A few weeks back I was in Gibsons, BC and was surprised to discover the town had two sushi restaurants. We entered the more authentic looking one and were glad to find it. Nagomi Sushi is run by a Japanese husband and wife team. Their sushi is outstanding. Vancouver has some great sushi spots but they’d all be hard pressed to put out fresher, better tasting fish than Nagomi.

However, I’m not (usually) an open food critic. The reason I’m sharing this story with you is because there is a nice marketing lesson to be had…

Nagomi Sushi is doing a great job of managing its customer’s expectations. If you’ve read my writing for a while, especially in my book Profitable Relations, you’ll know I’ve touched on this subject before.

It’s especially critical in the hospitality industry. Far too many restaurants for example are run inefficiently. Their service is slow. Even if they know it’s going to take a while to get your order out to you they won’t let you know…rather you’ll be kept waiting…hoping that your meal is the next one out.

Well, this sushi joint puts a short and sweet message on the cover of its menu. It’s nothing elaborate…it’s certainly no corporate jargon – but it works.

When you read this message you’re put to ease. You almost find yourself saying, “ok, it might take a bit longer but it’ll be worth it”.

Obviously a message like this has to deliver. If you read this and the food turns out to be a dissapointement the whole strategy flops.

However, when you deliver, like Nagomi does, it’s a well played strategy on their part.

Hats off to Nagomi. Great food and great service.

If you’ve ever wanted a company to listen to your feedback and not only SAY they’re going to do something about it … but actually DO something about it … then you’re going to love this video.

This is a huge move for Domino’s.

Disclosure: I haven’t had the ‘new’ Dominoes and it’s been a while since I had the ‘old’ one too. Nevertheless, this is a clever campaign and very well done video. Nice work Domino’s and team!

Just went over to Zellers’ website today to compare some products with another local retailer.

The initial look of the site was great. Clearly they’ve done some nice design work. But seems like someone forgot the customer experience and why people actually visit retailers’ websites…to look at product!

There’s no where on this page to find what products they carry. The only way is to click on View Flyer and then have to enter a postal code. I don’t want to see a flyer with some products, I want to search as I please…is that so much to ask?

In this day and age it’s surprising to see that Zellers shows so little of what they carry. Maybe I’m missing something here? If I am, do let me know…BTW, I never found what I was looking for (I headed for another retailer’s site).

I contacted both of these companies recently to get more information for a new project.

Intense Debate replied with a very detailed and honest answer about how their product can and can not be used.

Disqus replied with “You can use Disqus”, that’s it.

I’ve heard great things about both companies and products. But as someone that really values customer service and support it’s interesting to note how different the responses were.

You can check out three of my most recent articles below:

Consulting Methods to Keep Clients

Consulting Proposals: Winning Strategies

A Big Marketing Mistake: The Cookie Jar

Father’s Day is fast approaching. June 21st is the big day. And while all retailers are sure to do their share of promoting this day, much of it will likely be a waste.

Here’s an ad I just saw on CNN.com this morning. I haven’t had a chance to contact the advertiser and so I can’t say whether or not this ad is actually selling any product. But you gotta wonder.

As seen on CNN.com

Here’s an ad for a Stainless Canteen from uscanteen.com. The ad doesn’t look bad, but here’s the biggie…why is a woman wearing the canteen? This is supposed to be a gift for a man. This ad got my attention, but putting the canteen on a woman takes away the ‘manliness’ quality and gives it more of a modern chic look.

Maybe you’ll have a different view, if you do I’d love to hear it. But this seems like advertising gone wrong.

As you probably know Dan Kennedy is one of the greatest marketing minds around. Not the only by any means, maybe not even the best. And I haven’t studied or seen much of his stuff lately, but he was/is a true marketing genius.

Don’t worry. I know it sounds like I’m trying to sell you something, but I assure you I’m not. All it is is an introduction to a great video of him I just found.

If you’ve followed my work and writings over the years you’ll know I’m a big believer in the power of having a guarantee to increase sales. And not just some fluffy text in miniscule type. But one that stands out and means something.

Well, here is Dan Kennedy delivering his personal guarantee for his products. Enjoy, it’s live and it works!

Lobster for everyone!! Come and get it … this time in a most unusual way.

Two brothers in Maine have created a new program where you can own your own lobster trap. Everything that is caught in that trap during a whole year’s season is yours. 

