Category: Marketing

R.I.P my big old clunky iPod. I’ve had it since my sophomore year of college so I can’t complain. It got me through 2 Greek Gods, lots of workouts and lots of runs. However, I’m pretty pissed I lost all of my music.

Last May, I went to North Carolina and my computer died with all of my music. It really wasn’t a fun thing. However, while I was there, my buddy Ryan, helped me make my current website so that was a very fun thing.

All of my music for the last year, besides the few hundred I’ve downloaded since, was just on my iPod. Last night my iPod took its last breath, according to the geniuses at the Genius bar in the Apple Store.

So, I got myself a new 8GB Black Nano and I’m back in business for $199. I really can’t live without an iPod, it’s crazy.

A few morals:

The 4GB Nano was $149. If you offer a more expensive option of your product/service a lot of people will take you up on it. So offer it, or else you’re just going to leave low hanging fruit on the tree! (Actually, I think it would be appropriate to say apples, in this case.)

Don’t offer too many choices. If I want the Nano then I have two choices. The 4GB or the 8GB. That’s it. When people are faced with too many choices they don’t do anything. KISS. Keep it simple stupid.

When people can’t live without your product or service, you know you’re onto something. That’s what I’m after. I’d like to think my clients really would miss me and my company. Actually, I know they would. That’s what makes it all worth it.

A great reality show idea:

Apple fans are true customer evangelists. They are like a colt and that means there is an already built-in audience.

I’m also going to preface this with the fact that there are reality shows about gyms, airlines, and blowouts. So this would easily work.

Alright. Here it is: The Apple Store on 5th Avenue is open 24/7. So is the Genius bar where people who have any sort of Apple problem go for help.

I’d like to see the types of problems people are having in the middle of the night. I’d also like to see the types of people who are having problems in the middle of the night.

Obviously, they are important enough problems (to them) that they MUST be fixed in the middle of the night. Important means passion. And passion always makes for great reality TV.

(It also makes for a great life.)

So last night I went tanning. Yes. I admit it. I go tanning once in a while. I like it. It feels good. The sun is by far my biggest weakness because when it’s nice out, I hate being inside with a passion.

Besides, I’m not going tanning just to go tanning. I’m going to Florida soon to visit my Nanny and I want to have some sort of base tan considering my color right now… Pretty, pretty, pretty pasty and let’s be honest here; I want to look sexy for all the yentas!

I went to the Beach Bum Tanning on 86th and Lexington which is open 24/7 in case your urge to go tanning is irresistible at 3 A.M. Actually, in college, during my Greek God days that would’ve been very useful and I’m sure it is for those people that work odd hours.

Anyway, every single time I go there it’s like a game. They have cute girls that work there that will try to sell you on anything and everything. I witnessed 3 guys and 2 girls get suckered into buying new packages even though they already had packages. It happens every time I’m there.

“If you renew your package today for only $3800 we’ll throw in 50 extra tans, actually, you’ll be able to tan every single day if you want until you’re 100 years old!!! But you have to do this today because no one else will give you this good of a deal!!!”

If you want to work on your negotiating skills; go there.

As I was watching these people part with their money, I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. I found it hilarious what these girls were saying and that not one person challenged the bull secretion that was coming out of their mouths.

Whoop, it’s my turn. I walk up to the counter:

“Hi, what’s your last name?”

“Gilbert is the last name. Adam is the first.”

“Address please.”

I say my address. “What would you like to do today, Adam”

“I’d like to do one of the ‘Diamond’ beds from my package.”

“Umm, well, that package expired March 30th. Would you like to get a new package?”

“Umm, not really. Last time I was here, I believe, back in December, I bought a new package to actually save my sessions from my old package. And when I purchased the new package they specifically said that they’d extend it until June so it wouldn’t expire on me again. That’s the only reason why I bought it. That was the deal that we made.”

“Interesting. I’m surprised they did that for you.”

“To be honest, every time I’m here I feel like I’m playing, ‘let’s make a deal’ with you guys. Why is it always so difficult?”

