tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-328367092023-11-16T00:16:40.373-06:00Sasso on MarketingPhil Sasso's marketing tips on improving sales, advertising, public relations, promotions, and website / Internet marketing campaigns.Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.comBlogger293125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-64307072109850181592016-06-24T12:01:00.000-05:002016-06-24T12:01:42.978-05:00
What's Your Marketing Pink Toilet?
Can you keep a secret?
I have a pink toilet in my bathroom. It’s kind of a unique focal point in our home that Beth and I wish wasn’t so unique.
However,
I rarely think about it. I see it several times a day, but I’ve gone
blind to it. As long as it … uh, works … it’s basically invisible.
Until recently.
I won’t go into graphic detail, but suffice to Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-57130228652832471632016-05-24T10:55:00.000-05:002016-06-09T12:20:12.627-05:00How Do You Celebrate your Customers?
How Do You Celebrate Your Customers?
Do your customers feel unnoticed?Customers are tired of just being satisfied. They want to be celebrated. They want to feel important. (Doesn't everyone feel a bit unappreciated?) And whether you’re in sales or marketing, aren’t your customers the most important thing to you?How can you celebrate customers?Starbucks knows how to make a Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-24374552130075963752012-11-02T11:18:00.000-05:002012-11-02T11:18:59.127-05:00Your First Day Back...I'm at the AAEX / SEMA tradeshows this week. If you were here, too, I hope you had a great show.Every year at this time I write the same basic tip. Hope it serves as a reminder to not let all your hard work as an exhibitor go to waste ...Your trade show or special event is over. Great! Time to breath a sigh of relief and catch up on things.Whoa! Not so fast.Consider using your first day back likePhil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-37955954519034151212012-01-31T09:41:00.000-06:002012-01-31T09:41:30.331-06:00Assumptive Selling....This morning, I called my local phone company to confirm details on my new contract. The representative assured me everything was OK. Then she jumped into a sales pitch for an add-on service.
I stopped her mid-sentence.
"I very busy," I said "I'm happy with my service. Don't change my mind."
Yesterday, at the bank the commercial teller told me about their new credit&Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-48132024345545011812011-12-02T12:10:00.000-06:002011-12-02T12:10:56.644-06:00Big S'Mac 2...Yesterday, I wrote about LivingSocial's Big Mac half price offer [http://bit.ly/bigmac13].
LivingSocial, the smaller social couponing website rival to Groupon, is owned in part by Amazon. In an attempt to wrestle the industry lead from Groupon (who has about three times as many subscribers) LivingSocial has been taking big risks. This one with McDonald's may cost LivingSocia some Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-19839444561154885032011-12-02T11:47:00.000-06:002011-12-02T11:47:07.706-06:00Big S'Mac....I haven't had lunch, yet. So, I'm a little hungry. Maybe that's why this
story caught my eye....
Crain's Chicago Business reported that LivingSocial and McDonald's are
offering a special promotion today: $26 worth of Big Macs and fries for
$13. (If you're feeling hungry, too, you can get in on the deal at:
http://bit.ly/bigmac13 .)
What makes the story interesting is that Groupon and McDonald'sPhil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-51303607657021279692011-11-03T11:24:00.000-05:002011-11-03T11:24:41.279-05:00Your First Day Back...I'm at the AAEX / SEMA tradeshows this week. If you were here, too, I
hope you had a great show.
Every year at this time I write the same basic tip. Hope it serves as a
reminder to not let all your hard work as an exhibitor go to waste ...
Your trade show or special event is over. Great! Time to breath a sigh
of relief and catch up on things.
Whoa! Not so fast.
Consider using your first day Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-9927873959289543882011-09-01T10:20:00.000-05:002011-09-01T10:20:36.954-05:00I'm Baaack....I’ve been busy with lots of new projects, training and writing
assignments. That’s why you haven’t heard from me for weeks. Sorry.
But I’m back with lots of new tips, like this one...
Customers will not buy from you unless they trust you.
