October 2006

I was talking the other day with Chris Pearson about product placement. We spoke briefly about that being the next wave to hit blogs.

We already accept advertising. I do anyway, so if you’d like to advertise here, send me an email.

And unconsciously, we place products in our posts.

So if we’re going to do it, should we get compensated for it ?

I eat at Applebee’s a lot. If Applebee’s wants to compensate me for every mention of their name on this blog, within reason, is that so bad ?

I use Neutrogena shaving products. Would it hurt this blogs focus if they paid me for every time I mention them ?

I love my Dish Network satellite service. So how bad would it be to mention them every time I mention watching Monday Night Football or Survivor ?

Dockers are my favorite slacks. Yes, I’d take free slacks for mentioning them in a second.

Tommy Bahama silk shirts make me all wiggly. I’d love to get paid to have all my photos done with one of their shirts.

I play Ping I3 blade irons and have a Ping carry bag. Do you think I’d take some thank-you dollars for telling everybody about that on Travelling Golfer ? I sure would.

I drive a Toyota Camry made right here in Kentucky. I drive around 60,000 miles a year. What would it hurt for them to compensate me for every mention of that fact ?

I used a new search tool that I got today to search for info about product placement and I’ll let a little link leak tell the rest of the story.

Rexblog.com points out some product placement in the classroom - ” Yesterday, I had an experience that amused me as I imagined the meltdown it would have caused an anti-adveristing-in-the-classroom advocate. “

Over at Lymabean, Lindsey says - ” I don’t generally find time or the proclivity to turn on tv shows, but recently I have to say I have become hooked on Showtime’s Weeds. Besides enjoying the bright eyed, mellow character that Mary-Louise Parker plays, I am particularly interested in the amount of product placement on the show. “

At ITPro, they spoke about pointless product placement - ” Product placement can and does have its merits when companies are trying to subliminally persuade us to buy their wares. “

TV Squad blogs about product placement on 30 Rock - ” The Newark Star-Ledger’s Alan Sepinwall (actually his friend Phil Rosenthal) points out on his blog that last night’s pilot for 30 Rock had an interesting bit of product placement: “

Over at OnTheCommons.org, David Bollier says that product placement invasion is intensifying - ” … spending on product placement advertising is going to surge in 2006 by 25%. Global spending will go to $7.5 billion this year and to $14 billion by 2010. “

Cheryl Shuman says paid product placement outpaces traditional advertising - ” Product placement spending in TV, film and other media is expected to climb another 38.8% to $3.07 billion in 2006, driven by the continued shift toward a paid placement structure from a barter and added-value model. “

PVR Wire says that product placement is the answer to ad skipping PVR’s - ” Compared to the $50bn advertising industry, the $2bn spent on product placement is relatively small. But one of the ways that advertisers think they can get around the PVR ad-skipping problem is with product placement. “

Kick-Ass Poker talks about the world of poker and product placement joining forces - ” It was only a matter of time until the burgeoning poker world would see product placement as a means of attracting visibility… “

There’s enough fodder for us to chew on, now we have to decide if product placement is or will be invading the blogosphere.

Is it already here ? Do you get paid to mention a product on your blog ?

Will it hurt bloggers and blogging ? Has it already ?

Here’s my thought - No, it isn’t big as of now. Yes, it will be soon.

No, it won’t hurt bloggers or blogging. It’ll just make the most popular ( read as lots and lots of viewers ) blogs even more money.

Blogging’s just another form of visual media. Advertising has been and always will be a part of visual media.

You might as well get used to it and make the best of it.

Start now by tracking which products you often mention on your blog and find a way to convert that into dollars that can pay for bandwidth and/or hosting.

After that, do like I do, set up a revenue stream to pay for your monthly expenditures, smallest first and then next smallest and so on, until you have them all covered.

When you’ve covered all of your monthly expenditures, start saving for retirement and/or a lake house. Or a boat. Or new golf clubs. Or a BMW.

Somebody’s gonna take the money, it might as well be a blogger.

Your turn.

