From Seth Godin

“Here’s what political marketers learn from people who don’t vote:

Nothing.

If you don’t vote because you’re disappointed with your choices, disgusted by tactics like lying and spin, or merely turned off by the process, you’ve opted out of the marketplace.

The goal of political marketers isn’t to get you to vote. Their goal is to get more votes than the other guy. So they obsess about pleasing those that vote. Everyone else is invisible.

Steakhouses do nothing to please vegetarians who don’t visit them, and politicians and their handlers don’t care at all about non-voters.

The magic of voting is that by opting in to the system, you magically begin to count. A lot.

If you don’t like negative ads, for example, then vote for the candidate who ran even 1% fewer negative ads. Magically, within a cycle or two, the number of negative ads begins to go down.

One reason that people don’t vote (a real, usually unspoken reason) is that they don’t want to feel responsible for the person who wins. The other reason is that they don’t want to live with the disappointment of voting for someone who loses. Both of these reasons ignore the marketing reality: not voting doesn’t make marketing or politics go away. It merely changes the person the marketers are trying to please.

Vote tomorrow. Bring a friend. If enough smart people start voting again, things will improve, because billions of dollars in political marketing will suddenly be trying to please you.” - Seth Godin

I love the last paragraph – make it so! – Chuck Trautman

November’s prime topic is the power of “The BIG Idea” and what it can do to make your business stand out from the crowd.  But you might be wondering… “How do I come up with my own BIG idea?  I’m not even sure where to start!”

It may seem daunting at first, but actually there’s quite a few places to start to look inside your business when coming up with your own BIG idea – in fact, 9 to be specific:

1. Do you have some kind of proprietary technology to crow about?
2. What about your story… is there anything about it that’s clearly unique?
3. Can you combine different assets together in a way that’s novel and different?
4. Pricing – can you offer a twist or even a controversial angle relative to the prices you charge for goods/services?
5. Is there something special about your business that makes it into an attraction… something highly visible that customers just HAVE to tell others about?
6. How about the PLACE where you do business – is there a way to transform that into something that’s way outside conventional thinking??
7. Do you have a theme for your business… or different themes… something that sets you apart and is even newsworthy?
8. Any way to create special events around your business to attract attention and generate interest?
9. Have you ever made a very public stand against a specific enemy or taken on some powerful adversary?

These are all possible angles for generating a BIG idea for your business….  When you come to this month’s Arizona Marketing Summit on November 14 you’ll get a chance to try them all out and have some fun with other business owners doing likewise.  Join us there.  <#526_Link-Marketing Summit RSVP#>

I’ll be giving away a copy of my just published book, “Business Tips From the Trenches: How to succeed in Business WIthout an MBA to everyone in attendance.

Until Next Time!

Chuck

Keep your youngest employees safe at work

Teenagers and young adults make up about 13 percent of the U.S. workforce. They may be highly motivated and energetic, but they’re also more likely to have higher rates of injury because of inexperience and lack of adequate safety training. From 1998 to 2007 (according to the Centers for Disease Control), an average of 795,000 nonfatal injuries requiring hospital treatment struck young workers yearly. And in 2009, 359 employees 24 years old or younger were killed on the job–including 27 who were under age 18.

Don’t want to contribute to these sad statistics. Take these steps for training your youngest employees in proper safety procedures:

* Define safety expectations. Tell young employees why safety is important to them and to your organization as a whole.

* Take nothing for granted. Remember that safety procedures that are obvious to you may be obscure to them. The first time they see a piece of machinery, for example, they may not know to find the power switch so they can shut it down in an emergency.

* Encourage questions. Employees should feel free to share their safety concerns with managers or point out that directions are unclear. Don’t brush off their questions because you’re too busy.

* Train them for emergencies. All employees need to know what to do in the event of a fire or injury. Spend some time giving instructions and running drills so all your workers can respond quickly and safely.

* Ask for feedback. New employees may spot issues you’ve overlooked. Solicit their input in anything they see regarding workplace safety.

Chuck Trautman

I listened to a Success Magazine CD last week.  One of the interviews was with a young man who consulted with corporations on how to hire, train and retain Gen Y’ers.  They are becoming the largest portion of our work force so you need to think about how to have them be valuable employees.

