Contrary Marketing...

I have learned over time that I am contrary...

My tendency is to disagree with something - not because it is fundamentally flawed, but because I always prefer to adopt an alternative view...

This has been interesting both personally and professionally - an for Lynn, my wife since 1986, dinner discussions have always been "interesting"..

So when it came to Marketing, when I was told that I needed to "dominate" my sector, be front of mind in every prospect, be all over my market "like a rash" - I began to think..

What if what we did was so good that people hunted us down, we didn't need a web page, Facebook, LinkedIn or have to learn the 7 step sales process complete with navy blue suit, red tie and white shirt...?

What if we did the opposite of whet everyone else does - everyone else by definition is only achieving average results after all...

In 1774, Frederick the Great  - King of Prussia, wanted to introduce a second source of carbohydrates to the wheat (bread..) based diet of his subjects. The plan was to reduce dependence on a single crop, have alternatives should supply fail and introduce competition to the food market.

He sent out a Royal Order that farmers should grow Potatoes - the message was sent to everyone in Prussia, the Royal Marketing machine was in full swing. Not only was the marketing good, but it was compulsory too - so how could it fail...?

The response the Royal Court received from the peasant farmers was that potatoes were not good for eating, even the dogs wouldn't eat them. The refusal by the farmers to grow potatoes as a crop even resulted in executions of some of them. 

Now, imagine a marketing consultant comes along...

The advice could have included suggestions that in order to correct this we need to target the market, come up with compelling offers and through a combined approach of Attention, Interest, Desire and Action the King could "dominate the market"...

Instead, the King applied a contrary approach - I like him already...

He withdrew potatoes from the market. He said that from now on, only the Royal Family could eat potatoes and they would only be allowed to be grown in the grounds of the Royal Palace - and they would be protected by armed soldiers from his personal guard.

Now, all good people know that if something is worth protecting with soldiers - it is also worth stealing - it must be valuable...

The guards were instructed to protect the crops of potatoes "badly" - and to turn a blind eye to anyone trespassing or stealing the crop. Pretty soon, illegal potato crops were sprouting up all over Prussia, and the potato became sought after as a staple alternative to wheat.

Frederick the Great thought the opposite of what intuition may have initially told him - or for that matter his equivalent of an MBA qualified Marketing Consultant.. He kept his product a closely guarded secret, by using the principle of scarcity - and eventually achieved domination by doing the opposite..

What can we learn from this - simply to think in a contrary manner, go where the others don't; do the opposite of what the guru's say and you just might get the best results...

Twas the Night before Christmas...

Which Ghosts are guiding you...?

On Saturday Lynn was out partying with some of her friends - and us guys stayed in for a takeaway, ready for the call to go and collect the girls when they finally wanted to come home..

So we sat there drinking Coke and eating Prawn Crackers making conversation betwen us, although none  of us actually knew each other that well. Now, guys will talk about cars, football, money and business - what struck me was not the subject of the conversation, but the context - there appeared to be three main Ghosts in their Machines..

1. Ghost of Christmas Past - the old days were better. Young people today don't have any respect and lack the knowledge to make a valuable contribution to the world. These guys were stuck in the past and were being guided by their dislike of the new.

2. Ghost of Christmas Present - their identity was purely based upon what they were doing right now. This was the power of the Ego - how everything that went well was due to their own personal efforst and aything that didn't - was the fault of someone else. They talked about how great they were, how much they knew and how everyone else was somehow less than them - they were in fact the Alpha Males and their whole identity was defined by what who they were at that instant. Apparently the brand and size of car is important here too...

3. Ghost of Christmas Future - the dreamers. We have lived in the USA and now we live in rural France - the journey has been and continues to be exciting... 
I really can't tell you the number of people (in the dozens...) who have told me that they would love to travel the world, live in Las Vegas or France and have a business that supported their lifestyle; rather than the other way round. What I can tell you is the number of people I have met that have actually done it - Three.
The conversation occasionally moved to "what if scenarios" - however, for every positive there appeared to be three overiding negatives that meant the Dream would have to wait - for the Kids, the Business, the Money etc..

