AND OTHER SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS

2 32 3

STACY’S REQUESTAn online search for marketing books yields 135,000,000 results. If you reviewed each one for one second, and did so for eight hours a day without hitting Starbucks for a Java Chip Frappacinno, it would take you a mere 12,240 days.

Of course these aren’t all books. Still, there are a hell of a lot. So I wasn’t surprised when Stacy Dynan, a San Francisco small business owner, told me that while she’d love to grow her business, she simply didn’t have the time to source the marketing information and advice she required.

“CAN YOU PROVIDE ME WITH A SHORT, EASY TO UNDERSTAND FORMULA TO HELP MAKE ME AND MY BUSINESS MORE EFFECTIVE?”Stacy DynanSmall Business OwnerSan Francisco

4 54 5

This group of symbols are a few of the components of a formula used in develop-ment economics to explain an economy’s growth rate in terms of the level of saving and productivity of capital. It suggests that there is no natural reason for an economy to have balanced growth.* SIMPLE, HUH?

*The model was developed independently by Sir Roy F. Harrod and Evsey Domar. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/

SORRY STACY, FORMULASARE FOR PHARMACISTSFormulas, by definition, imply a predictable and consis-tent outcome—perfect for chemistry, rocket science, accounting and cooking. BUT NOT FOR MARKETING.

Equations and mathematics cannot satisfy human requirements for variety and individualism, a few of the necessary ingredients in the selling and buying (marketing) process. If such a thing existed, we’d all have latched onto it a long time ago, delivering the same stuff with the same results.

6 76 7

g=2xpand

ALL YOU NEED TOKNOW TO SHIFT FROMSLOW TO GROW

BUT THIS WILL HELP It’s a collection of concepts, guidelines and rules, which, when molded to work in conjunction, improve the odds of growing a business.

Obviously there are more, but It’s hard to find any successful company where these are not given plenty of attention—thanks to the fact that they’ve consistently proven, in all sorts of businesses and industries, as being complementary to growth.

IT’S A PERFECT PLATFORM TO SOURCE AND STUDY MORE INFORMATION, DEVELOP FRESH IDEAS AND IMPLEMENT NEW INITIATIVES.

— GROW, OR STAND STILL

— (2 WORDS) WHERE & HOW

— THE X-FACTOR = IDEAS & INNOVATION

— POSITION YOURSELF

— ADVERTISE. ADVERTISE. ADVERTISE.

— NEGOTIATE (SELL)

— DELIGHT THE HELL OUT OF PEOPLE

g2xpand

8 98 9

NOW LET’S GET STARTED.

Hands-on sales, marketing and busi-ness experience on four continents, in locations as diverse as London, Grand Rapids, Sydney, San Francisco, Frankfurt, Cape Town, Brisbane, Manila, Guangzhou, Helsinki, Maseru, Paris and Tokyo.

FABIAN VENTERSAN FRANCISCO

HOW DO I KNOW? For over twenty years I’ve helped small, and multi-bil-lion dollar, organizations sell and market pocketknives, out-door gear, refrigerators, surgical masks, Italian furniture, newspaper advertising, beautiful homes, franchise operations, multimillion-dollar data networks and online marketing tools.

I’ve owned several small businesses, and have had roles such as VP of Global Marketing for an organiza-tion NewsWeek® Magazine ranked 5th in the world’s top telecommunication companies and 118th in the world’s top 1000 global organizations.

Along the way I’ve attended (and given) hundreds of marketing presentations, seminars and key-note talks—g=2xpand is a summary of a few of the things I have learned.

10 1110 11

GROWTH IS A BASIC DRIVER FOR ALL BUSI-NESSES. Yet it seems elusive for many small business owners. The things which got them to where they are, no longer seem enough to get them to where they want to go.

They’re aware that new activities and initiatives have to be tried and executed, but you’ll often hear, “I feel stalled, nervous, and uncertain about what to do next.” This is fairly normal, and common enough to have its own acronym—FUD—Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. So it’s safer to stick with more of the same.

However, breaking through FUD and the ‘more of the same is more of the same’ syndrome is easier said than done.

But to do so, the first step is to make the decision to grow and be prepared to commit

to it. Without a positive decision, little is going to happen. The second step is to take

action, AND TO ACT WITH PURPOSE.

GROWOR STAND STILL

The human tendency to snap-back to what feels comfortable.

FearUncertainty

Doubt

‘ACTIONDISSIPATES

FEAR’

Once underway, experience, courage, training and intuition

take control.

VISIONMISSIONPLAN

IDEAS & INNOVATION

FUD + HOMEOSTASIS =

DECISION + ACTION + VMP + NEW STUFF = g

g

12 1312 13

“CONCERNING ALL ACTS OF INITIATIVE (AND CREATION), THERE IS ONE ELEMENTARY TRUTH THE IGNORANCE OF

William Hutchison MurrayQuoting from Goethe (1749-1832) regarding The 1951 Scottish Himalaya Expedition.

George ElliotEnglish Novelist

g

STRONGEST

GROWTH‘‘THE

LIES IN THE HUMAN

PRINCIPLE OF

CHOICE.

‘‘

WHICH KILLS COUNTLESS IDEAS AND SPLENDID PLANS: THAT THE MOMENT ONE DEFINITELY COMMITS ONESELF, THEN PROVIDENCE MOVES TOO. A WHOLE STREAM OF EVENTS ISSUES FROM THE DECISION, RAISING IN ONE’S FAVOR ALL MANNER OF UNFORESEEN INCIDENTS, MEETINGS AND MATERIAL ASSISTANCE, WHICH NO MAN COULD HAVE DREAMT WOULD HAVE COME HIS WAY.

If you said no to all three, burn these notes. If unsure, I understand, but why not try anyway. IF YOU SAID YES TO ALL THREE, EXCELLENT, YOU ARE ON YOUR WAY.

Are you ready to take action?

YES UNSURE NO

YES UNSURE NODo you want to grow your business?

YES UNSURE NOAre you prepared to commit to doing so?

ACTION DISSIPATES FEAR

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14 1514 15

Too many business people don’t have a clear outline of

BE REALISTICBE SPECIFICBE MEASURABLE

2WORDSWHERE they want to go, or HOW to get there. This is risky busi-ness and a common barrier to growth.

