Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category

Is Happiness is Watching TV all night long?

Published February 9, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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coolest library in the world, photo: Andrew Moore

Maybe you should stop watching LOST or a show featuring 20 somethings arguing over a guy or whatever  new mesmerizing show that is on television these days. Your wasting your most precious resource: TIME.

I say this to people who desperately want to get a job, yet argue they have nothing of value to provide to an employer. I wonder why!!  Starting reading useful information. Not just interesting, it has to be useful, that will make you take action. There is a lot of great interesting information out there (the newspaper, most magazines), but that only drains you from whats important. Whats a great resource for useful information? Try the PMBA Reading List. Does the information give you strategies on how to apply it to your situation? Then it is useful! You want to be a writer one day for a company you admire? Maybe start reading all the best books in that industry to have some level of mastery on it. If a copywriter with 30 years of experience writes a book about magazine advertising, and you buy the book, you can learn in about two days of reading what it took her thirty years to accumulate! How amazing is that?! That is the greatest bargain of all time.

why you should care

Published January 21, 2010 marketing Leave a Comment
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On my recent travels I was fortunate to have gone trekking in the Kathmandu valley of Nepal with my brother. During our stay, there was news of a Maoist strike planned for Kathmandu city.  This threat ended our trekking tour prematurely - as we were forced to drive into Kathmandu a day early.

Now the trekking tour manager informed us that he would make up for the lost night and dinner included in our package.  So he offered to take us on some excursions around Kathmandu the next day, as the Maoist strike was later canceled!

He never showed up the next day. And why would he? He already had our money. Whats it to him? A whole lot.  The fact that I didn’t get full value for my money is not what most bothered me, but the fact that this guy lost any goodwill  I’d have of spreading word about his company to my family and friends.

All he had to do was offer something, anything to make me feel he cared about my experience. Just some effort to appease the customer on his part would have helped his company far more long term, then this short term gain.

This post isn’t to persuade others not to travel Nepal. It’s an awesome, outer worldly experience from the modern bustle of North America. Walking around buildings, temples that are thousands of years old is an experience you can’t quantify.

However, if someones asking me about trekking tours in Nepal, I will say it was a decent experience. It could have been an awesome experience, but it was just okay because of this encounter.  Whether this trekking company manager realizes it or not, he also represent Nepal tourism to me, my first impression. I will be more cautious agreeing to a tour next time I visit Nepal. But others who encounter this kind of service might never return to Nepal!

Whats the point?

The best kind of marketing is actually giving a damn. Make your customers experience with you a positive one.  Something worth remembering. You want them to leave your business being an happy, enthusiastic, walking spokesperson for your company.  Focus on this far outweighs all the thousands some companies spend on marketing brochures explaining all there nifty products and services.  Listen, have some empathy and you might win a customer for life.

Move from Abundance

Published November 20, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Tyler Durdens words of wisdom:

First of all, every minute of this movie has something to teach you, so please go and watch it if you haven’t already. Its based on the novel of the same name, Fight Club. Now the message? Anti-consumerism! No that isn’t exactly what I’m addressing. But what I can safely say is just about any kind of material good is now available in about any place in North America. Go to any climate controlled shopping centre and you will find entire sections of the mall devoted to home theater equipment, or 30 varieties of cell phones, or 14 different doggie biscuits. You want it? you got it! And for some reason we’ve gotten so used to this that it doesn’t seem so remarkable anymore. If you told about this world to your grandparents back in the day they would be awestruck. They lived in a world of scarcity, but changes in modern life has resulted in a world of abundance.

Daniel Pink discusses this issue in his book A Whole New Mind. In one of his countless examples he notes that we have so much stuff that an entire industry has been created to cater to this “extra stuff”. Self storage has become a 17 billion annual industry in the US! What does this all mean?

