Posts Tagged ‘Marketing’
When The Dog Days Of Summer Hit Your Business
So summer finally arrived, now it’s the dog days of July & August, and business has dropped off right? It happens every year, but most business owners don’t plan for the drop off. So when the drop hits, you start to panic, you make offers you normally wouldn’t make, you do things you normally wouldn’t do.
I too have the same problem, in fact, we all have the same problem, it’s called needing more clients / customers every month. We all at some point experience the dog days of summer drop off in business, or maybe it’s attendance for your workshop and so on. Why are we so shocked or suddenly surprised when it happens?
One of the best tips I can give you is this, find like-minded partners in your business community. Why not get together with 2 or 3 other businesses and work together for the common good of your businesses. Help each other get through the summer months by building a promotion that involves all of you, and share the costs evenly if at all possible. This is very common in the online world of doing business on the Internet, it just makes sense. The MLM businesses call this having the best interest in your success, why, because everyone wins.
Brainstorm ideas together, work the details out and promote it like it you would the Olympics, invest in it. This is not a new concept, it’s just one we tend to over look or blow off, mostly because it seems like it’s too much work. Well, welcome to the world of being in business, work is part of the deal when you started your business.
The work is actually the easy part of solving your problem, the real issue is foresight. Taking the time to stop and look ahead 3 – 6 months can help prevent these down turns in July & August. It takes effort, you may want to bring someone in to help look at your situation from the outside looking in, they will see things you can’t. Why? Because you are too close to the problem.
This all sounds so simple doesn’t it, if it was these short-term struggles wouldn’t happen to most businesses. So keep it simple, because simple is hard enough.
So, find some partners going through the same struggle in your area, make sure they are not competition : ) Pose the question of doing a promotion together, and get creative. Do something significant, not the usual giveaways and 10% discounts, do something special for your business communities / tribes. Make your clients/customers want to get involved, they have the money, give them a reason to buy. Your customers are worth it.
The Future Of Business – Online & Offline
These two are not the same, they don’t provide the same results, and they can’t be measured with the same metrics, apples to apples so to speak. Many people believe that online is merely taking your offline onto the Internet and expecting the same results, really? Profit is profit, whether it be online or offline, that’s true, but both online and offline require work, there is no short-cut.
There is much confusion, we are lead to believe, that making money online is actually easier, and you don’t have to work as hard, not so. The digital world is a very foggy landscape for the masses when it comes to making money online. In an ethical, human caring way. It is my opinion that the Internet Marketer’s of the world only care about your wallet, how much they can get from you. They don’t really care if they solve a problem or help you in some small way. That is a huge generalization right? Think about it, almost everything on the Internet can be brought down to a small community, just like your offline world.
You & I can only meet or interact with a small group of people in real life, you know, going out and meeting face-to-face, to do business and stuff. It took time, it took effort, it was actually hard work, and you felt like you got nothing done sometimes. Online, where do you start? You actually have to have a plan before doing the same thing as you did offline, why? You don’t know the people, when you met someone face-to-face, you probably already had a relationship with them, that took the pressure off. Online, you can’t tell who’s attention you have, or if they are even looking you in the eye. Oh the two worlds are very different, but there is one common denominator, we all seem to want the same thing. Some go about it in an underhanded way.
I like the fact that these two are different, they are only the same to me because they both have people at the end of it, and that makes it easier. Selling offline works differently than online, you would think it wouldn’t but, it just is. Online, we don’t want to work as hard, we have been sold down the river, we have been lead to believe it’s easier and less work, NOT!
I’m not trying to rain on your parade, I just want you to be realistic about what you are trying to do, you are trying to push a square peg thru a round hole, plain and simple. The online world does think differently because it believes you don’t have to work hard, just setup this and that and watch the cash pour in. Those who tried that offline didn’t make it any better than those online, it’s just different.
What is different, if you fail online, you lose nothing….offline, you can’t get away in the same manner as the online world. So don’t get sucked into the online & offline are the same game, they aren’t, they are two very different worlds, both are capable of being very cruel, and both can be very rewarding.
I prefer the online world for one reason really, I can reach out much easier, I can reach more people in seconds than I could in a lifetime doing things offline the old fashion way….face-to-face. Don’t get me wrong, I like meeting people, alot…I’m a highly relational guy so I need to be around people. But if you are anything like me, and you have a vision to reach as many business owners & entrepreneurs as you can, online does provide a better way of accomplishing that vision. The mission on the other hand takes a balance of both online & offline.
The Future Of Business is a balance of doing both, one is not easier than the other. What do you think?
Do you think it’s easier to build and run an online business?
Do you think it’s easier to build and run an offline business?