“It’s our management.”

“Interesting. Listen, I respect the hustle but sometimes it’s just too much. Ya know?”

“Uch (under her breath, sort of), your bed will be ready shortly Adam.” (She knew I wasn’t budging and she was visibly frustrated)

“Thank you.”

I really do respect the hustle. But I’ve witnessed countless people in my years of faking and baking get shaken up, spending a lot more money than they wanted to and buying lotions that they most likely never used. You guys have the product. You have by far the best beds anywhere. But stop shaking people down already!

This is the problem with most commissioned sales people. Their best interest is themselves, not the customer. This is the same problem with most businesses.

They’d rather make $75 today and possibly sever a very profitable relationship than make a lot less money (or maybe no money) today and build a relationship that will reward them with thousands and thousands of dollars later on and extremely loyal customers.

Instant gratification baby. Kind of like tanning every day.

Both, not a good long term strategy!

MIT researchers say people given placebos reported that the supposedly more expensive pills were also more effective.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found that people given identical pills got greater pain relief from the one they were told cost $2.50 than from one supposedly costing 10 cents.

This is nothing new.

Previous studies have shown that price has a powerful impact on the psychology of consumers. Researchers at Caltech reported in January that expensive wine was experienced as being more pleasant-tasting than identical wine that supposedly cost less.

In an earlier experiment, people given inexpensive energy drinks felt more tired and worked out less than those who received identical energy drinks that cost more.

I think everything we do acts as a placebo whether there are experiments and science to back it up or not.

For example:

When I workout, I feel amazing. I’m not going to go into the scientific reasons of why exercise makes us feel so great. But I wonder. Do I feel terrific because I think I’m supposed to feel terrific?

When I eat crappy food, I usually feel sluggish. I know crappy food is considered crappy food for a reason. But I wonder. Do I feel sluggish because I think I’m supposed to feel crappy?

When I sleep 4 hours and I wake up with a headache is that because I know I’m supposed to get 7-8 hours? I always wanted to test this out because I believe this to be true. If I went to sleep at 4AM and woke up at 8AM (but my clock said noon) I bet I’d feel fine.

When I go to a deli and the guy is wearing gloves, I automatically feel better even though I have no idea what he was doing prior to me being there (like taking money).

When I show up to meeting and the person I’m meeting is wearing a suit, I automatically think they are legit.

When, I buy clothes, or sneakers, or food, or anything for that matter, I convince myself of things. I tell myself a story. And that’s what this is all about.

I drank an energy drink before a workout once, and lifted more weight than I have ever lifted. I never drank an energy drink before a workout again because I don’t like to be addicted to things. I just knew I was able to lift that amount of weight and continued to do so from there on out sans anything, like I usually do.

I think it comes down to mind over matter and the stories we tell ourselves. We’re always going to sell ourselves on people, places and things. It’s how we make sense of the world.

People don’t believe what you tell them.
They rarely believe what you show them.
They often believe what their friends tell them.
They always believe what they tell themselves.

Even if the products are IDENTICAL!

Here’s the challenge: How can you make it easier for people to sell themselves on your product?

Some people are in show business more so than others but we’re all in the biz.

For example:

A waiter is in show business. Most people don’t give a crap if your DVR is not working and you’re all pissed off because you can’t record The Real Housewives of New York City. I want my food now and I want it with a smile! (I know – I used to be a waiter!)

A golf caddy is in show business. I can blog all day about my stories but the snotty members didn’t care how late I was up the night before. Service with a smile baby. Oh and I’ll take my 4 iron NOW!

A taxi driver is in show business. He usually has 10 – 25 minutes to earn the highest tip possible. I enjoy talking to taxi drivers because they have great stories. The friendlier he is – the higher his tip is going to be. Most of the time, they are foolishly chatting it up with God knows who. An extra $3 – $5 per trip adds up though no? Now make this light!