They guarantee you’ll get at least 48 delightful crustaceans weighing on average 1.5lbs each.

Plus, you also get clams, mussels, and other wonders from the Atlantic.

Don’t eat seafood? Hey, that’s okay. And I won’t even ask why. But there is a big marketing lesson here.

These two brothers have run with a classic strategy that works. They’ve take the structure and model of “own your own olive tree” or apple, or vineyard section, etc. These biz models are popping up all over the place.

People like to call something their own. It’s impressive, and if you like wine, apples, olive oil, or lobsters it’s a good deal.

They definitely charge you a premium here. In the case of the lobsters they charge $2,995 a year. 48 lobsters minimum at $15/lb (let’s say standard price), that’s $22.50 per lobster and $1080 for 48. But these guys give you so much more, a long list of goodies (see their website here).

When you ad it all up does it equal the $2,995 price tag. Probably not, but you’re getting a piece of “ownership” and this is what people love buying into. 

You see, these guys have recognized that they’re better off not just selling a product. They’re selling a whole experience and memories around that … and people are happy to pay good dollars in return.

Ask yourself, can this model be used in my business in anyway?

To your success,

Michael Zipursky

I received an email from Jordan. He asked that I elaborate on the last part of my most recent post.

(If you didn’t read the last post, you can check it out here: Post: The Fastest Way To Gain Your Business Advantage)

I’m happy to do so Jordan. The reason why keeping your customers happy is so powerful is because your current customers, the ones that have already made a purchase from you, are many times more likely to purchase from you again.

Continue reading »

Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference.

Today’s topic is very dear to me. In fact, I recently wrote a book that holds today’s subject at its core, Profitable Relations.

Communications, Expectations,
Relationships, And Profit

Business books, articles, seminars , and other products filled with  promises to help you grow your business may teach you an array of ideas, theories, techniques and strategies…

…But even with all that, business owners often forget one
crucial ingredient.

Differentiating your business, whether big or small is critical to success. I’m not going to write more on that topic today…we’ll leave the importance of USP statements, vision planning and all that other good stuff for another day.

You see, even more important than your mission statement, your advantage, your selling strategy, distribution plan, or marketing materials…is one single concept so powerful and easy to use, yet it is often neglected and completely misunderstood or forgotten.

Continue reading »

Friends, how are you?

Air Canada has come out with a new service to “ease travellers worries.” Called On My Way the service offers travelers that have had their trip interrupted protection.

Protection in what form and from what exactly? According to the Air Canada website if you’ve been affected by harsh weather conditions that cause delays, flight and plane issues that force cancellations or pretty much anything else that restricts you from getting off the ground…then On My Way will provide assistance.

When you’ve signed up for this service you receive a special number to call. Calling that number a “special customer service agent” will rebook you on the very next flight (so you get dibs on that) and arrange for complimentary accommodations and means (that’s right, they foot the bill).

Continue reading »

In case you haven’t noticed more and more companies have been using ‘guarantees’ in their marketing.

The art and power of the guarantee is nothing new. Direct marketers and advertisers the world over have included guarantees in their offers for centuries.

While I surely wasn’t around back then…I’d wager that 200, 300, heck, probably even 500 years ago people tradesmen (yes, I’m sure there were tradeswomen as well, but allow me to keep this simple for now) were offering guarantees of satisfaction on the products and services they sold in one form or another.

No, I’m not implying they all did, likely there were only a few in each town that were brave enough to place a guarantee on that which they sold.

These days there are still only a few in each industry that incorporate a guarantee into their business models. But that is slowly changing.

Continue reading »

On two occasions now, the president’s of two large companies have attacked me.

No silly, not by physical force. But they were genuinely concerned.

Turn on the TV, check the front few pages of any newspaper, listen to the radio and no doubt you’ll be bombarded with a chess match of mentally developed and not-so-understandably respected folks yelling at each other “recession-this” and “no-recession-that’”.

“A financial crisis here” says one lady, while the other ‘just-as-wise’ smiles her best smile, looks you in the eye and tells you “there is no financial crisis, this is a time of opportunity.” And just then, ten other well-greased analysts, and a couple of bow-tie clad economists declare there is no opportunity. Everyone must cust back and cushioned their rear-ends in preparation for the big loss.

