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Posted by:
Troy White
March 11, 2010
Issue #882
Fellow Business-Builder,
As you may remember, I was up for a Business Oscar this year and had asked for your vote.
The good news?
You were a HUGE help and helped contribute a large number of votes.
The bad news?
I didn’t win.
Again.
You may recall, I was nominated in 2009 as well, and got my butt kicked by a multi-billion dollar Canadian Airline. This time around I got my butt kicked by a smaller, surprisingly aggressive local retailer.
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Posted by:
Daniel Levis
March 10, 2010
Issue #881
Dear Web Business-Builder,
It’s never wise to rely on conventional wisdom – assuming something is true because everyone else assumes it to be true. That’s no wisdom at all.
Did you ever play the telephone game when you were a kid?
That’s where the kids all line up from left to right. And the kid on the far left whispers something in the ear of the kid to their right … who whispers it in the ear of the kid on their right … and on it goes down the line.
And the phrase the last kid in the line blurts out has almost no resemblance whatsoever to the initial phrase. The kids all laugh. And it’s good fun.
Trouble is, most of them love the telephone game so much they keep playing it for the rest of their lives. And some of them grow up to be marketers.
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Posted by:
Sean D'Souza
March 9, 2010
Issue #880
Here’s why ‘WHY’ is such a profit-making marketing trigger.
“Stop taking two and three plates of food,” my mother said to me angrily.
I was at a wedding and seven years old. Back then, at a lot of the weddings we used to go to, the food would be pre-served on a plate. I could never get enough of those calorie-ridden platters. Waylaying different waiters, (so I would not be recognised), I’d polish 3-4 plates without blinking an eye.
Mum wasn’t impressed, and told me to stop and desist.
“Why?” I’d ask. Her stock reply was always, “It’s bad manners to do that.” This Dustbin Hoffman (yes, I do mean Dustbin and not Dustin) act obviously got her goat, but it left me unfazed. It must have bugged her more than I expected though, because in a short while Dad was peering down at my food-stuffed face.
My question remained unchanged. “WHY?”
“If you invite a hundred people to a wedding, how many would you cater for?” he asked. “A hundred,” I answered, proud of my analytical genius. “If you ate four plates,” he continued, “how many would remain?” He prompted quickly, “Ninety-six right?” I nodded vigorously. “That means some people don’t eat. If you’re so hungry, we can go out after the wedding and get something to eat, but don’t deprive others.”
Dad Made Sense. Do You?
Dad understood psychology. He had to sell my brain an idea that my rumbling stomach didn’t want to understand. And he did it by answering the question, ‘WHY?’ How many of us ignore this powerful trigger in our marketing because it seems too obvious, almost too simple?
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
March 8, 2010
Issue #879
Old joke:
A guy has two daughters. One’s a perky little blonde – a cheerleader and a hopeless optimist. The other is a Goth: She’s dyed her hair black, painted her fingernails black, wears black lipstick, heavy black mascara and is a dyed-in-the-wool pessimist.
Wanting to show each of them a more balanced view of life, Dad hits upon an idea: He’ll give his little pessimist a pony – and he’ll present his optimistic daughter with a steaming pile of horse poop.
So when the little Goth comes home from school, Dad follows her to see how she’ll react to the pony he left for her in her bedroom. "Oh no – not a pony," shrieks the Goth. "This is terrible: I’m going to have to feed and water it every day, clean up after it every day – and someday, it’ll get sick and die!"
Shaking his head in bewilderment, Dad checks to see how his little optimist is reacting to the pile of manure in her bedroom. Sure enough – she’s dancing around, throwing manure in the air like confetti and shouting "Yippee! Yippee!"
Baffled at his daughter’s euphoria, the father has to ask: "I filled your room with manure – why are you so happy?!"
"Because with all this horse poop," says the little optimist, "there’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!"
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
March 5, 2010
Originally Posted On: August 22, 2005
- The 3 Types of Graphic Designers – And The ONLY One You Ever Want to Hire …
- How to Become A GREAT Designer In 3 Easy Steps …
- The 2 Simple Things A Designer Must Do To Create Bigger Winners, More Often …
- 4 Graphics Secrets for Generating Maximum Attention-Getting Power …
- 10 Design Strategies for Getting Your Promotions READ and responded to …
- And More!
Dear Business-Builder,
This issue of THE TOTAL PACKAGE will make everybody money – including you!
If you’re a business owner, marketing pro or copywriter, good graphic design is absolutely essential to producing peak response to your sales promotions. I’ve seen poor design cut sales by half or even more. Conversely, I’ve seen stronger graphic design bump response by 20% or even more.
If you’re a designer, reading this may be the most important fifteen minutes of your career. Because I’m going to tell you what’s what. If you can follow some simple guidelines, you’ll be booked solid. I’ll probably be the first in line to hire you!
First, a quick disclaimer …
I am NOT an “anti-artite!”
Please forgive me if anything I’m about to say offends you. Despite what you may think, I really like most of the graphics people I’ve worked with.
I helped put two kids through art school.
Some of my best friends – Ed Elliott, Rob Davis, Larry Owen and Brian Wilson, for example – are designers.
I even gave my blessing when my daughter married an artist.
But we’ve got to talk. Because sometimes, you guys drive me nuts. Much of what I see in first draft art – and a LOT of what I see on the Internet and in the mail – is abysmal.
And the fact is, if I get one more graphics draft with the same old blunders in it, my head’s going to explode.
So please – have a seat … you’re about to get your advanced degree – from The Makepeace School of Art and Design …
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