This comes from 2 math teachers with over 70 years experience.
How could they possibly be wrong?
This is indisputable math logic...it goes something like this.
What makes 100% ? What does it mean to give more than 100% ?
Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100% ?
Can you really give 110? or how about 103% ?
This little math formula might help answer that question. And for you employers - the next time you ask your employees to give 100%, you might be surprised with what you get.
If: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Is represented as:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26
That means: H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
And:
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%
But:
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%
And: B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%
But look how far A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G will take you
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%
So, one can conclude with absolute mathematical certainty that:
-While hard work and knowledge will certainly get you close...
-It takes attitude and some bullshit to raise you up.
-But it is ASS KISSING that will put you on the top.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Rate Your Business Survey
The indelible stain of mediocre service is rarely removed by even the most sincere apology.
When great opportunities to "WOW" and overwhelm your customers are missed, it is never caused by outside forces. Poor customer service is always an inside job. Intentional or not, it is seldom excused or forgotten by a hurt customer.
Finding new customers requires wicked persistence and dogged determination. Retaining our treasured customers requires even more effort. Those who know this vital law of persuasion and uncompromisingly guard their customers trust with clenched fist and gritted teeth will prosper and profit. All others will meet a terrible end.
Competition for your customers business is fierce. Winning this competition is (should be) your only goal. It requires an understanding of human nature, a PHD equivalent in persuasion and influence and a Navy Seal precise execution of a second-to-none marketing strategy that wins the heart, soul and loyalty of every customer who visits your store. You are out to win their undying devotion and die defending it if necessary.
I call this strategy the "Camelot Effect." The people of Camelot were ready to die for their king and country. The king was more than a ruler...he was their friend. This high level of devotion was instilled by a very wise king who understood that strength was not in economy, governmental policy or media manipulation. But rather, by winning the hearts of his people through character, honor and trust. That is marketing at it's highest level.
Marketing in it's simplest form is finding and communicating with your potential customers. Good marketing will accomplish that goal. Exceptional marketing captivates and converts potential customers into loyal and undying devoted friends who trust you whole heartedly. They give you their business because you have won their hearts. They continue to shop with you even though they could save money by shopping your competitor. They recognize a higher value in your business and in your friendship.
Marketing begins with an invitation via print ads, sales letter or flyer...but exceptional marketing doesn't end with winning a customer over. It happens over and over again every time your friend visits your establishment. Every visit is another opportunity to shower your customer with appreciation.
This survey was designed to challenge your notions about the way your business views exceptional marketing. May of you will pass with flying colors. But rarely does any business receive an A+ on this report card. We all have ares we have overlooked, forgotten in the clutter of hectic business routine, or perhaps have never thought about.
Be honest with your self as you take this survey. Take lots of time to consider your answers. Only you will see the score unless you decide to share them with me. In which case I will never reveal or share the information with anyone else. After all...trust is what I have been talking about. I believe trust is a big part of friendship. I would like to think that even if we never meet we are still friend through common bond of our industry and our beliefs.
Hopefully you will do well on his survey. If not, call me. I am here to help. Sometimes a fresh view is just what is needed and is often more readily accepted by employees rather than "more harping" from the boss. Either way I wish you the best in business and success.
P.S. I would like some feedback. Let me know if this survey was helpful to your business.
Good luck.
FPBS...Noirguy
Click on the link to take survey: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/70884/rate-your-business-survey-
Monday, September 29, 2008
How To Read Anothers Persons Eyes
How to Read another persons eyes
Here is a wicked clever little trick that most people have heard about, but few people actually know how it works.
Have you ever watched a cop show on television when a bad guy is being interrogated? It usually goes something like this: The PA (prosecuting attorney) calmly asks the suspect several questions. He display little or no emotion...just gathering the facts.
Suddenly things change. Wham! The PA asks a question...the suspects answers...and as if he flipped out the PA suddenly becomes a raving lunatic. Finally, while just inches from the suspects face, sweat dripping & teeth gritted, he asks the suspect one final question. The suspect answers...and the PA arrogantly proclaims, "You're lying - your eyes gave you away."
So the bad guy confesses and the good guy wins the case...the end! At least that's how it is in the movies anyway. So what happened? How did the bad guys eyes "give it away?"
