I really don’t know how Jay, or any celebrity for that matter, can do all that “celebrity stuff” day in and day out: traveling from event to event, taking pictures with adoring fans, autographing books and pictures until their Sharpies run dry…
But for good or bad, I guess I’m about to find out! (I say as I put on my sunglasses even though I’m indoors)
I’m doing my first book signing next week in Los Angeles!
Thursday 7:00PM
October 6, 2011
READ Books Eagle Rock (LA Weekly’s Best Unknown Bookstore)
4972 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90041
It’s for my recently published book Bodybuilders in Tutus and 35 Other Obscure Business Boosting Observations.
The thing is (as I take off my sunglasses), I’m still not used to doing these types of PR events, and just doing a behind-the-table-meet-and-greet event seemed weird… it’s still all so new.
So while I will be bringing a box of Sharpies to sign books, I’m also going to do a Q&A and a presentation:
“How To Turn Your Business Around Overnight In 3 Simple Steps”
In it I’ll be sharing strategies I haven’t presented in this way before that will help businesses to:
- quickly generate sales
- stabilize the “revenue roller coaster”
- more easily acquire new customers
To catch the presentation live, just come on down, no purchase necessary.
If you can’t make it in person, I’ll be sending a link to the video recording to those that purchase the book from the special website we’ve set up http://www.bodybuildersintutus.com/bizturn
Also, a portion of book sales from the event and website will be donated to Union Station Homeless Services, an amazing local non-profit that assists the homeless and very low-income people.
So come on down! (Sunglasses back on, waiting for the makeup artist to powder my nose.)
Help your business, help the homeless, help me practice my autograph…
Looking forward to seeing you there or sending you the video!
Cheers!
Philipp
P.S. If you’ve ALREADY purchased my book and would still like to get a link to the recording, I’ll be automatically sending it to people that have accessed book’s “secret stash” (see the Preface).
So the other night I dropped by my local Home Depot to pick up a new spray gun for my backyard hose.
Now I normally go to Lowe’s, mainly since it’s closer, but more so because their store is much cleaner and better laid out.
But since I was in the area and in a hurry, I broke my routine.
I approached one of the orange-apron-wearing attendants and ask him for directions.
“Uh, yeah, it’s on the other side of the building. Just go up this aisle, take a left. You’ll pass milling and then you’ll want to take a right. It’ll be on the back wall.”
“Cool, thanks!” I reply as he walks away, confident that I’ll be back in my car in 2 minutes.
But when I took that first left, there were no signs for milling.
There were large signs for lumber, plumbing, lighting, electrical – but nothing for milling.
With no more orange aprons to be seen, I stood alone, confused and a little annoyed.
Then after a minute, it hits me. By “milling” he meant their lumber department, where they keep all the wood, where I happened to be standing.
It felt like some secret code that only Home Depot employees know about, since there were zero references to milling on the signs for customers.
I guess you need to have an orange apron before you get the secret decoder ring…
As you look at your own marketing materials and “secret shop” the people that answer your phones and greet your customers, do you find that they’re speaking in your customers’ language?
Or are you annoying and confusing them with meaningless insider code?
What other “sales speed bumps” could you get rid of to make your sales move more smoothly and your customers feel more satisfied?
Next time I’m gonna stick with Lowe’s where I don’t have to know any special language.
On top of that, they escort me to the section I’m looking for.
Cheers to your success!
Philipp
P.S. I’m scheduling my first book signing here in Los Angeles. I wanted to make it even better, so prior I’ll also be doing a training (topic to be determined) along with Q&A. I hope to see you there. Right now it’s looking like the first week of October. Keep an eye out for an email from me with the final details (no decoder ring necessary).
No, this isn’t the start of a new joke.
But for a moment, just imagine you see the following image splashed across the front page of your local paper…
In the middle of a chaotic meeting room, a frightened mass of people with fear and surprise in their eyes.
On the fringe of the crowd, near the outer wall is a burly man, forearms covered in tattoos, his face strained and red. He has just thrown one of the office chairs through a window, spraying glass across the lawn outside.
If you had to form an opinion of this man, what would it be – positive or negative?
Now imagine the same scene, but the image shows a wider perspective, this time revealing the entire room.
You still see the man throwing a chair through the window, but on the other side of the room there’s smoke and fire coming in through an open door.
