Hope you are having a GREAT week!

Nothing has helped me more from a therapeutic and marketing standpoint than writing daily emails.

I know it may seem like work…

…but nothing good every comes without some work.

And it isn’t hard work at all.

In fact… there are so many INCREDIBLE examples to share with you, its more difficult deciding what to share.

Today, 2 fine, fine examples of great marketing ideas.

First… the blushing postman.

Look how she starts this video for Panty by Post

Great marketing ideas galore here!

…with a story about one of her great loves… the French… and French Panties.

Not only is the video simply divine (simple, and selling)., it grabs your attention and would compel you to watch (man or woman).

These days anyone and everyone with a simply little handheld HD camera can do this (even me!).

Then add in some of the great editing software out there these days and voila… you have a video to use on Youtube, on your blog, on your site, on Facebook shares… and so on, and so on.

The second thing I LOVE about this video is the unusual membership piece. You have hopefully read my Million Dollar Lobster report (if not – here is the direct download link  http://www.milliondollarlobster.com/MillionDollarLobster.pdf).

Unusual membership programs like this are powerful ways to draw attention, publicity and experience buyers.

A membership is an experience.

It is something you get to interact with on an ongoing basis.

Vs a one-time purchase.

Is there any way at all you can take frequently bought items and turn them into a membership concept?

I have seen near everything sold via membership…

…panties, shows, jewelry, honey, steaks, baked goods, fresh goods, lobsters, shoes, dive-bar tshirts, kids gifts, art and paintings, travel, cars, motorcycles, boats, to name a small sample of what is now available.

Can YOU be the first in your city, or industry, that brings out a membership program?

Think it through – it’d be awesome to inspire you to create this.

The second example for today you may have already seen on Facebook.

Budweiser NAILED IT with this viral video.

What a beautiful idea and concept here.

…and Bud is winning over more fans than EVER with this.

It evokes emotion… and may even bring a tear to your eye.

If you have ever felt like you love and activity so much, but know you will never be in the big leagues (due to age, skill level, whatever) then this video will get that emotion factor revved up.

I LOVE my martial arts.  Been doing it for 12 years or so off an on, the past 6 years in Tae Kwon Do (training for second degree Black Belt right now)… but I know that my age and size are a factor in competition.  Maybe it is more fear than anything, but I haven’t been in one with my TKD.  There is a chance coming up this summer… we will see.

But I GET this video.

I would love to be in a competition and feel like a superstar (despite not being close to one).

THAT is the feel Bud gets going with this video.

…and it does 2 things I want to point out: It shares some intimate emotions with their prospects and clients, and it shows them doing something that gives back to the community.

Both of which you and I could be doing.

My blog post this week talks about emotion and the powerful force behind it in your marketing… you should read it if you haven’t.
http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/the-true-power-of-raw-emotions-in-your-writing/

Anyhow, hope you have a GREAT day/week/weekend.

Troy

PS: The Story Selling Home Study Coaching program http://www.storysellingtips.com is ready and is an incredible way to introduce your clients and prospects to your backstories… where your real money will be made.

I admit it: I am weird.

Very unusual in many ways.

One of the things that makes me an oddball is my fascination with wacky marketing ideas.

I love them!

You should too.

Always be on the lookout for those high priced, high oddball-factor products or services.

They are full of great lessons and ideas for your own marketing campaigns.

For example, you may recall my article on Cat Poop Coffee and Holy Crap Cereal.  One if s product idea that garnered tens of thousands of free media publicity for a teeny tiny coffee shop in Calgary.  The other snapped up thousands of dollars in first day sales as soon as they re-named their product

http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/cat-poop-coffee-and-holy-crap-cereal-wacky-marketing-that-works/

And now the Panda bear is giving the Wild Cicvik from Thailand  a run for its money.

$18,000 a kilo?

YIKES!

That had better make me 20 years younger, more attractive, wealthier, and 20 pounds lighter too for that price.

But my forecast is that they will do very well with this.

It’s exclusive.  Not something you can get at the local supermarket… so those who love a good story and an unusual experience (those with the money) will be flocking to the place that sells this Panda Poop Tea.

http://gawker.com/5859434/worlds-most-expensive-tea-panda-poop

The right kind of people are magnetically drawn to this type of product.  People with disposable income. People who LOVE a good story and can’t wait to be the first to tell their friends what they did or bought.

People who are willing to pay an extremely high price for either bragging rights, or for that ultimate experience they can share with their friends and family.

The kind of person you NEED as part of your customer portfolio.