What if you really could look at someones face and tell if they were lying? Do the eyes really have it? Can you really look at someones eyes and know if they are telling you what you really want to hear?
The truth is, Yes! You really can do it. Anyone can do it. It is a fast skill that anyone can learn to do in just a short time. :Like anything else you have to practice a little to get good at spotting all the little signals. But you can learn to do this in less than 30 minutes.
This is the same technique used by the FBI, CIA, military, body language experts, professional poker players and myriad other professionals who rely on body language to reveal the truth.
Imagine what your salesmen would be capable of if they could read the customers mind. They could close more sales in less time; make more money; increase profits and more.
The Truth_The Whole Truth_And Nothing But The Truth
No, it's not a trick. No, it's not magic. It is science. It's a science so clever and sneaky it seems like magic. It's so sneaky in fact that will never get caught doing. You can pull this off completely under the radar even if your only inches away from the subjects face. In fact that makes it even easier to do.
The Basic Idea
Here is the basic concept of how it all works. You will ask your subject a question. If you watch closely you will notice that her eyes will look away in a certain direction while thinking of the answer to your question.Learning the persons response pattern to certain question types is the key to detecting a lie..if they are in fact lying. Every person has their own pattern for responding to a certain question type.
Don't worry. I will show you how to learn each persons pattern in about 60 seconds. In fact, while you are still in the "Hello, how are you doing?" stage of a conversation you can immediately start eliciting responses to determine their pattern. It really is that easy.
That's why a cop is so calm early on in the interrogation process. His questions are just to help him learn the response pattern. Once he knows that he asks the big question...if they respond differently than their true pattern, Presto! He knows they just told a fib. He himself is a human lie detector and you will be too. So keep reading.
Why It Works
We humans are creatures of habit. Sometimes to our own demise. All of us have little patterns and quirks or ways of doing things the same way every time we repeat an action. Pattern is what CSI agents and detectives look for. They are our behaviour signatures. Habits are fingerprints of our actions. Scary, right?
We do these things hundreds of times a day without ever realizing we are doing it. The way we move our eyes when we are thinking about something or even a little facial quirk just before we tell a lie is all signals that we give away without meaning to.
Revealing How The Trick Is Done
Okay! I know you're getting anxious by now, so let me show you how this is done.
Your God Given Senses
You are familiar with the five senses: Sight, Hearing, Touch, Taste and smell. You learned this when you were five.
But you probably haven't heard of VAKOG. These are the inner minds equivalent of the five senses.
What Is VAK All About?
Naturally we perceive what we see, hear and feel in the real world. But did you ever notice that when you think, you actually think in pictures. Pictures help us understand the world. Some people say they don't think in pictures but scientist know they do.
At other we think and it seems as though we actually hear sounds with our actual ears. We remember voices. The sound of running water or a horn blowing. This is the function of our inner mind speaking to us in audio.
This next one, (Kinesthetic) can seem a little weird so let's use an example. Think about your mother being beaten by some evil bastard and being left for dead. How do you feel about that? Sorry about the ugly example. I needed you to feel a surge of emotion.
This time think of dear ole mom in a more pleasant setting. remember a time when you and your mother did something special together that made you feel really close to her. What food did you eat that day? Where did you go? Think for a moment about the one thing that's means the most to you about that special day.
As you recall these things (when you're not reading articles like this) you may have noticed your eyes wandering around the room. Not look at the things in the room...rather you were seeing images in your mind and you eyes naturally followed.
That's what VAK is all about, Sights, sounds and feeling of the inner mind. We use our eyes to help access the brains function of these activities. If they are actual memories we look one direction. If we are making them up we look in the opposite direction. Cool stuff, right?
Is It Imagined Or Is It Real?
The really cool thing is...it doesn't matter if it's real or constructed.The eyes will look in the direction of the mind from which the thought occurs. hose things which really did happen are called real memories. Those things which we make up in our mind (Like a lie) are called constructed memories.
This is where your eyes tell the story. Let's try one: If I asked you "what was the color of the shirt you wore on your first date?" Where did you look. Probably UP & To The Left. (80% of people will look that way when recalling a true event) This is important, because every time you have to remember something that really happened you probably look in that direction. Eureka! You have your first pattern. Let's do another one.
