This Could Be Your Last Chance To Keep Me As A Customer
Seth Godin wrote a post that reminded me of one of our only ways to send word of our dissatisfaction to companies that don’t earn our hard earned dollars. Stay the heck away ! Boycott !
You can’t hardly even think of arguing with people anymore. A waitress asked me the other day if I wanted a box to take home the bowl of baked beans that I seemingly hadn’t touched. I told her, ” No, I don’t want to take then home. If they were any good, I would have eaten them here. ”
Did she say I’m sorry you didn’t like them ? No.
Did she ask if she could have them removed from my bill ? No.
She said she liked their beans and I must not know what good beans taste like !
There were 5 of us at the table and all 5 people left their beans.
She missed her chance to ever get me back in the building….ever.
I try to treat every sale ( in my daytime life as a Masonry Consultant/Salesman ) as if it’s the last one I’ll ever get.
A wise old feller ( Shout out to Gene Wilcox ) once told me something I’ve never forgot.
” When you deal in products that last for generations, like brick and concrete block, they’re only gonna build that building once in your lifetime, so go after every sale as if it’s the last one you’ll ever have a chance to make. “
Wise word those. See if you can work them into your method of operation.
Blogs Versus Websites - There Is A Difference
My blogging friend Rich Brooks, of Flyte blog fame, just gave the best answer I’ve seen YET on the difference between a blog and a website.
When I tell people that we own 14 or so blogs and about 20 other websites, they almost always ask, ” What’s a blog ? “
Well, now I have an answer to use, until Rich comes up with a better one…and I quote :
” My answer is evolving, but in general I say that your Web site is your portfolio; it’s the best of what you have to offer and displays your business as you want the world to see it. A blog, on the other hand, is more an ongoing conversation you have with prospects and clients. It can help you establish yourself as an expert, post information quickly, and differentiate yourself from the competition…at least right now. “
The best part of that answer is that i didn’t have to come up with it and in everyday conversation, Rich will never know I stole it !
Thanks Rich !
Follow The Leader
I just read a great post about leadership over at Pig Wisdom.
Jack Hayhow makes several fine points. I won’t sully up his post with my simple stuff, but I will say this :
I cannot stand to work for someone who knows nothing about what ” we ” do.
I cannot work for someone who’s not as good as I am.
Here’s the good thing…I don’t have to. I’m good at what I do and am in demand, so I will not work ( not long anyway ) for a loser of a boss.
Make sure to keep yourself in a position of power, make sure you never put yourself in a financial position of having to keep a job that sucks the life out of you.
You’re gonna live, work, grow old and die. Don’t live like a dead man ( or woman ) in between birth and death.
Keep your debt and expenses down, save up a * piss on you fund * and keep control of your life.
A piss-on-you-fund is three months of living expenses. Keep this in a liquid account and you will never have to work for a vampire boss that sucks the life out of you !
Tag…I’m It !
I just got tagged by Thom Singer, to answer a few questions on my blog. He had gotten tagged by Larry Bodine. This is my first experience with this….but I kinda like it.
I will be tagging several people tonite !
I’m not much on self-revelation, but since everybody who’s been asked has done it, I’ll do it too.
I’ll answer the questions below and tag a few bloggers and hopefully keep all this link love going.
Four Jobs I’ve Had :
1) Masonry Sales/Consultant
2) US Armed Services ( 6 Years )
3) Plant Manager ( Manufacturing of paper goods )
4) Route Sales & Delivery
Four Movies I Can Watch Over And Over :
1) The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
2) Hoosiers
3) Walk The Line
4) Smokey & The Bandit
Four TV Shows I Love To Watch :
1) Survivor
2) The Andy Griffith Show
3) Monday Night Football
4) Kentucky Life on KET
Four Places I’ve Been On Vacation :
1) The Biltmore House
2) Greenbo Lake State Park ( KY )
3) Pensacola Beach
4) Phoenix, AZ
Four Tunes That Play In My Head :
1) Twilight Zone by Golden Earring
2) Hotel California by The Eagles
3) Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’ by Charlie Pride
4) Long Way To Go by Jerry Reed ( from Smokey & The Bandit )
Four Favorite Dishes :
1) Chicken Parmagiana
2) Any Blackened Fish
3) Breakfast from Cracker Barrel
Four Websites I Visit Daily :
1) ESPN
4) eBay
Four Books I Really Love :
1) Anything by Harvey Mackay !