Do you think business online is the same as business offline?
Related articles
- How to make money online (sethgodin.typepad.com)
The Future Of Business – When Simple & Brilliant Collide
When simple & brilliant collide. You would think this happens often, but it doesn’t. In the marketing world, this collision would be called a homerun, the grand slam, or utopia, that’s when they think they have nailed it. When you hear the words, or see the picture, you can’t help but smile.
The word KitKat, or seeing a picture of one, just makes you feel good, you want to have one. Could you imagine if everyone felt this way when they think of your product or service?
The super stars tend to have this collision more often than most, that’s why they are the leading brands, they bring simple and brilliant together, often.
What do you feel when you see this picture above, do you think the marketing department knows what they are selling? Is it a chocolate bar, or a feeling you get when you eat one?
I just had to share this with you, it’s simple & brilliant. The future of your business should practice this, how could you bring simple & brilliant together for your product or service?
Related articles
- The Future Of Business – Pay Attention (owengreaves.com)
- The Future Of Business – Hardwood Floors (owengreaves.com)
- Is Your Business Normal? (owengreaves.com)
A Review Of John Morgan’s Book “Brand Against The Machine”
I have read this book twice now, the first time was a quick once over, the second time, I grabbed a highlighter and messed this book up. I read lot, I mean read sales books, marketing books, how to books, even the bible, but this book I couldn’t put down. It grabbed me right from chapter 1, I was sitting in one of my favorite offices this morning, that being the Roasted Grape, and I punched out probably 30 nuggets (Tweets) from the 1st 5 chapters! So I guess you might say, you should go buy John Morgan’s book, infact…do it right now!
The premise of this book is right on the cover, ” How to Build Your Brand, Cut Through the Marketing Noise, and Stand Out from the Competition”. I know what you are thinking, it’s another marketing book, in some ways you might get that, but I have found it to be more than that, it’s a very direct set of principles that are actually easy to understand.
The book reads easy, it’s very straight forward, and I like the directness, John is very clear when he says it. This book is filled with more wisdom than you would expect, he clearly sees something most of us know but rarely execute. There are a great many take aways for me, but I’m not going spew them all out here, you need to find them for yourself. I will share one of my favorite chapters, it’s number 6, The Right Position, it’s a very short chapter too.
The first sentence from this chapter:
“The number one goal of your marketing should be to establish and position yourself as an authority in your industry or field. Authority leads to easier sales, and more opportunities.”
This says it all for me:
“The most important element of branding is positioning.”
That say a mouthful doesn’t it?
There is so much to share and frankly it would be a copyright infringement if I were to quote the book, I highly recommend John’s book, you won’t be disappointed. Thank you John for writing this book, I have enjoyed reading it over and over a few times.
Start your fight against the machine today, John shows you exactly how to do it. Enjoy!
Related articles
- Brand Against the Machine (chrisbrogan.com)
- Brand Against The Machine – John Morgan’s New Book Redefines Branding (rizzotees.com)
Is This One Of Your Goals For 2012?
It’s midnight, I’m thinking about the past year, wondering if I made a difference to any business owner in my community, my Twitter followers, my blog readers and….. It’s a fair question, you probably ask yourself the same question many times. In fact, you may spend too much time asking yourself that question. If you truly want to make a difference, Go and make a difference! Go, do that thing you are passionate about, you will touch someone’s life and you probably won’t even know it.
I attend many events in my community, most are surprised when I show up, but I need the interaction with smart people. You can only speak from a stage, from a microphone, a blog, or even a workshop for so long. Eventually, you’ll want to see eyeballs, hear real stories directly from the sources, maybe in their own surroundings. The words Social Media don’t really say enough about what it really means, we tend to forget the “Social” part, but it’s the best part, it’s the awesome sauce.
I have a few social engagements in my calendar for December, maybe we’ll run into each other, and I’ll bet there’s a great story to share. Make sure you step away from the keyboard, better yet, go master the deadlock on your front door and get out and see the people. The people are what makes the Social in Social Media, media is actually cold and unfeeling, why would you want to just do that?
Social Networks are environments, cultures, and places to learn, because that’s where the people are, and no matter how much you avoid it, the Future Of Business means people. You will never have success without them, and what they want from you is simple, they want access to you. They want to know you, even spend time with you, that’s where the real value is, and eventually, the Gold.
When you get around the people, and you are doing what you were meant to do, you are making a difference. So GO! Be a human business, one that connects with others, one that connects businesses, Go and be with the people, help them achieve their goals, and you will be blessed beyond your wildest dreams. Make that your goal for 2012, I hope you do because I can’t wait to hear your story when you do.
