Buzz Builder

How Professional Service Providers Benefit from Blogging

My friend Hermes Aleman, a business banker at Affinity Bank in San Mateo, California started a blog in February 2008 that provides interesting information to business owners and to people thinking about becoming entrepreneurs. I especially enjoyed his excellent post on why PR is much more powerful than advertising at a fraction of the cost. He also included a plug for my free buzz marketing seminar in Berkeley, California on April 10.

I've met a lot of business bankers and Hermes is the first one I know who is blogging regularly. Hermes' blog makes business sense for many reasons but here are the top three:

1. It show his existing clients and prospects that he offers a lot of added value.
2. It will keep him on the cutting edge of knowledge as he generates content for his blog.
3. Over time, his posts will make him appear in top search engine listings since blogs are much more "Googlelicious" than websites. This will surely drive new business his way.

If Hermes gets so busy that he can only blog once a week, he will still enjoy the three aforementioned advantages. That said, why aren't there more business bankers and other professional blogging when it costs nothing to set up a blog?

No Recession in Word of Mouth Marketing Spending

Thanks to the outstanding free newsletter that I receive from the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, I learned that according to a new study  from PQ Media, spending on alternative media, which word of mouth marketing is a part of, is expected to continue to grow in 2008, in spite of a slowing economy. Alternative media spending grew 22.0% to $73.43 billion in 2007, according to PQ Media's research. Spending is projected to grow 20.2% to $88.24 billion in 2008.

Isaac Vasquez - A Rug and Buzz Master in Oaxaca, Mexico

On a recent trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, I had the chance to see a natural buzz marketing expert. In Teotitlan del Valle, about 15 miles outside Oaxaca, Isaac Vasquez is recognized as one of Mexico's leading rug designers. His works have been displayed at museums around the world, sold in galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico and other international locations, and written about in magazines and newspapers in many different countries. His handmade rugs are famous for their intricate designs, historical representations of Zapotec culture and vibrant colors.

When my wife and arrived at Isaac's studio, I remember saying "We will not buy a rug." However, Isaac's charm along with a fascinating explanation of how the rugs are made made it impossible not to buy. Isaac showed us a cactus leaf with cochineal larvae which are harvested and mixed with calcium, carbon and other natural elements to create vibrant reds. Other natural materials are used to make a rainbow of other colors. Then, natural wools are dyed and woven on huge looms into beautiful rugs like the one picture on the left.

After using interesting props to explain how rugs are made, Isaac showed us a wide range of books and magazines that had featured his work over the past 25 years. Then, he introduced us to some female members of his extended family who are also  rug makers. These women showed us Isaac's rugs for sale along with some of theirs. After getting such a thorough look at Isaac's artistry, my wife and I quickly agreed that we had to leave with a rug even if it stretched our budget. When I returned home, I found reviews of Isaac's business on TripAdvisor and discovered that I was not alone in being converted from a reluctant shopper into an enthusiastic buyer thanks to Isaac's masterful demonstration and high quality products.

As we drove away, I thought about how unusual it was for me to purchase an expensive piece of art. Then again, I can't recall an artist ever taking so much time to explain his work. Many artists and entrepreneurs could take lessons from Isaac on the importance of taking the time to explain how their products are created and how they are valued. Too many assume that people can just figure out this information on their own. Sadly, they fail to realize that education not selling is the best way to get people to put down their guard and make large purchases.

STORViNO Video Creates a Powerful Marketing Platform

Online video is a powerful way to make your products or services stand out in a crowded marketplace. It can be a surprisingly reasonable expense to create a professional video that highlights uniqueness and builds buzz.

Bob Stonhaus, one of my firm's current clients, is leveraging video in effective and inexpensive ways that many entrepreneurs should consider. Bob invented a unique wine storage product called STORViNO  which is made of 100% post-consumer recycled plastics like bread crates and milk container storage trays. If you speak directly with Bob or watch the video below, you can't help but feel the enthusiasm that he has for STORViNO. Working with the talented Max Fancher of Maximize Video Productions, Bob created a three minute video that captures the STORViNO story in a fun and interesting way.

Bob's video is serving many different marketing purposes. A link to the video is prominently displayed on STORViNO's home page. This is proving to be an effective tool  for driving consumer and retailer interest in the product. The video is also posted on YouTube and other popular video sharing websites with a variety of tags that a typical web searcher might use. I find it useful to send bloggers and journalists to the STORViNO video so they can learn about the product and experience Bob's enthusiasm in a visceral way that words can't describe. At trade shows, Bob plays the video on a continuous loop so people can learn about the product from him even if he's engaged in conversation with somebody else.

I love marketing efforts that you create once and can use time and time again.