A receptionist is in show business. When I go to the doctor’s office and the receptionist treats me like a patient that is suing that’s going to ruin my experience. The doctor can be world renowned but she can single handedly ruin it for the doctor (and me!).

No matter what career, job, or business you’re in, it is always show time. However trivial or boring a transaction might be, you are still making an impression.

My mom, a former English teacher, used to come home absolutely exhausted and I always wondered why. I realized that she was always putting on a show. Every minute of every class she was the star of her own show.

She could either put on a brilliant performance and make the students interested or she could put on a not so brilliant performance and bore the kids to death.

Being the workaholic that she is, she always chose the former. She felt she had a real responsibility to the kids. But it took its toll. She was always exhausted by the end of the day. But the kids loved her and they looked forward to her ‘show’ every day.

No one said show business was easy but as we all know…

There is no business like show business!

[Update: Great conversation over at BrazenCareerist.com!]

I had a great post planned but after hearing and reading that Bear Stearns was sold for just $2 per share, I am in shock. $2 per share? This subprime mess is destroying our economy and is destroying many lives as droves of people are losing their ‘safe and secure’ jobs. And forget about all of the people who are losing their homes – that’s another story.

If Bear Stearns can go under any company can go under and anyone can lose their job. Only a year ago Bear’s shares were $170. JPMorgan bought Bear, once the 5th largest investment bank in the world, for about $236 million. In 2006, Bear earned $2 billion in profit! This is absolutely insane.

It comes down to this. The only way to be in a recession proof job (or business) is to be remarkable.

Remarkable begins when you deal with the things that you’d rather not deal with: fear of failure, fear of standing out, fear of rejection. Being remarkable is about training yourself to leap over this barrier. Being remarkable is about training yourself to tunnel under this barrier. Being remarkable is about driving through this barrier. And, after you’ve done that, to do it again the next day.

It’s so easy to just keep coasting along. It’s so easy to just accept the status quo. Change is scary. Safe is comfortable.

The bottom line is this: The riskier your work appears to be, the safer it really is. It’s the people having difficult conversations, inventing remarkable products/services, and pushing the envelope who are building a recession-proof future for themselves.

It’s your choice. It’s your life.

[Update: Great conversation over at BrazenCareerist.com!]

A lot of people are self proclaimed somethings. The only self-proclaimed thing I am is an amazing prankster. The rest? I let my actions do the talking.

I’ve masterminded many hilarious pranks. So much so that one of my best friends didn’t talk to me for a few days. Even thinking about it now I almost fall of my chair laughing.

When my friend who I swore I would never prank again was seriously mad at me, (who gets mad at someone for pranking them?) I told him, “It’s because I care. I care enough about you, to spend time plotting and executing this prank for you! You’re my boy. I wouldn’t prank someone, I didn’t care about.”

Eventually, he calmed down and appreciated it. I believe my rationale does make sense and although he had a slight heart attack, he lived to be mad at me right? And everyone else had an amazing laugh and so did he…eventually. It wasn’t that bad. It really wasn’t.

Caring is really a very important word though. If the guy who painted these lines cared about his job, he wouldn’t have done this. It takes a lot for someone to care a lot about something (or someone) though. But hey, “That’s not my job! I don’t get paid to move tree branches!”

The reason caring must be so difficult is that so few people do it.

“How was your dinner last night?”

Follow up. Not follow up to sell something, just to know. Just to ask.

The fancy restaurant knows my phone number. Why not have the owner call me the next day just to ask?

The dentist knows my number. Why not call a week later to see how the cleaning went?

The accountant knows my number. Why not check in to see if the taxes went out the door okay?

Do it in a gentle way, with no strings attached, no additional add-ons. If you really and truly care, why not ask? Not a form, not a survey. Just one caring person, asking. Not that hard, actually.

What is hard is finding people who care but once you do it makes all the difference in the world.

If YOU (the owner, the entrepreneur, the so called visionary) don’t care, how can you expect your employees, associates, or partners to care?

