How Badly Do You Want Success?
How badly do you want success? It’s a question that is easily answered for most of us…. with a resounding “OF COURSE I WANT SUCCESS!” While our WORDS may say we want success, are those words backed up by our actions?
That’s a question asked by Ed Roach over at the Small Business Branding Blog. He writes:
I had breakfast with a friend recently who wanted to discuss personal branding. They felt that if they determined what their brand was or could be, it would change everything. But the truth is the real problem wasn’t necessarily their personal brand but their passion.
In summary…. the post outlines how Ed’s friend asks “How much?” and Ed replies, “$5 grand.” Friend reacts: “WHOA! That’s too much!” Ed then points out that friend recently dropped a similar amount of money on a state if the art massive television. It’s a matter of perspective. $5g’s is too much for the friend to spend on crafting a direction for his business but it’s just right for the television of his dreams.
Ed goes on to point out that his friend’s choices clearly illustrate where his passion lies.
Where does your passion lie? How badly do you want success?
Do you want it badly enough to postpone the purchase of [insert toy obsession here].
I know of a business person who is an AVID boater. Every free moment is spent on the boat with family or friends. It took MONTHS for this business owner to “find the time” to launch a web presence. (An appointment with me was actually canceled because the weather changed suddenly and this business owner HAD to get the boat out on the lake!)
It took almost three months for that business person to create an About page on the blog. For that business owner, boating time is a priority… posting content to the blog is not. This business owner’s words will tell you that success is a high priority… but watching this business owner in action tells you another story. Just like Ed and his friend in the post above.
Which again brings up the question, “How badly do you want success?” Do you want it badly enough to give up some time doing something you love?
How about this… do your actions DEMONSTRATE your commitment to success?
By the way, my behavior in the past week is definitely speaking a big fat “NO” to the question above. I’ve gotten “off track”. So if this post isn’t hitting you squarely between the eyes… know that it is for me.
How does that saying go…. something about bullshit walking…..
What’s up with Amazon? Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better…
Great comment on my last post about Alexa from PhilB of Phishbait where he reports:
“The rumor here in Austin is that Alexa is on the market. So perhaps this is just getting fresh lipstick on the pig.”
It made me chuckle… the thought of the “mighty” Amazon being depicted as a pig sporting lipstick.
My love for Amazon is evidenced by my previous post An Important Lesson from Amazon on How NOT to Treat Your Customers, so you can see why such a comment would make me smile.
So know that:
a) rumor has it that Amazon is trying to sell Alexa
b) Amazon is resorting to bullying tactics to try to prop up another Amazon property, BookSurge.
It’s Monday and I’m not spending too much time focusing my thoughts on the two points above. Instead, I’m working to clear my inbox of the pile up from the weekend.
Later on in the day, I checked my email and found an interesting email from Amazon. I get these emails because I’m a customer. In the email, they tell me that I’m getting this email because as a customer who has purchased baby related items in the past….
SCREECH!!! HOLD THE PHONE, I’VE GOTTA DRIVE!!!!
I am CERTAIN that I have NEVER purchased baby related items from Amazon. I can be REALLy certain because it’s been more than a decade since I’ve purchased baby related items PERIOD!!! Back in 1994, which was the last time I was in the “baby supply” market, Amazon was just a recently registered domain name and was barely a glimmer Jeff Bezo’s eye!!!
With the exception of the occasional baby shower I’ve attended over the past 13 years, I’ve moved WELL beyond the “baby related items” phase of my life. When invited to said showers, I usually show up in person, thereby negating any benefit from shopping online.
In other words, I usually make such a purchase whilst on my way TO said shower. I rarely plan in advance for such purchases and FREQUENTLY purchase the gift, the card and the gift bag at a store which is directly in my path to said shower. More times than I want to admit have I been in the situation of LUNGING at said gift recipient as she removes my gift from the bag as I remember that I forgot to take the price tag off of the gift as I stuffed it into the gift bag in the car.
Today’s email informs me that Amazon thinks I need to pre-order the Bugaboo Stroller, a stroller that retails for $899!!!
Unless one of my oldest daughter announces that she is expecting to give birth to an NBA or NFL star player’s offspring, I most definitely WILL NOT be in the market for a $900 stroller any time in the near future. (If my 20 year old daughter who is completing her sophomore year in college with the hopes of entering Pharmacy school next year announces she is expecting a baby from anyone LESS than an NBA or NFL star, then I’ll be expecting to spend my money on support and not wasting it on a super deluxe fleece lined stroller!)
So what’s up with Amazon?
First Amazon put on the bully hat and try to strong arm POD publishers into using Booksurge… then they begin putting lipstick on a pig in an effort to make Alexa a “better” traffic tool … and as such, one that’s more “marketable”. Now, they issue a customer alert that is so off target that I seriously have to consider hitting the “Mark as Spam and Report”.
