Here’s the movie’s description…

“This documentary closely examines the sensationalized story of a man from Seattle who died from a ruptured colon after having sex with a horse in a barn. Director Robinson Devor transcends the shocking headlines to explore the circle of people who secretly possess an interest in bestiality. Two friends of the man who died as well as a horse advocate provide narration for much of the film.”

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love animals, and I love documentaries, but I had to pull out a Webster’s Dictionary to find out what “bestiality” meant. Netflix, on the other hand, thought that this film would be right up my alley. Apparently, my rental history (Beatles Anthology, 24, Heroes, God Grew Tired Of Us (MUST SEE!), John Lennon Imagine, No Direction Home - Bob Dylan, etc.) lead their “intelligent” recomendation technology to believe that I have a facination with… GEEEEEZ, I can’t even say it.

You might be asking… “What nugget of marketing wisdom are you trying to share with me, oh great small business brander?”

Well, I think today’s lesson is quite obvious. Customer service is best handled by human beings, not automated technology.

You can’t always depend on technology to run your business on auto-pilot. In hindsight, I’m willing to bet that Netflix would have thought twice about recommending this documentary to me. It’s fortunate for them that I’m difficult to offend, because there are many people out there who would consider a lawsuit in exchange for the insult.

Today, ask yourself this question… Is your business servicing its customers with four-legged fornication? … Don’t be so sure about your answer. You might want to double check on this.

PETA Supporter - Brad Williamson

Lately, I’ve been poundin’ out some letters about Love and Life that are going to fuel an upcoming passion project of mine. Hopefully, it’ll make a few bucks; but more importantly, I want it to excite some emotions.

I’m reaching out to you guys for a little research about my development. I’ve been writing for a while now, but so far the content I’ve made public has only had a personality that pitches advice about marketing products. So here I am, with a dialog that drives in a new direction, and I’d like your feedback on it.

So stare your Soul upon the script below, and I’d kiss ya if I could for some of your passionate perspective in the comments section below. I hope ya like!

Passion’s Purpose

Listen to the Soul, let it guide you towards the highest vision you have for yourself, and live a Life you can Love. You know who you are and who you want to be, so let your spirit be shown through the progress of your purpose. This energy that drives your dream’s desires, to turn being-ness into experience, is called passion.

The Soul presents you with its purpose through feelings of passion. It is an energy that drives you to push aside that which does not reflect your being, in favor of pursuits that mirror your inner-motivations. The experience of passion is so profound that you Lovingly cry years of dedication into crafts that represent who you are; and when your creations consume you, know that the Soul is living its dream.

The pulse of passion feels like pure Peace. Pure Peace that provides unconditional comfort without corruption, because conflict cannot possibly cross the Love of your Life. Every breath is beautiful as your spirit shouts the energy of affectionate addiction. …Your Love is alive.

Passion has no expectations. Its desires are fulfilled with or without awards or accomplishment, and simply strives for the Soul to see them survive. Passion must be given creative freedom if it wants to truly experience itself; and the distractions expectations inflict can restrict the liberty that is needed to transform dreams into Life.

Passion is purpose; and without passion, Life has no purpose. Thanks to Love, your passions are made obvious to you in every moment. All you must do to find your guiding light is hear the sincere shouts of the Soul that serve to remind you of who you are. Every moment reveals reasons to pursue the progress of passion, so never push away its promises.

Your passion can fashion a Life of Love; so embrace your motivations, both modest and magnificent. Present every moment with your purpose and prepare to be amazed by the presents you persuade Life to shower upon you.

Thank you so much for reading. I’ve got a lot more content where that came from; but for now, I’d Love so much to hear what you think about “Passion’s Purpose.” And I’m sorry to ask for the world, but if you feel that this story would benefit the passionate Souls who read your blogs, I’d feel flattered for you to share it with them (Hey! It doesn’t hurt to ask! ; )

In the months to come, my hope is to be able to continue updating you on the progress of my passion project. But in the meantime, I wish you the best with your own personal passions…

Word to your mothers…

Brad Williamson

Now I don’t have a lot of reasoning to support this hunch, but wouldn’t it make sense for advertising rates to fall as more and more marketing mediums become available?

At this moment, marketing costs are still through the roof, but I think that roof is about to come crashing down in a hurry. I truly believe that the promotional playing-field is about to even itself out a bit as the mega-marketing mediums have to slap “SALE!” stickers all over their advertising inventory. Why place your ad in an expensive medium that gets the same amount of valuable traffic as an affordable blog? If I was a media mogul, whose business is supported by advertising dollars, I’d have to be biting my finger nails right about now as I consider moving into a smaller mansion.

What do ya’ll think? Is it possible that Bertha Beth Baily, from McTutor, Texas, will be buying a 30 second slot during the 2017 Super Bowl for her upcoming garage sale? Slay me for stupidity or praise me as a prophet in the comments below…

Just callin’ them as I see’m…

Brad Williamson

I miss when Roger Clemens was “Roger Clemens, the pitcher.” He worked a full 162 game season, posted stats that 10 year boys idolized, and walked with the swagger of a super-hero. Since this is SmallBusinessBranding.com, I’ll say that Rogers’ brand value has, during his heyday, experienced historical highs. Damn, that guy WAS awesome!

Now, it seems that his brand value has been left to losses, while the value of his monetary worth and egotistical excellence has taken over his interests. On Sunday, with a dramatic announcement from the owner’s box at Yankee Stadium during the seventh-inning stretch, Clemens revealed that he plans to pitch in pinstripes this season… For a modest salary of $28,000,022—the last two digits matching his uniform number (How cute!).

Get this… If Clemens throws the same amount of pitches this season, as he did in 2006 with the Astros, he’ll make roughly $8,888 per pitch! He can strike out a batter in 3 pitches, which MIGHT take a minute and a half to accomplish, and eclipse the yearly income of the average American. There’s no reason for Clemens to accept such an extravagant payday! He’s had a storied career that has spanned 3 decades, and I wonder why he can’t simply be compensated by a modest salary and the compliment of being able to help baseball’s grandest franchise reach the post season for the 642nd time. This guy, who I used to worship as a kid, no longer seems to care as much about the game as he does the gate he draws. As a baseball purist, I feel that I can no longer support this product of greed anymore. That’s right, Roger Clemens is no longer a player, he’s a “product.”

And if that’s not enough to shock you, you’ll be amazed to know that Roger will, more than likely, be a part-time player. Yeah, that’s right… Roger is above the idea of having to travel with the team to play road games, and he’ll get to stay back home and watch the club on television while lounging in his diamond studded Lazy Boy. If I was his teammate, I’d have a hard time respecting this sort of behavior that ignores the idea of baseball being a team sport.

This baseball playe… I mean businessman, can not only throw a baseball 100 mph, but he also has the marketing sophistication to appreciate the art of package design. Instead of simply signing the dotted-line, behind closed doors, agreeing to play with the team another year, Clemens decided to hijack the public address system during the 7th inning to personally announce to the fans that he was returning to the game with the intentions of saving the world (The Yankees). The ego involved in making such an extravagant announcement is extravagant in itself.