In reality, anyone who owns or manages a business has some idea of where they want to take it and how to do so. However, if this is not clearly defined, not only you, but the people around you—employees, suppliers and stakehold-ers—will have difficulty aligning to the bigger picture. They need to know where you want to go and an idea of how you want to get there. This helps them to help you, and provides a way to ensure everyone is on track.

It’s therefore important that you define a VISION (WHICH IS FORWARD LOOKING) and a MISSION (DEALS WITH THE PRESENT) and share it with everyone involved in your business. THEN WORK WITH YOUR PEOPLE TO TURN THESE INTO GOALS AND MERGE THEM INTO A PLAN.

TO DO THIS WELL, THERE ARE 3 MAJOR GUIDELINES:

WHEREHOW&16 1716 17

WHERE & HOW? BE REALISTIC. By all means have a large and splendid vision, but be real-istic. One way of cross-checking is to work through a SWOT analysis, a technique credited to Albert Humphrey in the 1960’s, which is used to evaluate STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES and THREATS pertaining to a business venture.

Take some time to list a few points under each heading and being absolutely honest, strike a balance between what’s unrealistic and what you feel is achievable. (Be sure not to list the same opportunities or strengths available to, or those of your competitors. And while weaknesses and threats can seem disheartening, they can always be remedied, stopped, minimized and managed.)

2

STRENGTHSControllable personal or busi-ness attributes or elements that are helpful to achieving your vision (and goals)

THREATSPersonal or business attributes that may be beyond your control and which may place your vision (and goals) at risk

WEAKNESSESPersonal or business attri-

butes or elements that may detract you from achieving

your vision (and goals)

OPPORTUNITIESAttractive personal and busi-ness elements or opportuni-ties that support the reason

for your vision (and goals)

S W

OT

18 1918 19

Answers: (A) The mighty Apple Corporation—a company which provides some of the most innovative, beautifully designed, easy to use computers, operating systems, portable music players, mobile

phones and mobile computing devices on earth. (B) All of them

A: “................... is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative profes-sionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and internet offerings.”Compaq Dell Apple Toshiba Microsoft

B: “We are committed to maximizing stakeholder returns through high standards of excellence and the delivery of the most reliable, cost-effective and responsive services.”Hamburgers Neon Signs Lingerie Air-conditioners

2

IT IS OUR VISION TO BE THE BEST TIRE STORE IN TOWN WITHIN THREE YEARS. TO HELP US ACHIEVE THIS WE WILL STICK TO THE REPAIR TIME WE PROMISE YOU. WE WILL PROVIDE A CLEAN, COMFORTABLE WAITING ROOM, WITH FRESH COFFEE, COOL SODAS, SOFT MUSIC, LATE EDITION MAGAZINES AND TOYS FOR CHILDREN. OUR STAFF WILL WEAR CLEAN UNIFORMS WITH NAME TAGS, GREET YOU WITH A SMILE. WE WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED ON YOUR REPAIRS AND WORK ON YOUR CAR AS IF IT IS OUR OWN AND USED BY OUR FAMILIES. IF WE ARE UNABLE TO PROVIDE THE SERVICE OR REPAIRS YOU REQUIRE, WE WILL HAPPILY REDIRECT YOU TO A SHOP WHO CAN, AND IF REQUESTED, INSPECT THOSE REPAIRS AT NO CHARGE. WE WILL REASONABLY GUARANTEE OUR WORK AND PROVIDE A LOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICE 24 HOURS, 7 DAYS A WEEK.

Great example of a Vision and a Mission, shared with customers. (Found in Tire Shop in Oregon.)

WHERE & HOW? BE SPECIFIC. Any good advertising copywriter will tell you that vague statements are useless. SPECIFICS SELL, NON-SPECIFICS DON’T. A map without street names, accurate distances or geographic features is of little value.

When it comes to defining your Vision and Mission, it’s important to be as succinct, and specific as possible. The clearer you are about where you want to go and how you plan to get there, the easier it will be.

For some reason this lesson gets lost by many organizations. Consider the examples below: choose from (A) who you think has used the statement as part of their corporate communication, and in example (B) match the statement to the product being manufactured and sold.

See how nice and generic and vague they are? This is all too common. DON’T MAKE THIS MISTAKE. On the other hand many companies do provide a clearly defined, specific vision and mission statements.

BE ONE OF THESE.

20 2120 21

WHERE & HOW?WHAT GETS MEASURED, GETS DONE. Once you’ve figured out what you want to do and how you’d like to do it, it’s the time to flesh out a plan which in reality is simply a series of connected goals. It stands to reason therefore, that without goals you can’t have a plan.

You’ve probably gathered by now the importance of being specific when it comes to your vision and mission statements; well, precisely the same applies for goals. Perhaps more so, and if you can remember this, WHAT GETS MEASURED, GETS DONE, you’re halfway there.

A simple tool used by many for goal-development is the SMART approach (as outlined on the adjacent page) and which is hugely beneficial. HERE ARE THREE REASON WHY:

2

Finally, because they are written (documented), and specific (measurable), they are easy to DISTRIBUTE, share and discuss. This not only helps you to stay on track, it helps those around you to provide feedback and ideas, and of course, establish their own goals to support yours.

It captures them in such a way as to be easily MEASURED—or how else can you track their status and progress?

It requires that goals are WRITTEN. This clarifies thinking, turning intangible thoughts and desires into ‘physical statements’.

1

2

3

www.flickr.com/photos/cote/

YOUR GOALS MUST BE SPECIFIC AND EASILY UNDERSTOOD. THEY NEED TO BE MEASURABLE, OR HOW ELSE CAN YOU TRACK THEM? THEY SHOULD BE ACHIEVABLE, AND REWARDING. FINALLY THEY NEED TO BE SET TO A TIME-FRAME.

S.M.A.R.T. GOALS

22 2322 23

OUTLINE WHERE YOU WANT YOUR BUSINESS TO GO, AND HOW YOU SEE IT GETTING THERE. ADD A FEW MAJOR GOALS TO GET YOU STARTED.

MY VISIONWhere I want to go. (Looking forward.)

MY MISSIONHow I am going to achieve it. (What must be done now.)

GOALSEnsure your goals are specific, measurable, attainable, rewarding, and set to a time-line. Establish goals for each department, or area of your business. (Such as, Finance, Sales, Marketing, Human Resources, Administration, Legal and Regulatory, Supply, Inventory, Customer Service...)