In pop culture, in movies and television shows like Heroes, there is this overwhelming trend of people needing transcendance and meaning in there lives. Were getting richer, better standard of living, but  hasn’t increased our happiness. Exotic practices such as yoga and meditation once thought as very niche subjects in North America have now gone completely main stream.  What does this mean for marketing? This spiritual war that Tyler Durden addresses – this constant consumerism – isn’t going to satisfy the need for meaning. We now desire more. This abundance has resulted in push for more beauty and meaning in the products we buy and companies need to know this to continue.  Its not enough anymore to create a functional product.

Recently I bought a box of Maynards candy and each box bought  goes toward a brick in constructing a school in Africa. I love it!  Not only am I rotting my teeth but its helping people improve there lives. Now I bought the box of candy cos I love the candy, but when I read that its going towards something greater that made me feel good.   A company that promotes this form of social entrepreneurism creates a story that there consumers will share with one another. I want to purchase shoes from TOMS one day, not only because they make quality shoes, but because the company has meaning. And isn’t this an idea thats worth spreading? In a world of material plenty, we now have more significant desires. Companies who know this will have a huge advantage.

Social ju-jitsu

Published November 10, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Ali&Beatles_large

Kings of influence: Muhammad Ali and The Beatles

Robert Cialdini speaks about Commitment and Consistency in his book Influence: The Power of Persuasion.

There’s a story there about a study conducted on people placing bets at the horse racing track. People were interviewed about their chances on winning – both immediately before, and immediately after placing a bet.

What the researchers found was immediately after they placed their bet, people were more confident in their chances of winning – even though nothing about the race itself had changed.

Another example is homeowners agreeing to sign a petition that favoured “keeping California beautiful.”  After a few weeks, the researchers asked the residents to allow a “Drive Carefully” sign to be displayed on their lawns – and nearly half the residents agreed, though it was a completely different public service topic. Why? Because they made the initial commitment. People will go to great lengths to behave consistently with previous actions they have taken.

How to use this piece of social ju-jitsu to your advantage? Ask customers for their feedback on their previous purchase and as soon as possible. This is when customers are most committed to their decision, and it’s the easiest way to get ten star testimonials. Ask while its still fresh in the mind – when they remember how good it felt to get the product from you. Not a few months later when they have possibly forgotten about your product. Booyah.

You need to know how influence actually works, so you know how to make decisions that fit your needs rather than someone else’s. So get this book!

Rogers doesn’t get it

Published October 30, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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I’ve recently came to the realization that my 3 year contract with Rogers (Canadian Wireless company) has come to an end. Now I can finally get an Iphone! However my happiness lasted about 10 seconds when I realized the lack of options for us Canadian Iphone lovers. Were getting ripped off big time people. Check out the below chart, courtesy of Andy Peatling.

iphone3gcosts21

The costs are based on Iphone 3G in 2008, so there are some adjustments for the 3GS, but it remains roughly the same – obscene prices. I mean only 400 mb data? THAT is the WHOLE POINT OF GETTING THE IPHONE – to use the amazing online apps!!! Feel like banging my head in mirth.

I also a big fan of shoddy service. Why didn’t they inform me my contract was over back in July of this year? Why should they I suppose. They can do whatever they want in Canada. Rogers has exclusive rights for the Iphone and thus have been maximizing revenues off Canadians the past 2 years. However, now there is upcoming competition with Telus and Bell getting rights to sell the Iphone.

What Rogers doesn’t get is users are less likely to switch if the customer service is great and if the prices are reasonable. With the economic slowdown they could have easily secured there market share by not charging such high prices and lack of service. Too late now Rog. As soon as Bell and Telus or any future competitor comes out with a better plan – sayonara.