Roger Clemens’ brand is out of control. His product is over-priced, over-valued, and under-utilized… These three elements amount to a brand that will forever be tarnished. Ya gotta give it to him though… He’s done a spectacular job of marketing himself in THIS MOMENT; but his long-term value is sure to plummet because of the greed he’s exhibited during the final years of his career.

More on this story…

The Bitch Is Back
Welcome Back To The AL, You Fat Egomaniac
Ignorance has its privileges

Wishing you continued success…

bizMAVERICK
Brad Williamson

“Don’t you be runnin’ round with the wrong crowd, ya hear. If you do, you just might land yourself in a big ‘ole mess of trouble.”

Mama might need to get into the business of consulting companies on this very principle, because there are quite a few entities out there who are associating themselves with the wrong crowd, and butchering their brand’s value because of it.

Once you become linked to a corrupt individual or business (or one that is perceived to be corrupt), other people begin to label you as an equal evil. Your business could have the purest of intentions, and have a 100 year history of admirable operations, but the moment you start playin’ with the devil you can just about guarantee that your company’s brand value is about to pull an Enron.

Just recently, Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers fled Ameriquest Mortgage’s scene of sin when it decided to terminate its relationship with the sub-prime lending company. In 2004, the Rangers inked a deal with Ameriquest Mortgage that gave Ameriquest rights to their ballpark’s name. The Texas Rangers stadium would then be called “Ameriquest Field In Arlington.”

Back in 2004 you could not make it through the day without seeing an ad or message from Ameriquest Mortgage. Instead of welcoming their new customers with loans that they could afford, they took advantage of their newfound flood of customers and made every effort to take as much money from them as they could. I’m sure some individuals received loans that didn’t go bust, but many of them did. So many in fact, that in January of 2006, Ameriquest reached a $325,000,000 (Yes, that’s $325 MILLION DOLLARS) settlement over predatory lending throughout 49 states.

So you have the Texas Rangers who have always stood for family, fun, and everything wholesome / And then you have Ameriquest Mortgage who suddenly defines the meaning of greed… Does it make sense for these two entities to be married to one another? The Rangers didn’t think so.

The Rangers appreciate the value of a respected brand, and could no longer be associated with the “wrong crowd” that is Ameriquest Mortgage. On April 6th, at the Rangers home opener (I’ll be there in the nosebleed seats. Come say “Hi!”), they will formerly introduce the stadium as “Rangers Ballpark In Arlington.” As a lifelong fan of the Texas Rangers, and a total marketing dork, it’s hard for me to adequately express how happy I am to hear that the ball club has now divorced itself from what could have been a very abusive relationship towards the Rangers brand.

Oh, and P.S. Here’s a random thought for ya…

Ameriquest Mortgage is a perfect example of a company that tries to build instant respectablity by simply associating itself with “America.” …They didn’t turn out to be very respectable did they? Think about that the next time you do business with a company that has a variation of the word “America” built within its brand name. Could they possibly be trying to sneak a roofie into your patriotism, with intentions to eventually violate you?

…Say it ain’t so Captain America!

Wishing you continued success…

bizMAVERICK…
Brad Williamson

Add yourself as a Friend on the bizMAVERICKS MySpace page!

There are only two entrepreneurial emotions… Success and failure. Ultimately, Success is all that exists; but for some reason mankind has decided to confuse the business-person’s mindset with the possibility of failure. Please believe the following truth before reading the rest of this piece…

The illusion of failure is a manufactured emotion that exists in a world of only Success. If you feel that failure exists within your entrepreneurial mindset, you have Success completely misunderstood.

All of us entrepreneurs were born into this business world with loving goals of success in mind; therefore, Success is our natural state of being, since we were born believing in it. Success is all there is, all there was, and all there ever will be. If this is so, then where did the idea of failure ever come into existence?

Just like the monster underneath the bed, we completely fabricated the illusion of failure.

The most counter-productive operation of your business is how you mis-perceive your natural levels of success. Know this right now… You are successful! Your company could have just gone under, and yet you are still a success! Success is always hidden beneath failure, if you will only take a moment to recognize it. Remember… Success is all there is; and failure is simply Success misunderstood.

Since failure is merely an illusion, it had to have been conceptualized into your life via some particular occurrence, right?

Often times, the idea of failure is initially manufactured within your being after you have witnessed another person stumble in their pursuit to “create” success (Remember, Success can not be “created” because Success is naturally all there is). What has happened is that you’ve either perceived this individual to be less than successful in relation to your own standards, or been told by the individual, their self, that they are a failure. As soon as you perceive another individual as a failure, or experience someone else deeming their self a failure, you potentially materialize future illusions of failure into your own business’ life. It’s amazing how reality can so easily be thwarted by something that doesn’t even exist!

This can’t be stressed enough… Success is all there is, and failure is a man-made illusion! Your business’ state of being is always determined by one brand of thought… Your perception towards it. There are actually entrepreneurs out there who perceive them selves to be failures, while at the same time having millions of customers and even more dollar bills in their bank account. How well do you think these businesses would be doing if their owner thought of their self as a success? Perceiving your self to be a failure does not breed Success; but Success always, in all-ways, breeds Success. If you truly believe that you are pure Success, and always will be, then you won’t ever have to fear the possibility of failing; because in reality, failure doesn’t even exist as an option.

The perception you have towards your business must always involve the natural emotion of Success. If you don’t, you’re simply going against Nature’s will – And Nature’s will is that Success is the only emotion an entrepreneur can ever feel; because after all, Success is all there is…

Wishing you continued success…

bizMAVERICK…
Brad Williamson

Don’t forget to add yourself as a Friend on the bizMAVERICKS MySpace profile!

Ok, I’m about to throw my hat into the blogging game here in 2007 and I can already tell that I’ve got A LOT to learn. Creating a successful blog requires much more than just a comprehensive understanding on a particular niche, and the ability to write beyond the skill of a 11 year old - You’ve also got to be a marketer and a internet expert to boot. Luckily I’ve got the marketing skills stashed away in my back pocket, but I’m far from being the web wizard that I need to be. Hopefully this program will make an expert out of me so I can go off and create the internet’s 2,923,299th blog that provides tips and tricks on search engine optimization. SoloSEO.com, here I come!

SoloSEO.com is a program that can help your site rank higher in the search engines, giving you more traffic and more conversions. They’ve got a 2 week trial period that you can use to investigate the ins and outs of the program, so I entered some basic information on their registration page and went to town. I was expecting to have to enter a credit card into their system, but they never asked for one. After the trial period, they kick in a introductory rate of $29/month - Let’s see if the program is worth the money to an individual who knows NOTHING about search engine optimization.

The first step in firing this up is to create a “New Project.” I entered some basic information such as the blog url, my name and phone number, and then clicked continue. After I clicked continue, I expected to see some sort of message that would point me in the right direction as to what I, as a SEO novice, needed to learn next. Unfortunately, no guidance was given and I was immediately instructed to “Create/Submit your XML Sitemap.” Now I know that most of you probably know exactly what that phrase means, but I don’t have a friggin’ clue as to what XML is - To me it sounds like an abbreviation for an extra-large pair of mens underwear, and I’m willing to bet that my assumption is incorrect. To combat my idiocy towards this term, I looked it up on Wikipedia and WHAMO… I’m now an expert on XML.

