Keith's Weekly Insights

How vague is your Selling Proposition?

2011-10-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

My mother used to say; “I learnsomething new every day.” It’s an old and worn out cliché for sure. In my life,it developed into more of a challenge. It seemed both natural and necessary inorder to ensure I stay relevant in business life and ahead of my competition. “Learnsomething new every day or go broke” is how it played out for me. Nothing couldbe more accurate in the global society we humans have created forourselves. If this soundsfamiliar, then you are human just like the rest of us. Having said that, whatfollows is a significant insight that I only recently picked up. I’ll share ithere.

Below is a document that I use inthe early stages of any project. It identifies all of the elements in acomplete Selling Proposition (sales massage). We review it with clients todetermine the elements we will include in our quest to develop their mostpowerful Selling Proposition. That includes revising a sales message currentlyin existence or creating one for a new business venture.

Over time I have become aware of howeach of these elements work in distinct ways, and of the relationships thatexist among many of them. This information has been gathered in a very specialway that allows me to conclude they are absolutely valid.

Approximately ten years ago Iinvented a process of exposing element by element, the elements of the SellingPropositions of many different products and services. The projects ranged fromcooking sauce to cat litter to condoms to video games and far beyond. In doingso I also tracked the results and observed how consumers reacted to them. Theseinsights are powerful not because of their brilliance, but because of theirorigin. The more I dig, the more I find and the more I share them with those ofyou who have an appreciation for their value. Their value is that they are realand can be counted on.

What follows is a recent insight asa result of several client comments on the nature of the Benefits (highlightedin yellow), which I had recommended we consider in the development of theirSelling Proposition. The comment was that they were too vague. Thetendency was to want to work on them to have them be more specific. That, as itturns out, is not a good idea.

I say the function of the Benefit isto express what the consumer gets out of using the product or service. “LessWork” is a great benefit for sandpaper. Notice that less work is not about theproduct; it’s about the consumer/user. My client wanted me to be more specific,asking, “What does that mean?”

For a number of years now I havebeen creating Benefits and then driving them with Attributes (highlighted inyellow) that empower them, and watched the research scores soar. I use thesandpaper example frequently. LESS WORK when followed directly by “Cuts 3 timesfaster” and “Won’t clog” literally drives sales. All that is great, but here iswhat I did not know.

As a result of the client request, Iwent back through nine recent projects to review the nature of the benefitsthat scored well and they were all vague. I now know why.

Think of the Benefit and theAttribute as working together. The benefit comes first and acts as a boldclaim. By itself, it has no credibility and is disbelieved. It’s perceived asjust BS as far as the consumer is concerned. Followed directly by thesupporting Attributes, the two work than as a unit and we know they literallydrive purchase. Equally important, the benefit needs to be vague so it hasbroad appeal. As it becomes specific, it begins to eliminate consumers fromconsideration. It should act like a huge funnel that grabs the consumer andshoots them to the Attribute driver that closes the deal.

Also remember the proximity of theseelements. If you locate them together on a package or in a commercial message,they will perform for you. If you spread them around the package or throughoutthe commercial, you will lose. I have had all this verified by observingresearch. This is very real. I work with the brightest marketing minds on theplanet and even they often miss this.

Here’s a challenge. Now that youhave read this, go check your sales message to see if you are conforming. Myexperience is that very few, less than 10%, of the sales messages I encounterdaily, even contain a Benefit. Let alone use it in a powerful way.

Good luck,

Keith

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Free Enterprise is a Fundamental Law of Nature

2011-10-05T16:40:00.000-07:00

I remember my marketingprofessor back in college explaining the fundamentals of Free Enterprise as ifit were created at a prestigious university back in the eighteenth century by agroup of learned professors. It was not. It is instead a law of nature thatcame into existence several thousand years ago in consort with the arrival of Homosapiens on this planet. Furthermore, I suspect it has existed before that onother planets that were capable of sustaining intelligent life.

Isn’t that a weird thought?Consider the following:

As a guy who works withFree Enterprise on a daily basis, I spend significant time analyzing how itworks with the idea in mind that I might get a leg up on all the othermarketing minds in this great country of ours. We are, by the way, themarketing capital of the world.

With so much attention onFree Enterprise, I naturally began to wonder how and where it came intoexistence. There are those who would say we, in this country, chose it back inour formative years when we chose capitalism. They say we chose capitalism overa dictatorship, or socialism, or communism, or a monarchy or whatever else wasavailable at that time. Those who chose capitalism back in those dayscharacterized Free Enterprise as the mechanism that makes capitalism work. Theywould often say, “it’s the engine that drives it.” Again, they referred to asif it was somehow created to accommodate us humans. I suppose there is amodicum of truth in that point of view, but I think, it is to miss the trueorigin of Free Enterprise.

So, who is responsible forits` existence? Well, I say no one is responsible, but I know who caused it. Igive all the credit to two people. They are and shall remain forever nameless.

I say one day, a very longtime ago, there was one person on Earth. That was the first person and on thatday there was no Free Enterprise. That person roamed around picking fruit, nutsand other food to placate hunger as it occurred. Life was pretty simple. Inshort order, because this person was intelligent, this person began to collectthe food for future consumption. That was very logical and also very simple.

On another day, I’m notsure how long this took, but on another day, a second person showed on Earth.These two soon met and guess what? The second person looked at the first personand said, “you have what I want”. In that instant Free Enterprise was born. Itonly took two people. It was never going to happen with only one person and itwill always be present until or unless somehow this planet once again becomesinhabited by only one person.

As more and more peopleappeared, they all continued collecting stuff and noticing the stuff of others.Notice how often you and I notice the stuff of others. That fundamental law ofnature is the basis of all the “stuff” that we humans collect and exchange. As individuals,we have absolutely no choice in the matter of Free Enterprise any more than wecan choose or not choose gravity. In populated areas of the world, gravity isno more prevalent than Free Enterprise. If you think not, try to stop it or tryto find a populated place where it does not exist. There is no place on Earthwhere people inhabit that it does not function. Think about that. Not inprison. Not in a cult. Not in a commune. Not on the street. Or, anywhere else Ican think of.

So what is to be learnedhere? First off, I think it is a great societal equalizer and is in the mainresponsible for the downfall of Communism, Socialism and all of the other “isms”that do not accommodate or acknowledge Free Enterprise into their systems. Itis akin to trying to design and manufacture airplanes without accommodating oracknowledging the law of gravity. It simply can’t be done.

Secondly, I think it isuseful to understand that no matter what down trends or, for that matter, uptrends occur in the marketplace, the natural law of Free Enterprise will levelthe playing field. For instance, how far down can the stock market go? Is therea limit? You bet there is. I say it can’t go to zero or anywhere near zero becausebuyers will appear. They just will. For those of you who are feeling insecurewith the current flakey stock market trends, take heart in what you just read.

Here’s the punch line and Isuggest you stay present to it as long as you are selling anything (stuff) toanyone. It will serve you well. The ultimate and forever the strongest SellingProposition is, “I have what you want.” Make sure you communicate, “I have whatyou want” and you will be successful…I guarantee it.

Cheers,

Keith

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MARKETING MORE FEAR AND INTIMIDATION

2011-09-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

While traveling last week, I cameacross a second negative Selling Proposition that may well be the most negativeI have ever encountered. It’s worth taking a look at. The question, of course,is always the same for me. Is this a marketing context that works, and if so,should I be looking for ways to use it?

I had just arrived at my hotel inNew York City and was waiting to check in, when I noticed one of those over-stuffedbrochure stands that seem to occupy space in every hotel lobby on the planet.It was stacked full of colorful brochures, all vying for me to take a tour orsee any one of hundreds of New York sites. After a short time, one grabbed myattention. At first it was the bright letters in its headline but my interestsoon turned to the headline itself. What it said. See if it gets yourattention.

“How To Avoid The Four WorstMistakes NYC Visitors Make.” This brochure was an absolute stand out amongthirty or so others simply because it was so negative. All of the other brochuresfeatured one fantastic New York attraction after another, and all werecharacterized as fun and exciting. My initial reaction was to roll my eyes andwalk on. What were they thinking about when they printed that? The headlinetruly turned me off. I did not want to know more. I moved on toward theelevator. Then, I began to think like a marketer and did a 180 back to thebrochure stand. I grabbed the brochure and stuffed it into my bag for laterscrutiny.

It was only twenty minutes laterthat I had a chance to read further. I soon discovered the headline, while incrediblynegative, appropriately set a tone for the contents of the brochure. It gotworse!

The brochure was for a companycalled “On Board” and it boasted seven “amazing sights most NYC visitors miss.”Here is the list of the seven sights that the folks at On Board Tours want youand I to see while in the great city of New York:

1) “Ground Zero”, of course.

2) The chinks in the wall of the MorganBank building, remnants of a 1920 terrorist attack. What?

3) The site where the US Air flightwent down in the Hudson River. It’s just water. It didn’t leave a mark.

4) The “Ground Zero” cross, of course.But I think I’ll see that when I see Ground Zero won’t I?

5) The John Lennon murder sight. It’sbeen remodeled.

6) The pier where the Titanic survivorswere brought back. Not sure what to look for after all these years.

7) The “Whispering Gallery” in GrandCentral Station. How’d that get in here?

Enough ofthat. What about negative sales messages?

My experienceis that the operating state of mind for all consumers is, “what’s wrong here.”They are literally looking for something wrong and when they think they see it,they will move on fast. When we build a Selling Proposition for a client, weconstantly review the message at each step of its development to ensure we havenot given them anything to find fault with. In fact, we have a clever way ofexposing such things to target consumers and they reject them every time. Weeven have to be careful when using what we call “negative attributes”, whichare those short little bursts of two or three words that seek to overcome aperceived negative in a product or service. An example would be adding, “Won’tleave a residue” on a cleaning product. As a marketer, do you use it or notknowing there may be a significant number of people you will have alerted to apotential problem when you thought you were solving one?

So,absolutely no, never go to the negative. Stay away simply given the natural human tendency to make you wrong. Goodluck and keep it positive.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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ARE FEAR AND INTIMIDATION VALID MARKETING TOOLS?

2011-09-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

Over the years I have assumed that a negative Selling Proposition was a bad idea. This also seems to be the unanimous opinion of the corporate marketers I work with daily. I know from experience that consumers, in fact humans in general, all function with “what’s wrong here” as a general operating state. Yes, humans are looking for what is wrong. It seems only prudent to keep your message on the positive side and not give them any reason to find something wrong. Given that, I keep an eye out for such things just in the event there is something new to learn. In over twenty years, I have never used fear or intimidation in a Selling Proposition nor do I recall ever seeing it used by an established brand until now. I will share it here.

Several months back, I had occasion to develop an interest in the heart medication category and it was an eye opener. The category appears to be in the early stages of a credibility crises. I will begin with my close friend Dr. Mark Gordon, a medical doctor who is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the field of anti-aging medicine, and is more recently recognized for his breakthrough work in treating traumatic brain injury. This is the concussion issue we have all been hearing so much about as it relates to the NFL. This is a guy I can trust.

