Daniel Pink is one of my favorite authors and his "To Sell Is Human" and "Drive" are two of my favorite books.
One of the most watched TED videos of all time is his discussion on the science of motivation. If you don't want to spend the time reading his books, spend 20 minutes and watch the video.
Then you will want to read the books.
In essence he argues that the way modern management attempts to motivate employees is not supported by current science. If you have repetitive tasks that do not require creative problem solving, the standard incentive programs (i.e. money) work well. But for today's problem solving business model, monetary incentive programs do not.
Don't believe me. Watch the video, read the books, examine the science yourself.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Friday, October 17, 2014
The Law of Leadership
In Al Ries & Jack Trout's 1993 marketing classic - The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Violate Them At Your Own Risk - the very first law is The Law of Leadership.
"The basic issue in marketing is creating a category you can be first in."
Being first is a commanding position to occupy, especially as time goes on. They go on to ask a fairly simply question, "What's the name of the first person to fly across the Atlantic Solo?"
Charles Lindbergh.
Who was the second? I sense silence.
With every client, I spend time asking them what makes them different than the competition. And I preface it by saying the answer is not "great employees, marvelous customer service, family owned, years in business, etc." Everyone says these things, so no one can own this positioning. It turns out that answering the question "what makes you better than the competition" is harder to answer than you think. And for the record, few consumers really care how long you have been in business (it didn't help Montgomery Wards), they don't care that you are family owned, and they don't believe all of your employees are the very best.
What can you tell your clients and prospects about you and your business that makes you number one in their eyes?
Frequently the answer stares you in face. It can be a fact that everyone already knows, but nobody is claiming ownership of it. In the pizza business it might be "We deliver rain or shine." Do all pizza companies deliver rain or shine? Of course. But if you are first to claim this position, you have the chance to own the position in the mind of the consumer. When the other pizza chains start advertising that they also deliver rain or shine, are they leading or following? In the pizza business today, you have to deliver. Why not position yourself as the leader in delivery?
What service do you provide that is important in the mind of your clients?
When you think of fast food and breakfast, who do you think of? McDonald's. They pioneered drive through breakfast.
If I say Pizza, Pizza, you think of Little Caesars. At least around here.
The point is, find a relevant point about your business where you can be seen as a leader and claim it. And keep in mind, if you don't tell the prospect/client, you will not receive credit.
By the way, Bert Hinkler was the second person to fly solo across the Atlantic.
"The basic issue in marketing is creating a category you can be first in."
Charles Lindbergh.
Who was the second? I sense silence.
With every client, I spend time asking them what makes them different than the competition. And I preface it by saying the answer is not "great employees, marvelous customer service, family owned, years in business, etc." Everyone says these things, so no one can own this positioning. It turns out that answering the question "what makes you better than the competition" is harder to answer than you think. And for the record, few consumers really care how long you have been in business (it didn't help Montgomery Wards), they don't care that you are family owned, and they don't believe all of your employees are the very best.
What can you tell your clients and prospects about you and your business that makes you number one in their eyes?
Frequently the answer stares you in face. It can be a fact that everyone already knows, but nobody is claiming ownership of it. In the pizza business it might be "We deliver rain or shine." Do all pizza companies deliver rain or shine? Of course. But if you are first to claim this position, you have the chance to own the position in the mind of the consumer. When the other pizza chains start advertising that they also deliver rain or shine, are they leading or following? In the pizza business today, you have to deliver. Why not position yourself as the leader in delivery?
What service do you provide that is important in the mind of your clients?
When you think of fast food and breakfast, who do you think of? McDonald's. They pioneered drive through breakfast.
If I say Pizza, Pizza, you think of Little Caesars. At least around here.
The point is, find a relevant point about your business where you can be seen as a leader and claim it. And keep in mind, if you don't tell the prospect/client, you will not receive credit.
By the way, Bert Hinkler was the second person to fly solo across the Atlantic.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Google 4 Wheel Drive Diversified
I was reading an article earlier today that talked about how you no longer needed to put a "Click Here" button in a display ad. "People know that you can click on an ad and it will take you to there advertiser's web site." And it got me to thinking...
When I worked for the Local Fox Toledo station, I had a client who ran the most interesting TV campaign that I was ever involved with. He bought short TV commercials - 5 seconds as I remember. The message was easy to remember. "Google 4 Wheel Drive Diversified".
He knew he did not have a large budget and could not afford 30 second TV spots. He could not pick and choose when his spots ran. So he gave me a budget and said every time you can run one of my spots, do it. Some months he had 100 spots. Some he had 17. And his web address was difficult to get out in 5 seconds and it certainly wasn't easy to remember - www.divtrk.com.
But he knew that Google would remember the address for him.
And the campaign drove a lot of traffic to his web site.
So I am going to try to use this approach in a digital format. For a client (to be named later) I am going to run a targeted display campaign that says "Need help with... Google insert a client's name here". To drive traffic to the client's web site.
Bet it works. I'll report back.
"Cruise it, use it or abuse it."
When I worked for the Local Fox Toledo station, I had a client who ran the most interesting TV campaign that I was ever involved with. He bought short TV commercials - 5 seconds as I remember. The message was easy to remember. "Google 4 Wheel Drive Diversified".
He knew he did not have a large budget and could not afford 30 second TV spots. He could not pick and choose when his spots ran. So he gave me a budget and said every time you can run one of my spots, do it. Some months he had 100 spots. Some he had 17. And his web address was difficult to get out in 5 seconds and it certainly wasn't easy to remember - www.divtrk.com.
But he knew that Google would remember the address for him.
And the campaign drove a lot of traffic to his web site.
So I am going to try to use this approach in a digital format. For a client (to be named later) I am going to run a targeted display campaign that says "Need help with... Google insert a client's name here". To drive traffic to the client's web site.
Bet it works. I'll report back.
"Cruise it, use it or abuse it."
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