Suppose I said to you, "What should we do about the war in Iraq...the President needs to know?" What would you say to me?
This time I'm guessing you looked Level not up or down) and to the Right. Was I right? This type of question forces you to construct a speech in your mind. You will inevitably look in the direction of your mind that is making it up for you. Shazam! You have just discovered another pattern.
What The #@!! is VAKOG?
Well, you already know what VAKOG stands for. It is just an acronym. To read people eyes you only need VAK.
You have seen a couple of examples of how to elicit an eye movement response pattern. Now let's take it to the next level.
There are seven key directions that we humans look when asked a question...
Here is a wicked clever little trick that most people have heard about, but few people actually know how it works.
Have you ever watched a cop show on television when a bad guy is being interrogated? It usually goes something like this: The PA (prosecuting attorney) calmly asks the suspect several questions. He display little or no emotion...just gathering the facts.
Suddenly things change. Wham! The PA asks a question...the suspects answers...and as if he flipped out the PA suddenly becomes a raving lunatic. Finally, while just inches from the suspects face, sweat dripping & teeth gritted, he asks the suspect one final question. The suspect answers...and the PA arrogantly proclaims, "You're lying - your eyes gave you away."
So the bad guy confesses and the good guy wins the case...the end! At least that's how it is in the movies anyway. So what happened? How did the bad guys eyes "give it away?"
What if you really could look at someones face and tell if they were lying? Do the eyes really have it? Can you really look at someones eyes and know if they are telling you what you really want to hear?
The truth is, Yes! You really can do it. Anyone can do it. It is a fast skill that anyone can learn to do in just a short time. :Like anything else you have to practice a little to get good at spotting all the little signals. But you can learn to do this in less than 30 minutes.
This is the same technique used by the FBI, CIA, military, body language experts, professional poker players and myriad other professionals who rely on body language to reveal the truth.
Imagine what your salesmen would be capable of if they could read the customers mind. They could close more sales in less time; make more money; increase profits and more.
- increase sales
- increase close rate percentages
- increase profits
- rapidly detect thieves and cons
- spend less time on "just lookers"
- discover customers deepest desire instantly
- prevent sales from going "cold"
- and even more than that
In this article I will teach you how it is done.But before we get started you should know that to get really good at the craft of reading peoples eyes you should do a bit more studying. This article will serve as an introduction that will produce satisfactory results immediately. In this article you will learn...
- What to look for when reading faces
- How to look for patterns
- How to elicit an eye movement response
- What the #@!! is VAKOG?
- How to calibrate each response
- Congruency is the key
So if you're ready...let covert operation "I know what you're thinking" begin now!
The Truth_The Whole Truth_And Nothing But The Truth
No, it's not a trick. No, it's not magic. It is science. It's a science so clever and sneaky it seems like magic. It's so sneaky in fact that will never get caught doing. You can pull this off completely under the radar even if your only inches away from the subjects face. In fact that makes it even easier to do.
It's not mind reading, but your unsuspecting subjects might think it is. Psst! Want in on a little secret? Employing this skill is one of the little tricks of the so-called "mind readers & fortune tellers." It's not the only trick hiding in that suspicious little black bag, but it's one of them.
Utilizing the skill of reading peoples faces will help you discover who is telling the truth. And since it is just like reading a book you will know instantly if they are telling you the truth_the whole truth_and nothing but the truth.
But that's not the only thing you can discover using this technique. Reading faces allows you to look deeper into the soul and help them find the answers they are searching for. Many times in a sales situation the customer doesn't even know themselves what they want or need. You become the hero by understanding their need even more than they understand them self.The Basic Idea
Here is the basic concept of how it all works. You will ask your subject a question. If you watch closely you will notice that her eyes will look away in a certain direction while thinking of the answer to your question.Learning the persons response pattern to certain question types is the key to detecting a lie..if they are in fact lying. Every person has their own pattern for responding to a certain question type.
Don't worry. I will show you how to learn each persons pattern in about 60 seconds. In fact, while you are still in the "Hello, how are you doing?" stage of a conversation you can immediately start eliciting responses to determine their pattern. It really is that easy.
