The iPad and the secret of PR led advertising

Ever notice that Apple's new products are greeted with almost blanket coverage and buzz, even without publishing their first advertisement.


When Google was beginning it shunned advertisements in favor of a PR led approach. Even today I cannot recall ever seeing an ad for any of Google's products except the Adwords ads they run.


And just in case you missed the whole concept of trying to be the news and not the ads, have a look at the current PR blitz that Seth Godin has unleashed ahead of the release of Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? (Already #15 with a bullet on Amazon)

How do these juggernauts develop this PR steamroller, and more importantly could you do similar in your area?

The answer is your brand.

Everyone wants to hear what Steve Jobs has to say because he has a track record of beautiful designs, revolutionary products, and (of course) the coolness factor.

Google, even back then, was immediately obvious as a search engine that was fast, accurate and incredibly simple compared to the complex sites offered by Yahoo and Alta Vista. This was the brand, this and the distant rumbles of an incoming tide.

And Seth... what can I say that hasn't been said...

If you want to be the news and not the ads then you have to be newsworthy. Unfortunately, as a consultant you don't get to determine what your brand is - we do! But you can influence it...

1) Products and services that deliver scarce value. In the 21st century, all marketing is product based.

2) Articles, tweets and other interactions that provide scarce thought leadership.

3) Customer services that are focused on saying yes - not telling people why you can't help them. (I hate you Telstra!)

4) A level of ubiquitousness from paid blog posts and interviews throughout the net. Do not sweat it even slightly if they are not all positive. Negative reviews and posts mean people are at least engaged with what you are saying or doing.

5) Continued ubiquitousness through regular (2 - 3 per week) press releases designed to show value, tell a story and be picked up by news outlets.

6) And of course the standard Old media stuff like media kits, videos of speaking engagements, articles in prestigious magazines, copies of published books and so on.

The last tip I would offer, based on my own experience when I owned an engineering marketing firm in Latin America, that if you want to be on the news - then you have to ask the question.

Backed with your brand and focused on relevant issues... how could they refuse you?

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The golden rules of consulting success

I have posted on this before, and no doubt I will again, there are four rules I use to assess every consulting engagement. I also use these to measure the performance of my consultants, and to help build their career development plans.

An engagement is a success when we have achieved:

1. Problem Solved. What they bought us in for initially has been achieved.

2. Happy client (Because this is not always linked to the first point)

3. Reference-able work.The client is happy to answer the telephone on our behalf, write a LinkedIn recommendation, provide an email testimonial or speak on what we did at a conference.

4. Repeat work.

The more you look at these four simple statements the more you realize it covers most of the skills and phases involved in every consulting engagement.

Managing relationships, making sure expectations are understood and clearly communicated, targeting the problem with the most efficient solution, ensuring that everyone is very well aware of the value provided, and converting success into more success via the repeat works options.

If you manage consultants, or if you need some way to measure your own performance, then I recommend these four simple measures.

If you get these right, then the real measure, revenues, will happen automatically.

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The truly successful have a lot in common...

Criticizing and opposing just for the applause is easy to do. Throwing barbs is not difficult and if you have a sharp tongue and a quick wit you can even turn that into a modicum of success.

The stance of devils advocate can so often be a cowards castle to undermine brave people, deride their efforts, and make yourself look good in the process.

The underlying message is usually "if it's not my way it's the wrong way". Sure these people tend to attract the sycophantic fringes, but they fall short of real success.

The best bloggers I read - are teachers. People who are supporting not dismissive, correcting not castigating and they are people who treat others with dignity - even though their own success means they have limited time to dedicate to one on one interactions.

Check out John Jantsch, Seth Godin, Chris Brogan or Michael McLaughlin. All of these people blow their own horn gently if ever, they let actions speak for them, and they are all about transferring knowledge... great stuff.

All of these guys blog, of course, and all of them have transcended what most bloggers ever achieve. Their readers number in the tens of thousands, and their opinions are rarely just bully boy stuff for the peanut gallery.

If you want to gather a bully's gang, then throw barbs. Take on all comers and make sure to always strike out against people who don't fit your worldview or whatever others are having success at.

But those who have achieved outstanding success in our fields, have done some through teaching, leading and the transfer of knowledge.

