When I first got my preview copy of Guy Kawasaki’s “Enchantment” (yes, I got a free copy, and yes, that’s an affiliate link), I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I don’t really know that much about Guy, and I haven’t read any of his other books (sorry Guy).  I knew he was something of a big deal on Twitter and that he was the guy (no pun intended) behind Alltop.com, but that was about it.

In other words, I started “Enchantment” with zero expectations.  I only tell you that so you’ll understand that what I’m about to say isn’t colored by my being a long-time Guy Kawasaki fanboy.

Now that we understand each other, let me just say this: whatever you’re doing, stop now for as long as it takes to jump over to Amazon and buy this book.  Yes, it’s that good.

Guy has distilled the art of getting people to support your cause down to simple, manageable steps.  Whether it’s a business, a charity, a product or an idea, enchantment is the art of rallying not just support but commitment from those you lead or those in the trenches with you.  In Guy’s own words, “if you need to enchant people, you’re doing something meaningful. If you’re doing something meaningful, you need enchantment.”

What’s the difference between enchantment and more traditional methods of persuasion? Simple: rather than feeling like they’ve been manipulated to do what you want them to,  enchanted people feel the same level of devotion to the cause that you do.  In other words, enchantment is how you get others to see your vision, to share it and help you bring it to fruition.

From making your preparations to launching your cause, from crafting a Facebook status update or a post on Twitter, Guy walks you through the process of using both push and pull technologies to create an atmosphere of enchantment that’s hard to resist.

Let me issue this caveat, though: the ideas Guy shares are all common sense, “I knew that” kind of insights.  But please don’t let the fact that the ideas have been around awhile fool you into thinking that they’re common practice.  This book will take you from familiar theories and ideas to practical steps for implementation.  Put these ideas into practice, and watch your tribe grow.

I’m really hoping that you’ll look past the fact that I’m not the world’s greatest book reviewer and give “Enchantment” a shot.  I really believe that the key to success as an entrepreneur or small business person, or even a sales person or blogger, for that matter, is the ability to rally others to your cause, whatever that cause might be.  ”Enchantment” can help you improve your ability to do just that.

But don’t take my word for it: go. Get yourself a copy.  Once you’ve read it, come back here and let me know what you think.

The world needs more enchanters right now; shouldn’t you be one of them?

While I was wandering around the show floor and in the mixers and meetups at CES, I noticed an interesting trend.  When I would ask people, “So, what do you do?” most would regurgitate their company name and tag line, followed immediately by the phrase “And what that means is…”

I began to wonder: if your tag line requires a follow up explanation, is it the right tag line?  Wouldn’t it be better to work a little harder and devise a tag line that clearly communicates what you do, no explanation required?

I know we all like to think up these clever, cute phrases that force people to ask “Oh? What does that mean?”.  Here’s the problem, though: most people don’t ask.  Instead, they smile, nod politely, and go find someone else to talk to, all the while at a loss for what it is that you actually do.

If you find yourself saying “And what that means is…” after your company tag line, try simplifying.  Just say what you do, no bells, no whistles, no mysteries wrapped in enigmas.  You’ll probably be surprised at how refreshing the people you talk to find your transparency.

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Just a quick side note: I decided over the weekend that I’m going to start giving away copies of my audio training program, “Motivation 101: Five Steps To Activate Your Potential In Any Economy” to anyone who signs up for my newsletter.  You can click here for more details, or fill out the newsletter subscription form in the sidebar on the right to get your copy right now.  Thanks for checking it out!

OK: let me start by saying that my decision to wait until Wednesday morning (the morning I left for CES 2011 in Las Vegas) to book my hotel room for CES was probably, in hindsight, a huge mistake.

Rooms on the Strip that would normally go for $60-$70 a night were suddenly in the $300-$400 range.  Unreal.  So I ended up staying at the Siena Suites in Henderson.  It was a nice enough place, kind of an extended stay type of hotel with a kitchen, living room and bedroom.  It was clean, quiet, and the bed was reasonably comfortable; everything I look for in a hotel.

Except for the toilet paper.  I’m not sure what S & M torture shop the management bought it in, but I’d have to guess that it was one that leaned a little more heavily toward the S.  Stiff and rough, while great qualities in a scotch on the rocks, are not what you want in toilet paper.  At least, they’re not what I want.

A quick review of the prices on ToiletPaperWorld.com (no, I didn’t make that up…click the link if you don’t believe me) shows that prices range from about $.50 per roll on the low end to a high of about $1.25 for the premium grade stuff.

