Posted in Oddities by Greg Ross on February 22nd, 2010
In 1999, UC-Davis civil engineer David Phillips was grocery shopping when he noticed something peculiar. Healthy Choice Foods was offering frequent-flyer miles to customers who bought its products. But a 25-cent pudding would bring 100 miles — the reward was worth more than the product itself.
Recognizing a good thing, Phillips bought 12,150 servings of pudding for $3,140, claiming he was stocking up for Y2K. Then he enlisted the Salvation Army to help him peel off the UPC codes, in exchange for donating the pudding.
He mailed his submission to Healthy Choice, and to their credit they awarded him 1.25 million frequent-flyer miles, enough for 31 round trips to Europe, 42 to Hawaii, 21 to Australia, or 50 anywhere in the United States.
There’s no downside. Phillips also got Aadvantage Gold status for life with American Airlines, which brings a special reservations number, priority boarding, upgrades, and bonus miles. And he got an $815 tax writeoff for donating the pudding.
© 2010 Scripting for Success Ruth Anne Wood
For travelers who add to the humor of travel
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Spell it Right
For someone who writes so much, I'm embarrassed that my spelling is so atrocious.
You'd think the birthday cards my grandmother sent back to me in my childhood with red "sp" marks through the letters would spur me to practice my spelling.
The problem is when I started to care I got a thing called Spell Check on my computer.
You give it your best shot, type out the word, see that something is misspelled and right click on the word and it automatically gives you alternative spelling options to the one you've chosen. It becomes so automatic that I stop thinking about learning the new spelling and using it in a sentence.
It's kind of annoying that the words I've always known how to spell are suddenly wrong... according to my email spell checker.
My favorite word is now f-a-v-o-u-r-i-t-e now that my browser is on the British setting.
And my neighbors live much further away now that I spell them n-e-i-g-h-b-o-u-r-s.
© 2010 Scripting for Success Ruth Anne Wood
For Writers Who Need Help Spelling
You'd think the birthday cards my grandmother sent back to me in my childhood with red "sp" marks through the letters would spur me to practice my spelling.
The problem is when I started to care I got a thing called Spell Check on my computer.
You give it your best shot, type out the word, see that something is misspelled and right click on the word and it automatically gives you alternative spelling options to the one you've chosen. It becomes so automatic that I stop thinking about learning the new spelling and using it in a sentence.
It's kind of annoying that the words I've always known how to spell are suddenly wrong... according to my email spell checker.
My favorite word is now f-a-v-o-u-r-i-t-e now that my browser is on the British setting.
And my neighbors live much further away now that I spell them n-e-i-g-h-b-o-u-r-s.
© 2010 Scripting for Success Ruth Anne Wood
For Writers Who Need Help Spelling
Is 8 out of 9 the new standard?
WIFE: How was your day?
HUSBAND: Pretty good. I give it an 8 out of 9.
WIFE: People have a five star rating or 10/10 days where did you come up with 8/9?
HUSBAND: I had 9 things on my to do list and only got 8 accomplished.
© 2010 Scripting for Success Ruth Anne Wood
For people who want to improve life's rating system
HUSBAND: Pretty good. I give it an 8 out of 9.
WIFE: People have a five star rating or 10/10 days where did you come up with 8/9?
HUSBAND: I had 9 things on my to do list and only got 8 accomplished.
© 2010 Scripting for Success Ruth Anne Wood
For people who want to improve life's rating system
Toilet Paper Advertising
WIFE: Wow! Gimp illustrator on Linux even has toilet paper as a print size.
HUSBAND: What do you mean?
WIFE: There is US standard, legal, floppy disk and toilet paper.
HUSBAND: Ha! Someone had a sense of humor.
WIFE: What if someone printed a 1000 rolls of toilet paper with their company information for next week's convention? People would think about their company for at least a week!
HUSBAND: That depend on how shitty of a week they had!
© 2010 Scripting for Success Ruth Anne Wood
For creative marketers
HUSBAND: What do you mean?
WIFE: There is US standard, legal, floppy disk and toilet paper.
HUSBAND: Ha! Someone had a sense of humor.
