How To Get The Most Value From Your Sales Training
Ebbinghaus would tell us that most of our training is quickly forgotten, never applied and never placed “in service.”
PODS – What Do You Have In Your Storage?
How storing your stuff got easier, the story of portable on-demand storage.
Learn how to make Google’s success your own. Use search intent to grow your business.
Here’s how John tailored his marketing strategy to cater to the different types of search intent.
Full Price and Free — The Only Two Prices You Need
The public thinks that if you’re “still making money” at a discount, then the discounted price is — or ought to be — the “real” price.
THE WIZARD (bi)WEEKLY
Twice a month we’ll send our best advice, no strings attached.
Let’s grow your business.
No spam. No nonsense.
Reframing Art, Bridging Generations.
Reframing brings old ideas into new perspectives, which changes the way you feel about something and leads to new decisions.
Kenners Star Wars Toys – Thinking Outside The Empty Box
Kenner and Lucas make a last minute deal and an unconventional sales strategy wins the Toy Wars.
5 Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Should Be Servant Leaders
Servant leadership has been shown to increase participation from team members, as they feel more valued and appreciated.
Your Branding Is Bass Awkwards. Here’s Why & How to Fix It
You think I’m exaggerating. Other people might be making this mistake, but not you. But you’re wrong.
Partner Book of the Month
Latest Monday Morning Memo
Find Advice By Tag
adspeak bad times billboards bonding brandable chunks branding case studies customer behavior design digital direct response entertainment Facebook Ads inspiration leadership managing marketing costs mass media media buying misconceptions mistakes origin story persuasion print radio recruiting relational buyers research sales salespeople share of mind share of voice social media standing out targeting television transactional buyers whiskey writing
Sleemans – John Sleeman – My Aunt Had The Original Beer Recipe Book
What do pirates, Al Capone, and getting your name and trademark have to do with Sleeman’s beer?
3 Fundamental Misperceptions About Local Advertising
Number One: Assuming you have to rationally explain why you’re better than the competition.
Are you considering using Google Ads to promote your business online?
Before you invest your time and money, consider these essentials.
THE ROYAL WHOREHOUSE CHICKEN LAMP Or How to Attract Better Customers & Keep Them Longer
In the next few minutes, I will explain. And blow your mind.
RX Bars – Could you fire your Mom?
CrossFit and paleo diets led to the creation of RX Bars. Starting with only $10K, they sold for over $600M.
The Fundamentals that Remain
The fundamentals in marketing are explained brilliantly by Professor Mark Ritson who breaks it down into 3 logical parts.
Measuring Employee Engagement And Satisfaction (The Right Way)
High worker satisfaction companies outperform low worker satisfaction companies by 202 percent.
PPC Is Not Advertising
PPC is to advertising what those blue services signs are just before a freeway exit; I want gas, there’s a list of them. Which gets picked?
Famous Amos – We Hope He Made $100M In The Last Sale
He got brought back and might have got a return on the final sale just because he liked baking cookies.
What NOT To Say In Your Advertising
Here are three steps to determine what to NOT to say. Pinky-swear that you’ll never, ever, EVER forget this in your advertising.
Why Character-driven Ads Outperform Logic-driven Ads
They stand out because they elicit emotions and, more importantly, bond with your audience.
Dyson – It sucks, but not enough.
That is the prospect’s dissatisfaction. 5,136 iterations later the problem is solved.
For Everything Else There’s — Perhaps the Most “Priceless” Ad Campaign of the Last 25 Years!
Repetition-Break ads are more creatively awarded, and, yes, creatively awarded ads create better ROI.
Someone’s Head Has Got to Roll
Since Marketing Heads are evaluated on a short-term basis, they don’t have enough runway to see returns from investing in brand-building.
Bundle Pricing: The Best Way To Differentiate Your Product
It takes courage and confidence to bundle. But done right, you will increase your conversions, average sale, and profit (C.A.P.).
