People don’t care about you. That’s a great way to start an article. A little harsh but true. (And it got your attention)

This applies to both sales people and advertising. First of all, in sales, most reps spend far too much time talking about the products they have to sell and never really know if it is what their client needs or wants. Sales people forget that the client doesn’t want the product they are selling, but what that product can do for them. I used this example in a sales meeting this morning. Very sick, you walk into a Dr’s office and wait patiently. The Dr. walks in, writes you a prescription and hands it to you excitedly without asking a thing about your condition. “These are absolutely the best anti-depressants on the market today, but they are very limited in production. Hurry and fill this before they are all gone!“  Shocked, you reply, “But Doc, I have a 104 degree fever.” As if he didn’t care how you felt, “That’s great, but these anti-depressants are awesome, I am so excited to prescribe them to you!” Sound far fetched? Sales Reps do the equivalent EVERY DAY. Customers could care less about what you are selling unless it helps with a need that they have. Ask them and prescribe a product that can help them get where they want to be.

The same holds true for advertising. Advertisers ramble on about how long they have been in business, awards they have won, the experience of their staff. YAWN. A good rule of thumb when writing good ads is that (no matter the medium), if there is anything in it that can illicit the response, “Well, Duh”, then leave it out.  For example, a body shop that does free estimates, paint matching or we take insurance claims. Well, Duh. How about the plumber that claims in an ad that they do sewer and drain cleaning, water heaters and toilets? “Well, Duh”, you are a plumber. When writing your ads, consider what the consumer really cares about. I really just want my drain unclogged, as soon as possible so that I can finish dinner and watch American Idol.

On both fronts, sales and advertising, make sure that you understand the needs of your end customer and show them that you understand. For heaven’s sake, give them what they need, not what you think they need or what you need to sell!

Read About Ron Covert

Wal-Mart Reports Record First Quarter Sales; and they look pretty darn good, for the economy being as bad as the media claims.

I have been doing my own survey, trying to find businesses doing poorly because of the economy. I have asked at least 100 business owners so far, if the economy was affecting them much. I found one who owned a lumber company that said business had come to a stand complete still. I asked what he was doing about it he said they have been putting all their effor into hardwood floors. I asked how that was going and he said, "Very Good".

 I talked to a lot of business who said business was slow but I could not say the blame was 100% because of  the economy.

Now, take a look at  Wal Mart's good news:


BENTONVILLE, Ark., May 13, 2008 -- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) today reported its sales and earnings for the quarter ended April 30, 2008. Net sales for the first quarter of fiscal year 2009 were approximately $94.1 billion, an increase of 10.2 percent over $85.4 billion for the first quarter of fiscal year 2008. Net income for the quarter was $3.022 billion, an increase of 6.9 percent from $2.826 billion in the first quarter of fiscal year 2008. Diluted earnings per share for the first quarter of fiscal year 2009 were $0.76, up from $0.68 per share in the same prior year quarter.

“We’re off to a solid start, with record first quarter sales and earnings,” said Lee Scott, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. president and chief executive officer. “We continue to deliver against the business model that Sam Walton started – selling branded merchandise for less. Our business is even more relevant to our customers today, given the current economic pressures.”

Price leadership, better customer service and operational improvements remained the primary drivers of sales growth worldwide, even in light of economic headwinds caused by higher energy costs and food inflation.

“Our customers appreciate that Wal-Mart is the consistent price leader,” Scott added. “We continue to make progress in delivering on our mission of saving people money so they can live better.”

Read About Clay Campbell

Erich Joachimsthaler is the author of Hidden in Plain Sight.

He visited the Rafael Landivar University in Guatemala last week.

I must say, I was impressed that he didn’t use an interpreter and his Spanish was good enough for everyone to understand; his energy was amazing too. He visited the University after spending a couple of Days in Atitlan.

He proposed three steps in his book, in order to re-structure your business model, based on strategies by BMW, Apple, Frito-Lay and Starbucks.


1.    Look for opportunities outside the business ecosystem. This requires and intense observation where you can measure how your customers and using your product.
2.    Create scenes where you see your customers taking different scenarios with your product.
3.    Adapted them into the business model.


One of the short examples he used during his presentation was related to Apple and Starbucks. How Steve Jobs design the iPod, after intuitive observing the purchase flux of music in young consumers. (Buy an mp3 player, Load the music you wan to her, dispose it, and repeat). And how Howard Schultz founded his company based on customer experience, while he observed how people bought coffe in another country during his vacation.

The book also gives examples on how to implement his easy three step to all businesses, and how to achieve a balance between company orientated strategies and market orientated decisions.

Dr. Joachimsthaler is the founder of Vivaldi Partners, his book has been translated into many languages.

