If it is not broken, then don’t fix it! That is an axiom we Americans embrace, and have embraced for a long time. American business institutions like Woolworth’s, Penn Central Railroad, Bethlehem Steel, Pan Am Airlines, TWA, and Washington Mutual all adhered to this philosophy…….. to the bitter end. Recently Hostess Corporation, the makers of Twinkies, filed for bankruptcy. While these companies are but a tiny, tiny fraction of the American companies who have ceased to exist, a common thread here is that all of these companies did a really good job of selling, marketing, producing the product or service they sold. They were really good at what they did, for a while.
People change, values change, demographics change, products change, circumstances change, markets change, technologies change, and if your business isn’t changing then it may be becoming obsolete. The need for change seems to be the only constant in our world.
So……… what are you changing in 2012?
Starting in February Express Autobody will be hosting marketing classes starting with Gift Marketing and Permission Marketing on February 16th. We did this in 2007 and in 2008 and they were well received and very successful. Since then I’ve had a number of requests for us to make more of those classes available. People attending these classes will get information and tools on how they can explore new, more effective ways to market their goods and services. The big question will be, “Will information on how to market better be enough to change your business paradigm so that you can enjoy success in 2012 and beyond?”
We think not.
That is why we’re offering out complete Business Solutions Series starting with our Overview class this coming Thursday, January 19th. In the Overview class we will look at things that are common today that are not working, suggestions on how to change things so they will work, strategic positioning for your business, tactical positioning for your business, differences in today’s demographics, (especially with respect to the fact that there are six generations of Americans making buy decisions today,) differences in today’s social styles, and ways to tune up old tried and true business solutions so they can provide maximum benefit in today’s, and tomorrow’s ever changing world.
The morning class will start at 10:00 AM and will last till Noon. It is wide open. There are plenty of seats available. Unless there is a flurry of registrations the afternoon spill-over class will not be held. This class will be offered again, and again later in 2012. If you can’t make it Thursday you can make it later in the year. The only difference is that it may be later in the year before you start making the changes you need to make for 2012 and beyond.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Marketing investment; acting like you can afford it often means you soon will be able to.
The header for this e-mail is a quote from Seth’s Godin’s business blog, blog@sethgodin.com.
With the start of a new year many business people are seeking ways they can improve their business’ performance. Sadly most solutions require expenditures that they can’t afford to spend. The sad truth is that if one doesn’t invest in their business, things aren’t going to improve, and…. nothing is free.
If you’re one of these business people who are wanting to make your lot better in 2012, and don’t have any ready answers or a large budget, then you need to invest some time planning how exactly can you change today’s sales reality into a promising profitable future.
“Why,” you ask, “do I need to invest my time, (and money)?” The answer is simple. Things have changed, and things are still changing, and things will continue to change with change coming to us in ever larger and faster increments.
Take your company’s customer demographics for example. Are you selling to Baby Boomers and Matures? If you are that’s great. Matures hold 75% of this country’s wealth and Baby Boomers make up the largest demographic segment. But…….. Matures are really getting old and they are either shifting their purchase priorities to things like health care and nursing care, or they are dying. Baby Boomers are getting old too. Their purchase priorities are changing as they realize need to be prepared for retirement and old age. Another amazing thing that is happening to these two market segments is that they are beginning to rely on their tech-savvy children or grandchildren to help them with their purchase decisions. What this means to you is that the marketing that has worked for you in these market segments in the past is not going to work for you much longer. Now, and in the future you’re going to need to be able to market to Gen Y’rs and Millennium’s in order to be able to reach the Matures and Baby Boomers you’re accustomed to selling to. And, if you think marketing to these generations is much the same as what you’re used to doing, I submit you’re going to be in for a big surprise.
There are six generations in our market place with the Alpha Generation starting in 2006. In a recent class I pointed out that the Alphas aren’t going to be affecting buying decisions for the near future. “Yeah,” replied the instructor, “When was the last time your grandkid decided where you were going to eat dinner?” It was the night before.