The Jet Business – Close To The Money, Not Close To The Airport
I just had to walk in. Who puts a jet in the front window of an office building in London’s financial district?
The Seattle Kraken’s Secret Revealed and Fool’s Gold.
You know how the Wizard of Ads is always talking about third-gravitating bodies? You can see it being used here with the colour.
Doritos, Brand Codes, and that Super Bowl Ad
Why would Doritos pay $12 million to waste, like, 55 seconds NOT showing the product? The answer is Brand Codes.
Curiosity is Creativity’s Roommate
The process of thinking creatively is not easy for most. Let me explain using a body part that looks the same but is not equal.
The 3 Most Important Advertising Charts You’ll Ever Lay Eyes On
Chart 3: Why small companies and large companies require opposite media strategies.
Black & Decker – Making A Better Drill.
Other businesses failed when the war ended because what they were manufacturing was no longer needed.
The Best Blog Post Ever Written
I drove past a place called “Best China Restaurant” hundreds of times and instinctively knew that this was not, in fact, the best out there.
Leadership And Culture: Catalysts For Sustainable Success
Workers are raising their standards on what they expect from their working environment.
The Only “Brand Attribute” You MUST Own
This is why IBM could famously charge more for less capable systems than upstart, hi-tech competitors.
The secret sauce of persuasion: storyselling
Stories live between what is real and what the consumer wishes were real.
Mrs. Fields – Why Does The Mall Smell So Delicious?
How giving away free samples created an empire of 250 stores worldwide in just 15 years.
The 4 Major Jungian Archetypes
You’re thinking, “Jungian archetypes? What can I do with that?” Understanding what resonates with customers can help you speak to their needs.
Faster, Bigger Ad Results Through Social Engineering
Check out this recent McDonald’s ad directed by the legendary Edgar Wright to understand how it works.
Leatherman – Is It A Tool? Is It A Knife? That Was The Problem.
Why did it take ten years to make the first sale?
How To Use A Closing ARC To Sell More Stuff Today
Closers aren’t pushy, but they are persistent as all get out. Why? Because they have a secret weapon to close the sale.
Creating authentic conversational radio ads step-by-step
Conversation is, unfortunately, incredibly difficult to write — especially when you write by the rules of good grammar.
Why WOM & Viral Marketing Can’t Drive Growth
This isn’t opinion, it’s the result of an internet study of “a billion diffusion events on Twitter.”
Demographics – Why There Is Such A Shortage Of Workers
For the first time in 70 years, people leaving and joining the workforce have reached the balance point.
Branded vs. Unbranded Keywords (A Case Study of a Real Company)
If we didn’t track them separately, we wouldn’t see unbranded keywords were losing us money.
A Powerful Secret to Great Ads
Powerful ads are the few that stand out in your mind because they made an impression. Here’s how that happens.
Shreddies – Good good whole wheat Shreddies
Find out how a simple twist made all the difference to their advertising and promotion.
What Can You Do To Motivate A Team?
How do you know when your team is lacking motivation? What are the telltale signs you should look out for, and what can you do?
Brand Codes in a World of Continuous Partial Attention
We are all, as T.S. Eliot wrote, “distracted from distraction by distraction.” So how can you craft ads capable of working?
Bringing Newcomers into the Labor Pool
Find better people by focusing less on hard skills like technical training. Look for attitude and coach-ability instead.
Marketing Predictions for 2023 (?)
Before I question my Ogilvy & Mather Tarot Cards and tell you exactly what will happen, let’s see if past predictions have held up.
Heinz – his favorite number was 5, and hers was 7
From debtors prison to the fastest-growing company in America.
How CORE Principles Shape Your Ultimate Success
You can’t bring all of your employees into a room and shout out what you think makes you successful and hope it works.
Persuasion, Pre-Suasion, and the “Privileged Moment”
Changing prospects’ state of mind prior to asking more than doubled the success rate.
