The Reluctant Marketer

Thinking of starting a Small Business or have an existing Business, what do you think of this?

2007-12-13T02:32:00.000Z

Thinking of starting a Small Business or have existing Business what do you think of this?

Bill Bishop wrote in “The Strategic Enterprise” this formula:-

Quality Relationships (QR) x Unique Value (UV) = Success ($).

He goes on to say, “The strategic enterprise does not worry about competition because it doesn’t have any. It stands out as unique in customer’s mind because it provides him or her with a continuous and ever-expanding stream of unique value.”

This unique value is what ?

The Buzz word in today's world in Marketing.

2007-12-06T18:37:00.000Z

My facebook friend Mohamad Machnouk, posted this in a group in facebook I had to laugh so asked his permission to post it in this Blogish thing I am doing.

Mohamad wrote:-

The buzz word in today's business world is MARKETING. However people often ask for a simple explanation of "Marketing." Well, here it is:

1. you’re a woman and you see a handsome guy at a party. You go up to him and say, "I'm fantastic in bed."
That's Direct Marketing.

2. You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a handsome guy. One of your friends goes up to him and, pointing at you, says, "She's fantastic in bed."
That's Advertising.

3. You see a handsome guy at a party. You go up to him and get his telephone number. The next day you call and say, "Hi, I'm fantastic in bed."
That's Telemarketing.

4. You see a guy at a party; you straighten your dress. You walk up to him and pour him a drink. You say, "May I?" and reach up to straighten his tie, brushing your breast lightly against his arm, and then say, "By the way, I'm fantastic in bed."
That's Public Relations.

5. You're at a party and see a handsome guy. He walks up to you and says, "I hear you're fantastic in bed."
That's Brand Recognition.

6. You're at a party and see a handsome guy He fancies you, but you talk him into going home with your friend.
That's a Sales Rep.

7. Your friend can't satisfy him so he calls you.
That's Tech Support.

8. You're on your way to a party when you realize that there could be handsome men in all these houses you're passing, so you climb onto the roof of one situated towards the center and shout at the top of your lungs, "I'm fantastic in bed!"
That's Junk Mail.

9. You are at a party and this well-built man walks up to you and grabs your butt.
That's former President Clinton.

10. You like it, but twenty years later your attorney decides you were offended and you sue.
That's America.

Free Reports...Yawn

2007-12-04T04:32:00.000Z

This is another reason or two why I am a reluctant marketer.

I spent some time this weekend reading some of the Free Super Duper reports that have just been launched.

I have got to say that I find them very very disappointing. The biggest report I read I am not even going to go into any detail, as it boils down to the longest long sales copy for another super duper product that I have ever read and that’s it in a nut shell. If you didn’t know about all the other “Free Secrets Revealed” then you have not been paying attention to anything Internet related for the past 12 months. I find the whole thing completely perplexing; these are Big guys in the business very wealthy and very skilled.

It would seem that these Big Boys of the Internet Marketing world are just jostling around trying to assert there expertise in the “new age” of Internet marketing business, or just making sure there product is in position for the January SALES.

Some seem to be in a panic as the Internet this year has gone through a huge fundamental change, now it’s a two way street and they are not comfortable with this. They are used to there long form sales letters telling you all about the BENEFITS of this super duper gadgety thingy that will transform your life, how it’s the best ever, how they are the best ever, and that they love you and your family and there only purpose in life is to help you, how it’s a time sensitive, one time deal, and guess what, all there Big Internet buddies think it’s great too, check out the proof it’s all here.

So the “NEW” word on the on the street is, be honest tell, a story? Become an authority and give great content (as it is King), people are harder to get to, become a trusted advisor….. wow really earth shattering stuff this “new” way is a huge new revolution can’t wait….yawn.

I am not rich, these guys are, may be I just don’t get it. Maybe that’s why I am a reluctant marketer maybe I should be asking for a job at burger king may be I will.

Please allow me to tell you a story, no sales pitch involved.

Many moons ago I took on a Job selling vinyl windows, I was shown a sales method that would work almost ever single time if delivered in the very precise structure it was designed to be presented. It seriously worked very very well and basically was very simple, all you had to do was to overcome the customers objections (no matter how long it took) to get them to buy the windows there and then.

Was it a good thing, no, was I selling the best product on the market, yes I probably was, was I meeting my customers needs or selling the right product to them, no I was not, the product was over priced. I consoled myself by selling really hard to the clients that were rude and I gave it a break to the ones that were nice or to easily taken advantage of, so I was never the greatest but I did make a good living.

I have to say that I am not very proud of this little part of my life; however I did learn a great deal about myself and sales. So what’s the point of the little story …It’s this, if you are into sales or are thinking of buying a product remember sales is a SCIENCE not a numbers game a Science, if you are buying people more often than not nowadays are using a particular proven method to sell to you, it may be not exactly what you want but it is exactly what they want. So buyer beware….and seller please use the science in an ethical way.

PS. Remember, money back guarantee’s are there because most people will take the loss and not got through the “hassle” of getting there money back.

Ed Dale and Sucking Gurus!

2007-11-28T17:02:00.000Z

Ed Dale and Sucking Gurus!

