Good Advice: Try Not to Kill Your Customers
I DO have a valuable marketing point in this post, so please bear with me…
Last night, one of my more hyper-responsive customers (Tom) stopped by my house for dinner. He’s been a VERY successful coaching student for approximately 8 months and was passing through the area, so I offered to cook for him.
No problem so far, right?
Except, I really, really, really can’t cook (for other people). I don’t know why.
Something always seems to go horribly wrong. And I’m not just being modest or polite… I mean horrendously wrong as in you want to be sure there’s an ambulance near-bye.
It always starts with the best intentions.
Last night I started with Black Bean chili. I was just gonna heat it up from the can. But I burned it beyond recognition. It was burned so badly, Sharon made me leave it outside on the porch to try and air out the house before Tom arrived.
There was also brown rice, of course. How hard is it to steam brown rice? Apparently VERY. Because even though I make rice myself about 3x/week, this particular batch just didn’t want to make.
I put it in the steamer for well over 90 minutes, checking every 20. (It usually only takes an hour). God knows why, but the damn rice just wouldn’t cook. It was INVINCIBLE .
Despite the mounds of steam, and the fact that all vegetables steamed perfectly well (as they had a hundred time before), this particular batch just sat there like a rock. As in, I may has well have just gone outside and scooped up some gravel to pour the burnt chili over.
Finally, there was the salad dressing. I was going to blend up some garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and a little water. (Usually works really well). But for some reason this came out too thin, so I thought I’d fix that with a little Guar Gum.
Result? Disgusting Garlic puddling. Yummmm.
You may think I’m taking dramatic license for this post and exaggerating for effect. But I’m not. I’m quite realistically describing what happened.
I can’t imagine how Tom could be saying anything to his family today besides “Uhm… I don’t know why, but Glenn tried to kill me”.
When I went upstairs with Sharon at night she said “Honey, I have to say that was about the worst cooking I’ve ever, EVER had in my life. What possessed you?”
OK, now back to marketing your business.
Tom will stay with me regardless of the bad food. So will your most hyper-responsive customers… you’re entitled to make a mistake once in a while.
When you’ve truly established a hyper-responsive customer, your job has more to do with NOT UNSELLING them. There’s a natural momentum the customer wants to maintain. They want to continue the relationship and grow/consume more with you. It’s only natural for people to want more of a good thing, right?
But…
It really IS possible to “kill” (UNsell) your customers.
I see it all the time.
I used to supervise coaches and psychotherapists who constantly complained to me about the unreliability of their income, not having enough clients/patients, not knowing why clients constantly left before accomplishing their goals.
But when you really listened to their stories, you inevitably saw something the coach/therapist did to UNSELL their client.
Sometimes it was blatant, like confronting the client too hard before developing a solid foundation in the relationship. Other times it was subtle, like constantly coming 1 minute late for the appointment. (The difference isn’t the 1 minute, it’s who waits for whom, and believe me personal service clients have a whole different experience when they’re forced to wait for you instead of feeling that you’re all set, prepared, and looking forward to seeing them)
In the products business, it’s slightly under-delivering a few times in a row (they’ll usually forgive it once), after you’ve established a history of excellence and delight/surprise.
Why would a marketer do this?
Human nature, really.
We always want what we don’t yet have. Which means we’ve always got our eye on “the next level”, too frequently forgetting about the people who got us where we are now.
You can guard against this by honestly asking yourself 3 simple questions…
- Why do my best customers stay with me?
- What have I STOPPED doing for my best customers, which I simply need to reinstall in my business?
- What have I done recently which could UNSELL my most hyper-responsive people?
OK, now, who wants leftovers?
G 
www.HyperResponsiveMarketingSecrets.com
PS – This isn’t the first time I’ve cooked people out of my home. Terry Dean’s spent a weekend with me on more than one occasion. It’s kind of fun to see him squirm (he’s so polite) and ask “Um, Glenn, how about we get Chinese Food again tonight?”. And Perry Marshall’s due to stop bye for lunch next month when he’s passing through. When I offered to make vegan cooking for him, he said “that sounds like fun”. We’ll see!
New Videos for the week of 4/19/2010
Here are the new videos for this week. None of the videos are must watch videos. If you are new to AdWords, the basic videos about the new ads are worth taking a peak at:
However, if you want to watch some videos, now is the time to take a look at the At Google Talks videos. These are generally longer videos (40 minutes plus) but they are given by experts and authors in the field at Google’s campus and then recorded for public consumption and generally contain excellent content.
