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What Happens in Vegas…

October 9, 2013 by Kenny Leave a Comment

You probably immediately know the rest of the advertising slogan.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Las Vegas officials switched to this in 2003. According to the visitors bureau, it has played a big part in tourism rising 10% over that time. (I do not condone what they sell with this slogan.)

However, valuable copywriting lessons can be learned here:

Appeal to your customers’ hidden desires.
State what you are about (you may drive some potential customers away.)
Remove the guilt a customer has about buying your product or service.

#1 – Your prospective customers may be on the fence about your product. Appealing to their hidden desires when nobody else does may lead them to you.

#2 – This is a tough one for business owners who still operate on the “old” model. During a consulting day or phone consult I typically ask, “Who is your ideal customer?” The answer I often get is, “everyone who will buy.”

In today’s world of easy access to information and ALL of your competitors, you need to specialize in a specific area first and expand outward. Customers want to know that what they buy is specifically for them and not everyone. They want to feel special.

#3 – The Vegas ad goes above and beyond. If you are old enough, you may remember the old Calgon commercial from long ago. “Calgon…take me away.”

Watch the video and pay attention to the beginning and how it gives overworked, underpaid, under-appreciated Moms permission to take needed relaxation time.

Never underestimate the power of each message your customer reads, watches, or listens to. All of your copywriting and messages should have a purpose.

Learn from an American Legend

April 4, 2013 by Kenny Leave a Comment

In 2013, 42 the true story of an American legend, debuted in movie theaters. It is the story of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play Major League baseball since segregation.

As a fan of baseball, Jackie, and people everywhere who are willing to take risks to break down barriers, I saw the movie.

In this article I write about the rewards of being first, but also the risks involved and how to limit them.

The first website listed at the top of Google gets about 40-50% of all the action, according to various studies. The other nine sites get to split the other 50%. Knowing why would make an interesting conversation, but the point is to KNOW the rewards for being first.

Being the first to do something often leads to being the most remembered.

Most people have an easier time remembering the first over the second:

First African-American baseball player – Jackie Robinson…2nd…?
First President – George Washington…2nd…?
First Ammendment – Free speech, religion, press, etc…2nd…?
Being the first is great positioning. The perception is that in a lot of cases, first is the equivalent of “best.”

Being the first to try a new method, strategy, service, or other in your business comes with risk as well. The person at the front of a line walking with a machete through a jungle gets to choose the direction. This person also gets to be first to confront BIG scary animals and critters.

The first in business to try new strategies, ideas, and methods may burn through resources and make mistakes as their is no clear-cut blueprint to follow.

A solution (in business anyway) is to be the first in your industry or in your area but NOT the first overall. This way it will appear that you are the first (to your customers, clients, patients, etc.) but there is a success path to follow by observing others. Observe with a strategic eye in everything you do. You can pick up marketing ideas, operations ideas, and service ideas by watching OTHER industries.

Many people believe Henry Ford invented the vehicle. He did not. Most people believe Henry Ford invented the assembly line. He did not.

Henry Ford manufactured vehicles and wanted his company to be more productive. While visiting a stockyard in Chicago he noticed something. Henry saw how productive it was to have the meat on an overhead trolley and as it passed by, each worker did his part. Henry brought this idea to the car manufacturing business and he changed the world. And got rich.

To save you Google time:
- 2nd African-American baseball player – Larry Doby
- 2nd President – John Adams
- 2nd Ammendment – The right of the people to keep and bear arms.
Have you picked up any great ideas and tweaked them to fit your business?

My Zappos Crazy Experience

March 30, 2013 by Kenny Leave a Comment

“Customer service is part of the marketing budget”.

This quote is something I heard while taking a Zappo’s tour in Las Vegas.

A company that went from zero to over $1 billion in annual sales is a company to model. So I took the tour and read Tony Hsieh’s book, Delivering Happiness – A Path to Profits, Passion, And Purpose. Tony sold his company LinkExchange to Microsoft for $265 billion in 1999. Soon after, he joined Zappos as an advisor, investor, and eventually, CEO. Zappos appeared on Fortune magazine’s annual “Best Companies to Work For” list in 2009, and shortly thereafter, Zappos was acquired by Amazon for $1.2 billion.

Most articles you read here are about marketing and business growth strategies. Well, if you take the Zappo’s tour and read Tony Hsieh’s book, you will understand that making customer service expenses a part of the marketing budget is a marketing and business growth strategy.

Zappos-Customer-Service-Decorations — Zappos Decorated Customer Service Area

Many people who take the tour will tell you about the crazy decorations, rainbow of colors, and the overall atmosphere. Although all of that is something to talk about, the big takeaway for me was the outstanding attitudes of the employees. They were all helpful, fun, entertaining, informative, and happy to be at work. Every employee looked everyone in the eye and said “hello” with a big smile even if they were just passing by or on a phone call. The employees on the phone only lip synced the hello because they had a customer on the line, but the intent was there as was the smile and eye contact. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to see us. Others in our tour group felt the same way.

