Get To Heaven

June 23, 2017
No one is alone ... not even in marketing

Let's talk about business today.

Arnold (not his real name) lost his company this past week. He had gone all out in promoting his business --- a grand opening, social media and participating in networking events. etc. But it fizzled out and ended with a sad letter that he was closing shop.

I had no inkling he was struggling. I wish he asked me for help. If I had known, I would have advised him to focus on his target first and then build the marketing campaign around his potential client.

Many business owners parrot ideas about SEO, apps, flyers, posters, postcards, newsletters, banners, websites, print ads, telemarketing, videos, etc. But effective marketing comes by ingraining your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) to a specific group of people so that you will be their first choice when they need your kind of service. I don't claim to know it all but I do know that "one size does not fit all."

I've often wondered how "SEO specialists" guarantee the top spot of a Google search. My question to them: If they have two clients from the same industry and same geographical area, who do they put on top? (Let that sink in for a while.) Depending on their answer and a few other probes, I know if these SEO guys are legit or after a quick buck. Formulas, Fakes and Fools. The business world is full of these characters.

When you put up a sales sign, an instant sale is great but it should not be the measure of success. You attain true marketing success when you are in your client's mind at the time they need you. Of course, the gestation period would vary according to your service or product.

Years ago I too had to close my (electrical generator) business. I remember being stuck in traffic on my way home after locking the office for the last time. A beggar knocked on my window. I looked at his disheveled face and the coins in his donation can. I thought "this guy not only looks better than me but has also earned more cash than I did with my business." I wish I had understood marketing better back then. I wish someone was there to guide me and make me better than my competitor.

In Business and in Life,
Don't think twice.
it's always good to seek advice.

No one is alone.

Life is like a box of chocolates. Sometimes you're the favorite chocolate to be eaten up; sometimes you're the last. And sometimes you just get thrown away with the box.

TGIF people!

How Do You Get to Heaven?
Contributed by Ed of Nashville
From the TGIF vault of 2006

I was testing the children in my Sunday school class to see if they understood the concept of getting to heaven.

I asked them, "If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church --- would that get me into Heaven?"

"NO!" the children answered.

"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy --- would that get me into Heaven?"

Again, the answer was, "NO!"

By now I was starting to smile. Hey, this was fun!

"Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children, and loved my husband --- would that get me into Heaven?" I asked them again.

Again, they all answered, "NO!"

I was just bursting with pride for them."Well," I continued, "then how can I get into Heaven?"

A five-year-old boy shouted out,

"YOU GOTTA BE DEAD!!!"

Electric Chair
Contributed by Don of Kelowna, B.C.
From the TGIF vault of 2006

Three women go down to Mexico one night to celebrate college graduation, get drunk, and wake up in jail, only to find that they are to be executed in the morning, though none of them can remember what they did the night before.

The first one, a redhead, is strapped in the electric chair, and is asked if she has any last words. She says, "I just graduated from Brigham Young University and believe in the almighty power of God to intervene on the behalf of the innocent." They throw the switch and nothing happens. They all immediately prostrate themselves; beg for her forgiveness, and release her.

The second one, a brunette, is strapped in and gives her last words, "I just graduated from the Harvard School of Law and I believe in the power of justice to intervene on the part of the innocent." They throw the switch and, again, nothing happens. Again, they all immediately prostrate themselves; beg for her forgiveness, and release her.

The last one, an airhead, is strapped in and says, "Well, I'm from the University of Idaho and just graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering, and I'll tell you right now, you're not going to electrocute anybody if you don't plug this thing in."

TGIF Videos