WHERE & HOW?

START TODAY2

Complete by:

GOAL 1.

Complete by:

GOAL 2.

Complete by:

GOAL 3.

Complete by:

GOAL 4.

Complete by:

GOAL 5.

24 2524 25

photo: www.flickr.com/photos/striatic/

THE ‘X’-FACTOR Peter Drucker, the renowned writer and management consultant, considered by many experts as the founding father of the study of management, once stated that busi-ness has only two major functions;

MARKETING AND INNOVATION.

x

26 2726 27

[1] www.marketingpower.com/AboutAMA/ [2] The ‘marketing mix’ was a term introduced in 1953 by gentleman named Neil Boden. [3] The 4P’s classification, as it is widely known, was outlined in 1960 by a prominent marketer, E. Jerome McCathy. [4] My father’s response to my observa-tion, after spending day with him at work, that calling on prospects one at a time seemed like really hard work. He was a travelling salesman and I was eleven years old.

MARKETING = INNOVATIONIT’S IN THE DNA OF EVERY BUSINESSIf you’re in business, you’re marketing in one way or another. THE AMERICAN MARKETING ASSOCIATION (AMA) defines marketing as: ‘The activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.’[1]

HAL VENTER explains it this way; ‘The trick is to use IDEAS, tools and resources to efficiently manage the ‘marketing mix’[2] of product, placement, pricing, and promotion[3] so as to sell to as many people as quickly as possible, with the minimum of hassle–at a reasonable profit. And to do so in a manner that each customer will be delighted enough with their purchase to spread the word and return for more.’[4]

INNOVATION = IDEASIT’S IN THE DNA OF EVERY EMPLOYEE INNOVATION is commonly understood as the successful introduc-tion of a new product, service or process—which is substantially different—that a company can utilize to differentiate itself, grow or successfully compete. Those which lead to making an existing product, service or process better, is IMPROVEMENT. The starting point for all innovation and improvements originates with ideas. And ideas come from people. But no one knows when they’ll origi-nate, from whom, or what they’ll be. They are unique, unforeseen and unplanned, and which all companies need.

x

PRODUCT: A tangible product or an intangible service.

PRICE: The amount a customer pays

for a product or service, which is established by factors such as competition, material costs, market share, brand, perceived value (from the customer), supply and demand, and so on.

PLACEMENT: A location, real or virtual, where a product or service can be purchased.

PROMOTION: The communication used to appeal to, attract, inform, and educate customers. This includes major elements such as: advertising, public relations, point-of-sale, word-of-mouth, etc.

CUSTOMER VALUE: The benefits a customer receives (emotional and functional) divided by the costs they are prepared to give up to receive the benefits. (Emotional, financial, time, energy and effort).

CREATIVITY: The unique driver inherent in all people from which ideas arise, often at random places, at the oddest of times, from people the least expected to do so.

THE X-FACTOR: Ideas which

lead to something

substantially different

(INNOVATION) and those that lead to taking

something which exists and making

it better (IMPROVEMENT)

WHAT A BUSINESS CAN’T DO WITHOUT

28 2928 29

‘‘ ‘‘We are all born with a brain with two hemispheres. The right side tends to be more imaginative and intuitive than the left, which is logical and analytical. Evidence shows they’re non-exclusive, with one side helping the other with all the machinations required for us to function. One of these functions is creativity, the place where ideas are born.

PEOPLE HAVE IDEAS.THE MORE PEOPLE, THE MORE IDEAS.

REAL CREATIVE IDEAS ORIGINATE HITHER AND YON IN THE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF STAFF AND NO ONE CAN TELL IN ADVANCE WHAT THEY WILL BE OR WHERE THEY WILL CROP UP.Fran B. Jewett / Vice PresidentResearch and Development / AT&T / 1925 -1945

GROWTH REQUIRES INNOVATION.CALL ON YOUR RESOURCES TO HELP.

x

feelingimaginationphilosophy

believespossibilities

impetuousimages

risk taking fantasyspatialfuture

logicaldetailsscienceknowingstrategiespracticallanguagesafetyrealitypatternpast

A PERFECT COMBINATION FOR BUSINESS THINKING

NO SINGLE PERSON OR DEPARTMENT

EVERY PERSON HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PROVIDE WINNING IDEAS

30 3130 31

Coming-up with ways to improve the can (bigger, easier to open, lighter) is FLUID thinking. Coming-up with new ways to use the can (rolling-pin, bomb, paper-weight, signal flare) is FLEXIBLE thinking—and truly innovative. Most ideas come from fluid thinking. Big changes come from flexible thinking.

BOTH CAN UNCOVER THE X-FACTOR.

IMPROVEMENTS

INNOVATION

IDEAS. TRY IT FOR YOURSELFWhat improvements would you make to this can?How could you be innovative with this can?

x

32 3332 33

IDEAS COME NATURALLY.A PROCESS HELPS. History has shown that many fantastic ideas have come from employees at all levels within organizations, often resulting in vast new revenues or a substantial cut in costs, and on occasions both at the same time. Some have spawned entirely new product categories and industries.

The problem is that ideas cannot be generated on demand. Nor, as research shows, can they be driven by extrinsic rewards, such as money or large gifts. Likewise, initiatives such as ‘suggestion boxes’, which have been around for over a hundred years, and ‘brain-storming’, a concept originating in the 1930’S*, are now known to have limited impact. (This is not to say these have not provided many good suggestions or ideas—they have.)

HOWEVER, AS GOOD IDEAS ARE RANDOM, NO ONE CAN PREDICT WHERE, WHEN OR HOW THEY WILL PRESENT THEMSELVES AND THE MOST PRACTICAL WAY TO REVEAL THEM IS TO DEVELOP A BUSINESS WHERE CREATIVITY IS ENCOURAGED AND SUPPORTED—AND THIS REQUIRES A PROCESS.

*Accredited to Advertising Executive Alex Osborn, who wanted to improve the outcome of business meetings by suggesting that many quickly generated ideas could lead to the discovery of one, or a number of, good ones and that judgement should be held while ideas are being generated. Today research into this approach shows it has little to do with creativity, easily proven by the fact that many good deci-sions aren’t necessarily creative and creative decisions are not always good ones.

x

INVOLVEMENT

MANAGEMENT ALIGNMENT

RECOGNITION

34 3534 35

ENCOURAGE EVERYONE to be involved. This includes management taking time to listen to ideas—no matter how random or seemingly insignificant. Often ideas are in the very early stage of thought, with the benefits only clear to the person who owns an idea.