Recently, Dr. Gordon captured my attention when he shared that he has had a cholesterol level of over 280 his entire life and does not take statin drugs to lower it. He further shared that “approximately 50% of all heart attacks happen in patients with normal or low cholesterol and it’s a fact well known in the medical community.” Much to the dismay of the medical community, it has now leaked out into the general public and many people with high cholesterol levels have stopped taking statins. Currently the drug companies sell over 12 BILLION dollars worth of statin drugs annually. You have likely noticed the TV advertising push to keep sales up? It’s huge. If you want to learn more, here is a good place to start:

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_04/b4068052092994.htm

Here is what I know. There are multiple functional components to a statin drug, only one of which is cholesterol lowering. Based on the statistic I just quoted, that component would seem to be of no value. Given the complexity of the drug, the drug companies are faced with a dilemma. They can try to reeducate you and me in the details or they can simply try to “pitch” their drug and keep selling in the same old ways. As long as they are truthful, I have no problem with what they are doing. If you listen closely to their statistical claims, you will not hear two alike. There is a grain of truth in all of them but they are misleading and you and I don’t take the time necessary to check them out. Until we do, we will remain confused and they will continue selling their drugs.

One manufacturer has specifically targeted those of you who have stopped taking the drug by trying to intimidate you into returning…it’s Lipitor. Intimidation is present in their “Don’t Kid Yourself” campaign that is now in full swing. Check it out and see if you are offended at the way the man in this commercial delivers his closing line:

http://www.lipitor.com/toolsresources/lipitorontv.aspx

I would love to know how this commercial was tested. It is not only full of misleading information, it is also risky from a marketing perspective because he is most likely talking down to a segment of the market. I wonder how large of a segment that is?

While researching this blog, I discovered two more interesting negative Selling Propositions. I will share both in next week’s edition and give you my coaching on negative Selling Propositions.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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Dogs, Cats, Kids and Their Parents!

2011-06-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

In over twenty years of targeting products and services to kids, I have also frequently been assigned the task of marketing to dogs and cats. The similarities and differences are not only interesting, they are often amusing. As it turns out there are far more similarities than differences.

As those of you who market toys likely know, the relationship between mom and her kids changes radically from pregnancy up through adulthood. I have worked with mothers on the Gerber brand who were vehement about what they allowed on the bottoms and in the bellies of their little darlings. Then, five years later I successfully marketed Totino’s Pizza Snacks and Bagel Bites for them to feed their kids after school. Go figure that.

While the stages along the way remained the same — baby, infant, toddler on up through tweens and teens — they have all matured greatly in recent years. I can recall when Barbie was a valid brand up through twelve or so. Now even the American Girls Collection is well below that in spite of a significant positioning effort to the contrary. Unlike boys, girls and their parents, dogs and cats have a very different relationship pathway with their parents.

While the fundamental nature of dogs and cats is different from kids, they are alike in that their parents treat all pets with a great deal of care in their initial stages of ownership. I can say with confidence, the abundance of love showered on both kids and all animals is essentially the same in its intensity. The difference is that the parents of pets seem to get even more attached and more protective about their care and feeding as they age. I don’t think dogs and cats will ever experience the joys of noshing on a Totino’s pepperoni pizza. Yes, the parent of an eight-year-old kid is far more careful about what they feed their pets than they are what they feed their kids. I can only guess this phenomenon exists because of the relatively helpless nature of pets as opposed to kids as they mature.

In recent months, I have become aware of the sensitive nature of the “home alone” phenomenon. It is generally accepted, and easy to understand, that you would never leave a child home alone. Guess what? There are twelve million small dogs in the US that are left at home alone and while that is not generally thought of as a terrible thing, their owners suffer tremendous guilt. These people love their dogs as much as parents love their kids, and due to circumstance are forced to leave them at home alone inside the house on a regular basis. They love the dog far too much to find it a new home and at the same time hate the fact that they leave it alone. This phenomenon is what I call a marketing opportunity.

So, next time you are store-checking toys, I recommend you consider driving to the nearest PETCO. The first thing you will notice is that pet marketers are no less thorough in providing products to accommodate pets than are toy marketers as featured in the kids department at your local Target. In fact, the categories are titled very much the same. Food, hair care, skin care, medical care, yes, toys too and most of them are segmented into appropriate age groups…just like kids.

The opportunity here is not in the products you will find, but in the characterization of their benefits, attributes and other positioning elements in their selling propositions. Pet owners see their pets very much in the same way the parents of kids do. They look for toys that allow them to participate in the play as well as toys that will entertain the animal without them having to supervise. They are concerned about the safety of the toy as well as how much “play value” is in it for the animal. And, there are toys that are used to educate. All of this should sound very familiar.

My advice is that you go from product to product and study the copy and graphics that are used to communicate. You will discover that many are similar to those used in the children’s toy category but you will also find new perfectly appropriate ways to characterize kids products that have been effective at stimulating purchase to pet owners.

A few years ago, I found the words “Outrageous Flavor” on a dog treat and used it successfully on a nationally branded kids cereal. It functioned successfully as a remarkable trigger, and scored very well in volumetric research. Good luck.

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America’s Marketing Makeover…What An Experience!

2011-05-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

About three months ago we picked a small business in Cleveland, Georgia to do what we titled Americas Marketing Makeover. This would all be documented on “The Big Biz Show”, a well-established two-hour daily TV/radio simulcast, hosted by Bob “Sully” Sullivan. Though it is broadcast on a secondary cable network, it is received in a little over 38 million households. The announcement of the makeover, selection of the winner, the progression of the makeover and its finale were all documented in twelve broadcasts. The final broadcast, ten days ago, chronicled the entire effort and can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/user/KChambersPULL?feature=mhum.

I suggest you consider watching it as it is truly entertaining. I am particularly proud of it but not for the reason you may think.

As you watch it you will become aware of the nature of the business I picked. It was Precious Memories, Private Pet Cremations. If you are like most, just reading that will have you crack a smile or possibly break into a giggle. That giggle is exactly why I made this choice. Private Pet Cremations becomes even more curious when you meet its owner Ricky Farmer. Ricky is a “salt of the earth” Southerner with a heavy Georgian accent to match.

As we worked our way through the project, I became aware of the special nature of Ricky. In time, I developed a great deal of respect for this man who loves animals beyond anything I have seen. Ricky would tell you he got into the business because he felt that animals were not receiving the respect they deserved, even after death. The project soon became a labor of love, and a breakthrough was just ahead for me.

As we were wrapping up Ricky’s project, we were also wrapping up two other projects for corporate clients. Both of these projects were under significant senior management scrutiny, which put a great deal of pressure on my clients. Over the period of a couple of weeks, success was evident on all three projects. While creating success is common in my business, for the first time I was impressed with the personal impact it had on the people we work for. It began when Ricky shared how our work had literally changed his life and that of others who worked with him. It continued as my two corporate clients shared the personal impact that their success was having on them.

Having all three of these projects mature at the same time, I became aware of the personal nature of what is at stake for those who we work with. It’s not just an attempt at growing their business. Lives are altered and careers are at sake. For whatever reason, this personal impact has escaped me for years. I’m sure this will alter the care with which I conduct my business in the future. If you watch the video, you will meet Ricky in person and get a sense of what I experienced first hand. I am now fully aware that what I do is very personal and more than ever before I am now present to how much I love what I do.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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MARKETING IN HOLLYWOOD IS MISSING IN ACTION

2011-04-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

This blog is a direct response to the April 4 Hollywood Reporter article by Peter Bart. It is titled, “In Hollywood, the Glass is Gaffe Full." In it, Peter characterizes the senior executives in the film industry as being locked in a general fear of failure. From my perspective, Peter’s article is pretty much correct in as far as it goes. I will take it a bit further. To read Peter’s article go to:

http://www.variety.com/article/vr1118034799

My experience in the world of film marketing is limited but I can promise that successfully marketing a film is no different than marketing cat litter, cooking sauce or any other product or service. The film market is a service industry that grew up with a lot of bad habits, and remains committed to hanging on to most of them.

From a pure marketing point of view, I see two ways to improve the process. It is a common practice to place responsibility for the Key Art (print materials) and the Trailers (video materials) in the hands of two separate groups. Instead it needs to be integrated and driven by one cohesive Selling Proposition. Having said that, I am sure that every marketing executive in the film industry is sure his marketing is fully integrated…it is not.

Back in the early days of film marketing, the One Sheet and other printed materials were considered critical because they would get reproduced in various sizes and posted all over town. At that time the trailer was more of a production function and the goal was simply to develop one that stimulated interest. The effect of this history is that there are creative groups around Hollywood who produce one or the other but rarely both. This separation internally and externally guarantees an incohesive environment. Marketing 101 says, develop a Selling Proposition that resonates to your target audience and ensure that message is present in all advertising and promotion materials.

Today film marketing is very different in that the printed materials are far less effective and the trailer is now absolutely critical. With a boost from the Internet, I can review trailers on my iPhone in seconds. What we have then, are senior executives instructing junior managers to hire the best outside creatives to develop POWERFUL trailers. It’s easy to develop a POWERFUL trailer. Have you noticed they are all melodramatic hype from start to finish these days? The idea of creating and communicating a Unique Selling Proposition targeted to the correct audience is non-existent.

Here then is the problem. Now, more than ever before, the film industry is subjected to heavy word-of-mouth promotion. That would be a dream come true in the categories I market in, but it’s a marketing tool that needs to be handled with skill.

The marketing goal for the film industry should be to identify all of the target users appropriate for the film and create a Unique Selling Proposition that they find compelling. Secondarily, and of almost equal importance is, never drive an inappropriate target consumer into the theater. Those people are not your friend, they are your enemy and you don’t want them viewing your film.

The operating state of all humans is, “What’s wrong here?" If they don’t love the film, they will be even more enthusiastic about spreading the bad word than if they liked it. It would take a very sophisticated piece of research to identify how many people you lose when you drive one person inappropriately to a film. If film executives had that statistic, they might stop developing POWERFUL trailers and experience a great deal more success.

So, Mr. Peter Bart. To my mind, the senior executives in the film industry have good reason to be afraid. The likelihood is that as our electronic information driven society continues to advance, it will likely get worse.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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FREE, A Celebrity Endorsement

2011-04-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

I have been working for several weeks on the repositioning of Ricky Farmer’s business, Precious Memories, Private Pet Cremations. He is the winner of the America’s Marketing Makeover contest on the Big Biz Show. I am the giver of the now somewhat well known makeover. You can follow it on the CBS Radio network as well as syndicated TV stations across America.

The reason I selected this business is simply because I thought it is unusual and sensitive enough to create viewer interest. I was right. I’m told ratings are up.

One positioning element I introduced to Ricky’s selling proposition is the endorsement. I did so with good reason. It’s based on an insight we discovered a little over a year ago. One of the exercises we do when working on creating new selling propositions is to take the strongest of each communication element and force consumers to choose between them based on how important each is to them. You may want to check this out with your sales message because chances are you are not taking advantage. If your competition is doing so, you are likely suffering. The good news is that the reverse is also true.

While doing the exercise, we typically include brand names, sub-brand names, generic descriptors, benefits, attribute drivers, key graphics, endorsements and so on. What we discovered is that consistently among the strongest elements are the benefit and the endorsement. This is contrary to the popular belief. If you were able to poll 100 brand, marketers most would say the brand name, sub-brand name or a key attributes are the most important. My experience is that I have not seen that in well over fifty projects where we have conducted the exercise.

My initial thought was to ask Ricky to solicit testimonials from ten of his clients. He did so and they were great. After thinning them out we selected three that we have included in his selling proposition. During the process, I remember thinking several times that it would be great if Ricky had worked with a celebrity who would write a testimonial but never perused it given his business resides in Cleveland, Georgia. Cleveland is approximately seventy miles outside of Atlanta. Here comes the breakthrough.

