GarthBox

We’re not as fascinated with the art work of Michelangelo, of the writing of Ray Bradbury, of the marketing prowess of Zig Ziglar as we think we are.

It is the leap they took to create what they did that stands out to us. They had to risk a lot. They had to face the possibility of complete rejection and epic failure. They had to go forth with the constant thought of what they were doing may not work, may not be accepted by the public, may not have an impact.

There is so much fear we know they felt, so much risk they took – we know they took huge leaps because we can feel it.

That feeling of them leaping is what fascinates us. It’s what makes them and their work remarkable

Are you allowing your audience to feel the power of your leap?

Stay Positive & Leap And Leap Again Until They Can Feel The Power Of It

A lot of energy goes into customer service: fronting complaints, fixing problems, answering calls. All good stuff, of course, but I’m fascinated with reasons why (rather the lack of reasons) there isn’t a customer service division for amplifying the good.

I’m crafting a training deck at the moment for a client to train them how to ask for testimonials, especially after satisfying a complaining customer. What better time to ask then when you’ve made things right, when you’ve exceeded expectations, when you’ve given more than your job requirement states you should?

Michael and I have talked a lot about delighting customers on our podcast, this is just one more way. Pulling from an analogy by B. Jiwa, by amplifying the good we’re finding ways to fill buckets with water instead of fighting fire with empty buckets.

Stay Positive & Nurture Those Post-Positive Moments

Not sure what to put on a billboard? I’m sure your customers can help like the iPhone 6 users did.

When in brainstorming sessions for advertising and marketing tactics and strategies, I always ask, “how can we hold a mirror up to the consumers and have them tell their story instead of us telling ours?” Because they should be the same, right?

Another way to word it, how can we show our customers off?

Stay Positive & Much More Effective Than Trying To Show The Product Off

Quality and quantity means nothing if the consumer assumes they’ll get something that works or they’ll receive a 24-pack.

Moreover, high quality and an abundance of choices is assumed.

What isn’t assumed is trust, passion, and surprise.

Put those three variables into your high-quality-multi-choice product and you’ll have made something remarkable.

Stay Positive & Making Something Remarkable Is Your Intention, Right?

Treat different people differently.

Not every brand you represent can appeal to the same people in the same way.

Bernadette Jiwa encourages marketers and business owners to ask “Is this product or service worthy of my customer and why?” at every point possible.

While, like me, you may want to say every customer of every brand deserves the best of the best, “the best” of one is not the same as “the best” of another. Our worldview is not their worldview.

Something wouldn’t be right about McDonalds providing wine and a croissant with their McNuggets.

There are a lot of remarkable marketing ideas, ways to over-deliver, ways to improve a product or service, but they don’t work if the product or service isn’t worthy of the customer or we can’t answer why they would care.

Stay Positive & Food For Thought

I read about a lot of different marketing tactics. From the long tail to the tipping point to the minimum viable product and so many more.

I’ve misinterpreted these concepts like many before me. I thought they were safe, pain-free cutting-edge strategies that would allow me to achieve my business goals. I think it’s a hope we all hope: we read about the Purple Cow and GTD hoping it’ll be an easy way to exceed our expectations for business.

What I’ve learned is what makes all these concepts work is those behind them committed to thinking about things differently, to stepping out of their comfort zone, to flying blind in an uncharted territory.

We read, I think, about a new tactic each time someone commits to the scariest, riskiest, potentially painful (not quite fatal) new tactic. We believe that since they did it, they made it through, they succeeded with a certain tactic, that it’s all the sudden safe.

As it’s been said before, you can’t do good marketing if you’re risk-adverse. Moreover, you can’t do marketing (period!) if you’re risk-adverse. That’s what makes us marketers remarkable. We’re willing to commit to doing personal work that requires guts and grit and gumption.

Stay Positive & You’re A Marketer Right?