That's why a cop is so calm early on in the interrogation process. His questions are just to help him learn the response pattern. Once he knows that he asks the big question...if they respond differently than their true pattern, Presto! He knows they just told a fib. He himself is a human lie detector and you will be too. So keep reading.
Why It Works
We humans are creatures of habit. Sometimes to our own demise. All of us have little patterns and quirks or ways of doing things the same way every time we repeat an action. Pattern is what CSI agents and detectives look for. They are our behaviour signatures. Habits are fingerprints of our actions. Scary, right?
We do these things hundreds of times a day without ever realizing we are doing it. The way we move our eyes when we are thinking about something or even a little facial quirk just before we tell a lie is all signals that we give away without meaning to.
Revealing How The Trick Is Done
Okay! I know you're getting anxious by now, so let me show you how this is done.
Your God Given Senses
You are familiar with the five senses: Sight, Hearing, Touch, Taste and smell. You learned this when you were five.
But you probably haven't heard of VAKOG. These are the inner minds equivalent of the five senses.
- V = Vision Refers to memories or things we see in our mind. Picture we use to understand concepts
- A = Audio Refers to the sounds we remember in memories or sound we create or imagine
- K = Kinesthetic Refers to emotion we feel or state we are in during memories or thought
- O = Olfactory Refers to smell
- G = Gustatory Refers to taste
NOTE: Only VAK will be used. OG are factors but very little. For now ignore them.
What Is VAK All About?
Naturally we perceive what we see, hear and feel in the real world. But did you ever notice that when you think, you actually think in pictures. Pictures help us understand the world. Some people say they don't think in pictures but scientist know they do.
At other we think and it seems as though we actually hear sounds with our actual ears. We remember voices. The sound of running water or a horn blowing. This is the function of our inner mind speaking to us in audio.
This next one, (Kinesthetic) can seem a little weird so let's use an example. Think about your mother being beaten by some evil bastard and being left for dead. How do you feel about that? Sorry about the ugly example. I needed you to feel a surge of emotion.
This time think of dear ole mom in a more pleasant setting. remember a time when you and your mother did something special together that made you feel really close to her. What food did you eat that day? Where did you go? Think for a moment about the one thing that's means the most to you about that special day.
As you recall these things (when you're not reading articles like this) you may have noticed your eyes wandering around the room. Not look at the things in the room...rather you were seeing images in your mind and you eyes naturally followed.
That's what VAK is all about, Sights, sounds and feeling of the inner mind. We use our eyes to help access the brains function of these activities. If they are actual memories we look one direction. If we are making them up we look in the opposite direction. Cool stuff, right?
Is It Imagined Or Is It Real?
The really cool thing is...it doesn't matter if it's real or constructed.The eyes will look in the direction of the mind from which the thought occurs. hose things which really did happen are called real memories. Those things which we make up in our mind (Like a lie) are called constructed memories.
This is where your eyes tell the story. Let's try one: If I asked you "what was the color of the shirt you wore on your first date?" Where did you look. Probably UP & To The Left. (80% of people will look that way when recalling a true event) This is important, because every time you have to remember something that really happened you probably look in that direction. Eureka! You have your first pattern. Let's do another one.
Suppose I said to you, "What should we do about the war in Iraq...the President needs to know?" What would you say to me?
This time I'm guessing you looked Level not up or down) and to the Right. Was I right? This type of question forces you to construct a speech in your mind. You will inevitably look in the direction of your mind that is making it up for you. Shazam! You have just discovered another pattern.
What The #@!! is VAKOG?
Well, you already know what VAKOG stands for. It is just an acronym. To read people eyes you only need VAK.
You have seen a couple of examples of how to elicit an eye movement response pattern. Now let's take it to the next level.
There are seven key directions that we humans look when asked a question...
- Straight & Forward
- Left & Up
- Left & Level
- Left & Down
Then of course to the other side of the face
- Right & Up
- Right & Level
- Right & Down
Explaining The Eye Movement
First of all, keep in mind that every person has their own distinct pattern.Not all people will respond just alike. However, about 80% of all people will typically respond as the illustration shows above.
For each person you should calibrate - which is just a fancy way of saying you must test to determine their response pattern. Just as it is in writing good ad copy, you must test-test-test.