The scary part is they often have the MOST contact with your customers.  I’ve heard some horror stories caused by lack of understanding.

Some advice from the interview:
Gen Y’ers decide if they will stay with a company on their first day of work, often before lunch.  Never start your new Gen Y employee on a Monday. The Monday morning stress around your business may have ‘em running!

Have someone of the same age and gender take them on the “company tour”.  Gen Y’ers want to ask social questions, too and won’t be comfortable asking their “mom, dad, grandma or grandpa” social questions.

Give Gen Y er’s short bits of job performance feedback on a regular basis (weekly or bi-weekly).  Ten seconds of encouragement can make their week.

I’m adding a seminar to my customer service training series for employers who have Generation Y employees in contact with their older customers.  The “boomers” have the highest percentage of wealth in the country – don’t let your Gen Y’ers offend them!

If you’re interested in learning more, contact me.

Chuck Trautman

chuck@goldcrownmarketing.com

480-773-7490

Author of soon to be published book, “Business Tips From the Trenches”

The Ultimate Lead Generation Machine

The next GKIC product launch is scheduled for October.  Promotion through content laden announcement videos will begin the last week of September.  But…you can beat the crowd.

Can you think of a more valuable resource than a Lead Generation Machine?  Think of your ROI!

The course consists of  an all new Dan Kennedy product and 5 other primary components plus 4 bonus components from GKIC totaling $7,700.  That includes a free ticket to the 2012 Info Summit or the 2013 SuperConference which have a value $1,497 for GKIC members.  Plus I have valuable personal bonuses worth several $$$$, a 1 in 20 chance to win a MacBook Air, and a fresh $100 bill for the next 5 first movers to grab this new machine.

When this program rolls out it, the investment will be an incredibly low $1,997.  But the Chuck Trautman “steal it now” special is not $1,997, but only $1,697!  This special applies to the first 11 orders and will expire soon!

The total value of the GKIC program is $7,700.  With my bonuses the value is over $11,111!

Dan Kennedy always teaches to use risk reversal with every offer and this offer is no exception. Inspect the course materials for 30 days.  If you aren’t 100% satisfied, return them for a full, no questions ask, refund and keep the bonuses for your trouble.

The course itself will pay for itself over and over again by generating new leads for your business.  Another way to look at it is you can go to the Info Summit or SuperConference for $100 and have A ton of money making resources in your marketing arsenal.  No matter how your look at it, you win.

Click Ultimate Lead Order Form now.  Scan and email it to me (the email address is on the top of the form) or fax it to me at (480) 393-4816.

The light in the steeple of the Old North Church was a signal to warn the patriots, where and how the British, our enemy at the time, would be coming to attack. Either by land or by sea, and once determined it began a cascade of events that allowed the militia to know how to prepare.

The same is true for your business! This month at the Arizona Marketing Summit this Wednesday in celebration of our country’s independence you’ll discover ways you can set signals in your business to better market to your ideal client.

We’re talkin’ automating the things that lead to your independence and autonomy to help you celebrate more profits!

We’re talkin’ getting more patriots to fight for you through outsourcing.

We’re talkin’ ridding your militia of crappy spies.

We’re talkin’ making the plan to more money a clear path.

We’re talkin’ reducing your taxes with help from minuteman, CPA Alex Lowy

Like Paul Revere and the other patriots, you’ll know which method works best in order to get the desired outcome but you have to raise your lantern by attending Marketing Summit RSVP.

Show you’re a real patriot and “conscript” a guest for this month’s Arizona Marketing summit.

I’ll see you Wednesday!

Sgt Chuck

July 11 – July Marketing Summit

6:30 PM – Networking and Dinner

7:00 PM – Program Begins

9:00 PM – Program Concludes

Marketing Summit RSVP

Rio Salado College Conference Center

2323 W 14th St, (just off I-10 & Broadway)

Tempe

Guarantee:  If you attend and feel you do not get value for your time, I will refund your registration AND donate $50 to a charity of your choice.

Marketing Lessons from Nashville, TN

Last week my family journeyed to Nashville, TN to deliver the remains of my mother-in-law and brother-in-law and to celebrate their lives.