New Videos from lifeatgoogle
New Videos from AtGoogleTalks
- Leading@Google: Brett Johnson
- Leading@Google: Annie McKee
- Leading@Google: Michael Feiner
- Authors@Google: Peter Nowak
- Authors@Google: Steven Weinberg
- Leading@Google: Mike Useem
New Videos from GoogleWebmasterHelp
- How many search algorithm changes were made in 2009?
- How does Google rank sites which run on non-standard ports?
- Can I exclude certain words from Googlebot?
- Should I spend time on meta keywords tags?
New Videos from SESConferenceExpo
- Submit Express exhibiting at SES New York 2010
- SiteCore and Web content management at SES New York 2010
- PR professionals can use search to bolster their objectives at SES New York 2010
- Mobile technology and baby marketing at SES New York 2010
New Videos from GoogleGrants
New Videos from GoogleTechTalks
- MariaDB, the Backward Compatible Branch of MySQL(R) Database Server
- Chemistry on the Web: How Can we Crowdsource Chemistry to Solve Important Problems?
New Videos from FastForward
- In the next three years what do you predict will be the biggest marketing changes for brands?
- What is the most important data to evaluate when it comes to online?
- What 3 things are working with new media, like social or mobile?
- What is the value of co-op marketing and have you seen it work?
- How are you integrating offline and online marketing campaigns?
- What is your vision for the future of eCommerce in the next three years?
- Marketing POVs for CPG
- How has the recession affected word of mouth marketing?
New Videos from GoogleBusiness
- AdWords New Ad Models: Changing the way you think of search ads
- AdWords Ad Extensions: Making a good thing even better
- The AdWords New Ad Formats Initiative: Google’s Next Chapter in Search Advertising
| Read Brad's Newest Book: Advanced Google AdWords | |
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Advanced Google AdWords will provide deep insight into AdWords functionality and advanced features, explaining how they work and providing tips, tactics, and hands-on tutorials that readers can immediately use on their own PPC campaigns. |
| Certified Knowledge: Online AdWords Training, Tools, and Community | |
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Certified Knowledge is an online tools, training, and community site brought to you by Brad Geddes & bg Theory. We are currently accepting beta applications. In interested, please see more at CertifiedKnowledge.org. |
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Good habits, bad habits, business success & the fountain of youth
Yahoo's headline news today featured a 20-year study on four habits: smoking, drinking too much, inactivity and poor diet. Those habits swing your effective age by as much as 12 years.
This study had some very good news:
- Non-smokers and former smokers, and
- People who drink less than 2 drinks/day, and
- Those who get 2 hours of physical activity per week, and
- Those who eat *any* kind of fruit, vegetable or even juice 3X/day…
…are literally 4X less likely to die than people with the opposite behaviors.
The even better news is:
You don't have to get it perfect all the time. Doing 3 out of 4 most of the time puts you in healthy company.
You can handle a few drinks every now and then and just cuz you have one couch-potato week doesn't mean you have to make lethargy a life habit. Minor deviations are fine as long as your daily habits are healthy.
So it is in business. If you're a Guerilla Marketer in 2010, here's my list of deadly habits:
1. The business equivalent of smoking is: Eating your seed money.
There's an old proverb that says, "Build your barn before you build your house." A lot of folks take profits out of their business too early.
Major pitfall: Just as your business starts to flourish, some "Big Opportunity" turns up which usually requires further investment of time & money.
If you just returned from a Mediterranean Cruise and you're 3 weeks behind on your work and your cash is depleted, it's kinda hard to embark on a brand new initiative and make that investment.
Sure, everybody needs some down time. But when you're in a startup mode, you can't afford to be lavish. Those small, consistent investments will fund many cruises further down the road.
I've noticed that people who double up on their business investments just as those profits are starting to kick out experience exponential growth that continues long after that first surge.
2. The business equivalent of drinking too much is: Taking uncalculated risks.
In investing, the best way to make a lot of money is simply to not do anything that causes all your money to disappear!
Before you jump into any swimming pool, please check that there's water in it first. Most businesses are about 3 risky decisions away from financial ruin.