Hire Veterans Reentering the Local Job Market
Over and over we hear employers raving that their best employees are veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Oldsmobile – launched the car industry by outsourcing, creating spinoffs like Dodge
He came up with how to outsource parts to smaller manufacturers before outsourcing was even a word.
The Dream of Discomfort. The dreams of millionaires.
What if you created more discomfort by doubling your sales leads? How motivated would you be to solve the problem then?
Value Proposition: Stand Out From The Competition
The only way you can have a clear message is if you speak the same language as your customers.
Advertising in Hard Times: 3 Quick, Easy, and Essential Lessons
If you continue to invest in long-term brand building through an economic downturn, you will overtake your competition.
Fables are Better than Facts
If all you do is list facts, you’ve created a documentary… not an advertisement. Advertisements are made to persuade.
Uncle Nearest – Story trumps almost everything
Learn how Fawn, with no distilling background, turned this story into one of the fastest growing whiskey distilleries in America.
Consumer Behaviour’s Reliance on Today’s Social Media
The real trick to winning on social media today is entertainment.
Labels are tattoos on your brain
The label is based on absolutes, like everything is binary: black or white, truth or lie, right or wrong.
Brand Codes: Lessons from a $65 Million Re-Branding Disaster
First, what the hell are brand codes? And how do they strengthen memory structures while increasing profits?
The Personality Prescription, Part 14 – The Local Labor Pool
Prospective employees who only skim will miss the specific instruction that will get their resume considered.
M.M. Lafleur – High Function, High Style
They said, “Fashion’s not bought that way.” And she looked at them and said, “But you guys are all fashionistas.”
An Epic Guide To Local SEO
46 percent of all Google searches have local intent. Every business with a physical location needs to understand local SEO.
These dreams are made of these
Our son, not yet 16 years old, left home. He has a dream to play professional baseball. I love dreams, but they come with sacrifices.
Do Your Ads Romanticize What Your Customers Actually Want to Buy?
“The customer rarely buys what the company thinks it’s selling him.” — Business Management Legend, Peter Drucker
The end of the journey
You train your people to deliver the best service that you can provide. But have you optimized the end of the journey?
Hallmark – When you care enough to send the very best.
It’s rare to find a $5 billion company founded in 1910 that is still owned by the family today.
Personality Prescription, Part 13 – Finding Talent
Employees who believe in and share company values reduce turnover to as little as 4% of the typical company.
Sales Funnel Optimization: The Myths and Facts
How’s your sales funnel looking? Is it optimized for conversion? If not, what can you change to improve it?
Get the kid a Grammy
The batter flopped around on the ground like a salmon. Tyler, from shortstop, yells out, “Get the kid a Grammy. He’s acting the hell out of it.”
Be Who You Are — A KFC Case Study
The Colonel was seen as old, outdated, and associated with the old south. Tragically unhip for a newer, younger audience.
Don’t Mess with Texas – Don’t do it.
How Texas got cleaner highways through an anti-littering campaign that never used the word litter.
Strange Limiting Beliefs
The strangest belief I see nowadays is, “I love my digital person; can I keep using them” when they don’t know what’s under the hood.
But What About the Rest of Us?
The direct response ad industry, which includes most of what you see online, is built upon hyper-targeting to those scant percentages of people shopping today.
Brand Loyalty and the Chamber of Secrets
Measuring brand loyalty includes involvement, price worthiness, emotional value, social value, brand trust, satisfaction, commitment, and repeat purchase.
HOPE gets crushed when Despair uses a megaphone
The only advertising that gets customers immediately is through discounts. I’ve seen this picture before, and I don’t like the ending.
Metaphor Proves Crucial for Harnessing Emotions for Increasing Ad Effectiveness
When participants returned for recall testing a week later, there was a significant difference.
Personality Prescription, Part 12 – The Perils of Celebrity
It’s shocking how many reputational problems are the result of dumb decisions by the company spokesperson.
Creemore Springs Brewery and the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516
Most breweries would say, “We’ve got this great quality product brewed with this really nice spring water.” But they went a different way.