What’s happening really isn’t anything new in my view. Sure, parts of this dramatic play “have never been seen before”. But the economy, since the beginning of time, as had its ups and downs, its sidesteps, trips, hops, jumps and falls…

Continue reading »

As part of my book release for Profitable Relations, I’ve put together a 5-day free email course that shares a success story each day.
There’s no cost to sign up, and it only takes 20 seconds.

If you’re interested in learning how other businesses have used straightforward marketing techniques to increase their customer loyalty, you’ll enjoy this course.

Go to the Profitable Relations E-Course page, scroll to the bottom and sign up.

Let me know what you think?

To your success,

Michael

There is one area that marketers and companies alike often neglect. Yet this ‘final step’ in the majority of cases dictates your rate of success.
This is as relevant with trade show marketing as it is with direct mail, face-to-face salesmanship, advertisements, and even web promotions.

What am I talking about?

Possibly the single most important step of any marketing strategy…THE (you can hear the drum roll) Follow-Up.

That’s right. The follow-up.

You go to all the trouble of planning your tradeshow, putting together materials, coordinating with vendors and your staff — not to mention the expense of printing, booth rental, travel and hotel costs and all the rest….we’re talking anywhere from tens-of-thousands to millions of dollars being spent.

However, 80% of companies don’t follow up. Don’t quote me on that figure, it’s an educated guess. Here’s why I’m saying that though…the last trade show I attended, where many companies were spending bi big dollars on their tradeshow marketing efforts…80% or more of the companies I met with to talk about business and opportunities didn’t follow up.

A surprise contender…(you’ll never guess which companies seem to be delivering the best follow-up).

Almost every single one was from China. Now many of them were a bit aggressive…touting their products and services. They’re doing whatever they can to get me on board. But hey, that’s okay.

You see friend, if they wiggled themselves to jello-like state of laziness like all the rest of the companies and didn’t follow-up…99% chance I’m not going to do business with them. Heck, I doubt I’d even remember them.

By getting in touch with me…I thought about them again. I took the time out of my busy schedule to have another look at their offerings.

They re-ignited the communication torch…they’re pushing to keep the relationship going. And in business it’s all about the relationship. You can hawk goods and make a profit in the short term, but without a real relationship, your business will fade into the mist…you’ll lack the long term loyal customers a business requires to grow and be profitable into the future.

Your fortune would be as good as gone. Poof! Gone.

Follow-up can come in many forms. An email, a phone call, a fax, even a letter. It doesn’t really matter. The key is that you DO FOLLOW UP.

The best marketers know the value of follow-up. They understand that follow-up isn’t about a random and unplanned call to a prospect months after the event. But rather a highly strategic, well planned out part of your overall tradeshow marketing strategy.

And the best marketers make sure that strategy comes in many forms. It may start with an email, lead to a phone call, then a letter, then another phone call and eventually to a face to face meeting again to provide more information or give a demonstration.

When you’ve got them, don’t lose them.

 If you haven’t been using a structured follow up process in your marketing, start right now to work it into every aspect of your arsenal.

You will glow with glee and your bank account will bulge. Folks, follow-up works. Give it a shot.

To your success,
Michael

I received quite a bit of interest about my last two posts – Joe B. wants to know more about what “effective tradeshow marketing is?”

So Joe, here we go….

Last week I said I wouldn’t touch on the actions you should go through before the tradeshow. But let me digress and bridge that gap for a moment.

The worst thing you can do as a tradeshow or event exhibitor is to settle for a small listing on your website about your exhibition and booth number and leave it at that. Show up, set up, and hope all goes well is a dangerous set of ingredients. 9 times out of 10 that recipe is going to give you some terrible tasting results.

The major reason most companies attend tradeshows is to increase their sales. I mean, you can put a blanket on the ‘increase sales’ phrase with whatever language you want, like “demonstrate our new product” or “make contacts” or “create awareness” – fact is, you’re doing all of that to make a sale.

Now, if you’re going to make a sale, you need to know who you are going to sell to. And what you have that they so badly want or need that they’ll spend their time taking out their credits card to buy it from you. But you always identify who your prime targets are before going to a trade show, right? And the product or service you’ll offer them has been crafted with laser precision to give them what they want, right? 

Good, I’m glad to hear that.

So you have a list of prospects, maybe not the exact companies, but you know what kind of company you want to target. Great. The next step is to get a list of those ‘ideal clients’ and start the dialog with them.