Do you now feel differently about this man?
Same guy, same action, different context.
In NLP this is what we call “reframing”.
Reframing changes the specific context in which you perceive a given piece of information, which changes the resulting meaning of the information.
In this case, it determines whether this man is labeled as a “hostile bully” or a “decisive hero”.
This concept applies just as well to your marketing such as your pricing, offers, and product/service features.
To minimize resistance from your customers and prospects, use reframes your messaging to get more desirable results.
For example, don’t just say, “We only sell chicken wings, that’s it.”
Instead, frame it first with something like, “You can probably agree that being the best at anything comes ONLY from years of tireless dedication and study of a single subject. That’s why we don’t serve burgers, fries, or turkey clubs. If we did, we couldn’t serve the best chicken wings in the country… which we do.”
Leaving your customers alone to decide what something should mean is a very dangerous proposition.
Do them (and yourself) a favor by using reframing to make both of you look like heroes.
Cheers to your success!
Philipp
P.S. While I use NLP techniques daily, I’ve never never considered teaching them as a course in the past. But if there’s enough of a demand I’ll put a special training together. If you’d be interested in learning more about how to better apply reframing and other NLP skills like anchoring, presuppositions, pattern interrupts, and rapport to your marketing, COMMENT BELOW and let me know.
When it comes to the latest trends in entertainment, I’m running about 5 years behind.
My wife and I decided to get rid of our cable and TiVo subscriptions a few years ago since we didn’t watch much of it anyway.
But thanks to Netflix we’ve “rediscovered” some pretty great stuff.
For example, we’re just NOW getting into Lost. I hear it was a pretty big thing for a few years. 
It’s such a fascinating series on many levels, but one of my favorite recurring themes is the concept of “rebirth”.
Every episode focuses on one of the main characters, weaving their present life on the island with flashbacks of their backstory in the “real world”.
For example, there’s a guy on the island named John Locke.
He’s pretty quiet at first, but then he started to do things like hunting & tracking wild boar, mentoring a couple of the youger survivors, and even building a bamboo cradle for a newborn baby.
Those acts of contribution really elevated his status on the island as someone that you could trust and respect.
Now here’s the funny part…
After all that, when one of the other guys asked him what he did “back in the real world”, Locke told him the truth… that he was a collections manager for a box company.
WHAT??
But you know what, the survivors still respected and followed Locke.
That’s how we need to be in our businesses.
Give so much value to prospects and customers RIGHT NOW so that any doubt is set aside.
Create your own little “island” in your city and/or industry where you deliver exactly what your other “survivors” need, positioning yourself as the go-to resource.
If this idea appeals to you and you want some help with it, give me a call at 909-297-1662 and we can set up a strategy session to make it happen.
Cheers to your success!
Philipp
If you’re looking to attract more local customers by using Google Places, you’ve probably noticed something different.
While most of the changes and trends I monitor in online marketing are ripples, this one caused a big enough wave that I thought you should know about it.
Last Thursday the Big G modified what customers see on your listing. Here are the most notable changes:
- Reviews from 3rd party sites like Yelp! and Citysearch have disappeared
- List of mentions/citations from around the Internet has disappeared
- Additional Details about your business have disappeared
- Business description has disappeared (apparently a bug that Google is working on fixing)
One thing to note is that Google says these modifications are primarily aesthetic.
Google reps have stated, “So just because we’re not showing it, doesn’t mean it’s not helpful for us to have — it helps our system ensure that your organic listing appears and ranks appropriately on Google and Google Maps when potential customers perform searches related to your service.”
If you’ve taken my Google Places Success Blueprint training, you remember that there’s nothing you could do to DIRECTLY affect your reviews or citations, although you can influence them.
However, you CAN directly affect the Additional Details area (a key strategy to increase your relevance in Google’s eyes), which you can still see today in your Google Places Dashboard.
IN OTHER WORDS, continue to populate all the available fields for your Places listing, including your photos and videos.
And, as always, continue encouraging your customers/clients and partners to post positive reviews about your business. If you need help creating a system to do that, give my office a call at 909-297-1662.
Cheers to your success!
Philipp
So there I was, standing in line on Friday 12:37am, taking part in history.
Of course I’m referring to the opening of the final Harry Potter movie.