During my 4-day stay, I used less than a roll, but let’s say I was a heavy user and managed, somehow, to use a whole roll.  The difference in price between the low-grade stuff they supplied and the premium quality I’m used to would have averaged out to around $0.19 per day.

Here’s my question: was it worth the $0.19 to the hotel to guarantee that, while I was willing to put up with it this time, I’d never come back to their hotel again?  Sure, I could have gone to the corner market and bought my own toilet paper; as it turned out, I could never remember until it was too late.  So I had to grin and bear it.

And there’s the lesson: while cutting costs certainly has a place in your business, cutting corners doesn’t.  It’s one of the most effective ways to disappoint your customers, and those you disappoint are usually only to happy to tell all their friends (or readers) about the experience.  Is that what you really want?

So before you decide that saving $0.19 on supplies is a good idea, ask yourself: is this one of those corners that, if I cut it, could cost me a customer?  If it is, spend the extra money and watch the your customers keep coming back for more.

And if you ever find yourself staying at the Siena Suites in Henderson, be sure to BYOTP.

This article will appear in my “Selling Points” column in the February 2011 issue of TLT Magazine.  You get a preview; after all, membership has it’s privileges!

With the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) a little over a week away, I’m being bombarded with email requests from companies and publicity firms asking me to “stop by our booth” to see the latest blah, blah, blah…

I’ve got all the emails flagged for follow-up; I know I need to get back to all of them and make the appointments and yet I can’t quite bring myself to do it, mostly because I just don’t care.  Don’t get me wrong: I’m really looking forward to the show and getting the chance to see, touch and play with all the new toys that will soon hit the shelves of your local Best Buy.  And I’m really looking forward to four days in Las Vegas.  What I don’t care about is the hype.

I have some bad news for you: nobody, and I do mean NOBODY, cares about your new products nearly as much as you do.  I know that probably comes as a bit of a shock; after all, your company may have dumped hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of dollars into researching, developing and testing that new product.  You may be prepared to spend millions more on marketing it to the public.  It’s sad, I know, but it doesn’t change the fact that I don’t care.

Here’s how you can change that, though: tell me a story.  That’s right.  You can move me from a shoulder-shrugging, disengaged suspect into a bona fide prospect by telling me a good story.  And you’ll get bonus points for making the story all about my favorite subject: me.

Here’s a little insight into human nature: as much as we tout our sense of adventure, for the most part we’re in love with the status quo.  If we can get away with using something tried and true, we will.  That being the case, if you want us to try something new you need to give us a reason.  A really good reason.  Most importantly, an emotional reason.

You can talk to my logical, conscious mind all day long, listing all the fantastic features of your new gadget, giving me all the reasonable, left-brain-centric arguments about its benefits and how it will change the world, but until you engage my unconscious mind through the gateway of the emotions, everything you say will literally go in one ear and out the other.  Don’t be mad at me; it’s just the way I’m wired.

As logical as we pretend to be, we all make decisions emotionally.  Some (but not all) of us will then justify those decisions rationally.  Consider the spread of MP3 players, specifically the iPod.  The iPod didn’t succeed because it made music sound better; it didn’t.  It didn’t catch on because it was cheaper; it wasn’t.  And it certainly didn’t succeed because all of us were excited to rush out and buy our music collections in yet another format; we weren’t.

The iPod literally infected the world because the folks at Apple told us a great story about how unbelievably cool it would be to carry our entire music library with us wherever we went.  Game. Set. Match.

It’s time to get re-acquainted with the art of storytelling or, as super-hero blogger Johnny B. Truant calls it, storyselling.  Because that’s all good selling is, after all.  Tell me a story about how happy I’m going to be when I have your shiny new gadget in my possession, how relaxed I’ll feel when I know your new service is monitoring critical business functions for me, how much fun I’ll have playing your new game with my nieces and nephews.  Those are the kind of stories that will have me reaching for my wallet.

Until then, all I’ll hear is “blah, blah, blah…”

I hope you’re enjoying this series about the five marketing mistakes everyone makes (and how to avoid them).  By way of a recap, so far we’ve talked about how to determine who, specifically, you’re talking to, how to determine what action you want them to take next, and how to go about asking them to do it.  If you’ve come this far, then you definitely don’t want to fall victim to…

Mistake #4 – You Don’t Give Them a Compelling Reason To DO IT NOW!

Sometimes, just asking your prospect to take some specific action isn’t enough; you have to give them a reason to take the next step, and to take it immediately.  Why the hurry?