We all should have  segment of our customer population that is wealthy, affluent, and looking for something unique.

You’ve heard me talk about Saddleback Leather (http://www.sbackleather.com).  Their prices are reasonable but on the higher side for leather bags like they have.  But the STORY behind their beautiful leather bags and 100 YEAR guarantee make

THe BEST Leather Bags Out There

for a very compelling Valentines Gift, or Birthday Gift, or that special gift for anyone and everyone you know who loves quality leather goods (hint, hint….Valentines Day is just around the corner!).

Now we have $100 hot dogs! http://www.calgarysun.com/2012/01/24/vancouver-restaurant-selling-100-hot-dog

Awesome.

Just down the street you can pick up a $2 hotdog from a cart….but the “most expensive hot dog in the world” – a $100 cognac-infused sausage topped with oil-seared Kobe beef, lobster meat and a picante sauce.The foot-long bratwurst is infused with 100-year-old Louis XIII cognac – which has a $2,000 price tag of its own – and must be ordered 12 hours in advance so fresh ingredients can be prepped.

Now THAT is how you get media attention, world record breaking Guiness attention, and how you call out to the locals who have the money and are looking for something fun they can put their money into.

You see a BIG part of marketing to the affluent is in the experience side.

Quality is quality.

But experiences are tough to compare and tough to ignore.  When you have $1,000 in your pocket that’s consider pocket money for the day (every day), you start looking for unusual places to spend.

You can star out the day with some Cat poop coffee.  Have some Panda poop tea for a mid-morning picker upper, then a $100 hotdog that is infused with $2,000 cognac.  By 1 pm that day, you have had such a unique experience to share, it is WELL worth the money to you.

Not to everyone…

…that’s the point.

Marketing to the affluent is difficult for people to get their heads wrapped around.

Because most people think price is the major factor in buying decisions.

It isn’t.  It plays its part, but it isn’t the big part.

Especially when catering to those who high disposable income.

When I interviewed Dave Munson of Saddleback Leather, he revealed one of their HOTTEST sources of leads… a place I never would have thought of… but a place that is full of wealthy story-seekers.  I have never shared his source, but may one day when the timing is right.

So for you, I want you to think about the craziest, whackiest, most pie-in-the-sky concoction of products and services YOU could be offering.

Something that would increase your prices by a factor of 10.

And then consider how you can offer it.

I am not saying you need to replace your other products or services…just to add in ONE product worthy of media attention like all of the businesses here are lapping up.

If you have that one thing now – or know of one like it – PLEASE let me know!

I would love to do a write up on it and share some publicity with others (possibly a JV on a affluent marketing product I am working on too).

Think about adding a zero, or even two zeroes to y9our products.  What would you need to do…to offer…to promise… or to add into it to justify the expense.

Market it right and you just created a HUGE profit center!

And you are off to the races with all kinds of media attention and a whole new kind of client you can work with.

Try it and please let me know what you do.

I would love to interview you on this!

Troy

PS: The Story Selling Home Study is just about ready and it will be a big help to you in creating the ultimate marketing tools to promote your new product. One of the grads of a previous live Story Selling class wrote a single page letter for a client of theirs and their website went from $500 a month to $15,000 a month in sales, almost overnight….and all because of this one page story.

Find out how he did it and how you can too.  https://responsivedm.infusionsoft.com/app/manageCart/addProduct?productId=274

PPS: If you aren’t in my daily email list yet, you are truly missing out.  Mon through Fri I publish a power-packed marketing lesson like this delivered to your inbox.  Just one of them could be worth thousands, maybe tens of thousands or more to you this year.  If you want daily tips (5 days a week – instead of one or two) – click this link and you will start getting daily tips from me. and start supercharging your mind around the concepts of massive marketing success from the least likely of places! (Clicking the link automatically signs you up to the daily – no other action is needed) Click this link to SUPERCHARGE your email marketing

I recently had the privilege to spend a few days in Arcola, Illinois. True Amish country there.

…Marketing geeks like me would appreciate why I was so excited to go there!

Story fodder galore!

The truth on why I was there is that I do some marketing for a few Simply Amish (http://www.simplyamish.com) franchisees in Canada.

They make exceptionally well-built, hand-crafted furniture with a lifetime guarantee.

And seeing the actual Amish Craftsmen build the furniture in their shops was not only an eye opener, it was a necessity for a real understanding of their differentiators in the marketplace.