Express Autobody’s Business Solutions Series will look at all six generations and will give you guidelines and tools so you can best market your product to the people you want to sell to. We will be launching the Business Solutions Series next week on the 19th with two overview classes. One class will be in the morning, one in the afternoon. While there is no cost to attend, you will need to invest some precious time. (And, if you are unwilling to invest time, then many of the solutions offered in this series will be of no value to you.) Attending the overview is essential if you plan on getting everything out subsequent marketing classes, positioning classes and strategy classes. You can wait if you can’t afford to make the investment in time, but remember that the folks who are making this investment now are getting the jump on you. Register now. If you wait too long you may discover that you’ve just waited too long. Change is happening now!
With the start of a new year many business people are seeking ways they can improve their business’ performance. Sadly most solutions require expenditures that they can’t afford to spend. The sad truth is that if one doesn’t invest in their business, things aren’t going to improve, and…. nothing is free.
If you’re one of these business people who are wanting to make your lot better in 2012, and don’t have any ready answers or a large budget, then you need to invest some time planning how exactly can you change today’s sales reality into a promising profitable future.
“Why,” you ask, “do I need to invest my time, (and money)?” The answer is simple. Things have changed, and things are still changing, and things will continue to change with change coming to us in ever larger and faster increments.
Take your company’s customer demographics for example. Are you selling to Baby Boomers and Matures? If you are that’s great. Matures hold 75% of this country’s wealth and Baby Boomers make up the largest demographic segment. But…….. Matures are really getting old and they are either shifting their purchase priorities to things like health care and nursing care, or they are dying. Baby Boomers are getting old too. Their purchase priorities are changing as they realize need to be prepared for retirement and old age. Another amazing thing that is happening to these two market segments is that they are beginning to rely on their tech-savvy children or grandchildren to help them with their purchase decisions. What this means to you is that the marketing that has worked for you in these market segments in the past is not going to work for you much longer. Now, and in the future you’re going to need to be able to market to Gen Y’rs and Millennium’s in order to be able to reach the Matures and Baby Boomers you’re accustomed to selling to. And, if you think marketing to these generations is much the same as what you’re used to doing, I submit you’re going to be in for a big surprise.
There are six generations in our market place with the Alpha Generation starting in 2006. In a recent class I pointed out that the Alphas aren’t going to be affecting buying decisions for the near future. “Yeah,” replied the instructor, “When was the last time your grandkid decided where you were going to eat dinner?” It was the night before.
Express Autobody’s Business Solutions Series will look at all six generations and will give you guidelines and tools so you can best market your product to the people you want to sell to. We will be launching the Business Solutions Series next week on the 19th with two overview classes. One class will be in the morning, one in the afternoon. While there is no cost to attend, you will need to invest some precious time. (And, if you are unwilling to invest time, then many of the solutions offered in this series will be of no value to you.) Attending the overview is essential if you plan on getting everything out subsequent marketing classes, positioning classes and strategy classes. You can wait if you can’t afford to make the investment in time, but remember that the folks who are making this investment now are getting the jump on you. Register now. If you wait too long you may discover that you’ve just waited too long. Change is happening now!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
What sales message are you going to give your sales prospects in 2012?
Are you going to let the insurance company you write for determine what your message for 2012 will be? That may not be such a great idea.
With the exception of Allstate’s new marketing drive, the message that most insurance companies are sending now is “CHEAP!....DISCOUNT!...... HUGE SAVINGS!!!!!” State Farm is trying to send the “Now that you’ve left, aren’t you sorry you’re gone,” message, but what I get from it is “If you leave us we’ll give you discounts to come back.” Farmers is selling, “we’re so well trained we fill our sprinkler systems with Gatorade,” and Naitionwide has “vanishing deductibles.” Only Allstate has a clear message attacking the dot-com insurance companies, and…. they’ve got a great Permission Marketing message giving away their Road-side Assistance Program.
Do you have a message to send that will differentiate your agency from your competition? Do you offer a compelling reason for prospects to buy insurance from you? If the answer to these questions is “no” and your sales are good then you need to give your landlord a big hug. You’ve got a great location. If the answer to these questions is “no” and sales aren’t so good; then read on.