Sales trainer Orrin Rudolph points out that every relationship, be it
business or personal, has a trust bank account. For example, we trust
our best friends Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-16484572053939762842011-07-22T11:23:00.001-05:002011-07-22T11:37:49.246-05:00Tooling Up....Like most guys, I like tools.
In fact, judging from Beth's collection of kitchen gadgets and cookbooks, women like tools, also. But they don't call them "tools". A tool is just an item that makes a job easier -- or in some cases possible.
In sales and marketing, we have tools, too. Each tool has a unique purpose. But, sometimes we don't have all the tools we need. Or we use thePhil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-72975491995476498542011-07-15T12:11:00.000-05:002011-07-15T12:11:32.419-05:00Connecting....Do you only communicate with customers and prospects when you're
selling something?
Think about that.
How do you feel about people who only call you when they need
something. Can't they call you to congratulate you, catch-up or connect?
Here's an example: I pulled up to the drive-up window at my bank
yesterday and was surprised (I promise this isn't another bank rant).
Actually, I&Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-51514302593476778242011-07-08T12:01:00.000-05:002011-07-08T12:01:46.740-05:00(Baby) Food For Thought...Baby food is not marketed to babies. It's marketed to mothers. If a
mom likes the marketing message -- and the taste, they'll buy it.
"Mother knows best", to turn a phrase.
Baby food is not the only thing that's not marketed to the end user.
Sometimes that's good. Sometimes that's bad.
For example, if you owned an automotive repair shop, your technicians
would be responsible for buying their Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-32879578298200543312011-06-30T11:51:00.000-05:002011-06-30T11:51:33.364-05:00Final Bank Rant....O.K. by now you're probably sick and tired of my boring bank rant. So am I.
So let me wrap this up with a lesson on the most important word in customer service...
Finally Beth and I scheduled time to go to the bank together to close several of our accounts because they were costing far more in fees than they were paying in interest. The most frustrating account was my son PJ's Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-6184898493060016172011-06-24T11:54:00.001-05:002011-06-24T11:59:29.376-05:00In The Mood, Part 4....My “bank rant” continues from last time.
I walked into my bank after complaining about fees and faced a
well-designed promotional message on the door:
“Earn $240”
All I had to do was open a new account. The fine print turned me from
intrigued to irritated:
“New Customers Only.”
Someone in marketing wasn’t thinking. Aren’t 99% of the people walking
in the front door current customers? Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-79349177405365261132011-05-31T09:54:00.001-05:002011-05-31T12:16:06.006-05:00In the Mood, Part 3....Sorry it's been a while since my last marketing tip. I've been busy on client projects and some surprises I plan to unveil in a couple of weeks.
Let's head back to my bank where my branch manager closed one of my Money Market accounts (rather than waive the bank fees). During this interaction, her staff has been trying to cross sell me while I'm obviously steaming over the fees. Look here for Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-50917363502648886102011-05-26T12:10:00.004-05:002011-05-26T12:23:52.023-05:00In The Mood Part 2....Last tip, my banker offered to close my Money Market account rather than waive bank fees for a loyal customer of 30 years. But he's too busy to even close the account, so he escorts me to the branch manager's office.The saga continues...The branch manager shook my hand and offered me a seat."So, what is it you need today?" she says smiling."Do I have to repeat my story?" I asked. "I thought you Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-63066023364351986612011-05-26T12:09:00.000-05:002011-05-26T12:10:46.933-05:00In The mood...Brace yourself for a rant.It's been a long time since I've been reminded how much I loathe my bank.But the other day my strong dislike boiled over into absolute hate.Not that I dislike their tellers who are always friendly and know myname, or their marketing which is pretty well done. What I hate is theirpolicies, fees, comparative low rates, and inflexibility. Until now thehassle of change has Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-35594843288749042282011-03-28T09:44:00.004-05:002011-03-28T11:30:23.674-05:00Bleeding Edge....Marketing technology is moving at breakneck speed.Take the mobile web. In the fourth quarter of 2010, smart phones outsold computers