WIFE: What if someone printed a 1000 rolls of toilet paper with their company information for next week's convention? People would think about their company for at least a week!
HUSBAND: That depend on how shitty of a week they had!
© 2010 Scripting for Success Ruth Anne Wood
For creative marketers
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Know Your Market Before You Waste Time in Social Media
I recently met with a client that wanted me to teach her how to use facebook, twitter, linkedin and wordpress in two hours. I usually don't do house calls since I work with most of my clients over the phone and mainly in interactive coaching groups. With our laptops open on the kitchen table, I knew right away I had my work cut out for me with my client's daughter just feet away on the living room couch loudly playing on the playstation and her teenage son also home on holiday gabbing non stop on the phone.
My IT business owner husband who gives talks at the local Chamber of Commerce and professional groups usually on one social network platform per talk was amazed I took on the challenge of addressing multiple platforms in a two hour visit. "I know," I sighed. it was for a single mom who wanted to learn social media to get her business off the ground.
The biggest thing I discovered about my client's social media challenges was that her marketing message was all over the place. Before we delved into her LinkedIn and WordPress blog, we took some time talking about her ideal clients: What problems did they have and how she could solve them? Then we narrowed down the services she offered. "What?!" I hear you saying. "Won't that limit the her number of clients?" Actually the clearer she gets about the one type of client she serves and their biggest problem the easier she can market to that! I told her to jot down her ideal clients' demographics: age, sex, profession, how it felt to work with her ideal client. Who were her pay anything, do anything to get their problem fixed clients? Tell me their family dynamics and life story. The more you know this, the easier it is to market your products and services to the right people who will seek you out to work with you. Everyday you'll know what to say to these people because you've clearly defined your marketing message.
Delving deeper I soon learned she had not made article writing, social media status updates and blogging a part of her weekly business routine. The second stumbling block was my client didn't have a consistent marketing message with a strong service advantage. That echoes what I said earlier. She had trouble answering, "Why would your prospects do business with you instead of your competitors (who were currently getting much more business?" It didn't matter what social media she used if she didn't know what services. She needed an irresistible offer, a strong call to action or incentive to work with her. The alternative was to be like every other business professional in her industry and continue to chase after the dead end leads and prospects or "suspects" as David Sandler of the Sandler Sales Institute calls them. The good news is once she knew her target audience, she could start writing her social media comments, articles and blogs to that avatar or ideal client profile.
How do you pick your ideal client? Well in her case I asked my client to tell me what her big mission was. Why she got into her business in the first place. Was this a passion of hers? Who was it she helping? Her eyes lit up and she told me how she had struggled with the same problems her ideal clients faced during her divorce and she could identify with their struggle. "Good!" I told her. Update your website to include that story. It creates an instant bond.
Even though the two hours flew by and she had a hazy, overwhelmed look on her face as I ran to my next appointment, I have every confidence that once she takes time to focus on the needs and struggle of her idea clients she'll be able to overhear them in check out lines, business networking groups, online chats and forms, in google searches and much more and say, "Hi, I know exactly how to help you!"
HOMEWORK
Answer these questions:
Make a list of your best clients.
What are the common elements about them?
What is the biggest problem you help them solve?
Does your personal story match theirs before you discovered the service you now offer?
Maybe it should.:-)
In the spirit of giving...
grab your free downloadable
book template and writing/marketing check list.
I wish I had this before I started writing books and interviewing best selling authors.:-)
http://ping.fm/DumXe
-Ruth
Ruth Anne Wood works with best selling authors, Emmy award winning film makers and experts who help her create co-authored movies, books, plays, events using the passion and creativity of a group.
http://ping.fm/isysS
My IT business owner husband who gives talks at the local Chamber of Commerce and professional groups usually on one social network platform per talk was amazed I took on the challenge of addressing multiple platforms in a two hour visit. "I know," I sighed. it was for a single mom who wanted to learn social media to get her business off the ground.