‘Aha’ moments are sparked by being ALIGNED to a purpose, even though it may not be considered important at that moment. (Later it may reveal itself to be of greater value than originally thought.) Once we give attention, even unconsciously, to a specific purpose, we tend to be more observant to things related to it, which in turn provides insight and information. Facts start falling into place, questions are asked and answers begin to evolve. Provide a bold point on the horizon at which staff can aim.

Research demonstrates that ideas cannot be generated on the premise of being rewarded. But they SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED. This does not have to be extravagant. (Promises of big rewards will stifle creativity.) Unless a problem or desire has an intrinsic value to an individual, there is little motivation to find an answer or solution. Fear, greed, ego, happiness, and pride are a few of the many drivers from which ideas arise. (By the way, because these are important to the individual, the act of creativity becomes self-starting.)

It is common to have ideas presented where the benefits are only clear to the person with the idea. Allow them time to explore their thoughts, to tinker around, experiment and shape their idea. But follow-up. To take ideas to a conclusion it’s important to PUT CONTROLS IN PLACE to evaluate each idea based on the value they offer the organization. Explaining this criteria to staff saves time by preventing ideas which make little sense or have no value from being tabled too early or unnecessarily.

YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO WILL COME-UP WITH A GREAT IDEA. SO HELP THEM TO HELP YOU.

x

INVOLVEMENT

MANAGEMENT

ALIGNMENT

RECOGNITION

‘HEY, I’VE HAD AN IDEA’

36 3736 37

If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it - ALBERT EINSTEIN. An idea that is devel-oped and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea - BUDDHA. We often refuse to accept an idea merely because the tone of voice in which it has been expressed

is unsympathetic to us - FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE.

Robert Collier / Motivational Author / 1885-1950

IDEAS. A MANAGEMENT TOOL.

x

I’m not sure if this can be quantified and need help to explore this opportunity

I think it may be possible to save or generate... $

The date I discussed this idea with my manager... ....... / ....... / .......

This is my idea:

This is why I think my idea will work:

Name: Date:Department:

My idea helps to save money.My idea helps to improve business efficiency.My idea helps get new customers.My idea helps to improve customer service.My idea helps to...............................................

The tangible results of this idea may be:An improvement (changes to what is already done) and/orAn innovation (an entirely new activity) for the companyI’m not sure.

I am aware of the CEO 30 day rule.

I have collected my reward.

Signed

38 3938 39

pPOSITIONINGBe known and remembered for something unique.

1613YEARS

AGO

1613YEARS LATER

THIS GUY WAS UNIQUE FOR BEING ABLE TO READ WITHOUT MOVING HIS LIPS. (ST. AMBROSE)

EACH OF US ARE EXPOSED TO AS MANY AS 3000 MARKETING MESSAGES PER DAY. HOW ARE YOU REMEMBERED?

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40 4140 41

POSITIONING. YOU HAVE TO BE REMEMBERED.

POSITIVELY.Our brain decides what to keep and what to throw-out. It filters (A) and limits how much stimuli we process and retain, and allows only selected data to enter our short-term memory (which can only hold so much for a limited amount of time). (B)

If this data or information* is important enough to us, it is transferred to the long-term memory where it can be retained for years, and in some cases, for the rest of our lives. (C)

THIS IS WHAT MARKETERS WANT—for their message to pass through the filters, into the short-term memory and finally, enter a customer’s long-term memory where it can be retained and recalled.

It is here where you can be thought about and talked about. And if this memory or awareness is appealing and positive, bingo, you’re closer to having customers wanting to buy your products or services. And once having done so, returning for more. THIS IS BASICALLY WHAT POSITIONING IS ALL ABOUT—‘placing your organization in the right part of the mind of your customers’, or in layman’s terms—‘being positively remembered’.

*Data being a collection of facts, statistics and items, and information being a collection of those things in a way that provides an understanding.

p

THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT.A POSITIVE AND SOLID LONG TERM POSITION IN THE MIND OF YOUR PROSPECTS AND CUSTOMERS.

Winston Churchill42 4342 43

p

POSITIONING.BE UNIQUE.Your competitors have the same objective, and to help knock them out of the way or reposition them, you have to differentiate yourself. You need to stand-out. Differentiation is what it is all about. After all, without it, businesses would have difficulty competing against one another. This is vital, and good marketing organizations go to great lengths to develop their differentiation and promote the heck out if it in order to position themselves in the minds of their target market.

2 Have your customers encounter an EXPERIENCE when dealing with your business

POSITIONING.PROVIDE AN EXPERIENCE. Usually we have an experience when encountering and observing something in a personal and engaging manner (and acquire a certain amount of knowledge as a result of it). The more emotionally involved we are, the more we retain—both positive and negative.

We know that when exposed to shocking or disturbing emotional occurrences, we are able to remember these for years. The same applies for highly enjoyable experiences. In short it can be said that long-term memory—precisely where we want our marketing messages to be retained—is helped by encountering well-defined experiences.

Make your customers aware of what’s UNIQUE about your business, products or services.1

44 4544 45

*A phrase invented by Rosser Reeves of Ted Bates and Company in the 1940’s.

POSITIONING. BE UNIQUE.DEFINE YOUR UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION Every organization has the opportunity to develop and promote some-thing unique about itself, its products and services.

A great way to define this is to develop and promote a ‘Positioning State-ment’, or a ‘Unique Selling Proposition’, (‘USP’)* which outlines the most unique, attractive and appealing benefit to buyers about a business, its products or its services. Hopefully one which cannot, or is difficult to be used by competitors. And BECAUSE A ‘USP’ OUTLINES A MAJOR ADVANTAGE OF A BUSINESS, PRODUCT OR SERVICE OVER THOSE OF ITS COMPETITORS, IT PROVIDES A PLATFORM FOR ALL OF ITS MARKETING EFFORTS.

Unless it’s blatantly obvious, such as having a totally unique product or service, the lowest pricing, or simply being the only operator in town, developing your USP requires analytical and creative thinking, often starting with questions such as these:

p

What unique BENEFIT OR BENEFITS do we, or can we, offer customers?

