Issue #27: And Now the News….

February 6,2009

Okay okay, I get it. We are in deep crap with the economy and no one can tell us when we may emerge from it. Each newscast you hear, see or read in whatever media always begins with the latest roster of layoffs and downsizing or streamlining. It hammers the consumer psyche.
We as a society or culture gravitate to The News because we tend not to measure our individual success by our contributions or results, but by how truly messed up someone else is. The News, by its very nature, is Bad News. We mentally react to each news release with “thank god that wasn’t me that poor bugger.”
With every staff layoff, employers cut consumers; in many cases the very same people that they hope will buy their products or services.
The Globe and Mail said today that 7.2% of Canada’s workforce is now out of work.
How about this; 92.8% of Canada’s workforce is still working!
Most business people find it surprising that their business while it might be down is not dire. This is a weird contradiction. I have been told by some business people who say “we are still doing okay,” it’s almost like an apology. It is as if they haven’t lived up to the latest news stories.
I have arrived to a point in my life where I measure new information by two pieces of criteria; ”Do I need to know this? or “Do I want to know this?” If you don’t fit under either one, my brain starts airing old reruns of the Flintstones and your information is lost forever.
You may want to try it, with The News being what it is these days, ignorance can be bliss.
We can’t control the world. We can only control what we do and how we react to the new competitive factors presented. The consumer isn’t dead; they will just be in fewer numbers. That being the case, you are going to need to improve your close ratio.
We must change, and change is hard. I was talking with a sales person who was struggling a week or so ago and shared my other favorite mantra. “Whatever got you to where you are today is not enough to take you to where you need to go.”
Improve your close ratio by “Reinventing the Basics.”
How your phone is answered. Have you thanked them for calling, or coming into your place of business? This is one of the most underrated business functions.
Have you sincerely taken an interest in their needs, wants or desires?
Are you honest? (nuff said)
Do you implement the WOW factor?
Do you really know your customer and what they want or do you think you know what they want or worse, what they need?
Can you solve a customer problem within minutes or hours not days?
Can you be proactive?
“I was thinking about you and our conversation the other day and. what about this…..”
Or “I just reviewing your account or contract, I have found a way to save you some money.”
Or what if you had found a mistake before the customer did?
Most problems occur when we think that we have enough information or that we think that we know our customer.
The following amusing story, illustrates this basic business skill rather eloquently.
I THINK YOU'RE THE FATHER OF ONE OF MY KIDS...
A guy goes to the supermarket and notices an attractive woman waving at him.
She says hello.
He's rather taken back because he can't place where he knows her from.
So he says, 'Do you know me?'
To which she replies, 'I think you're the father of one of my kids'
Now his mind travels back to the only time he has ever been unfaithful to his wife and says, 'Are you the stripper from the bachelor party that I made love to on the pool table?'
She looks into his eyes and says calmly, 'No, I'm your son's teacher.

Never assume that you know the whole story.
. "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."-- Mark Twain
Stay in a Good Mood.
Brad

Issue #26 Smile, You're About to be Stimulated

January 30, 2008

This week, the Canadian Government and The US Congress have committed billions and billions of dollars of tax payer’s money in order to prop up the economy in both countries. Both leaders have called their respective “rescue program” a “Stimulus Package.”
stim·u·lus Definition by Dictionary.com
1. Something causing or regarded as causing a response.
2. An agent, action, or condition that elicits or accelerates a physiological or psychological activity or response.
How often have you heard or used the word “stimulus” in an everyday business conversation? Not often is my guess. Stimulus is my new word of the week and deserves to capitalized
I sincerely believe that this is The New Era of Stimulus in North America. We as marketers, sales professionals, business leaders and owners have a responsibility to raise the profile of the word Stimulus.
If we take on an important and prominent leadership role in bringing Stimulus to the forefront in business communications, our customers and clients will soon come the realization that they can feel safe and secure as they continue to purchase our goods and services. Why? Because Stimulus will look after everything. These really are enlightened times!
I would like to stimulate your mind with a few examples of just how to properly use the word Stimulus and it’s variations to its maximum potential. In other words, I have done a little “Stim-Sell” Research in order to assist you in properly introducing stimulus to your business vernacular. For example:
-Welcome and thank you for coming in, it’s a great day to be Stimulated isn’t it?
-Wow, you look great were you just Stimulated?
-Smith, all of us at head office are just Stimulated beyond belief at the results of your last quarter. In fact we like Stimulus so much that we have to lay you off. The share holders are Stimulus junkies.
-Don’t let the Stimulus hit you in the butt on the way out.
-Which is better LCD Stimulus or Plasma Stimulus?
-Have you taken the new Stimulus by GM for a test drive?
-Would you like to super size your Stimulus?
-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as THE STIMULATOR.
-Is it Stimulating in here, or just me?