Read About Luis Lopez

Easily half of my American clients have asked me the same question in the last couple of weeks:  what can we do to get some of the "Big Rebate Money" the government is dishing out?

In case you missed it, the US government has started a stimulus package, giving "rebate" checks to all American taxpayers.

I've been making a concerted effort to answer questions the way they are asked, verbatim, without a bunch of hemmin' and hawin.'   That said, the answer is:  "not much."

Now here comes the hemmin' and hawin.'

For starters, I firmly believe that the companies that have invested in diligent branding efforts are those that will benefit the most from whatever rebate money trickles into spontaneous purchases.  We could put out a message specific to try and move the needle, but all the rules of short time offers still apply.

Secondly, I'm not optimistic that the return you'll get will justify the money you'd spend to get this message to marketplace (regardless of medium) . More on this in a minute.

And finally, everyone I've talked to, across income levels, is putting that money in the bank just to offset increases in gas and food costs lately.  A recent study concurs with my assertion.

Now some of my clients insisted we try something, and like them I suspect you're going to as well, so here's what you do:  work with your ad writer to craft the most compelling offer you can and then send it in a letter to your 100 best customers (the definition of "best" will vary industry to industry, mostly based on two key determinants involved in product purchase cycle: length and recidivism).  If you can get them to nibble, then you should experiment with a larger audience.  If not, spend your money more wisely on the slow boat to China of pure branding.

Read About Ray Seggern

Anne Stewart's HotCards.com blog is always worthwhile reading.  Her current analysis of the Obama campaign has derived advertising lessons we can all apply.

In her previous post, Anne stated: "Whether you’re engaged in the marketing of a product or service, or in a political campaign, the rules of good copy writing are essentially the same: be fresh and surprising, or expect the average consumer/voter to look right through your print collateral."

And in her current post, Writing Good Ad Copy, Stewart takes note of a fresh treatment of a throw-away attribution.

Listen up, people. Communication is changing again. And according to Stewart, "the Barack Obama Presidential campaign has begun to churn out some fresh copy that dares voters to pay attention."

Read About Chuck McKay

Who knew Johnny Appleseed was such a trendsetter?

There is a growing group of environmentally conscious consumers who are turning neglected public spaces into lush green gardens, with no obvious benefit to them except making the world more liveable.

These so-called guerilla gardeners will essentially squat on a chosen abandoned propery and replace weeds and over-growth with brightly colored flowers and other foliage.

Because they are beautifying land that does not belong to them, and are essentially breaking the letter of the law, they very often strike at night, aping the methods of graffiti artists before them.

There is a lesson here for business owners, and it's not that you can leave your property in disrepair and wait for the terranium "taggers" to show up. 

You'd have never heard of a story like this in a predominantly idealist "me-me-me" era.  But the "we-we-we" rules of a civic generational mindset says everybody needs to chip in to do their part.

Your customers already believe this to be true.  What are you doing--not saying but doing--so show them that you share their values?

Richard Reynolds has written a book on the subject if you want to join the revolution.

Read About Ray Seggern

On what level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs do you currently reside?

Perhaps more importantly, where do you think the majority of your prospective customers reside? Because if you can integrate elements of your marketing plan that appeal to that specific arena of felt needs, you stand an excellent chance of dramatically increasing the size of your customer base.

What needs are they looking to fill? Do they wake up every morning wondering where they’ll find their next meal (physiological)? If so, I’d recommend you go fishing for another market, because individuals concerned with satisfying basic existence needs most likely do not have the luxury of considering the package of products and services your business has to offer.

Jumping  to the other side of the spectrum, are your prospects so secure, loved and accomplished that they can afford to spend their time pursuing personal growth and fulfillment (self actualization)? Once again, I would advise against focusing your efforts on a market such as this. There just aren’t enough people out there who have managed to ascend to this level. 

So where does that leave them? I’d bet my marketing dollars that the overwhelming majority of your potential customers spend their entire lives right smack dab in the middle of the Pyramid, searching for a sense of love and belonging. Find a way to appeal to that when promoting your business and your revenues will skyrocket. 

Read About Tom Walters

Did you hear the tragic tale about the world’s worst life insurance salesman? When he died his family found out the hard way he never believed in his product.

Read About Michael Drew

I thought this was maybe an ad gimmick, but from what I can find out, I don't think it is. Here's a link to a site that is giving away a blog with domain name that generates revenue already because the fellow maintaining it doesn't have the time to do it properly. Check it out and if you win, don't say we don't give you anything.

http://www.upstartblogger.com/giving-away-an-established-money-making-blog-with-existing-advertising-revenue

Read About Steve Rae