Do the benefits offer enough true or perceived VALUE to motivate customers to buy from us?

Are our benefits NOTABLY DIFFERENT from those of our competitors?

123

46 4746 47

POSITIONING. THINK UNIQUE.DON’T FORGET WHAT’S IN IT FOR THEM.It’s vital that your USP is recognized and understood as providing value for customers. This question must always be asked, and answered: “WHAT’S IN IT FOR THEM?”

TIPS ON DEVELOPING YOUR USP.Specifics sell, non-specifics don’t. The same applies to your USP, which is simply a statement provided by a seller but taking into account a buyer’s point of view. Buyers like specifics. It helps identify value.

It’s not ‘an airline’, it’s ‘the cheapest way to fly’. A ‘safe car’ is fine, but ‘a car 20% safer than others in its class’ is so much better. And who just wants a hamburger? A ‘half-pound, juicier, tastier hamburger’ is so much more appealing. Be specific, and quantify if you can.

On a point of motivation, when it comes to what drives a customer to purchase, a little psychology and practicality goes a long way. For many years marketers have understood that motivators to satisfy primary needs, such as for food, shelter, clothing, and safety have evolved into a much more interesting place. Thanks in part to ‘differentiation’, selling and buying has shifted from primary to secondary needs. The need for food has been replaced with a desire for gourmet meals. Designer labels trumps clothing, and shelter could as easily be ‘a bigger, better home than those of friends or neighbors’.

p

SELF-ACTUALIZATIONfulfillment, consciousness

AESTHETIC / COGNITIVEbeauty, order, knowledge

ESTEEMrespect, reputation, achievement

SOCIALfamily, friendship, interaction

SAFETYshelter, clothing, security

PHYSIOLOGICALfood, water, sleep

AIM TO SATISFY THESE NEEDS.

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

Abraham Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ regarding human motivation outlined that

people are motivated to satisfy primary needs before higher needs can be met. In today’s

world, primary needs are easily satisfied, and sales and marketing messages should

consider appealing to the higher needs.

(USE YOUR HEAD)

48 4948 49

POSITIONING. WHAT’S YOUR USP?

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1970’s Thanks to leaps in technology and process improvement, manufac-turers had the capability to roll-out well tested products off production lines in a consistent manner. Product reliability had become fairly well assured and worth promoting. So reliability became a marketing approach. It wasn’t long though before everyone was touting this claim, essentially standardizing it and watering down any competitive advantages.

1980’s It occurred to marketers that as products required servicing or repairs, outstanding customer service could be a competitive advantage. So service became the marketing approach for the 1980’s. But as with reliability, service soon became standardized forcing marketers to start scratching their heads and asking, “What now?”

1990’s Two things were evolving to change the landscape. The first was the emergence of a new type of consumer conscience, driven in some part by the desire for change from the 1980’s—a time many considered as the ‘financial (or greed) economy’. The second major thing unfolding was the emergence of the information, or knowledge era. The Internet had arrived. With this jump in easy, high-speed access to information, consumers could compare products and services, benefits and value, as never before. And they could share their views and customer experiences–good and bad–almost instantly, without censure, and globally. Word-of-mouth (or world-of-mouth) had taken on a whole new dimension. Almost overnight. Marketers realized this is an opportunity for a new channel of communication and promotion, beyond products or services, to include a total impression of the organization. As a result greater attention was given to branding, or the ‘brand experience’.

2000+ As consumer interaction with organizations became a ‘norm’, companies had to find ways to make this interaction more appealing and longer lasting. This led marketers to think about designing and improving the customer experience, all the way from product development to manufacturing to distribution and sales and service–and doing so across all areas where prospects and customers interacted with the organization, its management and staff, both physically and through advertising and promotions. The customer experience had come of age, and gave real weight to Experience Marketing.

POSITIONING = EXPERIENCEp

Buyers begin to demand, and expect, interactive

PARTICIPATION (experience) with the brand and its

organization.

2010

Reliability and Service becomes standardized

and buyers begin to shift purchasing according to

IMAGE OR BRAND personality.

2000

SERVICE becomes a marketing approach.

1990

RELIABILITY becomes a marketing approach.

1980

Global leap in Technology and

Process Management.

1970

THE PATH TO

‘EXPERIENCE

MARKETING’

PROVIDE AN EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS.

Unless totally unique, organizations, products and services can be EASILY FORGOTTEN. To help cement your positioning, customers need to encounter an experience when dealing with your business. This

requires ‘EXPERIENCE MARKETING’.

‘‘52 5352 53

THE GOAL OF EXPERIENCE MARKETING IS TO BE (POSITIVELY) MEMORABLE. IT’S GOOD FOR BUSINESS.According to Forrester research, consumers prefer better customers experiences over lower prices and better customer experiences drive higher revenue and profits. (When Forrester calculated contribution to the bottom-line from customer experiences, it found that revenue could be increased substantially. In the case of a retailer, it could be nearly $70 million.’)*

There are many components to experience marketing. Be sure to include the three primary ones...

STAGING - INTERACTION - ENJOYMENT

*Source: Posted by Natalie Petouhoff. http://blogs.forrester.com/business_process/2010/02/customer-experience-increases-the-bottomline-and-social-media-makes-changing-the-customer-experience.html

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The Experience EconomyB. Joseph Pine II & James H. Gilmore

54 5554 55

STAGING = A PLATFORM FOR AN EXPERIENCEProducers and Directors know that the look and feel of a stage or a set is a must to enhance a play, or a movie. Colors, lighting, props, sound, even smell, all add up to provide context to a story, making an audience’s experience more enjoyable and memorable. No reason why the same can’t be done for a business to enhance customer experience. (Walt Disney, the father of Experience Marketing, had this nailed. When he opened Disneyland in 1955, he took amusement parks to a new level by focusing on staging. He understood that by engaging and involving his guests (not customers) in a theme, on a ‘stage’, he’d create an enjoyable experience, which in turn meant they would stay longer, spend money, spread the word, return for more.)

