Where are the Marketers

Had a conversation yesterday with a friend who works for a major LA based advertising agency. He has for the last 10 years worked on major auto accounts. His statement about the caliber of the marketers he deals with was amazing. "Most of the marketers are dead enders. They have been put out to pasture in the marketing department, because they failed to make it elsewhere. They don't have any idea what the end game is."

So, take heart. It isn't only the swag buyer at the local small business that doesn't have a clue. He went on to say: "We end up doing the work for them. We help them determine a goal for their ads. We help them come up with ways of measuring results. It isn't our job, but we do it."

Watch this space. Coming later this week will be the beginning of a month long series that will address this issue in totally new ways. Wednesday: The introduction.

This Is Rule #1 at California Springs Line

I'm sorry to say this is the last Walton Rule

Rule 10: Swim upstream. Go the other way. Ignore the conventional wisdom. If everybody else is doing it one way, there's a good chance you can find your niche by going in exactly the opposite direction. But be prepared for a lot of folks to wave you down and tell you you're headed the wrong way. I guess in all my years, what I heard more often than anything was: a town of less than 50,000 population cannot support a discount store for very long.

My thought - Over the course of the next 4 weeks, you will be seeing the introduction of our new Supplier Plus program. Talk about swimming upstream. Stay on the Line.

Walmart Overhead 18% - Everybody Else 21%

If you have a 3% advantage on overhead you can slowly destroy your competition.

Rule 9: Control your expenses better than your competition. This is where you can always find the competitive advantage. For twenty-five years running — long before Wal-Mart was known as the nation's largest retailer — we've ranked No. 1 in our industry for the lowest ratio of expenses to sales. You can make a lot of different mistakes and still recover if you run an efficient operation. Or you can be brilliant and still go out of business if you're too inefficient.

My thought - It takes more effort to increase sales than it does to cut costs.

Satisfaction Guaranteed

No introduction needed.

Rule 8: Exceed your customer's expectations. If you do, they'll come back over and over. Give them what they want — and a little more. Let them know you appreciate them. Make good on all your mistakes, and don't make excuses — apologize. Stand behind everything you do. The two most important words I ever wrote were on that first Wal-Mart sign: "Satisfaction Guaranteed." They're still up there, and they have made all the difference.

My thought - No comment can make it clearer

Sam Walton on Success - Rule #7 - No Ivory Towers

Wasn't it Walton who ate lunch in the company cafeteria. Great lesson here.

Rule 7: Listen to everyone in your company and figure out ways to get them talking. The folks on the front lines — the ones who actually talk to the customer — are the only ones who really know what's going on out there. You'd better find out what they know. This really is what total quality is all about. To push responsibility down in your organization, and to force good ideas to bubble up within it, you must listen to what your associates are trying to tell you.

My thought - Sam Walton also spent time on the front line. Don't ever stop making calls, taking complaint calls, etc. There are no barriers to talking to me at American Quality Products. 800-245-3737 ext 223.

Rule #6 - Loosen Up?

We Californian's (even the transplants) have understood this one for a long time. You know, they tilted the country on San Diego and all the loose nuts and flakes slid into SoCal.

Rule 6: Celebrate your success. Find some humor in your failures. Don't take yourself so seriously. Loosen up, and everybody around you will loosen up. Have fun. Show enthusiasm — always. When all else fails, put on a costume and sing a silly song. Then make everybody else sing with you. Don't do a hula on Wall Street. It's been done. Think up your own stunt. All of this is more important, and more fun, than you think, and it really fools competition. "Why should we take those cornballs at Wal-Mart seriously?"

My thought - I resemble this remark. (That's one)

Did Walton Write These Rules Specifically for our Industry?

Once again, this rule seems to be made for our sales efforts. Maybe this would be a good way to start your very own blog. These rules just shout: "BUY PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS!"

Rule 5: Appreciate everything your associates do for the business. A paycheck and a stock option will buy one kind of loyalty. But all of us like to be told how much somebody appreciates what we do for them. We like to hear it often, and especially when we have done something we're really proud of. Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They're absolutely free — and worth a fortune.

My thought - Words are free, but a little $1-$10 gift along with the praise makes a bigger impression.

