The art of seduction by Bill Clinton
This morning I was reading Tim Ferris’ blog when I came across a very interesting post by Michael Ellsberg. The actual title of the post is “How It Works: Clinton’s Reality Distortion Field’ Charisma”.
I am not going to get into the subject of “Reality Distortion field” which actually seems very interesting, but I want you to just watch the video and we can comment on it below:
Bill Clinton’s skills are just amazing, how he engages with the lady asking the question. Compare with Bush, the guy didn’t even look at the person asking the question. By watching Bill you can really learn something. The importance of eye contact, how he moved close to the lady and to gain some further rapport…
What do you think about it?
Do not scare your clients away
Today I just passed a fish taberna in Halandri we used to go to very frequently a year a go. Suddenly I realized we haven’t been for a very long time.
The reason: I was scared away
The place wasn’t very popular until it was featured in a Sunday paper. All of a sudden people started going. It is small 10 tables, family run and really good food. I even ate there one night next to Giorgos Papandreu, yes you know who, I am not joking.
The owner got to know us, but strangely enough the more often we went the higher my bill was getting. We could say that because we were already a repeating client they felt they could push and push no matter what, that we will still come back. It was a mistake, I never went back again.
This is just an everyday example to demonstrate that your clients do have a limit and if you push too much you may loose them to the competition.
You should always study your client learn about him, what he can and cannot do. Always try to do business but don’t forget that the client always has to feel that he is getting a benefit from the partnership. As soon as he feels pushed he will look for alternatives.
That’s how life works, I look for alternatives, you look for alternatives, we all search if we feel we can get a better option.
What is a brand?
Can you definde a brand?
Just think about it for a second….what is it for you, a logo or a design….
A brand is much more than that. This is Seth Godin’s definition:
A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another. If the consumer (whether it’s a business, a buyer, a voter or a donor) doesn’t pay a premium, make a selection or spread the word, then no brand value exists for that consumer.
A brand’s value is merely the sum total of how much extra people will pay, or how often they choose, the expectations, memories, stories and relationships of one brand over the alternatives.
A brand used to be something else. It used to be a logo or a design or a wrapper. Today, that’s a shadow of the brand, something that might mark the brand’s existence. But just as it takes more than a hat to be a cowboy, it takes more than a designer prattling on about texture to make a brand.
If you’ve never heard of it, if you wouldn’t choose it, if you don’t recommend it, then there is no brand, at least not for you.
Customer service online vs offline
Customer service is an essential part of your business, whatever you do.
You may have a bakery, a restaurant, a supermarket, a bank or an airline, a good customer service makes a big difference. In fact, if you give me good service and a smile, you have a very big chance that if I need that particular service again, I will come back. I am even willing to pay a little bit extra if necessary. I am sure that I am not the only one that thinks this way.
However, why is it so difficult to get a good service out of some people. Especially when we speak about high-street shops, offline retailers.
Why do online business try their utmost to give you that great customer service? There is strong competition and any small detail makes a difference. I know, but there is also fierce competition offline and no one seems to give customer service the real importance.
The other day I bought a 8 Euros pair of socks in Calzedonia of Halandri for my son. I got home and they were small. So, I went back to change them and the person in charge says, no way I cannot change them because you have torn the seal. So what?! are you willing to loose a regular customer for 8 Euros? (less than that if you think what their real cost is) The answer is yes I do not care, thank you very much.
On the other hand you have online retailers like amanzon.com that will go out of their way to give you an excellent customer service. I mention amazon.com because we all know it, but there are many other online businesses that focus strongly on customer service. These details count and definitely make me go back.
Why offline business do not see this? why don’t they care?
For me the answer is clear, I prefer to buy my stuff online and support those real entrepreneurs trying to make a difference.
Google Spain advertising in traditional print media!
Google Spain advertisement
Wow! I didn’t know that Google is advertising ad-words in print media!
On a recent business trip to Spain I found the same ad in 2 magazines. I was browsing at the bookstore and decided to buy this one just to get a good picture of it. The two page advertisement is for Google AdWords offering 50.00 Euros free.
Maybe, I am the last to hear about this, but in Greece we do not see this, or at least I have not seen it. Personally, I have received via email 75.00 Euros from Google Analytics to use in Google AdWords, but never seen it in a printed magazine.
Although initially it may seem contradictory, it actually makes sense in some markets to reach the more traditional companies that still do not know about AdWords.
Have you seen this ad?