On another project, one of my sons was working with a famous quote from Buddha. He was considering using it as an inspirational element. It suddenly occurred to me, that if properly used, a famous quote might be a great way to convey a meaningful and relevant thought by a famous source. A quick call to our attorneys and we realized that all those well-known quotes are considered “public domain”. Moving forward, we found these three that seemed appropriate for the business of “Private Pet Cremations.” Which one would you use?

1) The value of a society is based upon its kindness to animals. -Albert Schweitzer

2) The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated. –Gandhi

3) The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man. –Charles Darwin

I thought number three was far and away the best but we chose number one. Number three was eliminated because the majority of our team were concerned that Darwin would be viewed negatively in that part of the world. Chalk it up to a fear of religious intolerance. I guess it is possible but I loved what he said. I guess what is most important here is that the cover of Ricky’s brochure will contain the Schweitzer quote so he has what can be considered a celebrity third party endorsement and it will cost him nothing.

Now, go Google “famous quotes your category” and see if you can put a celebrity to work for you. Good luck!

CHEERS,

KEITH

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The second biggest challenge in life is...

2011-03-09T16:38:00.000-08:00

Last summer, I was asked to speak at the Penn Club in Manhattan and gladly accepted. It is the alumni club for the University of Pennsylvania, one of the eight Ivy League colleges located in Northeastern United States. As time went on and the committee that was in charge of such things shared my book “Pull”, they decided to expand the event to include all Ivy League college clubs. As a graduate of Arizona State University whose heritage and prestige pale by comparison, I was rightfully flattered.

As the time to appear approached, I decided that the speech I have been giving was solid but wanted to add more power to it to increase its perceived significance. To do so, I created four of what I refer to as bold statements. Each was designed to stimulate thinking and lead into a marketing distinction that I would further detail for the audience. In retrospect, I felt they all worked well and am working to strengthen them further. One, however seemed to have a great deal of impact and I share it here.

I was cruising along about half way through the seventy minutes I had allocated for the session when I said,” It may well be that the second biggest challenge in life, staying alive being the first, is staying relevant. It was easy to see that the audience was waiting for me to explain this one. In retrospect, I think this statement is not only accurate; I think it is also critically important to the well-being of you and your business.

Earlier in the speech I had recommended that there is extraordinary value in treating your Selling Proposition (sales message) as if it is a personal conversation between you and your customer. It is in fact so, and the “second biggest challenge” statement I made was designed to apply to their products or services. The analogy worked and they got it easily.

In life we watch people get old and assume that age, over time, has made them irrelevant. Nothing could be more inaccurate. Inactivity, not age, is what makes them irrelevant to those around them. Activity that is aimed at creating “what’s next” has worked for my hero, Hugh Hefner and he is well into his eighties. Many may argue the significance of his influence but few would argue his relevance. There are others of course. It is clearly a matter of choice and growing old has nothing to do with it.

Your product or service in your category is no different. If you are constantly looking at and creating “what’s next” for your category, others will be at the effect of what you have done. If you sit and admire your success, others will create “what’s next” and you will be at the effect of what they have done. That I can promise is painful compared to the joy and success of being the one doing the creating.

The issue here is that most marketers’ sit on the success they create. Inherent in that inaction is that everything is somehow just fine until it no longer is. My experience is that it is very difficult to get a successful marketer to create what’s next in the face of success. Can you see that this guarantees failure?

The more I think of this, I am going to remove the “It may well be” from this statement. It hereafter will be, “The second biggest challenge in life, staying alive being the first, is staying relevant.” Feel free to pass it on.

The learning here is, when you are successful, sit down light up a cigar, pop open a bottle of champagne and take the day off. Its perfectly okay to come in to work the following day, around 11:00 will do. At 2:00, after a self-indulgent lunch, you have two choices. You can continue admiring your success or you can begin working on “what’s next.” I strongly recommend the latter as the former will insure failure in your future.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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AMERICA’S MARKETING MAKEOVER

2011-03-02T15:53:00.000-08:00

On my last blog I introduced you to our winner Ricky Farmer from Cleveland, Georgia. Ricky is the very proud owner of a business titled “Precious Memories”. The generic descriptor that follows closely is Private Pet Cremations. Yes, I picked this business to do a marketing makeover on national TV and radio and now I am in the thick of dealing with it. It is a little more complicated than I anticipated.

First off, I had no idea how the project would alter the life of the owner of the company. Once the announcement was made, the regional media swung into action. They have asked for interviews with Ricky, Sully and myself. So far, Ricky has been great but the attention and the pressure of the show and the media are mounting. Stay tuned.

Ricky is proving to be a great character with his southern accent and blatant honesty. Given his unique business and the nature of the project, I suspect coverage of the makeover will continue as it evolves. You can view the show where we introduced Ricky at: http://www.chambersmarketingcentral.com/

Beyond that, I have been working with Ricky and have found him to be extremely grateful and eager to participate. I exposed him to a long list of positioning elements, selected several I consider appropriate and asked him to respond by working up lists of options for each. I, too, am working on them but want to see what is on his mind and this is a great way to find out. Below is a copy of his Yellow Pages ad, which I am using as a point of departure. It will give you a sense of where he is now.

Ricky’s brand name is a communication element that I am not recommending he change. On the other hand, I will be looking at the effect that may be attained if we subordinate the word “Precious” to the word “Memories”. I will consider it after we complete the work on copy.

Ricky’s Generic Descriptor, Private Pet Cremations was where we started. “Pet Cremations” works to define his service but “Private” is not clear. He used it because he wanted to communicate that he never cremates more than one animal at a time. Such is not the case with his competition. Replacing the word “Private” with something more meaningful will be important.

I asked that he develop ideas for a benefit and he nailed it in seconds with “Peace Of Mind”. I am not likely to improve on that.

Ricky is currently working on a new Tag Line, a photograph and is looking for an endorsement. I will share these next week.

This is great fun particularly as I become more and more aware of how significant it is to Ricky. Makes me push for excellence. I love it.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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THE BIG BIZ SHOW

2011-02-16T12:15:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed I’ve been silent for the last few weeks. Here’s why. After beach volleyball, basketball is clearly my favorite second sport. Approximately six weeks ago’ I caught an elbow across my face that broke my nose, gave me two very black eyes and required a bit of surgery. Ten days later, just when it seemed safe to go back on the court, I broke my left hand. It too required surgery to reassemble. While the nose thing did not affect my blog, the loss of my hand did. Yes, I am rethinking my basketball career. Happily, now I am back and with lots to share.

I frequently do guest appearances on radio and TV shows as an “expert” marketing guy. One of my favorite shows is the Big Biz Show, which is a West coast radio/TV simulcast that is broadcast across the US and select foreign countries. It airs daily from 12PM to 2PM. The show is hosted by Bob “Sully” Sullivan and Russ T. Nails, who cover the financial world with a humorous twist. It’s fun and frankly a great place for me to freely express my thoughts and experiences.

A couple of months back, the host Sully asked if I wanted to do anything special. My answer, almost without thinking was, “Let’s do a marketing makeover with a small business.” My thinking was that it will be fun, because I never get to work with small businesses, and I had the idea that if other small businesses could observe the process, we may well stimulate the economy, if only in a small way. Sully jumped all over it. We decided to launch it at the beginning of the year.

For the past three weeks we have been accepting applications from all over the United States. On Wednesday, with me in the studio, we will announce the winner and set the stage for the business transformation that will be covered over the next few months.

To add to the quality of the makeover, I have solicited the help of two very highly respected marketing experts that I frequently work with. They will serve as my coaches.

My goal was to find a business that fit two criteria: A business owner and a business, both of which have a lot of character… I got lucky. Tomorrow we will introduce the world to Ricky Farmer the proud owner of a pet crematorium in Cleveland, Georgia. Ricky, is a “hoot”. It should be fun to follow.

You can follow Ricky’s marketing makeover on The Big Biz Show. To find out when it airs in your area, go to http://bigbizshow.com/. We will also post the broadcasts on http://www.chambersmarketingcentral.com/ and I will share what is going on behind the scenes on this blog.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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THE BIGGEST FRANCHISE EVER, FINALLY GETS IT RIGHT

2010-11-30T15:45:00.000-08:00

Well, the biggest in many important contexts. This one may surprise you. First off, it is in the entertainment industry. When I say that, you may think of Star Wars, or Avatar, or Star Trek, or Cheers, or Friends, or any number of those high profile films or TV shows that seem to have run forever. If so you would not only miss it, you would miss the category. Over the years I have been involved in the entertainment category and have worked on many well-known brands. Some of the most impressive performers I know of have been in the video game category. Check it out.

Call of Duty, Black Ops was recently released by Activision and in its first twenty-four hours grossed $360 million. That’s one day. I am fairly confident, that this out-performed all other introductions and it is just getting started. To date, the franchise is well over three billion and is rapidly approaching four. As a marketer, I am very impressed. I am even more impressed that those who market it finally figured out that there is a more significant and meaningful way to position video games than what they have overused in the past.

If you talk to the gamers who have purchased Call of Duty’s past iterations, they will quote you its performance attributes. All of the conversations that take place - and there are many among gamers - are always about the game’s features. If so, how do you elevate the conversation to something more meaningful? You do it by using its benefit.

The benefit is what the consumer gets out of using the product. This year BMW has introduced “Joy” as what its consumers get out of driving and owning BMW’s. You have no doubt heard George Zimmer at Men’s Warehouse saying, “You’re Going To Like The Way You Look.” That too is all about the consumer. If you get a chance to view the commercials running for Call to Glory, look close. The ultimate form of expressing a benefit in a selling proposition is to literally inject the consumer into the message. More important, inject the consumer experiencing the product in a way that is meaningful to them.

All humans are upwardly mobile and typically respond to experiences that they aspire to. In this commercial, unlike all others that have gone before in this category, we see a hardcore battle scene where the shooters are not military soldiers or super heroes. They are instead, secretaries, accountants, waiters, supermarket clerks and so on. Activision marketers were smart enough to put you and I into the action. Additionally, they used a couple of celebrities, but I promise you the celebrities are irrelevant in this sales message. In fact, I would have left them out and saved the money.

The learning here is familiar to those of you who have worked with me or read much of what I have written about positioning. Most of the selling propositions you and I encounter in life are missing any component of a benefit. Look at your sales message and change it to evolve around your consumer benefit, and you will be the one to benefit. If you think you already have done so, then develop a higher order benefit and change your message. Remember that all consumers want the same thing…to be happy. If you want to move to a higher order of benefit use something happier.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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We all have to get old but we don’t have to get irrelevant.

2010-10-20T14:49:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed, as I have, that as people get older they tend to slow down and become resistant to change. As they do so, they seem to become more and more irrelevant to those around them who have not slowed down, and to those who are younger. This is so pervasive that I say it qualifies as a fundamental law of human nature.

The nature of most clichés is that they are strongly rooted in truth. There is one I would challenge and it is, “Familiarity breeds contempt”. I say familiarity breeds complacency and in turn irrelevance on the part of the one you are becoming familiar with. This may have a lot to do with the rate of divorce these days, but that is not where I am headed.