Why "Go for No!" Makes Sense for Businesses, Missionaries and More

If you're interested in building buzz for your product or service but don't have the luxury of a large marketing budget, it's important to tell people the "good news" about what you're selling. Sure, you will hear a lot of people say that they're not interested. Without question, hearing "no" can be so discouraging that many entrepreneurs and sales people simply stop  trying.

According to  Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz' excellent book  Go for No!, when you hear "no" from prospects, it means that you're on the right track. Rather than merely counting the number of times that you get rejected, figure out how many people that you must engage typically before you hear "yes." That way, every time you hear "no," you know that you're actually closer to success since negative feedback means you'll soon start hearing "yes."

I heard a wonderful illustration of  the "Go for No!" principle on This American Life, my favorite NPR program. Take about 10 minutes to listen to Act Three: Mission Impossible which describes the challenges of two young Mormon missionaries on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The young missionaries describe their typical 60 hour work week in which their sole objective is engaging people on the streets and inviting them to visit the Mormon temple.  Their average conversation is about 30 seconds and usually ends in a resounding "not interested" (or something much more colorful - it's NYC after all). A successful week means getting three or four people to attend a Mormon service.

Such a low number of conversations resulting in church attendance sounds like an abysmal number. But, consider the success of the Mormon Church in growing. Today, the Mormon Church has more than 12 million members, more than doubling its numbers in the past quarter-century. In large part, the growth of the Mormon Church can be attributed to young missionaries who haven't been afraid to "go for no."

It's no wonder that one of the missionaries in the radio story says that he is considering a career in life insurance sales. If he decides upon that course, I'm sure that he'll be successful because he has learned firsthand that "no"  is a word full of encouraging possibilities.

Apple's Leopard vs. Microsoft's Vista Advertising Seeks to Leverage Word of Mouth Concerns

As the year winds down, I've considered upgrading our office computers. In the past, I simply would have purchased the latest and greatest PC. However, this time I'm delaying the decision because I have many doubts about Microsoft's new Vista operating system.

Many friends who use Vista say that it still has many bugs and they have struggled with both hardware and software incompatibilities.  Their experiences make me think that Microsoft has launched Vista too early. I'm sure that the system will improve over time; however, I'm very leery of serving as a Microsoft beta tester.

I don't understand why Microsoft has a consistent record of launching products before they work well. When Microsoft spends millions of dollars  launching a flawed operating system like Vista, they are actually accelerating negative word of mouth. Rather than spend money on marketing, Microsoft should focus on creating a positive product experience that gets its users excited to tell their friends and colleagues about the benefits of using Vista.

I'm seriously considering switching our  office from PC to Mac.  Why? The run of positive press for Apple's Leopard operating system vs. Vista such as a Walter Mossberg's  article and video  on the Wall Street Journal's website is driving my thinking. Also, Apple's funny and effective tongue-in-cheek  "I'm a Mac, You're a PC" advertising campaign is fanning my concerns about Vista and keeping the Apple option alive.

DressMonkey - Quality Online Custom Blazers Made Easy & Fun

Over the last few weeks, I've been speaking with the owners of DressMonkey, a fascinating prospective PR client  in Shanghai, China.

If you're tired of choosing from a limited selection of blazers at Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren, your local department store or you're a non-standard size like me,  Dress Monkey is worth checking out. For a fraction of what you pay at most places, DressMonkey allows you to choose from a wide variety of styles and fabrics. Even better, your blazer is cut to your specific measurements and you customize a myriad of details from the number and type of pockets to the color of buttons and lining materials.  I just heard from DressMonkey's owners that they'll soon be expanding into men's pants and suits.

I was a bit daunted with so many customization possibilities. But, Dress Monkey made measuring a snap with easy-to-understand sizing instructions. The company also has a hilarious online video "It's a Pleasure to Measure"  posted on its website and YouTube  which provides clear guidance on how to take accurate measurements. In fact, the company is so confident about its sizing instructions that they will even pay for alterations a customer needs to make. While shopping for men's clothing is usually a stodgy experience, Dress Monkey is different. It makes creating a blazer fun and easy.

Of course, satisfaction lies in the quality of the the final product, and I'm thrilled with my DressMonkey Green Herringbone Tweed blazer pictured above. The blazer arrived in perfection condition in less than three weeks from the order date and it doesn't require a single alteration. I'm the first DressMonkey on my block but I know I won't be the last.

Office Store in Portland Demonstrates the Power of Great Press & Service

Last week, I went on  a quest for interesting paper clips - hey, everybody has to have a strange little obsession. After striking out at Office Depot, I finally went to Office , a store which carries cool office items for modern design aficionados in Northeast Portland's Alberta Arts District. Over the past few years, I've admired how Office has landed great media buzz  in local and national publications. Yet, whenever I've driven past the store, I've always wondered why a small place off-the-beaten track has received so much press attention.

