Begin by deciding where you want to be. Goals and strategies come before tactics every time.
If you don’t know where you’re going… you’ll end up going nowhere.
Archive for the ‘Philosophy/motivation’ Category
Start with the end in mind.
Friday, May 18th, 2012The rope theory of life.
Wednesday, May 16th, 2012Everyone gets a rope.
Some are shorter than others. Some are thicker than others. Some have notches. And others are a little bit slippery.
Each of us has a choice.
You can either climb up the rope, dangle on it, or hang yourself with it.
What have you chosen to do?
Just imagine what the world would be like if all of us spent a lot less time examining the rope we were given… and a lot more time examining how we’re going to climb up them.
Seven neat planned giving marketing quotes
Monday, May 14th, 2012|
“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
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“When I chased after money, I never had enough. When I got my life on purpose and focused on giving of myself and everything that arrived into my life, then I was prosperous.”
- Wayne Dyer
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Dr. Seuss, from The Lorax.
“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Holy Bible, Book of Acts 20:35
“I resolved to stop accumulating and begin the infinitely more serious task of wise distribution.”
Andrew Carnegie
Stop whining and do something!
Thursday, May 10th, 2012Warning: This could sound like a political post. 
I’m not sure if I’m on the right or the left politically. Sometimes I agree with one side. And sometimes with the other. But I laugh out loud when either side points the finger saying, “We’re right and you’re wrong.”
But one thing I know for sure is this:
There’s too much whining and complaining in America these days. People in other countries live with dirt floors, no air conditioning and certainly no plasma tv’s. But here in America, lately there’s a lot of talk about “fairness”. A lot of talk about the rich beating up on the poor and holding them down.
But I still believe there is more opportunity in America than anywhere else in the world… if you’ll just do something!
Case in point. Here’s a young man who lost his job. He didn’t complain. He didn’t blame the rich. And he didn’t look for a handout.
Instead, he made an investment. $300. He invested in himself and took out a billboard with the words “Hire Me!” next to his photo.
And guess what? He got a job!
Now how many people would make that kind of investment before asking the government (us… the taxpayers) to pay them to wait around for someone to offer them a job? How many people are whining these days instead of doing something positive? Too many in my opinion.
America was built by people who did something. Let’s all take a lesson from a 22 year old and get this economy moving again.
Follow-up to the post about being disliked…
Monday, April 9th, 2012If you don’t know Seth Godin, you should.
Here’s a post that is much better than mine about being disliked.
When it comes to marketing, branding, cultivation, logos, design, copy and anything else… for some reason everyone has an opinion. But not all opinions are worthy.
I have found this to be true in private and nonprofit organizations. For some reason everyone thinks they can do marketing.
For those of us who truly understand what marketing is and how it should be done, we’ll have to forge ahead and brush aside the opinions that don’t matter. Let us all hope that senior decision-makers do the same.
Get ready to be disliked!
Tuesday, March 27th, 2012If you create something new. If you innovate. If you are different. Get ready to be disliked.
You and your non-profit or your business simply can’t be for everyone. Some people like Macs, some like PC’s.
The key is to decide what or who you want to be. Make sure you are better than the others in some way. Focus on what that is. Get even better at that to create distance for yourself. Then promote it.
I want my firm to be like a Mac so the people who buy from us (especially those needing planned giving marketing) become humongous fans. And those who don’t buy from us simply are just folks who either want and need something different or don’t realize they can benefit from our services… yet.
Or they like to have their computers crash and get viruses. (I guess you can see that I like Macs so I’m ready for the PC lovers to hate me.)
What makes you different? What firms are you a fan of and which ones do you dislike?
What’s the response rate?
Monday, March 19th, 2012I hear that question a lot in lead generation marketing, planned giving marketing, sponsorship marketing and just about any other kind of marketing you can name.
Sorry folks. But usually if you ask that question it means you don’t have any business doing marketing at all.
The response rate really doesn’t matter.
I don’t care about response rates. Rather, I care about a return on your investment.
Suppose every time you and I work on a marketing campaign together our efforts only garner one response. And suppose that reflects a miserable response rate of .0001%. But every single time we run the campaign you generate $100,000 in profit from that single response.
Would you care that the response rate is just .0001%? I doubt it.
So don’t get all caught up in response rates unless they mean something to you. Otherwise, concentrate on your return on investment and your profits. That’s where it counts.
5 reasons why customers say good-bye to you.
Monday, May 16th, 2011Customers say good-bye for 5 main reasons:
1. Intentionally pushed away – If they are unprofitable to serve, then they are not worth pursuing unless you can convert them to a more profitable product or service category.
