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Marketing Lessons I Learned in Chicago this Week...
I was in the fine city of Chicago this week to speak at a marketing conference. And I learned some interesting things: 1 - Traffic in Chicago is much worse than the allegedly bad traffic in Atlanta where I live. We left the hotel downtown at 3 p.m. and were parked on the "highway" a few minutes later. The Lesson Learned: I am thankful - as I know many of you are - that I don't have to leave home and fight through this terrible traffic on a daily basis. Life's too short to 2 - Despite the traffic, I arrived at the airport early enough to rebook my ticket (by paying the $25 fee) on a flight leaving 90 minutes earlier than my original schedule. That was the good news. The bad news turned out to be that this flight would leave 45 minutes late so I didn't gain very much for my $25. Obviously, I can afford the $25, but that's not the point. The Lesson Learned: It's not about the money. It's about the perception of value received for the money. When I made the deal with the airline to book the earlier flight, I did so with the specific understanding that I was investing $25 to buy 90 minutes. But, I ended up only getting 1/2 that time - 45 minutes. So, I felt like I'd gotten screwed in the deal. People - like us and our customers - invest money with us based on the perception of the value they'll receive in exchange. If you don't deliver on your promise, then the customer is not going to be happy with the deal. If you deliver more, the customer should be ecstatic. That's why you'll usually find extra - unadvertised - bonuses when you purchase my products. It doesn't matter that I probably would have spent the $25 to get the 45 minutes anyway - that's not the deal I bought. 3 - When I booked my hotel reservation, the website promoted the fine history of the property. When I was standing in the lobby, they had an interesting wall display listing the famous people and many presidents who had stayed there years ago. And they specifically mentioned how they had upgraded the hotel with the latest in electrical, plumbing, etc. I'm not sure how long ago someone wrote this fiction, but it must be at least 30 years ago - maybe longer. Perhaps the reference to Diamond Jim Brady should have clued me in. I won't bore you with the sordid details about the sagging mattress and matted down carpet, but it was depressing to enter my room. Especially when I opened the curtains so I could look 15 feet across the air shaft at other rooms. The Lesson Learned: Next time I'm booking a reservation in a "historical" hotel, I need to be certain to ask if they've stayed true to their history or entered the new millennium. Of course, for $39 a night, I might have expected something like I got. But, when I'm paying $120 for the discounted conference special rate, I'm not seeing the value in the deal. For many products and services - like hotel rooms - we have an understanding of what we think we should get for the money we spend. It doesn't matter whether our preconceived notion is correct - we've got it in our heads already. As marketers, we have to deal with the public that has these preconceived ideas. When we're not going to fit with them (like charging way too much for a crummy room), we should be fair and make that clear. But we'll obviously want to do this in a fashion that will show why this is a still a fair, if not great, value proposition. 4 - But this story gets even more interesting... I was chatting with Paul Hartunian (the PR expert who once sold the Brooklyn Bridge - legitimately) and mentioned that I was not happy with my room. He remarked that other people had also voiced similar opinions, but he loved his room. Turns out he had asked the hotel about upgrade options and, for $20 more, you could get a completely updated room with a wonderful view of the city and Lake Michigan. Of course, no one volunteers this when you call to make reservations. And it's not mentioned at all on their website. But I'll bet the people that work in this hotel are wondering why more people don't choose the upgrade option. The Lesson Learned: Don't hide your light under a bushel basket! Think about this...the hotel could have turned many unhappy people into raving fans simply by mentioning the $20 option. Plus, they could have been grabbing an extra $20 a night from dozens of people for doing absolutely nothing. Sure, we're sitting here in judgment thinking how stupid this is. But...unfortunately, we occasionally make the same kind of silly mistakes and don't make the really fine benefits of our product or service crystal clear. To sum up: 1 - Don't play in traffic. It's hazardous to your health. 2 - Explain the value in your offers and deliver what you promise (preferably more). 3 - Don't hide your best benefits and offers. Put them right out front so your prospects will become happy customers. Yours in success, Shawn Casey P.S. If you missed the incredible Jeff Paul teleseminar this week - or just want to review it and take some more notes (Jeff talks fast and delivers a lot of info), you can hear the recorded version here: http://www.ShawnsNews.net/JeffPaulRecording.html (Scroll down a little when you get there) Internet Millionaire Shawn Casey's "Mining Gold On the Internet" is one of the best selling Internet books with over 85,000 copies sold. In "Mining Gold", Shawn reveals the same step-by-step strategies he uses to create millions in Internet sales => http://www.ipcgold.com/ad/100/CD3839 Benefit from Shawn's 7 years of Internet experience and learn from someone who has actually made millions online.