Treat Your Job Seekers Like Customers
The job market is becoming more competitive and companies are struggling to find the right talent.
To all the things you owned before
Accountants are mostly historians. They use past data to predict the future. Marketers are writers of the future and use words to create it.
Are you Brand Handicapped?
Big corporate entities have warped the definition of Brand. Why? To handicap their competition. Which is you. The little guy.
Phone Number Rant – We don’t need them anymore?
And don’t get me started on LOOOOONG domain names. Your designers and marketers should know better.
Branding “Cheat Codes” for Explosive Growth
It’s much faster for me to convince you that other people already believe X about brand Y than to change your personal perceptions.
Survival Mode And Buyer Archetypes
The answer is to get better at identifying and closing more sales of both Transactional Shoppers and Relational Buyers.
Every Day Is Election Day For Your Brand
Are you guilty of voter suppression? I’m not referring to second Tuesday in November voters.
Pizza is not like its Italian cousins
Price is the easiest to match. Competitors will drive you out of business using this strategy when they have more money than you.
Personality Prescription Part 11 – You Should Be a Celebrity
The campaign we create around your values and personality will, like all good image advertising, continue to work better the longer we use it.
Kool-Aid – Owning the customer from every angle
Edwin Perkins took inspiration from Jello to create a mail order empire. Oh Yeah! From a General Store to a major brand.
Brand it Like Bogie
Four simple-as-dirt branding lessons from Casablanca on how to become irresistible to customers & impervious to competitors.
The Secret to Changing People’s Minds With Advertising
There are at least three proven methods for changing people’s minds on even intensely personal and polarizing issues.
Chaos is a pattern
The chaos of advertising is a repeatable success formula when you know how to identify the patterns. The real issue is what is said.
Google Map Pack Essentials
The first thing to understand about the Google Map Pack is that local businesses, not chains, are given priority.
Rolls Royce – Selling just the Brand.
Bentley and Rolls Royce. You’ll be shocked when you learn what was sold, licensed, and protected. An epic story of Brand.
The sun sets at quarter past seven on the sixth day of September
My ex-business partner didn’t understand the food was secondary to the view.
The House with the Good Candy
A recent study found that a whopping 90 percent of parents get their kids’ input before buying something.
How to Calculate Your Mass Media Branding Budget
A great media buyer can make a smaller budget bark like a bigger one, but you still need to spend according to growth goals.
Personality Prescription, Part 10 – The Company Spokesperson
People don’t expect you to be a polished professional. They do expect you to be sincere and to tell them the truth as you see it.
Behavioral Retargeting: Bring The Right Folks Back In
Have you browsed a website, checked out a product then left, only to find the same item on a Facebook ad?
Character, statues, and a promise no one else will make
“Do you know what you’re selling?” “Custom-made furniture.” “God no. That’s the product. You’re selling nostalgia.”
Whole Foods – How passion became an empire
Founded in 1980 as a 10,500-foot location in Austin, TX. Thirty-seven years later Amazon bought it for $13.8B.
Making a Fortune With Magical Thinking
The prop “blaster” wielded by Harrison Ford in Star Wars just sold at auction for $1,057,500. Why? Emotional Attachment.
What Spartan Women Can Teach Us About Advertising
Chroniclers say their goodbye was a short, “with it or on it.” The “it” was the Spartan shield.
The Only 3 Things Any Buyer Actually Cares About
Your client’s satisfaction is not a function of how much they like your product.
Do Annoying Commercials Accomplish the Right Goals?
Obnoxious ads get people to know who you are, but they neither develop fondness nor instill trust in your brand.
The dark side of business is a villain
In the pursuit of money, people do terrible things. That’s not you. But the darkness that clouds the community lingers through your life.
Nespresso – 400 Nespressos drunk every second
It failed twice even though it was cheaper and produced better quality coffee. It took glamour to finally create a successful launch.