[-------NOTE------]

No matter what types of products or services you sell, getting inside the design and manufacturing process is where some great marketing breakthroughs can happen. It happened to Claude Hopkins when he wrote the now-famous Schlitz Beer long copy ads. He found out their manufacturing process involved a couple steps that not one of their competitors had ever spoken of… and used that idea to lift them up from the bottom of the top 10 to the top in just a few short months.

If your products are built or manufactured – go spend some time in the factory and ask questions of the engineers, designers and builders.

Get inside their heads on what makes this product superior, in their eyes.

Find some interesting tidbits that you can use to create some exceptional stories to use in all your marketing or advertising efforts.

If it is a service you provide… do the same but lay out on paper all the details that go into your delivery of the service.

Why is it done that way?

Was it always done that way?

What do you do different or better than the others in your field?

Dig deep and you will find some great USPs to use

[-------/NOTE-------]

Fortunately for me, I not only got to ride in a horse drawn buggy with them, I got to spend a full day touring their different workshops, and I got to eat with them during a mega-feast they prepared (chicken, tons of veggies, potatoes, ham, 5 different kinds of homemade pie… feast was an understatement!).

It was a very educational trip!

I thought you might be interested in some of the things I learned from the Amish while I was there.

Most people have no clue on what the Amish people or lifestyle is like.

I was no different.

Some interesting facts:

* Each workshop has a specialty and each farm has a workshop.  So one workshop specializes in dining room tables, the other in beds, the other in dressers.

* There is no electric power running from the main power grid into their farms (they do not believe in plugging into the grid).

* The workshops are powered, heated or cooled, by either Geothermal, Wind, solar, or diesel generators.

Amish communities do not pay social security tax – but can collect it (they choose not to)

* Divorce not allowed – if it is a bad one and cannot be resolved by the husband, wife or family members – divorce is allowed but the person in the divorce who is in the wrong is shunned from the community – never allowed back

* Church wagon moves around from Amish farm house to farm house every Sunday. In the wagon are a dozen or more solid wood benches that are used for church service. Each Sunday the church wagon moves to  a new home

* The community loans $ to newly weds to get started in their homestead and business.

* The Amish LOVE their sweets! Cookies, cakes, pies… you name it.

* As the community I was in became more prosperous with their furniture businesses taking off… they slowed down on traditional food prep… opting for grocery stores instead (especially in the winters)

* Some of them use cell phones and drive vehicles for work purposes – but as soon as work ends, they resume traditional Amish ways.

* Simply Amish Furniture collections are named after their kids, nieces and nephews – the child gets their own branded furniture in their bedroom

* 4500 in the Arcola Amish community there

* They will have 400 people at wedding, which takes place on some of the farms

* The craftsmen rely on marketing – no marketing – no furniture to build (and the recession did slow them down a bit)

* Growing up building furniture gives a huge advantage in designed new types of furniture

* At age 16 they can choose to continue living in Amish Tradition or not.  Their choice can never be undone.  But if they choose to leave and not practice traditional Amish customs… they can still play and work with those that are in the community. But if they ever decided to stay in the community at 16 and then later want to leave… they are permanently shunned from the community.

What does it mean to you?

It means that each and every one of us needs to show our pride more.

To give our prospects and clients a GREAT story they can tell their friends and family.

To show them WHY you are the only one they should be considering, because we offer _______, which no one else does.

It also means that if you are looking for quality furniture that is guaranteed for life (much like my buddies at Saddleback Leather with their 100 year guarantee)…then Simply Amish is your place to be (http://www.simplyamish.com).

If you are in Alberta or British Columbia and interested in having hand made office furniture, dining room furniture, or living room furniture made… let me know and I can introduce you.

Last – it means that even in turbulent economic times like this, people ARE spending money on higher quality and higher priced goods like this.

Simply Amish is growing rapidly right now (425 franchises so far in Canada and the US).

They rarely do discounts (despite all the Groupons of the world)… and they never worry about price shoppers.

They focus on quality product, customized to the buyers, and a guarantee that provides decades of security for them and their family.

[-------NOTE-------]

Some other notable quotes I heard (or things that happened) while there…

* After our Amish feast,  the teenage boys loaded up the buggies with batteries, lights and gear and all rode over to their favorite field for a 3 hour game of baseball.  They used the car batteries and lights to light up their baseball field.

* Headline I wrote down: Amish Bike-riding Road Hogs! When they are riding their bicycles to and from work, or to the store, they OWN the roads. They don’t move over for cars – and they gladly slow you down.