If your prospect doesn’t take the desired action right away, what do you think are the odds he or she will remember to do it later, especially when no longer under the spell of your alluring marketing piece?  I’ll tell you: the odds are non-existent.  If your prospect doesn’t take the action you want her to NOW, you’ve likely lost your only shot.  That said, how do you get them to do something immediately?

That’s a great question, I’m glad you asked, and…I have no idea.  What?  You Expect me to have all the answers? I mean, these are your prospects, right?  That means you’re going to have to put a little thought into this.

If you know your prospects intimately (and if you don’t, why not?), you probably have a pretty good idea of what motivates them; use that knowledge to craft a compelling reason for taking action right away.  Maybe it will be in the form of a discount, maybe a free upgrade of some sort, or maybe some kind of bonus.

Whatever it is, it needs to appeal to your target prospect; cast your net too widely, and you’ll end up with a bunch of junk fish who just showed up for the free worms.

So I’m curious: what kind of offer do your ideal prospects find appealing enough to take action on immediately?  Leave your best ideas in the comments, and I’ll send you a free copy of “Motivation 101: Five Steps to Activate Your Potential In Any Economy” just for playing along.

Thanks for reading!

Last week, Karl Palachuk and I did an episode of his Cloud Services Roundtable Podcast. We talked about the 5 mistakes that kill most marketing campaigns, and how they can be avoided. The podcast went really well, so I thought I’d share what we talked about and see what you all had to add.  This will be a five-parter, so stay tuned for more.

Mistake #1: You Don’t Know Who You’re Talking To

Of all the mistakes you could make when starting a new marketing campaign, this is the biggest.  Having a clear idea of who you’re talking to is critical to the success of your campaign; after all, if you don’t know who you’re talking to, how will you know what to say?

Think about it: do you use the same words, tone, and inflection when you’re trying to communicate with a 22-year-old girl as you do when addressing a 55-year-old man?  Of course not.  How about when talking to a devoutly religious person versus a skeptical agnostic, even if they both happen to be the same age, sex and race?  Again, the answer is no.  Instead, you tailor your message for the individual you’re speaking to.  Why would your marketing messages be any different?

Well, you say, for one thing my marketing message isn’t addressed to an individual; it’s designed to have mass appeal.  And that, friends, is the root of the problem.  You haven’t identified your ideal client, and so your marketing doesn’t speak to him or her.

If I asked you, right now, “Who is your ideal client?”, what would you say?  If you’re like the majority of business owners, you’d probably say “Everyone can use my product or service!”  And that might be true to some extent.  Maybe you’ve got something that’s universally useful and that everyone on the planet really could use.  But would they?  That’s the important question.  A product’s usefulness doesn’t necessarily dictate its target market.

Some of you may have a more specific answer, though.  You might say something like “My ideal client is a middle-aged dentist who likes to golf and drive fast cars.”  That’s better, as you’ve begun to narrow your focus, but it still doesn’t quite cut it.  Why?  Because it focuses on the WHAT and HOW of your ideal client, but neglects the WHY.

(For a discussion of why that’s important, see this post from a couple of weeks ago about heart-based communication with your clients; it talked about the importance of being clear about your WHY in locating your ideal clients.)

And once you’ve identified your ideal client, what then?  ALL of your marketing messages should be written to that ideal client, as if you were talking with them one-on-one! Doing so might make your message a little unclear to the general public, and that’s a good thing; it will make it crystal clear to the only one that matters, your ideal client.

Stay tuned tomorrow for Mistake #2 of the 5 mistakes that are killing your marketing (and how to avoid them), and in the meantime, let us know who your ideal client is in the comments; maybe we can help you find him or her!

Since I’ve been advocating the spirit of transparency, I have a confession to make: I have absolutely no idea how to launch a product.  And before you start sending me tips for doing it right, I should also add that I’m not sure I want to know.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been working on a project for a new program I’m going to offer starting in September.  The site for the program is MyBlogWhisperer.com, and it’s designed to help bloggers get out of their own way and start writing or recoding and sharing what’s in their heart.  I’m really excited about the program, and I can’t wait to take my first registration.

Here’s the thing, though: I feel weird promoting my own stuff.  I know I’ve got something valuable to share, but I don’t feel inclined to make a huge deal out of it.  And I definitely don’t want to be a cheeseball internet marketer pitching the product of the week.  I just want folks to know what I’m up to and, if they like the sound of it, to join me in the class.

So, wise readers, how do I do it?  How do I balance the desire to build some positive buzz and get the signups coming in without resorting to “yellow highlighter” tactics?  What do you all think of the page and the program?  Please let me know your thoughts, and thanks for reading!

