Traub mailbox marketing rant

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Be more like a pawn shop...

In the world of pawn shops...

• Good economy = more people buy
• Bad economy = more people sell
• Great margins
• Both sides (seller/buyer) like you
• Low overhead
• You can be human and flex on prices...everyone loves a great deal
• You can give your customers what they want
• Relationships matter
  

Step back from your desk...look at the computer and ask yourself these questions:

1. Is this business ready for good and bad economies?

2. How good are my margins and how can I make them even better?

3. Do my customers like me after they buy from me?

4. Do I spend money on things that don't help my customers? 

5. Am I losing customers b/c of my pricing structure?

6. Do I have something that people with $50 and $5000 can buy? 

7. Do I have relationships with my customers?

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Girls Scouts and Used Cars

Last week the Traub family became proud owners of Blueberry.  She had some frostbite and lost a bit of her ears this winter b/c of some neglect but she's a keeper. We just dropped a few hundred bucks getting her back to health but based on my kid's reactions it was a good investment.  On our way to the Humane Society we stopped by Wal-Mart to get the basics, food, litter box, a few toys etc.  As I unloaded my son from the car I heard a little girl screaming at the top of her lungs.  She wasn't being hit by a car, she was selling Girl Scout cookies.  

I'm a Thin Mint guy myself, the wife is a Carmel Delight fan.  We had just purchased four boxes of cookies that morning after a friend of my wife posted on her Facebook page that they would be camped out at the local grocery store hawking their treats.  But, I would have bought more cookies from the little screaming girl IF she hadn't scared me away.  Here's what her sales pitch sounded like.

"GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!! GET YOUR GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!!"

one second pause...

"GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!! GET YOUR GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!!"

Hey, I know she's not a marketing genius or anything but this is a BAD way to sell something.  Funny thing happened when I heard her screaming.  That "pay attention to me because I'm the loudest" tone reminded me of so many marketers who try to be the loudest in order to get attention.  There's a hot dog restaurant in my town (yeah, all they sell is hot dogs) and their marketing revolves around making "below the belt" innuendos to hot dogs.  Their "loud" is being crude. No thanks guys.  How about being the best instead of being the most immature.

Back to Wal-Mart... I wanted to be critical but maybe she learned it from car commercials that ALL do the same thing.  Be loud = sales?  Girls scouts and car commercials have it wrong. It's not about the item...it's about the result of the item for the consumer.  So here are the best lines to sell girl scout cookies.

"College prices are ridiculous! Send a girl scout to college!"
"Stop feeling guilty, just buy a box!"
"Supply and demand at it's finest.  Cookies only available for two weeks.  Buy some cookies!"

You get the idea. 

1. Tell the truth when you talk about your product. 
2. Talk about feelings that we all know are real. 

Consumers appreciate honesty..and they'll be much more likely to become your customer.

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Experience only matters in high school

I remember my freshman year.  I was no one...for the simple reason that I was inexperienced. I had no experience being a high school kid.  Fast forward...you're an adult now.  You have an idea that will enable businesses to make more money, increase customer satisfaction.  But how much experience do you have?  Doesn't matter.  Experience only matters in high school.  In the real world ideas beat experience (at least they should). 

So what's your excuse for not starting something new?  You're not experienced?  So what?  Here's a tip - If you know more than me about sewing or baseball or electrodes or pillows then you're an expert in my eyes.  Experts know more than their audience, that's all it takes. So what are you an expert in and how can you leverage that expertise to come up with ideas that help people.  It doesn't matter if it's your first idea and you're the new kid on the block.  Bill Gates' first and last company was the eventual Microsoft.  It went through some name changes but overall his baby in the beginning is the Microsoft you know today. 

You don't have to be Bill Gates and it doesn't have to have anything to do with computers.  It's not the business sector that decides success, it's your idea.  No more excuses please.  Start something. The world needs you to make it a better place.

((tag: entrepreneur, bill gates, andy traub, solopreneur, new kids on the block, earth, high school, ideas, experience))

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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It's not ROI, it's ROR

I really do enjoy being a resource for people who need advice on social media.  While I’m still waiting to hit the 1,000,000 friend count on Twitter myself (I’m only about 999,234 people away) I do know enough about social media that I often get asked for advice on the topic.

The typical inquirer is a business owner.  They have been spending $1,000’s every year on traditional advertising (magazines, newspapers, television, radio) and now they want to know what their ROI is if they use social media sites like Facebook or Twitter to advertise their product.  It’s a bad question.  Here’s why.

Social media is actually pretty simple.  It’s two words “social” and “media".  The social part is the new part.  It's not a place where you buy and ad and wait for the clicks (which often equal purchases) to come in.  There’s NOTHING social about traditional advertising.  NOTHING.