The celebration started with dinner for 14 at the Loveless Cafe.  It was real country comfort food – fried chicken, country ham, catfish, BBQ pulled pork, meat loaf, fried green tomatoes, collared greens, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and key lime pie.  And fresh biscuits to die for!

We had a small, short memorial at the grave site.  Only family spoke about good times with the departed.

Then it was party time.  Four of us headed downtown.  After a late lunch at the Flying Saucer (they have over 100 beers from around the world on tap) we toured the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Then we headed over to Broadway where the action is.  It’s mostly honky tonks with live country music with a few retail shops in between.  It reminds me of 6th Street in Austin, TX.

Our first stop was The Second Fiddle.  The band was good, but I was surprised how hard the lead singer worked the crowd for tips and CD sales.  In fact, he took a break, turned the singing over to his lead guitar player and walked around the place with his tip jar introducing himself and asking for tips for “the boys in the band”.  He also orchestrated “chug-a-lugs” to push revenue to the club (I did not participate.  His name is Brad Anderson if he ever becomes famous.

The women went shopping and I hung out at the club by myself.  When they returned they said I just had to come over to Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge.

On the way to Tootsie’s we were caught in a downpour.  To stay dry we ducked into a cowboy boot store.  Lynne, my sister-in-law, wanted some boots so she tried on a few pair.  She found a pair she liked, but said she didn’t want to carry them home to Seattle.

Immediately the young sales girl turned to me and said, “You look like former military.”  When I confessed she was right she said, “We have a 30% discount for veterans.”  This sealed the deal and Lynne saved almost a $100.  The sales clerk was fast on her feet and obviously had a lot of room to negotiate, although she could have made the sale by offering free shipping to vets, out of towners, etc and made more profit for the store.  I’m assuming that selling cowboy boots in a country music city, surrounded by bars, selling to patrons who have been bar hopping allows the boot store to mark up their merchandise at 50% above retail so the 30% was insignificant.

We finally get to Tootsies.  It is packed.  We had to slither through the crowd to find a standing room only spot.  The “slithering” was more fun for me than the ladies in my group!  The band was fantastic.  At the front of the stage were two guitar playing lady singers and singing from the bar was a young guy, who walked up and down the bar while he sang.

No real marketing plan here either.  The guy singing from the bar took requests for $20 and all most every song was by request.  In fact a guy requested a patriotic song.  The singer said he did not know the words but could get the lyrics on his iPhone and read them while he sang.  Done deal – $20!

I guess all Tootsies needs is a great location and a great band to pack ‘em in.

Until next time,

Chuck

]]> http://nobsphx.com/nashville-scene/feed 0 http://nobsphx.com/the-beatles-arthroscopy-and-drugs http://nobsphx.com/the-beatles-arthroscopy-and-drugs#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 00:35:43 +0000 Chuck Trautman http://nobsphx.com/?p=535 Continue reading →]]> While sipping a “Let It Be Tea” and “Here Comes the Sun”, Carol and I reminisced about all the fun we had during the Beatle’s years.

Last Thursday night, we went to ASU Gammage to the Rain concert.  Rain is the title of the Side B song of the Beatle’s Paperback Writer and is also the name of a top Beatles tribute band who appeared in town last Thursday and Friday.

They were great and the crowd was really into them.  They started with the famous Ed Sullivan Show on Feb 9, 1964 and ran through the Sgt Pepper and Revolution days.

Last December Carol and I saw Rain on PBS.  She remarked she’d like to see them.  Later I Googled them and found they were playing in Tempe this May so I bought tickets and gave them to her for her birthday in January.

Usually when I go to an event I pick apart the marketing and think about ways the promoters could make more money.  Not this time.

Ticketmaster kept us informed of the upcoming event, ASU Gammage sent reminders complete with parking instructions, they sold theme cocktails before the show, they had Rain merchandise for sale and they even offered Gammage season tickets in the program in follow up emails.

Now what about the drugs?  I had arthroscopic surgery on my right knee last Friday.  In my May newsletter I ripped the doctors office over their poor customer service.

Well everything was the opposite at the hospital, John C Lincoln North Mountain.  In the out patient unit everyone was as friendly and helpful as good be. The nurses in pre-op were thorough, friendly and entertaining.  When I was wheeled into the operating room the surgical nurse who wheeled me in pulled on her gloves.  I said you’re serious now and she said, “Yes, and you won’t even have to bend over.”  Hilarious!