In a couple of Ed Dale’s latest communications he has mentioned that he thinks “the word Guru really sucks”.

I have to say that I completely agree with him in the context in which I believe he is using it, and that is in the Internet marketers and online marketing circles it does suck, big time.

Looking at the good old fashioned dictionary I find the meaning to be “Guru – a bubbling sound….no that’s gurgle the word above :-) Guru- Hindu spiritual advisor or teacher.

Now I am but a simple man, I had never really come across the Guru word to often until I started doing some research into Internet marketing, strangely enough. In this world it’s Guru this and Guru that. Guru’s for list building, squeeze pages, search engine optimization and even Guru’s that can show you how and which button to press to make money come out your USB socket, Ooh ye that’s me baby, send me 47.99 and I’ll show you how. The Internet is just jam packed wall to wall, chock-a-block, stuffed crammed full of Guru’s.

So funnily enough I had spent some time thinking about this very problem and how to tackle it? Because I felt that well, Wikipedia, said it beautifully: -
“Testing the guru”
“Some scriptures and gurus have warned against false teachers, and have recommended that the spiritual seeker test the guru before accepting him. Some have given criteria on how to distinguish false from genuine ones:”

My little answer was to start a group called Name the Guru, the concept being that the good guys would get a mention and the not so good would not, how else can we help each other fight through the Guru Glut?

I don’t think there is any argument that Guru’s or Mentor’s are a good thing, most of us in our lives use many for all sorts of reasons, so therefore I don’t think there is anything wrong with the word, it’s just in the context it gets used.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7661877011

Sir Richard Branson, Giant Babies and Piccadilly Circus.

2007-11-28T04:17:00.000Z

Sir Richard Branson, Giant Babies and Piccadilly Circus.

Another mentor I followed was Richard Branson in my early twenties I read a biography about Sir Richard and it lead to giant babies London’s Piccadilly Circus and an estimated 5 million listeners.

Here is the short story. Richard Branson started is carrier in the music industry selling records in fact, from a telephone box. As a young man I figured I had something in common with him, I could use a telephone box too.

One of his favorite strategies to get press attention for new product launches was to devise some sort of stunt or gimmick that would gain free press attention.

Now at this point I was the owner of store selling baby equipment, it may seem a little odd that a 24 year old single guy with no children was a proprietor of such a business but that is another story. While I was in this business I had the idea to have an educational video made for first time parents (this may also seem odd), and believe it or not I wrote the script and had a London film company make the video. Even by today’s standards it was quite the production and cost thousands and thousands of the good old British Pounds to make it, in fact, I kid you not; one of the cameramen had just come from a James Bond set which is yet another story.

Anyway a large chain store at the time (Mothercare) refused to sell my product because “it did not show any of there branded product in the video, and was therefore not a complete representation of the market” and yes you guest it, yet another story. So I came up with my Sir Richard Branson and decided to pull a stunt to get media attention.

The Stunt, my then business partner and I decided we would fly down to London and protest outside Mothercare in giant baby outfits much like the big Sumo Wrestling outfits but with large towel baby diapers and baby hats. With our little signs and our huge baby outfits we stood and protested outside the store until the police came and asked us to move, which we did. Looking back now that would have been a good story, GIANT BABIES ARESTED IN PICADILLY CIRCUS, so instead we paraded up and down Piccadilly Circus and handed out mail order leaflets which was not an arrestable offence.

So did it work? Well kind of, we did get a spot on London’s biggest morning radio show with an estimated 5 million listeners.

Did it get the video flying off the shelves, well that’s another story!

Inspiration in words.

2007-11-28T03:56:00.000Z

Inspiration in words, please add your favorites the good corny and funny!

“Whether you think you can, or that you can’t; you are usually right.”-Henry Ford

“If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.”-Albert Einstein

“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic.”-Anonymous

“Better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.”-Chinese Proverb

“I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow.”-Woodrow Wilson

“A leaky head never swells up.”-Anonymous

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10.000 ways that won’t work”-Thomas Edison

“It is useless for sheep to pass a resolution in favor of vegetarianism while wolves remain of a different opinion”-William Randolph Inge

“Work like you don’t need the money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like no one is watching”-Satchel Paige

Why the reluctant marketer?

2007-11-28T03:29:00.000Z

Entering into this world is like swimming with piranhas, except the piranhas don’t want to bite they want your money and they have sophisticated ways of trying to get you to part with your cash. The intention of this blog is to point these tactics out and show you ways of getting into the on-line business world for free or very inexpensively. The Reluctant Marketer chooses not to swim with the piranhas but to observe, learn and pass on what information he can in a safe and honest environment.

My intention is to explain how the “Gurus” are trying to sell to you, as I understand it and what tactics they use to get your money. This is not to say that all the “Gurus” out there are trying to take your cash with little product unfairly but I feel that most are.

In this world buying “how to” information or tools on the Internet is not like going into your local store checking things out touching, feeling getting good advice and making an informed decision the way we would traditionally buy goods. I will expand on this further on future posts.

For now I would like to encourage you to let me know what you want…I will seek it out and supply in a non-selling way, I would like to create a safe honest environment and encourage debate the sharing of knowledge.