Operator…connect me

How can you find these companies, you ask? You can go through the yellow pages and call them. You can buy a list from a list broker and send direct mail to them. There’s also placing an ad in a publication those prime buyers are most likely to read. And of course, their is the various ways to do all of this on the internet. 

Remember, these initial communications don’t need to say everything. You definitely don’t want to start this dialog trying to hard sell your offering. This is just to get things going….

Next, send out that initial communication months in advance. Why? Because some ideal clients may not even be planning to attend that trade show. But after you personally invite them to your booth…to see something amazing you have to offer…they may decide that attending the show is worthwhile.

Your next communication can be a month or two before the show, and then another week or two before the show. What you’re doing here is creating and keeping the anticipation, awareness and desire of your target market to meet with you. You’ll be on their ‘to-see’ list during the show.

Here they come baby, here they come

They will come. That’s what this is meant to do – and it works. If each communication is done properly and if what you’re offering fills a need or want of your target market…they will come. Not only will they show up at your booth, they’ll be primed with interest to talk with you, to see what you’ve got, and you’ll be ready.

I wanted to write more about this but I gotta run. Check back next week and we’ll be covering more about tradeshow marketing, like:

• What kinds of materials are best to bring to the trade show
• How to keep in contact with each person that visits your booth – it will increase your sales
• A recap on the do’s and don’ts of booth design
• One of the top 3 keys to a successful tradeshow, and more.

Come on by next week.

To your success,
Michael

As an advocate of direct-response money making advertising, my bones shudder when what I’m being sold really isn’t what the ad or salesperson makes it out to be.

A RECENT EXAMPLE
Two months back I decided to become more active in managing my financial investments.

I’ve had investments for years, but for the most part I ’sat on my hands’ and let them do their thing.

But one morning I woke up and decided I’d shave a small corner from my holdings to ‘dabble’ with on my own.

I found a trading service that I could ‘trust’ and dropped in a small chunk of change.

What got me to put my money with them? A friend has been using them to manage his money and I’ve seen them around for a while.

NOW HERE WE GO

They also advertised trades at $9.95 and if you sign up now you get 100 free trades for free. Yeah! I like that. That’ll be more than a year of trades, for free,” I thought.

A day later I sent in my application and a few days after that got an email to start trading.

Excited I logged into my account only to find out that unless I put in $50,000 I can say goodbye to the $9.95 trades – they are now $19.95 each.

No matter, I have those 100 free trades to get me started, right? WRONG.

I’m told I’d have to drop in $30,000 minimum to qualify for that.

Naturally I’m disappointed. What they ’sold me on was a fake.

That’s not 100% true. They did list all this information on their site. I just didn’t squint hard enough and for long enough to read it all…woof.

If you’ve ever made a claim to bring new customers in or ‘make the sale’ by ‘hiding’ certain aspects of your offer, be prepared. This kind of advertising and marketing always comes back to bite you on the butt.

Most buyers despise being ‘tricked’ into the sale. Yes, maybe you made the sale and reaped a profit, but you won’t ever again, not from them.

Remember, you’re not in the business game; you’re in the relationship building game. If you can’t build strong relationships with your customers…you’re gone-baby-gone.

Plus, you can expect that those customers that feel cheated won’t keep quite. They’ll tell their friends and people they meet how they feel about you at every chance they get.

That’s why so many companies make big profits for a short time and then disappear and become statistics.

So I warn you, when you make claims, follow through with them. Or make it perfectly clear for your customer so they know what to expect.

And what about my investment money? While I first planned to put in a small amount and follow it up with larger chunks, I’m now holding back. I’ve paused to see what else there is out there. And this company has potentially lost what could have become a long-term loyal patron. What a shame.

To your success,

Michael Zipursky

You’ve likely considered at one point or another where to put your money and get the highest possible return.

A few of the more common options include real estate, stocks, bonds, mutual funds and GICs. Each will give you a different level of return on your investment and each with a varying degree of risk.

If you’re a business owner there is another option. A way to invest that can often give you returns of 20%, 50%, 100% and more.

Plus the risk level is low. Mind you, you do need to spend a bit more time on this investment than the other more traditional methods…but you’ll be handsomely rewarded.

Okay already, what is this amazing investment, you ask?

It’s marketing.

You’re thinking that’s not an investment…that’s an expense I have of running my business.

Well, if that’s how you’ve been thinking about marketing you aren’t alone.

I’ve worked with many companies across several industries in more than 6 countries around the world and it’s a phenomenon that crosses all borders.

