Friday, July 20th, 2007
I was reading a post by Seth Godin on the new Harry Potter book this morning and something he said about the book got me thinking about what people really buy. He said, “Holding and owning the book, remembering when and how you got it… that’s what you’re paying for.” Exactly. As any good marketer would tell you, you are not just buying a product, you may be buying buying ideals, memories, image, prestige, friendship, or more. As a fun exercise, let’s take some no-name products and associate them with motives for purchase:
- Sports Drinks: Energy, determination, commitment to fitness.
- The Latest MP3 Player: Makes me hip and cool, tech geek bragging rights, I look expensive, and therefore, important (if you buy the high end ones), people will like me more.
- Convertible Sports Cars: I look rich, I want to be young, I want to feel the wind in my hair, I’ll be a hit with the ladies.
These are just a few quick examples. What other ones can you, the reader think of?
Posted in Buzz, Marketing | 2 Comments »
Thursday, July 12th, 2007
Ron McDaniel from the Buzzoodle Blog pointed to an article yesterday on the making of an expert. To be a true expert, you must constantly learn, and always be a student. Sound strange? Not really. Times change, new things evolve, and you have to keep up. Also, you are never done learning. There are always ways to improve your knowledge and ability in something, and evolve it. As one person always told me, “The best teachers are also students.”
A true expert knows both theory from all their textbook learning, etc., and application. That is where all that practice and work in the nitty-gritty come in. Who would you trust more, a surgeon who read a bunch of books on surgery for 10 years, but never did it, or someone who has read and performed operations for the same time?
Long story short there is no shortcut to being an expert. I have seen a lot of schemes where there are “instructional videos” and such to make you a pro on something. Not going to happen. Knowledge, experience, and true dedication makes you a true professional. You have to do it for years, and people can instantly spot a true pro from someone green a mile away.
Posted in Being an Expert, Small Business | No Comments »
Thursday, July 5th, 2007
This 4th of July exceeded my expectations. My family and I watched a spectacular fireworks show. It had all the great things you would expect to see, and it outdid the city’s fireworks from years before, and lasted longer, to boot. Here’s the thing, though: they weren’t the city’s fireworks. These were from a guy two houses down from my parents. The man has a license for creating and shooting off his own fireworks, and has done so professionally for years. A display of this caliber was definitely beyond the expected. If someone were to tell you to watch the fireworks of some random guy in the neighborhood or the city’s, you would probably choose the city’s, assuming it would be the best. This man proved me wrong.
This got me thinking about small businesses as well. How many small businesses release great products that are never tried because the assumption is that the bigger company’s version is better? Sometimes it is really worth looking into the small companies. You may just find a gem.
Posted in Buzz, Marketing, Small Business | No Comments »