Now, I’m not a cloak-wearing, wand waving, lightning-bolt-tattoo-on-the-forehead uber-fan or anything, but I have enjoyed the movies.
One character in particular that I’ve really liked is the Hogwarts Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. If you’re not familiar with the books or movies, Dumbledore is one of the main characters that mentors Harry Potter throughout the series.
One of Dumbledore’s famous lines to Harry is, “Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.”
This sage advice comes to aid Harry at many critical points in the series, usually when Harry is so concerned with protecting his friends and family that he tries in vain to carry the entire burden himself.
According to a recent survey, it seems that Harry Potter isn’t the only one that is heeding this advice… so are many small business owners.
- More than 40% report they need help for better local search rankings
- 37% say they need help using Facebook, Twitter and other social media
- Nearly 35% need help with email marketing promotions
Of course, when anyone asks me for advice I immediately ask, “Do you REALLY want to know, or are you just making conversation?”
The study also shows that many are at least somewhat serious about getting help, backing up their requests with the “ultimate” vote: their wallets.
A vast majority are going down the DIY path with 23% planning to spend between $1000-$5000. 14% plan to spend less than $1000.
On the other hand, 16% have allocated $5000 or more of their budgets to improving their online efforts, indicating a preference towards outsourcing the work to experts.
So what about you?
Are you willing to ask for help?
If you are, then here’s your chance…
Simply COMMENT BELOW and tell me exactly what you’d like help with. I’ve asked other people to do the same.
It’s best if you phrase your request in the form of a specific question. For example, “How do I turn my Facebook fans into real sales?” or “What’s the best way to grow my email list?”
Anyone that COMMENTS BELOW asking for some help (a question, clarification, or other request on anything regarding Internet marketing, marketing strategy, copywriting, and all the other things you’ve gotten to know me for) will get a report back from me that compiles ALL the questions asked of me, along with my answers. (alternatively you can send an email to info [at] maramimarketing [dot] com)
Again, in order to get the compiled Q&A from me, you need to be one of those few that are asking for help. So not only will you get an answer for your own question, you’ll get answers for things you probably would never have thought of asking.
Just a little something I learned from Dumbledore.
Or you can go it alone… it’s up to you.
Cheers to your success!
Philipp
Now by Titanic I’m not referencing the big ol’ steamer that hit the iceberg on its first outing. Don’t be like this one. That would be bad.
I’m talking about the Oscar-winning MOVIE about the Titanic. This is the one you want to “make like.” Why?
Because it didn’t just win Best Picture… it SWEPT the 1998 Academy Awards, winning 11 out of 14 nominations.
Up to that point the movie had already pulled in over $1 billion. But its massive Oscar success allowed it to stay in the theaters for another 7 months, prompted thousands that had ALREADY seen it to see it again, and ushered thousands more that hadn’t yet seen it to watch for the first time. “It won ALL those awards? Well then it MUST be good!”
In those 7 months it eeked out another $800 million in box office sales. Imagine having THAT kind of response.
I don’t know about you, but that’s what I call DOMINATION!
Make like Titanic? Indeed.
Think about how you could do this kind of sweep in your marketing. Put yourself in that “category of one” where you’re so dominant that your customers have no choice but to come back to you again and again.
Lots of different ways you could approach this, but here’s where it’s gotta start:
THINK BIGGER
Simple, I know. And it works.
I had to do it myself a few weeks back with a test my team had put together. I was VERY skeptical, but it worked out AMAZINGLY well (http://www.maramimarketing.com/thinkbigger). So well, in fact, that as a result I’ll be offering it very shortly as a new service.
Just forget about “realistic” for the moment. Don’t worry about HOW you can make it happen. Simply give yourself permission to accept that there are even bigger possibilities.
You may surprise yourself.
Cheers to your success!
Philipp
P.S. For the record, I too contributed to the Titanic fund, having watched it three times in the theater. I couldn’t help it… that Leo is SO dreamy!
That’s what my friend Croix (pronounced kroy) has now after finishing his cross-country run. I saw the pictures, and it was kinda gross.
Oh, and by “cross-country” I mean LITERALLY across the country. He ran from San Diego to New York City in 100 days. http://www.dreambigactbig.com
He blogged all about it every day of his trek, so I got to see and hear all about it. At one point he was smack-dab in the middle of Alabama when they had all those tornadoes go through.