And if you could care less about what you’re doing whether you’re running a business or working for one, it’s time to move on. Life is too short not to care.

Several weeks ago, I went Sport Clay shooting in the Dominican Republic. I was very excited but also a little nervous because holding something that can blow someone’s brains out is very odd.

If you have never shot a gun before it’s pretty crazy. There is a definite kick back and if you don’t brace yourself it hurts a little bit. It’s also really loud!

In Sport Clay shooting, there is a guy that launches these clays into the air and you have to aim and pull the trigger and hope to demolish the clay into a million little pieces.

I think there are some definite parallels in business and in Sport Clay shooting that all lead up to the same objective.

In business: If you have a solid foundation you’ll have a much greater chance in succeeding. Those who take the time to learn the skills necessary have a big leg up. Reading everything you can get your hands on is a great starting point.

In shooting: If you don’t have a solid foundation then you’ll miss the target every time. You must have your legs planted firmly or else there is no chance for success.

In business: If you try to be everything to everyone you’ll never succeed. You must find your niche. Focusing intensely on your target market is the best way to go.

In shooting: If you let your eye off that target for one second you’re done. The chance for success is zero. Focusing on your target is not only essential; it’s the only chance for success.

In business: Once you have your foundation in place, and your target market lined up, it’s time to package that message in a bullet and deliver it as succinctly as possible to the people who you feel would benefit tremendously from your company.

In shooting: Once you have your foundation in place, and your target lined up, it’s time to hit that clay!

Here is where shooting becomes a lot easier!

In business: If you hit that target, you’ll get very interested leads. It’s then your job to turn those qualified leads into clients. The more you hit that target, the more leads will come your way and the more clients you’ll have.

In shooting: If you do everything right, you’ll get instant feedback and see that clay demolished into tiny little pieces right before your eyes.

In business: It takes a lot longer to get feedback. It takes a lot longer to blow that target up (or saturate your target market). It’s also a lot harder to find out what you’re doing right and wrong. In business, your scorecard is how much money you make. Adjust your position accordingly.

In shooting: Not only do you get real time feedback (pictured below is Juan critiquing me) but you also can adjust your position instantly and your scorecard is based on how many clays you hit.

In business: Ultimately, the market decides how you’re doing.

In shooting: Ultimately, you control how you’re doing.

And in both business and shooting, great entrepreneurs and shooters thrive on competition!

I think Pat Benetar said it best: “Hit me with your best shot! Fire away!”

Boom.

The December 17th issue of Time had some startling statistics on voters. According to Time, Democrats picked ‘good judgment’ 33% of the time and Republicans picked it 21%, when asked what the most important quality of a candidate is.

The other choices were leadership, character, experience and caring about people.

Call me crazy but how is good judgment not the top choice by a landslide regardless of what party you’re affiliated with.

If you have bad judgment experience means absolutely nathan. A person with good judgment would consult with people who have experience. Clearly, judgment is more important than experience.

Leadership and caring about people are fairly silly concepts that have little to do with presidential job performance. Obviously you don’t want a wimp or a sociopath in the White House but I think the bar is already set low. And all of the candidates clear it with room to spare.

Character is important in exactly the same sense that good health is important. You need a minimum of both to be a suitable president. But the bar isn’t set that high for either health or character. You can have polio, or be a liar, and it doesn’t seem to have much impact on job performance. All of the current candidates have enough character, and health, for the job.

So don’t you think good judgment should be the most important quality in a president? But how often do you hear someone say that a candidate has good judgment?

Which brings me back to why Bloomberg should be President.

You would think the strongest quality a successful business person has to offer is good judgment. In most cases, if you start with a little money, and end up with a lot, you have to make a lot of good decisions along the way.

As mayor of New York City, Bloomberg has gone after smoking in public, and Trans fat in restaurants. Smoking and bad diet kill more people than any other cause.

That’s a real leader.

And Bloomberg could fund his own campaigns. He wouldn’t owe anyone anything!

Bloomberg for President!

Are you in?