What’s wild is my observations are in DIRECT conflict with “official” reports on Amazon. From the AWs Blog
In a new Business Week cover story, Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos discusses his approach to innovation, thinking for the long term, our focus on the needs of customers, and our company culture.
Um… Jeff…. this is your FORMER customer speaking….. I’m sensing that you not only don’t know who I am, you don’t even know I’ve left the building. That’s the problem when you become the 900 lb gorilla as Amazon has grown to be in the online retailing world.
Alexa’s New Ranking System Hurts Some and Helps Some
Alexa is a “traffic spying tool” used almost exclusively by web savvy tech professionals to see how much traffic a particular site is receiving. Until recently, Alexa gathered their data exclusively from an optional toolbar which at first could only be installed in Microsoft’s Browser, Internet Explorer.
So, when a web savvy tech professional would visit a web site, the firs thing they would do is look in their Alexa toolbar to see how the web site was doing. The problem with this is that the toolbar would only measure traffic to the site with toolbar installed. So, if your audience wasn’t tech savvy and didn’t have the toolbar installed, your Alexa ranking suffered… sometimes greatly.
So this morning, Darren Rowse over at ProBlogger announced the change in the way Alexa computes its rankings. You can read the Alexa Press Release here.
Amit Bhawani did some research to find out how the change has affected some of the big blogs on the internet and found many blogs rankings dropped dramatically. According to ShaMoneyMaker, the impact will be felt most by those who do paid reviews.
For those of us who write for a non-technical audience, we have seen a drop (which is good) in our Alexa rankings. For those whose focus is on the technical web audience, there is no joy in this anouncement.
I have to wonder what the REAL reason is behind the switch at Alexa. Could it be that Compete.com is putting pressure on Alexa? Then again, Alexa is an Amazon creation… and things have been pretty messed up over at Amazon.
Maybe this is evidence that things aren’t going well inside the hallowed halls at Amazon….
Is a Blog the Best Marketing Tool for Your Business?
There is an adage in advertising that says, “I know that half my advertising dollars are wasted - I just don’t know which half!” Several authors claim credit for this quote, but no matter what the origin, I can assure you the saying is wishful thinking.
Not only is it possible that more half of your advertising dollars are wasted, on the flip side, it’s also possible that your marketing efforts are working very hard – against your business!
One every popular “advertising” avenue being touted is using blogs to promote your business. With all the hype surrounding blogs, you may be wondering if a blog could help your business.
The answer is easier than you might imagine. But in order to answer this question, you must first recognize that there are two different types of sales your business can be making.
Neil Rackham is the founder of The Huthwaite Corporation, which launched a 12-year, $1 million research study into effective sales performance. Rackham is not your typical “sales guy” but rather he’s a psychologist who studies the sales process. The study results are available in the book, Spin Selling, where Rackham differentiates sales into two categories… the Minor Sale and the Major Sale.
While Rackham applies this theory to sales people who make sales calls, I have taken this theory and applied it to advertising and marketing, because these activities are “selling” activities.
If your business is making Minor Sales, then a blog probably won’t be a really effective marketing tool for your business. However; if you’re making a Major Sale, then a blog can be a GREAT marketing tool for your business.
Are you making a Major Sale?
The elements that make up the Major Sale extend beyond the financial investment required. Asking a customer to spend a lot of money is one way you know you’re making a Major Sale… however, it’s not the only factor in play. To determine how much of a Major Sale you’re making, ask yourself the following questions:
QUESTION 1: How much risk is there in purchasing your product or service for your customers?
In other words, how much trust do they need to have to become your client or customer? How “high” is the risk if your customers make a wrong choice? Most businesses doing business on the internet need to establish a level of trust, but some require more trust to be built than others.
For example, if you’re selling office supplies, the consequences fof your customer of making a mistake and purchasing the wrong kind of copy paper is very, very low. If your customer orders the wrong kind of paper and then finds out that he/she made a mistake… the consequences aren’t very high. If the customer has children, then he or she merely brings home the reams of paper and the kids will take care of it in short order.
On the other hand, the choice of a financial planner is a VERY high risk decision for most consumers.
Several years ago, a financial planning firm in my home town made BIG news when it was discovered that the “investments” offered by the “financial planners” were not investments at all but actually a complex Ponzi scheme. As a result, several thousand of the firm’s clients in the area lost their retirement savings.
If you need to establish TRUST with your potential clients… then a blog is a GREAT marketing tool for your business.
If you’re selling baseball gloves to Little Leaguers… well, then trust isn’t quite as important as it may be if you’re a CPA or a financial planner. On the other hand, if you’re selling copy paper, trust may be downright irrelevant!
QUESTION 2: How much TIME will customers invest in researching their purchasing options?