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Making trust based assets work for you

Trust based assets serve to reduce the time between acknowledgement and action. Some have extremely high conversion rates but they are relatively short lived. Others have lower conversion rates but bounce around forever.

There are three basic levels of trust based assets. And as a consultant you need to have all three!

The Diamond standard, or highest level, are those most likely to convert into revenues, and often into repeat revenues.

Here you could include referrals from peers, friends and family. People whose word will be implicitly trusted and who would not risk their own relationships by referring somebody sub-standard.

Also in this area are long term subscribers to newsletters and blogs. But not just any subscribers. The ones that read the posts, work through the newsletters, and become part of the activity surrounding them.

All of these are likely to convert into commercial revenues at some stage. This is the fundamental element of trust based marketing. Many relationships built on trust gives you a lever large enough to accomplish great things.

The Gold Standard is next, and is where many of us live and work right now. These have less likelihood of converting straight away and are more about building your brand. These are referrals from a trusted source.

This could be through a radio program, TV interview, an article you published or an inteview ith a well read trade publication. This approach is to be the news and not the ads, the main event instead of the diversion.

But it also includes things like LinkedIn recommendations. If these are well collected they will represent the views of people who others might be likely to trust.

For example, your next client may not know the VP of HR for GM. But the fact that you are referred by them adds significantly to your trust account.

The Silver Standard are things that represent your brand, you thinking and your approaches. Silver standard TBA's are generally not subscription based and not part of a long term relationship.

Things like your marketing materials, your blog for random visitors and even your books, booklets and audio programs.

All are things that will introduce you to your potential clients, and all of them need o be stunning.

You can't do all of these at once. But you can do a very good job by working on two or three of them. The beauty of trust Based Assets is that they live on beyond your initial work with them.

I still get emails from members of a newsletter I used to publish in Latin America over a decade ago...


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The best marketing ploy for real estate agents

I have just spent some time updating my reviews of several real estate agents in Perth after spending three days looking for a rental property. (We plan to buy once we are sure we won't be living in a gangsters paradise)

Near the end of today I was nearly beaten by them. I had gotten used to the fact that every one of them, without exception, used rentals as a bolt on to their core business - selling houses.

Nobody was ever available to take your call, nobody could ever show you the house. In fact, most houses were rented via Open House. A humiliating experience designed to make sure that the competition drives people to be in a selection of renters.

Then I came across Benchmark Property Managers. For these guys rentals are not a bolt on, it is their core business. They treated us respectfully, they helped us to sincerely find exactly what we were looking for, and they processed the application rapidly when I needed it to be done.

I am still waiting for the return phone calls from the others...

I like to trade in real estate, and you can bet that I will use these guys to manage my properties. Not only that, but I will be recommending them to everyone who I think will benefit, and I made sure to give them a rousing review on the Google Maps reviews section.

The marketing gimmick they used? Great service, personalized to what we required, and delivered with courtesy. Easy stuff....and well done.

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A short "resume how to" for consultants

CV's are trouble. There is nothing new in that. I have reviewed more of then than I care to remember and in fact, I don't remember most of them.

I don't submit CV's first. First, I am either approached or I approach someone. Then, and only then, do I submit my CV. If you are out there submitting your CV along with all the other CV's submitted on (say) Monster.com. Then you are just another anonymous name in the pile.

But... until you have the brand, the network, and the result stacked track record - then this is what you have got. So it had better be memorable!

Have a first page. A summary page. Write the text down the center, and your achievements and quals down the left hand side.

But remember.. this is not a blow by blow account of who you are and what you have done. No way, that would bore anybody to tears.

It is a statement of the value you add. make it specific to the role you are applying for and include career objectives, which should also match what you are applying for.

Write in the first person. We all know you don't have a biographer! (Yet?)

Page 2 is a collection of relevant one lineers on work history, projects, initiatives and whatever else will stand out for these guys.

Page 3 onwards is your work history. Its okay to be missing years, and make sure you keep each one to about a paragraph of relevant stuff. Again, not what you did - but the value you added!

Last page is a must do, and it ties into all the stuff I have been writing about trust for ages. DO NOT put "additional referees are available on request". No one has the time, and no one will request anything.

