have more time to understand
what they’ve said. Since you know
you’re going to pause, you can spend
all of your listening time focused on t
he message, not on what you will
say next.

-You’ll have more time to formulate
your next comment. You can use
your pause time to develop your
next question or statement, which
will be more meaningful, since
you’ll possess more relevant
information.

Force yourself to pause after your
question, and after they answer.
I’ve seen reps hold the "mute"
button on their phone for a couple
of seconds so they restrain themselves.

Practice this on the phone and in all
areas of your life. You’ll find you get
more information than you ever have.

——

Again, this is just an example of ONE of the
sales ideas included in each monthly eight-page
issue of my Telephone Prospecting and Selling
Report monthly newsletter which you get both
online line, and as a hard copy, when you
become a member of my Telesales Success
Inner Circle.

And, you get instant access to the past 34 issues
of the newsletter, containing hundreds of brief tips and
more in-depth instruction and case studies,
RIGHT NOW, for under $4. Plus much more,
including the past FIVE years worth of these
weekly tips, and over podcasts.
Check it all out at
http://www.TelesalesSuccess.com )
——————————————————

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Patience and perseverance have a magical
effect before which difficulties disappear and
obstacles vanish."
John Quincy Adams

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Bargains in Advertising

First of all, there are certain principles you must follow when deciding how to advertise and what is truely a "good deal" for your business. You can go here and brose around or drop me a note to scloho@scloho.net, for a run down of what those basics principles are.

However, while traveling last week between Chicago, Indianapolis, and Fort Wayne, my wife commented about how many available billboards we were driving by.

I believe this is due to a lack of effective billboard sales people and not a reflection on the effectiveness of the medium, 'cause any advertising medium can be effective if you follow certain principles.

Check out this story from Mediaweek:


Outdoor Up 7% in '07
Outdoor or out-of-home advertising continued to outpace most all other media, growing 7 percent to $7.3 billion in 2007, according to figures released yesterday by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. Of the medium's top 10 ad categories, seven increased spending, led by the communications category, up 35.7 percent to $655.4 million. Katy Bachman reports. more »

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Your Floor Plan is part of your Marketing

Before leaving for vacation earlier this month, I was out doing some errands and my wife called asking me to pick up some chili beans for the meal she was going to prepare. Simple enough, just stop by the grocery store and pick up a can or two.

Problem began when I walked in and was handed a map by one of the clerks. I looked around and there were dozens of other zombie-like shoppers pushing carts and looking at their maps with a look of angst on their faces.

Turns out, I was about to become one of them.

Turns out, the store was rearranging their isles and inventory so that all the stores in the chain would have the same floor plan.

Turns out that there were four different isles that carried beans, maybe more.

Turns out I finally found the kind of beans my wife wanted after about 25 minutes and asking a couple of stockers, who didn't know either.

I left with my two cans of chili beans and hope that now that it's two weeks later, they have things back in place, where ever that place is.

How about your store? Is the floor plan designed to sell or annoy your customers?

Read this from my email:

Get in the Mood to Shop

Stores invest a great deal of time and attention in determining the best way to design floor space and shelving to create the optimal customer experience. Research shows that understanding customers' motivation for visiting your store should affect its design.

Customers who see shopping as a form of recreation—something that is fun—prefer highly arousing environments. This might include warm, saturated or bright colors, fast-paced music and complex layouts that provide lots of product stimulation. These customers won't mind if you frequently reorganize the store's layout and displays.

Shoppers who arrive with a clear task in mind—such as buying a specific item—prefer a more subdued environment. They don't want to be distracted from their mission. These customers prefer simple merchandise presentation and cooler, less saturated colors such as light blue.

How do you satisfy both types of customers? Wall color and overall layout are the elements most difficult to change, so design these to create moderate arousal. Use more stimulating elements—such as background music—when customers are likely to be recreational shoppers, such as on weekends. If the type of shopper varies by department, design each area so that it complements the reason most shoppers go to that section.

The Po!nt: Contented customers buy more. When creating or changing the décor of a store, it is important to consider the type of customers who frequent the store and their primary motivation for shopping.

Source: "When Should a Retailer Create an Exciting Store Environment?" by Velitchka D. Kaltcheva and Barton A. Weitz, Journal of Marketing, 2006. Read a PDF of the article here.