A calibration test should ask a similar question type more than once to determine if the persons pattern are consistent. Often times the first question is thwarted by some outside force. Make certain you have their attention.
Ask The Right Question Type
If you want to elicit a response to determine where they look when remembering something real, simply ask a question that forces them to remember something you are fairly certain they have seen before. Again I remind you to ask more than one question of the same type. Three is usually enough.
EXAMPLE: We want her to remember something real so we might ask questions like.
- How many windows does your house have?
- How many trees are in your neighbors yard?
- What color is the city court house building?
These may not be the questions you want to ask, or they may think you are a nut-job...but you get the idea. Asking the right question type is critical to the process. Be creative and make it flow naturally into the conversation.
Now the suspicious wife can ask, "Honey, where were you last Friday night?" And he had better look up and to the left. Yikes!
BTW, this does work on spouses too. So if you use it on your wife and end up getting a divorce, I don't know you and you never heard of me. Just kidding.
Now, suppose you want to test for a constructed memory. The process is exactly the same. Just ask the right question type.
You want him to "construct" a memory. (Basically this is a lie.)
- Can you imagine if the rainbow had the color hot-pink in it?
- Hey Julia, picture your husband in a pink tutu and striped knee-high socks.
- So Ed, if you were the owner of this business what would you wear to work everyday?
This question type forces the subject to construct an image or memory. As their eyes follow their thought you have a response pattern. Can you believe being sneaky is so easy.
Just one more important section before we are finished. Don't stop now!
About VAK And Digital Audio
Visual constructed and visual remembered are fairly simple to understand. As are Audio Constructed and Audio Remembered. However you may be a little fuzzy about kinesthetic and audio digital. Kinesthetic is much like a memory but with the emotional element. If a memory is flooded with emotion, especially warm, tender emotions many times the subject will look down and to the right.
Audio Digital is easy. This is when we talk to ourselves. This is also referred to as internal dialog. Where audio constructed and audio remembered refers to hearing...audio digital is actually speaking. Usually the subject will look down and to the left during internal dialog.
Congruency Is The Key To Detection
Why do we elicit response? To determine the subjects response pattern. Does everyone have the same pattern? No. So what do we do to make certain? Calibrate. What is calibrating? Eliciting a response three or more times to ascertain the response pattern is accurate. Will most people respond the same way? Yes. About 80% will be the same. Is this totally reliable? No. So what do we do? Calibrate and elicit. Whew! It took a lot of breath to type it too.
Calibration is the way we detect patterns. Congruency is how we determine if the subject is telling the truth or telling a lie. We ask simple, non-threatening question types to elicit a response. We calibrate by asking another question to form a response pattern. If at some point the subject responds differently to the question type we know they are not being honest because their response was not congruent. Congruency is consistency in action or deed.
Now you know how the cop determines if you are lying. First he plays good cop. Not angry, friendly cop. He asks questions that says, "I only want to help you. Let's be friends." These questions help him to determine your eye response pattern.
Then he suddenly becomes angry and mean. he starts yelling which intimidates the hell out of you. he threatens to put you in jail...then go shoot your mother...then go sleep with your wife. And you believe him. What is that all about?
Under emotional duress we let down our guard. We don't care or think about how we act. In simple terms - the cop is prodding you to be totally honest with him...and it works. Cruel yes, but effective. HINT: Don't use that strategy on your customer. You probably will lose the sale.
When we are in hyper-emotional states we let are emotion fly. Because we aren't guarding our emotions we tend to be very honest in our answers. Our eyes naturally follow the part of our mind which produces the pictures. If we do try to lie...he will catch it. The cop is a human lie detector. Now you can be one too with just a little practice.
This works in real life...not just in Hollywood. Try it on your customers. You might be surprised at what you discover However, HEED THIS WARNING...and I'm dead serious about this. I do not advocate mind manipulation. I think it's sleazy and no real professional has to resort to cheap ghetto tricks to get a sale. This is a tool. A very powerful tool.
Use it wisely with character and integrity and you will prosper. I hope you've enjoyed this article as much as I've enjoyed writing it for you.
I'm eager to get some feedback on this.