* A caravan of cars in Arcola, Illinois means that there is either a Simpy Amish annual conference or a funeral

* There was the Story of Belle… The Amish Pug who narrowly escaped death by horse and buggy right in front of my eyes (we all thought the little one was under the wheels of the buggy we were in!)

[-------/NOTE-------]

Hope you enjoyed the Amish visit as much as I did!

Troy

PS: If you are stuck for ideas on what exactly you could writer about, blog about, or wrap a promotion around, the 2012 Cash Flow Calendar (http://www.cashflowcalendars.com) is the IDEAL blueprint for you!  Every day of the year you are given templates and copy / paste templates you can use.  Have a peek and let me know your thoughts. Troy

They are absolutely beautiful products (my medium sized Moleskine cover in Tobacco color is at my side daily, you can see it under the Wallets section of the Saddleback Leather website).

Not only do their products rock, their marketing and story telling is beautifully done (wish he shared more of his writings, but am happy with videos like this one below tells it all).

You should have a look at the article I wrote about Saddleback – it is packed with some excellent insights into how they have done so well in a saturated market (high end leather goods).

You can find the Saddleback Leather marketing article here http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/writing-your-signature-story/

Have a poke around my article and their website – and notice how many raving fans they have!

Something for ALL of us to aspire to.

Troy

Usually they claim their buyers are different than any other buyers.

Often though it comes down to this…

“…I sell to businesses – not consumers. And business buyers don’t fall for the same tricks you are sharing Troy.”

I will say this… Business to business (B2B) buyers are NOT different than Business to consumer (B2C) buyers!

A BUSINESS cannot buy anything.

Someone, somewhere, has to be involved in the purchasing process.

And anytime a person is involved, there are biases, prejudices, emotional triggers and hidden motives involved.

As much as we like to pretend otherwise, I don’t think there are too many businesses who use robots for purchasing from strangers. )

Yes, there can be minor changes you make to your campaigns to target business buyers, but people are people and the exact same tools and techniques that work in the B2C market ALSO work in the B2B market.

I have shown this many times over the past blog posts.

Like the one client who sells B2B: we sent out 200 letters to a COLD list… business buyers who had NEVER heard of him before. These were highly sophisticated buyers who worked for companies that ranged from $5 million a year to $500 million a year.

We mailed a 2-page black and white letter (no fancy brochures – no gloss – no color – not even a picture to be seen).

We sent it DIRECTLY to the purchasers.

We got a 18% response rate (the goal of the campaign was to initiate direct contact with the purchasing managers – either through a phone call or email… in essence, getting that first foot in the door).

The letter talked more about his family than his business!

And we got email after email THANKING US FOR WRITING A PERSONAL LETTER.

One guy said “I get DOZENS of ‘pitch letters’ like this a week – I want to commend you on writing a very personal letter like this – I wish I saw more of this in my business”.

Hum.

Guess something like that shows you that B2B buyers are NOT different…. they are people and like to buy from people.

So keep that in mind next time you are thinking up excuses on why YOUR buyers are different.

They aren’t that different.

They still eat, sleep, dream and have fears or dreams.

They are people like you and I are.

Treat them that way.

Not many B2B sellers do… so you will definitely stand out from the rest of the nonsense!

Troy

PS: I wanted to make sure you understand this – I have personally sold both B2B and B2C.

When I was working for Hewlett Packard in their Unix systems group… I sold $50,000 computer systems to business buyers. I also sold multi-million dollar servers and storage systems to business buyers. There was ALWAYS a person writing the final orders. Those people wanted to be TREATED like a human being too.

One potential client I nurtured for 2 years selling them smaller systems, ultimately knowing a big purchase order was coming… eventually.

And it did.

$3 million dollars worth of computer gear was sold in the end – the only reason he bought? “Because I stuck with him, and treated him the way he wanted to be treated. Not like some robot purchasing system. That was from him – the one who signed the purchase order and cheque.

If I treated him differently – the sale would have NEVER gone through.

Starting July 8th, Calgary (where I live) turns into a complete country party town for 10 days.

The Calgary Stampede is an event that’s been running since 1886 – and lays claim to The Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth.

We get probably half a million visitors in to Calgary during the 10 day event (which is amazing since Calgary is 1 million people- we add 50% of our population in 10 days).

Get this, the total take home winnings from the Stampede Rodeo is a whopping $1.6 Million – which is now the largest prize winnings of any rodeo in the world, from my understanding.

You’d certainly have to pay me well to sit on a bucking bull! $1.6M would about do it ;o)

What would make people travel from all over the world to see the Stampede?