The biggest thing I discovered about my client's social media challenges was that her marketing message was all over the place. Before we delved into her LinkedIn and WordPress blog, we took some time talking about her ideal clients: What problems did they have and how she could solve them? Then we narrowed down the services she offered. "What?!" I hear you saying. "Won't that limit the her number of clients?" Actually the clearer she gets about the one type of client she serves and their biggest problem the easier she can market to that! I told her to jot down her ideal clients' demographics: age, sex, profession, how it felt to work with her ideal client. Who were her pay anything, do anything to get their problem fixed clients? Tell me their family dynamics and life story. The more you know this, the easier it is to market your products and services to the right people who will seek you out to work with you. Everyday you'll know what to say to these people because you've clearly defined your marketing message.
Delving deeper I soon learned she had not made article writing, social media status updates and blogging a part of her weekly business routine. The second stumbling block was my client didn't have a consistent marketing message with a strong service advantage. That echoes what I said earlier. She had trouble answering, "Why would your prospects do business with you instead of your competitors (who were currently getting much more business?" It didn't matter what social media she used if she didn't know what services. She needed an irresistible offer, a strong call to action or incentive to work with her. The alternative was to be like every other business professional in her industry and continue to chase after the dead end leads and prospects or "suspects" as David Sandler of the Sandler Sales Institute calls them. The good news is once she knew her target audience, she could start writing her social media comments, articles and blogs to that avatar or ideal client profile.
How do you pick your ideal client? Well in her case I asked my client to tell me what her big mission was. Why she got into her business in the first place. Was this a passion of hers? Who was it she helping? Her eyes lit up and she told me how she had struggled with the same problems her ideal clients faced during her divorce and she could identify with their struggle. "Good!" I told her. Update your website to include that story. It creates an instant bond.
Even though the two hours flew by and she had a hazy, overwhelmed look on her face as I ran to my next appointment, I have every confidence that once she takes time to focus on the needs and struggle of her idea clients she'll be able to overhear them in check out lines, business networking groups, online chats and forms, in google searches and much more and say, "Hi, I know exactly how to help you!"
HOMEWORK
Answer these questions:
Make a list of your best clients.
What are the common elements about them?
What is the biggest problem you help them solve?
Does your personal story match theirs before you discovered the service you now offer?
Maybe it should.:-)
In the spirit of giving...
grab your free downloadable
book template and writing/marketing check list.
I wish I had this before I started writing books and interviewing best selling authors.:-)
http://ping.fm/DumXe
-Ruth
Ruth Anne Wood works with best selling authors, Emmy award winning film makers and experts who help her create co-authored movies, books, plays, events using the passion and creativity of a group.
http://ping.fm/isysS
Friday, February 5, 2010
UNDERvaluing What You Offer? You May Be Losing Clients and Mo-ney
Years ago, there was a question in my intake packet for new clients titled, "What is holding you back or slowing your progress?" , as it related to attracting all the clients they needed and having a full practice. Having worked with hundreds and hundreds of clients over the years, I've seen it all. Other than "no knowledge of marketing," one thing seems to come up over and over again, and it happened again recently, with a brand new client.
The client answered this: "Sometimes, the 'Little Voice' inside me asks, 'Who needs my program anyway? This is basic information that I offer. People already know this stuff!'" This is so common, but in most every case, this is absolutely not accurate.
I have to admit, in the past, I too have taken for granted what I already know and teach everyday and started questioning my value in the marketplace. For example, when I was teaching holistic nutrition years ago, I sometimes wondered why people were paying me (or WOULD pay me) to teach them about whole foods versus processed foods. To me, it was a no-brainer that brown rice was more healthful than white. But to a person who grew up on Twinkies, it was crucial that I explain it to them in detail, and then the shortcuts to fitting in those brand new foods into their busy life.
I would also question the value of the cooking classes I gave once a month to 15 or 20 people crammed in my living room . As I was stirring carrots and onions on my Coleman grill in the middle of my tiny apartment, I couldn't help but think "Are these simple recipes REALLY of value to them?" (I'd been through serious Boot Camp at the French Culinary Institute, so this came naturally to me.) But they kept showing up, asking questions, and referring friends. Go figure!