INTERACTION = LEARNINGWhen a certain amount of knowledge or wisdom on a subject is acquired—by encountering it in a personal and engaging manner—the experience becomes more meaningful and longer lasting. But beware: vision and missions statements, advertising, brochures, elevator pitches, sales presentations, manuals, proposals and web sites may be packed with information, but when seen, heard or read by buyers, don’t neces-sarily equate to gaining knowledge through a personal and engaging experience. Encouraged to become directly involved in learning, buyers acquire a greater understanding of the organization, its products and services, and retain the information for longer. Better still, if it is interac-tive and enjoyable. Consider modern museums where visitors are able to touch, open, push buttons, pull levers, take apart and climb on exhibits. This mix of visual, auditory and kinesthetic* activities provides an enjoy-able learning process, helping visitors to gather information—through interactive and experiential means—allowing them to acquire knowledge on their own terms and remember it as an enjoyable experience. If your business can engage—and educate—customers, not only will they come back for more, they’ll bring others.

*Kinesthetic: Learning through a physical activity, rather than watching a demon-stration, reading a book, or listening to a lecture.

p

ENJOYMENT = A PLACE OF FUN AND SAFETYDoing business with an organization which comes across as up-tight and formal tends to create a guarded buyer. This does not mean a business environment needs to be relaxed or laid-back. But when buyers feel relaxed, they are open to new ideas and possibilities.

One way to do this is to provide entertainment, or be enter-taining, as part of an experience. Providing pleasure or amusement allows visitors to simply enjoy being in a place. It helps take the edge off. Music, videos, acts, books, and games, are means or activities to help, in a non-confronting manner, to comfort

customers and add to the experience of doing business with you.

YOUR BUSINESS

56 5756 57

POSITIONING. WHAT EXPERIENCE ARE YOU PROVIDING?

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58 5958 59

aADVERTISING SAYS TO PEOPLE, ‘HERE’S WHAT WE’VE GOT. HERE’S WHAT IT WILL DO FOR YOU. HERE’S HOW TO GET IT.

Leo Burnett / 1891-1971

Founder of the famous Advertising Agency, now known as Leo Burnett Worldwide, and accredited for having created the

‘Marlboro Man’, the ‘Pillsbury Doughboy’, ‘Toucan Sam’ and ‘Tony the Tiger’. He was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

‘‘‘‘

60 6160 61

ADVERTISING. PEOPLE WERE SCRATCHING MESSAGES ON ROCK WALLS 20,000 YEARS AGO.As long as humans have been communicating, they’ve been advertising. (Even the oldest profession had to promote their wares; think about it.) Its purpose is to persuade people to purchase products or services, or take some other action.

With the advent of mass production, advertising was all about PUSHING-OUT messages. Newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, were the basic mediums. Companies with deep pockets could reach many people across the nation at the same time. The next wave saw the arrival of serious direct marketing. It had become easier to identify target audiences by their demo-graphics (who and where) and psychographics (why and how) and deliver far more specific messages via catalogues, letters and pamphlets. And thanks to advances in telecommunication, targeting, database management and logistics, telemarketing came into its own. But still, advertising was mostly about PUSHING-OUT messages.

While the above approaches remain (and in some cases are in serious decline) the ‘new’ medium for advertising, prob-ably the most powerful ever, is the internet. For the first time, advertisers are able to truly shift from a pushing approach to a PARTICIPATORY ONE.

a

MESSAGE ACTION

(TRADITIONAL APPROACH)

(CURRENT APPROACH)

ADVERTISING

AUDIENCE

ORGANIZATION

ADVERTISING

AUDIENCE

ORGANIZATION

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_odyssey/

62 6362 63

According to Advertising Age, a leading industry publication, spending for the top 100 national advertisers plunged 10.2% in 2009. However, of those “with the guts to spend more”, 70% saw US sales increase at double the success rate of those whose spending declined.* It’s an old story but an important one—you’ve got to advertise.

Of course for many small business owners this seems like a time-consuming, costly and risky activity, although many agree, a necessary one. But doing it yourself is not nearly as difficult as often thought. (If you can afford to hire professionals, do so. But keep them accountable.)

TO HELP YOU ALONG, CONSIDER THESE TWO THINGS.

*See Advertising Age, June, 21, 2010

WHEN TED TURNER, THE BILLIONAIRE AND FOUNDER OF THE CABLE NEWS NETWORK CNN, WAS ASKED FOR HIS SECRET TO SUCCESS HE REPLIED,

“EARLY TO BED, EARLY TO RISE, WORK LIKE HELL AND

a

Follow a few TRIED AND TESTED GUIDELINES. (Don’t try to be too smart or creative.)

Tap into the WEB. (It makes advertising easier and cheaper than ever before.)

1

2

ADVERTISE”

64 6564 65

WHY DOES ONE ADVERTISEMENT WORK BETTER THAN ANOTHER SIMILAR ONE?USUALLY IT’S BECAUSE IT FOLLOWED A FEW GUIDELINES.

Advertisers want the best bang for their buck. But being a blend of art, sales skills, mathematics (media buying) and common sense, it’s not that easy to know what works and what doesn’t. This explains the millions spent on research. The good news is that it consistently shows that a few basic tried and tested principles help. HERE ARE A FEW. Use them to your advantage.

a

RESULTS COUNT—don’t advertise for the sake of advertising. Advertise for sales.

Every product or service has something someone will want. First figure out WHAT’S IN IT FOR THEM and the ‘how to advertise it’ becomes clearer.

Structure your advertising to AIDA: Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. And don’t forget ‘M’, for motivation, as in what motivates your audience to buy from you.

CLARITY is far more important than cleverness and superlatives.

Quantify, or highlight value whenever you can. (Allow me to say it again—SPECIFICS SELL, NON-SPECIFICS DO NOT.)

HEADLINES pull many more times than body-copy. Take your time developing one.

YOUR LOGO IS NOT YOUR HEADLINE.

Use images which relate to your product, service or offer. DON’T BE CUTE.

PEOPLE WILL READ BODY-COPY—even long copy—if well written, relevant, and they can understand what’s in it for them. But keep it simple (clarity) and make it sound like one person speaking to another.

Include A CALL TO ACTION. Make it easy for your audience to contact you.

Layout your advertisements, brochures, designs, signs, presentations, business cards, etc., FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. (See page 70)

66 6766 67

ADVERTISE. IF YOUR TARGET MARKET CAN SEE, HEAR, TOUCH, SMELL, TASTE (AND HAS FEELINGS) YOU HAVE A GAZILLION WAYS OF ENGAGING THEM WITH YOUR ADVERTISING MESSAGE.Business scholars are fast to point out that adver-tising is only one component of the promotional mix (and that face-to-face selling is included in the mix). They’re right. But don’t get caught up in technicalities.