After that brief setback, I proceeded to take a look at all of the program’s functions. At first glance, of the main dashboard, many of the terms that are used seemed foreign to me - But it appears that there’s a short tutorial on each function as you dive into each element of the site. I’m proud to say that I now understand what a “Backlink” is! - Thanks SoloSEO! These tutorials alone, make me comfortable to say that this is a program that is worth two weeks of a beginner’s time with a trial run. In an internet age where you feel left out if you don’t understand everything that’s web related, it’s comforting to know that there are a few products out there that cater to beginners - And SoloSEO.com does just that.

Honestly, my review ends there. I could go into more depth on each function of the service, but I’d have all of you laughing hysterically at my inability to comprehend basic internet terminology. “What’s a “Keyword”??? Duuuhrrrr…” Yea, I’m an idiot with this SEO stuff now, but after seeing what I saw within SoloSEO.com, I feel that I’ll be a regular “Yaro Starak” in no time! The tutorials make the difficult seem simple, and that’s just what the doctor ordered for this digital dummy. So if you don’t know beans about backlinks, or can’t figure out how to find the best keywords for your blog about Bob Barker, then SoloSEO.com has the power to help you optimize your site to the point where it’ll be flooding with traffic in no time.

Wishing you continued success…

bizMAVERICK-
Brad Williamson

Add yourself as a Friend on the bizMAVERICKS MySpace page!

As a self-proclaimed “Marketing Dork,” I have to say that I’m quite proud to be a “Dallasite” today. There’s this pizza joint called Pizza Patron (59 stores), that’s headquartered here in my hometown of Dallas Texas, that truly understands their consumer demographic of Spanish customers. Many Mexican residents of Dallas have just recently traveled from Mexico, and have a surplus of Mexican currency sitting there in their wallets that’s going unspent. Pizza Patron had a marketing brain fart and decided to give these people a place to spend their pesos as they’re now accepting them as payment for pizza.

I’m not quite sure how many Mexican customers will actually take Pizza Patron up on this opportunity because I’ve only seen this story reported in the English language, and therefore won’t reach their Spanish speaking audience - But I guarantee that this company is going to receive a helluva lot of viral attention towards this marketing move. The fact alone that I, Brad Williamson, am acknowledging this story has to be worth BILLIONS to them in marketing dollars. Haha, yea right! ; )

It amazes me that more businesses haven’t implemented such a strategy in their operations. This truly is a no-brainer of an idea for businesses that have a large population of foreign customers. Even if no one actually utilizes the opportunity, it still adds a highly respectable element to your business’s operations.

Here’s the story as Karen Robin-Jacobson, from the Dallas Morning News, sees it…

Starting Monday, patrons of the Dallas-based Pizza Patrón chain, which caters heavily to Latinos, will be able to purchase American pizzas with Mexican pesos.

Restaurant experts and economists said they knew of no other food chain with locations so far from the Mexican border offering such a service.

“We’re trying to reach out to our core customer,” Antonio Swad, president of Pizza Patrón Inc., said Friday.

“We know they come back [from Mexico] and have pesos left over. We want to be a convenient place for them to spend their pesos.”

While U.S. restaurant chains have stepped up their marketing to Latino consumers and incorporated Latin flavors in the menu, it’s unusual to see that outreach extend to the cash register.

“I think it’s a very interesting idea,” said Ron Paul, president of Technomic Inc., a Chicago-based restaurant market research firm. “They are catering to that audience.”

But Mr. Paul said he did not see other chains rushing to emulate the program, in part because of bookkeeping headaches.

You can read more here…

What do ya’ll think about this!? Is this nuts, or a no-brainer of a marketing move? Let us know what you’re thinkin’ in the comments below…

Wishing You Continued Success…

bizMAVERICK -
Brad Williamson

Add yourself as a Friend on the bizMAVERICKS MySpace page!

Last night “The Wife” and I headed over to our favorite guilty pleasure restaurant, Red Lobster. Ya see, Nannaw (My Grandmother) gave us a kick-ass $35 gift card to eat on some golden fried seafood - And it just so happened that we were in the mood to heighten our cholesterol, so we motored down the Dallas highway to go fishin’ in some grease.

Our night began as a fairy tale story, of chain restaurant bliss, as we walked in through the big red double doors to be greeted by our hostess Daneeka. Daneeka introduced us to the location where this evening of fish fillet romance would take place - And we happily accepted her recommended table for two which was just close enough to the restaurant sound system for us to enjoy their Red Lobster mega-mix of James Blunt and Kelly Clarkson hits, but not too close to where you couldn’t hear yourself taste every bite of their delicious cheddar biscuits. And I must say that my wife never looked more beautiful as she sat there next to a wooden picture of a marlin jumping out of the ocean.

So it was time to place our orders. My wife and I both agreed that the “Lobsterita” sounded like the perfect beverage to accompany the upcoming food festivities, so we immediately ordered 4 of them – And just as the glossy menu hyped, the drinks were SEA-nsational! As we sipped on our Lobsteritas, we needlessly glanced over the menu already knowing what we wanted to sink our teeth into… The “Admiral’s Feast.” The Admiral’s Feast is for true seafood lovers who appreciate a fabulously fried assortment of every water-dwelling creature in the sea. We’re fried food connoisseurs and knew that our visit to Red Lobster couldn’t possibly result in disappointment with this no-brainer choice of a main course – Unfortunately, disappointment ensued as a highly important element of my order was missing from my massive plate of otherwise fantastic food.

Here’s exactly what I requested Daneeka bring me for my meal… “Yes Daneeka, I’d like to have the Admirals Feast - And instead of a garden salad, I’d like ya to bring me some slaw (“Slaw” is redneck talk for “Coleslaw”). Oh, and please be friendly on the sauces – I’D ESPECIALLY LIKE SOME EXTRA TARTAR SAUCE!”

Could I have made it any more obvious that I wanted some extra tartar sauce? My additional sauce request was delivered with a sense of urgency, kinda like a P.S. at the end of a letter - And who doesn’t pay extra attention to the P.S. part? …No one! There should’ve been no reason for her to forget my extra sauce! …But Daneeka failed me and forgot to deliver the goods!

Since I didn’t want to cause a scene with my incredible fried fish fury, I bit my tongue and didn’t make a fuss over this taste enhancing tragedy - There was no reason for me to interrupt the dining experience of the surrounding tables of fellow lobster lovers, so I didn’t. I just sat there, and tried to be satisfied with my ONE SMALL CUP of tartar sauce.

The cup was empty only a quarter of the way through my meal, and I hadn’t even began to dive into my fried crab cakes – It was a pathetic situation, on the part of Red Lobster, and I just sat there helpless because I didn’t want to be “That Guy” who flipped over the lobster tank in a fit of fury over my lack of sauce …I swear I could’ve though! (I kid, I kid ;))

Hopefully, I haven’t upset too many of you with this horrific account of a dining experience gone wrong, and I want all of you to please continue to visit Red Lobster in the future. There’s no reason for them to lose your business because I didn’t get to sauce-up my fried clam strips. I just wanted to bring attention to an element of customer service that is often forgotten - The element of delivering the total package - Especially the little things within a product. They say “It’s the little things in life that make us happy,” and my passion for extra condiments serves as one of those “little things.”