FPBS
Noirguy
Friday, September 26, 2008
The Name Of This Site Stinks
The name of this site stinks. I know!
"A good name is better to be chosen than great riches." - The Bible
A good name for a business or a website can have the same effect as a good headline for an ad. Which any half intelligent marketer will tell you is the single most important element of a good ad.
A good headline is aa absolute must to any successful ad. Without it you're dead before you start.
So Why The Stinky Name?
Strategy. Plain and simple. If you don't have one - Get One. Read on.
I personally don't like the name of this site. I see it and I cringe & seethe. Eyes rolled back in my head. I have a priest near by with holy water and...you get the idea
I had a few good names picked out that would have created lots of hits for this site. I don't want heavy traffic on this site. I want only one group - Independent Music Store Owners. (MSO's) Hence the name, MSO Monitor.
Others inevitably will stumble onto this site and will gain some insight.But a low profile is key to my objective. MSO's are my tageted audience. Don't sweat, I'm not about to throw a sales pitch. I am about to point out a very critical error made by most business people though. Not you...you wouldn't do this, but reading this will help you point this out to others who make this terrible mistake. Sorry, friendly fire.
Segmentation
Marketing is a skill. A powerful skill. Those who learn it will prosper and do very well for themselves. Those who don't will struggle at best. Want to make money? Big Money? Pay your bills and have lots left over - money? Learn everything you can about good marketing. Not advertising. Any dope can place an ad. Just read your local news paper. there are lots of bad examples of how to effectively waste your money on advertising.
Yes! Advertising is a part of marketing. Good advertising starts with smart market strategies. Smart market strategies start with selecting only a segment of your entire market. It's tough at first. Business owners throw all their money into one ad space hoping to gain a few customers at a time. Spend a little get a little. It seems logical. It's practicle. It's smart. Right?
If you have only $50 to spend on an ad make it count. That $50 targeted at the right audience will yield 10 times the ROI than $1000 wasted in ignorance. That's not an insult. This is free advice. You may know retail, but I challenge you to question how much you really know about effective marketing and adverising.
Placing ads simply to keep your name in the market place is known as saturation or branding. This kind of ad tells people "Hey I'm here...still open for business." But, it doesn't give them a reason to buy from you. The response to this type of advertising is "WHO CARES." I'm here is not a benefit. people buy benefits, ONLY. We're selfish and greedy creatures and that ain't going to change. Benefits are all that matters.
Lots of businesses exist in your town. How many do you shop? I know you eat everyday so you have to buy groceries. Which grocer do you shop with. Why? Where do you always buy gas? Why? Convenience, price, location?
This is an example of how powerful and effective segmenting can be. I challenge you this week to buy groceries some place different. Buy gas where you never buy it. In fact, do all your shopping somewhere else for an entire week. Notice how you feel when you go places you are not too familiar with. You don't know the clerks. You can't find anything. It's uncomfortable and frustrating. You have to move out of your comfort zone to learn new things that were unimportant to you before.
Why would you expect other people to feel any different about your business. This is simple consumer psychology.
Once you get that, you need to get this...Other customers were comfortable shopping where you were uncomfortable. They shop there often and enjoy the experience. They will keep shopping there even if you don't.
What's my point? You Ain't Your Customer. You don't know the thinking of every customer. Moreso, the thinking of each market segment. Your town is a community of several different groups of people. They all interact together but they all think differently. They may like each other but they don't hang out in the same places or do the same things together. Each segment or group has different values. Different interests. Different political views and buying preferences.
The secret to attracting these customers is by identifying each group as a different group and creating a marketing strategy tailor designed for each group. Your business can and does cater to several groups. But first you must identify each group. Find out as much as possible about each group them create a strategy that appeals to that group specifically.
That's why I chose the name of this site. Not to attract lots of traffic. To attract you. Once I have your attention I can help you. What I discuss on this site is not for any one and every one. It is for you MSO's only.
The name alone wont attract you so I have to use different strategies for getting you here. Once you are here I can have an impact. Once you see the usefulness of the informatgion you will recommend this site to other MSO's.
It's slower but ultimately it will be a faster approach than gaining huge crowds that I can't manage.
The other articles in this site will show you how to create and develop a powerful marketing plan that will drive herds of customers to your store.
