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Year: 2019

Sales

Lazy Selling Doesn’t Work. This does.

I received this (paid) message on LinkedIn.

The ridiculous irony here is that it’s from a guy selling marketing services.  His “proven method” offer is pure spam!  Unless spamming is what he’s selling, he’s not doing a very good job.

Seth Godin famously writes about “interruption marketing.”  I know when I reach out to prospective customers, I’m interrupting them.

I’ve been working harder to smartly engage people I’m interrupting with a thoughtful, highly relevant message that offers value.  My rule of thumb is to ask myself, “Am I ready to make a call/send an email this person will want to receive?” If not, I work at it until I am.  It’s hard – and it’s gratifying as fewer high-quality contacts are yielding better results.

Colorado Collaboration, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Development, Self Development

We Aren’t Our Best Yet

In contemplating my most recent podcast with Matt Hyder, Founder of Recoup Fitness, it occurred to me that he’s come such a LONG way.  He graduated from high school with a 1.9 GPA and failed at four businesses.  Now, still in his twenties, Matt has a company that will grow from $850K in sales in 2018 to over $6 Million in 2019.  Matt’s focus remains on learning and getting better – good thing. 

His early career – Fresh Prince of Bellaire.  Later in his career, brilliant, poignant acting.   

Now that I have experience and improved skills, I have to remind myself that people don’t start out at their best and sometimes not even close to their best.  Even harder than that, is the painful truth that I still make mistakes that beg, “shouldn’t you be better than THAT” by now?”

 

Entrepreneurship, Miscellaneous Thoughts

I love bacon.

Bacon served during Modern Eater Show, theModernEater.com.

I really do.

And the bacon in this picture I loved even more.  If this bacon were sitting on a plate next to regular delicious bacon, I’d pick this bacon every time.

I’m wondering, what more I can do to make my PROCO360 podcast the one people select when they have other delicious choices.  I want PROCO360 to be like THIS bacon.

Colorado Collaboration, Entrepreneurship, Miscellaneous Thoughts

A great example of Colorado business spirit(s)

My friend Brian Freeman of Growers Organic (left) hosts the radio show The Modern Eater with Greg Hollenback (right) and Jay Parker on Saturday evenings from 6 PM to 8 PM on 630 KHOW.  The show invites chefs, restaurateurs, bar owners and alcohol producers to come on the air and talk about their creations which they cook and serve LIVE in the studio.  Friends and collaborators are invited to attend and enjoy the festivities, food and drink.  Brian’s instructions to me upon arrival… (pointing) “The walk-in fridge is over there.  The food is served over here.  Take whatever you want.  Talk with everyone.  Have fun.”

I know, this sounds like an ad for Brian and the team, or maybe a public thank-you note.  No, I’m writing this because I’m inspired by this example of the Colorado spirit of entrepreneurial collaboration and generosity.

Marketing

Artificial Turf vs. Real Marketing

I just read The Marketing Rebellion – the Most Human Company Wins, by Mark Schaefer.  His premise, wonderfully brought forward, is that customers – not the business – drive successful marketing now, and increasingly will going forward.  I was struck (and entertained) by the extreme antithesis of that approach in the ad shown below.

I laughed at the irony in this ad: ARTIFICIAL TURF JUST GOT REAL.  It’s a cute headline, but it’s an example of a company that isn’t even aligning its own claims with its promises within one ad – how can this be putting the customer in a position to be the company’s marketing voice?  To me, companies that aren’t seeing the customer (and not advertising) their way to grow, create HUGE opportunities for those who build a business around what Schaefer calls “The Marketing Rebellion.”

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