If you were to do an in-depth analysis of who your competition is I think you’d be surprised to discover that apathy most likely will fill the number one spot. Your prospects are too busy and have too much stuff on their plate to spend some quality time analyzing their insurance needs. So….. if they don’t know what they need, why not buy the cheapest product? If you could somehow pierce this veil of apathy and ask then one defining question, your chances of turning that prospect into a customer would greatly increase. Do you know what that question is?
If you know what question to ask, then how can you pierce that veil of apathy? Would calling them, interrupting their evening repose, compel them to give quality consideration to your question? Would sending them a mailer asking them the question cause them to pause on their porch step and think about their needs? Would it be possible to create an infomercial that will compel your prospects to stare slack jawed at a television set for thirty minutes and then think about their insurance needs. Is there a word track you can blurt out, when a prospect calls asking for a price, that will make them reconsider their priorities?
Express Autobody will launch its Business solutions series with the Business Solutions Overview Class on January 19th, 2012, from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, with a spill-over class from 2:00 to 4:00. In this class we will set the stage for a series of classes that will answer these questions and give you a toolbox full of tools you can use to make 2012 your best year ever. Seating is very limited so register now. Just fill out the form below and e-mail it to me.
With the exception of Allstate’s new marketing drive, the message that most insurance companies are sending now is “CHEAP!....DISCOUNT!...... HUGE SAVINGS!!!!!” State Farm is trying to send the “Now that you’ve left, aren’t you sorry you’re gone,” message, but what I get from it is “If you leave us we’ll give you discounts to come back.” Farmers is selling, “we’re so well trained we fill our sprinkler systems with Gatorade,” and Naitionwide has “vanishing deductibles.” Only Allstate has a clear message attacking the dot-com insurance companies, and…. they’ve got a great Permission Marketing message giving away their Road-side Assistance Program.
Do you have a message to send that will differentiate your agency from your competition? Do you offer a compelling reason for prospects to buy insurance from you? If the answer to these questions is “no” and your sales are good then you need to give your landlord a big hug. You’ve got a great location. If the answer to these questions is “no” and sales aren’t so good; then read on.
If you were to do an in-depth analysis of who your competition is I think you’d be surprised to discover that apathy most likely will fill the number one spot. Your prospects are too busy and have too much stuff on their plate to spend some quality time analyzing their insurance needs. So….. if they don’t know what they need, why not buy the cheapest product? If you could somehow pierce this veil of apathy and ask then one defining question, your chances of turning that prospect into a customer would greatly increase. Do you know what that question is?
If you know what question to ask, then how can you pierce that veil of apathy? Would calling them, interrupting their evening repose, compel them to give quality consideration to your question? Would sending them a mailer asking them the question cause them to pause on their porch step and think about their needs? Would it be possible to create an infomercial that will compel your prospects to stare slack jawed at a television set for thirty minutes and then think about their insurance needs. Is there a word track you can blurt out, when a prospect calls asking for a price, that will make them reconsider their priorities?
Express Autobody will launch its Business solutions series with the Business Solutions Overview Class on January 19th, 2012, from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, with a spill-over class from 2:00 to 4:00. In this class we will set the stage for a series of classes that will answer these questions and give you a toolbox full of tools you can use to make 2012 your best year ever. Seating is very limited so register now. Just fill out the form below and e-mail it to me.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Permissive Marketing
Permission Marketing
One of today’s more common axioms is, “When a person is confronted with the unknown, they are inclined to do more of what they know.” When it comes to businesses’ marketing and advertising efforts this rings very true. A big unknown that many business people are facing in today’s difficult times is, “Why are people not responding to my marketing and advertising efforts the way they used to?” Too often those same business people answer that unknown with more marketing and more advertising. A question they should ask themselves is, “If my marketing efforts are producing poor results, will more of that marketing produce better results?” Logically the answer is “NO!”
So……… how can you improve sales? Unfortunately there is no simple answer to that question. There are a lot of complex factors that need to be addressed, and none of the solutions are easy and cheap. In fact, answering that question is kinda like eating a 500 lb. chicken dumpling. How do you eat a 500 lb. chicken dumpling? The answer is; one bite at a time.