As soon as I entered Office, Tony Secolo, one of the store's two friendly co-owners, greeted me with a friendly smile. When I told him that I was just searching for eye-catching paper clips, I  thought he might lose interest since I wasn't shopping for a pricey item like a Jack Spade messenger bag. Quite the contrary! We ended up having a wide-ranging conversation about modern design and the perfect designer paper clip. I was thrilled to find the Italian-made circular Clipiola paper clips which only cost $8 for 125.  Now I'm convinced that Tony's friendly, knowledgeable demeanor played a huge part in getting journalists to report on his store. And, while Office's good press convinced me to visit, it's excellent customer service and unique merchandise will get me to go back.

Just a few blocks from Office on Northeast Alberta Street, another business, Alberta Street Oyster Bar & Grill, had landed outstanding press over the past few years.  Excited, my wife and I made  reservations to eat there with  friends. Although we arrived on time, we ended up waiting nearly an hour and we were never seated so we went elsewhere. After that, we talked to friends who had negative experiences at the same restaurant. Not surprisingly, it closed a couple of months ago. Perhaps it was the case of an owner who believed so much in his good press that he thought he could get away with sub par service. Recently, a new owner reopened the Alberta Street Oyster Bar & Grill and I wish him well. He should walk down the street a few blocks and visit the folks at Office to see how great service combined with excellent press generates lasting success.

Qwaruba Sets Example for Socially-Responsible Giving & Marketing Communications

Today, my wife purchased a comfortable pair of Qwaruba sheepskin slippers from REI Outlet, a fantastic shopping spot for name brand sporting goods and outdoor wear at cut-rate prices.  Neither of us had ever heard of Qwaruba but what a positive impression the brand made on us. The top of the slipper box is graced with a beautiful piece of art, a reproduction of an acrylic canvas featuring an Aborginal Australian painting. The side of the box says "ALL Profits Donated to Charity."

Attached to the slippers was a hang tag explaining Qwaruba's history and philosophy. Gary and Dianne, an Australian  husband-and-wife team, started Qwaruba in 1987 and found a niche for their comfortable sheepskin slippers and the business grew. As the years passed, they became quite reflective about their business. They thought to themselves, “life sure can be a luck of the draw kind of place for folks and we’ve been very lucky”. While reminiscing about their travels to far away lands and all the great people they met along the way, they recalled meeting so many wonderful people in this world that could use a little help to make improvements in their lives.

Tragically, in 2004, Dianne died at the young age of 46. Very close to the end of Dianne’s life, even though she was very weak, she drew her husband Gary a simple sketch of her smiling face and wrote the words “LOVE TO ALL”.   To see someone so close to death, who could still say that, affected Gary very deeply, and he came to appreciate how unpredictable, fragile, and short life is. 

In honor of Dianne’s love and compassion for others and in recognition of less fortunate people and animals, Gary decided that ALL Qwaruba slipper profits were to be given to  people and animals in need. The Qwaruba website does an excellent job highlighting the specific programs that it supports.

Qwaruba's story got me thinking about all the companies who seem to be jumping aboard the socially-responsible bandwagon. However, when I examine the fine print of what many companies actually contribute, I oftentimes become cynical because I notice that actual contributions are capped at very low levels or it's unclear what charities actually benefit. Of course, few businesses will give ALL their profits to charity like Qwaruba. But, they can take some lessons from Qwaruba on how clarity of communications when it comes to charitable giving makes a big difference in instilling goodwill in consumers.

Headsets.com Beats the Competition like Hello Direct with Better Customer Service

  Five years ago, I met Mike Faith, an entrepreneur with a vision to build a company with superior customer service in an industry in which his competitors focus on cost-cutting measures. Today, Headsets.com, a San Francisco Internet retailer of headsets for phones and computers, is aiming to displace industry leader Hello Direct as the leading headset seller.

In an excellent article in the April 2006 issue of Fortune Small Business, Ellyn Spragins interviews Faith who said "Our competitors are cost cutting and reducing customer-service levels. We are doing the reverse, upping our staffing levels and creating a more knowledgeable customer- service staff."

Faith's  commitment to customer service is noticeable when you call his company at 1-800-Headsets. Over the past year, I've called three times seeking assistance in trouble shooting a Plantronics wireless headset that I got from Headsets.com a couple of years ago.  I'm impressed that I always have gotten a live customer service person in less than three rings. Even better, the person who picks up the phone is  knowledgeable and friendly. Twice the person who took my call was able to troubleshoot my problem over the phone so I could fix my my headset on the spot. Another time, the customer service person was able to ascertain that my equipment had a manufacturer's defect and sent me a replacement piece that allowed me to fix the problem.

Faith is doing a great job at selling headsets with service. Perhaps someday he can start a business teaching business giants like Microsoft and Dell to improve their customer service.