Why I will never offer world-class service to my clients…

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Because it’s an insincere, superficial platitude, that has no genuine meaning!

Seriously, when some company offers me “World Class Service” – My first thought is “Well, that sounds impressive (I guess). But what does “world class service ” even mean?”

Does that mean you’re going to treat me the same as someone from a different culture, on the other side of the world, where there might be a different concept of what is or isn’t acceptable?

 

Here’s an idea… why don’t you offer me personalized service instead? And treat me like an individual.

I’m not trying to put myself above everyone else in the world, but if I’m spending my money with you, then for the next 10 minutes can you at least pretend like I’m an important individual.

Can ya do that for me, Skippy? Thanks.

 

Case in point…Continue reading→

Small business marketing is not an expense (it’s an investment)

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“Running a business without advertising and marketing is like winking in the dark; you know what you’re doing, but nobody else can see you.”

 

Small Business Advertising and Marketing

 

If you’ve been in business for any length of time, then you already know; there’s only 3 main ways you’re going to “stay in business”…

 
1) Increase your number of customers.

2) Increase the size (or dollar amount) of each sale.

3) Increase the frequency of repeat customers.

 

It’s not rocket science… it’s simple math!

– When you do 1 of these, your sales will go up.

– When you do 2 of these, your sales will multiply even more.

– When you do all 3, your sales, and profits, will expand geometrically.

 

Of course, there’s other ways to increase your bottom line, like cutting waste and streamlining efficiency.

But without customers, you don’t have a business; and nothing else is going to make a difference.

 

This is where advertising and marketing comes in

 
Unfortunately, here’s where most business owners go wrong…

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I love words… And I hate words (a reflective rant)

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I was just going over some of my old materials on the delicate (and often deceptive) arts of propaganda, rhetoric, and political speech writing.
 
And I have to admit, even after all these years I still find myself fascinated (and horrified, at the same time) with the power of words.
 
So below is my reflective rant on the power of words. By the time you finish reading it, you’ll probably have one of three thoughts run through your mind…
 

1- Wow… this guy is really deep, and thoughtful.
 
2- Meh… this guy spends too much time over thinking stuff.
 
3- Jeez… this guy is an idiot, and we should all throw rocks at him.
 
(Hopefully you choose one of the first two.)

 

Beginning of rant…
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Ethics in marketing – good business? or idealistic foolishness?

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There was a thread the other day, on one of the marketing forums I belong to, that touched upon a point of morality and ethics in marketing.

One of the members was called out for blatantly lying to, and deceiving his market, in order to promote himself as being a master marketer.

That member shot back, and basically told his detractors “The best marketers adjust the facts, so get off your high horses and start living in the real world!”

He then went on to justify his claim, demanding that he could “honestly” say he produced tens of millions of dollars for past clients, because he once worked for a company that did so.

And even though he wasn’t personally responsible for those transactions, he wasn’t lying. He was simple “adapting the truth” to fit his own needs.
 

Now, I don’t know how you feel about his justification; But to me, with that type of logic, a cashier at Walmart could say they’re a front line financial expert, managing an entire sector, at a multi billion dollar company.
 

Is it a lie? Or, is it simply an adapted truth?

To me, it sounds deceptive… what do you think?
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Why are professional copywriters so damn expensive?

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A 5 minute conversation about why professional copywriters cost so much

 
Why are you sales writers so damn expensive !!!???

That’s the question I was recently asked by a local business owner, while we both waited in line at the coffee shop.

We’ve chatted in the past, so he knows what I do for a living. But this was the first time he ever came right out and (aggressively) asked me this question.
 

He went on to say, “anybody can write an advertisement. All you have to do is write down what you’re selling… tell them where to find you… and if they want it, they’ll come buy it.”

So how can you copywriters justify charging so much?
 

Of course, the first thing I did was ask him if he writes all his own advertisements? He answered “yes, he writes his own ads. And sometimes, when he’s too busy, he hires a guy from one of those freelancer sites.”

So I asked him how well his ads worked?

His response…? “We usually get a few sales, but advertising doesn’t really work that good, anyway.”

 
Well, in the back of my mind that little voice was screaming to just slap this guy upside the head, and tell him to go away.

But, I’ve heard his same story many times in the past (plus, I’ve learned to control my anger issues), so I already have a much calmer response sitting in my reservoir.

 

This was my basic response…

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