2) How to Play Your Best Golf All The Time by Tommy Armour
3) Secrets From The Lost Art Of Common Sense Marketing
4) My Life In Advertising / Scientific Advertising
Four Places I’d Rather Be :
1) Pensacola, Florida ( or Pensacola Beach )
2) St. Augustine, Florida
3) Land Between The Lakes, Kentucky
4) Gatlinburg / Pigeon Forge, TN
Four Bloggers I’m Tagging :
2) Paul Short
4) Liz Strauss
Have a great day !
Zeroing In On Your Marketing Niche
As I continue to point you towards all the submissions I had for my turn as King-For-A-Day ( Host of The Carnival of Marketing ), I come to a fine post submitted by Scott Allen, who serves as About.com’s Entrepreneur Guide.
Scott wrote a fine post that will help you zero in and define your niche’s customer.
Click thru and you’ll learn how to :
Write out a profile of your “perfect customer”…
Find out what appeals to this person about your product or service…
Find out where can you reach this person…
There’s nothing better than a blog post that gives you a few, short, actionable steps that will help you improve your marketing. Great post Scott !
Wisdom Of The Pig…Or A Pig Autopsied
One of the fine bloggers already on my Blog Roll is the reason I just added another fine blogger to my Blog Roll.
John Moore over at Brand Autopsy wrote a post about a wise pig…or something like that. I followed the link and ran smack dab into Jack Hayhow and his Pig Wisdom blog.
Needless to say after reading a couple of posts, I had no choice but to subscribe to Jacks RSS feed with my Pluck feed reader and add him to the world’s finest Blog Roll.
Jack, my new blog friend, I’m looking forward to reading your book someday soon and I’ll be sending some more link love, I’m sure, as you seem to be the real deal.
Y’all run over there and read about the world’s wisest pig and tell Jack that ol’ Mike sent you !
Is Your Website Invisible ?
Here’s another of the fine submissions that I couldn’t use during my stint as Marketing Czar.
Denise O’Berry of AllBusiness.com’s Just for Small Business channel wrote a fine post titled, If I Can’t Read Your Website, How Can I Do Business With You ?
Click on over and make sure you aren’t making any of the mistakes she so vividly brought to life.
Marketing…Hip Hop Style
Here’s another of the submissions that I wasn’t able to use during my turn as host of the Carnival of Marketing.
ProHipHop’s Clyde Smith wonders if the year-long marketing campaign for the game, Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure was an example of oversaturation or simply what’s needed to reach mass markets in an
oversaturated world.
You figured right if you figured that ol’ Mike don’t know squat about Hip Hop or games. But with a new friend like Clyde, I don’t have to, ’cause I’ve now got a go-to guy who’s an expert.
Click thru and read what Clyde has to say and maybe even subscribe to his RSS feed and follow along as he takes you on a journey that most of you would not ordinarily take.
Clyde, my friend, they’re all yours ! Be nice to ‘em !
Lying And Marketing - Are They A Couple ?
My friend Jay Jennings has just let loose a post where he brings up a few cases where Marketing and Lying were a little too closely joined for his taste.
Mine too, in these instances.
Our friend Tony Blake also joined in with his take on these two as a couple.
Click thru and help us get to the bottom of this ugly pairing.
Golden Rule Marketing
Here’s the first on many of the submissions that I couldn’t use for my turn at hosting The Carnival of Marketing.
I received about 20 posts and was only able to draw 7 out of the hat to use.
In today’s post, Debbi Bressler gives us some insight into the good old Golden Rule.
How she relates it to marketing is sheer genius. The truth hurts !
Some of the points she brings out are:
1) Get Visual...
2) Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should…
3) You Have One Shot At Credibility…
4) Show Appreciation…
5) The Cost of Golden Rule Marketing…
Click on thru and read this fine post !