Walton Said "Information is Power." Rule 4

Like Rule 3, this should be right up our alley.

Rule 4: Communicate everything you possibly can to your partners. The more they know, the more they'll understand. The more they understand, the more they'll care. Once they care, there's no stopping them. If you don't trust your associates to know what's going on, they'll know you really don't consider them partners. Information is power, and the gain you get from empowering your associates more than offsets the risk of informing your competitors.

My thought - Have you established a blog yet. This can be a way of communicating with your clients and the other members of your office.

Rule #3 for Business Success from WalMart Founder

We are in the motivation business. How can you use the following as a sales tool?

Rule 3: Motivate your partners. Money and ownership alone aren't enough. Constantly, day by day, think of new and more interesting ways to motivate and challenge your partners. Set high goals, encourage competition, and then keep score. Make bets with outrageous payoffs. If things get stale, cross-pollinate; have managers switch jobs with one another to stay challenged. Keep everybody guessing as to what your next trick is going to be. Don't become too predictable.

My thought - Are the shoemaker's children going without shoes? Are you doing a good job of motivating those who answer to you?

Business Success List - Sam Walton

Here is second rule, out of ten, offered by WalMart founder, Sam Walton:

Rule 2: Share your profits with all your associates, and treat them as partners. In turn, they will treat you as a partner, and together you will all perform beyond your wildest expectations. Remain a corporation and retain control if you like, but behave as a servant leader in your partnership. Encourage your associates to hold a stake in the company. Offer discounted stock, and grant them stock for their retirement. It's the single best thing we ever did.

My comment - Pay special attention to the "servant leader" part. It may not always be possible to share profits. It is always possible to think bottom up instead of top down.

Sam Walton's 10 Secrets of Success

We all know who Sam Walton is. He was the fellow who built the largest retail business in the world in on lifetime. So maybe his list of what he thinks it takes to become successful would be impressive. However, this list is so powerful, I think we should contemplate them one day at a time. Do you ever read a self help book straight through and never do any of the things that were recommended, even though they all made so much sense at the time. Me, too!

So, today, just one element of business success from Sam Walton.

Rule 1: Commit to your business. Believe in it more than anybody else. I think I overcame every single one of my personal shortcomings by the sheer passion I brought to my work. I don't know if you're born with this kind of passion, or if you can learn it. But I do know you need it. If you love your work, you'll be out there every day trying to do it the best you possibly can, and pretty soon everybody around will catch the passion from you - like a fever.

My view (humbly) - If you did only this, you will be successful.

Investor's Business Daily's Top 10 Secrets to Success

Here is one view of the top secrets to success based on polling successful people.

1. HOW YOU THINK, IS EVERYTHING:
Always be positive. Think success, not failure. Beware of a negative environment.

2. DECIDE UPON YOUR TRUE DREAMS AND GOALS:
Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.

3. TAKE ACTION:
Goals are nothing without action. Don't be afraid to get started now. Just do it.

4. NEVER STOP LEARNING:
Go back to school or read books. Get training and acquire skills.

5. BE PERSISTENT AND WORK HARD:
Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.

6. LEARN TO ANALYZE DETAILS:
Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.

7. FOCUS YOUR TIME AND MONEY:
Don't let other people or things distract you.

8. DON'T BE AFRAID TO INNOVATE; BE DIFFERENT:
Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.

9. DEAL AND COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE EFFECTIVELY:
No person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others.

10. BE HONEST AND DEPENDABLE; TAKE RESPONSIBILITY:
Otherwise, Numbers 1-9 won't matter.

I think I will see if I can find other lists and report back.

Florida Show Coverage at Corporate Logo Blog

Adam Wright at Corporate Logo has a new blog. Right now he is covering the Florida ASI show. Check it out at http://www.corportatelogo.com. Lots of other good stuff there, too.

Would You Like A Free Copy of My New Book

Warner is releasing my new book later this month. I have about 25 copies that I can give away. The only catch is that I need reviews. Not long ones. Basically, I need reviews at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and for use in my blogs and other promotional activities. If you are interested, call me at 800-245-3737 ext 223, or send me an e-mail at Randy_Kirk@CaliforniaSprings.com.

Top 50 Gadgets of Last 50 Years

PC World has listed their picks for the gadgets that changed everything. You can see their list here.