Irrelevance is never good. I have a friend whose doctor has decided that owning a computer and using the Internet is just not something he needs to do. If I were a patient of his I could not but wonder if all other aspects of his life are governed the same way. That’s not a doctor I would choose because my perception is that he has become irrelevant…scary.

There are exceptions to this, of course. There are those who stay current and are typically found leading others into what we consider old age. I could name a few but I don’t want to tag them as old even though they are. By the way, I have also noticed that these relevant people are typically healthier than their irrelevant peers. Health alone may be incentive enough for you and I to work on maintaining our relevance.

Beyond maintaining good health, I have observed that simply maintaining one’s relevance may well be an access to becoming famous. There is a direct correlation between fame and older people who maintain their relevance. Think about that. My definition of fame is on a scale of worldwide recognition to that of recognition of any kind beyond the people you personally know. If you were the oldest person on the planet and were fully functional and participating in life fully, you would experience some level of fame. You would stand out from those around you.

More often than I should, I receive marketing assignments that are solely based on irrelevance. How you know you are irrelevant is that others no longer pay attention to you, or pay as much attention as they did when you were younger. In the world of marketing we measure relevance by “share of market.” So there is a significant value in asking yourself, is my product or service becoming irrelevant? If you are not in a constant inquiry to discover or invent what’s next for your product or service, the answer is likely YES.

You cannot control the fact that your product or service is aging but you are literally responsible for it not becoming irrelevant. Can you see that “Established in 1953”, or “Since 1953”, in this context is a killer. I get asked about adding that to sales messages now and then and it sends shivers up my back every time. There was a time when adding statements like that had value. Take it from me, that time is gone. If it returns, I will blog it.

During my career, I have been handed a significant number of assignments that were based on a period of marketing inaction that led to a diminished share of market. In the consumer goods marketing world, the awareness of this problem is frequently triggered when a retailer indicates that they are about to drop the product.

The single most effective and most economical way to grow your business is typically thought of as adding to your line of products or services. Nothing is further from the truth. By far, the most effective way is to simply upgrade your sales message (your selling proposition) on a regular basis. If every six months you change your sales message and in doing so add perceived value, you will drive your competition batty. You will constantly stimulate your current client base and encourage those who are not currently purchasing your product or service to do so.

The learning here is that it’s ok to savor success in your personal and business pursuits. It is wise, however, to begin an inquiry into what’s next in both, well before it becomes obvious that it is needed.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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GORDON GECKO IS RIGHT!

2010-09-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

Gordon Gecko is now out of prison and back in your local theater and more vocal than ever before. He has become famous for declaring that “greed is good.” He’s right. He’s dead right.

For a number of years I have written about “free enterprise,” its origin and its true nature. Contrary to historical accounts, it is not a choice and never has been. And more so, greed is its most critical component.

I remember being taught in college that Free Enterprise was some kind of economic choice, a choice that we Americans were very proud of having made. We claim to have mastered it and promoted it to the rest of the world. Nothing could be further from the truth.

If free enterprise is not a choice then what is it? Well, it does exist. It’s in all of our lives yet we have never chosen it and never will. It was just there. I say Free Enterprise is a fundamental law of nature. There are three aspects of human nature that qualify it as a law of nature. They are always present as is Free Enterprise itself.

The first aspect is that we humans love to collect things. The second aspect is that we like to have more things than our fellow humans. The third aspect is our innate desire to have some if not all of the things that other humans have.

Given that, we humans have two choices. We go to war and take their things. Or, those more civilized of us, exchange some of our things for some of their things. Hopefully, over time, we do less of the former and more of the latter.

This innate urge to gather things is clearly defined by Webster in five words. “A strong desire for more”. If you look up the definition of greed, these are the words you will find. It may well be that greed is the force that is the cause for the existence of free enterprise. By the way, I do not consider any of this bad. It simply is the way it is. Being aware of it is an access to working with it.

I have also noticed that greed is not distributed equally. Most of us have just the right amount to keep free enterprise operating smoothly. There are those who seem to have too much greed and those who don’t seem to have enough. Those with not enough are declared dysfunctional and just don’t seem to contribute to society. They are simply lost. Those who have an overabundance are also dysfunctional and are often, but not always, sent to prison.

What is to be learned here? If we are indeed thrust into this game called Free Enterprise, then learn the game, learn to play it and learn to enjoy it. Ultimately, we have no choice.

I have been a big fan of Michael Douglas from “Streets of San Francisco” to “Wall Street.” God speed Michael, we need you back up there on the big screen.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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NO ONE WANTS BAD SUSHI…RIGHT?

2010-09-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

Of all the bad consumer experiences I can think of, being served bad sushi is easily the worst I can recall. Bad sushi is something you can smell coming. If not that, I have also smelled the bleach that was used to clean the stains out of the plastic dishes before they got to my table. That too seems to qualify as bad sushi. I could go on, but the point is the term “bad sushi” resonates with most of us as a strong negative.

If you’ve hung around me very long, you are familiar with my constant reference to developing and using remarkable triggers in your sales message. Remarkable triggers are words or graphics in your sales message that illicit an immediate and positive response from your target consumer. They occur to consumers as a breakthrough in your category.

Located within a ten-block radius of my office are no less than fifteen sushi restaurants. There are three in particular that are nestled within one fairly small block. One of them is named En Sushi. I ate there about six years ago only to discover something moving in my salad. I never got to the sushi that night. The second is named California Roll Factory Sushi. I have eaten there and can honestly say it wasn’t bad. The third is new, and I heard about it as soon as it opened when one of my sons insisted we try it out. This one is named BAD Sushi. No kidding. Check it out for yourself.

What do you think? Good idea or bad idea? I say it depends on one thing. A close look at the sign and you can see that BAD is an acronym for “Best And Delicious”. Let’s take a look at it from a marketing perspective.

Clearly the name is remarkable in that it has enough character to be considered a breakthrough in the category. The question remains, is it so remarkable that it won’t wear well? By wear well, I mean will it hold up over time without becoming trite. This occurs when the first impression is considered “cute”, or “funny” or “outrageous”, but on an ongoing basis it becomes irritating and falls out of favor with consumers. In this case I think “Bad Sushi” may wear well over time. It serves as a strong identifier and is very memorable. There is, however, one more hurdle for such remarkability.

There is one issue the owner needs to be very aware of. Of all retail businesses, customers of restaurants are among the least forgiving. One bad experience and it will likely be a very long time or never before a consumer will return. Beyond that, consumers seem to pride themselves in spreading the negative word. The name BAD Sushi goes beyond an identifier and becomes somewhat of a challenge. “Try me and I will prove to you I am not bad,” is perhaps what it is communicating. Over time, I have learned that all consumers have the same operating state of mind, “what’s wrong here”, meaning they are ready for this kind of a challenge.

As it turns out, my son Eric and I were up for the challenge. We went to BAD Sushi for lunch last week and were clearly there to see how good or bad it was. We could easily have gone to any of the other fourteen or so sushi restaurants in the area but we responded to the subliminal challenge. We ate a lot of sushi and it was all great and some of it was extraordinary. As far as we are concerned, we find it easy and kind of fun to recommend BAD Sushi to friends. I am also very clear that we were in a critical state of mind when we were there, and if the sushi had been average we would have “tagged” it as bad sushi, living up to its name.

The learning here is that it pays to characterize your business in a remarkable way as long as you can support whatever it infers. This is a strategy I have been marketing with for my entire career. How do you feel about bad sushi?

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TARGET CONSUMERS WANT TO BE LOYAL, BUT RARELY ARE

2010-08-04T18:12:00.000-07:00

The reason loyalty is so scarce is that most marketers don’t understand what truly fuels it. Most marketers are so concerned with communication the virtues of their products and services, they simply don’t think about loyalty as something they can pursue. My experience is that you can encourage loyalty and I have a clear sense of how to do it.

There is a distinction I refer to as character. Character drives and extends business yet I rarely find marketers aware of its existence let alone its value or its origin. One reason is that I am the only person that I know of who has distinguished its existence. Character is difficult to comprehend and even more difficult to explain. Nonetheless, character is very real and there is a big marketing advantage in understanding it. It is solely responsible for target consumers becoming loyal to your selling proposition. Little character produces little loyalty. Conversely, lots of character produces lots of loyalty.

My definition of character is “anything physical, copy or graphic in its form that target consumers will develop a relatedness to. In this regard, generic is the opposite of character. Character stimulates interest on the part of target consumers while generic typically does not. It is best understood by example so I will provide several.

Let’s look at the Go-Gurt package below to get started. It’s a good one because it uses all three of the forms I mention earlier. Try to imagine the first day it was introduced. Remember its just yogurt that they wanted to sell to kids. The same yogurt they were selling to moms.

The Yoplait marketers added physical character to the delivery system when they put it into tubes. They added graphic character with the edgy looking kid depicted on the skateboard. They added copy character when they named it “Go-Gurt” and defined it as “portable yogurt”.

In the late 70’s the supermarkets of the world answered with “plain wrap”. Plain wrap was packaging printed in one color. The inference was that it could be priced significantly lower if it did not use sophisticated printing. Take a look at the Ralph’s plain wrap and you will see a total lack of character. The plain wrap movement was an abject failure. First of all, it did not actually generate a particularly large reduction in the cost of goods. The supermarkets had to price it low to fulfill their promise and therefore made little or no profit. Target consumers soon characterized its user as a cheep or poor person.

Notice that plain wrap did not make a comeback in the recent recession. In fact, all supermarket chains have boosted their private label brands in ways to have them match that of the well known brands. Take a close look at the Van de Kamp’s bakery packaging below. Van de Kamp’s was a family owned bakery on the west coast that folded in the early 90’s. What you are looking at is more Ralph’s private label. The name was purchased by Ralph’s in the late 90’s.

Now can you see the correlation I referred to earlier between lack of character and loyalty in the plain wrap with that of the presence of character and loyalty for Van de Kamp’s. Can you imaging developing loyalty to plain wrap? The punch line.

Character is effective on two levels. The first is that it causes initial interest in the selling proposition. What marketer wouldn’t want that? The second is that of loyalty.

If you have a lack of character, target consumers base their purchase decisions on price or location. Products like gas and services like laundries are notoriously devoid of character yet they have the most to gain by injecting some into their selling propositions. Isn’t it ironic that gas stations are federally mandated to post their gas prices prominently? I have a friend who owns a dry cleaners and I choose to patronize one that is more conveniently located. Maybe, with a little more character, I would.

Below are three brands to consider when evaluating character. Ben & Jerry’s, Starbucks and Newman’s Own are all three great examples of the presence of character and you can see that loyalty follows.

The learning here is of course to look for ways to add character to your selling proposition. The bonus here is that you benefit in two significant ways. Both are responsible for driving business forward.

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CONSIDER ELEVATING YOUR BENEFIT…IF YOU HAVE ONE

2010-07-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

Elevating your benefit is a marketing move that should be under constant consideration. I am referring to the benefit that you may or may not have included in your critical sales message. In the branding world, that message is referred to as your selling proposition. In almost every product or service I have positioned, the benefit, if properly supported, has turned out to be the strongest trigger to cause consumers to purchase. However, as I plough through the world of consumer goods and services marketing, I rarely ever see benefits used in the selling propositions I encounter. I think it’s because business owners are so focused on their businesses they forget what’s in it for the purchaser…the benefit.

