sneezr.ca

Let me take a guess: You could use more business.
So what should you do?
Who do you talk to about new business building ideas?
Where do you go when you want to think out loud about a solution to a business problem?

Chances are, the majority of people you know don’t own their own businesses.
So, should you consider taking advice about how to grow your business from the same people?

On the other hand, there are plenty of people out there who can help you grow your business.
They are not secret. So why aren’t you reaching out to them?

Both people and ideas usually remain a secret to you because of where your head is at.
Why?
Because as Richard Alper a.k.a Baba Ram Dass said in his famous book Be Here Now:
You only read to yourself.
You only talk to yourself.

My 2¢: You are leading you. It’s easy to forget that.

Earlier today (May 19 2012), I came across an interesting vignette in the Globe and Mail written by the novelist Russell Smith. The piece was titled “Is there one piece of clothing every woman should own?” Here’s a little taste of Russell wrote:

“My instinct was immediately LBD: little black dress. A simple, fitted black dress that goes to just over or just under the knees can take you anywhere (particularly to dress-up events) and can be businessified with a jacket or tarted up with jewellery. Expert female advice confirmed my instinct. Loretta Chin, a well-known fashion stylist, said, ‘A great black dress can get you through any occasion, day or night. Whether it’s a business meeting, a date, a luncheon or a funeral, a simple change of accessories can change the dynamic when it comes to this wardrobe must-have.’”

My 2¢: Tell me, which of your marketing assets is the equivalent of the little black dress?

You don’t have to be in the market to notice a pair of now famous Christian Louboutin’s “red bottom” shoes.

My 2¢:
Good design creates visibility.
Good design effortlessly concentrates your attention and engages your emotions.
As Kahlil Gibran (American poet) said: “We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting.”
It’s easy to forget that.

This one is for the “too long, didn’t read crowd”

There is nothing wrong with common brands, right?
Each offers a solid, workday response to one need or another.

But what if you want to build an iconic brand?
What’s one major thing that separates the “common” from the iconic?
My 2¢: Attitude.
An attractive attitude has muscle—it seizes people.
Case in point: Jimmy Choo versus Payless Shoes.

Where there’s an attractive attitude there’s an emotional connection, there’s interest, passion…
I could go on, but this one was for the “too long, didn’t read crowd”.

Image via invesp.com

My 2¢:
Please review the 7 elements that impact the visitor during the check out process one more time.
Notice the first three words: fear, uncertainty and doubt?
What’s that tell us?
Emption is the mother of action.
It’s tempting to think that because our tools have become more advanced, we are more advanced.
But the truth is: the technology of the soul has not changed for a long time. It’s easy to forget that.

Shortly after I published the post titled The $100 startup: a comprehensive plan for freedom, I received an email from a reader in Finland. In short, the reader asked me to cite a quick story from Chris’ new book about a simple yet successful marketing idea that was propelled by resourcefulness rather than resources.
I took the challenge. Introducing: the Mattress Lot in Portland, Oregon.

As Chris notes the $100 startup: a comprehensive plan for freedom, if you come in on a bike to the store, the Mattress Lot will give you free mattress delivery + they’ll actually deliver it to your home by bike! This creative move was the industry’s first and it immediately inspired loyalty and a number of fan videos uploaded to YouTube (see above).

My 2¢:
The best promoter of your business is your customer.
If you delight or fascinate that person, he’ll walk right out of the door and sell for you.

Just finished reading an interesting story in the Globe and Mail about the state of online commerce in Canada. It was titled What keeps online retail in Canada from clicking? In short, it’s about one startup’s audacious goal to become the Amazon of the North. What got my interest was an observation that Canadian businesses are really not competitive online right now.

Surprised? Probably not.
The point I’m about to make may not be popular.
It may not win me friends.
But I must make it:
It’s true, a lot of websites, Canadian or not, are not well suited for business transactions.
My 2¢: Why do you have a website? This may sound like an obvious question, yet I’m finding that a lot of businesses have a hard time answering it.

This is long so feel free to skip it.

“There is a price to pay for speaking the truth. There is a bigger price for living a lie.”
— Cornel West 

Image via cornelwest.com

“When it comes to marketing, how can I know the truth?”
How often is this question on your mind? I mean, you probably come across new marketing ideas, strategies, and tactics every day. The short answer to the question is: The truth needs to be experienced.

The second best answer to the same question in my opinion is to intuitively perceive truth by learning through experience of others. (Think Biomimicry.)  This is why I tell stories about people who have achieved success in marketing. Case in point: The story about how AirBed & Breakfast raised the first $25,000 for their startup via marketing.

They bought a bulk supply of generic cheerios and designed these limited edition cereal boxes to generate seed capital for their startup. The Obama O’s were sold at the Democratic Convention in Denver (where Obama was nominated in 2008).

My 2¢:
Need help with marketing?
Let’s take a quick step back. What makes great marketing?
The imagination of people, of course.
And the imagination of people is made from single building blocks called ideas.
It’s true: A good idea lies at the source of every innovation; every achievement.
This is why good ideas are the currency of the future.
And that’s why people want to invest in good ideas.
It’s no surprise, is it?
Once they invest in a good idea, they can stop spending and it will still have a life.
There’s isn’t a finality to it. There’s an ongoing story. Just like Obama O’s…

Image via apple.com

My 2¢: Don’t charge less. Sell better.

If you stare at Jello long enough, you might even see your childhood through it.

The above was the opening line in a short yet vivid story about Jello (a classic treat enjoyed through the ages), as told by Martha Teichner during a recent episode of the CBS Sunday Morning Show.

My 2¢: Almost everything is interesting. You just need to present it properly.
In my experience, one of the biggest challenges entrepreneurs face in growing their businesses is this: they fail to appreciate the importance of telling their story well. And if storytelling is not your strong suit, why wouldn’t you hire a professional to help you articulate your story?