The limitation on their list was that it had to be a gadget that PC World would have written about.

What about the most important breakthrough products of any kind in last 50 years.

#1. E-mail
#2. WWW
#3. Ball Point Pens
#4. Commercial jets
#5. Personal computers
#6. Digital Cameras
#7. Electronic Games
#8. Home washers, dryers
#9. Microwave ovens
#10. Copiers (commercial and consumer)
#11. Cell Phones
#12. Sonograms
#13. Medical and pharmacological too numerous to list
#14. Wireless technology
#15. Freeways
#16. Containerization of shipping
#17. Overnight shipping
#18. Credit/Debit cards
#19. Online banking and bill paying
#20. Bicycle Water Bottles

Keep Competition Out

We've all been in situations where we have worked hard to land a client. We've had to sharp shoot the price, work overtime on proposals and art ideas, but at long last we have earned our spot. Two months or a year later it is time for the repeat order. Now the client wants to shop.

Time honored methods of dealing with this problem include charm, persuasion, in-kind services (marketing, special features for free), or volume rebates and such. Here is a really unique approach you can add to add to your weapon belt. Custom molding. I would venture to say that several or even quite a number of the companies that you already do business with have a way to make the product "custom." The Caliifornia Springs Line has the ability to change the shape of the bottle, emboss or deboss one or more surfaces, or change the information in the "grip ring." Click here to see an example. These mold changes cost from $1500 - $5000. This cost can be paid for separately by the client, in which case he owns the mold. Or you can include the cost in the piece cost in which case, you can say that you own the mold. Whichever way you do it, generally it locks in the client to you as supplier. The customer will assume that he would have to pay for a new mold change if he were to go with another distributor.

We have seen this approach result in end users staying with our distributors for four or five years or even longer, when they might have shopped the project. While I use our product as an example, others of your factories can do the same thing.

Most Unique Promotional Products of 2005

Have you seen this study. I think you'll find it amusing and maybe even helpful.

THE GIFT THAT KEEPS THEM GUESSING
Advertising and Marketing Executives Surveyed Reveal Most Unusual Premium Items

MENLO PARK, CA -- We've all received quirky holiday gifts from friends and family -- but they're not the only ones who get creative in their giving. Some companies have presented premium items to current and prospective customers that are innovative, if not downright unusual. The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service providing marketing, advertising, creative and web professionals on a project basis, recently asked 250 U.S. advertising and marketing executives to describe the most distinctive premiums they've heard of a firm giving.

Those surveyed were asked, "What is the most unusual or unique premium item you've ever heard of a business distributing?" Here are some of their responses:
"Live snakes"
"Rocks"
"Umbrellas with holes in them"
"Candles that smelled like burning rubber"

"Many companies provide unique promotional items to reinforce their brands and encourage the use of their services or products," said Tracey Turner, executive director of The Creative Group. "Creative professionals, especially, enjoy receiving inventive premiums. The key is to make them memorable and useful. People should want to keep them."

These next items certainly fit into the "useful" category:
"Reading glasses"
"Sledge hammers"
"Rakes"
"Pillows"
"Thermometers"

The following premiums appear decidedly less helpful:
"Toy outhouses"
"Bricks"
"Plastic cockroaches"
"Pigeons"
"Chicken wishbone paperweights"
"Lab coats"
"Miniature airline seats"

Then there were those items that truly fit the "premium" bill:
"Rolex watches"
"A free flight on a private jet"
"Harley-Davidson motorcycles"
"A $2,000 shopping spree"
"Golf lessons"

Some organizations tried to win business by tempting the taste buds:
"Treasure chests of spices"
"Boxes of marshmallow Peeps"
"PEZ candy"
"Ice-cream sandwiches"

One company created a buzz with its offering:

"They sent a can of bees."

And, finally, there was the firm whose premium item went over with a bang:

"We received a cannon."

The survey was developed by The Creative Group and conducted by an independent research firm. It includes 250 responses -- 125 from advertising executives among the nation's 1,000 largest advertising agencies and 125 from senior marketing executives among the nation's 1,000 largest companies. The Creative Group has offices in major markets across the United States and in Canada and offers online job search services at www.creativegroup.com.