A good first bite out of the question on how to improve sales would be to take a hard look at the marketing plan that you have presently in place, and see if Permission Marketing might not offer a number of good solutions on how to make those marketing efforts more successful. If you have no marketing plan in place Permission Marketing is still a good place to start before creating a marketing plan for the twenty-teens.
Seth Godin coined the phrase Permission Marketing in his new book of the same name. Permission Marketing is getting permission from your marketing target before sending them your marketing message. How do you do that? The answer is by offering them something of value in exchange for that permission. Before we go into the how’s and what’s of permission marketing let’s take a look at today’s most common form of marketing or advertising which Godin coined Interruptive Marketing.
Everyone in today’s world is familiar with Interruptive Marketing. Television shows are interrupted with commercials. Radio broadcasts, even from Public Radio, are interrupted with messages from people who support this programing. Newspaper articles are interrupted by advertisements. The scenery on the drive to Grand Ma’s house is interrupted by billboards. Your trip into your home is interrupted by your having to stop at the paper recycling bin to throw away all of the mail-outs you picked up from your mail box. Even commercial free satellite radio is interrupted by messages regarding other satellite radio programing. Seth Godin asserts that the average American is assailed by over one million interruptive messages a year, or over three thousand of these messages a day. How has the average American responded to this assault of advertisement? By ignoring them! Think about it. When was the last time you made a purchase decision based on an interruptive advertising message? What makes you think anybody will purchase your product or service from an interruptive message?
When I first read Seth Godin’s book on Permission Marketing I thought that it was something truly new and innovative. It was only later, when I started paying attention to the advertising directed at me that I realized that this is something that has been going on for some time. The earliest and most blatant Permission Marketing efforts I’m aware of has to be from the financial planners who have offered to buy you a steak dinner in exchange for your listening to their sales pitch. In fact, I can even remember the dinner my present financial planner bought for me and my wife. Then I remembered when my youngest daughter purchased her first new car. A month later J D Powers and Associates sent her a survey with a crisp new one dollar bill enclosed. For one buck they got every shred of information my daughter had to give them. What’s even more astonishing is that my daughter is one of those people who is not really interested in money. When she was younger I’d try to bribe her by offering her five bucks if she’d go walk the dogs. She would counter by offering me five bucks if I would quit bugging her about the dogs. Now this same person spent a good ten minutes filling out a survey for a single dollar. Not only that, when J D Powers sent her another letter a month later she grabbed it and read it immediately, hoping (I think) for another dollar that she didn’t care about. It wasn’t the dollar that prompted this reaction from my youngest; it was that someone had given her an unexpected gift. Everybody likes getting gifts. Today Allstate Insurance is giving away a lifetime membership to their Roadside Assistance Program to every driver in the United States. All you have to do is call them. And….. if they give you a free quote on your insurance the first tow is on them.
So, how can you implement a Permission Marketing plan for your business? Early in 2012 Express Autobody will be holding a series of seminars on marketing, one of which will be a forum on Permission Marketing. These seminars are free. If you’d like a condensed version of what Seth Godin delivers in his book you can click onto our link, SETH GODIN’S PERMISSION MARKETING on our blog which you can find at Express-Autobody.com. If you really want to get the low down on Permission Marketing then purchase Seth Godin’s book from Amazon.com , or visit Seth Godin’s blog at SethGodin.com.
With just a little information and a lot imagination you can create an effective marketing plan that just may turn things around for you and for your company. Good luck!
Understand that Express Autobody is not in the business to sell you marketing solutions. We are giving these solutions away for free, with the hope that the people benefiting will be grateful enough to recommend our company to their customers, friends, family members, employees, and anyone else in their sphere of influence. Thank you!
One of today’s more common axioms is, “When a person is confronted with the unknown, they are inclined to do more of what they know.” When it comes to businesses’ marketing and advertising efforts this rings very true. A big unknown that many business people are facing in today’s difficult times is, “Why are people not responding to my marketing and advertising efforts the way they used to?” Too often those same business people answer that unknown with more marketing and more advertising. A question they should ask themselves is, “If my marketing efforts are producing poor results, will more of that marketing produce better results?” Logically the answer is “NO!”