I was very comfortable through the entire experience.  The doctor was in his element, too.  You could tell he loves the game but hates the office work.

A funny moment happened while talking to the anesthesiologist.  He was asking me questions about if I smoke, had I ever smoked, and for how long.  Then he said,”Alcohol?”  I said, “I  like it.”  He then went into a rant about most people say they don’t drink much and he knew they are either lying or missing out on a good time.

The surgery went well and of course they drugged me up and gave me a prescription for more drugs.  I stayed drugged up and in pain on Friday night and Saturday.  I went to Aleve on Sunday and today, Monday, I’m thanking God for healing fast.

The original plan was no golf until July 1.  Now I’m thinking June 12!

Wasn’t The Masters absolutely thrilling this year?  The back nine Sunday is always special, but this year the drama was incredible!  Any one of 6 golfers could have won.

As the co-creator of a “mental side of golf” training program (www.DawsonMethodGolf.com), I was extremely interested in how the pressure would affect the players – and affect them it did!  Later in this article I’m going to cover how you can improve your game by what you saw at The Masters. Let’s recap.

Tiger was the favorite coming in by virtue of his victory at Bay Hill.  He still is not playing with any confidence at all.  I never thought we’d see Tiger tight, but it was evident from the get go.  He just could not get in the zone.  In my last article I discussed “forgiving yourself” for hitting a bad shot.  Tiger just could not forgive himself.  Hard to watch, but he’ll be OK.

How about Fred Couples?  He is the absolute epitome of “Mr. Cool”.  There was a lot to learn from watching him Thursday and Friday.  He never seemed to be in a hurry.  His gait as he walked off the tee was as smooth as his silky swing.  The interview he gave Jim Nance after his Friday round was amazing.  It was just two old friends discussing golf.  The big takeaway from the interview was that Freddie was having fun!

Several years ago (1994), I had the chance to play 3 holes with Freddie.  His equipment deal at the time was with Lynx.  At the PGA show, Lynx paid him to play a round with some of their retailers.  Fred played 3 holes with 6 different groups of us.  He made us all feel like we were just playing with our buddies.  The ability to relax has served him well and earned him millions.  Why can’t we relax like that?  It’s fear.  Fear of what?  Like Freddie said, “It’s only a golf shot.”

Back to Augusta.  I think we all had the feeling that it was going to be Phil Mickelson all the way on Sunday.  After the back 9 he had on Saturday to get back in it, I thought he was a lock.  Peter Hanson looked really nervous on the practice green.  Who knew that Oosthuihizen would throw a deuce at them on the second hole?

But what was Phil thinking about on number 4?  His post round statements of “aiming over there because that’s the right place to miss it” seem a little ludicrous.  Phil is extremely creative and visualizes every shot.  Visualizing the “spot to miss it” is contrary to everything he does.  Even with the triple, he had a few makeable birdie putts on the front that just didn’t go in for him.

Tiger has been quoted as saying he likes to play practice rounds with Bubba because of his ability to hit so many types of “curved” shots.  He visualizes every shot and rarely does he see them as straight in his mind’s eye.

One of my friends is Pat Fitzsimons.  Pat won the LA Open in 1974 and had several top 20 finishes in majors.  He was also known as one of the one of the best ball strikers of his era.

Late in Pat’s career, I played in a pro-am with him before the Oregon Open.  After the round he hit 2 irons on the range.  The amazing thing was he had me call the shot (high fade, low draw, high draw, etc) after he had begun his down swing.  He said he used a quick visualization and his hands to change the ball flight during his swing.

Bubba Watson can play that game, too.  But with his imagination and pre shot visualization he was able to hit a 40 yard draw though the trees from 135 yards to 10 feet.  Of course he displayed a lot of mental toughness by birdieing 4 holes in a row after making bogey on 12.

So what do we, the amateur golfers of the world, learn from all this?  We must stick to our routine and use the methods we know work but we often overlook, especially in competition.

Those of us who have been around the game of golf for a while, have hit every shot there is, great at least once and most shots great many times.  We must call upon the “replay” of all those great shots from our past to carry us to our best golf ever.