Is product placement good for blogging or the end of all that’s holy ?

I just read a great story a salesman who used to be a boxer. Having boxed in my younger days and being one of the world’s best salesmen ( that’s a joke, son, as Foghorn Leghorn would say ), it seemed to be a story that would interest me.

The guy was better at getting sales jobs than he was at keeping them. Seems every time someone would insult him, he’d punch ‘em in the mouth. I’m liking him already.

It mattered not if it was a boss, coworker or customer.

I’ve gone out to do some fantastic selling, only to have my day ruined by some butthead who’s not loving his life like I do mine.

Customers, suppliers and coworkers have all said things to my 6′2″, 250 lb. freight train-like self and I’ve let it ruin my day. Mostly because I didn’t want to go to jail for stompin’ a mudhole where their butt used to be.

Now I’ve got a better way to handle this situation. And with all the insults that some bloggers seeem to want to direct towards other bloggers, maybe it’ll be a way for them to handle that situation, too.

Some people never learn that in a pissin’ match, both people get pissed on.

So what should you do if you’re in a conversation with someone and you think ( or know ) that they’ve just insulted you ?

Try this first - ignore them.

Is what they said as plain as the nose on David Feherty’s face ? Is it too bad to ignore ?

( The story linked above is worth your time to read all the way thru )

If so, try this - Look them in the eye long enough to break their poise. Staring is okay, no matter what your mother said.

Then ask them to repeat what they said. Say something along the lines of - ” Could you please repeat that. I seem to have misunderstood you. I thought, for a second there, that you insulted me by saying …. “

The chances are that they will immediately apologize and recant their stupid remark.

If not, then you can do whatever it is you feel is the proper way to handle it.

Maybe you could just turn the other cheek and walk away nicely

Do you have any other solutions that would be worth trying ?

And can anyone tell me why bloggers have to comment on every action that other bloggers make ?

I’m especially sick of blog network owners always having to comment on other blog networks actions.

It’s really getting old.

We all have more than enough to do, so why add more work and waste energy making sillyass remarks about other networks or blogs.

Did I just do what I said I didn’t like ? I hope not.

After another failed attempt to connect with a certain corporate blog prospect, I’m starting to rethink my desire to work with him.

I drove 2+ hours, spent another night adding Hilton Honors points to my enormous cache, building towards an all-inclusive somewhere warm, sandy and golfy.

The net result was a cancelled dinner and an aborted lunch.

It’s not my preparation that’s in question, it’s his.

He hits the ground in a panic every day and then builds on it.

He’s late to every meeting, he never answers his cellphone without saying, “Can I call you right back ?”

Note to all who do this : That’s what the freakin’ voicemail is for. I’ll leave you the details of what I need and then you can get the info and call me back. Don’t switch over every time you get a beep. Finish your conversation and pay full attention to that particular issue. Finish it before you start on mine.

It brings to mind the story of an old-time salesman I read about who said, ” I’d rather walk the pavement in front of a man’s office for an hour before a presentation than step into his office unprepared as to what I’m going to say and not knowing how he’ll answer. “

You not only have to be perfectly clear as to what you’ll present, you must know what he’ll say when you do.

You have to know his business and his motives before you meet with him or you’ll be operating at a disadvantage.

You will never be as successful as you were meant to be if you don’t prepare properly for every visit to a prospects office.

Has his market share chnged for the better or worse since you last sat down with him ?

Has the company issued any news releases ?

Any new products ?

Any new acquisitions ?

Has your company developed any new ways to make his business more efficient, effective or economical ?

Don’t go in without a plan that you can use to control the conversation and the outcome.

One of the most important skills you, as a salesperson, can master is the ability to open a closed mind.

Most minds, like mine, are a bit closed most of the time. So you’ll have to do this every day. Every. Single. Day.

A book that you don’t see referenced every day is ” How to Improve Your Human Relations By Straight Thinking “, written by William J. Reilly around 1942. It’s another great read on influencing people, much like Carnegie’s ” How to Win Friends and Influence People.”