for the first time ever. Do you know what that means to you as a marketer? Chances are a competitor does.And today using cutting-edge technology is not always bleeding-edge expensive.For example: want to connect with smartphone toting prospects? You can build an appPhil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-72813421361002814312011-03-11T11:49:00.000-06:002011-03-11T11:50:32.718-06:00Cracked...Remember when I thought I cracked my tooth and had to schedule an emergency visit to my dentist?It gets worse.I'll spare you the grizzly details. The dentist is awesome, but suffice to say it was not a pleasant event. And the bill hurt even more. Procrastination is costly. In the same way it's costly in sales and marketing. It's best to consistently be advertising and prospecting and not put it Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-69164942267228547412011-02-18T11:54:00.000-06:002011-02-18T11:55:56.807-06:00Urgency...Whether you're promoting a drawing, a contest, or a coupon it's important to create a sense of urgency.Most people are so busy they'll put off almost anything until the last minute. And I mean almost anything.Today, for example, I just made an emergency appointment with my dentist. I've been putting off fixing a lost partial filling for a while. This morning, I lost the rest of the filling -- Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-47098328715574316142011-02-14T09:43:00.002-06:002011-02-14T09:46:48.345-06:00Group-Off...Chicago-based Groupon is the fastest growing company in the world. Groupon (a combination of "Group" and "Coupon") has succeeded by making coupons hip. Their business model is simple: email members a chance to buy one exclusive discount offer a day at a featured retailer or restaurant and split the revenue with the advertiser. It's win-win-win: members get deep discounts, advertisers pay nothing,Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-65235553192900370772011-02-04T11:59:00.002-06:002011-02-04T12:02:08.568-06:00Snowed....About 21" of snowfall here in Chicago has eaten into my work schedule. Shoveling out has left me no time to create a new tip for this week. So, I've created a remix of a tip from my 2006 blog archives:---My first car was a1972 Chevy Chevelle.It was gold and primer gray. I lovingly tried to restore the decaying car with fibre glass repair and Bondo until the rust hole in the back floorboard becamePhil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-63991350922096521832011-01-14T09:34:00.011-06:002011-01-14T10:03:56.095-06:00New Year, New Beginnings...Don't you love a story of redemption?That's what made the YouTube viral video of Ted Williams, the homeless "Man With The Golden Voice," the first and biggest feel-good story of the New Year.Chicago-based Kraft Foods capitalized on that vibe by asking Williams to be the new voice of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.Listen to his mellow baritone voice in the last 10 seconds of this new Kraft spot that Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-68632209482841733882011-01-10T09:36:00.002-06:002011-01-10T09:42:05.562-06:00Peddler....Sorry, I haven't published my blog since my neighbor, Uncle Tony passed away at the end of November. He was my Great Uncle and a great guy.This tip, based on an except from my June 2009 column in Professional Distributor, is dedicated to and about him. (He was a creative, generous, and funny man and is sorely missed...) ---My Great Uncle Tony first helped his dad as a fruit and vegetable peddler Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-61531419225776997672010-11-05T11:30:00.004-05:002010-11-05T11:35:19.978-05:00Last Things First...I've been at the AAEX / SEMA tradeshows this week. Attendance this year seemed strong. Hope if you exhibited that you had a great show.After these shows every year I share the same basic tip. Hope it serves as a good reminder to not let all the hard work go to waste by leaving the job unfinished...Returning from exhibiting at or attending a tradeshow or special event?Use your first day back likePhil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32836709.post-50373516714725855442010-09-24T11:43:00.002-05:002010-09-24T12:01:41.334-05:00Tech-No Two....Last week I was pointing out the dependence today's sales & marketing has on technology and lamenting some technical issues I faced.Almost as if a divine joke, this week it got worse.On Monday, when I walked into the office I found that the server that houses a third of the websites we manage was hacked. On Wednesday our phone service went down. The week before was nothing compared to this Phil Sassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15851224618603493393noreply@blogger.com0