A friend just the other day told me he envies smokers.

Why’s that I asked? Because they can get up, walk away from their desk and go outside for a ’smoke break’ anytime they want and not a single soul would think they’re slacking, he said.

He went on, “And for those of us that don’t smoke, if we got up several times throughout the day to sit outside and relax, we’d get dumped on for taking ‘too much time off’”

Gosh I’m glad I don’t have to sit at a corporate desk all day. But this got me thinking.

That break smokers take is great. Sure, not so for their lungs, but for their minds.

Too many people get clued to their desks, or run frantically around all day…without taking the time to just stop. STOP!!

Breathe.

Whatever is going on in your life, during that day, make sure you take time to stop.

 Find time to ’smoke air.’

Why is this so important? From personal experience I can say that some of my biggest and best ideas have come, not when I’m sitting in my office writing or strategizing, but when I’ve been talking a walk, relaxing on a train ride, or even in the shower.

To avoid taking too many random breaks…in the hope that you’ll get struck with a great idea each time…this is how I’ve found it to work best…

Whatever I’m doing, whether it is crafting a year-long marketing strategy or writing an ad for a client, or writing a report, or working on my book…I find it good to soak up the research or background information…whatever it is.

I take it in. I don’t fuss over the small details, but I get it in my head. Once it is in, then I’m off. To the gym, for a walk, to shower, or to sleep, again it doesn’t matter. But giving my brain that time to relax works wonders.

All of a sudden you’ll find your mind going back to that information you soaked up…analyzing, grinding, and then it happens. A great idea for an offer, a better title for that book, an additional product that will double your income from that next project….it just pops out.

I don’t know the science of how this works…I’m fascinated to find out why it does. But it does and has hundreds of times.

So if you don’t smoke and even if you are stuck at a corporate desk, allow yourself to take breaks and ’smoke air’ it’s good for you.

To your success,

Michael Zipursky

Why technology is taking over our lives…and how to make sure it doesn’t

This opening could well lead into a full blown research paper touching on areas from our social lives…and relationships…to work and business.

For now, I’ll leave the first two categories for another day. I’d love to say for a rainy day…but I’m in Vancouver now and it rains almost everyday.

Okay, onwards.

Some call me a technology freak. I love tech, always have. I don’t consider myself a tech freak…I don’t run out and wait in line for hours huddling beside buddies in the cold with hot coffees.

But I do make it a point to know what new technologies will improve my business and the business of my clients.

It helps. Knowing how to find and use the right software or hardware can save time, money and frustration, not to mention increase profits…

…so this is all good right? Wrong. Many of us have fallen into the technology trap.

You know what I’m talking about. The guys and gals running around with their bluetooths and crackberries…so busy talking to the sky that many have forgotten how to sit down and have a face to face talk.

They don’t pick up the phone when they need to get in contact with someone and get something done…instead they send off an email.

That strikes me as odd…because it always takes longer to receive feedback or a decision by email.

Think about it.

Doesn’t it take 3-5 emails to set a meeting by the time you go back and forth with saying hello and that you’d like to meet? Then they give times, you give times. Then locations and more emails to say thanks and see you there. Couldn’t all that be done with just a quick phone call?

What’s worse is that email has no face. You never really know what someone is thinking or feeling with email. And that’s why misunderstandings are so common.

Now here’s another problem. Checking emails. I’ve met several executives that say they are so busy reading and replying to emails that they can hardly get out of the office…and when they do, their blackberry in hand chirps like a bird in the morning of a glorious sunny day.

We’re stuck. There is a notion out there that just because email takes only a second to arrive…the reply should be instant as well. Okay, maybe not instant…but don’t most people start wondering what is going on if they don’t get a reply within a few hours?

So what should you do about all this? The approach I’ve used and recommended to friends and clients that seems to work best is this:

• Plan each day in advance.
• Schedule certain times each day to check your email. Just like you schedule times for lunch or for a meeting.
• Another tip I’ve received is to only open email that you plan on replying to at that moment. Possible? The best way I’ve found to do this is to open an email, if I can reply right away I do. If not and if I can’t reply by phone, then I’ll mark that email as unread – so that when I open my email program the next time, I will remember to re-read and reply to that email.

You’re likely thinking that your clients expect answers from you all the time…and right away. But unless you are in a customer service position, I’d recommend making it clear to your clients that you will always respond to emails as quickly as possible…but that you can’t always do so right away because if you did, you’d be busy all day and wouldn’t be able to work with them and find ways to better service and provide for them.

They will understand that and respect it. Try this approach for 1 week and see the difference.

You can expect to get much more accomplished each day and your quality of work will improve because your focus will improve.

You know what it’s like…you’re in the middle of writing and a new email arrives. It distracts you and you forget the perfect words you were in the middle of typing.

So go on. Once you start this approach, you’ll never go back.

To your success,

Michael

Anyone who has ever run a business knows how easy it is to lose sight of what first got you involved in that venture.

What motivations, inspirations and passions moved you to take your first steps on that often windy road of building a business.