P.S. I was recently interviewed by Antonio Coleman of TrafficColeman.com.  Antonio was a blast, and I had a lot of fun talking to him about blogging.  You can check out the podcast by clicking here.  Enjoy!

I’m part of a discussion over at LinkedIn Groups (I didn’t link to it to protect my their identity)  about branding and whether or not it’s still relevant. They’re tossing around terms like media channels and marketing equations. They are confusing brand equity with market share. The marketing insiders just don’t get it. Granted they are talking to other marketing professionals. However, if they are true to their own brand then it is bound to leak through – ask any I.T. marketer about verticals, optimization, and integration.

I’m of the belief that, while the spirit of branding is still applicable (only it’s called promotion), the term branding is WAY over used. And because of the communication platform of the Internet (I tried really, really hard not say Social Media) branding has given way, thankfully, to “having a conversation”.

I used this example:

You have a company of 500 people. 400 people manufacture, package, and ship your super-duper baby spit-up remover. 50 of them are out there selling it. 10 are marketing folks. 40 provide support services and management. What’s the chance of all 500 employees living the brand? A snowball’s survival comes to mind.

Now, you could run a print ad in Parenting Magazine (which I’m actually reading right now ) that reaches 2.1 million (per Wikipedia) and control what your potential customers READ about you. But that brand equity gets used up fast if you publish an inappropriate photo in your online-newsletter (Google Parenting, Fox, Boston).  And look what home equity loans did the the real estate market.

My solution: have a conversation. Start at the largest forum for your industry – it’s not hard to find and Google is your friend. Ask questions to find out what the end-user of your product or service finds attractive about it. Listen to their answers and provide feedback they can understand.

Why do you think the “Old Spice Guy” is so successful? IMB has an idea (BEWARE there are tons of buzzwords) that I think is spot on. They are creating a conversation, in real time no less, that answers questions from their customers. Ding, Ding, Ding. We have a winner!

So what conversations are you starting with your customers today?

Oh, if you think I’m way off base, let’s have a conversation about it

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In addition to his regular contributions on The Motivation 101 Blog, guest author Todd Pillars spends his days teaching entrepreneurs how to appreciate their customers.  Check out his “Just Like Them” blog, but beware: if you give him a reason, he’ll send you a card!

You’re standing on the playground and it’s the first day of school. You know exactly two people – your little brother and the lady that says she’s your new teacher – neither beneficial to making new friends. You’re scared stiff and you’re at a crossroads… Do I act like them? Or, do I be myself? What’s the best way to get them all to like me?

Wisdom tells us you can’t please everyone. However, it can be tough to call some entrepreneurs wise. It’s been my experience working with first time business owners and salespeople that it’s instinctual to group “everyone” into the “user of my product/service” category. We want everyone to fall in love with our wares. It’s also been my first-hand experience that no, not everyone is your ideal prospect (or client, partner, etc).  Some customers can actually cost you money! How, you ask?

By being so different from you, and most importantly your core values and beliefs, that you are forced to repeatedly convince them why they need you. Then you have the added burden of selling them your product or service. Then you have to constantly reinforce their decisions just to retain them. Have you recognized your worst clients yet?

So what’s to do about it? Repeat after me: “Just like them”.

Be yourself. Be genuine, heartfelt, grateful. Be true to your beliefs. Be nice. And be visible in the marketplace doing all those things. Show people how much they will benefit by you being in their lives. Show them how they’ll be treated as part of your group. Show them how you value the same things they do and believe in the same things they do. They’ll be much more open-minded to hearing about how your product or service can help them. You’ll be surrounded by people that are just like you. And they’ll bring people just like them to hear your message. And they’ll bring more just like them…

Oh, and be polite.  Say “Thank You!”

Thank You for Being You!

Todd Pillars

“The first follower is what transforms a lone nut into a leader.” – Derek Sivers

I have a confession: I’m pretty much addicted to TED Talks.  I find them inspiring…mostly because I respect the level of insight, information and intelligence the presenters share in their allotted 18 minutes.  Here’s what usually happens, though:  I never can watch just one.  I can never resist the temptation to watch another…and another…and sometimes, another.

The problem is that, like YouTube, TED.com always has a suggestion for what to watch next based on what you’re watching now.  That’s how I ended up seeing the two geniuses above speak, one after the other, and where I garnered the two quotes above.

You might read those quotes and think they’re totally obvious; if so, you’re absolutely correct.  Move to the head of the class.  Here’s the thing, though: they’re totally obvious, but how many people are actually doing it?