Wishing you continued success…

bizMAVERICK –
Brad Williamson

Add yourself as a Friend on the bizMAVERICKS MySpace page!

Always, in all ways, run your business with sincerity in mind, just as you do with your life. Don’t try to fake your way through your business operations, because your customers will be able to see right through you. There’s no point in trying to manipulate people into buying your products, because if you do, the true benefits of your operation will be lost.

Your business needs to operate in sincerity through both its personality and actions. You can’t give the public a perception of your company that’s not true – And you can’t function in ways that are obviously against the company’s traditional values. If you think you can fool someone into doing business with you, you are awfully mistaken. You might “get” someone once, but they will never let you “get” them again – In other words, practicing manipulative marketing is sure to eventually kill ya.

Don’t be a poser. Don’t tout that you’re the best in the business, when you know for a fact that you pissed off about 3 people the other day, and did nothing to remedy the situations. Marketing messages that are untruthful will eventually bite you in the ass, because your audience is not as dumb as you think they are. Not only will they cease doing business with you, but also they’ll publicly make fun of you as they rip you apart to their friends. Lesson to be learned… Liars ain’t cool.

Don’t be a hypocrite. Create products and services that people want to have and appreciate. Make your widgets with quality, and stop churning out thousands of half-ass units that you will eventually sell for far more than they’re worth. Also, don’t treat your customers with disrespect, because you know good and well that you wouldn’t want to be treated in such a manner. I know, I know, the customer isn’t always right – but you’ve gotta handle their outbursts with care and appreciation towards their struggle. After an incident, you’ll feel much better inside knowing that you took the high road. Lesson to be learned… Run a business that you’d like to do business with.

Sincerity means to act as you genuinely feel. You know you don’t want to cheat and deceive your customers, so don’t do it - Your heart knows better than that. In business, sincerity and genuineness are King – If you sport these actions, you’ll have customers attacking you for your products as if you were giving the things away for free. Remove the selfish elements from your business, that provoke you to act insincerely, and you’ll find that your customers will reward you with their business for life.

Hey bizMAVERICKS… It’s discussion time! Tell the readers of Small Business Branding where sincerity falls into your business blueprint, and how it’s effected your customer’s perception of you.

Wishing you continued success…

bizMAVERICK-
Brad Williamson

Add yourself as a Friend on the bizMAVERICKS MySpace page!

So how do you better your chances of developing a business name that will have consumers hungrily licking their lips for your products? If you keep the following fourteen pointers in mind as you try to have a billion dollar branding brain-fart, then it’s doubtful that you’ll end up choosing a bad name.

Let the pointers begin!

1. If you don’t consider yourself a good marketer, then you need find
someone who is IMMEDIATELY. When you’re brainstorming to figure out your business’s name, you need a marketing professional to give you insight on how a particular idea for a name could be positioned to the public. “Google” is a catchy name, but in the company’s infancy no one was able to guess what type of business they were by just looking at their name. Despite this seemingly bad situation, a marketer was able to step in and advise the company how this catchy name could be given life via some fancy marketing.

2. Your business name should reflect the key elements of your company. Look towards your business plan to help you figure out the aspects of your company that need to be promoted within the brand name.

3. Take a glance at the names of the other businesses within your industry. What is it about certain names do you like? Or dislike? What about the name makes it effective or ineffective? Figure out what you like, and don’t like, about other business’s names, and you’ll be a 101 steps ahead of the game.

4. Unless you have a million dollar marketing budget, your name needs to plainly tell consumers what it is your business does. In other words, it needs to be meaningful. Use real words, or combinations of real words, instead of terms that don’t even appear in the dictionary.

5. Sometimes a name can be TOO meaningful. Stay away from using geographic terms in your name. If you’re “Dallas Donuts,” and you decide that you want to expand into other markets, what are you gonna do with your established brand name? Also stay away from using generic terms that could potentially become dated in the future. Example: “Victor’s VCR Repair” probably wouldn’t be very successful in today’s world of DVDs.

6. In order to avoid being too meaningful with your name, try developing a term that’s a bit abstract, yet still descriptive. The name of my business venture, “bizMAVERICKS”, is a perfect example. It tells people that my product deals with the genre of business, and is geared towards people who are ambitious within the field. It’s not too broad, or too limited, in it’s persona… It’s PERFECT ; ) Haha.

7. Choose a name that’s easy to pronounce. How do you expect word of mouth marketing to kick in, if the public can’t even wrap their tongue around its pronunciation.

8. Stay away from naming your business after inside jokes or puns that only you understand and appreciate. I could start a business by the name of “FAWF” but only I would be able to truly grasp the meaning of the brand – And as a business owner, I want more than just myself, and close friends, as customers.

9. Only use “Inc.” at the end of your business’s name if you’re actually incorporated. I know that’s obvious to most people, but you’d be surprised how many “Business Inc.’s” are out there that don’t even understand the concept of incorporating.

10. Try to make up a new word for your brand name. Sometimes coined names can be more meaningful than existing words. If you’re starting a new business you’re more than likely introducing a new product, or a new twist on an existing product – So why not makeup a new name while your busy acting as an innovator? You’ll find that the new name will increase the freshness of your new business idea.

11. The best friends you can have during the process of naming a new business are Mr. Dictionary, and Mrs. Thesaurus. Yes, yes… I know you have a strong vocabulary, BUT IT AIN’T THAT STRONG!

12. Bounce your ideas off friends and colleagues to see how they react to the sound of your new brand name. When you pitch the idea to them, make sure you say the name in a confident manner – If you appear unsure of the names value, they will catch on to your uneasiness and reject the idea immediately.

13. Would it be beneficial to begin the name of your business with a letter that appears towards the beginning of the alphabet? As a kid I was always picked last because my last name is “Williamson”. Will your business be called on last when customers search for your services in a phone book or online directory?

14. Finally, once you’ve narrowed down your list of business name ideas to around 5 good ones, it’s time to do a trademark search. If your search reveals another company by the same name, then mark off your list of possibilities. The last thing you need during the launch of a new company is a lawsuit over a trademark.

Hey bizMAVERICKS! It’s question time… What’s your business’s name, and how did you go about creating it? How much of an impact has the name had on the success of your company? Post your answers in the comments section below…

After you leave a comment, check out these additional pointers from Igor over at bizmord.com/Blog!

Wishing you continued success…

bizMAVERICK-
Brad Williamson

Add yourself as a Friend on the bizMAVERICKS MySpace profile!

An advertiser-friendly website should allow you to display an unlimited amount of banners, using all of their available banner sizes, and they should be about 50-75% less expensive than local print mediums. Does that sound too good to be true? … Well believe it, cause it is!

The biggest question a business owner always has towards their advertising is… “How well is my campaign performing?” The print, television, and radio mediums can’t tell ya - But the online medium sure can! A quality website should be able to give you EXACT stats on how well your campaign is performing - They can actually tell you how many times an ad was clicked, which is a HUGE indicator of your campaign’s effectiveness. So speak up and ask for those stats!