In the haze of becoming profitable, competing with competitors, changing market environments…and let’s not forget getting your ass-kicked to the curb at least once or twice…

…all entrepreneurs fall down at one point.

What seperates the real success stories from all the other statistics are the people who keep getting back up.

But I digress. While the topic of will-power and commitment may be more important than any other in business success – it isn’t the topic I will cover today. Maybe next time.

Last week I read an article by Al Ries, one of this century’s marketing and branding greats.

What I’ve always loved about Al is his no BS approach. His work, and that of Jack Trout, guided me in my early years.

It played a huge role in opening my eyes to how much junk there is out there…and how much money is wasted by companies each year on useless, and worse-yet, hopeless marketing attempts.

In Al’s article he wrote that too many companies focus on their brands…and don’t focus enough on being a ‘leader’ in their category.

Companies get so worked up trying to better themselves that they forget to look around them and see how the market is changing.

The result is that you may end up with a great product…but the market has moved on and doesn’t want what you have to offer any more. Many times because some other product is now more relevant in meeting their needs.

The danger that Ries points out is that too often companies will succeed in one category and think that they can automatically transfer that success to another one. That they’re name/brand alone will guarantee them another gold medal.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t. Just because starbucks has won in coffee doesn’t mean they’ll win in coffee-flavored chocalates. For Kodak, just because they were so successful in film photography doesn’t mean they’ll succeed in digital.

The lesson here is to always know what is happening in the market around you. Never assume that your success in one area guarantees your success in another.

So what should you do?

Join your strengths with what the market wants, fullfill their needs and desires…solve their problems and you’ll be well on your way to success.

As always to your success,

Michael

PS. To read Al’s full article click here.

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

The Financial Post had an interesting article recently that talked about the ‘brand image’ of countries.

Canada ranked 3rd. The UK 1st, Germany 2nd and Iran last.

I’m not going to go in to the details of the article (if you’re interested you can find it in the Saturday Sept. 22, 2007 issue)…what I do want to do is explore the underlying problem with ‘Brand Canada’.

That is…the majority of Canadian marketing stinks.

Before you fire me off an email and declare me a traitor…let me explain why this is the case.

In short…we’re too nice. Is that possible, you ask? Is there such a thing as being too nice?

When it comes to marketing, you bet. Author Andrea Mandel-Campbell hits the mark when writing “Canadians are not aggressive enough.”

Somewhere along the way…Canadians were taught that being aggressive is plain rude and wrong. Well, in some situations it definitely is…and I’m not recommending you walk around making demands right, left and center until you get what you want…even if you don’t deserve it.

While I agree with Mandel-Campbell’s notion of Canadians being ‘too nice’ in business I think the choice of vocabulary is off.

What most Canadian marketing lacks isn’t aggression…it’s persistence.

When it comes to getting your customers attention and having them take action…persistence is the key that unlocks all doors.

The article goes on to give a great example: Most Canadian marketers will call on their prospect once or twice (and if they are told No will give up), American marketers will call again and again until they get what they want.

And it’s not just with calls…but with direct mail, advertisements and other marketing communications.

Does the American approach seem too aggressive? Some will surely say, YES.

But in business if the wrong approach works…it becomes the right approach — the money-making and profitable approach. Hey, as long as it is ethical who can argue with that.

So what should Canadians do to achieve the same results…to stay competitive yet feel comfortable being persistent? The answer is value.

If what you have to offer provides value to your prospect or customer…if they would benefit from what you have to offer…then it is your right, no, your duty, to make sure your prospect fully understands what you are offering them and why they should care.

Each and everyone of your marketing messages needs to communicate what makes your product unique and how your prospect will value from it.

If your case is strong and you’re confident that your product is packed with value…then don’t give up after one or two communications. It can take up to 7 or 8 communications before you turn a prospect into a customer.

It’s sad to see Canadian marketers giving up, packing it in, and proclaiming failure after only a couple of tries.

Your marketing doesn’t need to be a hyped up pitch — and it really shouldn’t be. No one wants to read that, right?

Use your marketing to educate and provide value…and your prospects and customers won’t find it offensive and aggressive..they will invite it and come to trust it.

So while they may not by from you right away…they will see you as an authority (through your constant communication) and when they become ready to buy…you’ll be at the top of their list.

Regardless of what you are doing…and regardless of your industry…don’t give up. Be persistent, educate and provide value.

It not only is the right approach – it works!

To your success,

Michael

Last week RK’s father (YK) went into hospital for surgery in Japan. The operation was successful and he is recovering well…though he is still in hospital as I write this.

But I had an amazing experience I wanted to share with you.

It’s not my first time to have such an experience…but they are rare.

Here’s what happened…

I wanted to send YK a fruit or flower basket wishing him a speedy recovery. Nice, right? But there were some big logistics to work out.

I’m in Vancouver and the hospital is in Nagoya, Japan. First you should know that I spent almost 5 years living and running a business in Japan. My Japanese is fluent.