The higher the “risk” is for your client or customer in purchasing your products or services, the more time he or shee will spend researching providers and searching for alternatives.
It’s important to note that devoting a lot of TIME to making a decision about buying changes the buying process significantly. Just because someone is spending time researching a purchase, it doesn’t mean that the decision will be made based ENTIRELY upon which provider has the lowest price.
If your customers are spending a lot of time researching options, then a blog is a great marketing tool because, via regular posts, you can illustrate time and time again why they should make an investment and build a relationship with you. You can use those blog posts to clearly illustrate WHY the lowest PRICE provider may not be the BEST provider.
If your potential clients spend a lot of time researching their options… then a blog is a GREAT marketing tool for your business.
Blogs are MAGNIFICENT COMMUNICATION TOOLS!! If you’ve got a good “handle” on the information you want to communicate to potential customers and your customers are SEEKING more information to make an informed choice.
QUESTION 3: How much TIME will your customers be spending with you after the sale?
Yet another factor that moves a sale from Minor Sale status to Major Sale status is the RELATIONSHIP that you’ll have with your customers or clients once the sale is completed.
The more interaction you expect to have with customers or clients, the more information those clients or customers need BEFORE they make the final decision. If you expect to have a lot of interaction with clients or customers AFTER the sale, then even if customers aren’t making a major financial investment, they still treat the transaction as a major sale. After all, breaking up with a service provider is hard to do!
So while the investment in choosing a baby sitter for a Saturday Night out on the town may not require taking out a loan, it still falls into the Major Sale category.
If your potential clients will develop a relationship with you after the sale… then a blog is a GREAT marketing tool for your business.
If your business is involved with making Major Sales, then establishing communication with customers BEFORE they make a purchasing decision is essential. When communication is key, a blog is a GREAT way to communicate with customers and clients.
This article was published at BizNik
Why and For Whom Do you Blog?
Darren Rowse has an interesting article about a “new” breed of blogger, who doesn’t blog for money but rather earns income as a SIDE effect of blogging. His post was inspired by a post written by Seth Godin (the MASTER of earning income as a side effect of his blogging) called “The Wealthy Gardener” in which Seth writes:
Blogging is much the same way. The best bloggers make money, but mostly as a side effect, not as a direct result of setting out to use a blog to make a profit. It’s just too long a ramp up time, too frustrating and too uncertain to be the best path to make a living.
AMEN!!
Which is why I encourage my clients to embrace the “new breed of blogging” with a passion. See, in my practice, my clients are engaged in making what Neil Rackham classifies as the Major Sale. According to Rackham, a major sale is one in which the seller needs to establish a trusting relationship with the buyer in order to complete the sale.
If you’re an independent service professional, chances are good that YOU are engaged in making a “Major Sale.” If that’s the case, then a BLOG is a great way to communicate with potential clients and begin building the TRUST needed for them to eventually hire you so you can perform your services for them.
With that in mind, when I have a client who expresses desire to “monetize” his or her blog, I encourage them to think FIRST of why they’re blogging and then WHO their target audience is when they blog? A consultant whose monthly retainer is four or five figures should probably focus more on building a relationship with potential clients rather than focus on the nickels and dimes a “monetized” blog will generate.
Even blogging superstar Micheal Arrington of Techcrunch began blogging not with a “monetized” blog in mind, but rather as a way to get up to speed quickly on the emerging technologies of Web 2.0. It wasn’t until after he had built a MASSIVE audience that he parlayed his blogging “success” into a successfully “monetized” blog.
Mark Butler writes about the things Courtney Tuttle did right when he launched his blog and the first item Mark identifies is Court “began with the end in mind”.
Figure out what the ‘Why’ behind your blogging is, and remind yourself of it every day. Hint: “To make money” isn’t specific enough. Your blog should have a clear place in your business plans and goals. Define it, and stick to it.
I recently wrote about a GREAT contest being launched by the Search Engine Journal blog where they’re inviting guest writers to create dynamic posts to their blog. It’s a great contest, but one I won’t be entering. Why? Because my blog is a promotion tool for my business and my clients are NOT RSS subscribers nor readers of the Search Engine Journal.
A conversation I had this morning with a client illustrated this point well for me. I found myself creating a word picture for a client to help her to understand the difference between her domain name based email account and her beloved Hotmail email account. (The word picture involved an RV, a mail box, and two dogs named Outlook Express and Hotmail.) Trust me when I tell you that the readers at Search Engine Journal do NOT need that word picture to understand the concept of having two separate email account.
It’s easy to get distracted by shiny objects and small furry creatures as you build your blog. However, when you keep in mind WHY you’re blogging and FOR WHOM…. it makes it MUCH easier to decide where to invest your most precious commodity…. TIME.