Put testimonials there from LinkedIn. Not the whole thing, just the important lines. refer them to LinkedIn with something like: "Further references can be seen/ contacted via my LinkedIn profile http://au.linkedin.com/in/darylmather 

There are two ways to make a sale. They come to you or you go to them. Until your brand is strong enough to draw them to you. You need to make sure that when you go to them - it matters!

Call first, then submit a CV that will make you stand out as the obvious choice.

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The worst time to develop a new service line...

...is when it is popular.

By the time you hear about a hot stock it is already too late, the real money has been made and you are just the sucker to take the fall at the end.

By the time you get into Salesforce.com training the market will already be saturated. That means you will be fighting against established brands, established track records and the holder of many relationships. (And he who holds the most trust based relationships wins right...)

The problem with a saturated market is that number one almost always earns two to three times what number two earns. And sadly, you are number 53!

The beauty of business is that there is always another playing field. You just don't know how to get there...yet. Instead of going where they are, try to go where they are headed to.

Instead of Salesforce training why not start working on  Google App Engine consultancy?

Instead of the one hundredth company to deliver sales training, why not start to deliver an outsourced sales force?

Instead of providing SAP business flows, why not start to deliver services to help companies escape from gigantic on premise behemoths?

You know your market better than I do, and you know what your clients need probably better than they do. So why would you dive into a market that is going to tear you to pieces?

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A Technology or Consulting Company?

How many times have you come across this question in your career? Somewhere along the line someone in a company that makes software starts to have a battle with the concept of Technology versus Consulting.

It has always left me bewildered....

For me there is no dividing line. Microsoft delivers consultancy services on its products, and does a great job at it. So does IBM, Oracle and even the guys from the various verticals of Infor.

By sheltering in the safe confines of software development you are guaranteeing several things.

1) That your income streams will be lumpy, as all large software sales are.

2) That your development spend will be limited by the lumpiness of your revenue streams, and

3) That you will be leaving a lot of money on the table.

The last point is vital. leaving money on the table, in our profession, is just foolish. It limits revenues, limits potential growth, and worst of all it leaves a space for competitors to rush into.

And in the fast moving world of technology development you need to be pretty darn confident of your products before you let competitors into your space.

The advent of SaaS, the increasing commodity nature of the consulting market, and the inrush of low cost knowledge workers from low wage economies threatens anyone who thinks they can bunker down in technology only.

Today we cannot afford to be technology or consulting... merely services.

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It is sometimes better left unsaid

Authenticity is like power. If you have to tell somebody you have it - then you don't.

Never trust anybody who says trust me = Never trust a company who has to put honesty as one of their values. (It is just a condition of entry, not something they have to strive for)

If you are the "leading (whatever)" then you don't need to lay claim to it. People know. Ever seen a Google ad telling you they were the leading search engine? (Okay, so there are no Google ads - but you get the point)

"We're excited to be..." - I (the consumer / prospect) don't really care about you, I care about me. Good luck with your excitement.

Unsurpassed - Sure... prove it.

We care - Great, we don't. We just want this problem fixed, this need met, this want delivered. YOur caring is great for Oprah, not so great for me. (The prospect) What I am interested in however, is the number of people willing to line up to praise your track record of achievement.

If you want your news release to create marketing blindness, then just use the terms above. Oh yeah, you can also include some timeless classics like "Win-Win", "Paradigm", "Synergy", and the ever present (but dangerous) "Value added". (So it had no value before huh?)

But if you want to write news releases that get read then give it an emotion inducing title. Questions or research outcomes are always good. Write a great story, telling of a great case of overcoming adversity, ("The Heroes Journey" courtesy of Dan Pink) and with something they can take away of value, as well as something they may have to do to find out more.

Or, you could just go back to being excited about the synergies offered for win-win agreements by your new unsurpassed service solution which is paradigm shifting. A great value added offering.

(See...garbage isn't it?)

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The truth of Social Media Marketing

Social networking and Social media sites are all the rage lately. The blogosphere buzzes with them every day and  there are suddenly droves of people who have tagged themselves as a new media expert

But for management consultants, or any type of consultant, - is it necessary?

Definitively - No! Consulting, unless you haven't worked it out, is all about trust and relationships. Building trust through belief in your character and belief in your abilities.

