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A marketing tip from my Italian grandma: Speak in your native tongue

February 10, 2007

No doubt you look at my last name and say Italian? But rest assured, on my mom’s side I’m your amico! Like all Italians, I had an Italian grandma. And like all Italian grandmas, she had an opinion about everything and wasn’t afraid to share it or the life lessons she had collected along her colorful life.

What she didn’t realize is that she also taught me some great marketing tips that in her honor, I’d like to share with you.

When I got under my grandma’s skin (which I must admit, I did on purpose now and again) she would give me "the look" (as illustrated to the right) and then she’d wave her hand in the air and mutter "oh Madonne" which roughly translates to "a prayer of patience to the Virgin Mary or "Madonna dell’Oh di mine." (If that’s not quite right, blame me and the online translator!)

In fact, you knew she was completely in her zone (happy, mad, sad etc.) when the Italian came out.

When she wasn’t being cautious or conscious about how she sounded or was in a peak state –she slipped into her family’s native tongue.

It was when there was no doubt about how she was feeling. Complete authenticity.

That’s a lesson that as marketers we should embrace as well.

The community, our customers and prospects can tell when we are speaking in our native tongue and when we’re trying to spin doctor something. When you are completely in your zone — talking to a client or your internal team, you are probably talking very naturally, without a lot of jargon or hype.

Now look at your website, brochures, and ads. Do they have that same authenticity or are they filled with ad speak? Maybe it’s time to switch to your native tongue?

Here’s the entire Marketing Tips from My Italian Grandma series, for your enjoyment:

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How to choose an agency: Do your homework (part 1)

February 10, 2007

You’re hiring an agency because you want results.

This is not about making your ads look prettier or your Web site cooler. (Although that may be a by product.) This is about doing more business, smarter.

So, how do you choose the right partner? Eenie Meanie Mienie Moe?

Well, if you read my earlier post you know I don’t think it should be an RFP. But on the other extreme, it shouldn’t be just because your cousin works there either.

Following a simple process (simple to understand, but will take discipline and time to execute) will protect you from making an expensive mistake.

The phases of the process are:

Know what you want (ask yourself questions)
Do your homework (ask the prospective agencies questions)
The meet and greet (get together and ask questions)

Now that you have a better idea of what you want, it’s time to dig into the homework. This is where most potential clients just spit out a generic RFP that won’t really tell them what they need to know. Let’s take a step back.

Before you develop the questionnaire, let’s decide who we should send it to. Create a list of candidates. Shoot for 5-10 options. But, where do you find potential agency partners?

Think about work you admire. Contact the advertiser and ask them who their agency is.
Call your local/regional business journal and ask for recommendations.
Talk to your printer or other suppliers.
Check out the web. You can search by specialty or by geography.
Talk to your peers at trade shows and association meetings.
Check out Advertising Redbooks, a resource on agencies. (if you are more national in scope)
Read agency trade publications like AdAge or AdWeek. (if you’re more national in scope)

Now that you have your list, it’s time for us to decide what to ask them. That’s up next.

The rest of the How to Choose An Agency Series:

Flickr photo courtesy of PeeJ0e

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Know the customer but know you’re not the customer

February 9, 2007

In the January ’07 issue of Inc. Magazine, there’s an article written by Thomas Stemberg, the founder of Staples. He said something that is right in line with my recent post "How’s the view from inside the bottle?"

Stemberg says "know your customer" is the most profound lesson in the business canon. He goes on to follow up that thought with "but never assume that you are the customer."

There is nothing insignificant about that distinction.

Download StembergInc.pdf

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Ask yourself this

February 9, 2007

Raj Setty of Life Beyond Code has created an amazing series. Raj has coined the word "quought" which is a question that provokes thought. Raj describes his series:

So as we approach the new year, I thought posting a series of questions that people should consider asking themselves in 2007 to get more out of their life or business or both. Since there is only so much that I can do alone, I reached out to several influencers and thought leaders to get those questions. Here was the question I asked these thoughtful, kind and smart people:

So, what is the one important question a person should ask himself or herself in 2007?

I’m very proud to have been asked. My question appeared yesterday and here’s what I asked:

Check out the whole series on Raj’s site. You will find yourself completely engaged.

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How to choose an agency: Know what you want (part 3)

February 9, 2007

You’re hiring an agency because you want results.

This is not about making your ads look prettier or your Web site cooler. (Although that may be a by product.) This is about doing more business, smarter.

So, how do you choose the right partner? Eenie Meanie Mienie Moe?

Well, if you read my earlier post you know I don’t think it should be an RFP. But on the other extreme, it shouldn’t be just because your cousin works there either.

Following a simple process (simple to understand, but will take discipline and time to execute) will protect you from making an expensive mistake.

The phases of the process are:

Know what you want (ask yourself questions)
Do your homework (ask the prospective agencies questions)
The meet and greet (get together and ask questions)

Let’s start with the first phase — knowing what you want. You start with your own organization. Before you reach out to find the right partner, it’s important to know what you are bringing to the party.

You should ask yourself a series of questions. Let’s look at question #3:

What kind of client will we be?

This is probably the most important question you need to ask yourself and it’s also the toughest to answer. Before you can know what kind of agency you need, you need to know how you’ll be as a client.

Will you be open with your financial information? Will they be privy to board meetings and your internal dirty laundry? Will you be open to new ideas and innovative strategies to hit your goal targets? How accessible will you be? Are you going to make their daily contact person a junior staffer or will they have the ear of a senior management team member?

Before you can really know what kind of an agency will be the right fit, you need to know what sort of an environment you’re bringing them into.

Watch for the next question you should ponder…

The rest of the How to Choose An Agency Series:

Flickr photo courtesy of PeeJ0e

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Do you want a 340 lb exercise instructor?