This shortage of benefits is good news for you. Even though you too are not likely using one in your current selling proposition, your competition is unlikely either. Let’s assume for the moment that one of you, either you or your competition, is using a benefit effectively. If it’s your competition, you are likely suffering at the effect of them having done so. If it’s you that is using a benefit…congratulations. In either case, now is the time to elevate.

A number of years ago, the children’s educational software category was dominated by a brand that used a benefit to drive its selling proposition, and in turn, its sales. The brand is Reader Rabbit and the selling proposition is based on the benefit its brand name infers. The benefit is essentially that your child will be more likely to engage in the process of learning if it is also being entertained by a rabbit. That selling proposition was very effective, and for a long time allowed the Reader Rabbit brand to dominate the category until a new brand was introduced that used a higher order of benefit. Let me demonstrate what I mean by a higher order.

Years ago I discovered that if you asked business owners or their consumers to tell you what the benefit is for any product or service, they will generally give you a performance attribute or a very low form of a benefit. If you then tell them to consider that they have that benefit in their lives, and again ask what the benefit of having that is, they will begin going up what I call a benefit ladder. At the top of all benefit ladders, no matter what the product or service is I’m happy.

That makes sense if you think about it. Here are two different ladders, one for cat litter, the other for allergy medicine. Start at the bottom of each, work up the ladder and you will get the point.

Here is what happened to the rabbit. I am going to say that the benefit for Reader Rabbit is SMART KID. At about that time a second marketing team, one I happened to be a part of, identified a new selling proposition that was based on the perceived mindset of parents. We launched a brand called Jump Start. The Jump Start positioning was based on the perceived benefit of a parent’s desire to give their child an advantage over other kids. I am going to say the benefit for Jump Start is PROUD PARENT. If we had the advantage of showing you a benefit ladder for the children’s educational software category, the Jump Start benefit is clearly elevated and above that of Reader Rabbit.

Sales for Jump Start Kindergarten, the initial product offered by this new brand, were extraordinarily strong. In short time, The Jump Start brand took over the category, and the Reader Rabbit brand became a shadow of its former self. This is an event that happened well over ten years ago. There is a double learning here.

The first is that of continually perusing the next elevated benefit. You should not only be looking for the benefit that will drive your product or service forward, you should be looking for the elevated benefit that will drive it beyond that. If you can get into this mind set, you will alter the success pattern of your business forever. If you are a small business thinking I have just disclosed a secret marketing tool commonly used by the big boys, I have a news flash for you. The big boys are too busy being tangled up in their every day marketing issues to stay present to this critical marketing distinction just like the smaller entrepreneurs. No one is minding the store where this marketing distinction is concerned.

The second learning illustrates this point very well. In the ensuing years, after the introduction, neither of these brands has attempted to elevate beyond the status quo. I cannot say why because I am not in contact with either brand. Perhaps neither brand has figured out what took place. Stay vigilant.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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LOOKING FOR AN ENDORSER

2010-07-01T15:39:00.000-07:00

I’ve written about endorsements before but never experienced their power until last weekend. I’m normally an avid moviegoer but have been involved in so many other activities lately that I’ve not seen a movie for several months.

Friday afternoon a friend sent a text message asking if I wanted to join her to go see Knight and Day, the new Tom Cruise movie. Having been a victim of Mission Impossible where anything, no matter how ridiculous, was possible, I cringed at the thought of another Tom Cruise action film. When I asked for another suggestion, my friend explained that she was out running errands and the task of finding a great film was in my hands.

I quickly sent messages to my two sons who are usually great sources. No response. They were not wired up at the moment. I tried two additional friends, also to no avail. In the dead time that followed, I became aware that I was literally looking for a third party endorsement. It was only a few blogs back that I wrote about the potential power of incorporating endorsements into your selling proposition. That blog was with the idea of imposing an endorsement on your consumer, never thinking that they might already be looking for one much like I was at the moment.

The experience I was having was strictly two parties, the product (the movie) and me. I needed a third party to recommend a good movie and there were none around. My next move was to pick the local Landmark Theater. At least I knew the experience of the theatre would be great. I can reserve a seat, they have great snacks and there are no aggravating commercials.

Their site on the internet provided a listing of twelve movies. I started at the top and one by one clicked on the titles and began reading the write-ups on each. As I quickly realized I didn’t fully trust what I was reading knowing the natural tendency toward hype. I still needed that third party endorsement.

After working my way through the first eleven, I got relief on number twelve. I felt like I had found a friend. In fact I had. The film was titled Winter’s Bone, which told me nothing. The same was true of the write-up except for one thing. This film had won the 2010 Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. I confess, I am not familiar with either of those awards, but that was all I needed to make the choice. I booked it and guess what? It was great.

The learning here is that I have under estimated the power of the endorsement as a marketing trigger. The issue is finding the one that works for your product or service. You may be surprised how easy that may be given that consumers are so open to them. What you are looking for is one that has a certain, but not too much, familiarity.

I frequently include the Good Housekeeping seal in the work I do when I expose new selling propositions to consumers, but it seems to have lost its charm. I think it is so widely used it has lost its appeal. On the other hand I have created fake endorsements with what I thought were compelling names and they too have failed. What I know for sure is that endorsements are worth pursuing. What I have just learned is that in the corner of the minds of consumers, they are likely looking for them. If you have had any interesting experiences with endorsements that you can share, I would love to hear them.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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SELLING IS MUCH MORE PERSONAL THAN EVEN I THOUGHT

2010-06-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

Last week I did a guest spot on The Big Biz Show, a national and international radio and TV simulcast. CBS is the primary carrier. I had been asked to share topics I think will work for both big and small businesses. That has turned out to be very easy to do as I’ve discovered that literally all of the marketing distinctions I have created while working on the big brands, are just as applicable to small businesses.

This was my eighth appearance, and as a result of a positive reaction from their audience, I am now considered a regular. This is all very new to me and while I was very intimidated at first, I now find it exciting, a lot of fun and I truly look forward to the next broadcast. I confess, I have been very surprised to discover that I am well suited to it. Given my limited experience, I can only conclude that training for such a thing must be secondary to simply having some degree of innate ability to just do it. I feel very lucky.

At this point, the hosts introduce me and I am allowed to take the show in whatever direction I choose. They jump in and it seems to go in a direction of its own. My first appearance was characterized to me as one segment in length, about ten minutes. That appearance went so well they held me through two. Last week they found the subject so interesting it went for three segments. I was blown away. After the session, while on the way home, I realized that I had learned something very valuable for myself during that appearance. While my intention was to share that “selling propositions have a gender,” I discovered much more for myself. I will share it here with you.

I began the first segment by suggesting that it is useful to look at your product or service as if it were alive and had a personality. I did so because consumers literally encounter hundreds of them on a daily basis. These selling propositions are quickly evaluated and either cast aside or acted upon. That’s very personal and I am clear that when a stranger encounters your selling proposition, it is a personal experience on many levels.

To begin with, I recommend you consider that your selling proposition is a one-way conversation with your target consumer. Right off, you better say something about them or they will think all you care about is yourself. The best thing you can possibly say about them is how they will benefit by using your product or service. Men’s Warehouse, “You’re going to like the way you look, I guarantee it. " Enough said there.

Our lives are very gender-centric and so are our products and services. Women respond to our selling propositions differently than men. Women are very comfortable with their sexuality while we men are less so. Given that, I recommend you make sure your selling proposition is somewhat more masculine than feminine if you want to be safe. Notice the Trojan package and how masculine it is. It is a fact that approximately 35% of all condoms are purchased by females…apparently comfortable with its gender.

I find it fitting that years ago I chose the word character to define what I say you should add to appropriate elements of your selling proposition, to make them appear remarkable to your target consumers. My definition of character is anything structural, graphic or words that cause the target consumer to develop relatedness to your product or service. Check out the abundance of character in the Go-Gurt package and imagine how remarkable it was when introduced years ago.

All marketers want their target consumers to be loyal and continue to purchase on a regular basis. Loyalty is of course a very human trait as is character. What I can share with you here is that there is a very direct relationship between character and loyalty. You show me a selling proposition with lots of character and I will bet that product will have lots of consumer loyalty.

I could continue talking about many more human characteristics but I am committed to a short blogging. The learning here is to remember to stay present to the idea that your selling proposition is human and in a one-way conversation with your target consumer. I promise, that mindset will be more a part of my own marketing context as I move forward. I’d love to know if it is part of yours.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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HOW IS YOUR SELLING PROPOSITION TRACKING?

2010-06-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

My son Eric likes to refer to me as a “clicker.” He has frequently observed me clicking away on my computer as I have become impatient to the point of not wanting to wait more than a split second for it to respond. He is right by the way. I think I’m simply a product of the times where we are all very impatient. This phenomenon is pervasive among humans in general and if you are not careful, it can affect how well your selling proposition is perceived.

When working on a positioning assignment, we break the total message down into its communication elements. We then dedicate ourselves to creating the most powerful means of communicating each. element We do so knowing that it is essential to developing a powerful selling proposition. This is true irrespective of whether it is a product or a service. It is just as correct to assume that you must make your selling proposition both fast and easy for your target consumer to encounter and comprehend, or you will lose them.

Assuming you do not have money for sophisticated eye tracking research, I offer the following. I will discuss the critical elements that will be initially exposed to your target consumer. You will want to consider all elements you feel are necessary to complete your selling proposition. Your selling proposition may be communicated at any one of many impact points. You could be working with a billboard ad, a yellow pages ad, a bus bench, a package, a radio or TV commercial, a billboard, the cover or first two pages of a brochure or whatever your impact point is. The process is exactly the same.

The most important element is almost always your benefit or a bold statement. Your benefit is a two or three word statement of what your target consumer gets out of using your product or service. An example is “Less Work” on the 3M Sandblaster sandpaper package seen below. A bold statement is a significant claim about the performance of your product or service. An example is “The Most Interesting Man In the World” on the Dos Equis billboard ad below.

Your brand or your generic descriptor can be the initial elements that target consumers are exposed to because target consumers encounter them without judgment. They are perfect to function as an attention getting element. Target consumers encounter them then move on quickly to the next most prominent element. The next element should be your benefit/bold statement. Beyond the benefit or bold statement, you will add supporting attribute drivers. They should be located in close proximity. Close enough that they function as one design element as in the 3M sandpaper package. Notice the statements directly adjacent to “Less Work."

This methodology sets up one of the strongest communication scenarios I know of. Your brand/generic descriptor works as your attention getting first element. Your benefit/attribute drivers work together as your second element. Assuming you have developed strong communication elements, you will have a powerful selling proposition and your target consumer has only had to encounter two elements. Additional subordinate elements should be added carefully.

The learning here is that you and I are responsible for how target consumers encounter selling propositions. Simply having all of the elements present is not enough. We must manage the order in which the elements are exposed. If we force them to sort it out they will tune out.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH CHARACTER?

2010-05-31T15:58:00.000-07:00

The answer is, not likely. Character is the secret ingredient used in creating a remarkable selling proposition. A remarkable selling proposition, as defined by me is one that is perceived as a breakthrough by your target consumer. It can manifest itself in one of four ways when conveying your selling proposition. It can be in the form of words, graphics, sound or structural. The procedure for adding "remarkability" to your selling proposition is simple. You try adding character to the different elements of your selling proposition until one or more work. By elements I am referring to a sub-brand, a generic descriptor, a key graphic, an endorsement, a benefit, an attribute and so on.