Other articles will show you how to build profits. Big profits.
The key is to visit here often. Read everything. Post feedback so I can answer questions. Together we will win this crisis.
Until next time, Godspeed.
"A good name is better to be chosen than great riches." - The Bible
A good name for a business or a website can have the same effect as a good headline for an ad. Which any half intelligent marketer will tell you is the single most important element of a good ad.
A good headline is aa absolute must to any successful ad. Without it you're dead before you start.
So Why The Stinky Name?
Strategy. Plain and simple. If you don't have one - Get One. Read on.
I personally don't like the name of this site. I see it and I cringe & seethe. Eyes rolled back in my head. I have a priest near by with holy water and...you get the idea
I had a few good names picked out that would have created lots of hits for this site. I don't want heavy traffic on this site. I want only one group - Independent Music Store Owners. (MSO's) Hence the name, MSO Monitor.
Others inevitably will stumble onto this site and will gain some insight.But a low profile is key to my objective. MSO's are my tageted audience. Don't sweat, I'm not about to throw a sales pitch. I am about to point out a very critical error made by most business people though. Not you...you wouldn't do this, but reading this will help you point this out to others who make this terrible mistake. Sorry, friendly fire.
Segmentation
Marketing is a skill. A powerful skill. Those who learn it will prosper and do very well for themselves. Those who don't will struggle at best. Want to make money? Big Money? Pay your bills and have lots left over - money? Learn everything you can about good marketing. Not advertising. Any dope can place an ad. Just read your local news paper. there are lots of bad examples of how to effectively waste your money on advertising.
Yes! Advertising is a part of marketing. Good advertising starts with smart market strategies. Smart market strategies start with selecting only a segment of your entire market. It's tough at first. Business owners throw all their money into one ad space hoping to gain a few customers at a time. Spend a little get a little. It seems logical. It's practicle. It's smart. Right?
If you have only $50 to spend on an ad make it count. That $50 targeted at the right audience will yield 10 times the ROI than $1000 wasted in ignorance. That's not an insult. This is free advice. You may know retail, but I challenge you to question how much you really know about effective marketing and adverising.
Placing ads simply to keep your name in the market place is known as saturation or branding. This kind of ad tells people "Hey I'm here...still open for business." But, it doesn't give them a reason to buy from you. The response to this type of advertising is "WHO CARES." I'm here is not a benefit. people buy benefits, ONLY. We're selfish and greedy creatures and that ain't going to change. Benefits are all that matters.
Lots of businesses exist in your town. How many do you shop? I know you eat everyday so you have to buy groceries. Which grocer do you shop with. Why? Where do you always buy gas? Why? Convenience, price, location?
This is an example of how powerful and effective segmenting can be. I challenge you this week to buy groceries some place different. Buy gas where you never buy it. In fact, do all your shopping somewhere else for an entire week. Notice how you feel when you go places you are not too familiar with. You don't know the clerks. You can't find anything. It's uncomfortable and frustrating. You have to move out of your comfort zone to learn new things that were unimportant to you before.
Why would you expect other people to feel any different about your business. This is simple consumer psychology.
Once you get that, you need to get this...Other customers were comfortable shopping where you were uncomfortable. They shop there often and enjoy the experience. They will keep shopping there even if you don't.
What's my point? You Ain't Your Customer. You don't know the thinking of every customer. Moreso, the thinking of each market segment. Your town is a community of several different groups of people. They all interact together but they all think differently. They may like each other but they don't hang out in the same places or do the same things together. Each segment or group has different values. Different interests. Different political views and buying preferences.
The secret to attracting these customers is by identifying each group as a different group and creating a marketing strategy tailor designed for each group. Your business can and does cater to several groups. But first you must identify each group. Find out as much as possible about each group them create a strategy that appeals to that group specifically.
That's why I chose the name of this site. Not to attract lots of traffic. To attract you. Once I have your attention I can help you. What I discuss on this site is not for any one and every one. It is for you MSO's only.
The name alone wont attract you so I have to use different strategies for getting you here. Once you are here I can have an impact. Once you see the usefulness of the informatgion you will recommend this site to other MSO's.
It's slower but ultimately it will be a faster approach than gaining huge crowds that I can't manage.