When a company tells me their marketing consists of some brochures written and designed by a graphic designer, a fancy flash website, a general advertisement in a paper twice a year and attending a trade show here and there…I understand why they view marketing as an expense.

They have no strategy and a bucket full of inconsistency — that isn’t marketing…it’s a half-ass attempt at showing off your brand — and it likely won’t do anything for you except cost you money.

But a well planned strategy with razor sharp copy integrated into all marketing materials and executed properly will bring you back $2, $4, $10 and more for every dollar you put in.

You do the math…that’s not an expense…that’s an investment.

Think about it. $5000 on your marketing brings you back $50,000.

Global corporations aside, look at any business owner that is making pools full of cash year after year – they get this concept.

Not all business owners are comfortable putting out money. They’ll say their waiting until they get more money to spend more on marketing…but they keep saying this year after year.

And it’s too bad. It’s a mindset.

 As soon as they get out of it and open up to the idea that marketing is they key component in their business to make them wealthy beyond their dreams…they don’t hesitate anymore.

Now here’s the key point. Not all marketing is alike. As I mentioned above…some marketing is plain Jane ‘communicate the brand’ and ‘explain who we are and why we are great’ – that’s rubbish.

The marketing I’m talking about uses time-tested proven methods to get:

• higher response rates from every marketing piece you use
• more customers walking through your front door
• customers perceiving you as the industry leader they trust
• increased sales, profits, and customer loyalty
• and more…

Great marketing isn’t about short-term tactics for the sake of seeing a jump in your sales chart. Great marketing puts you on a long-term path that will reliably increase your wealth and grow your business.

If you’re on the business side you owe it to yourself to start seeing marketing as an investment that will build your wealth for the long-term.

If you’re in marketing or copywriting or are a consultant it’s your job to educate your clients and show them how investing in marketing will give them the results they’re looking to achieve faster than any other method.

The result? When done properly…the best investment you can make.

To your success,

Michael
 

Today I thought you’d be interested to hear about: The One Word That Makes Or Breaks Any Business.

When I was thinking about what to name my latest company I went through a long process. In fact, I’ve worked on naming projects for large global corporations in the past.

I went through the motions and considered all key areas like functional names, invented names and experiential names. Each has its benefits and depending on the company’s business strategy you could make a case for each.

It’s not all fluff…there are some general rules you can follow. Like, if you’re a professional and want to have the focus on you, one person, then using your name as the company name makes sense.

If the focus doesn’t need to be specifically on you, and you’re interested in building a company brand, then a name that doesn’t rely on one person makes more sense.

So back to the naming challenge. When the dust finally settled I had registered Relagy Marketing.

Michael, what is that all about, you ask?

Relagy stands for Relationship Strategy.

My years in the business world and even before I entered it, told me that without a strong relationship nothing sticks.

You can’t have friends or spouses without having a relationship with them. Your relationship can have ups and downs…but if you don’t have a relationship with that person…you really don’t have anything with them at all.

The other day, when I told my uncle, who is a well-known international movie producer, that I was writing a book about customer service, marketing and relationships, he said “…you know Michael, it’s true. Even if you have a signed contract…it really doesn’t mean anything. It’s the relationship that counts.”

And you know what? You can’t have a long-term profitable business without having strong relationships with your customers.

It just doesn’t happen. Companies that focus on short term profits and are obsessed with ‘making the sale’ don’t last. Nope, they tend to go out of business in a matter of years.

Real relationships are what make you rich.

Try it and you’ll see. Be warm and welcoming to your customers, build a relationship with them and they’ll reward you with loyalty and boat loads of money.

Back to Relagy and what the Strategy part is about. Successful companies must have a strategy in place. They can’t run around with short-term tactics…and inconsistency.

A well crafted strategy has each action building on the previous one…everyone and everything working together to achieve the same goal.

While some people see the name “Relagy” for the first time pronounce it with a hard ‘g’ sound (the ‘gy’ is soft like the end of Strategy), I’ve had several compliments from business people once I’ve explained the name and meaning to them.

Okay. So now you know the background of the Relagy name and what it means to me. You can read more about this on our website at www.relagy.com/about

What I’d like you to take away from this though, is the importance of relationships. Treasure them. Whether personal or business – the more you put into them, the more they’ll give back to you.

They really are the most important part of any business.

Until next time.

To your success,

Michael
Relagy Marketing