But you know what?

… Even though your banner’s click-thru rate is a good indicator of effectiveness, your campaign is actually performing better than those stats indicate! The New York Times explains how this is possible…

“About a third of consumers sometimes click on banner advertisements on the Web. But twice as many consumers sometimes respond to such ads indirectly, avoiding clicking on them but later visiting the Web sites advertised, according to a survey by DoubleClick, an online marketing-software company. 6,121 adults were surveyed in July via an online panel adjusted to reflect the Internet-using population.

The finding suggests that consumers prefer to reach sites on their own, rather than by linking through advertisements. “People are engaged in the content they’re looking at the time that they’re exposed to the ad, and they don’t want to navigate off the page,” said Rick Bruner, DoubleClick’s director of research.

Marketers have been slow to come to that realization, and many still pay ad publishers only when an ad is clicked on. But an increasing number pay a fee for every thousand consumers who see the ad — effectively using Internet ads to generate awareness, as they would newspaper or television ads. That is often the compensation scheme behind elaborate, interactive ads like those for “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” last summer. ALEX MINDLIN”

Hey bizMAVERICKS! Have you found any websites that have killer advertising programs? If so, what was your experience like? Let us know in the comments section below!

Wishing you continued success…

bizMAVERICK-
Brad Williamson

Become a Friend on the bizMAVERICKS MySpace profile!

If you’re not reading the minds of your potential clients, you probably aren’t making many sales.

Before I even say “Hi” to a prospect, I know their personality inside and out. I know if they’re having a good day, or a bad day – I know if they’re friendly, or an asshole – I know if the prefer Coke or Pepsi – I even know who their favorite New Kid On The Block is… I know EVERYTHING! Since I’m aware of these key personality traits, I’m gonna be able to knock them on their butt with a sales pitch that will cater to their strongest desires.

You’ve gotta be intuitive, and a bit of a detective, to accurately figure out how to attack your sales prospect. When you first spot your prey, you must creep upon them with your mind - Study their body language, and facial expressions, to gauge how they’re feeling at the moment. Are they moving around in a sluggish manner, as if their skin is about to sag off their body? Or are they maintaining a strong and confident posture, as if they just received a shot of adrenalin? Once you have them figured out, pretend you’re a pill that’s about to manipulate a person’s mood. This should be easy for most of you guys, because all good salespeople can naturally adjust, and adapt to another person’s behavior.

So if you notice that your client might be having a bad day, you must enter your conversation on a somber note and gradually build up your prospect’s energy to where they are more relaxed and optimistic. Too much excitement towards a person, who is down and out, will only annoy them. If you can pull a person out of a bad mood, you’ll naturally build a special rapport with the individual because of your gentle, and optimistic, approach to them.

There’s reason to get excited if you notice your prospect seems to be having a playful day of shits and giggles; because you’ll be 51% of the way to a sale before you even get the chance to say “Hello!” However, you’re sales approach must still be strategically implemented. Don’t let their good spirit get you overly excited - because you’ll freak the prospect out, and kill their mood as you act like a gaudy car salesman. You must equally match your emotions, with their attitude, so you can maintain their happy demeanor throughout the entire sales conversation. Let them happily talk about themselves for a period of time, and then slowly move into what you have to offer as you maintain their optimistic attitude.

So what do you do when you’ve analyzed your prospect and they seem like they might be annoyed with the idea of talking to you? …You have to prove to them that you’re not the annoying jackass that they think you’re going to be. You do this by calming any pre-meeting nervousness you might have, and approaching them with a nonchalant, and friendly, attitude. When you display a cool and collected vibe, you’ll remove any of the client’s hesitance to speak with you; because you’ll have opened their mind to the fact that you’re simply a human being, and not just some wacko salesman. Your prospect will finally lose their hesitance to speak with you, begin to chill out, and absorb what you have to say.

You’re doomed in a sales meeting if you enter the conversation without a clue as to how your prospect is feeling. After all, the first product you must sell is yourself – And if you can’t initiate an enjoyable human relationship with your client, there’s no way they’ll invite you into a relationship with their pocketbook.

Wishing you continued success…

bizMAVERICK-
Brad Williamson

Add yourself as a Friend on the bizMAVERICKS MySpace profile!

So here’s this massive community of cool hunters all in one pretty little package called MySpace… Do you really expect us entrepreneurs to just build a profile and gossip about our obsessions with Justin Timberlake to our Friends? (It’s an example people! I don’t obsess over J-Timber!) We wanna make some of that cold hard scrilla (Money) baby! If you’re a business owner, and have a product that could attract the attention of these shopaholic 20-somethings, then get off your butt and build a profile so you can start creating some relationships!

I’m currently using MySpace to promote a business concept that I call bizMAVERICKS. A bizMAVERICK is essentially a businessperson who does whatever it takes to create success. There isn’t a bizMAVERICKS product that can be purchased yet, but it’ll eventually morph into a publishing venture. So instead of sitting on my hands with the concept until I have a product to sell, I might as well go ahead and start creating a buzz for this bizMAVERICK lifestyle. MySpace, here I come!

Lots of people knock MySpace as being a waste of space, but I for one have to claim it as being quite useful, fun, and potentially PROFITABLE! As an entrepreneur, there isn’t that many free marketing mediums out there to use… so why not use MySpace? The success of my bizMAVERICKS MySpace profile was recently featured on MindPetals.com (“bizMAVERICKS Are Rockin’ On MySpace”) - and was also featured in the print edition of a newspaper in the friggin’ Bahamas! (Here’s the online edition’s feature on bizMAVERICKS). MySpace can’t be THAT BAD if I’m pulling off this kind of publicity with such ease!

“Pimp” Your Space

So first thing I did was register for a profile and begin “pimping it” (I feel like such a dork saying that, but for the uneducated it simply means that you design the layout and write the content). Here’s a few tips concerning the creation of the layout…

• In the pictures section, make your default image (The image that everyone initially sees when they approach your profile) simple and bold. Notice how my bizMAVERICKS image stands out and doesn’t use any fancy technology that will give someone a seizure. The picture is an abbreviation for bizMAVERICKS (bM), and the title above spells out the initials. In doing this, I managed to easily tell people who I am and create a eye catching logo at the same time.
• Don’t flood your profile’s background with busy imagery. When you do this, your text is often unreadable because the colors clash.
• I personally don’t allow Friends of the profile to post html comments because it messes with my layout and distracts visitors from the message I’m trying to get across to them.
• You have the ability to post a song that plays every time your page is viewed. I would stay away from posting a song unless there’s one out there that is HIGHLY relevant to your brand’s personality. bizMAVERICKS happens to be a motivational entity, so it makes sense for me to post songs that would potentially inspire my audience to make something of themselves in the business world.

There are many things that you can do to personalize your profile and I suggest you use one of these sites to build your layout.

Find Your Next Customers

Now that your profile is “pimped”, it’s time to search the site for some Friends. Before you start sending out invitations to join your profile, you need to figure out who your target market is. Finding friends on MySpace is no different than finding the perfect advertising medium to market your product on. If you’re selling panty hose, there’s no point in advertising in MAXIM magazine, right? So make sure to send invitations to people who would actually give a damn about you.