All these Ghosts are debillitating in their own way - the reality is of course that Ghosts only exist if we believe they do, or we choose to create them as a mechanism to cope with the FEAR of achieving our true potential -  maybe it is time to look for alternative evidence to support a different belief structure.

Now we all have our Ghosts and Demons - but is there one that is dominating your life or business...?

Which Ghost is guiding you - is it time to move on..?

We are Not Broken...

The French Started it...

It was arguably a Frenchman called Emile Coue who began what we now know as the Personal Development movement - he would encourage people to simply affirm to themselves that "Every Day in Every Way I Am Getting Better and Better..."

Since this 19th Century pioneer, the movement has become awash with Coaches, Mentors, Gurus, Master Practitioners, Wizards and Pop Psychologists of every flavour.

The movement has some great and wise people doing amazing work - inspiring and teaching others how to lead happier more fulfilling lives, make more money and contribute positively to society and the world.

Around its rather tarnished and faded edges there are also those who, having achieved nothing of significance themselves, seek to simply regurgitate received knowledge in the vain hope that, whilst it didn't work for them - they will get paid enough money by others if they relay the ideas with enough conviction.

I went to a seminar earlier this year and was told that in order to become successful I had to overcome my limiting beliefs. I wasn't aware that I had such things, but I was assured that in fact I did, and unless I overcame them - I would be banished to a life of mediocrity and depression. 

The clear message was that we were all broken and needed to be fixed - with a cocktail of visualisations, time line analysis, NLP and regression therapy. Much crying and sobbing ensued with "breakthroughs" being achieved in the dense embrace of a Kleenex tissue - I went to the bar for an early lunch...

But what if we weren't all broken - what if all these "Coaches" with zero on their personal and professional balance sheet, didn't have to bring the audience down to their level before they move forwards.

The skills that apparently qualify such gurus' include - working a the Council / Factory and being laid off, selling furniture, working as a waiter, having a breakdown / divorce / bankruptcy, being shouted at by the teacher and any number of other mind numbing experiments in banality.

Working with a Coach is the single best thing that any of us can do - so make sure you pick a good one...

Next time you are in touch with a Coach, Consultant, Master Wizard or Practitioner of any kind - check out their credentials - specifically;

1. Relationships - have they been able to have a long term stable relationship with anyone, ever...?
2. Have they actually achieved anything of significance - personally or professionally...?
3. Are the using their own knowledge and ideas - or simply those that have been found on Wikipedia or on the "Mind and Spirit" shelf at Waterstones.
4. Do they assume you are broken and need fixing - or amazing and simply need encouraging with some proven strategies...?
5. Have they become a Coach / Mentor / Wizard simply because they were laid off or became unemployable...?
5. Are they a person that you aspire to be like...?

If you cannot answer these questions to your satisfaction, move on and find someone to help you who actually cares enough about themselves and those around them to have achieved something amazing before they attempt to help others do the same.

W.W.W....

One of the best known Acronyms in the World has a new meaning...

The Three Key areas things we need to focus on when delivering Business Success...

1. Why - why do you do what you do...? 

What is your true purpose - it's not the money, or at least it shouldn't be. Money is a consequence of everyting that we do, but is is not Why we do it.

I have seen people in business simply chase the money without any thought or consideration for the contribution, difference or changes they could actually be making. In every case they end up either broke and alone or empty and unfulfilled. 

2. What - what is in it for me...?

As a customer of yours, I will be asking myself the question - what is in it for me..?

What answer would I be able to give myself - what is the uniqueness of your product and service, what are the benefits to me...?

If you can't answer these questions, then nor can your Clients, if they can't taste the difference between you and a competitor then they will use price as a decision maker. If you are not positively differentiated in terms of Client experience and satisfaction - then you will be beaten down on price..

3. Wow - what is the WoW Factor...?

Do you go the extra mile or just do what the customer expected...?

How good would your service have to be that you never had to sell anything again - it was so good you had to ration it..?

Selling can be the art of getting people to part with their money on the basis of clever techniques rather than solid value. Do you have a WoW factor in your business - is everyone talking about you, do you have a waiting list..?

Entrepreneurs Only...