2. Unintentionally pushed away – It’s sad but true. Profitable customers can be lost due to a service issue such as improper handling of a complaint, dissatisfaction with your product or service, disapproval of changes or policies, or a basic feeling that their business was taken for granted.
3. Pulled away – Yuck! A competitor offered them a better deal and they bit on it.
4. Bought away – Even worse… a competitor made a financially compelling offer to switch. That means you weren’t listening to your customer or your relationship wasn’t tight enough with them. A loyal client that likes you and appreciates your product or service will show signs that they are being compelled to leave you. Take note!! Stay involved!!
5. Moved away – When a customer has moved away from the primary service or trading area there is not much you can do about it.
Bottom line:
Keep a close eye on your customers.
Changes in customer behavior can help you identify which ones are about ready to churn. As customers near the end of their life cycle, there’s a reduction in activity. Some customers say goodbye formally, others informally.
For instance, stopping your periodic visits is an informal way of terminating your relationship with your doctor. Transferring your medical records to another doctor is a formal termination. Another example is using your credit card less (informal) versus canceling your card altogether (formal).
By the time a customer formally terminates the relationship, it’s often too late to win her back. So watch for signs that could be signals of informal termination.
And be sure to observe the five reasons why customers defect (above).
Why “hope” is not a strategy.
Sunday, October 3rd, 2010People have been throwing the word “hope” around a lot lately. Two years ago President Obama’s entire campaign focused on that very w
ord. And although this is not a political blog… I have to say, hope is NOT a strategy.
Recently I visited a prospective client. I gave him ideas. That’s what I always do. But after our meeting he decided he was just going to wait for the economy to improve. Then, he hoped, business would improve too.
His business had lost more than 60% of its revenue and laid off almost 20 people in the past 4 years. So I told him he didn’t have to spend money on marketing to formulate a strategy.
He still had several people hanging around- underworked. So I suggested he put them on the phones. Heck! They’re not doing anything. Cold calling is cheap.
So put ‘em on the phones! Call every prospective customer. Call past customers. Write a script. Ask them questions.
Who knows? Some of them may have business to give. Maybe they just forgot about his company. Or perhaps they were pulled away by a competitor and now the relationship has soured.
Doing something is much better than doing nothing. Marketing does not have to be expensive. Hoping things will improve is not a strategy. Making things happen is!
So… get out there! Make the extra call. Ask the extra question. Search for your clients’ pain. Then… and only then… will you have a chance to fulfill their needs and make a sale!
Why you should differentiate your business.
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010Recently I had lunch with the CEO of a Sharepoint reseller and we were talking about marketplace differentiation.
He said he heard a speaker proclaim that differentiation is dead. “Commoditization” is the future. And we all need to learn how to get better, faster and cheaper in order to survive- especially considering the fact that the internet provides so much information to buyers that it levels the playing field to a point that makes it impossible to compete on differentiation. “Volume and efficiency will rule,” he added.
MarketSmart says… that guy is a nuts!
It’s actually quite the opposite. Rather than competing in the arena of equality and mediocrity, we strongly recommend finding a way to be different. For example, Cirque de Soleil didn’t find a way to make a cheaper circus. They created an entirely new circus experience. And their tickets sell for much more than a traditional circus.
I know everyone cannot reinvent the wheel as they did. But suppose you are… hmm… an accountant. Let’s reinvent an accountant’s business on-the-fly (I literally just came up with this)…
Overnight Bookkeeping Inc.!- We do the books while you sleep.
Small business owners who need bookkeeping services don’t want to talk to a bookkeeper while the phones are ringing during normal business hours. So wouldn’t a bookkeeper who works at night make sense?
“Call us anytime, day or night.”
Differentiation still works!
Here are a couple of firms for whom we recently created differentiation strategies.
1- Long Fence and Home (Home improvements)- We carved out a niche that made them more than just a home improvement company. They don’t just give you a kitchen. They don’t just repair your siding. They don’t just replace your windows. …They improve your life.
A new kitchen brings the family together. New siding makes your home look newer and makes you feel proud to drive home. New windows reduce energy costs. All home improvements increase resale value. All home improvements improve your life.
Home improvements are life improvements. So the slogan we carved out for them is “Improve your home. Improve your life.” And all the web pages, sales materials and blog information supports that mission and directive.
2- Catapult (Business consulting)- we renamed the firm, repositioned their core strategy, designed a new logo and wrote a new slogan for them.
This firm wasn’t just about business consulting. They help businesses make sense of their chaos. Plus they run events that help CEO’s connect with each other.
So here’s the name we conceived: Catapult Connections. The slogan: Business Clarity and Relationships for Growth.
Why act like just another business consulting firm when you’re not? Find your key differences. Carve out your niche. And ignore the bozo that said “Commoditization is the future.”
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