For those of us working in the B2B space - very little of this happens online.

Referrals, networking, developing a track record, doing the work and quoting are all mainly offline activities. Twitter is not going to help the B2B consultant to do anything at all, neither is Facebook.

What it does do however, is to add some weight to your brand. There are other ways to do this, like publishing a book for example, but some form of online presence is definitely one way to add to your offline brand.

Of all the choices I would suggest that a good website that is built to hold conversations, an active attitude towards developing further contacts on LinkedIn, a blog and maybe a very active news release program could add some value to you

But it is by no means essential. You can job around the marketplace by yourself or with a small crew very successfully without it. It really depends on what you want to achieve.

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Top 5 tips to Be the news - not the ads

1) Sponsor posts on blogs. You have a far greater chance of getting 50 small voices speaking to people who are likely to be interested. You have a very slim chance of getting on Oprah. (For example)

2) Habitually write and post news releases. Two o three every week to get your messages out in front of others in your market space. If they get picked up by the media then all is well. But write them with the thought that you are going direct to the public. (News releases are searchable) Possibly the most powerful way for you to become the news.

3) Pitch for articles or a column in trade magazines related to your area. This is far less powerful than it used to be, but still effective. A column or article in a journal that matters, even if it is an online journal, gives something you can't buy. Legitimacy.

4) If you must advertise, then do it on the condition that you are interviewed for an article also. Don't underestimate this opportunity. In times of dying advertising revenues deals can be struck.

5) Write your own blog. Through this blog I have been quoted all over the place, and I look like starting a freelance writing gig soon also. Through my business blog I have had three connections that are going to lead to work.

It is always far better for you to be the news rather than the ads. People read magazines and websites for the news. So be a part of the main game instead of the distraction on the side.

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Bloggers vs The Traditional media

Every now and then the traditional media lurches forth out of its death bed to slam bloggers. The titles drift from rumormonger, to peddlers of scuttlebutt, to derisive comments about amateurs and 40 year old men in their pajamas. 

This all misses the point, but highlights the reasons why traditional media is so much in decline. 

The role of traditional media, as protected by them for decades, is to inform. In days gone by this was a scarce function, and one that people would pay money for. (For papers they bought int he street no less)

Today, Google owns the web. Every breaking story almost immediately has 10 - 12 different versions in Google news, and we have a choice which we will read. 

It is no longer scarce, it is a commodity. And commodities can only compete on price, there is nothing else left. 

Bloggers, on the other hand, are not their to inform - mainly they exist to involve and often to teach. When Seth Godin, who writes the worlds leading marketing blog, posts about something it is rarely (if ever) breaking news. But it is a unique insight. 

When ProBlogger Darren Rowse posts on his blog his legion of readers tune in because he generally has something of value to impart to them.

They comment, link, forward it to others, and use the information to shape their own lives and careers. Why do they do this? Because it is often scarce and valuable information. Not only that, but they can get their voice into the ongoing narration of this story also. (And as a consultant...do not underestimate a persons drive for notoriety.)

But with the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, or whatever...they just get more information. Information they can get from a myriad of sources. 

Does traditional journalism still have a role? Of course it does, they keep us all honest I hope. 

Is it a commercially viable role? Not yet...not until it becomes scarce and of value again. Until then, they are going to be struggling to even give it away.

There is a message here for those of us who consult. Informing is done by many, and while it is vital - it can be relatively easily found. 

Teaching, on the other hand, is scarce, particularly with coaches who have played before. Involvement and interaction is scarce - particularly the kind that places you at the center of a new knowledge ecosystem as the facilitator between many parties.

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How to get into the Big League PR game

It has always been very clear to me that if you want to get people to notice you then the best way to do that is to be the news rather than the ads.

Your ability to drive sales is far enhanced when you are the reason why they are reading, rather than the distraction along the side of the web page.

In the past, whether you mean press relations or public relations, the whole game of PR used to be very tightly controlled by a number of gatekeepers.

Editors, reporters, columnists and TV hosts used to be the holy grail of PR. And to some extent they still are.

If you crack Oprah as a book publisher then you are set...your book will fly off the shelves and your career is assured.

Crack a positive interview near the front of the WSJ and likewise, the telephone would ring off the hook.