Even in the early years of my business coaching practice, I sometimes wondered about my value . Clients asked me daily about the secrets of getting clients to call THEM and making a lot more mo-ney with smart marketing techniques and even smarter systems. For me, it was now ingrained and like second nature. I took for granted that I knew it, and because I'd been doing it for so long and knew that it worked, I thought everyone knew it too and that it was common sense.
On the contrary! What's common knowledge for us, is a secret to someone else. Because we "bathe" in our information all day long, and for years, we start taking for granted what we know. We forget what we know is actually a secret many others would do anything and everything to discover. It becomes the answer to their most pressing problem. It becomes the solution others have been praying for. And that's when they call us.
If you're in this situation, you are probably OVER-estimating what everybody else knows. The more common what you teach is to YOU and the longer you do what it is you do, the more you tend to undervalue what you know.
The irony here, as I've discovered, is that the more we teach things to our clients in SIMPLE terms, the happier they are , the more referrals we get and the more we make. It's not the convoluted teachings that people are looking for. It's the practical and simple solutions.
The real shame about the whole undervaluing what you know is that as a result, you may be undercharging for what you offer . This is actually one of the major reasons why most people don't have enough clients. Because they don't see value in what they offer, they don't charge enough, and there is therefore a low perception of value from the prospective client's point of view. They then go somewhere else for the same exact information. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy!
Some entrepreneurs even go so far as discounting their services, or offering a sliding scale , because of their lack of confidence and low perception of value in what they offer. In my book, discounting is a BIG no-no. Again, it portrays a devalued product or service and it's NOT Client Attractive.
Your Client Attraction Assignment:
* Notice that your clients came to YOU for the information you take for granted. Sometimes, they may even have known some of what you know, but didn't have the discipline, accountability, resources or structure to do it on their own. Many of my clients KNOW how to attract other clients, they're already somewhat successful, but they don't have the discipline or accountability to do it consistently on their own. So we do it together. This is actually my favorite type of scenario, because these clients are very driven and since we're not starting from scratch in the learning process, we move at warp speed.
* Be confident in what you offer. Read your testimonials over and over until your confidence comes back.
* See yourself as their problem solver. Charge accordingly and never discount your services. Ever.
If you're not sure how much to charge or how to position your value in the marketplace , then it's time to take action and invest in a step-by-step marketing system that will feel easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ avoids all the unnecessary stuff and instead gives you the most important things to do to get out there in a big way, set up simple, solid systems, so you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It's all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things . So, you do step one of the system, and when you're done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. So easy. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com .
© 2010 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Line
Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine?
No problem! But here's what you MUST include:
Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System TM , the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time...guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your income, visit www.ClientAttraction.com/849801/.
Discover the "sweet spot" of Client Attraction with the secret of Marketing & Mindset. New [video] from Fabienne Fredrickson
http://ping.fm/5mO1K
The client answered this: "Sometimes, the 'Little Voice' inside me asks, 'Who needs my program anyway? This is basic information that I offer. People already know this stuff!'" This is so common, but in most every case, this is absolutely not accurate.
I have to admit, in the past, I too have taken for granted what I already know and teach everyday and started questioning my value in the marketplace. For example, when I was teaching holistic nutrition years ago, I sometimes wondered why people were paying me (or WOULD pay me) to teach them about whole foods versus processed foods. To me, it was a no-brainer that brown rice was more healthful than white. But to a person who grew up on Twinkies, it was crucial that I explain it to them in detail, and then the shortcuts to fitting in those brand new foods into their busy life.
I would also question the value of the cooking classes I gave once a month to 15 or 20 people crammed in my living room . As I was stirring carrots and onions on my Coleman grill in the middle of my tiny apartment, I couldn't help but think "Are these simple recipes REALLY of value to them?" (I'd been through serious Boot Camp at the French Culinary Institute, so this came naturally to me.) But they kept showing up, asking questions, and referring friends. Go figure!
Even in the early years of my business coaching practice, I sometimes wondered about my value . Clients asked me daily about the secrets of getting clients to call THEM and making a lot more mo-ney with smart marketing techniques and even smarter systems. For me, it was now ingrained and like second nature. I took for granted that I knew it, and because I'd been doing it for so long and knew that it worked, I thought everyone knew it too and that it was common sense.