***> HINT: The lessons of the Stampede can easily be adapted to your business.

1) An annual event like no other – there are rodeos all over the world – but Calgary has a 1 million dollar rodeo purse so this is NOT like all the others. People look forward to the Stampede for months to come. The best Rodeo stars from across the world gladly come to Calgary to fight for the main prize.

Make your special events special – and something worthwhile coming to.

2) The customers “get into it” like no where else in the world. Imagine this… Thursday night before the party begins on Friday you leave your office all dressed in suit and tie (I remember it well – uhhgg). Friday morning – everyone from the corporate CEO’s right to the mail clerks dress up in their western attire (hats, boots, belt buckles, and jeans). And they stay that way for the whole 10 days.

WARNING: If you are in Calgary from out of town and mistakenly wear a tie – it WILL be cut off by the nearest person with a pair of scissors.

The customers dress the part and *gladly* become part of the culture.

3) The Party racks up there with the best in the world – many people save their money, and their livers, for the party that happens.

The saying for the week is: “Drink triples, see double and act single” – and lots of people heed that advice.

The bar staff is dressed skimpy enough to make Hugh Heffner smile with glee.

And people really do travel from across the world – JUST for the party.

Make an event so exclusive that they are willing to *do whatever it takes* to be there.

4) Tons of events, goodies, and freebies. Every day during the stampede you can walk down the street and catch yourself some free breakfast – pancakes, sausage and eggs (and if you catch the good private parties they are serving vodka and orange juice by 7 am – told you it was a party).

Line ups around the block for the Stampede Breakfasts (almost always complimentary).

Corporate Calgary’s way of giving back and saying thank you.

5) It is unique to have an entire city dress, act and drink the part. Tons of fun (drinking or non) for the whole family. Great midway with tons of rides and things to do. The people watching is nothing short of amazing in itself.

When everyone is part – it’s a very amazing experience for everyone involved.

***> Lessons From The Stampede For Your Business < ***

- Make your special events special – and something worthwhile coming to.

- The customers dress the part and *gladly* become part of the culture.

- Making an event so exclusive that they are willing to *do whatever it takes* to be here.

- Giving back and saying thank you to all those that got you there.

- When everyone is part (from CEO’s to entry level clerks) – it is a very amazing experience for everyone involved.

- Have fun and lighten things up a little and people will notice.

Have a great week and happy Stamped’n!

Troy

At the time, Sundre had about 1,000 people living there.

It is also 75 minutes from Calgary, which had a population of 400,000 or so at the time (now it is 1.2 million).

The land they purchased was a cow pasture, buried amidst many hundreds of 40 foot evergreens.

All 3 couples had young children, ranging from newborn to 8 year olds (I was the eldest).

They had a vision of what this land could be.

Tall Timber Leisure Park would be a beautiful, private, lush place for young families who wanted a getaway not that far from the big city, but far enough to feel like an escape.

A safe place for kids to play free and enjoy being a kid.

It was far, far more work than I am sure any one of them ever thought necessary.

Nights, weekends, summers – every free chance they had outside of their regular jobs was spent on the land. (that and using slave labor of their children… aka. ME!)

Molding campsites into the lush forest. [picture ]

Building proper roads for people to drive on.

Services for premium lots.

A central bathroom for campers to shower.

A large playground for the kids, make out of gargantuan tractor tires.

When they first opened for business, it was a disaster.

The weather was miserable, the roads mud pits, but the campers were understanding of mother nature’s ways.

Over time, the roads were improved, a store was added, an indoor swimming pool and hot tub added. ]

A snack shop.

Security gates.

You name it, they end up building it in.

Everything from swing sets, basketball courts, slides and jungle jims.

Then there are the bike trails. And the trees they can play in, or build forts.

Or going to the river to tube, wade, or build log bridges.

Or the swimming pool and hot tub.

Or the candy store.

Or the ice cream store.

DOES IT GET ANY BETTER FOR A KID?

No.

So promoting the campground based on the kids perspective was an easy way to makeover their marketing.

It also is a BIG reason that Tall Timber is such a great success story.

Looking at it from the parents perspective.

The ultimate escape from busy city life. Curl up with a great book for an afternoon of adventure, romance or mystery. Bike paths and walking trails for fitness. A swim or hot tub in the salt water pools. Playtime with the kids. Or having a cold beer next to the fire.

The parents (and non-parents alike) LOVE Tall Timber.

It is an hour and 15 minutes from Calgary (an easy jaunt). It is beautiful country. And it (my favorite part) has almost NO access to internet or cell phones!!