PR was an arcane art involving media kits, videos, references, interview sheets, connections, "the pitch" and listing yourself as an expert in every place you could imagine.

If your brand was pretty strong, then you could do this without too much assistance. But, if you were in the stage of developing your brand, then effective PR was going to cost you a packet.

New Technology, New PR.

Today, effective PR is within reach of everybody, and it is potentially more powerful than old PR ever was.

The key to this, are blogs and bloggers...

Instead of pitching to 100 newspapers and radios, try to cultivate relationships with, say, 10 of the leading bloggers within your area. Comment on their blogs, establish email contact with them, and try to build the beginnings of a relationship with them.

When you want to start publicizing something, send them a copy. Ask them for their reviews, email them and ask them if you can guest post or do an interview.

Or better yet... sponsor posts! This is such an undervalued means of building your brand. A reasonable blogger may have, say, 10,000 or more readers. Instead of pitching to one newspaper, a big one, with a diminishing chance that it will come off - instead purchase reviews on (say) 100 blogs.

Even better yet, LinkedIn is filled with groups of people who regularly interact with one another. The early days of LinkedIn groups was a bit like the wild west. Everyone was in it for what they could get out of it, and they only hung around long enough to post some form of interruption message there.

However, slowly but surely, people are spending more time within these groups networking, helping each other out, and trying to forge long term commercial relationships.

If you have a blog, then post in the groups that are relevant to you. Not all will be, some will be absolutely useless to you - but others will be of great value.

Try to post a new release every second day, with a catchy headline, captivating content, and lead the reader down to what you are pitching for. 

Think I'm grasping at straws a bit here? Dan Rather as bought down by Bloggers, while the established media sat on the sidelines.

President Obama would not have come nearly as far, nor raised nearly as much money, without the army of inspired bloggers banging the drum for him.

The release of Tribes last year really made me sit up and take notice. The entire internet was abuzz with talk of the book. Blogs, Twitter, even Audible.com. The whole place lit up with talk of Tribes and Seth Godin's bold new in your face book on how to change the world.

If you want to be the news and not the ads, then you have two options. You can pitch to the big news organizations, betting that mass exposure will be what does it for you. Or you can pitch to dozens of smaller but more focused audiences.

People who want to hear what you have to say, being told by people who want to write about your stuff.

Not a hard choice really is it?

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4 must read books for do-it-yourself branding

Branding is at the core of every good marketing strategy, campaign and initiative. Without branding you are just another barker in the fish market, adding your voice to the cacophony of cliches everyone else is shouting out.

These books have been priceless for me and I refer to them regularly when I need to be inspired, or to go back to some of the grass roots concepts that started me off in the consulting game in the beginning.

I hope they are of use to you.

The Wizard of Ads: Turning Words into Magic and Dreamers into Millionaires 

This is a recent discovery for me. A book written several decades ago by a master of the craft. This book talks about a lot of the old knowledge that advertisers have relied on since the beginning of the industry.

It seems we have forgotten more than we remember about advertising. As we all move to the beat of the drum set by the new media mavens like Seth Godin  and Chris Brogan there are exceptionally valuable skills and knowledge that we have also left behind.

I think this book is invaluable. Especially because it talks about transferable skills from an advertising era that is rapidly fading from view. Advertising ain't marketing - but it does encompass a fascinating and useful skill set that we shouldn't neglect. (Read reviews )

Twitter Power: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time 

Just discovered this recently by Mr Joel Comm, a guy I have since found out is an absolute master at seeing where the value is in modern and common internet applications. Often more deeply than others around him at the time.

I bought this half expecting to be disappointed. I thought it would be either something lame like a manual, or some equally lame "secret" like "just be nice to everyone".

I was very pleasantly surprised. Joel really is a master of this medium, and he has great points on branding, mixing content and chit chat, setting up the account, programs and how to build a list of really powerful followers.

If your business lends itself to Twitter and other B2C social media programs then this book is something that you shouldn't be without. It is clearly the leading publication of its sort in the market today. Period.  (Read Reviews )

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

Of course. The pied piper of a new age of marketing professionals. A lot of Seth's books cover over into the branding area as well as the marketing area but instead of having a long list of his work here I thought this would be the most relevant.

In case you are one of the very few interested people in the world who hasn't read this book - you simply must do.