Some categories are all but void of character. Gas stations, plumbers, dry cleaners, drug stores, hardware stores, and shoe repair shops are among many others. Have you ever noticed when you drive down the street, how generic the information is that you are exposed to? Retail stores are the worst offenders but there are those few who pull it off.

There is a shoe repair shop about ten blocks from my office. The owner turned his car into a giant boot that he parks in-front of the store daily. He added character.

There is a plumber in Los Angeles CA who created a tag line that adds character. He says, “I guarantee my plumbers will show up on time and smell good.” He added character. There is a national men’s clothing retailer who added an advertising tag line to his selling proposition. He says, “You’re going to like the way you look. I guarantee it.” He added character. When the Yoplait marketers wanted to sell yogurt to kids, they added character to the delivery system, the sub-brand, the generic descriptor and the key graphic, they too added character.

There is a significant residual benefit to adding character that is very important. There is a direct relationship between the presence of character and that of loyalty. You show me a selling proposition with little character and I will show you a group of consumers with low loyalty. These consumers will likely bail out in favor of a competitive product or service that has more character appeal. If you stop and review the brands and products that you are currently loyal to, chances are they have character that you relate to. Brands with little character are frankly boring. You and I don’t collect boring friends nor do we warm up to boring brands and products. If you look even closer you will notice that the products and services you patronize, those that have little character, are most likely very convenient or very cheap.

The learning here is that you can add power to your selling proposition simply by adding character. You don’t have to increase advertising or sale promotion or change your product or service in any way. Simply take exactly what you are currently selling and look for positioning elements that you can alter to add character.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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NEVER UNDER ESTIMATE THE POWER OF A 3RD PARTY

2010-05-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

Over time I have developed a protocol for creating a selling proposition for new products and I am very loyal to the process. It’s simple in that it begins with a thorough review of all the 16 positioning elements that make up a selling proposition to determine which are appropriate for exploration.

Lately I have noticed that the “product endorsement” element has been very effective in stimulating sales. You are probably thinking of the Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant type of endorsement and that is a great place to start. I snapped a picture of the following billboard of Dwight Howard in an Ed Hardy T shirt to demonstrate its prevalence.

For the most part, it is assumed that endorsements are costly and reserved for the big and well-financed brands, but nothing is further from the truth. An endorsement is essentially a referral by a third party. The third being after the first two, your product or service and your target consumer. These third parties come in two forms, human and institutional. If it is human then you are going to have to pay according to the popularity of the personality you are hiring. Recently, one beer company found a way to cut the celebrity fee. They needed “The most interesting man in the world” to sell their beer so they created him. Compare that to paying Dwight Howard.

So, if you are a small business what do you do? If you are already in business then you have the answer at hand. Take a look at your current consumer base and evaluate it with the idea of soliciting some of these people and use them creatively. In small and medium sized businesses this is routinely overlooked.

I have a friend who owns a dry cleaning business that is located approximately two miles from a major university. After getting to know his customers and providing great service over time, he asked two of them if they would consider endorsing his business. What a pleasant surprise when Ben Howland and Rick Neuheisel, head basketball and football coaches at UCLA, both said yes.

Hear is another example very close to me. I recently wrote a book. I asked twelve of my clients if they would like to read its final draft and provide me a quote for my use in promoting the book. All twelve are now found on the front and back covers and the inside 1^st page. "PULL" is now in full distribution in all bookstores and my publisher gives significant credit to the endorsements. Beyond that, one of the first reactions my publisher received was a very complementary email from the Chairman, President and CEO of HBO. Our first reaction was to thank him and ask if we could use it…it will be included in the next printing. You can see why I have more than the normal level of attention to the endorsement positioning element these days.

The learning here, is for you to look closely at your consumer base. It does not matter at all what your business is, you will find interesting people who are not celebrities but who have credible careers. If you are selling jewelry and one of your customers sells dresses, you are good to go with that. If you are a plumber and one of your clients owns an apartment building, you are good to go with that. Who wouldn’t use the plumber who takes care of the apartment building on the corner? These are people who are willing to help you and I out without compensation. So ask and let me know how it goes.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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BEWARE OF THE "OPERATING STATE" OF YOUR TARGET CONSUMER

2010-05-17T12:27:00.000-07:00

I know this sounds ominous and it can be if you are not careful. Being aware of the “operating state” is the secret to dealing with it. I discovered a long time ago that all humans have the same operating state and as a result, I have adjusted the way I interface with others. You may have noticed there are a lot of humans around these days, that includes you and me of course and the operating state I am referring to is “What’s Wrong Here?”

If you are at all human, and you are, you just thought to yourself that this may be true for Keith and most other humans but it certainly does not apply to you. Trust me, it is a defense mechanism left over from the caveman days when there were significant reasons to think this way. Thinking this way was key to survival itself. I share this with apologies to the Geico cavemen who have apparently evolved mentally if not physically.

Another way to look at this phenomenon is that consumers are looking for a reason not to purchase your product or service. The answer is simple. Don’t give them a reason, and here are three traps to watch out for.

The first is to not use words that your target consumer will not fully understand or words that need interpretation. There is something about the human mind that begins to turn off the instant we read past words we don’t fully understand. One word is enough to have consumers move on to the next issue in their lives.

Secondly, your selling proposition should be written and communicated on an 8th grade level. It is not only possible, it is essential when communicating complicated selling messages. Oddly, most newsprint is written that way and we don’t notice. We are engaged in the material and simply don’t think of it.

Lastly, if you make a bold claim, which I recommend you do if at all possible, be sure to validate your claim immediately adjacent to your claim. In this circumstance, they will tune your selling proposition out because your claim isn’t credible. If you immediately support your claim, you are on firm ground.

I observe the “What’s Wrong Here” operating state daily, and it has me working to be more effective in dealing with people. It will for you as well. You just have to get over the idea that you are not an exception to this fundamental way of being.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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CREATING WHAT’S NEXT IS ESSENTIAL TO THE HEALTH OF YOUR BUSINESS

2010-05-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

Picking up from last week, where I said, the smartest, safest and easiest marketing methodology is simply being the cause for what’s next in your category. You can accomplish major shifts in sales by making changes to your selling proposition. It is not at all necessary to spend money on advertising or sales promotion if you can create changes in your sales message that are perceived as remarkable by your target consumers.

There are four possible forms that a message can take;

Words
Graphics
Sounds
Physical Structure

For the purpose of demonstrating how easy this is, I will only consider words here. Imagine, simply changing two or three words and seeing a shift in sales volume.

A selling proposition is divided into sixteen different communication elements, each having different and unique functions that separate them from the others. It is smart to evaluate each as a possibility on its own. I will give you three examples here from three different elements, all in the form of words.

Consider your benefit for a moment. A benefit, as I define the term, is what your target consumer gets out of using your product or service. It’s about your target, not your product or service. I consider the benefit the most important element and also the most neglected. Chances are your competition has ignored it as well…good news for you. A great example of the strategic use of a benefit is “You’re going to like the way you look.” Chances are you are familiar with this one.

Consider your key physical attribute for a moment. I define it as a tangible characteristic of your product or service. A great example of the strategic use of a key physical attribute is “Made From Sugar.” This one you may not be aware of as the makers of Splenda were sued by the makers of Equal and were forced to remove it from their package. By the time it was removed, Equal™ had lost a major share of the market and Splenda™ had built a business that is now well over $400,000 in annual gross sales.

Consider the possibility of an endorsement for a moment. I define it as a third party of any kind that recommends your product or service. In West Los Angeles there is a dry cleaning company who has secured the recommendation of the UCLA basketball coach. My experience is that these types of endorsements make a difference and they need not be celebrities. Quotes from customers strategically placed in your sales message can be very powerful.

The learning here is that even if you are a small business with limited funds you can drive business forward. I recommend you consider that making positive changes to your selling proposition is an action that should occur approximately every six months. Good luck and go change something.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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HOW DO YOU HANDLE SUCCESS?

2010-05-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

Let’s assume for the moment that you have either recently created success in your business or you have been experiencing success on an ongoing basis. If so how are you handling it? Vacations? New house? New car? Are your feet up on the desk? Are you smoking a cigar? All of these options seem fine to me but I offer a word of caution.

In my world we are aware of a marketing distinction we call “what’s next.” What’s next is very interesting. It is very real and is as consistent and predictable as gravity. We all sell within categories. My category is creative marketing services. Yours could be service stations, frozen pizzas, dry cleaners, magazines, gas stations or whatever. I will assume you monitor your category faithfully and are aware of its evolution. Category evolution is the result of a series of changes that are adapted by category participants (that’s you) and accepted by the category consumers. What I can guarantee you is that “what’s next” is alive and well no matter whatever category you’re in.

You have a choice. You can create “what’s next” or you can wait for it to show up. If you wait, it will appear. If you wait, when it appears you will see and feel the effect of whatever change has taken place and that is often very painful. There is a great deal of suffering when you are at the effect of the category changes that others have created.

The learning here is to watch out for complacency. Once you have achieved success, be my guest. Put your feet up on your desk and light up a cigar. However, once you have finished the cigar, even in the face of success, begin creating “what’s next.” If you do not, you have in that moment shifted to a reactionary marketing methodology. In this mode, you are no longer the cause of your category evolution, but are conversely at the effect of it. There are many businesses that are successful operating in a reactionary mode. To do so is an art, one that you are not likely to be schooled in and I will not elaborate on it here as it doesn’t further the conversation. My experience indicates that the smarter, safer and easier marketing methodology is simply being the cause for “what’s next” in your category.

This may sound on the surface to be a costly methodology, but it need not be. You may be thinking you have to spend on advertising or promotion. You can accomplish major shifts in sales by making changes to your selling proposition. I will next show you examples of how to do just that. Until then…

CHEERS,

KEITH

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LIFE IS A SERIES OF CHOICES

2010-04-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

In the world of marketing, the single most difficult thing you can ask your target consumer to do is change one of their behavioral patterns. Consumers have hundreds of behavioral patterns and keeping them exactly as they are makes consumers feel comfortable and consumers love feeling comfortable.

There are two sides to this issue. The first being, to not attempt to change behavioral patterns, the second, to enhance a behavioral pattern by adding comfort to your selling proposition, consumers in general are more likely to respond to the later.

If life is indeed a series of choices and it is, then “choosing” is an accepted human behavioral pattern. In fact my experience is that simply having the choice is often more important than the choices that are being offered.

You see, it is easier to make a purchase decision if you have a choice, rather than if you do not have a choice.

I’ve written a book. It is a singularity. There is only one book. At the point of purchase the choice is to purchase a book or not to purchase a book. That decision is fundamental and requires the decision to spend money. The title of the book is “PULL.” Had I written two books, “PUSH” and “PULL,” the target consumer is then faced with a very different selling proposition at the point of sale. “PUSH” or “PULL,” the choice is there to be made. The process of evaluating “PUSH” or “PULL” is after having already made the decision to purchase. This phenomenon does not of course always play out as I have shared it, but you can count on it far more often than not.

The learning here is to offer choices, but there is more. Consider the possibility that the choices you offer can further distance you from your competition. It’s smart to offer the obvious choices but look for choices that do not currently exist in your category. I would suggest looking to other categories to see if you can leverage from those into yours. For example, in the world of laundering shirts, offering levels of starch is well known. How about offering something beyond that? How about offering fragrance? Or offering odor free conditioning?