In the economic climate live in today you would think all business owners and managers and employees would make it a priority to make guests and customers feel welcome. A smile is FREE and yet it goes a looooooong way. A great attitude is also FREE and goes a long way.

Apply to work at Zappos and if after a short time, they determine someone is not a fit to work there, they will offer $2,000 to quit! Yes I said, to QUIT! If this makes you shudder at the thought, consider this…

How much does an employee with a negative infectious attitude cost a business over a period of time? A negative employee

Zappos-Culture-Goals — Zappos-Goals-Wall

can bring down morale and infect everyone around them. This gets passed on to the customer. If you sell high priced items it may be easier to accept that a $2,000 payout to get rid of an employee is a deal. If you have profit margins that equate to $3,000 per sale then a sale earned that otherwise would have been lost due to negative employee attitudes equals a $1,000 gain.

Question – But what if you sell lower-priced items?

Answer – Zappos is known primarily as a shoe company.

I am not suggesting that simply paying to get rid of employees who are not a fit is the only answer. That is not the entire story of Zappos, but it’s a rare example to study. Zappos also offers continuous training to employees. They have an in-house Life Coach who works with employees on their goals — not just their goals within the Zappos family and culture.

A happy employee is more likely to give the type of customer service that will keep your customer coming back.

If you are consistently throwing money at marketing/advertising without great customer service and happy employees in place, take the Zappos tour and consider offering additional training. This way, the Marketing Consulting you invest in will lead to more sales as happy employees build relationships with newly introduced leads and customers.

Stephen Covey Seven Habits Tribute

July 16, 2012 by Kenny Leave a Comment

To pay tribute to Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, I have created the

Seven Strategies of Profoundly Profitable Businesses.

Before you read this, if you have not read The Seven Habits book, order it right now. It is a must read.

#1 – Be Proactive

You must be proactive by contiually educating yourself about marketing and growth strategies as well as educating your teams. When a new strategy is discovered, use it as fast as you can and attract as many customers as possible to create a loyal customer base that nobody can touch.

#2 – Begin With the End in Mind

Every strategy must begin by thinking about end results. When considering a new advertising method, do not focus on the immediate cost per sale; focus instead on the return on investment over the life of the customer.

#3 – Put First Things First

Each day you must put something on the back burner. Instead of crossing off a slew of little things that an employee can handle, start a new marketing campaign to bring in new customers. There is nothing like a new flow of income to fix other business challenges.

#4 – Think Win/Win

If you are working and marketing smart, then a happy customer should mean long term profits. Trying to make a quick buck never works out in the long run. It should be, “customer wins, you win.”

#5 – Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

Many of the “social media sucks” crew think that social media is for selling. Sure, you would like to see a measurable ROI when possible, but social media is also about listening to your customer so you can improve in other areas like operations, service, and other marketing. Listen to your customer and they will tell you what they want you to sell to them — and how to do it.

#6 – Synergize

Whenever possible, all of your marketing should complement other marketing campaigns. Building a huge fan base via social media or an email newsletter list is not just for selling. It can also be used to send out new articles, press releases, or online videos and get hundreds of quick hits, views, and readers. This leads to items that get “shared” online with others who may turn into buyers.

#7 – Sharpen the Saw

Continue to get better and learn more. It is easier today than ever before in history to learn just about anything while still in your pajamas. Subscribe to relevant newsletters. Order books to stock your library. Buy training programs. There is no excuse to NOT be in the know.

To read more about the death of Stephen Covey or see our tribute video go to Stephen Covey Dies

Stephen Covey Dies After Bicycle Accident

July 16, 2012 by Kenny Leave a Comment

Author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey Dies After Bicycle Accident

This is personal for the author of this article and founder of Creative Profit Pros. For this reason, this article will include information about Stephen Covey’s death as well as a personal story, and a tribute to the best selling author.

The author and motivational speaker died at a hospital in Idaho Falls Monday, July 16, 2012 due to complications from a bicycle accident in April.

Stephen Covey was once named one of Time magazine’s 25 most influential Americans; he wrote The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (which sold over 1 million copies) as well as First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership, and The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness.

Covey Leadership Center, which in 1997 merged with Franklin Quest to create FranklinCovey Co, was founded originally by Stephen Covey. The company trains in areas of leadership, sales performance, strategy execution, customer loyalty, and individual effectiveness. According to their website http://www.franklincovey.com/ they have 44 offices in 147 countries.

My Personal Experience With Stephen Covey

Stephen R. Covey was the author of the first self-improvement book I ever read. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People was required by Dr. Dan McAllister, a professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

I was such a fan of Dr. Dan’s Business Management 101, I enrolled in every course that he taught. This is relevant to my following Stephen Covey because Dr. Dan recommended several of Covey’s books including, Principled Centered Leadership, and First Things First.

Although I enjoyed all of Covey’s books, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is one of my personal favorites. Along with Napolean Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, it ranks near the top for books that have influenced my life and business, after the Bible.