Most risks can be reasonably assessed, but most of the time when we assess them we're in a heightened emotional state, not thinking clearly.
My Mastermind group has saved me from many a stupidity spasm!
3. The business equivalent of being a couch potato is: Spending time with losers. This includes hanging on discussion forums with moaners, critics and complainers.
Someone once said, if you look at the average income of your closest friends, that's what your income is going to be in 5 years.
Who do you consider your business friends to be? Who do you spend your time with?
If you're to succeed, then you MUST surround yourself with the savviest people who will let you hang around.
4. The business equivalent of poor diet is: starving yourself of education.
Online, the supply of "informational junk food" is incalculably vast. Most of it is the nutritional equivalent of a McDonalds McFlurry.
Most people would be surprised if they knew how little attention I pay to most of the marketers and business gurus out there. (Or… maybe you wouldn't.)
It's especially hard for new people to choose the right things from the vast smorgasbord buffet.
The best strategy is to choose ONE mentor who has a cohesive approach and learn everything you can from him or her, so you're sure all the pieces fit together.
Some teachers are only there for the paycheck. Others are committed to equipping the next generation with centuries of the best accumulated wisdom.
Choose your friends and mentors wisely.
Perry Marshall
Save Money In Yahoo Search Marketing By Excluding Search Partners That are Not Performing Well:
I'd like to share with you a way to save money in your Yahoo Search Marketing account that is not as obvious as the regular optimization strategies. As you probably know, when you advertise on Yahoo's search network, your ads don't just show on Yahoo's search results page. They are also displayed on countless search partners that Yahoo has agreements with. This new optimization strategy is centered around the search partners.
There is a new report available that will shed light on how your ads are performing across the different search partners. To access this report, go to the 'Reports' tab in your Yahoo Search Marketing account and select the 'Ad Delivery Report' under the 'Traffic Quality Reports' section:
At the top of the report, change the 'Distribution' to Yahoo Partners. Then select a date range (I'd recommend about 5 months) and sort the data by cost. You'll easily be able to see if certain search partners are costing a ton and not converting!
Once you find search partners that are not performing well for you, you can actually add them as blocked domains under the 'Administration' tab:
Adding blocked domains is currently only an option in Yahoo, as Google will allow you to either opt in or out of their search partner network. Hopefully Google will also give advertisers this option in the near future!
Out Of Keyword Ideas? These 7 Tools Will Help
My latest search engine land column is out titled Out Of Keyword Ideas? These 7 Tools Will Help.
It takes a look at some tools which can help jumpstart your thought processes about keyword research.
The tools covered are:
- Microsoft adCenter labs search funnels
- Xenu Link Sleuth
- Google & Microsoft Search Query Reports
- Search Based Keyword Tool
- The thesaurus
- Web Seer
- Wordtracker Labs: Keyword Questions
My two favorite ways to jumpstart keyword research before going down to these tools are:
When those two methods fail me, then the above tools take over to help get me started on new ideas.
| Read Brad's Newest Book: Advanced Google AdWords | |
|
Advanced Google AdWords will provide deep insight into AdWords functionality and advanced features, explaining how they work and providing tips, tactics, and hands-on tutorials that readers can immediately use on their own PPC campaigns. |
| Certified Knowledge: Online AdWords Training, Tools, and Community | |
|
Certified Knowledge is an online tools, training, and community site brought to you by Brad Geddes & bg Theory. We are currently accepting beta applications. In interested, please see more at CertifiedKnowledge.org. |
Related posts:
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- 13 Sites to Jumpstart Your Keyword Research I recently wrote about the simplest way to jumpstart your...
- Keyword Research Tools Knowing where todo keyword research is as imporntant as knowing...
Introducing Google AdWords Certified Partners. Google Advertising Professional Program is being shut down.
Google has been doing some serious thinking about the GAP (Google Advertising Professional) program for at least three years.
A while ago they redid the entire learning center. No one seems to completely understand this change as all their nice videos are gone replace by text and a fewer number of lessons.
Then AdWords launched Agency Land.
And today they launch their new certification program.
Here are the main differences:
Individual Qualification
Old Days: One test and spend requirement.
Now: Two tests (one basic and any one of the advanced tests) and no spend requirement.
This seems that the individual qualification is more a resume bullet point than a way of attracting business.