When’s the last time you sniffed your suit when you picked it up from your dry cleaners?

CHEERS,

KEITH

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NOT KNOWING CAN BE VERY POWERFUL

2010-04-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

It is my experience that the most powerful operating state for human beings is “I don’t know.” Now I know how that sounds, but let’s look at it carefully without being controlled by our egos. Your first reaction to this is likely that you have spent much of your life, your parent’s money and your personal energy learning stuff. Acquiring information or knowledge as it is so often referred to. If so, how can not knowing serve you well? The first thing you have to do is understand that in this contest, “not knowing,” is how you operate and not how you promote yourself to others.

Over time, I have noticed that there appear to be two distinct and very different classifications of knowledge. One is intelligence and the other is awareness. They became clear to me when I realized that some people are more effective in the use of the knowledge they have acquired than others. As we pursue our goals in life we have been taught to accumulate lots of information to support the decisions we make. We do so with the idea in mind that the more information we gather the more effective we will become. Awareness, for this purpose, is essentially knowledge of the pertinent information that will allow one to make decisions easily based on common logic. Awareness is finite and can be acquired in a relatively short time. You don’t have to be a skilled animator to understand the process of animation or to direct an animated film. Intelligence, on the other hand is fueled by information and these days there is an over-abundance of information. Therein lies a trap for marketers.

The major brands that I work on, have figured out exactly how to deal with this phenomena and I suspect may have done so without having analyzed it in the way I have here. Rarely do I see a brand manager on the same brand for more than three or four years. The brand manager is at a level where their attention on a single selling proposition becomes familiar very quickly.

Given this problem has been removed from the world of big corporate marketing, what about the entrepreneur? Let’s assume he has owned the same business for seven years. Here’s the trap. In this persons mind, they possess all of the information that is available relative to their business. In this circumstance, the owners operating state is “I already know.” My experience is that all of that information and the entrepreneurs knowledge that they have all that information, pretty much makes them, ineffective. If you are an entrepreneur, you must stay aware of becoming too intelligent about your category. Did you get that? Don’t be intelligent, about being intelligent.

Years ago I created an operating state for myself that I rarely share with anyone because there are those who will interpret it as a sign of weakness. It is in fact a sign of strength. My operating state is “I don’t know.” I’ll explain.

“I don’t know” doesn’t mean I don’t have an opinion. It means that I take nothing for granted and I’m more curious as to what is possible. Can you see that this serves me well when my clients expect me to create “what’s next?” I don’t walk around saying I don’t know, but I do frequently say that I know how to find out. It’s simply in my head that I don’t assume anything and I recommend you consider doing the same. Additionally, and also very important, it does not stop or even slow me down from making decisions and recommendations. You must be very clear about how to use the distinction I call “I don’t know.”

The learning here is to alter your operating state to “I don’t know” but keep it to yourself. Good luck.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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BUYING A CAR CAN BE JOYFUL

2010-04-12T18:24:00.000-07:00

Every three years, I lease a new car. It’s fun evaluating and choosing a car, even though I know I must inevitably face the salesman and negotiate without knowing what is the best deal. When the deal is done, the salesman will tell me that he is only making five dollars on this deal and that his manager approved it so they could hit this month’s quota. That helps me feel a little better, makes me think like I bought the car at the right price, but in the back of my mind I clearly know that he made out like a bandit.

I went online last week to look at all of the options available to the car, and was not surprised to see only one exception to the rule, they’re all pitching performance features! These pitches are, of course, the sales messages (selling propositions) that have been carefully crafted to convince you and I to buy their car and no other. Over time, I have identified 16 elements that make up a selling proposition and consider each a possible opportunity to characterize any product or service as “remarkable.” I define a remarkable selling proposition as one that compels the target consumer to buy.

Among those 16 elements are attributes that are simply characteristics of the product. This is the area in which the automotive industry competes. They are each telling us that their car has more “stuff” and will do more “stuff” than all the others. My son recently demonstrated his new Prius to me and I was truly impressed. That car could almost drive itself. It is, of course, not the only car like it as there is competitive, technological war going on these days between companies.

As a marketing guy, I observed that this war is all about performance. Performance is 100% about the car. What about me…the consumer? I drive a Corvette and have always driven a sports car of one kind or another. Zero to 60 in 5.3 seconds. Wow! Did I purchase all those cars for the Zero to 60? No. Not one of them was purchased so I could go Zero to 60. They were all purchased because of how I felt about driving them. There is something to be learned here.

Also, among those 16 Selling Proposition elements, is what we refer to as a benefit. The benefit is what the target consumer gets out of using the product or service. It is not at all about the car, it is all about the target consumer. My experience is that a benefit is far more effective when characterizing your product or service in your selling proposition. Attributes are important as well, but they are what we refer to as “drivers” for the benefit. Think about it. If you go to a cocktail party and all night long everyone you meet talks about themselves. Not very fun, right? However, if all the people you meet want only to talk about you, it’s a very different experience. Most marketers are not aware of this fundamental marketing truth.

You may remember I indicated there was one exception to all the performance messages. BMW is the only car company I have ever seen to feature a benefit in their advertising and promotion. They communicate that they not only make great cars, “We make JOY.” Joy speaks directly to me. Their performance features are an access to having a joyful life. Well done, BMW. The learning here is for you to lead your selling proposition with a benefit, then back it up with attribute drivers that support it. Good luck.

CHEERS,

KEITH
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HERE’S A TIP THAT’S "GOOD FOR YOU" AND "SAFE FOR YOUR ENVIRONMENT"

2010-04-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

I’ve seen a lot of products in the past year that are largely based on them being “good for you” or “good for the environment.” I personally am a vegetarian and a bit of a health nut. I also recycle just about everything that comes through my house, but if you are marketing something as "good for you" or "good for the environment," there is a trap that is easy to fall for, and you'll thank me for making you aware of a potential misstep.

In my creative marketing consultancy, I am exposed to the launch or re-stage of a product about every five weeks. This gives me the opportunity to stay on top of trends as well as monitor all of the fundamental marketing assumptions that I use daily. It is essential that they be monitored. If you only learn one thing from my sharing, it should be that absolutely nothing stays the same, nothing.

There are two kinds of products and services that include these claims in there selling propositions. There are a group of products that have been developed specifically as “good for you” or “good for the environment”. While these products get a lot of attention, they have been only marginally successful. Then there are all of the products and services that have been out there forever that we are all familiar with. Many of these products and services have been altered in some way so they can claim now to be “good for you” or “safe for the environment”.

Here is what I can tell you, that you can count on, if you are considering these claims. Target consumers are a bit schizophrenic about this. If you ask them in an interview, they will tell you that they are 100% in favor of products and services that are “good for you” or “good for the environment.” However there is a big qualifier. At this time, they are definitely in favor of both of these product characteristics but just as definitely not at the expense of the performance of the product or service. If you are a dry-cleaners and you are using environmentally friendly chemicals you better get clothes just as clean as before or you will lose customers. The same is true of food, drugs or any other category. Your message is first that you perform “tastes great” and then that you are “good for you.”

The learning here is that if you are going to include either of these claims in your selling proposition, they are secondary. The trap is that consumers will lie to you on this one. You will have to trust me knowing I have seen this constantly for the last ten or more years.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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NO ONE IS SAFE…EVEN I CAN GET PULLED

2010-03-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

One way to look at the distinction Pull, is that it is the never-ending human compulsion to be completely comfortable with everything in our lives. I know how that sounds. On the surface it seems like an admirable characteristic but it absolutely is not. Don’t let yourself get Pulled.

Pull will keep you from moving forward in your personal and professional life if you don’t learn to deal with it.

I further define Pull as a survival function that I believe is a hold-over from cave man days when comfort was hard to come by. I say that with apologies to the guys who have been working so hard to sell us Geico insurance.

In my last blog, I shared that I had created reference notes and spread them all over my desk just prior to a live radio interview. I did it as if I needed them to get through the interview. At the last minute, I realized I had been compelled to do so by thinking it would make me more comfortable. I would be able to quickly look up any question they asked. Just before going on air I realized I had been Pulled and tossed all the notes into the trash. The interview went very well and I was asked to return for another segment. Looking back, those notes were suppose to make the interview more comfortable for me, but in reality, they were a barrier between me and the hosts.

Well guess what? I almost did it again. The follow up to that show came last Tuesday when they asked me back, this time into the studio. The difference being it was a TV/radio simulcast. Given it was on TV this time, I was less secure. Wanting to feel more comfortable, I wrote eight key words on a paper plate that would remind me of new insights that I had not covered in the first radio broadcast.  It made perfect sense to me.

During a commercial break I was ushered into the studio and seated between the two hosts. Just as the commercial break was about to end I reviewed the words on my plate even though the hosts were trying to chat with me. Doing so, I of course was not clear about what they were trying to say. In that instant I realized that I was doing it again and turned it face down. That plate, just like all those notes were a disaster waiting to happen. For the second time I woke up and quickly turned the plate face down.

The interview went beautifully. It was just posted for all to see. If you look closely you can see the plate faced down. Without that as a barrier I was able to "Rock N' Roll" with the hosts. This time I will be a bit smarter about my assumption that I have learned that lesson.

The learning here is that Pull is ever present. Staying present to its pervasive nature is the only way not to become a victim of it. It’s not about remembering that notes are a barrier, it’s about looking for Pull and dealing with its ever present existence.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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WHEN PRESENTING YOUR “STUFF,” INCLUDE YOUR AUDIENCE

2010-03-22T08:29:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I was asked to be the guest on a live talk show that would be broadcast over 300 radio stations as well as cable TV. Up to that point, my interviews were pre recorded with the benefit of editing. This was cause for concern.

Now, adding even more pressure, the two hosts were comedians. They had cleverly developed a unique way of delivering business news and it works. As it turns out, there is a significant segment of business news seekers who appreciate this fresh humorous format.

My dilemma was two fold. How do I handle the live aspect and how can I be funny to fit the format. Preparation seemed to be the answer. I developed an elaborate list of questions to cover anything they could possibly throw at me. To be safe, I developed over twenty. I was sure I had covered every contingency. Upon completing what amounted to seven pages of questions and answers, I realized that it was going to be nearly impossible to find any one question on the fly. My next idea seemed to solve the problem. I simply printed each question on a separate page and spread them around my desk. I had room for my phone, lots of notes and no room for anything else on my four by seven foot desk.

Now, how to be funny? This one I figured out in less than a minute. After reviewing my library of humorous material it became very clear. No jokes for me. I have no jokes. I will match their energy, which is a given for me, and leave the jokes to them. I can live with that.

Now came, air time. I am in my office on the phone with the producer who does a simple sound check. He further advises me to listen to the program and respond when the hosts refer directly to me. I am scheduled to be on in three or four minutes, I sat staring at my desk covered with notes thinking, I’m ready to Rock N’ Roll.

In those final seconds I suddenly had a vision of me scrambling to find the answer to the first question. In the next cathartic second I realized the irony of me taking what was already in my head and reducing it to notes that I would have to navigate through. Without thinking further I tossed them in the trash. It felt good and somehow released me from the pressure of the interview.

I went on, shared my thoughts freely, and had fun doing it. The hosts held me over through two segments and, while on the air, invited me back for a series of additional appearances.

The learning here is to be very prepared, of course, but don’t over control the circumstances. I make presentations on a regular basis. The potential mistake is to over control there as well. All of that control does not leave room for those who are on the receiving end of the pitch.