There are two ways to find friends… The MySpace way, or the way many people do it (aff). The MySpace way involves using their search engine and reading over people’s profiles for hints that they might care about your product. For instance… If you’re a internet marketing guru, you would want to search the text of a profile for keywords that are relevant to your profession. However, the method many people use to find friends via MySpace, that are looking to market a product, is this… They go purchase a MySpace bot (aff).

A MySpace bot (aff) is a program that sends out targeted invitations, in bulk, to potential friends based upon the search terms you give it. So for bizMAVERICKS, I would ask my bot to search profiles that have the word “entrepreneur” or “self-employed” in it. After the profiles are found, I tell it to send a certain amount of invitations out. Within minutes you will find that people who are interested in your business are accepting your invitations. With this targeted searching, you’ll find that there won’t be any 13 year old Justin Timberlake lovers joining your profile who only care about increasing their total of friends.

Please note: MySpace currently frowns upon the use of bots. If you use one, they’ll potentially terminate your profile. I no longer use the one I had because I just came to the realization that using bots is a no no. So what I’m saying is this… USE MYSPACE BOTS AT YOUR OWN RISK. Don’t come crying to me if you get busted using a bot such as this (aff).

Marketing To Your Friends

So now that you’re business is “Mr. Popularity” on MySpace, and you have , it’s time to start marketing! Before you begin to spread the word to everyone, understand this… Do NOT spam your friends with advertisements and sales pitches! If you want to keep your friends, and not piss them off, I suggest you entertain them more than sell to them. Here are some ways that you can make your profile worth visiting again and again…

• Use the bulletin feature to send messages to your friends EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE (Too many bulletins equals spam in the eyes of your audience, and they’ll leave your ass in a heart beat.) Post bulletins that contains information that’s relevant to your friend’s interests. My bizMAVERICK bulletins often feature content that’s appealing to business people. Most of the time, I link people to the articles that I write here on SmallBusinessBranding.com. So 90% of my bulletin content is entertainment, and the other 10% is branding for the bizMAVERICKS lifestyle.
• With each bulletin you create, make sure to also post it on your MySpace blog. A profile that features an assortment of blogs is a surefire way to show your audience that your profile is worth visiting many times over.
• Post one single video on your profile that is entertainingly relevant to your product, and change the video as frequently as you’d like. When you change your video, make sure to notify your friends via a bulletin.
• Respond to the messages that your friends send you - Don’t leave them hangin’ without a reply. They were courteous enough to write you, so you should be courteous enough to write them back. You businesspeople should be able to understand that lifetime customers are made with a little time, love, and tenderness.

It doesn’t take that long to build a profile, so if I were you I’d get one going ASAP. What’s there to lose? If ya do it right, you just might find yourself with a whole lot more money in profits!

P.S. Apparently, these guys can help you make a profitable MySpace profile (aff)

It’s question time bizMAVERICKS! (Post your answers in the comments section below)

Have you used MySpace as a marketing tool before? If so, what tricks do you use to make your profile an exciting place to visit?

Wishing you continued success…

bizMAVERICK…
Brad Williamson

Add yourself as a Friend on the bizMAVERICKS MySpace profile!

There’s so much brainless music on the airwaves right now. “Presi-dunce” Bush needs to pull the troops out of this stupid war we’re currently in, and have them fight the music labels of our country that are promoting gimmicky musicians who only care about making money instead of great music. What happened to the idea of writing songs that touch people’s emotions?… What happened to the idea of writing songs that stimulate the mind and help us increase our intelligence?… What happened to music as an artform?

Fortunately, there’s an elite group of musicians that are keeping it real and playing music that means something. Unfortunately, most of these artists are performing under the radar - So when you discover an artist that’s making the most of their opportunity to influence, you need to pass the word along to your buddies who need a musical kick-in-the-ass.

As an entrepreneur, I’m always looking for music that inspires me to move forward with all of the exciting ideas and ventures that I want to carry out - and sometimes, when I get in a rut and things aren’t going my way, I need the buzz of a good tune to get me going again. I’m sure most of you bizMAVERICKS operate the same way. It’s amazing how much of an impact a good song can have your attitude!

A band called “Mute Math” is really making an impression on my maverick-mindset as of late. They have a song called “Typical” that’ll make you wanna build the next friggin’ Google. The song tells the story of a person who is living a normal everyday life, and wants so badly to experience what it’s like to be a success. He wants “to break the spell of the typical” and really be somebody. The sound is a mixture of rock and electronica (Think “U2” mixed with “The Killers”), and is mixed with lyrics that aren’t overly poetic - and are therefore easy to comprehend. I guarantee it will knock some motivation in ya! Give it a listen on the bizMAVERICKS MySpace profile where I’ve currently had it playing 24/7.

But before you bizMAVERICKS go listen to the song, I’ve got some questions for you to answer in the comments section below…

What songs make you wanna change the world?

What artists are using their talents to influence others to greatness?

Tell a story about a moment in time where a song magically slapped you in the face and gave you a entrepreneurial epiphany.

Wishing you continued success…

bizMAVERICK…
Brad Williamson

Join as a Friend on the bizMAVERICKS MySpace profile!

So it’s time to get intimate with our business’ prospects, and begin creating product / customer relationships that actually touch the emotions of the people that shop with us. As I said in my previous article, “ATTENTION– Marketing Has Been Re-Branded”, brands are great and all, but they aren’t as important as we’ve been making them out to be. I really don’t give a damn if your logo is featured during the Super Bowl, or on the front page of a small town newspaper – I want to experience, emotionally, what your product is all about. Because… “When you touch my heart, I’ll touch your products”.

I know a lot of you are thinking to yourself… “This sounds cool and all, but how can one possibly implement a “Bonding” strategy to a boring product such as a No. 2 pencil? There’s can’t be an emotional connection to a wooden stick with lead in it!”

My answer to that question is this… “I don’t know.”

I don’t know, because I don’t know your industry and what it’s all about. I don’t know what the product means to you, and I don’t know what it means to your customers. Only you can truly understand these important characteristics behind the soul of your business.

But what I can tell you is this…

Once you trust me, and truly understand and believe that your product, or ANY product, CAN benefit from the art of “Bonding”, you need to start over from square one with your business. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean you should pack up shop, close the doors and start COMPLETELY over – I simply mean that you need to MENTALLY restart the business development process and imagine how you would create your product if you had a bonding strategy in mind. What is it that you could do to your business that would allow it to have an emotional connection with it’s customers? You really need to get creative here, and pretend that you’re an artist who’s trying to tug at the heart of an individual. And don’t be surprised if the process is a little difficult at first - Some of us have a little bit of trouble connecting with the Da Vinci portion of our being. Just rest assured that it is possible.

I wish I could say that there is a switch that you could flip in your head that would jumpstart a brainstorm on bonding - Unfortunately, there really isn’t a straight-forward approach to developing such a mindset. This is something that requires practice. You have to consciously think about your product, on a intense level, to find its emotional triggers. After you have tip-toed into this mindset, try to go deeper and LIVE this mindset. The more you work at this, and live the bonding philosophy, the quicker ideas will come to you. The bonding strategy that is going to catapult your product through the hearts of your customers will appear in your mind out of nowhere… when you least expect it. The subconscious mind is a powerful and wonderful force!