On the contrary! What's common knowledge for us, is a secret to someone else. Because we "bathe" in our information all day long, and for years, we start taking for granted what we know. We forget what we know is actually a secret many others would do anything and everything to discover. It becomes the answer to their most pressing problem. It becomes the solution others have been praying for. And that's when they call us.
If you're in this situation, you are probably OVER-estimating what everybody else knows. The more common what you teach is to YOU and the longer you do what it is you do, the more you tend to undervalue what you know.
The irony here, as I've discovered, is that the more we teach things to our clients in SIMPLE terms, the happier they are , the more referrals we get and the more we make. It's not the convoluted teachings that people are looking for. It's the practical and simple solutions.
The real shame about the whole undervaluing what you know is that as a result, you may be undercharging for what you offer . This is actually one of the major reasons why most people don't have enough clients. Because they don't see value in what they offer, they don't charge enough, and there is therefore a low perception of value from the prospective client's point of view. They then go somewhere else for the same exact information. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy!
Some entrepreneurs even go so far as discounting their services, or offering a sliding scale , because of their lack of confidence and low perception of value in what they offer. In my book, discounting is a BIG no-no. Again, it portrays a devalued product or service and it's NOT Client Attractive.
Your Client Attraction Assignment:
* Notice that your clients came to YOU for the information you take for granted. Sometimes, they may even have known some of what you know, but didn't have the discipline, accountability, resources or structure to do it on their own. Many of my clients KNOW how to attract other clients, they're already somewhat successful, but they don't have the discipline or accountability to do it consistently on their own. So we do it together. This is actually my favorite type of scenario, because these clients are very driven and since we're not starting from scratch in the learning process, we move at warp speed.
* Be confident in what you offer. Read your testimonials over and over until your confidence comes back.
* See yourself as their problem solver. Charge accordingly and never discount your services. Ever.
If you're not sure how much to charge or how to position your value in the marketplace , then it's time to take action and invest in a step-by-step marketing system that will feel easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ avoids all the unnecessary stuff and instead gives you the most important things to do to get out there in a big way, set up simple, solid systems, so you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It's all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things . So, you do step one of the system, and when you're done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. So easy. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com .
© 2010 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Line
Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine?
No problem! But here's what you MUST include:
Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System TM , the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time...guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your income, visit www.ClientAttraction.com/849801/.
Discover the "sweet spot" of Client Attraction with the secret of Marketing & Mindset. New [video] from Fabienne Fredrickson
http://ping.fm/5mO1K
I'm participating in my first give away event
(besides the amazon book launch I'm doing for
Dr. Judith Orloff Ph.D. on March 2nd.
Unfortunately today is the last day for the EZ-IM Giveaway event and I wanted to make sure you had your chance to get your share of over 400 free gifts.
Go here now:
http://ez-im.com/go/742
If you have not already taken advantage of it, do it now. Don't hold it for another day as the doors are closing in only a few hours.
It is VERY IMPORTANT to remember that even if you do not have time to download all the gifts now, you must go and secure a spot so you can download the gifts at your convenience.
Even after the event has closed.
http://ez-im.com/go/742
Blessings,
Ruth
PS
Here's my product:
http://ping.fm/Nfm24
Let me know what you think by posting a comment.
(besides the amazon book launch I'm doing for
Dr. Judith Orloff Ph.D. on March 2nd.
Unfortunately today is the last day for the EZ-IM Giveaway event and I wanted to make sure you had your chance to get your share of over 400 free gifts.
Go here now:
http://ez-im.com/go/742
If you have not already taken advantage of it, do it now. Don't hold it for another day as the doors are closing in only a few hours.
It is VERY IMPORTANT to remember that even if you do not have time to download all the gifts now, you must go and secure a spot so you can download the gifts at your convenience.
Even after the event has closed.
http://ez-im.com/go/742
Blessings,
Ruth
PS
Here's my product:
http://ping.fm/Nfm24
Let me know what you think by posting a comment.
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