Seth takes his seminal thoughts on Permission marketing to new hieghts explaining why tribes are possibly the most powerful marketing asset your company could have, and how you can create them.

It is branding 101 without even mentioning the word. Before you can build a tribe people must want to follow you. So branding is an integral element of it. Buy it. Read it. Keep it. Refer to it. (Read Reviews )

How to Establish a Unique Brand in the Consulting Profession: Powerful Techniques for the Successful Practitioner 

This was the book that got me started in consulting. And it is the reason why I have published three books so far, built and sold a marketing company, and achieved my own small level of notoriety in my own discipline of engineering. 

Some of the thoughts int he copy I have are a little outdated by technology - but the general concept is great and one that has stood the test of time very well. I recommend this to anybody planning on a career in consulting. (Read Reviews )

In summary...

Today branding is a do-it-yourself art form. The world has given us the technology, knowledge, inspiration and aptitude to reach far more people than you could have ever reached before. 

But without a solid brand, rooted in what you really stand for and what value you can provide, then you are just another voice in the wilderness shouting "Look at me! Look at me!". Good luck, I am sure these books will give you a head start and hopefully the motivation you need to push into the space where you deserve to be. 

The Great Traffic Scam

Ever since medieval shopkeepers have hung signs on nearby trees advertisers and marketers alike have been fascinated with the prospect of generating traffic. Traffic building was a fine art designed to drive people through your store.

And they came. traffic builders were great for producing exactly what they were named for - Traffic! But not sales. Free drinks, air conditioning, Hot Dogs, whatever are not likely to entice people to buy real estate, or perfume, or tobacco or whatever it is that you actually sell.

By the same token driving traffic to your web site via shotgun style Adwords messages, or SEO marketing on a range of vaguely representative words, contextual links or even buying traffic through blog sponsorship will not produce ales unless it stands for something.

Tricking people to enter a store just annoys them, it doesn't mean they will suddenly decide to buy whatever it is you are selling.

Getting your name out means very little. Getting your brand out means the entire world. People need to know what it is that you represent. What your personal or professional brand actually means to them in terms of value or experiences.

Don't try to be where they are, instead try to be what they are looking for. (And be extraordinary when they find you)

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The overwhelming power of authenticity

I have a guy working for me who is a phenomenal salesman. The problem is - he's not!

He doesn't think of himself as a sales person, and in fact he is still only starting out in the consulting industry and still needs to build up his confidence.

Yet every time he gets to meet people from within the game they almost immediately want to hire him.

This year I have (he has) sold six figures worth of work because people want to work with him in particular. He isn't a high flier, doesn't have any particularly scarce knowledge, and isn't "salesman smooth". (As the saying goes)

But he has two things going in his favor which are impossible to fake. He is incredibly authentic and sincere.

His authenticity comes from the fact that he has obviously been there, crawling knee high through grease and oil trying to fix machinery under intense amounts of pressure.

His sincerity comes from his direct approach, If its stupid, he is frank enough to say it is stupid. If we can't do it he will say so, and if we can he will not be backward in claiming it as a service we offer.

The result = Trusted Advisor

The clients love him, and as a sales person they don't see him coming. Actually neither does he, he doesn't see himself as working in sales - yet he does an incredibly good job at it.

Even the great Kevin Hogan, in an interview I did with him a few months ago, stated that authenticity and sincerity were the underlying principles of all influence.

What is your life's book about?

While I did like the core ideas behind The Secret, I am not really motivated by the whole idea of think it and it will happen. I tend to think that you need to imagine it, and then back it up with massive action before it can happen.

Lots of knees were worn out waiting for salvation during the inquisition I reckon.

But I do like this idea of the book of your life. It helps to focus ones thoughts on where you want to be, what it is you want to be doing, and what sort of an impact you wish to have.

They say that the book of your life is still being written, and I like that too. So as @HennArtOnline posted on Twitter recently - if I were writing a book on your life what would the title be?

For me it would probably be a cautionary tale about opportunities squandered, overlooked possibilities and the problems with dealing with the urgent at the expense of the important.

But.. I am doing everything in my power to turn that around. And things are working out pretty well so far. I haven't worked out what the title is yet - still dealing with the plot flaws and big vision stuff.