February 8, 2007

…or…

Last week, The Wall Street Journal wrote an article about a new exercise (Nordic Walking) that targets the "less than fit." Part of the effort to lure the couch potatoes and non-athletic type people into an exercise class is to have overweight instructors lead the group.

In the article one of the instructors, the 340 lb. Donna Mirabile, explains the tactic as "we want people to think if big fat Donna can do it, so can they."

Hmm.

Now the politically correct answer of course, is…it doesn’t matter how much she weighs. And maybe it doesn’t.

But I find myself wondering if this isn’t a case of someone marketing based on what they wish people thought/wanted rather than either recognizing or wanting to acknowledge the not so flattering human truth. (Sort of like the recycling movement.)

I get the whole before and after technique that is rampant in weight loss marketing. They show a picture of "big fat Donna" and then we see the after version "svelte, sexy Donna" while she tells us she could still eat chocolate. The premise of these ads is to encourage the mental leap — if Donna can transform herself, so can I.

But if "big fat Donna" is leading the class and she is still "big fat Donna" does that imply that you’re going to stay "big fat you?"

Be honest — both women are friendly, kind, love animals. But one is fit and one is fat. Who would you, as a consumer, want to take the exercise class from?

Do you think it matters, from a marketing perspective?

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How to choose an agency: Know what you want (part 2)

February 7, 2007

You’re hiring an agency because you want results.

This is not about making your ads look prettier or your Web site cooler. (Although that may be a by product.) This is about doing more business, smarter.

So, how do you choose the right partner? Eenie Meanie Mienie Moe?

Well, if you read my earlier post you know I don’t think it should be an RFP. But on the other extreme, it shouldn’t be just because your cousin works there either.

Following a simple process (simple to understand, but will take discipline and time to execute) will protect you from making an expensive mistake.

The phases of the process are:

Know what you want (ask yourself questions)
Do your homework (ask the prospective agencies questions)
The meet and greet (get together and ask questions)

Let’s start with the first phase — knowing what you want. You start with your own organization. Before you reach out to find the right partner, it’s important to know what you are bringing to the party.

You should ask yourself a series of questions. Let’s look at question #2:

What kind of budget should/can we allocate to advertising for each of the next few years?

This question will narrow the number of candidate agencies.

Some larger agencies won’t touch accounts with less than $1 million in yearly billings. Conversely, some small agencies might not want to take on accounts that would drastically increase the workload beyond the limits of their staff.

You want to know that your agency can handle your workload. On the flip side, you want to know that you won’t be such a small fish that you’ll get ignored or relegated to the most junior of staff.

Logic will tell you that you don’t want to be 1% of an agency’s total billings nor do you want to be 75%.

Watch for the next question you should ponder…

The rest of the How to Choose An Agency Series:

Flickr photo courtesy of PeeJ0e

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Is that an r?

February 7, 2007

Seriously — I get that we need these things to avoid the bots leaving 3,256 comments. But must we make them so difficult for a middle-aged human to read?

Or am I the only one that ends up re-doing them because I cannot distinguish between a v and a u?

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How to choose an agency: Know what you want (part 1)

February 7, 2007

You’re hiring an agency because you want results.

This is not about making your ads look prettier or your Web site cooler. (Although that may be a by product.) This is about doing more business, smarter.

So, how do you choose the right partner? Eenie Meanie Mienie Moe?

Well, if you read my post from yesterday, you know I don’t think it should be an RFP. But on the other extreme, it shouldn’t be just because your cousin works there either.

Following a simple process (simple to understand, but will take discipline and time to execute) will protect you from making an expensive mistake.

The phases of the process are:

Know what you want (ask yourself questions)
Do your homework (ask the prospective agencies questions)
The meet and greet (get together and ask questions)

Let’s start with the first phase — knowing what you want. You start with your own organization. Before you reach out to find the right partner, it’s important to know what you are bringing to the party.

You should ask yourself a series of questions. Let’s look at question #1:

Why are we looking for an agency? What do we want them to help us accomplish?

(Increasing sales locally? Increasing sales nationwide? Changing our image? Introducing a new product or service, etc.)

This question will help you decide exactly what results you need from an advertising agency. Some advertising agencies may not offer all the services you might need.

And on the flip side, some agencies may offer – and charge you for – services you don’t need. For example, if you decide that new business cards and a new letterhead are all that you need, a local design studio may be more cost-effective than a full-service advertising agency.

Watch for the next question you should ponder…

Flickr photo courtesy of PeeJ0e

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RFP = Really Flawed Plan

February 6, 2007

An RFP or “request for proposal” has long been one of the standard ways that clients look for business partners.

I can only conclude that businesses and government departments continue to use them because they can’t figure out a better way. It’s a lot like playing pin the tail on the donkey.

The RFP process is flawed from the get go. Its very structure forces the bidding companies to either blow smoke up your skirt or actually be brave enough to be honest about how little they can tailor their answers to you — because they don’t know anything about you yet.

Of course, I’m coming at this from the marketing/advertising agency’s point of view, but I suspect the same could be said about any service provider RFP.

No one wants cookie cutter solutions, but the RFP process begs for them. I don’t care how much factual information your committee tries to pack into the RFP, it is no substitute for sitting in a room with you, picking your brain, talking to your customers, interviewing your employees and observing your processes. We learn more in the interactions, discussions and exploring process than you could ever capture in the “current situation” section of an RFP.

There are nuances and uncovered truths about your marketing challenges that need to be discovered before any good agency can truly impact your business or your bottom line.

Would you send a prospective physician a written document, describing a pain in your neck and expect him to accurately diagnose your ailment and prescribe a treatment?

Why is choosing a business partner any different?

Flickr photo courtesy of eszter

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