Truly amazing and inspiring stuff.
When I think of the scale of what he accomplished, while it was phenomenal, it really came down to three simple things:
- knowing where he was starting from
- knowing where he wanted to end up
- putting one foot in front of the other
I firmly believe that most people don’t get the things they want in life or business because one of those things is missing.
Take online marketing for example. Most businesses don’t put much strategic thought into what they’re doing – whether it’s putting up a website, shooting videos, or Twitbook-ing.
Don’t get me wrong. Action is great. It’s the thing that makes entrepreneurs successful.
Just make sure step back and notice whether you’re making forward progress in the most efficient way possible.
If you need some advanced help with that, call my office at 909-297-1662 and ask for my Strategic Online Audit which includes an analysis of how you stack up against your competitors, conversion review, fast start action steps, and a 60-minute consultation call with yours truly.
Cheers!
Philipp
P.S. If you schedule yours by June 30th you’ll get 20% off as part of my “Get Me A Horsey” promotion to get riding lessons for my daughter. Hoodathunk they’d be so pricey!
You remember the line from the movie, don’t you?
“Wax on, wax off!”
It’s easily in my Top 10 of favorite movies, right between The Godfather and Pumping Iron (go figure).
When most people think of karate, they immediately picture sweeping punches and spinning back kicks in the air.
But according to Mr. Miyagi, that was only a small part if the picture.
If you recall, Mr. Miyagi didn’t get into punches and kicks until MUCH later in the training. All that painting, waxing, and sanding was teaching Daniel-san the most important concept of all – how to DEFEND himself.
It’s much the same way with online marketing.
So many just plain do it wrong and use a one-dimensional offensive approach – the main tactic being, “rank my website #1 on Google.”
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you shouldn’t do that. What I am saying is that once you get to that coveted position, then what? There are still 9 other spots (in the organic search results) that can throw punches and kicks your way.
So what should you do? You follow Mr. Miyagi’s instruction and defend yourself against them by – and here’s the key – taking away their opportunity to attack you.
The MORE spots on Google’s first page you can claim for yourself means FEWER spots available to your competition.
And in order to do that, you need to leverage more online real estate than a lone website.
Multiple niche sites, mini-sites, photos, blogs, video, social media, and articles strategically targeting the right keywords are essential tools in an effective defense.
If you need some help creating and implementing a solid internet marketing plan just call us at 909-297-1662 and request our Strategic Online Audit.
Cheers!
Philipp
While I’m not as good as my sister who frequently finds brand-name sweaters or jeans for under $8, I’m down for a good bargain when I can get it.
My typical “Honey! You won’t believe the deal I got!” scenario involves one of the following:
- Buy 2, get 1 free (Calvin Klein undershirts)
- Get an additional “$3 gazillion” of value if you act now (seminars always get me with this tactic)
- 30% more almond M&Ms in the bag (these are like crack to me)
I mean, who doesn’t jump at these kinds of offers where you can get MORE of what you want?
They work because they appeal to that innate motivation we all have to move TOWARDS those things that give us pleasure.
But, as the saying goes, “there’s more than one way to beat an egg.” (What, you’ve never heard that before?)
The other side of the coin is our drive to move AWAY from those things that give us pain.
So how do you tap into that? Simple…
Figure out what your customers want LESS of and charge a premium for it.
Here are some examples of the “pay for less” approach in action:
- less waiting (Amazon Prime membership sends everything with 2-day shipping)
- fewer security screenings/gropings (the private jet charter industry boomed after 9/11)
- no more getting lost (many high-end automobile brands come standard with navigation system and emergency roadside assistance)
While some methods require an increased investment in operations or service, you can start right now by uncovering the things you’re ALREADY doing that take away your customers’ pain.
Increased revenue or retention could just be a matter of showcasing what’s already “not there”.
Cheers to your success!
Philipp
P.S. I’ve just re-opened the doors to my “done for you” video marketing service that takes away the headaches of figuring it all out and doing it yourself.
My team handles all the production, editing, distribution, and promotion so you can take full advantage of the power of DIRECT RESPONSE video to both increase your “know, like, and trust” factor and elevate yourself to “expert status”.
You can see how it can work for you at http://www.nohasslevideos.com