Well, you can get both internet and cell reception if you try – I recommend you don’t.

Looking at it from the competitors perspective.

Tall Timber is notorious for the strict rules and regulations around parties, quiet hours, proper behavior, no tenting (unless there is a trailer on site too), and covenants around what they can or cannot put on their lots.

Some people don’t like the rules – others love the quality of people that a park like this attracts.

So what does this have to do with your business?

Right now, get out a pad of paper and a pen.

Then pick 3 or 4 different perspectives that somehow relate to your business.

1) your direct competition

2) your ideal clients

3) other people your ideal clients will talk to about your product or service

Write out all the different ways they could see your product or service.

Write out all the good things they would say… and the bad.

Write out the great story telling pieces they get when they deal with you.

Note what is lacking. Note what is prevalent throughout. Note what could become your biggest asset. Note what could become your biggest hindrance (and think on how you can turn that into an advantage).

Tall Timber has been a significant part of my life.

Still is for me and for my own daughters (who absolutely LOVE the place!)

It was my parents dream. That is now reality for hundreds of adults and children alike.

It is also the prime example on how hard work and persistence (decades of it) can pay off.

Get this…

… their volunteer committee was able to personally raise over $250,000 to build two new playgrounds in the past year.

They used elbow grease.

Sweat equity.

Creativity.

And ingenuity.

Penny-by-penny, brick-by-brick, dollar-by-dollar.

They raised over a quarter million dollars to build children’s playgrounds.

They made this park come to life in a tough economic climate and how they did it is inspirational and educational for any serious entrepreneur.

What I want to leave with you today though is a desire to look at your business from the direct, and indirect, buyers perspectives.

In those you can learn more about marketing opportunities than most $1500 marketing packages being sold.

Invest a few hours in this exercise… I guarantee it will pay off in spades.

For now, have a great day… and invest some time this week on this drill!

Troy

PS: If you want some innovative ways to generate leads, attract higher quality clients, and improve your retention rates, the Cash Flow Calendars Program is JUST what the doctor ordered. Done-for-you marketing campaigns and ideas for 12 months out of the year!

One of them is real, one is entirely fictional. Both of them are highly successful, and pull in hundreds-of-millions in revenue per year.

The best part? They use completely different approaches to grow their thriving empires.

The main reason I wanted to talk about these unique business models is that they are both thriving in the downturn.

They both sell higher priced clothing. And they both target a more affluent type of buyer.

First, meet Harry Rosen: http://www.harryrosen.com/

Harry Rosen is a Canadian Icon with 55 years in business. Harry has turned his initial $500 investment into a $250 Million dollar empire and continues to thrive in the current economy. Harry Rosen now proudly owns 35 percent share of the national market in high-end men’s wear.

One of the BIG reasons Harry has done so well?

“Most companies are faceless but I’m the face. Like me or dislike me, it’s what you get,” he says.

Direct from the master: You MUST have a face in front of your company.

Simple …
yet ignored by 99% of businesses out there.

Do YOU put your name and face in front of all your messaging?

Do you make sure people understand that you are there for them, and that you will make sure they get the attention they crave?

It is one of the most critical skills to master in a buying environment like this.

People are desperately seeking out companies that are different. Companies who have something unique about them. Companies that give them a good story they can share with their friends and associates.

Harry does this.

Guess how Harry Rosen got his start?

A little know fact about Harry is that he was an outstanding copywriter who hand wrote out long “quirky” little letters to the top CEOs in Canada. He would hand pick who he wanted as a buyer, get their address and hand write out these “odd letters,” as he called them in an interview.

Despite what many people think: Those executives not only received and opened his mail; they read it top to bottom and came in to order some finely tailored suits and clothing.

Hand-written … long copy … no photographs.

The TOP business leaders would respond with credit cards in hand. (I did ask him if he kept copies of them … unfortunately he said no).

They continue to sell to the affluent professional.

The up-and-coming executive who must make the right first impression. The new manager who needs to look good in the boardroom, as well as after hours at the company party.

While Harry no longer hand writes those letters, they still continue to use advertising campaigns that bring people in the door.

One way they do it is through their Ask Harry Column. It all started with an ad they ran that told this story…

“This is Harry. Harry has a store. Harry sells suits. Harry’s suits are all naturally tailored. Harry calls this lean, unpadded styling the Cambridge look. Harry specializes in the Cambridge look. If you like the Cambridge look, remember his name, Harry.”