Seven Mental Tips for Golf (and better mental health)

1. Forgive thyself for every poor shot
2. Stay in the present at all times
3. Slow down!
4. Don’t try to be a hero
5. Get over the fear – its’ only a golf shot
6. Have a pre-shot routine
7. Visualize EVERY shot during your pre-shot routine

Along with Valerie Dawson, I developed a course to develop your mental golf game, give you a pre-shot routine, and have you playing the best golf of your life.  And you learn these techniques at home – not on the golf course.

You’ll see my personal story on our website (www.DawsonMethodGolf.com) – the story of lowering my handicap from 15.6 to 8.8 in just 6 weeks.  You see since I was in the golf equipment business, I tried to “buy a game”, when all along I had the game within me.  So do you.

Who is this course not for?  Beginners.  If you haven’t played much golf, you don’t have a memory bank full of great shots from your past to replay.

But if you’ve played for a while, our program will have you shooting lower scores quickly – guaranteed or you money back.

Check it out today at www.DawsonMethodGolf.com

Chuck Trautman

Chuck is a marketing stratgist and avid golfer from Phoenix, AZ.  His favorite course in the Phoenix area is Legend Trail Golf Course in North Scottsdale.  Chuck sold over $100 Million worth golf equipment in his days of owning 6 retail golf equipment stores.

What Did You Learn From Phil and Bubba at The Masters?

Wasn’t The Masters absolutely thrilling this year?  The back nine Sunday is always special, but this year the drama was incredible!  Any one of 6 golfers could have won.

As the co-creator of a “mental side of golf” training program (www.GolfMindSecrets.com), I was extremely interested in how the pressure would affect the players – and affect them it did!  Later in this article I’m going to cover how you can improve your game by what you saw at The Masters. Let’s recap.

Tiger was the favorite coming in by virtue of his victory at Bay Hill.  He still is not playing with any confidence at all.  I never thought we’d see Tiger tight, but it was evident from the get go.  He just could not get in the zone.  In my last article I discussed “forgiving yourself” for hitting a bad shot.  Tiger just could not forgive himself.  Hard to watch, but he’ll be OK.

How about Fred Couples?  He is the absolute epitome of “Mr. Cool”.  There was a lot to learn from watching him Thursday and Friday.  He never seemed to be in a hurry.  His gait as he walked off the tee was as smooth as his silky swing.  The interview he gave Jim Nance after his Friday round was amazing.  It was just two old friends discussing golf.  The big takeaway from the interview was that Freddie was having fun!

Several years ago (1994), I had the chance to play 3 holes with Freddie.  His equipment deal at the time was with Lynx.  At the PGA show, Lynx paid him to play a round with some of their retailers.  Fred played 3 holes with 6 different groups of us.  He made us all feel like we were just playing with our buddies.  The ability to relax has served him well and earned him millions.  Why can’t we relax like that?  It’s fear.  Fear of what?  Like Freddie said, “It’s only a golf shot.”

Back to Augusta.  I think we all had the feeling that it was going to be Phil Mickelson all the way on Sunday.  After the back 9 he had on Saturday to get back in it, I thought he was a lock.  Peter Hanson looked really nervous on the practice green.  Who knew that Oosthuihizen would throw a deuce at them on the second hole?

But what was Phil thinking about on number 4?  His post round statements of “aiming over there because that’s the right place to miss it” seem a little ludicrous.  Phil is extremely creative and visualizes every shot.  Visualizing the “spot to miss it” is contrary to everything he does.  Even with the triple, he had a few makeable birdie putts on the front that just didn’t go in for him.

Tiger has been quoted as saying he likes to play practice rounds with Bubba because of his ability to hit so many types of “curved” shots.  He visualizes every shot and rarely does he see them as straight in his mind’s eye.

One of my friends is Pat Fitzsimons.  Pat won the LA Open in 1974 and had several top 20 finishes in majors.  He was also known as one of the one of the best ball strikers of his era. 

Late in Pat’s career, I played in a pro-am with him before the Oregon Open.  After the round he hit 2 irons on the range.  The amazing thing was he had me call the shot (high fade, low draw, high draw, etc) after he had begun his down swing.  He said he used a quick visualization and his hands to change the ball flight during his swing. 