The other articles in this site will show you how to create and develop a powerful marketing plan that will drive herds of customers to your store.
Other articles will show you how to build profits. Big profits.
The key is to visit here often. Read everything. Post feedback so I can answer questions. Together we will win this crisis.
Until next time, Godspeed.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Greetings Music Store Owners
Greetings music store owners and music retail employees. This is my first of hopefully many successful posts.
To begin with let me explain my mission here. I work in a music store. I personally am not the owner. I work for "the man." Who is actually more like a father to me than an employer. I only hope all your employees can say the same of you if you are an owner of an independent music retail store.
My primary job description is to be the number 1 salesman...a race that is never actually won even if you win every month.
In addition to dollar earner, I handel internal collections for our stores multifaceted rental programs...yes more than one which I will address in later posts...I created the rent-to-own program that ejected our store from little profits to huge profits. Zero to 60 in about two months. I also help create strategies and marketing plans that boost profits even more. I do direct response advertising on the side as well.
But you didn't log on to read about me. This site is not about me, it's about you. It's about all independent music retailers. It's about surviving in the cyber world that has most MSO's (music store owners) terrified. Internet music sites, mail-order catalogs and e-sites and the like are creating panic in the real brick-n-mortar music retail world.
I for one don't see these other institutions as a threat. In fact, they open up a new world of possibilities in the marketing sector. So don't be intimidated or threatened.
The following articles posted on this blog will hopefully give courage through enlightenment. In the articles you will find marketing advice, tips and strategies for beating the crisis that we face.
My mission is to provide high quality marketing advice and strategies that will propel your store into a wind storm of profits. It's possible. It's being done by others and you can do it too. I will show you how and direct you to other resources that will help you even more.
This site and it's information is free to fellow indy music stores. There is gold here free for the taking. You simply have to be willing to do a little work and - at times - challenge your own beliefs and opinions about your strategies and marketing. This site is intended to be a way for indy music stores to reinvent their business and thrust themselves to higher realms of business. More importantly, create new and better ways to make a lot of money.
So spend some time on this site. Read every post. Use what works for your store and post some feedback. Again, this is not about me...this is about us. Your feedback helps us all know what works and what doesn't for your region of the United States. Together we will survive, grow and prosper.
Godspeed to all
FPBS
Noirguy
To begin with let me explain my mission here. I work in a music store. I personally am not the owner. I work for "the man." Who is actually more like a father to me than an employer. I only hope all your employees can say the same of you if you are an owner of an independent music retail store.
My primary job description is to be the number 1 salesman...a race that is never actually won even if you win every month.
In addition to dollar earner, I handel internal collections for our stores multifaceted rental programs...yes more than one which I will address in later posts...I created the rent-to-own program that ejected our store from little profits to huge profits. Zero to 60 in about two months. I also help create strategies and marketing plans that boost profits even more. I do direct response advertising on the side as well.
But you didn't log on to read about me. This site is not about me, it's about you. It's about all independent music retailers. It's about surviving in the cyber world that has most MSO's (music store owners) terrified. Internet music sites, mail-order catalogs and e-sites and the like are creating panic in the real brick-n-mortar music retail world.
I for one don't see these other institutions as a threat. In fact, they open up a new world of possibilities in the marketing sector. So don't be intimidated or threatened.
The following articles posted on this blog will hopefully give courage through enlightenment. In the articles you will find marketing advice, tips and strategies for beating the crisis that we face.
My mission is to provide high quality marketing advice and strategies that will propel your store into a wind storm of profits. It's possible. It's being done by others and you can do it too. I will show you how and direct you to other resources that will help you even more.
This site and it's information is free to fellow indy music stores. There is gold here free for the taking. You simply have to be willing to do a little work and - at times - challenge your own beliefs and opinions about your strategies and marketing. This site is intended to be a way for indy music stores to reinvent their business and thrust themselves to higher realms of business. More importantly, create new and better ways to make a lot of money.
So spend some time on this site. Read every post. Use what works for your store and post some feedback. Again, this is not about me...this is about us. Your feedback helps us all know what works and what doesn't for your region of the United States. Together we will survive, grow and prosper.
Godspeed to all
FPBS
Noirguy
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