Social means...
...the business owner doesn’t get to choose the message anymore.
...you don’t have to pay for your ideas to spread.
...other people’s opinions on your product are just as, and probably more respected than yours.
...you have to go to where your customers are having conversations.  You can’t expect them to listen to your message on your channel, in your publication or on your station.  They're not there anymore or if they are they don't trust the messages they hear there.

Media means...
...it lasts forever b/c it’s on the net.  Google your business and you’ll probably find two things right away in your first listing - your contact information and a list of reviews on your service.  You can change your address but you can’t change those reviews.  They're there forever.
...you can package your message so it's easier than ever to spread.  Have you ever taped a television commercial, put it in an envelope and mailed it to a friend b/c you loved it so much?  No?  Have you ever forwarded a video?  Yeah, I thought so.  This media allows you to SHARE information (b/c it's social).

Back to the bad question...the right question isn't "What's my ROI" for two reasons.  1. Return on investment implies it cost a lot of money.  Spreading your message via social media can cost some money, but not nearly as much as you think.  2. The "I" in ROI implies that what is being spent is money.  In fact social media usually resists those who spend money on messages.  It’s about ROR “Return on Relationship”

Social media is a place where businesses can build relationships with customers.  Customers of businesses can build relationships with each other.  Customers of businesses can influence people they have relationships with that have never heard of your company.  Relationships, relationships, relationships...that's what social media is about.  My "friends" count on Facebook means something.  When I say something people believe me (for the most part).  So stop asking what's your ROI on social media please.  Start asking "What's my ROR on social media?"

I think the answer is, "If you really care about people then the return on your relationships will be great.  If you just want to sell something then that's a lousy foundation for a relationship.  If you want to measure ROI then go buy a TV ad and measure the response (which is questionable as well).  If you want to build relationships with loyal customers who will make your business grow and improve then welcome to social media.  It' s nice to have you here.  Let's be friends.

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Seth's Blog

You rock

This is deceptive.

You don't rock all the time. No one does. No one is a rock star, superstar, world-changing artist all the time. In fact, it's a self-defeating goal. You can't do it.

No, but you might rock five minutes a day.

Five minutes to write a blog post that changes everything, or five minutes to deliver an act of generosity that changes someone. Five minutes to invent a great new feature, or five minutes to teach a groundbreaking skill in a way that no one ever thought of before. Five minutes to tell the truth (or hear the truth).

Five minutes a day you might do exceptional work, remarkable work, work that matters. Five minutes a day you might defeat the lizard brain long enough to stand up and make a difference.

And five minutes of rocking would be enough, because it would be five minutes more than just about anyone else.

via sethgodin.typepad.com

Seth is right (as usual)...but there's another step that I want to include. Let's get practical shall we? Where are you storing up your 5 minutes of "Rockin' it"? I have a weekly podcast at www.BusinessTechWeekly.com and this blog and I am starting two new podcasts this month. So my moments where I rock are being recorded and spread. So if you do rock (and you likely do) then make sure to capture it in writing, on camera or on a mic. Then spread the wisdom/wealth.

You rock...so record it.

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Start acting like someone cares

You want to throw a party and have lots of people show up.
You want to have a successful blog but you want people to read it.

It's a trick
So here's the trick (and it really is a mental trick).  You have to write a blog post like someone is reading it...even if no one is.  Anyone who knows how to use Google and can "cut and paste" can add analytics to their site to see exactly how many people are visiting.  Here's my advice...add analytics and then ignore them.  They're too discouraging and in the end it's not the point.  CNN.com has a lot more visits than your web site and they always will.  So what?  If your goal is to spread your ideas then start spreading them one post at a time.  You'll know when your ideas are spreading, trust me.

How do I get traffic?
Somebody cares about what you're saying.  If no one seems to care then talk about something else or change how you're delivering your message.  But, somebody cares.  Let's go back to the party comparison.  If you don't come to my party guess what...I'm not coming to yours.  So if you want me to come to your blog then come to mine and let me know how to get back to yours.  If you want readers then spread the love.  Spend time at other blogs and then go back to yours regularly and write like someone is reading it. 

You better have a frosty beverage for me
The other reason you need to write like someone is reading is that one day, when you do start to get visitors you'll need something for them to read.  Blogs archive your entries so they'll have a treasure trove of info that you've written if you post before they show up. Not regularly posting to your blog or creating content of any kind (podcast, ebooks etc.) and inviting me to visit your site is like inviting me to a party without having any good beer to drink or any food to snack on.  When I get there...I expect something from you.  It's bad news if you expect those people to come back if they didn't find anything the first time they showed up...they're not likely to return. 

Action points:
- Install analytics on your site
- Ignore the analytics for a long time
- Comment on other sites every day (you can start with this blog).  Commenting on the bigg blogs can get you traffic...not from the big names but from other people who leave comments (happened to me this week). 
- Write a post a week (minimum).  But please write something.

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