Stay In Your Lane

 As i sit back with my cup of hot black coffee ☕ 

Back from a trade show yesterday, so nothing new there but,

I am always amazed that first, people remember me and some of them want to talk to me.  

Yesterday was the ITF Chicago Section. I have a few customers in that sector but, the people who really wanted to talk with me were not looking to talk about my vast knowledge of food technology but my more extensive knowledge and understanding of trade shows. It's funny when my postings leading up to a show talk about having coffee and talking "Trade Show" and that is what they want to talk with me about.

It led me to remind myself and remind would be customers and vendors to stay in your lane.

Honestly my specialty is trade shows. Trade show marketing,  training and consulting. That expertise leads me into other horizontal markets but I will eventually lead my customers into a trade show. 

I guess that is why I am called "The Tradeshow Fanatic"

That arena is where people and companies go to buy and sell. 

Lately and I have been taking about, I have been interviewing vendors for additional services I can offer you. Call me lazy, but I can't do everything. And not at the level I want to be providing as fast a pace as is necessary. 

What I have found is these possible additions to the Larson stable of services don't know how to stay in there lane. They don't know how to do what they do best without taking more of the marketing pie or since today is National Donut Day, your marketing donut.

That is what professional friends are for. So you can stay in your lane and be the best while giving more. 

Howard

AI And The Upsell

 As I sit back with my hot black coffee ☕ . Going back to AI and marketing today. Yes the elephant in the room.

I have come to the conclusion that AI marketers are a hoax.

No not AI but those people who are selling it. I believe AI is a wonderful tool and can make good marketers better and faster, but after 5 AI sales presentations without help, the people selling you AI marketing are selling snake oil products. Every one of them has tried to up sell me.

We can do this if:

We make a new website

We do your SEO

We control your social sites

Etc etc etc

Ya right. If I do a stand alone telemarketing project, I'll find you customers. If I do a stand alone social marketing program, I will find you customers. Sure I have my 3 legged stool system of telemarketing, direct mail and email. If you're a Larson follower I show that almost every day at 8:05am (remember about routines) Every one involves a real human person interacting with another real human person. My belief is people buy from people, and only buy from an AI bot only when forced too.

But AI marketers have to control the system it seems or it doesn't work. So they upsell. And, here is the sync in me, with out the up sells their version of AI is a toothless lion. 

So why not just buy a Larson Mjölnir Marketing plan and be done with it.

Howard

In Social The @ Vs The #

 As I sit back with my cup of hot black coffee ☕ I was thinking about the @ in social posting. Circling back to your purpose on being on social, what ever your chosen platform. 

I use it as a PR tool. Yesterday going over my routine. Today I was thinking about the all powerful @ sign to everyone. I seldom use it because, well, if you're not an active Facebook or LinkedIn person, and only follow me so I follow you to pump up your numbers, you don't care about my content so why wake you up. 

I am here to work it and find paying customers. And if you're just here to be a high follower person at least you know why you are here.

It's funny because I might be using a @ to thank everyone for following me if I hit 1700. I'm close so wait for it! Lol!

When I see one of those people mentioned me and other followers a message I usually roll my eyes and pass it by. I know the people who are doing it daily. Thank goodness you can only do it once a day or there would be alot of unfriending. 

So why social. Me? As I said I use it as a PR tool. When I launch a new service I post it. When I have a special deal going, I post it. I use the all mighty # and have grown quite proficient at hashtag hacking. It is part of what we offer in our social media marketing plans, and if you don't or who ever does your social doesn't we should talk.

As for the people and companies I follow. You like my post and I usually when time permits take a look at your page and give you a like or two. And a comment. 

Social can be a powerful tool in your marketing mix, but it is only a tool, maybe I need to write about my latest experiences with people trying to sell me social and as they talk want to, or need to, control more, and more, and more of your marketing in an upsell! I just went through that. I thought ok I can only do so much (this is true for the guys too) and as he talked they wanted to sell me SEO, or a new website, yes they wanted more and more control of the marketing pie. 

Howard

Business Routine

 As I sit back this morning with my cup of hot black coffee ☕ I was thinking of my routine.

It starts with this unhashtaged  post of what ever idea

businesswise pops into my head. Thank you for being here.

Do you have a routine. Mine has a little ebb and flow this post is part of that. Some of that depends on what I am doing. If I am catching the train to head into Chicago for a trade show our time here is probably not going to happen. Yet this post is the start of my work day. I need to fit it in before 7am because my scheduled posts start. Then for the next hour you get my company specials, trade show specials, what shows are coming up. At 8  boring boiler plate marketing so you remember what I do. At 8:35 my telemarketing push. Putting a fun twist to a hard but necessary lead generation job, slipping into some more marketing ending at 11:55. 

