Carpe Diem...

“I wanna do the tubes,” my son, PJ, decided as soon as we entered the water park.

The “tubes” are inner tubes in a lazy river. I liked his idea. Anything “lazy” sounded like great vacation activity to me. So Beth, PJ and I grabbed tubes and waded into the river.

The lazy river was a little stronger and faster than it looked. I held onto PJ’s tube as we snaked around curves and drifted under waterfalls. But soon he grew weary of me.

“Dad, let go,” he pleaded pushing me away. “I want to do it myself!”

Suddenly, it dawned on me: My window is closing. Dad may soon not be cool. PJ will become more independent. He’ll tune me out. My influence and impact will diminish.

It’s bittersweet. But there’s a lesson in it…

Parents: Seize every day. Time passes quickly.

Marketers: Seize every moment in a new product launch. Time waits for no one.

What’s new today will be old tomorrow. The novelty wears off. Your product will fade into the background. Prospects will begin tuning out your marketing messages. Editors will stop writing about your product and cover newer ones.

Planning your launch carefully is imperative. Make the most of your short window of opportunity. You can’t wing a new product rollout. Every bit of your plan needs to be in place well ahead of time. Things will move faster than you expect.

Make a plan. Work the plan. Track results.

“That was fun Dad,” PJ said reaching up for a hand out of the pool. “Can we do it again tomorrow?”

“Absolutely,” I said. “Let’s squeeze in as much fun as we can. Vacation is way too short.”

Garbled....

More than five years ago, my mom had a stroke that partially paralyzed her lips and tongue. Now her speech is unintelligible, but she has kept her voice. Whether it's through handwritten notes or painstaking repetition of garbled phrases she continues to communicate. She keeps her sense of humor and refuses to let her disability become a handicap. I'm proud of her.

About five years ago, quite by accident, she taught me a marketing communications lesson.

She called me at work to share something. She kept repeating herself. But with her garbled speech I quickly became frustrated. So, she calmly hung up. About ten minutes later, my office manager Pat came into my office with a fax -- from my mom. Mom remembered an old fax machine I gave her. If she couldn't talk on the phone, she'd find another way to get her point across.

I laughed at her ingenuity.

Sometimes, as marketers our messages are garbled. If our target audience doesn't understand we blame them. "They just aren't listening to us." It's hard to see how we could be the problem. But perhaps we're using the wrong media. Or maybe we haven't made our message clear or relevant enough. What's important is not placing blame, but finding a way to get heard. It all boils down to doing whatever it takes to get our point across.

Last weekend, my brother and I threw a surprise 70th birthday party for mom. As she walked into the banquet room she was greeted with a booming "Surprise!!!" from family and friends.

For once, she was speechless.

Last Things First....

I'm at the AAPEX/SEMA/NACE trade shows in Las Vegas this week.

Every year while I’m away at Industry Week, I offer the same advice (sing along if you know the tune):

Returning from a tradeshow or special event? Use your first day back like it's your last day at the event.

It's easy to get swept away catching up and put off following up.

But what's more important? The day-to-day grind -- or reminding that hot prospect that you’re one of the hundreds of exhibitors they saw last week at that big tradeshow?

Take a moment to jot a quick note, send a catalog, or ship that sample you promised. Don’t let your follow-up get fouled up. Set your priority on contacting the hottest prospects first and working your way down the list.

But don't call anyone today. Afterall, they'll probably as swamped catching up today as you'll be -- tomorrow.

(This means don’t be surprised if you call me Monday and can’t get me. I may be too busy following up. Please don't be offended. Be inspired.)

Give & Take...

I’m out of town this week. So, here’s a Sasso Marketing Tip Re:mix…

A client was tempted to fight an aggressive competitor with huge price discounts.

"What if they lower THEIR prices?" I asked. "Are you ready for a price war?”

Silence.

“You won't build loyalty,” I said. “Customers could lose sight of value and buy on price alone. It may even cast doubt about the quality of your services. And what if the competitor can sell below your cost? They could put you out of business!"

"And you suggest I do nothing?" he responded.

"No. I suggest you use giving as your marketing advantage'" I said.

"So don't discount my services -- just give them away?" he looked in my eyes to see if I was kidding. "Are you nuts?"

"Not giving away your services," I clarified. "I'm saying align yourself with a non-profit that’s important to your customers. We’d advertise that customers are helping support the “Kids and Puppies Charity” -- or whatever. Then we'd work with the non-profit to get the word out using all our channels -- and theirs."

More and more consumers are being swayed by cause-centered marketing.
Given the choice of two brands with similar price and quality, 76% of consumers would buy the one that supports a worthy cause, according to a study by Cone Communications and Roper Starch Worldwide. The study also found 76% would switch brand loyalty for a cause -- and 54% would pay more to support a cause they believe in.

The key is finding a non-profit that fits.

It needs to be relevant to your business and meaningful to your target market. Most importantly, the non-profit needs to be willing to work with you.

For example, a bookstore supporting a literacy program is obvious. But the literary program needs to be willing to lend their name and work with you.

Can’t find a cause to work with? Consider starting your own.

One of my clients started a scholarship fund in their field. Another became the sole sponsor of a non-profit event in return for exclusive sponsorship plugs.

How can giving give you upper hand? What do your customers care about? What group will work with you?