Tell me. Who gets to the end of a commercial and asks, “How can I learn more?” Answer: NO ONE! Exactly! Yet, isn’t it amazing that companies spend millions of dollars creating marketing that assumes this is the way we think? Why would they do this? Because, they aren’t really thinking about us, they’re thinking about them. They’re thinking about their product or service. Despite, what they may know intellectually about people and their behavior, these companies and the bright minds making their marketing decisions still often fall prey to
Need a job? Create it! “You may ask yourself, what is that beautiful house? You may ask yourself, where does that highway lead to? You may ask yourself, am I right, am I wrong? You may say to yourself, my god, what have I done?” – Lyrics from, “Once in a Lifetime” by Talking Heads When I think about what crazy, disorienting times these are for job seekers I can’t help but recall the lyrics from this song by the Talking Heads. Are you, or someone you know in
“New and Improved” ≠ Exceptional. Differentiating yourself, or your product from the competition is marketing 101, right? Pick me. I’m better. I said so. Or, buy my product, it’s “new and improved!” See, it’s right here on the packaging! Using these kind of tactics to persuade others may sound ridiculous and obvious but I’m willing to bet you see examples of this type of promotion all around you whether it’s a product sold at the grocery store or the self-promoting co-worker in the next cubicle. The trouble with this thinking
Shocking: Just 13% of the info on Google is actual search results! I bet you thought that if your company built a well structured website embedded with keywords in all the right places that your potential customers would certainly find you in a Google search. After all, you’ve been told that this is key to effectively generating traffic on the Internet, right? Yeah, well now… Not so much. In reality, if you run a search on Google today, you’ll see that only 13% of the information that appears on the
Carpe Failure! “Success may be the kindest teacher, but failure is a very efficient one.” This quote has always stuck with me. How many times have you succeeded at something and then when asked how you did it, you struggled to explain the reasons for your success because, frankly, you weren’t exactly sure. On the other hand, if you were asked to reflect upon a failure and the mistakes you made that contributed to that failure you could probably go on in great detail. We all cringe at the idea
Have you ever struggled to come up with an effective “elevator pitch”? One that you thought really captured who you are and the value you provide without saying too much or being too confusing? As Steve Jobs famously said, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. But sometimes trying to keep it short and sweet can be impossibly difficult. Especially when it comes to describing who we are and why we matter in just a sentence or two. For many people this can be paralyzing. After all, what if we leave out
News Flash: It’s NOT About Balance. So much is made of striking a balance in our lives, whether it’s eating a balanced diet, striving for spiritual balance, or the constant struggle for work/life balance. And yet despite our every effort, are our lives ever really balanced? And is that the end game? The older I get the more I question this need to be “balanced”. Maybe it’s just a rationalization but I can’t help but feel that instead of worrying about balance in our lives we’d be better off focusing
We Gotta Give to Get. The strength, stability and richness of a community is absolutely dependent on each member of the community making a contribution. Each member has to give of themselves for the good of the community. When we hold back for our own advantage we not only weaken the community, we limit our own opportunities for success. The same holds true for businesses, teams, non-profits and families. We gotta give, in order to get. ..This much I know. -Jeanine
We want to watch our favorite TV show when we want, and where we want. We want our purchases delivered to our door the same day we buy them. We want instant gratification. Even in business, we want huge profits and an abundance of customers immediately. Oh, and we want all that while working just four hours a week. It’s this kind of thinking that leads a lot of small businesses to consider marketing that casts a wide net by broadcasting a message to a large audience quickly. Sure it can be
“Don’t Take it Personally.” That is always easier said than done, don’t you think? Whenever someone ignores us, criticizes our work, or leaves us for a competitor, it sucks. And it feels personal. Even when we know intellectually that, “its just business.” The truth is though; you shouldn’t take it personally, because it’s not about you. It’s about them. It’s about what they (think they) want. It’s about what’s going on in their lives. it’s about their issues, motives or agenda. Do your best work. Give your customers the best