“Right from the moment it ran, it was very successful,” Rosen says. “We had customers coming in from outside of Toronto, from around the country, in fact. That was the beginning, although I didn’t understand it at the time, of the branding of Harry Rosen.”

Anyone could ask Harry any question they wanted about clothing, dressing the part, or even how to act in social situations they are involved in.

You can ask Harry “Can you wear a French-cuffed shirt and cufflinks with a sports jacket, or only a suit?” and get an answer.

Some of the random things Harry helps men understand through his Ask Harry column:

• Changing trends in the men’s fashion world -http://www.harrymagazine.ca/en/notebook
• How to pick a wine with confidence
• How to tie a tie – also one of the top applications on Apple’s iStore
• How to pack a suitcase
• How to choose and wear your denim

Harry still spends every Saturday in his flagship store with a tape measure and piece of chalk in hand. He does the same thing at his other stores across the country at least a couple of times a year.

This is a man who has become a Canadian Icon in the business world, and a major success in the world-fashion scene.

His new breakthrough advertising campaign features prominent Canadian Business Men in their element.

Each ad is like a case study with the customer’s photo, their name and credentials, and their story of how they became a devoted Harry Rosen fan.

Some of the titles he gave his customers:
The Influencer
The Guru
The Entrepreneur
The Visionary

(The actual ads have more copy than on this picture though.)

How did Harry continue to thrive in an economic disaster?

They introduced a new campaign: “Welcome to The New Confidence”

“Our experience has been that the surest way to bolster the economy is to inspire confidence, the kind of confidence conveyed by dressing in a manner that underscores the fact that you are the right leader for the task at hand. Your personal brand is your biggest asset today.”

Harry Rosen is an exceptional business man and his use of his photo, his name, and his values in their marketing is one of the big reasons they have done so well.

Next, my friend Tommy Bahama

I say friend because I feel like I know Tommy, even though he is a fictional character. I am actually wearing one of Tommy’s shirts right now … and I love Tommy’s clothes. They are right up my alley (an ex-suit who despises wearing a tie anymore … I was a Harry Rosen Shopper and have now moved to the Tommy side).

It is very interesting to me that both Harry and Tommy target similar demographics … upwardly mobile, more affluent types of buyers.

Yet their clothing styles are dramatically different. The sales approach they use is even more different. Harry sells you on looking good and knowing how to act in a professional situation.

Tommy sells you on the way of life that many of us strive for.

From their site:

ABOUT TOMMY

There is a warm westerly breeze rustling the palms, the lulling roar of crashing waves – it’s a celebration of island living, courtesy of Tony Margolis, Bob Emfield and Lucio Dalla Gasperina.

In 1992, our fictional Tommy Bahama character became the inspiration behind the experience of traveling to exotic locales where the food is good, the beaches are hot and the mood is relaxed.

Tommy Bahama and his tropical adventures command the finer things in life: casual, comfortable sportswear, golfwear, swimwear, footwear and accessories for men and women.

As the purveyor of island lifestyles, Tommy Bahama, has created a world where life moves at a more relaxed pace, where the enjoyment of the good life is the norm, rather than the exception.

Not sure about you, but I can hear the waves, and see myself there on that beach. It is what I strive for … and there are a lot of people out there who have a dream just like that.

And the Tommy character is just what the doctor ordered.

For the beach lovers out there … you can visit Paradise Nation and travel to exotic locations with
Tommy http://www.tommybahama.com/TBG/ParadiseNation.jsp

They have also expanded into the restaurant business now, and, although I haven’t had the privilege of frequenting one yet, I know people who have and they absolutely loved it.

Tommy Bahama also knows that those who aspire to an island lifestyle want more than just the nice comfortable clothes to go with it; they want to completely immerse themselves in everything to do with the beach bum life.

They now sell luggage, furniture, bathroom accessories, bedding and bathroom goods, rugs … even ceiling fans.

By the time you are done with Tommy’s store, you are completely decked out from head to toe and from doorway to bedroom.

You can even pick up a bottle of Tommy’s finest Tropical Rum for your afternoon cocktails out on the patio set you bought from Tommy.

You ARE living the Tommy lifestyle … exactly what you wanted.

So what does all this have to do with you and your business?

Pay close attention to these two businesses.

They both use a personality front and center. One of them is a real person, the other is fictional (but real in the customer’s mind).

The personality is used everywhere, and it becomes the main reason why people buy … they aspire to be just like that person they hear so much about. They want to live the same lifestyle … look the part … be that person.

This is a secret of success that is soooooo rarely used.

For example, a new client came on board last year.