So while this process would have been difficult for some…it wasn’t for me.

Enough boasting and back to the lesson in this story.

I scoured the web using both English and Japanese search engines to find the right basket….one full of this particular seasons best crop of melon, grapes, apples, peaches and other delicous fruits.

It took a while but finally I found a company that would deliver this perfect fruit basket to YK in hospital.

I picked up the phone and called the company. I guess they don’t get many calls from overseas because when they answered the phone and I told them I was calling from overseas…the phone got passed right away to the president of the company.

We talked and I explained I needed to get this fruit basket to the hospital right away.

Okay, no problem he said. I told him I’d give him my credit card number….well, that’s a problem he said.

This company, like many still in Japan doesn’t yet except credit cards…they take bank transfers or accept payment upon delivery.

Well, I’m not going to get someone to pay when this basket is delivered…and my Japanese bank account isn’t active unless I’m in Japan…

…I’m out of luck I thought, too bad, that basket was perfect.

The president said to call him back in 15 minutes. He’d call the credit card company and see if they could process this…as they are only 2 or 3 days from being set up (they were planning to start accepting credit cards soon).

20 minutes later I called back. The president said, “I’m sorry the credit card company said it will take 3 more days to have everything set up.” I wasn’t completely surprised…actually I was kind of expecting that answer. But he continued “Listen, I trust you. Give me your order and I’ll send it off today. When we can take credit cards in a few days from now, I’ll send you the invoice and just pay me then.”

Wow! Really? Thanks man!

So I placed my order and the beautiful basket of fruits arrived a day later.

What’s the lesson here you say? It’s trust. This business owner took a chance. He could have lost his cost on the basket…maybe $60. Of course I paid him right away. But what he did was get a client for life.

He made me feel special. He trusted me…I feel I can trust him now.

The next time I have to send someone a gift for a special occasion or to send wishes for someone’s recovery…I will, without hesitation order from this company again. And, I’ll tell everyone about them.

Put trust in your clients and they will trust you. They will rave about you. They will become your sales team…and your profits will soar.

The company I ordered from is www.ikado.co.jp

To your success,

Michael
Relagy Marketing

This week I have something special for you…

 Access to free videos of some of the greatest advertising legends of all time.

Watch Lester Wunderman, Bill Bernbach, David Ogilvy and others talk about their businesses, advertising and life.

This is an amazing collection of footage. No need for me to go on…click the link below to start watching…

Advertising Legends on Video

To your success,

Michael
Relagy Marketing

I got a short one for you today but it’s… 

An Amazingly Persuasive Speech

Mr. Rogers Persuades The US Senate To Give $20 Million In Funding to CPB in 1969!

I received this from Perry Marshall’s newsletter and thought you definitely would want to see this.

Nixon wants to cut funding for the broadcaster because of war costs.

Watch this video and see…

…How Mr. Rogers crafts his words and uses language full of imagery and emotion to sell his argument.

It works. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a41lJIhW7fA

 To your success,

Michael
Relagy Marketing

Dear Friend,

Today I gave birth again. No, not to a child, but to a new business.

Over the last 6 years I worked with my business partner at the time Sam, to grow our company, kankei culture.

What a ride we had.

Through our business I worked with companies in Canada, the US, the Netherlands, Japan, China, and others.

I lived a great life and had the honor to see the inner workings of many companies from small restaurants to large global corporations with thousands of staff.

So if things were so great, why the new company, you ask?

First, I realized I love growing businesses. I learnt so much building my last company…how to attract clients, set up offices in other countries, handle business culture abroad, deal with stress and make good money…and so much more.

It was time to do it all over again.

But that wasn’t the main reason.

Second, I was losing interest in what our previous business was doing.

We specialized in international branding. A lot of our work was visual, websites, brochures, ads, etc.

My expertise though, has always been and grown more over the years in the strategy of marketing, advertising and sales.

What become clear to me was that I didn’t want to spend my time working on visual concepts that people often find very subjective…

… I wanted to continue working with business and company executives to help them make their marketing and advertising more effective, more accountable and more focused on direct results. Really, to help make more money for them and their companies.

That’s what I have been doing more and more of over the last two years…so it was time to take things to the next level.

Things progressed naturally.

Third, my business partner and I had over time naturally drifted into different areas of focus. And, as a result chosen different routes to get to different goals.

While we will still collaborate on projects together when possible. We made the choice to officially take different paths…and we are happy about this…

…looking forward to what is coming down the road.

Why am I sharing this with you? Because it has very important lessons you may want to apply to your life and career.

The take away is this: Focus on what makes you happy. Don’t spend your time doing something you aren’t enjoying. When you focus on your goals and persist to get them no matter what, you will. It’s funny how that works…but I’ve experienced that many times in my life.

So if you’re in a situation you want to improve. Take a minute now to write down what steps you could take to get you there. Then decide to do it, buckle down for the ups and downs…but with determination you will get there. No matter what people tell you…you will.

To your success,

Michael Zipursky
Relagy Marketing
www.relagy.com