Bubba Watson can play that game, too.  But with his imagination and pre shot visualization he was able to hit a 40 yard draw though the trees from 135 yards to 10 feet.  Of course he displayed a lot of mental toughness by birdieing 4 holes in a row after making bogey on 12.

So what do we, the amateur golfers of the world, learn from all this?  We must stick to our routine and use the methods we know work but we often overlook, especially in competition.

Those of us who have been around the game of golf for a while, have hit every shot there is, great at least once and most shots great many times.  We must call upon the “replay” of all those great shots from our past to carry us to our best golf ever. 

Seven Mental Tips for Golf (and better mental health)

1.      Forgive thyself for every poor shot

2.      Stay in the present at all times

3.      Slow down!

4.      Don’t try to be a hero

5.      Get over the fear – its’ only a golf shot

6.      Have a pre-shot routine

7.      Visualize EVERY shot during your pre-shot routine

Along with Valerie Dawson, I developed a course to develop your mental golf game, give you a pre-shot routine, and have you playing the best golf of your life.  And you learn these techniques at home – not on the golf course.

You’ll see my personal story on our website (www.GolfMindSecrets.com) – the story of lowering my handicap from 15.6 to 8.8 in just 6 weeks.  You see since I was in the golf equipment business, I tried to “buy a game”, when all along I had the game within me.  So do you. 

Who is this course not for?  Beginners.  If you haven’t played much golf, you don’t have a memory bank full of great shots from your past to replay. 

But if you’ve played for a while, our program will have you shooting lower scores quickly – guaranteed or you money back.

Check it out today at www.GolfMindSecrets.com

Chuck Trautman

Chuck is a marketing coach and avid golfer from Phoenix, AZ.  His favorite course in the Phoenix area is Legend Trail Golf Course in North Scottsdale.  Chuck sold over $100 Million worth golf equipment in his days of owning 6 retail golf equipment stores. 

That’s what getting referrals should be.

Actually, I hate the word “referrals” because everyone has such a preconceived idea about this word and overall strategy.

Most THINK they rely on it exclusively, others they overlook it altogether.

NO ONE gets it right.  That’s because they and probably you, do not operate your referral strategies with a formula.

Tami and I are going to give you my exact Referral Marketing Formula that will directly and dramatically put you back in control of your new customer acquisition and you will see immediate impact to your ability to get more customers from your existing customers and others.

**(if you’d like to fill your funnel, grow your business, and have more customers than you’ve ever had before from this one method I’m talking about now, you must be at our Chapter Event next week

Marketing Summit RSVP

“So what?”  You might say.  But you’d be wrong.  Referrals are critical for these reasons:

-          The 2^nd easiest customers to sell and keep (the first being your existing customers)

-          The best (when done right) qualified prospect, because they came from another customer

-          The fastest to move up the ascension ladder or upsell, because they come already trusting you

There is another reason that you want to get referrals that most people never think about, don’t know, and if they do, never acknowledge it.

It’s the very simple fact that when someone gives you a referral that person then becomes a better more committed customer themselves.  MAGIC!

If for no other reason, that ought to be enough for you to want to get every single one of your customers to refer you business.

It’s the concept and power of that turning one into many thing I told you about earlier this week.  If you want a healthy customer base, you must be nurturing your customers for referrals.

Forget the guesswork; get past the frustration of what you’ve tried and what hasn’t worked.

You’ve not had a formula to follow until now.  Until next week.  You need to be at our marketing Summit, now more than ever. With new customers being harder and more expensive to acquire, you must master this marketing method.

We’re going to hand feed you the way to execute this in your business.  You’ll leave with strategies in motion, referrals in progresses, and money on its way.

Click here and I’ll see you next week:

Marketing Summit RSVP

Sgt Chuck

P.S.  I’ve got a lot more to say about this “referral” stuff. The next week will fly by, so do yourself a favor and click this link, grab your seat, and get ready for the single most effective means of growing your business – by getting your customers to do all the work.  And know this, no one has ever talked with you, shown you specific strategies, and helped you lay them out in your business the way we’re going to do when we get together next week at the Marketing Summit in Phoenix on Wednesday, February 8th!