Not all artists were born with the gift of creativity – Many of them had to train themselves to become the spiritual influences that they are. Your product might not have initially been created as an emotional influence, but I guarantee it can become one with the help of your bonding persistence. Meditate on your product’s being, and really zone in on what makes it special to the people who use it… including yourself. Once you have your bonding strategy figured out, implement it immediately and watch how your customers begin to literally LOVE everything your business does.

“Touch the hearts of your customers, and they’ll touch your products.”

Tell me something bizMAVERICKS… How many of you already work with a product that effectively uses “Bonding” in its marketing game plan? What emotional triggers are your products tapping into? Has your bonding strategy proven to be successful?

Wishing you continued success…

bizMAVERICK…
Brad Williamson

Add yourself as a Friend on the bizMAVERICKS MySpace page!

Yes, a strong brand gives consumers a way to identify your product. Yes, a strong brand helps buyers make quicker decisions on which product to buy when faced with an assortment of choices. Yes, a strong brand creates more sales, due to shoppers leaning towards the products the rest of the world is buying.

…Yes, a strong brand is valuable for a number of reasons; but don’t these rationales all seem to be quite superficial? Shouldn’t we buy products for reasons that exist outside of what a manipulative marketer dishes to us? The most rewarding purchaces are made when there is an emotional connnection towards the soulful qualities of a product. Do you remember when you bought that sweet Apple computer? …I bet you’ve spent many a night bonding with that machine like it was your most intimate lover. You’d cry if it crashed - I know you would!

A brand is often built upon consumer perceptions, instead of truths. It’s time to start creating our businesses with more quality in mind, and not as much psychology. If businesses continue to create below average products, and hire above average marketers to manufacture their larger than life celebrity, the marketplace is going to be flooded with well-crafted brands that are attached to substandard merchandise. It’s time for marketers to join forces with the research and development team, and begin formulating superior devices that also emotionally connect with its users.

This is why I’m pushing for a new marketing movement - A movement that involves accumulating sales via strategies that are less-dependant upon brands, and more dependant on the creation of emotion-filled relationships between products and consumers. Such a relationship can be developed when a product’s nuts and bolts are valued for their true quality, and its personality (brand) is also emotionally appealing.

I call this marketing principle that is based upon relationship building…

“BONDING”

Yes! Welcome to a new age in marketing where we focus most of our attention NOT on branding, but on…

“BONDING”

Bonding is the new branding. Marketers will no longer see branding at the top of the marketing pyramid; it will fall just below the top of the mountain where the most important element of a product exists… the bond it has with its customers.

Websters, go ahead and add this definition to the term “Bond” in the next edition of your dictionary…

(bond noun) / (bonding verb) - 1. A marketing principle in which an emotional relationship is built between a product and its customers.

People form meaningful relationships (bonds) with each other based upon qualities that are emotionally attractive. For someone to truly bond with you, you must be appealing both above and below the surface of your overall persona. Why can’t this same principle be applied to the person/product connection? All businesses must do to effectively bond their products is to simply develop widgets with both inner-quality and personality in mind. Once the product is strategically bonded, with both emotional elements in place, a person will want to form an long-lasting relationship with it.

This concept of bonding makes sense as the next step in the progression of marketing philosophy. Actually, marketing via bonding might be last possible innovation we will ever see as marketers. Our next marketing mission is to improve the operations of this new Art of Bonding. This exciting marketing movement is a call to all businesspeople to start brainstorming new ways to create stronger bonds between your customers and the products you sell. So if you’re feeling tapped out on new ideas to enhance your product’s brand, it’s time to get excited about marketing again. You have a new program to implement… your business’ bonding strategy.

Make sure to stay tuned to Small Business Branding because I’ve got a few ideas up my sleeve about how you can improve your Small Business Bonding.

Wishing you continued success…

bizMAVERICK
Brad Williamson

Don’t forget to add yourself as a Friend on the bizMAVERICKS MySpace profile!

Now brace yourselves, as what I’m about to say might offend you…

ALL OF US ARE GUILTY OF ENTREPRENEURIAL IGNORANCE!

“What? You talkin’ to me?! I ain’t no ignoranus!”

Oh but you are! I, Brad Williamson, am guilty of it… And so is every one of you!

Our problem is that, at some time or another, feelings of invincibility wash over us. We become so over-confident in our talents that we refuse, or ignore, necessary help from others. Why is it that we think we can do everything ourselves? I guess it’s because entrepreneurs have some kind of strange chemical imbalance in the section of our brain that regulates our business decisions. Drug makers… Are you listening? We entrepreneurs need a “fix!”

Until a miracle drug surfaces that controls our selfish entrepreneurial urges, we need to police our actions and make sure that we never earn the counter-productive title of “SOLOPRENEUR”. Contrary to popular belief, a true “Solopreneur” is, more often than not, an ineffective businessperson because they never accept, or search for, much needed guidance from others.

So how can we fight this symptom of “Entrepreneurial Ignorance?”

Stop acting like a “Mr. Know It All!”

Entrepreneurs are a confident bunch. So often, we ignorantly think that we’re experts at everything. And if an entrepreneur doesn’t know something… they’ll either guess, or perform half-ass research to stubbornly find the answer their self. Don’t get me wrong… I realize that reliance on one’s self is an important confidence to have; however, too much self-confidence can bite ya right in the butt if you don’t know how to effectively control it.

This planet is full of an array of different people for a good reason… So that we can join together in an effort to collectively make this world as great as it can be. If you feel that you’re unsure of how to approach something in the development of your business… REACH OUT TO SOMEONE FOR ADVICE! You will save valuable time, by getting your answer quicker - And you’ll decrease your chances of screwing something up, because the approach you THOUGHT was correct… ended up being totally wrong.

I realize that it’s fun to be a rebel entrepreneur who takes charge of every situation! That special feeling that you get as you go about your way, as a bizMAVERICK, provides you with a rush like none other! But let’s not forget to recognize, during our times of need, that we can benefit from the help of others. Try not to do everything yourself all of the time - And make sure to include others in your genius creations so that they too can share in the satisfaction of your accomplishments.

So remember… The single most effective home remedy for “Entrepreneurial Ignorance” is to welcome the aid and advice of others. …Doesn’t it feel great that you don’t have to suffer from this horrible disease anymore?

Wishing You Continued Success…

bizMAVERICK…
Brad Williamson

Click here to join the bizMAVERICKS MySpace profile!

Ya know what…?

…I stand corrected. I say that I’m surprised, but when you really think about it… There are, unfortunately, still people amongst us who have never heard of this scam - and can easily sucker into one of these guy’s traps.

I remember when I first received one of these scam emails. I have to admit that I actually gave the proposal a double take. The email that Abagoolu Poococky (Or whatever his name was) sent, was actually pretty damn convincing. If I was a little less intelligent, I might have hopped on a plane to meet this scam-man – He was THAT convincing!