Certified Partner
Old Days: This was a qualified company. Qualified companies required 3 GAPs and a nice spend requirement.
Now: Need one Individual Qualification and spend $10k/quarter. This is a much lower threshold to become a partner than the old ‘qualified company’ logo.
Others
While Google still offers logos for analytics, website optimizer, etc – the AdWords Reseller and AdWords Company qualified logos showed both a combination of size (more than 1 employee) and spend.
AdWords Reseller
There is so much speculation around the reseller programs demise or massive change that I won’t even speculate here. It is the only section of the Advanced AdWords Book that Google legal & Google marketing asked me to alter.
Free API Credits
Here’s the really good news. Agencies will now get API credits based upon client spend. In the old days, an individual advertiser or reseller could get free quote points, but agencies had to pay for it. Now, just like individual advertisers; agencies can be eligible for credits if they have an agency page (a free listing page on Google’s site that you can create once you’re a partner).
You get 250 units per $1 spent. This is an excellent ratio of free API units. Few companies are going to need to buy additional API units (and if they do – they might need to examine their their usage first).
[update]Google called me to make sure people realized that you didn’t just get API credits by having a profile page. You still need to apply for the credits[/update]
What’s Next
Individual qualification has become a bullet point. Certified partners are just old GAPs with one good client ($10/quarter). The reseller program is going under major restructuring. It seems the only logical step is to make the old AdWords Resellers a program for large agencies.
There’s definitely a few tiers that is not well recognized here:
- The large agency: $1 million month or quarter. These agencies handle big accounts and are splitting the spend between multiple channels.
- The medium agency: $1 million / year, with 100 clients and 3-5 GAPs. If this agency gets 1 or 2 big clients, they might be 2-3 million/year in spend, but most of their clients are small.
- The small personal big client agency: This agency has 1-3 GAPs, but has one or two huge clients and spends $100k/month or more
- The small personal small spend agency: This agency has 1-3 GAPs, 10-40 clients per GAP, and manages roughly $50k-$250k of spend per month.
Google does not need this many tiers of logos. That I wouldn’t claim. However, having the above 4 agencies using the same Certified Partner logo that having one client who spend $3.5k/month will earn you doesn’t seem right either.
Expect to see a lot of posts about the new tests. The toughness of the new advanced tests (I haven’t taken any yet – I’m hoping they are *hard* and fair). And speculation about how to recognize those larger agencies.
| Read Brad's Newest Book: Advanced Google AdWords | |
|
Advanced Google AdWords will provide deep insight into AdWords functionality and advanced features, explaining how they work and providing tips, tactics, and hands-on tutorials that readers can immediately use on their own PPC campaigns. |
| Certified Knowledge: Online AdWords Training, Tools, and Community | |
|
Certified Knowledge is an online tools, training, and community site brought to you by Brad Geddes & bg Theory. We are currently accepting beta applications. In interested, please see more at CertifiedKnowledge.org. |
Related posts:
- Google Grant Owners – Apply for More Free Advertising I don’t write about Google Grants very often; but it’s...
And the winner is…
There were SO many fantastic entries, but…
The WINNER is ….
1) Dave Kurko – SellCarAmerica.com –> for originality, message to market match, and being the first one to create an AdWords interpretation which I believe would genuinely work (and has simultaneous potential for display advertising):
Still Searching for Spot?
Quick & Safe Return of Lost Pets
Affordable Fee for Service Only
Where-On-Earth-is-Spot.com
Dave, Portia will attempt to contact you via your website to arrange your prize, or you can open a ticket at PsyTechSupport.com and connect with her directly. Great job!
RUNNERS UP: (Unadvertised Prize): please open a ticket above and then choose your prize from the following (a) a copy of “How to Get Unstuck” (coaching assignments to obliterate obstacles, a $50 audio product) or (b) a 4 minute consult + 1 minute to read your issue beforehand
2) Pesach ben Levi (PattyCakeDoll.com) for concise creativity and touching Sharon’s heart:
Haiku:
gifts of love…
flowers, puppies
Sharon’s heart shows
3) Trevor (Excellerate.com), for utterly and thoroughly understanding Sharon’s dog:
“Fluffy’s life-long dream of becoming a sniper hits it’s first challenge when he fails camouflage 101″
And finally…
4) Glen McNeil (GlenMcNeil.com) for making me laugh so hard I literally had to run to the bathroom:
Fleurs: Free Decapitated Head of Dog with Purchase.