He has a successful business in the horse training business. He lives on a ranch in the middle of nowhere. And people from all over the world seek him out to get lessons with their horses. They fly him all over the world to teach his classes.

And he wants to take his business to the next level.

How would he do it?

He would model what Harry and Tommy have done.

He would give his clients an insider’s view on what it is really like to be a cowboy.

To work with horses day-in and day-out.

To ride deep into the mountains on a three-week trip.

To be at one with nature and live off the land like real cowboys used to.

And we build his personality into everything that he does.

I will share with you what happens as we get this rolling.

Much like the lobster story I have shared here, the key to success in business today is giving people a unique story they can tell their friends and family.

The lobster brothers send out DVDs with every product shipment.

Pop the DVD in and watch your dedicated lobster-fisherman telling you about their family, about how they catch your lobster, and about what it is like working on a fishing boat for a living.

Those brothers built a million-dollar business in just a few months using their personalities as the main selling point.

In a business that was traditionally a price-based decision.

No longer.

So the question for you is …

… Do you want your customers to think of you like a Tommy?

… Or a Harry?

Both work.

One is more wild and free … living the ultimate lifestyle many of your customers aspire to. The other is a professional … works hard and plays hard.

Do your customers want to:

“Escape the troubles of the modern world in favor of a place that’s relaxed and worry-free … where life is one long weekend …

Or

“Live in their own New Confidence in a New Economy?”

Which person are you targeting?

How are you giving them what they want?

How can you?

What can you do to give them the lifestyle they want?

How can you tie your personality into it so they will NEVER forget you?

What one thing could you do in the next month that would get them talking about you to their friends, family and associates?

I would love to hear your ideas.

Thanks again.

To your success.

Troy

I know him well enough and don’t think he is interested in doing a teleseminar (again – a lesson there for us all – he is VERY picky about where his time goes and the payoff would have to be immense (six figures minimum) to be worth it to him).

Something else I thought about though…

We did 5 wineries on the tour the one day and only 2 of the 5 had truly passionate wine makers talking about their craft of wine making.

It is easy to tell passion from paid promotion.

They told stories about how they got started in the business.

The told the truth about the cut throat nature of the business.

And their passion for their craft was highly evident. Especially the PHd who owned and ran the Luxton Winery!

The most important point: they were the ones we bought the most (wine) from – and they were soooooo much more interesting than the others!

Rediscover your passion for what you do.

It is easily the fastest way to grow your business…

…tap into your passion and start talking.

To a camera.
On a teleseminar.
To a customer in person.
To a prospect over the phone.

Get your passion out there… and watch your revenues rise.

When you are doing it just for the money, it will ultimately be the thing you hate doing the most…

But there is a way out.

It involves busting your tail.

And in looking at new ideas for revenue growth.

I was in Sonoma this past weekend for a friends 40th.

One of the guys with us is very wealthy.
He is also young, younger than me.

Something happened in Sonoma that really made me appreciate him and learn from him.

We were on a wine tour and we were inside one of the wine caves.

They were talking about the wine making process, and the subject of the oak barrels came up.

A long discussion on the barrels, how the oak is chosen from the 3 places in the world you can get it, how much the barrels cost ($400-$1,400 per barrel), and the fact that the barrels only last for a few years.

Fascinating.

But the wealthy individual in our group saw something and went after it.

He started asking lots of questions about the barrels… even to the point he was annoying the tour guide.

…But there was a reason he was asking all these questions.

He slowly walked away from the group and got out his cell phone.

A 2 minute call and an email later he came back to join us.

Later on I was talking to him and found out that he already had a team of his people analyzing the oak barrel market in the part
of the world he lived in. They were looking at the numbers, the competition, and the opportunity.

It would take them a week or two to report back the final recommendations.

THIS is how a guy like that made sooooo many millions of dollars before he hit 40.

…He took rapid action.
…He looked at the numbers.
…He pursued the areas that he could add value and expertise. (leverage)

We will see if the business is lucrative enough for him to go into, but if it is, rest assured, he will be in business in a week or two.

He saw opportunity in something most just glanced right by.

RAPID action.

You need to take it.

I need to take it.

It is the one thing that differentiates those that will make it through the coming years on top and those who won’t.

Let me know how else I can help.

Troy

PS: As I wrote this story to a client of mine, I realize how much I need to share it. Again – 10 minutes typing
and I now have an asset for my marketing campaigns. Rapid action + leverage = profitability.

Here is the ultimate tool for leveraging your assets through massive action http://www.marketingdojang.com