Where, and whenever, you get the chance to communicate (advertise) your message, do so.

The more your audience sees, reads or hears about you, the better. JUST BE CONSISTENT IN YOUR THEME, UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION, (OR UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION) AND STYLE.

a

ARTICLESBILLBOARDSBROCHURESBULLETIN BOARDS DIRECT MAIL E-MAIL EDITORIALSEVENTSFLYERSMAGAZINESNETWORKINGNEWSLETTERSNEWSPAPERSNOVELTIESONLINE

POSTERSPRESENTATIONSPRESS RELEASES REPORTS RADIOSPEAKINGSPECIAL EVENTS SPECIAL OFFERSTELEMARKETINGTELEVISIONTEXT MESSAGEST-SHIRTS WEB-SITESYELLOW PAGESMORE....

IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO THESE, USE THEM TO PROMOTE YOUR MESSAGE.

68 6968 69

WE READ FROM HERE...

X

X

...TO HERE.

*In the Western World. **Edmund C. Arnold is considered by many as the ‘father of modern newspaper design’ and respon-sible for more than 250 newspaper designs.

a

SEE FOR YOURSELF. SELECT WHICH OF THE BELOW LAYOUTS IS THE MOST COMFORTABLE TO READ.

IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS BY 10% WITHIN 3 MONTHS.

IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS BY 10% WITHIN 3 MONTHS.

IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS BY 10% WITHIN 3 MONTHS.

IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS BY 10% WITHIN 3 MONTHS.

g=2xpand

g=2xpand

g=2xpand g=2xpand

ADVERTISE. MAKE IT EASIER FOR YOUR AUDIENCE TO READ YOUR ADVERTISING. YOU’LL SELL MORE.Advertising (design) layouts must be comfortable on the eye, easy to read, and make sense—before worrying about being fantastically creative.

HERE’S A TIP; Because of the way we read,* our eye tends to be automatically attracted to the top left of a page - or any graphic design. It then sweeps left to right down the page

to the bottom right hand corner. Asking the eye to back-track towards the ‘X’s creates reading or visual resistance. Research (including Edmund Arnold’s Gutenberg Diagram model**) informs us that any design which contradicts this natural flow, is easily disregarded.

HERE ARE A FEW MORE TIPS; Headlines are meant to flag-

down readers. And as up to five more people will read headlines, than the body-copy, this is where the selling starts. Use sub-headlines to pull readers through your body-copy. Keep you copy in columns. It’s easier to read. Never use more than three typefaces. (Keep it simple.)

70 7170 71

ADVERTISE. TRY IT FOR YOURSELF Take one of your existing advertisements, a page from a brochure, even a powerpoint slide, and redesign its layout following the basic guidelines on the previous page.

DOODLE IF YOU NEED TO...

a

LAN

DSC

APE

PORTRAIT

72 7372 73

ADVERTISE ONLINE.(GO BEYOND YOUR WEB SITE) EASY ACCESS: Nearly everyone in business has the means to utilize the internet to advertise, As with traditional mediums, advertisers can go global, regional, or local. In all cases people have the means to easily find you—thanks to search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, and youtube. (There are hundreds more.)

INSTANTANEOUS: Advertising can be created and delivered virtually on the spur of the moment. There are no deadlines, or waiting periods. Now folks can produce an advertisement and publish it at will. The same can be said for measuring responses. Once you’re online, people are able to respond immediately.

COST EFFECTIVE & MEASURABLE: Advertising on the internet can be both free or paid for. ‘Pay-for-performance’ models and easy to access and use tools make for highly efficient means to measure ‘Return On Investment’ (ROI)

PARTICIPATORY: In traditional media, advertising is about pushing a message outwards (one way). With the internet, an organization can now engage and interact with its target audience.

INTERCONNECTED: The internet is loaded with communities and (social) networks providing groups of people the means to bond and exchange facts, views and ideas aligned to particular interests, topics or causes.

RETU

RN O

N IN

TERA

CTIO

N (R

OI)

RETU

RN O

N IN

VEST

MEN

T (R

OI)

*Source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm / including Nielsen Online and International Telecommunications Union.

a

People use the internet in North America*

It took approximately 38 years for Radio to reach 50,000,000 people in the USA. Television took around 13 years to do the same. The internet achieved this in 5 years.

59,000,000+

38

13

5

74 7574 75

ADVERTISE. BE SOCIAL.There are many online marketing tools avail-able to business owners—web sites, search engine results, online classified ads, banner advertising, e-mail, texting, and rich media (audio, video or special effects). However, the internet offers more. Consider this; she can

conceptualize, write, design, produce a video, distribute a message to thousands of people, get people to forward it on, and she can track responses and results—ALL WITHIN A FEW HOURS.

She’s thirteen years old and there are millions just like her. Their trick? SOCIAL NETWORKING using blogs, texts and e-mail through sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, My Space and YouTube. (There are hundreds more which are easily accessible, and a great place to promote your business at little or no direct cost.)

What makes this approach particularly powerful is that it’s all about engagement through communication—which of course is the essence of the selling process (listening, adjusting, adapting and responding). By engaging directly, in real time, with its target market, a business can exchange ideas and feedback, helping to promote and refine its offer, products, services and brand awareness, which, if done well, leads to sales.

I understand that for newbies this process can be confusing, and I suggest you explore guidelines, ideas and lessons. But don’t worry, there are many resources to help you find, or create your own, social network groups. Groups with relevance to, or an interest in your type of organization, product and service with whom you can engage with an appealing story. Get this half right and these groups will in turn, connect, share and discuss your organization with others. And the more who share your story, the more you will become known.

a

I DISLIKE...

I HEAR YOU...

I WANT...

MY STORY

I SUGGEST...

I’LL BUY TWO MORE!

76 7776 77

= NEGOTIATE= SALES

n

pandTHE THOUGHT OF NEGOTIATION

Karen AdamedesAuthor and Motivational Speaker.Hot Tips For Career Chicks. Page 117

‘‘‘‘

CAN BE INTIMIDATING, CONJURING UP IMAGES OF CORPORATE MERGERS, INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES AND UNITED NATIONS’ PEACE TREATIES, BUT DON’T WORRY: A NEGOTIATION IS SIMPLY A PROCESS OF COMING TO AN AGREEMENT. THAT’S SOMETHING YOU DO EVER DAY, SEVERAL TIMES A DAY, ALTHOUGH YOU MAY NOT BEAWARE OF IT.