I am convinced that Stimulus will join other iconic business terms such as:
1. It’s About Clarity
2. Win-Win Situation
3. Thinking Outside Of the Box
4. Paradigm Shift
5. Best Practices
6. Synergy
7. Low-Hanging Fruit
8. At The End Of The Day,...
9. Value-Added Proposition
10. Maximize Customer Satisfaction
11. Going Forward
12. Seamless Integration
13. Core Competency
14. Let's Take This Off-Line

“Every now and then, Roger likes to cut himself off from all stimulus.”
Courtesy of http://www.cartoonstock.com/
Go forward my brothers and sisters in commerce and prosper as Stimulus will guide your way. What a great day to be in business!
Stay In a Stimulated Mood
Brad

Issue #25 "TAG, You're it."

January 20, 2009
It’s here, The 2009 Moodswing Media Business Mood Indicator. Don’t make important decisions, attend critical meetings or comment on current financial conditions until you know how are you really feeling about business? In only 10 seconds, you will know the answer. It’s compact. Carry it with you at all times. It really works! No batteries required.
Email your name with your mailing address to brad@moodswingmedia.ca and we will send you your very own Moodswing Media Business Mood Indicator together with a memo on “Selling More Despite The Economy” written exclusively for Moodswing Minute Readers by Joel Saltzman, author of “Shake that Brain”. How to Create Winning Solutions… and have fun while you’re at it”.
* * * * * * * * * * *
MSM: This issue of the Minute is focusing on the importance of a strong tagline or slogan. They aren’t just cute little lines associated with your business name, rather the anchor that should hold the image or fundamental expectation in the mind of a potential customer.
Why talk about this today?
Put this under the heading of “Making Every Dollar Count”. If you have decided in your mind that you will be taking a cautious approach to advertising in 2009, then it is even more important that every ad dollar carry its weight in effectiveness and penetration of your target consumer group.
From the media sales perspective, to be able to assist your clients in creating this kind of valuable asset can enhance your arsenal of offerings and lift you above competitors.
Timothy R V Foster is the founder of ADSlogans Unlimited shares the following:
The Basics
The purpose of the strap line or slogan in an advertisement is to leave the key brand message in the mind of the target. It is the sign-off that accompanies the logo. Its goal is to stick: "If you get nothing else from this ad, get this..!"
The Perfect Tagline
A perfectly-formed tagline should fulfill several criteria.
Memorable: The more the tagline resonates with the big idea, the more memorable it will be.
Differentiate Your Brand: “We do (this) Others don’t”
Recalls The Brand Name: “Instant association with your business.”
Strategic: to convey their business strategy in their lines, such as "Innovation" (3M),
Impart Positive Feelings About The Brand
Not Be Usable By A Competitor: So many slogans have absolutely no competitive differentiation, such as "Simply the Best" and its variants.
What separates a good ad slogan from a poor one?
David Droga, Worldwide Executive Creative Director for French ad agency Publicis, says slogans work best when they reflect "not only the soul of the brand, but the company itself and its reason for being in business." Contemporary catch-phrases, he says, "just crumble into dust."

MSM: Taglines and slogans only work with a strong imaginative creative message that relates the benefit of your product or service to the current needs wants and desires of a potential customer.
Example:


Today, you will always remember where you were… when you read this edition of the Moodswing Minute.
Stay in a good mood,
Brad