I am an Entrepreneur...

Not a serial entrepreneur – they simply jump from one bright shiny thing to another, using failure as an excuse for “learning opportunities”…

Serial Entrepreneurs think that failure is part of the journey – no its not – get it right first time, use knowledge skills and talent to make it right. When you have been on the receiving end of some of the “learning opportunities” that others have made you will know how it feels.

Can things be improved..? – of course...

Are mistakes inevitable..? – yes, but your clients should never know…

Is failure an option..? – Never…

My learning opportunities were when I worked in someone else’s business and worked my way up, my learning opportunities were 14 years at night school, my learning opportunities were all the books I read, seminars I went to and experiences I had.

As serial entrepreneur is like serial husband or wife – no commitment to make something of true value actually deliver its full potential; when it gets too hard they simply move on.

No one wants one of those…

I am an Entrepreneur…

This is not what I do – it is who I am…

I do not have a career – I have a life…

I do not have a Job – I make a contribution…

There is no wage – just reciprocated value…

Hours – as many as I choose and 1 more than necessary…

Holidays – life is a holiday, think of the alternative…

Striking for better conditions – I choose my own conditions…

So when you meet a real entrepreneur who has put their heart and soul into what they do, when they have used their savings and begged and borrowed the rest and backed themselves 100% what should you say to them…?

Simple – “Well done…”

These people are the unsung heroes, they may not be all over Facebook, networking at champagne lunches, posting pictures from the Seychelles’ – they will be building a business, figuring out how to pay the VAT, paying their staff before they pay themselves, riding around in a 15 year old car because all their cash is in their business and thinking how next quarter will be better than the last…

Be gentle with their dreams – what they build is all that they are, if you criticise their business you criticise them.

And when they make it, don’t be jealous – don’t think that success is easy and that they don’t deserve it – they do…

If you want success in business – get to work, get to college, get to the library, get on with it, but most of all stick at it…

Serial Entrepreneurs are the pretenders to the Crown…

Are you an Entrepreneur…?

Cannes or Cannes Not...

Following on from the Blog post below - we are taking just 12 people with us to Cannes in October to attend our famous Entrpreneurs Retreat..

Click on the LINK to find out more - but hurry because places are being snapped up quickly...

See you there...

Goals Suck...

First, in order to understand achievement, we have to understand motivation…

There are four key drivers that motivate us;

·        Achievement of a future Goal – seeking pleasure – towards motivation

·        Relief from Pressure – removing pain – away from motivation

·        Internal factors – making us feel good to ourselves – internal reference

·        External factors – making us look good to others – external reference

This is why simply having a Goal doesn’t work – it only satisfies one of the criteria – for a Goal to be engaging and motivational for us it needs to engage all of our drivers in the appropriate way.

First – let’s clear up why Goals Suck…

Having a Goal would appear to be the panacea of achievement – there are books, videos, gurus and seminars that will tell you that Goals are the key to success and that without them you are useless. The Goals that they are talking about tend to be those that are future based – how many adverts have you seen that predict more money, better lifestyle and happier families. Network Marketers and Franchisors take note…

A Goal by itself is an excuse – it makes us feel good because we can carry with us the feint image of better times to come, but we don’t ever have to achieve it because the “feel good” comes from imagining the possibility rather than actually achieving it. 

If we feel good, or perceive the benefit of a Goal without actually having to achieve it, then we find excuses to do so...

In the 2006 movie Tristan and Isolde which is based on the 12^th Century English legend known as Tristan and Iseult, the major issue regarding Goals is explained. In a scene where Tristan has conquered all before him and won the battle, he is sat on his throne looking forlorn.

Asked by one of his lieutenants why, after achieving everything that he set out to do, he is not full of joy, Isolde replies – “because he has lost the most precious thing he had – he has lost his dream…” or words to that effect…

Achieving a Goal means that we come to an end – the dream that we have becomes reality and as such the dream evaporates. Reality rarely lives up to the dream we have when creating it, so by definition the achievement of a Goal is a let-down. Paradoxically we cannot live without a dream or vision of our future and this is the very reason we are compelled not to actually achieve them – we simply want to keep the dream alive.