In his book, Reilly says that the first thing you have to do to open a closed mind is to adopt the right attitude.

If you look upon a person as the enemy, you can’t open his mind.

If you look upon him as a dimwit/loser/crackhead, you’ll never open his mind.

You have to accept everyone as an intelligent, cooperative individual.

Reilly contends that there are four mental levels :

1) The closed mind - this is the most common. This is a tough sale.

2) The open mind - the kind that says ” show me. ”

3) The confident mind - they trust you and will listen to reason.

4) The believers - The very few who say ” If you say so, I’ll buy it. ”

EDIT: Your job, if you choose to accept this mission, is to elevate your prospect as near Level 4 as possible.

Good luck.

Recently Brian Clark, of Copyblogger.com fame, used Aristotle as a reference in one of his posts.

I took that as a direct challenge to one-up him by using one of Aristotle’s pupils as a reference here on my blog.

I just read of an old salesman who used Alexander the Great as his role model. That was definitely a first for me, but at least I found a way to one-up ol’ Aristotle.

Why would a salesman use Alexander the Great as a role model ? Why not Henry Ford ? Andrew Carnegie ? Charles Schwab ? King Gillette ? Damned if I knew, but I wanted to find out.

Seems that he used AtG ( Alexander the Great ) for several reasons.

1) He was resourceful - remember the story of the Gordian Knot ?

Nobody could untie it. Even though he was just a kid at the time, AtG took a crack at it. When he couldn’t untie it, he whipped out his sword and cut thru it. Simple enough. That’s the kind of initiative and decisive thinking your salesforce needs.

2) Then there’s the story of Bucephalus - Nobody could ride this legendary stallion because he was afraid of the shadows.

So what did AtG do ? Rode the fiery stallion into the sun, of course. Simple enough. That’s the kind of salesforce you need … unafraid and without doubt.

Doubt is a sales killer.

I never have a doubt that I’m going to make the sale.

Do I always get my sale ? Of course not. But it’s not because of unbelief. I try to portray confidence to the prospect and hope it makes them feel safe about the purchase.

Dont’ be afraid of the shadows. Ride into the sun and make more sales than you ever have.

Touche.

Do you have any customers that you call on that won’t sit still ? Do they move around the room ? Around the jobsite ?

Do you sell them anything ? Probably not.

That’s their defense mechanism against buying from you.

What can you do about it ? You have two or three choices as I see it.

1) Use some kind of prop to make them be still. Make it necessary for them to sit at a table or desk. Use a visual aid of some kind and invite them to sit down and look at it.

If they won’t, don’t waste your time and talent on them, as they just don’t have enough respect or guts to tell you the truth about why they’re not buying from you.

2) Refuse to start your presentation until they agree to sit still long enough for you to finish. Tell them you’ll make another appointment if you have to, but that you’ll f=refuse to do a bad job of presenting, as the product deserves better and so do they.

3) Try and get them interested in your presentation by talking about them and how they’ll use this product or service to become famous, rich or retired.

Do not, under any circumstances, chase ‘em around and do a halfass job of presenting.

Go to their competitor and make ‘em sorry they wouldn’t listen to you.

We just got back from a birthday dinner at Applebee’s. Daughter #1 turned 22 and wanted to try some of the new menu items that were crafted by her favorite chef, Tyler Florence.

Tyler’s one of my 3 favorite chefs to watch on the Food Network, too, and it was a great move for Applebee’s to add his name to theirs, kinda like the casino’s are doing in Vegas.

But Tyler can’t be in every restaurant to oversee the service, so you’ll be at the mercy of the local college-age crowd to make or break your meal.

It took me several years to convince my wife to go to another Applebee’s after her and all three daughters had a terrible experience at the Clarksville (IN) location.

Finally, I caught her weak from hunger and convinced her to eat at the St. Augustine (FL) location and we had a great meal.

Our local reataurant, Owensboro (KY) has been hit or miss, service wise, and tonite’s fiasco was par for the course.