Thanks to everyone for an amazing set of entries. Sharon and I were up late reading them and smiling!
G
Content Network growing faster than advertisers can use it
In the last 10 years we've witnessed a true *revolution* in advertising. It's much bigger than just the advent of Pay Per Click.
A decade ago the world revolved around Madison Avenue, brand advertising was king, Direct Marketing was the red-headed stepchild of the business world. Paid online advertising was little more than a foolish curiosity.
Now online advertising is a $50 BILLION industry, Direct Marketing is at the forefront of modern media and Google is the #1 force on the Internet.
There's a 'bad news' part of that, which is: Since the recession hit, the Fortune 500 have been piling on the Internet. Pushing bid prices up. Google's Customer Service goes down the drain, they ban little guys and our cozy space gets invaded.
The bottom line is:
If you're a small, agile advertiser then you need to seek higher ground.
For many if not most of my customers, higher ground is plentiful on the Content Network. Google is adding bells and whistles faster than advertisers can put them to work. Just within the last few weeks they've completely renovated their Placement Targeting tool.
If you're not keeping up with this, you're falling behind. And losing money that could otherwise be yours.
Which is why we've taken Shelley Ellis's Content Network Boot Camp and packaged it digitally as a home study course. Get it here now.
Free Google Quality Score “Cheat Sheet”
If I were being Google-Politically-Correct I'd call it a "Quick Guide" …but Cheat Sheet is a lot more fun, doncha think?
Whatever you wanna call it, Glenn Livingston and his crew at RocketClicks made one. It's a handy 8-page summary, delivered with Glenn's usual high standards.
You can get it at http://www.perrymarshall.com/qualityscore
A few comments of my own:
1) Yesterday on a Bobsled Run coaching call, someone was asking about Quality Score and Sunny Hills made a great comment. He said, "A lot of people obsess about Quality Score but I see it as a trailing indicator, not a leading indicator. It's not the be-all-end-all that some folks think it is. I've got keywords with QS of 3 or 4 that are selling just fine. Serve the customer first, not the Google Bot."
Amen, Sunny.
2) With that in mind, Quality Score is really about RELEVANCE and relevance is ultimately about PEOPLE. I firmly believe that if you aim to please the people, the robots will eventually catch up – which is good. But if you only aim to please the robots, the people will eventually catch up – which is BAD.
Along with Glenn's Cheat Sheet you'll also find a lode of strategies about hitting your market's passionate sweet spot. With bulls-eye targeting and simple, smart survey techniques.
3) The most important person you can target in any market is the "Hyper Responsive Customer."
If you sell dog training videos, the Hyper Responsive Customer is the gal who already has 5 other dog training videos. She's hoping that #6 (your video) takes her to new places – solves problems the others didn't or couldn't.
In other words she's been around the block a few times and she's looking for someone who has a "breakthrough" Unique Selling Proposition.
I'm not telling you this is easy. But if you can make HER happy, you'll get everyone – because she talks to 10X more dog enthusiasts than everybody else. Make her and her friends happy and you'll establish a beachhead – even in a super tough market.
Make the most of Glenn's Cheat Sheet. (Also he's got an MP3 interview about Quality Score that goes even deeper than the Cheat Sheet):
http://www.perrymarshall.com/qualityscore
Perry
Best Caption Wins
My wife is at it again with her camera and Photoshop. So whoever comes up with the best caption below wins a copy of The Truth Prints (my best A to Z blueprint for internet marketing, intended to provide a foundation and compliment the Hyper Responsive Marketing Club for anyone still struggling to make their first significantly profitable website) — OR — one month free in the hyper-responsive club — OR — a 12 minute personal consultation with yours truly by telephone or skype (and 3 minutes for me to read your issue beforehand).
Extra points for internet marketing relevant captions, but the winner doesn’t necessarily have to be about marketing.
OK, go to it!
Leave your entries in the comments below. Winner chosen solely by my personal judgment. No purchase necessary to win, void where prohibited, coffee is hot, don’t spill hydrochloric acid on your privates, Mama knows best, yadayadayada.
Post as many captions as you like, but only ONE comment per person please (so my filters don’t flag as spam)
Winner will be selected on Friday 4/23/10 by end of business.
G