I am headed out later this week, for a very important presentation to the senior executives of a major corporation. As a result of my recent broadcast experience, I have altered my capabilities presentation to make room for the people listening to participate. I recommend you consider looking at this new distinction to see how it may apply to you.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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visit my site, www.pullbizbook.com

IS YOUR SELLING PROPOSITION A MALE OR A FEMALE?

2010-03-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

Trust me, it makes a difference. If you are close on this one you are probably ok, but if you get this wrong it will cost you dearly. The reality is that the gender of your product or service shouldn’t be specifically male or female. The good news is that you have a choice in the matter of its gender because you are in charge of creating and judging it.

It is a well-known fact that over 80% of purchases, by volume, in this country are made by females. Given that, have you noticed that over 80% of all products and services are not colored pink? Why not? The answer is rooted in how comfortable all of us, boys and girls, are with our sexuality.

As it turns out, women are very comfortable with there’s while us boys are a little behind and are still struggling with ours. We will know that the boys have made it when Kobe Bryant introduces his new pink basketball shoes and no one considers it unusual. That may take a while.

Over and above communicating our selling propositions, you and I as marketers must accommodate this gender reality. Over time, I have developed an operating approach that insures gender alignment with both sexes.

Assume there is a left to right horizontal line in the middle of a blank page. It is defined with an “F” at the extreme left and an “M” at its extreme right. That represents female on the left and male on the right. Located smack in the middle of this continuum is a short vertical line that separates the two genders equally.

Let’s assume for this demonstration that we are selling a product or service that is sold to both men and women with the exclusion of women’s fashion. Our example includes everything from cat litter, to dry cleaning, to a travel agency, to condoms. Yes, 35% of condoms are purchased by women. Conventional wisdom would indicate that the gender of your selling proposition should be smack in the middle of our continuum. Not so.

Given that the gender is a judgment call, your personal observation, you will shoot for an image that is approximately 1/3 from the midpoint to the far right masculine side of the continuum. Shooting for this will insure that if your judgment is off, you are still safe. I can assure you that if men perceive your image as feminine you will suffer the consequences. Conversely, women frequently choose both feminine and masculine images with ease.

The learning here is to play this safe and get on with fine tuning your selling proposition, knowing you have avoided the gender trap. Others, unwittingly have not.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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visit my site, www.pullbizbook.com

SOPHISTICATED MARKETING. . . . ON AN 8TH GRADE LEVEL?

2010-03-08T07:12:00.000-08:00

As a young kid I had a very difficult time reading and in turn comprehending. In fact I was deathly afraid of the tests that came around from time to time where we were required to read a couple of paragraphs and then write what we recalled from them.

Not too long ago, I was reading a somewhat philosophical book where the author instructed me not to read past any word that I did not understand. He said if I did, I would tune out. WOW! It all came back to me in that instant. That is exactly what happened to me as a kid.

After years of communicating powerful sales messages for my clients, here is what I can tell you. You must communicate your sales message on an 8th grade level.

You say, “But Keith, my product is more sophisticated than that.”

I am not referring to your product; I am referring to the language you use to sell the product. It is absolutely one of the smartest things you can do if you want to be effective.

If you’re in a state of reading or listening, and a word or a graphic is used that you do not fully understand that’s when you will begin to tune out.If the message continues to not be fully understood, that’s when you will tune out completely.

When I am working on a new selling proposition for a client I am not only interested in what each of the communication elements in my message are stating, but I am also very interested in how quickly and how well each is understood. If I discover one is vague, I will replace it immediately. I will dumb the communication down to an 8^th grade level of comprehension. If you explore this phenomenon you will discover that target consumers are easily confused about what you and I consider simple terminology. I dare you to simply expose your selling proposition to your target consumers I promise you will be shocked at how many of them misinterpret your selling proposition.

Don’t overreact to the 8th grade level thing. You can still, very effectively explain complicated concepts using an 8th grade level of communication. In fact it is likely that the 8th grade language will be far more easily understood and enjoyed by your target consumer. If you have been watching the “Universe” TV series on the History Channel, you have experienced it firsthand. Throughout the series, of over 20 episodes, the producers have been sharing very complex concepts that explore the most complicated laws of physics and have done so using 8th grade language so you and I can understand.

The learning here is to be diligent when constructing your sales message, constantly check to ensure your words and images are fully understood. You will be surprised to learn that what you see as a very clear message, your target consumer may not understand at all. When we confuse consumers, we make them they feel insecure. Even a small amount of insecurity on the part of your target consumer is enough to lose them. Do not expect that your target consumer will work to understand your sales message, more to the point, why should they.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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visit my site, www.pullbizbook.com

HOW DO YOU LIVE WITH “PULL?”

2010-02-28T10:33:00.000-08:00

It’s easy. You live with Pull by leading your category. I know the idea of being the leader in your category sounds like a huge undertaking but nothing is further from the truth. How you lead is by routinely being perceived as the only alternative when compared to your competition. The alternative I am referring to is accomplished by being perceived as having an advantage over your competition.

Beyond price, there are only two ways to accomplish the perception I am referring to. First, you can develop an alternative in your product or service. A simple example would be a dry cleaner offering an unusual new service for its customers, let’s say offering to convert old VCR videos to DVD format. That sets this dry cleaner up as an alternative in the dry cleaning category and successfully differentiates this one from its competition.

Second, is that you can create a remarkable change in your sales message. My experience is that the cheapest and easiest way to increase sales and profits is to upgrade your sales message in such a way that your product or service is perceived as remarkable. I touched on this in one of my earlier blogs, “How to Make Your Target Consumer Happy” (1/31/10). What I observed is that most businesses talk so much about their product or service that they leave the consumer out of the it sales message.

The car company BMW just did exactly that and I predict they will reap the benefit of having done so. Their new ad campaign is centered on the message “We don’t just make cars, we make joy”. That is 100% about the target consumer and what they will get out of owning a BMW. Works for me…it will for you too.

The RULE here is that if you evolve your sales message on a regular basis you will drive your competition crazy. You will be causing the evolution of your category by creating “what’s next/new” in your category. Target consumers will perceive your product or service as the leader. You will prosper and your competition will suffer. Your competition will be at the effect of your ongoing innovation. Go for it and let me know what happens.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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visit my site, www.pullbizbook.com

WHAT IS PULL?

2010-02-21T16:46:00.000-08:00

I flew to New York and back several weeks ago and was twice asked, “What is Pull?” Pull is a book title of course, but it is also a marketing distinction I discovered many years ago.

Remember how special you felt when you got your new car? It was exciting and made life a bit more fun. Remember how carefully you drove it and how carefully you parked it. Notice you still have the car but that feeling is gone. Shouldn’t it follow that if you still have the car you should still have the feeling?

You are not alone. It is humanly impossible to keep that feeling. Human beings are “hard wired” in the brain to familiarize themselves with their new car such that the newness and the feeling of excitement simply disappear. What is more aggravating is that we humans have no choice in the matter. We really are “hard wired” to acclimate to anything new because of a need to be comfortable with everything in our lives. We do it with anything that appears newly in our lives. That applies to good news or bad news, a new car or a recession. We humans have to make everything ok.

Being aware of this phenomenon and how it impacts the world of marketing will serve you well. It’s simple. When you create a unique sales message’s you need to understand that target consumers will only react emotionally to it until they make it familiar and get comfortable with it. That’s not bad news. If you think literally about it, you can see that this “Pull” creates a clearing for you and I to create what’s next for our sales message.

The learning here is that even when sales are strong, you and I should be working on creating “what’s next” for our business. Altering your sales message in this way will have your target consumers stay interested in your business and will devastate your competition. You will be the leader in your category.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON!

2010-02-15T16:05:00.000-08:00

If you hang around me often enough, you will come to agree that participating in Free Enterprise is akin to being in a war. Now I know how harsh that sounds but that attitude will keep you from becoming a casualty. As in any war you have some say about the weapons and the battlefield. Those two things go together by the way. Your selling proposition is your weapon and your impact point is your battlefield.

Identifying your impact point is relative simple. It’s where your message is being conveyed to your target consumer. The front of a retail package, the front of a store, a billboard ad and so forth. Your sales message is another matter.

Getting at your sales message is not quite so easy. The biggest misconception is that your message is what you say or write. It absolutely is not. There is only one true message that counts and that is the message that gets through to your target consumer. You and I may write down the message we want to convey and create an ad to convey it but that message is only in our heads. The message that counts is the message that was interpreted and received the target consumer.

What does all this mean? You need to find a way to expose your sales message to your target consumers and listen to what they have to say. Not your friends, your employees or your relatives…your target consumers. BTW, there is a correct way to do so that is covered in chapter twelve of the book. You don’t need formal research. You will have to do a little work.

CHEERS,

KEITH

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HOW TO MAKE YOUR TARGET CONSUMER HAPPY!

2010-01-31T11:50:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard a jingle or a tag line that you can’t stop thinking about? The first time I heard a man on TV say “Your going to like the way you look,” I loved it and have never stopped loving it. The reason is that it is a glaring example of a marketing distinction I have been practicing for a very long time.

Personally, I stopped buying suits a long time ago but apparently there is a brisk business catering to those who still do. Two companies, Men’s Warehouse and 3 Day Suit Broker are going head to head to capture the business that’s left. Both brands are national, both advertise heavily and each has very different selling propositions. Based on my experience, only one of them is doing it well…the other, absolutely not.

You may recall in my previous blog, I said all consumers really want is to be HAPPY. In order to address consumer happiness head on you must communicate something about your consumer first, then support it with your product or service characteristics.

The name 3 Day Suit Broker is about the product and immediately poses the question “what do they mean by 3 days?’ Given their brand name they are forced to continue communicating more about their product in order to simply answer that question. Notice, there is nothing in this message for the consumer. Nothing to make them happy.

The name Men’s Warehouse by contrast communicates discount or value then they continue by declaring, “You’re going to like the way you look.” WOW! They got me there. That’s about me. That will make me happy. Then they continue by saying, “I guarantee it.” What more could I possibly ask for? They also tell me about the big brands they carry but I am already sold.

So, ask yourself. If you need a suit and both stores are close by, which one do you choose?

Now take a look at what you are communicating about your product or service, Again I say, get over how significant your product or service is and communicate something that will make your target consumer HAPPY…good luck.

CHEERS,

KEITH

www.pullbizbook.com

ALL CONSUMERS WANT THE SAME THING!

2010-01-22T18:08:00.000-08:00

When I say that, most of you are thinking about your product or service. Probably thinking “Am I saying the right things about my product or service to make consumers want to buy it”. Restaurant owners spend hours working on their menus to create the correct entrée then many more hours describing each item in the most compelling way possible.

By contrast, 3M sells a lot of sand paper and while they are careful to tell consumers how it performs, they were smart enough to tell consumers exactly what they get when they use it. It’s not at all about the sandpaper.

Consumers are people just like you and I. We are simple. All we want is to be HAPPY. Yep… just HAPPY. Notice that happy is about the consumer, not the product. How you make them happy is to tell them “you have what they want”. On the 3M sandpaper package, before they tell you about the product it says in prominent type, “Less Work” If you are about to take on a sanding job that is exactly what you want.

So, get over the significance of your product or service and give your target consumers what they want. Make them happy.

KEITH

http://www.pullbizbook.com/