First our waitress, Hannah, didn’t think we could get rid of the fries that came with the new Bruschetta Burger. ” Why not ? “, was my question. ” Because they’re new dishes,”, was the reply.

I’m betting that’s not the policy and if it is, they need to change it quickly. I ain’t eating oily garlic fries with my meal unless I absolutely am forced to.

Next, daughter #3’s meal came out with (regular) fries that she’d asked to be substituted with Onion Peels.

Our waitress didn’t bring our food, so we wanted to wait for her to tell her we needed her to fix that. Too bad she was busy running outside with Carside To Go orders and we were halfway finished with our meal before she came by and we were able to ask her for some Onion Peels.

As we were finishing our meal, without Onion Peels, she finally brings ‘em and doesn’t bring the dipping sauce. She performed a Stop-n-Drop with ‘em, so we couldn’t get her attention … again.

Finally, she came by with the check and I asked for 3 to-go boxes for the ladies with me, who cannot eat all the food at one sitting AND one for the Onion Peels and some dipping sauce in a to-go cup.

She came back with the sauce and two to-go boxes. Not four, two.

We crammed it all into the two boxes, left some food behind and wished she’d hurry and bring back my credit card and let us end our misery.

What the heck kind of tip do you leave for someone who doesn’t do anything right ?

Nothing ?

10% ?

15% ?

You tell me.

By the way, I had the Bruschetta Burger and Tyler did a helluva job making it one of the Top 5 burgers I’ve ever eaten. It’s a little smallish, but it’s at least a 4.75 out of 5.

The parmesan fries that are the side items are okay, but I’d prefer they come up with a choice between 2-4 items. Steamed veggies would be nice, since us 250 pounders don’t really need those fried taters.

The ladies had some of the other new menu items and they were all good additions to their menu, but I’ll let them tell you about it on their own food blog.

Service is still king, no matter if it’s food or another industry. They’ll have to step it up a notch or the $100 + that I spend to take out my crew of five a couple times a week will go somewhere else.

The great Sethmeister himself, Seth Godin, says to transform your business, you have to do something remarkable. Well, fast-food coffee has now been done remarkably well.

I just had my first cup of the new Premium Roast coffee at Mickey D’s. I didn’t even have to put in the 2 sugars and 2 creams that I wanted …. they did it for me, so I wouldn’t have to fumble with the packets.

What’s the big deal with that ? Well, as I see it, I’m on the road 5 or 6 days a week. If I stop at a drive-thru and grab a quick bite, I take the chance of getting crumbs all over my double-mercerized golf shirt or my micro-fiber slacks.

You have to either drink bad coffee black or hope they remember to put some packets in your sack.

Not anymore. McDonald’s has gone above and beyond the road warriors expectations. They have great coffee and a great lid, which we’ll get deeper into in a minute, and they make it like you want it.

Their new premium roast coffee is the best I’ve ever tasted at a fast-food establishment. The absolute best.

Do I know anything about coffee ? Yes, if I say so myself ( and I will ), I worked at one of Millstone Coffee’s roasting facilities eons ago and I’ve tasted the best coffee’s from around the world. This new stuff is pretty good for the time and cost. You pay about a buck and they hand it to you, with the amount of cream and sugar you ask for, in a few seconds.

Better philosophy, for the consumer, than at that big ‘Buck’s place.

Life is good.

What they’ve done will force those that want to be players in the breakfast market to counter with their own take on kicking customer service up a notch.

Instead of that other place having their king, at McDonald’s YOU, the customer, are the king. Life as royalty ain’t all that bad, despite those wretched tabloids.

And that new coffee cup lid is the stuff of dreams. Have you seen it yet ? A little doomafloggit that hinges back and forth. Domed a bit to relive the peripheral pressure that only accumulates in suburban coffee climates. Almost impossible to spill onto your Dockers.

Life is good.

You want to be treated like royalty ? You want 2 sugars and 2 creams, without having to rip, tear or squeeze ? You want great coffee with your morning breakfast sandwich ?

Then head on over to Mickey D’s and feel the love.

Now if we could just get them to make their sandwiches a little better …