78 7978 79

SELLING IS NEGOTIATION.NEGOTIATION IS SELLING. Depending on the definition, people negotiate largely to enhance their own outcomes. But wait, isn’t this generally the same as selling? Purists may argue there’s a difference. I’m not sure what it is. So for the sake of simplicity, let’s call it selling. As Karen points out on the previous page, it is something we all do many times each day—unless of course you own or manage a small business, when it’s pretty much part of your life. Certainly your livelihood.

This is why there are hundreds of sales courses. IF YOU’VE NEVER TAKEN ONE, I SUGGEST YOU DO. Take more than one course and you’ll notice a few things remain consistent...

There are ‘NO BORN SALES PEOPLE’. Sure there are those who have a nature suited to the disciplines, but there are lessons worth learning.

SELLING IS COMMUNICATION—which is the ability to exchange facts and opinions through dialogue (or, when advertising, through other media.)

It’s a RELATIONSHIP GAME. Sales start before the deal is made and lasts long after it’s completed.

It’s HARD WORK which requires discipline, perseverance and a positive attitude. And a smile. A genuine one. (If you don’t enjoy selling, don’t make life hard for yourself, or your customers.)

You have to believe, REALLY BELIEVE in what you’re selling. If you don’t, it’s going to be a long, tough road.

HONESTY AND INTEGRITY ARE NON-NEGOTIABLE. Lie to your customers and you’ll soon be out of business (not to mention making a bad name for decent sales-people).

n

American Industrialist, Jean Paul Getty said, “I buy when other people are selling.” Nothing, not one thing in this booklet counts for anything if you’re not selling. This is a fact. It’s a curious anomaly then, that so many organizations spend a fortune on marketing ONLY TO BE HELD BACK AT THE SALES COUNTER BY POORLY TRAINED, OR DISINTERESTED, EVEN SURLY SALES PEOPLE.

The acronym, ABC, Always-Be-Closing, is a vital component to the success of any business. This does not mean a sales person has to be pushy or demanding. On the contrary. Forcing someone to buy is not selling. It’s being a bully. Smart sales people know there are far better ways to engage a person and sell (or negotiate) IN A MANNER WHERE EVERYONE COMES AWAY SMILING.

80 8180 81

SELLING. A CRASH COURSE.If someone is dying of thirst and you have a glass of water for sale, you’re not selling, they are buying. 99% of the time no one is dying of thirst, so a sales process is required.

This process includes a number of activities, the most important being listening. Here’s why: selling is about satisfying a buyer’s needs. The sellers job is to help uncover and clarify those needs and turn them into wants, and finally, a purchase—and do so in a way a buyer is happy to give up - time, money, effort - in return for the benefits - time, practicality, financial, convenience, emotional, ego, health - resulting from a purchase.

BUT THERE IS A COMMON PROBLEM. Until a salesperson understands a customer’s real needs, providing a solution too early is a sure way of losing a sale. This is a common mistake, and something we all experi-ence as buyers. We enter a store, and before we know it a sales person is hitting us with features and benefits about a particular product, and we sense a resistance within ourselves. Right? This is normal. Often buyers are uncertain of their own needs, and until comfortable they will have the tendency to revert to a state of mind where it’s safer not to purchase than to do so. And because sales people focus on what they think a buyer needs (even though they may be correct) they have to work hard at over-coming the buyer’s resistance. Which in turn only creates more resistance.

WHICH BRING US BACK TO LISTENING. Good sales people follow the steps as shown in the illustration alongside. And really good sales people spend most of their time listening, aware that as the buyer talks, their needs become clearer to themselves and they begin to see and articulate a solution. When this happens they will rarely have objections to their own solution. The key then is to get people to talk about their needs and allow them to shift them to wants.

Of course there’s a little more to the selling process, but in reality a good place to start (by asking questions) is to get the buyer to talk—while you listen. DO THIS WELL, AND YOUR SALES WILL INCREASE.

n

The buyer’s view of their

needs or problems

The seller’s view of the buyers’ needs or problems

The seller’s view of the solution

The buyer’s view of the

solution

According to research Carried out by the Huthwaite Institute, a study of 35,000 sales calls (Spin Selling, McGraw-Hill 1988) indicates that successful sales people spend about three times longer in #1 than unsuccessful salespeople.

Unaware or badly trained sales people jump from #1 directly to #4

1 2

43

3x

82 8382 83

d Grow, or stand stillTwo words: where & howInnovate or be left behindPosition yourself (be different)Advertise, advertise, advertiseNegotiate (sell something)

DELIGHT THE HELLOUT OF PEOPLEIt’s simply really. Treat any prospect or customer the way you’d like to be treated. Don’t forget the wisdom (and fact) that it’s a heck of lot cheaper to keep a customer than find a new one.

So be nice.

d

g=2xpand

84 8584 85

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.Calvin Coolidge.President of the United States / 1923 -1929

g=2xpand

FINALLY STACY,REMEMBER THIS...‘‘ ‘‘

Corporate CreativityAlan G. Robinson & Sam SternSmart SellingPeter McCloy

Hot Tips For Career ChicksKaren Adamedes

Marketing To The Social WebLarry Weber

The Experience EconomyB. Joseph Pine II & James H. Gilmore

The Million Dollar MemoirsBlaine Demlow

Positioning. The Battle For The Mind.Al Ries & Jack TroutArt Of Writing CopyHerschell Gordon Lewis

SUGGESTED READING:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

For more than 20 years I have been marketing (and selling) some-thing, to someone, somewhere on the planet.

I’ve done this for international giants (VP of Global Marketing for an organization BusinessWeek® magazine ranked 5th in the world’s top telecommunication companies and 118th in the world’s top 1000 global organizations), and many smaller operations.

Along the way I’ve been involved in hundreds of sales pitches, presentations, work-shops and keynote talks, providing me with unique marketing experience and invaluable lessons: Lessons I now share with folks from all walks of life and businesses.

It’s what I do. It’s my passion.

FABIAN VENTER

fabian@fabianventer.com

86 8786 87