So……… how can you improve sales? Unfortunately there is no simple answer to that question. There are a lot of complex factors that need to be addressed, and none of the solutions are easy and cheap. In fact, answering that question is kinda like eating a 500 lb. chicken dumpling. How do you eat a 500 lb. chicken dumpling? The answer is; one bite at a time.
A good first bite out of the question on how to improve sales would be to take a hard look at the marketing plan that you have presently in place, and see if Permission Marketing might not offer a number of good solutions on how to make those marketing efforts more successful. If you have no marketing plan in place Permission Marketing is still a good place to start before creating a marketing plan for the twenty-teens.
Seth Godin coined the phrase Permission Marketing in his new book of the same name. Permission Marketing is getting permission from your marketing target before sending them your marketing message. How do you do that? The answer is by offering them something of value in exchange for that permission. Before we go into the how’s and what’s of permission marketing let’s take a look at today’s most common form of marketing or advertising which Godin coined Interruptive Marketing.
Everyone in today’s world is familiar with Interruptive Marketing. Television shows are interrupted with commercials. Radio broadcasts, even from Public Radio, are interrupted with messages from people who support this programing. Newspaper articles are interrupted by advertisements. The scenery on the drive to Grand Ma’s house is interrupted by billboards. Your trip into your home is interrupted by your having to stop at the paper recycling bin to throw away all of the mail-outs you picked up from your mail box. Even commercial free satellite radio is interrupted by messages regarding other satellite radio programing. Seth Godin asserts that the average American is assailed by over one million interruptive messages a year, or over three thousand of these messages a day. How has the average American responded to this assault of advertisement? By ignoring them! Think about it. When was the last time you made a purchase decision based on an interruptive advertising message? What makes you think anybody will purchase your product or service from an interruptive message?
When I first read Seth Godin’s book on Permission Marketing I thought that it was something truly new and innovative. It was only later, when I started paying attention to the advertising directed at me that I realized that this is something that has been going on for some time. The earliest and most blatant Permission Marketing efforts I’m aware of has to be from the financial planners who have offered to buy you a steak dinner in exchange for your listening to their sales pitch. In fact, I can even remember the dinner my present financial planner bought for me and my wife. Then I remembered when my youngest daughter purchased her first new car. A month later J D Powers and Associates sent her a survey with a crisp new one dollar bill enclosed. For one buck they got every shred of information my daughter had to give them. What’s even more astonishing is that my daughter is one of those people who is not really interested in money. When she was younger I’d try to bribe her by offering her five bucks if she’d go walk the dogs. She would counter by offering me five bucks if I would quit bugging her about the dogs. Now this same person spent a good ten minutes filling out a survey for a single dollar. Not only that, when J D Powers sent her another letter a month later she grabbed it and read it immediately, hoping (I think) for another dollar that she didn’t care about. It wasn’t the dollar that prompted this reaction from my youngest; it was that someone had given her an unexpected gift. Everybody likes getting gifts. Today Allstate Insurance is giving away a lifetime membership to their Roadside Assistance Program to every driver in the United States. All you have to do is call them. And….. if they give you a free quote on your insurance the first tow is on them.
So, how can you implement a Permission Marketing plan for your business? Early in 2012 Express Autobody will be holding a series of seminars on marketing, one of which will be a forum on Permission Marketing. These seminars are free. If you’d like a condensed version of what Seth Godin delivers in his book you can click onto our link, SETH GODIN’S PERMISSION MARKETING on our blog which you can find at Express-Autobody.com. If you really want to get the low down on Permission Marketing then purchase Seth Godin’s book from Amazon.com , or visit Seth Godin’s blog at SethGodin.com.
With just a little information and a lot imagination you can create an effective marketing plan that just may turn things around for you and for your company. Good luck!
Understand that Express Autobody is not in the business to sell you marketing solutions. We are giving these solutions away for free, with the hope that the people benefiting will be grateful enough to recommend our company to their customers, friends, family members, employees, and anyone else in their sphere of influence. Thank you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)