The Pope and the CEO > Marketing
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Embracing Uniqueness
Seth Godin’s latest book, We Are All Weird, was released yesterday, and Seth introduces us to the book on his blog. The idea of the book, as Seth puts it in his blog, is that times have changed so that there really is no “normal” anymore, at least not the way we conceive of it. Normal is so ingrained in what we do every day that it’s difficult to notice that your tendency toward the normal is now obsolete. What we need to do now, is embrace what is unique about ourselves so that we can make a difference. The important thing, I believe, is to make sure that this doesn’t amount to reckless individualism and rather tends toward a fulfillment of the person that God made each of us to be. I haven’t read the book yet, but I look forward to it, and I’m sure any fans of Seth’s other books are going to be among the first as well. When you read it, give us your review and tell us what you think.
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Do Clients Only Care About Results?
Seth Godin says no. I tend to agree. He says clients are looking for results, thrills, and ego. Not necessarily all three at once, but at least one of the three. I think often we try to provide our clients with results, ignoring the other two. Seth’s examples of companies that have focused on the other two show us how much of a difference they can make: The Ritz Carlton is all about #3, ego, right? And on a good day, there’s a perception that the guys at Apple are hellbent on amazing us yet again, delivering on #2 (ed: thrills), taking huge career and corporate risks on our behalf. As soon as they stop doing that, the tribe will get bored. We certainly do want to offer our clients a good return on their investment, but we need to keep in mind that they are not simply bank accounts that are looking to grow, but people who are growing and developing as human beings. What do you think?
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What Do We Receive When We Give?
A few days ago, Seth Godin posted a blog entry about the benefits of charity. Now, he wasn’t talking about the benefits to the recipients of charity, but about the benefits to those who are charitable. Seth was saying that all of us gain something when we give, even if it’s just a small feeling of satisfaction. Some people like the recognition they receive – philanthropists on a large scale, who get their names on key buildings in the community; others, on a small scale, prefer a simple “thank-you.” Seth’s main point is that people associated with charitable causes can do a better job of promoting those causes not with simple marketing schemes, but by appealing to our desire to be a part of something, since we all know that we somehow often gain more when we give than we receive. I think that Seth touches on a very key issue – that giving is a part of us, a part of who we are. The Catholic Church teaches that we were created to make of ourselves a gift. If it’s this much a part of us, then no amount of “tote bags” or other marketing ploys that Seth mentions… Read more
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How To Make A Great Sales Pitch On The Web
Jonathan Fields gives some very valuable advice in this recent post that he made. He uses real emails that he received to point out what not to do when you are pitching bloggers or other involved in social media, and then has a final example that shows what one should do. I love this about Jonathan Fields’ blogs. He is so direct and blunt with his wording, and that makes getting his message across ten times more effective. One clear thing to keep in mind: You should not be telling the person you are pitching what is in it for you, you should be telling them what is in it for them. Anybody who has worked in sales knows this, but for some reason the informal nature of social media makes it easy to think that the rules have changed, and that is not the case. We’ve all written emails like the ones that Fields criticizes in his article. The important thing is to learn from our mistakes. This article by Fields is a great one to print out and keep on your desk. When you are writing a sales pitch, take the article out and compare it against your… Read more
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How Would You Make Extra Money?
Chris Guillebeau poses a fantastic question to his readers in this blog post. Let’s say you were short on cash and had to make an extra $300-500 in the next 30 days. You can’t rob a bank (or do anything else illegal), and you have no access to an existing email list or website. What do you do? This is a great question that a lot of people could probably be asking themselves. A lot of people that I know could use a little extra cash. How would I go about it? Here’s my ideas: – offer tourist guide services at the local hotel or airport – offer car rides to elderly for errands and doctors appts. (post at Church) – offer course help/tutoring at a local school/college – Sell cold water or popsicles at the beach or on a hiking trail (self made…) These ideas are based on an assumption that I made from reading his question – since I am “short on cash” none of the ideas can require much of an investment. I’ve given you my ideas, what are yours? Let us know in the comments! Also, go to Chris’ website and enter your ideas in the… Read more
