Posted by:
Julie McManus
February 29, 2008
Issue #364
Dear Business Builder,
Happy Friday! I missed you last week. My apologies for going AWOL … an upgrade to my electrical service left me without power for several days. The electricity was only supposed to be out for about 8 hours, but things never go as they’re planned.
Electricity, like breathing, is one of those things you take for granted. But when you don’t have it … look out. You’d think I’d be fairly seasoned for this kind of thing, especially with all the hurricanes we’ve had within the last five years.
Once you’ve been without electricity for weeks at a time, a few times in a row, you start to get resourceful. But in the case of a hurricane, almost no one has power, schools are out and once you determine everyone is safe and not homeless … life turns into a rudimentary block party.
You meet neighbors who previously holed up in their homes like hermits … you know, the ones you were convinced are serial killers. And every power crew that rolls down your street is cheered rather than reviled. People are actually helpful and friendly to each other for a while.
But that doesn’t mean you don’t want the power turned back on. After just a few days of trying to consume every single scrap of food in your refrigerator (before it goes bad) and a few more days of peanut butter and canned tuna … not to mention the cold showers … well these are luxuries I can certainly do without.
But when you’re the only one without power, it’s a whole different story. It’s so lonely … you start to feel sorry for yourself. No one wants to visit the only girl on the block without electricity. You spend an ungodly amount of money on a hotel during the height of the South Florida tourist season. You chase WiFi connections in a sad attempt to keep up with your e-mail and stay connected. You go way over your minutes on your cell phone. And you tell your sad story over and over again hoping to get just a sliver of sympathy.
It’s just pathetic … but I digress. 
When I last left you, we’d spent several happy (electricity filled) weeks talking about direct mail. We ran the gamut of DM topics from a breakdown to the types of mailing lists you can choose from and the classes of postal mail all the way through to DM math.
I hope you enjoyed it, because I enjoyed writing about it.
There is one big thing that direct mail marketing and Internet marketing have in common … the customer.
(more…)
Posted by:
Carline Anglade-Cole
February 28, 2008
Issue #363
A few years ago, for an anniversary present, my husband Mick surprised me by replacing my car radio with a complete entertainment center.
Now, you may not know this, but I’m a genuine “technophobe.” I’m scared of technology and all those dang blasted new gadgets. I was perfectly happy getting into my car and turning on my radio. In fact, if I had my way, I’d still be using 8-track tapes!
But when I went to look for my radio — I couldn’t find it. It was really GONE! There was a thingy in its place and I had no idea what that monstrosity was!
It took me over two hours to get a hold of my husband. Meanwhile, I was driving my car with no music – IN ABSOLUTE SILENCE - and I was fuming.
When he finally called me back, I was frustrated and furious and wanted to know what he did with my radio!
That’s when he told me he replaced my handy dandy radio with a state-of-the-art DVD player, 8-CD changer, a color TV, satellite radio and the most up-to-date GPS known to mankind.
I guess most people would be impressed by that gift, huh?
Not me.
I told him he could switch that techno stuff to his car and to please give me back my radio!
(more…)
Posted by:
Daniel Levis
February 27, 2008
Issue #362
In this issue:
- Why deceased heroes make great business partners …
- The resurrection of a niche market patron saint …
- A tasteful example of shameless brand equity theft …
- And much more!
Dear Web Business Builder,
Dead people can make great business partners.
Just the other day, I was browsing through the magazine rack at Chapters (the Canadian version of Barnes & Noble) when I came across a magazine devoted almost entirely to the late Albert Einstein. It seems 53 long years after Einstein’s death … people are still fascinated by the man.
In fact, there are people who just can’t get enough of him, collecting Einstein magnets, posters, spoons, books, CDs, finger puppets, dolls, watches, ties, t-shirts, you name it. For the second year running, Forbes has ranked Einstein as fifth on the list of top earning dead celebrities, with $18,000,000 in Einstein merchandise sold.
Other dead tycoons include Elvis ($49 million), John Lennon ($44 million), Charles M. Schulz, creator of Charlie Brown ($35 million), George Harrison ($22 million), and the list goes on.