What is your life's book all about?

The Error of Permission Based Marketing (And do-it-yourself branding)

As we all look to new media and new forms of marketing there have been some unacceptable casualties on the way. Marketing now has a distinctly do-it-yourself feel to it, and with the technology available today there is little wonder.

Unfortunately most of todays marketers have not had the old Jedi like training that yesterdays Ad-guys had. And I think we are a little worse off for it.

Things like how to generate headlines that really work, the structure of advertising copy, how to write a press releases that captures and holds people attention, and how to pitch ideas to make them interesting and even viral.

This is why we see so many plain Adwords ads, so many very boring email newsletters, exceptionally boring podcasts, and spammed conversations and emails with outdated titles like "FREE FREE FREE".

I am a big supporter of permission based marketing, and I have taken it further with the trust based concept I think. But it is nothing without the fundamental skills to back it up. Call it business development skills if you like...

I would strongly advise you to check out books like "The Wizard of Ads" and other old school advertising type books.

I am not proposing regressing to interruption marketing - but there were some great skills that came out of that era. It would be a shame to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

What a waste of a brand

In Perth Western Australia, there is a three chain restaurant that enjoys a cult following and has inspires nostalgia in much of the local population.

Fast Eddy's is a restaurant chain specializing in luxuriously unhealthy 24 hour burgers and fast food. You can take away or sit down and the steak burgers there are to die for. (Really, I remember them well) It has dominated the late teen early twenties scene for at least two or three decades now and is part of the historical folklore of the city.

Filled with ads and newspaper clippings from days gone by, Fast Eddies is fast food with a difference. it is more about eating in a certain style than speed, and the food is to be enjoyed not just fast forwarded through.

It is a slap in the face to the drive through fast food chains that sprung up around McDonalds, resting on quality and ambiance rather than fuel and convenience. A concept and place that could take the world by storm I always thought.

Yet it has no web page, there are few if any legends abounding about how it was founded, its history and its owners, and there is absolutely no conscious efforts there to tighten their band of followers, or to try to grow the brand beyond the small city of Perth.

What a tragic waste of a brand, and a tragic waste of an opportunity to build a tribe that could storm the gates.

Another great three store restaurant brand from the West is The Sicilian. A great Italian style restaurant with generous servings, a classic Italian menu, and a great stand alone design of the restaurant.

Again... absolutely no efforts to grow the brand, no work on the tribe, and no attempts to take another great and classic concept into the wider markets that it deserves.

Yet even without this conscious efforts the tribes exist, loyalty exists, and the brands are recommended throughout the city from one person to another.

Imagine what they could become if they tried to really harness the power of the tribes around them... Imagine what you could become if you were able to turn your band of loyal clients and prospects into the nucleus of a tribe that would create perpetual lead generating motion.

Boggles the mind...

Navel gazing

Have you ever noticed that some companies are often like politics? Your opponents are in front of you, they are obvious and work for other consultancies and sometimes within client companies themselves.

Your enemies, however, are often standing behind you. The people who will go to great lengths to prove they are right, you are wrong, and fight tooth and nail for every inch of influence they can muster.

In these companies a great deal of effort is expended expanding power centers, building alliances, and working against one another - putting influence and small "p" political squabbles over the best interests of the company.

If you think that this is not true then you are extraordinarily sheltered, or it is just very subtle where you work; because it exists almost everywhere.

The real issue here is looking inwards. Looking at what is going on inside the company and comparing yourself to that rather than looking outwards at other industries, companies and sectors.

Inward looking companies are easy to spot. They are the ones that are still investing mega millions in on-premise technologies instead of embracing SaaS and other cost effective solutions.

They are spending a fortune to implement yesterdays great ideas instead of building the foundations for tomorrows successes.

Looking at how they can fit social media into their existing organization instead of realizing that their entire company needed to transform itself if they were going to be able to get the most out of emerging technologies.

For some companies it is a sure sign that they are about to be eclipsed by a competitor that is looking outwards. In other, more resilient industries it is a slide that can continue for years if not decades before the real impact becomes obvious.

But in all cases it is leading the company into a death spiral. Even more so now that technology is transforming the world, and the way we live, faster than anything else has ever changed this planet. ...Ever.