And let's not forget picking out a rubber duck of the day (because rubber ducks are a hot marketing tool) and we sell them.

Give or take that is my day. My routine gets me going, focused and directed. I expect interruptions. And except when I am in my telemarketing mode, look forward to speaking to any REAL people. With my focused routine I get things done. 

If marketing is not part of your normal daily plans you might want to consider using us, because when people see you, know you, find you, they will trust you with their money and business. And that comes with a routine.

Howard

Buying from people I know & respect

 As I settle in with my morning coffee ☕, nice you have joined me for a piece of your day.

I had no idea what I was going to say today.

This is a social site but here on this sub page it is a business page. We come together to, I hope, do some business but...

Who do you buy from? If you're like me, I buy from people I know and people I respect. And feel sad and let down when it doesn't work out. Sometimes it happens. Me, you, all of us, and my mind focused on the word RESPECT. 

Do you respect your business partners, your suppliers, your customers? Or are you just using them as your next paycheck? 

My company is small. I want it this way. At one time my businesses were much much larger and as much as owning a 10,000 square foot building and employeeing 56 people brought prestige, it was pressure. 

Now in my company system I have people I work with, not for, not controlled. Yet with my values and mindset. 

What are your dreams, your goals, your aspirations? 

Give me a call sometime. I know the joys of business as well as the dark holes. I can't wait to talk to you over a cup of coffee. 

I'll warn you though, I am in the hunt for finding my next a special person and family to assist onto creating a 1 Million, then 5 Million dollar company. I have a few accounts that could do it, if they do what they do best and let my team do what we are qualified for. 

I'm here for you, when you are ready. 

Howard

Customers Need To Feel Special

 Happy Halloween... As I settle in with my cup of hot black coffee ☕ . 

Sales were down last week but leads were up, way up. That

was to be expect after two weeks with 4 tradeshows covering 9 days. I am biased towards tradeshows because that is where people like you and I go to buy and sell things. Hard core in your face. I even demonstrated my quick method a couple times. At least a partial 5-7-30 plan. 

Sadly my customer at #PackExpo did not have any $150,000 dollar sales so I did not call Paula at Chicago Coachworks (her number is on the speed dial of my phone just incase ) and have her get a limo over to McCormick Place to take them out to dinner. Think about it. If your company made a major sale wouldn't you take them out to dinner? And if you wanted to do it right would you take them in a taxi? An uber? Or a limo? Me I want them to feel like royalty.  I'd do the limo every time.

People need to feel special. And it's our job as sales people to make them special. Remember Harvey McKay and his list of what you should know about your customers? You might want a find a copy of Swim With the Sharks. It still works. As social media has taken hold we, myself included have gotten more distant from our customers. I chuckle at the older sales people at expos who spend most of their time with their customers. But then I thought again. Is that a bad thing to devote yourself to your customers even at a tradeshow? If you don't someone else will. You have to protect and defend what is yours. 

Howard

Taking A Place At The Table

 As I settle in with my cup of coffee ☕. It's nice not to be rushing out the door to a tradeshow. #PackExpo #FabTech #TheAssemblyShow #QualityShow and of course

#ChicagoBuild . 2 weeks of tradeshow fun, because, AI be damed, that's where the real selling action is! You want to play with the"Big Boys"? You want a seat at the table? After your company can afford using direct mail, the next jump is into the world, my world, of tradeshows, because that is where people come to buy and sell. 

Yet, here we are online, talking. I had an online company try to upsell me yesterday. I almost shut the guy down but in this world of AI and electronic media that can be a bad practice. I told you a few days ago I took care of the leaks in my marketing. I neglected my email marketing and my blog. SPAM is going out again. Anyone have contacts with Hormel. I'd really love to say the SPAM Museum is one of my customers. 😁 And my blog. Yes the good old blog. I had worked hard to get it Google rated and somehow it fell off my todo list. Well it's back on baby and views are climbing! 

Getting back to trying to up selling. I have a new service AI video and for another entry into that world I figured a little bot help would not hurt, right? The posted deal was just for commission. Funny how after our conversation he wanted to build me a new web site, do an SEO deal. Obviously he did not do his homework on my 2 sites rated 1st on Yahoo Google and Bing for my chosen key words. Even my cheap $10.00 a month website is a first page and AI is reading it quite nicely, thank you.  I bought the free but did not drink the koolaid  for the bells and whistles. 

My need and if you're like me, your need, is salespeople. 

People are the primary need of any company today. Right? Tradesmen, programers, engineers, carpenters, data entry, telemarketers, and yes salespeople.

Howard