Of course if you or I were to try to “partner” with any of these cultural icons by creating merchandise or advertising using their names or likenesses we’d get our fingers slapped. Make anything Einstein, for example — be it product, product name, or advertisement — and prepare to deal with an onslaught of legal wrangling from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a company called Corbis, owned by none other than Bill Gates.
Thankfully though, the same sort of “rabid fan base” for dead dudes and dudettes that exists in the macrocosm of mainstream markets also exists in the microcosm of tiny niches and sub-cultures in which most of us make our livings. The only difference being, the right to use the names and likenesses, and even intellectual property of many of these dearly departed niche celebrities is fair game.
Case in point: When a friend of mine, marketing genius Tim Paulson, wanted to penetrate the chiropractic market — selling his business coaching services to chiropractors — he was a complete unknown. He wasn’t even a chiropractor. However, by reincarnating himself as one, he was able to quickly build a very nice following in that market.
The story is highly instructive for anyone looking to build brand awareness for the purpose of penetrating a new market.
(more…)
Posted by:
Troy White
February 26, 2008
Issue #361
In this issue:
- Lessons from Africa. The most memorable experience I had in Africa, and how they use it to attract royalty and past US presidents …
- The Honeymoon Tent Formula – how and why it can take them by surprise and keep them coming back to buy more, at higher prices …
- 8 Simple strategies for creating the ultimate customer satisfaction system …
- How a 25 year old is getting $2,995 for something his competitors charge $25 for (and the timeless technique they use to help their idea spread like wildfire) …
- And Much More!
Fellow business builder,
During the past few weeks, we have had many problems with Canada Post (same as USPS) delivering packages on time. They are always sent Express Post (as fast as they go, next to FedEx or UPS) – but they are taking forever to get to people. So we have had to field many questions on the delivery times.
In some cases we just resent another package via FedEx to make sure it gets there quickly (meaning we lose money on the order – but the customer stays happy).
The entire experience has left me completely frustrated with our postal systems, but has also helped me think through some customer satisfaction issues we had.
In the quest to build on our customer satisfaction, plus to continue building a world-class company, I reflected back on a couple experiences that taught me some fabulous lessons in keeping people happy.
The first …
Our honeymoon.
Traveling though Africa was going to be the trip of a lifetime! Kari made the hilarious decision to let me plan the trip … and had no clue what she was in for.
A month in Africa - no problem.
Let me see … how about I plan and book our tickets there, and our tickets back? Good enough? Ya, good enough.
So – I did what I felt was right
I booked our flights from Canada to Africa,
Then 32 days later, back to Canada.
Nothing more was booked.
(more…)
Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
February 25, 2008
Dear Business Builder,
The Total Package is about to get better.
Our web team has been secluded in the "web hole," working tirelessly around the clock to bring you better navigation, easier blogging, and an all-around improved experience on our Total Package website.
You’ll be able to …
- Check out an entire week’s worth of articles at a glance on our new home page …
- Post and read comments to articles on one, easy-to-access blog page – with no more switching from page to page or unnecessary scrolling – and be able to interact with our editors and readers quickly and easily …
- Utilize the navigation tools in the sidebar to get where you need to go – fast …
- Keep on top of the most popular articles – the ones your competitors are probably reading – by just selecting them in the sidebar …
- View all the posts by your favorite author with just one click …
- And much more!
The new and improved Total Package will be going live with TOMORROW’S issue.
That means our website will be down for a couple of hours today while our web team gets things set up. So if you try to get on – and can’t – don’t worry. It just means our web guys are at work bringing up the new site.
And if you’re wondering about Clayton’s issue, he’s taking a little break today to allow our web team to work their magic. He’ll be back next Monday – and you’ll find it easier than ever to interact with him in the new blog format.
Watch your inbox tomorrow for your invite to Tuesday’s issue – and experience the functionality and flexibility of the new and improved Total Package for yourself.
Wishing You Every Success,
Wendy "The Redhead" Makepeace
General Manager
THE TOTAL PACKAGE™
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