This guy was essentially spitting a sales pitch my way, and he managed to spark some serious interest in me. After all, who in their right mind would pass up an opportunity to cash in on a mega payday? I don’t know about you, but Mama taught me that it was ALRIGHT to take candy from strangers… especially if that candy was money… and that money could buy your self a private island and total freedom from corporate America. How nice would that be? (I kid, I kid… Mom never said that.)

So how can an illegitimate businessman influence a person of intelligence into helping him score an ungodly amount of foreign cash? Let’s analyze his sales pitch a bit, and see just how talented this man really is at influencing a prospective client. As we proceed with the dialog, see if you can relate any of this scam artist’s sales techniques to your own business.

We begin with Mr. Poococky starting his pitch by introducing himself to me…

“In Brief Introduction,

Please accept my sincere apologizes if my email does not meet your business, or personal, ethics. I will first introduce myself as a staff member of the Private Clients Section of a well-known bank here in Cotonou, Benin Republic.”

Well how nice of him! He gently introduces himself, and seems to sincerely care about how I feel towards his sudden approach. I appreciate the courtesy he’s showing me, and he has opened me me up to hearing more of what he has to say.

The lesson to be learned - Yes persistence is a virtue in sales, but you must first develop gentle relationships with potential customers by making them feel comfortable with you as a salesman. Good salesmen always begin their pitch by selling relationships with people, not products. Mr. Poococky realizes this, and makes sure his prospect is not overwhelmed by his attempt to sell him something.

And the dialog continues…

“One of our accounts, with holding balance of (£9.8million British Pounds Sterling) has been dormant and last operated four years ago. From my investigations, and confirmation, the owner of the said account, a foreigner by the name of John Shumejda died on the 4th of January 2002 in a plane crash in Birmingham.”

I’m intrigued! This guy is telling me a story of mystery, wealth, and death! There is true drama here! He has definitely gotten my attention, and now I’m trembling with excitement to learn more! Mr. Poococky has thrown a “Purple Cow” in my face and I can’t seem to turn my attention away from it.

The lesson to be learned - As Seth Godin says… “Your product must be REMARKABLE.” There needs to be a story attached to a product so the customer can become entertained with it. People like to be entertained, and don’t want to separate themselves from what excites them. This emotional connection not only makes the individual want to participate with your business, but it also makes the person want to tell their friends about their discovery.

And we continue…

“You can view this CNN website to read more about the crash…

www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/01/04/england.plane/”

Just when I thought his story was too crazy to believe, he throws an article that CNN wrote about the crash. If CNN says all of this is true, then IT MUST BE TRUE!

The lesson to be learned - Testimonials are a tremendous sales tool. If you can back up your pitch with documented proof of past satisfaction from existing customers, you just might influence the person into buying. Mr. Poococky showed me proof, from a reputable source, that this incident took place – And I can’t help but believe him at this point.

Proceeding with the pitch…

“I have confidently discussed this issue with some of the bank officials, and we have agreed to find a reliable foreign partner to deal with. We therefore propose to do business with you, standing in as the next of kin of these funds from the deceased. These funds shall be released to you after necessary processes have been followed.”

What? You want me to claim his millions? Of course I’ll partner with you! …Now we have reached the money-shot of the sales pitch… The call to action! Mr. Poococky has fired me up to a boil with his intriguing sales pitch, and now I can’t help but bite as this opportunity.

The lesson to be learned - The “call to action” portion of the sales pitch must be strategically announced when you feel that the customer has been adequately excited. A good salesman can read people like a book - So it should be easy for you to recognize the signals that customers display when they are foaming at the pocketbook to buy, Buy, BUY!

Mr. Poococky ain’t done with us yet!

“This transaction is totally free of risk and troubles - as the fund is legitimate, and doesn’t originate from drug, money laundry, terrorism or any other illegal acts.”

Doesn’t it feel nice to be comforted during stressful moments of our lives? This opportunity has now become a big deal to me… yet I can’t help but feel a bit timid towards proceeding with this monster of a transaction. Mr. Poococky’s relaxing encouragement has given me the necessary comfort I need to pull the trigger on this deal.

The lesson to be learned - If you operate a business that sells big ticket items, you must sympathize with your customer’s hesitancy to invest so much of their hard earned money on your product. Now this can be tricky… You want to sympathize in a way that makes pulling out their credit card easier; as opposed to, you sympathizing to the point that you further confirm their subconscious thoughts of backing out on the deal.

Most of you that read this blog probably already have a good grasp on these sales techniques. However, sometimes we get lazy and fail to implement these basic principles into our pitches. Consider this article a refresher course on Sales 101, that’s taught by Mr. Abagoolu Poococky.

Wishing You Continued Success…

Mr. Abagoolu Poococky

And…

bizMAVERICK…
Brad Williamson

Become a Friend on the bizMAVERICKS MySpace page!

WRONG!!!

Yea, things are going pretty good for the biz, but let’s not get crazy here. Obviously, your current operation is working pretty well at the moment, so why try and fix something that’s not broken?

If you want to capitalize on your business’s success, the last thing you want to do is start expanding your line of products or services into different categories. If you’re in the business of selling hamburgers, don’t try to expand by throwing washing machines on the menu (I know that’s a stretch, but you get my point). Remember, the strongest element of your growing empire is its brand. Therefore, you must never make any moves that will compromise or complicate your brand’s focus. A narrow-minded brand is a brand that has a greater chance for long-term success.

In a world where narrow-mindedness is frowned upon, let’s take a look at a list of narrow-minded businesses that have made their owners smile from ear to ear…

Starbucks – These bastards are responsible for raising coffee prices from a nickel all the way up to around 4 bucks a cup!
Motorola – Cell phones are now freakin’ fashion accessories thanks to these guys.
Marlboro – Who would’ve thought that cancer would be such a big seller?
Ikea – They are the KING of cheaply made, yet attractive, furniture.
Subway – That fat-ass, Jared, has turned the sub sandwich into a whole-wheat treadmill.
Oreck – Their vacuums truly suck. (Sorry, that was too easy)

How were these brands successfully narrow-minded? …They focused their company’s vision on only ONE type of product. It may be fun to sleep around with several kinds of products in your inventory, but true happiness comes from settling down with that one very special product.

If you want your business to control its industry, you will focus your brand on only one niche line of products. Here’s how to develop a narrow-minded brand that will dominate its product category…

1. Your company shouldn’t be a jack of all trades – It needs to be a one trick pony. When you narrow the focus of your brand, you will become the “Go-to business” for the product you specialize in.
2. If you are itching to expand your product selection so badly, then expand via variations of your specialized product. (Example: Make different kinds of lamps – Don’t sell lamps and then expand into the ceiling fan business.)
3. Buy enormous amounts of your product so you can get your costs down.
4. Sell enormous amounts of your products CHEAPLY so you can get your profits up.
5. Finally… Rock on and dominate your category so your brand can be known as the top dog of the industry!

The formula is quite simple, but the process in implementing it can be rough. If you want the process to be seamless, you’ll make sure to baby your brand in every conceivable way. Don’t let anything harm it. You must have the best specialized products, with the best service, and a trusted brand in order to pull this off. I have a feeling that you bizMAVERICKS can make it happen!

Wishing You Continued Success…

…bizMAVERICK…
Brad Williamson

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