Being Punk Rock

Published October 29, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Don’t have to do it right. You can do it wrong. It just matters if you got something to say. That is the mantra of punk rock. This also seems to be the only way to survive in our over crowded marketplace.  Thats how Gary Vaynerchuk did it! Just in case you have been living under a rock for the past 2 years (I only heard of him about 2 weeks ago to be fair), he has become the biggest wine expert in the world through his video blog site: winelibrary.tv

His approach is that in todays online world it is now possible to make a living following your passions. What most comes across in his discussion is his authenticity. He knows everything there is to know about wine, but could only display his love for wine through his own colourful language. I love how he has been able to do this!! I love his no bullshit, honest approach to business. This guy isn’t suave and elegant like my initial perception of what an wine expert is. He’s loud, over the top and hilarious. And he can’t change that, because that just how he is.  That is what has made him so successful. He knows what it takes to win, out working everyone and also having fun at the same time.

This is his keynote speech that he gave last year at Web 2.0 conference talking about building a reputation. Honestly watch this to not only laugh your face off, but also because he is punk rock. He’s a prime example of how the barriers of entry to creation have been lowered. It’s inspiring. I wonder if he’s heard of Johnny Rotten.

Learn New Skills

Published October 20, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Remember that legendary scene in The Matrix when Neo is getting Kung Fu Lessons downloaded into his brain? Here’s the youtube for a quick reminder.

Within 10 seconds he knows all the skills, but is rusty when it comes to actually fighting with Morpheus. Everything that happened in this movie is possible. WE LIVE IN THAT WORLD NOW.

I’ve downloaded ebooks on persuasion, online entrepreneurship, how to read faster, how to use a Olympus DLSR camera. Everything is available now. There are no excuses, except the willingness needed to hustle and do it. It definitely takes more than 10 seconds, yes. But one week is all you really need to master editing movies using Imovie – thats how long it took me. To be above average at Final Cut Pro probably takes a little longer. But first you must have that thirst for knowledge and go through a little pain to learn those new skills.

Going to Extremes

Published October 16, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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I am enrollled in the Lights Film School program, and I’ve recently come across something amazing while going through the notes on screenwriting.

” The main character is going need motivation, which will drive them towards action in a quest to accomplish their goal”.

MOTIVATION – ACTION – GOAL = DIRECTION

Have you ever imagined your life as if you’re the main character in your own movie. Whenever I feel stagnate about something I remind myself of this and shift gears towards what makes me excited about life:  learning new skills, doing something I haven’t done before. Being comfortable being uncomfortable.

So what makes an intriguing main character?

1 Something Must be at Risk.

2 Motivation threatened by an oppressing force in order to create a sense of doubt

3 Must be challenging to achieve, sort of transformation takes place, through a series of obstacles.

I had a massive smile on my face when I read this. Without adventure what would be the point of living? But you say ” Don’t you know anything… films are designed to sell and please peoples fantasies, that doesn’t happen in real life you young naive moron!”  You’re probably right. Not everyone can be James Bond. But what if you really got up tomorrow and decided to live that way?

Zorba said it best, “Life is trouble, only death is not. To be alive you’ve got to undo your belt and look for trouble”.

You gotta make it happen

Published August 20, 2009 Uncategorized 2 Comments

Lots of people are always searching for the BIG idea, that one idea that will make them millions of dollars. They will ponder for days, months turn into years, addicted to all the power porn they’ve been reading in Fast Company waiting for the epiphany to hit them straight in-between the eyes. I am telling you right now that hasn’t worked for me yet and its probably a BIG WASTE OF TIME and ENERGY for you as well. I went with the idea of starting a blog.

You can make one in less than 30 seconds:

WordPress

Weebly

Easy. Welcome to You. Inc What do you write about? Anything you want. Any ideas you feel are worth spreading. Start small. You might think its a good idea but perhaps its not for you. I definitely thought it was a waste of time until I started to get a few responses at eyeknow.wordpress.com. I used to post about some cool electronic or a book review I did or some tunes I liked and people responded! It became addicting, so kept on keeping on.

Execution of idea is far more important than just having an idea. Cos anyone can have an idea. I know this is gonna sound cliche, but the best thing about ideas is they’re free! They only result in value until you act on them and make it a reality.

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