HAHA - what were you selling again?

Every once in a while I sit back and take a critical look at other businesses' marketing efforts - just to see what works for me - and what methods quite frankly seem ludicrous and ineffective.  And I wonder - WHO are these people paying to do their marketing?

I would cite a case in point - but there are too many to mention.  All I know is that when I watch a commercial,  before it is completed I think I should be able to determine what the product is that they are trying to sell - or at least figure it out after a few minutes.  But lately - I have see so many 'clever' commercials that may have made me laugh - but for the life of me - I cannot remember what the commercials were about!

Now I know - when one laughs - one learns and remembers things better than if there is no emotional response. The ScienceDaily (May 26, 2005) published findings that confirms that laughter helps us to remember.  And yes I remember several funny commercials.  But the telltale sign that the marketing was ineffective is when I see a commercial begin - and think  "oh yeah , hahah, I love this commercial", but cannot recall a product, service or even a company it is related to!


Over the week-end though I was re-introduced to some fabulous marketing.  In fact it was so effective - that although I could not participate in the rush of purchasing because of where I live - I wanted to go anyway and wished I lived somewhere I could go and SHOP!


That's right - last Friday was "Black Friday" in the USA.  And because we get US television stations - we get their commercials.  I have to say I loved the TARGET commercials. They had me laughing but most of all - I remember that it was TARGET - AND I wanted to find a TARGET store and line up for midnight just to get a deal - ANY DEAL!  (see one of their commercials here.  
Now that is effective marketing!


It made me wonder about my marketing efforts.  How irresistible did I make my offer?  Is there enough emotion in my marketing?  Am I getting BUY-IN from those who need what I have to offer?  And further - is my advertising so effective that even if someone does not want my product - do they feel excited and are they considering a purchase?


The final point is KEY!  Because if someone else is excited about your product - but they cannot use it - chances are they will refer you to someone else!  And that is KEY to marketing success - because someone else's referral is the best marketing you can have!

So I am off to the drawing board.  Shame on me if you don't know what we offer!  Double shame if you don't at least remember the name Roaring Women!  I guess it's time to get less clever and more direct!


See a fun video here on Roaring Women


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The awakening of a new 'business' world.

I was recently re-reading Ekhart Tolle's book, "A New Earth" and was prompted to think about the changing of human consciousness. - as it related to business.

Photo courtesy of http://www.freefoto.com

Tolle speaks of the ego and greed and the madness that is humanity - and how the world is awakening to a more enlightened state.  I think of how this has affected business.

One of the key principles we have a Roaring Women is that there is enough business for everyone.  In that spirit, despite my financial circumstances or the health of my business I have always maintained that each of us has the ability to attract the 'right' customers and that the transactions that occur for the service we provide will ALWAYS sustain us if not bring incredible abundance.  But this can only occur when we live (and function) with the understanding that 'there is always enough'.

However when we come from the understanding that we must 'compete' - it really reflects a scarcity mentality.  When there is competition there must always be a winner and a loser.  In the abundance mentality - there are no losers - we all are blessed with what we need.

So where does marketing and advertising fit into this picture?  Both of these activities really do support the abundance theory.  Marketing is a process of educating your market on the products and services and how they will benefit your potential clients and also of making them aware of the value that you offer.  Advertising is the posting of special offerings or the activities that will notify and make your target market aware that you exist.

Is marketing a competitive activity?  No.  Not if you believe that there is enough business for everyone and there are clients who will prefer you over other suppliers.

In an example I like to use - I buy my groceries at Safeway.  Do I read all the flyers from all the other grocery stores?  Yes - but my preference is to shop at Safeway.  I like their service, their corporate philosophy and the fact that they identify me by name - even if it is something they collect through a loyalty program.  There is nothing nicer than hearing "Thank you for shopping at Safeway, Mrs. Crawford".  (I'll have to remind them, many women prefer MS. to Mrs.)  But that is just my preference.  Some people I know prefer to shop at Sobey's. For them - this is their 'right' choice.

It does not matter what specials exist other places - I choose to follow and buy the specials at my favorite grocery store.

The same thing happens in your business - whether you understand it or not.  There are people who will use your services or products regardless of other similar services that may be easier to access or cheaper, simply because they prefer to.  Isn't that cool?

If there is one customer out there like that - then there are likely hundreds of others just like that.  So now instead of the frantic attitude around marketing and advertising, a business owner can now focus on finding, educating and notifying their customers of what they have to offer.

With the abundance principle at work it stands to reason that if you are not making enough money to make ends meet - then you have 'customers in waiting' ready to buy your product or service but may not yet be aware that your business exists.

Think about it.  Customers in waiting.  If you knew that there were customers waiting just for you - would this change how you ran your business?  Would you market with a different attitude?

I guarantee it would.  Practicing and thinking abundantly changes our businesses from competitors racing to beat 'the other guy' to a customer service based business - focusing instead on finding those clients in waiting and providing them with the services they need.

Wow.  A new business world.  I wonder what Eckhard Tolle would think of this?

HYPE without substance - how I hate it!

OK, time for a bit of a rant and a lesson for all of us... As many of you know - my hubby has been managing a campground this summer, while I play catch up with Roaring Women. I have been blessed with gorgeous mountains and fresh air. But I got a bit cranked earlier in the week. We have always prided ourselves in being 'green' - or as green as we can. We are careful of our water, electricity and gas use. And we have been told over and over again by the media and government that the planet benefits and that we also benefit financially. But I am wondering is all this a bunch of hype? I digress... back on point Mandie.... So because we have been away from home - we have not used any water except for the odd toilet flush when we return home to get the mail. We thought - wow - because we are using the shower in the RV which uses very little water, we are really adding to the green planet conservation efforts - and saving money. (we also have used less than $25 in propane for the entire summer - cooking water heat included) Well, we may be helping the planet - but the money saving thing is all a bunch of hype. After reviewing the bill last month and this month- I noted we saved $2.03 in July and $2.30 in August. Yes we saved less than $5.00 in two months for using little or no water at home. So I called the utilities department at the city. The clerk was amazed at how little water we use normally and looked at the graph that showed we used 1/10th of what we normally used in July last year. Add yes the savings was $2.03. (Over $40.00 of the bill is service charges) I thought back to all the times I take a short shower to save water and cash. Then I thought of all the times I berated the teens over the years about their water usage. Then I did a few calculations. It seems that if I run the shower for 1 minute it costs less than 1 penny in water usage. So for an extra 10 minutes in the shower every day for a month, (oh how luxurious) my bill would go up a measley $3.00. So what is my beef? Advertisers and marketers know that when you talk money, people sit up and listen. But I really am tired of being roped into a pile of hype about a benefit that does not even exist. If you promise me big savings on a water bill because I conserve - I want to see big savings. But if I do not save much - appeal to my sense of responsibility - don't try to sell me a bill of goods that do not exist. Do I want to help the planet - yes I do. I want my grandchildren to be able to shower. And I want under privileged countries to have better access to water. And so I will continue to conserve water. But come on Calgary, if you want to play on the savings because I conserve - you had better change your billing structure so that your promises can be realized! Let's put some honesty back into marketing - PLEASE!