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news News 8's Ad Watch Reports News 8's government reporter Matt Belanger is analyzing political ads as part of Commitment 2010 coverage. News Tribune staff wins 15 awards The News Tribune advertising department received 15 awards at the Missouri Ad Managers Association awards. News Tribune won Best in Show for the second year in a row and won six first-place awards, two second-place awards, five third-place awards and two honorable mention awards. News chief is highest paid by far News Corporation chief operating officer Chase Carey has taken on the mantle of best-rewarded executive, with a $32 million package. News 8 with National Guard troops at San Diego border News 8 is getting a first look Friday at how National Guard troops operate along known smuggling routes in Otay Mesa. News of the World journalist 'was asked to tap phones' A former reporter on the News of the World has told the BBC that he was personally asked by then-editor Andy Coulson to tap into phones. ABC News? Brian Ross stumbles over another terrorism story ABC News' investigative reporter Brian Ross routinely takes the lead on breaking terrorism stories--any time there's a murky emerging story about a potential threat, he's among the first to fill in the details with his unnamed government sources. The problem is, once the initial confusion lifts and facts start to get reported, Ross' scoops often [... ] News Wrap: U.S. Markets React Positively to Jobs Numbers Listen to the Audio In other news Friday, U.S. markets rose ahead of the holiday weekend on news of the latest unemployment reading. HARI SREENIVASAN: Wall Street took some encouragement from the jobs numbers. The Dow Jones industrial average gained more than 127 points to close near 10448. The Nasdaq rose more than 33 points to close above 2233. In all, the markets had their best week since ... News by location Get local and national news updates via E-mail. A look back in history from the files of The Fayetteville Observer. Sept. 5, 2000: Hoke commissioners lift the moratorium on family cemeteries in the county. News by location Get local and national news updates via E-mail. All-Atlantic Coast Conference linebackers Bruce Carter and Quan Sturdivant have been cleared to play for North Carolina in its season opener against LSU on Saturday in Atlanta. News by location Get local and national news updates via E-mail. When the announcement came last September that North Carolina would get to play LSU in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game this year, it was quickly anointed as a "golden opportunity'' for the Tar Heels. Site: news - Google News Fox News Poll: 78 Percent Favor Term Limits On Congress - FOXNews
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for advertising Advertising expenditures in UAE decline 4% in H1 Advertising expenditures in UAE decline 4% in H1 Location-Based Advertising To Reach $1.8 Billion Location-based advertising is still in its early stages, but according to ABI Research, businesses will spend $1.8 billion on it in 2015 as part of their overall mobile marketing budgets. ?It?s still early days and there?s no single ?right? approach to location-based advertising,? says practice director Neil Strother. ?This remains a very fragmented market that is full of experimentation ... Advertising Onslaught British artist Stanley Donwood combines the words and colors used in two forms of advertising -- spam and billboards -- to create an overwhelming atmosphere that is at once attractive and troubling at Fifty24SF Gallery. His paintings use words such as Brain, Sex, Blood, Desire, Risk, Now, and Cheap.... Advertising Standards Authority to regulate online ads The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has been granted new powers toregulate all online adverts in a move that will put increasing pressure on website owners and advertisers. Broadband advertising 'misleading consumers' Misleading advertising of broadband speeds is confusing and frustrating consumers, a survey has warned. Advertising Standards Authority gets online power The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is extending its remit to cover the online realm. It means that online marketing and ads will, from 1 March 2011, be subject to the same strict advertising rules as traditional media. Advertising expenditures in UAE decline 4% in first half 01 September 2010 ABU DHABI -- The advertising expenditures in the GCC region grew by 20 per cent in the first six months of the year, showing significant growth in all member nations of the economic bloc, in contrast with a four per cent dip in the UAE. Advertising regulations extended to cover websites Full advertising regulations are to be extended to retailers' own websites and online areas like Twitter and Facebook, it was announced today. Advertising watchdog moves online The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is extending its remit to cover the online realm. Advertising ROI Expert, Richard Seppala, aka ROI Guy, Writes About Getting Your Marketing Fix Orlando, Fla. September 3, 2010 Richard Seppala, ROI Return on Investment Marketing expert and best-selling author also know as ROI Guy, recently posted a blog on his website, http://www.YourROIGuy.com, called ROI Guy Blog: Getting Your Marketing Fix. In the blog, Richard explains how businesses not knowing what the real ROI of their marketing and advertising is - can ... Site: advertising - Google News Special Report: Outgunned FDA tries to get tough with drug ads - Reuters
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