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Never leave home without it

Anthony Juliano wrote about it recently on his Soundbite Back blog.

The folks at Small Fuel Marketing wrote about it this week.

And I've written about it in the past.

There is one piece of your marketing that you should NEVER be without.

And it is portable, inexpensive, and can set the tone for you and your business.

We're talking about business cards.

5 years ago when I started with my current group of radio stations, they didn't have business cards ready for the new sales people. So instead of apologizing to the business owners I was meeting, I spent $100 and had cards made for myself. I call it investing in yourself.

Ever since that time, I have always had custom made cards, usually better looking than the ones my company provides.

A few times a month, I will visit a networking event where admission is a couple bucks and a business card.

Look, you should always have a supply of cards and you should always be giving them away like candy and ordering more. For more tips read this, and this, and this too.

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Ice Cream Marketing

Last year Stacy Milanowski from Liechty Media won one of the Ice Cream Party's talked about in this story from Mediapost.

This is a great way to promote your brand and win some new customers!

Edy's Grand Ice Cream Invites Neighborhood Parties

FOR THE FOURTH YEAR, THE company invites consumers to vie for a chance to win an ice cream party for up to 100 neighbors this summer. Edy's Slow Churned Neighborhood Salute begins at slowchurned.com, where consumers can nominate their neighborhoods to win a doorstep delivery of 12 cartons of Edy's Slow Churned light ice cream in a variety of flavors (including the Edy's American Idol Limited Edition flavors), in addition to four boxes of Slow Churned Light Ice Cream Bars. All entries must be received by May 30. Edy's will notify the winners in June, and will salute each of the 1,500 winning neighborhoods with a Edy's Slow Churned light ice cream prize package during July, August and September. --Nina M. Lentini

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Business to Business Connections

Jill Konrath recently wrote a three part series on one of the internet's most popular website/directories www.LinkedIn.com.

Today I recommended it to a client that wants to be connected with the Social Media such as Facebook and MySpace.

Here's links to Jill's stories:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Jill's LinkedIn Profile

More LinkedIn Links from Jill


Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies, helps sellers crack into corporate accounts, shorten sales cycles and win big contracts. She is a frequent speaker at national sales meetings and association events.

For more article like this, visit http://www.SellingtoBigCompanies.com . Get a free Sales Call Planning Guide ($19.95 value) when you sign up for the Selling to Big Companies e-newsletter.

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Radio Listener Report Preview

So far, so good. While I write and talk about integrating the internet into your marketing plans for the future, there continues to be good news for certain types of traditional media. This is from MarketingCharts.com:

RADAR 96: Radio Reaches More Than 235MM Listeners per Week

Some 95% of adults age 18-49 with a college degree and an annual household income of $50,000 or more tune into radio over the course of a week, according to preliminary findings from RADAR 96 issued today by Arbitron.

RADAR Network affiliates (which account for over 50% of all radio stations) reach 84% of that coveted demo - and also reach 84% of adults 25-54 in households with a college degree and an annual household income of $75,000 or more, Arbitron said.

The trend in radio is toward fewer young listeners, but network radio reaches the ad-elusive and media multitasker group of adults 18-34: RADAR networks reach 82% of all radio listeners age 12 and over - but they reach 84% of listeners age 18-34, according to the data.

Among the findings issued:

• Radio reaches more than 235 million listeners over the course of the week according to the RADAR 96 March 2008 Radio Listening Estimates. That number has increased progressively from estimates one year ago, from RADAR 92 estimates.
• RADAR Network affiliates consistently reach key young and adult demographics: 84% of adults 18-34; 84% of adults 25-54; 84% of adults 18-49.
• 94% of college grads age 18+ and 96% of adults 18-49 with a college degree and an annual income of $75,000.
• The diversity of formats in radio attracts advertiser-coveted demographics in both Black Non-Hispanic and Hispanic persons.
  • 94% of Black Non-Hispanic persons and 95% of Hispanic persons, age 12 and older tune into radio over the course of a week.
  • Radio reaches 95% of Black Non-Hispanics and 96% of Hispanics age 25-54 over the course of a week.

About the data: Arbitron is scheduled to release the complete RADAR 96 Radio Network Audience Report results on March 25. The sample size for RADAR 96 has been increased to more than 225,000 respondents.

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