Intrepid LLC

“Learning is not compulsory, but neither is survival.”

-W. Edwards Deming

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There is a reason Mad Men won six Emmys, and it is probably because of this scene:

If you are in a business that in any way, shape, or form involves marketing (hint: all of us), you should probably watch this show. 

This is one of my “must see” television programs.  And I don’t have many.  Not because it stars January Jones.  Not because it takes place in the early 1960’s, where I think I actually belong instead of the present day.  And not because the cast of characters spend the day smoking cigs and drinking martinis.  Well, OK, I drink martinis too.

I watch the show because of Don Draper.  When I imagine an advertising pitchman on Madison Avenue, I’ve always pictured Don Draper.  Even before this television show aired.  But the scene above is the quintessential Mad Men.  The show has great story lines, but I relish the scenes with Don in the conference room…

Just before I pitch a potential client, I watch this scene.  We all know that people hate to be sold, but they love to buy.  And they buy on emotion.  And this scene inspires me to add that extra edge to my presentation, by finding a way to make the appeal emotional.

You do have to be careful, because you have to convey real value to your prospect.  You can’t fake that.  But if you can both convey a sincere desire to serve – in a way that pushes your prospect’s emotional buttons, you increase your odds of closing.  I love the look on the eyes of the Kodak execs in the above video.  Priceless.  That’s what we are all striving to achieve.  Good luck!

Todd Schnick.  Be Intrepid.  www.intrepid-llc.com

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My new favorite quote from Tim Ferriss.  Here is how you should respond whenever someone tells you they are worried about what other people think:

“So be bold and don’t worry about what people think.  They don’t do it that often anyway.”

I plan to use it often…

Todd Schnick.  Be Intrepid.  www.intrepid-llc.com

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Admittedly, I am a relative novice when it comes to social media.  Granted, I have been active with LinkedIn for a while, and I have built up a respectable network there.  And quite honestly, I still learn new features about LinkedIn each day.  I only recently learned that you can feed your blog to your LinkedIn profile, providing more exposure (and referrals).  But, I am quite new to tools such as Twitter and Facebook.  I have heard and read about them for quite a while now, but just didn’t think I had the time to spend on them.  Fool was I.  I had a few clients recently ask about those tools, and since I wasn’t too familiar with them, the only way to learn was to dive in and find out for myself.  Granted, my length of experience with both tools is almost a week old, but I can already see the benefits.  Just for example, my blog has tracking tools to see where my traffic is coming from.  Over the last few days, a majority of referrals came from Facebook.  And I don’t even have a very large network of “friends” yet.  You can bet that I will work to grow that network, and fast.  And a neat trick I learned was that I can feed my Twitter updates into my Facebook page, enabling each tool to work with the other, and altogether strengthening the benefits.  The only problem I see is the addictiveness of these tools, and if you are not careful, you can spend a lot of time on them.  And while social networking might not be for everyone, or even a good idea for your particular business, I have yet to find a downside.  Good luck!

Todd Schnick.  Be Intrepid.  www.intrepid-llc.com

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I have the pleasure of serving on the Board of Directors for the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta, an organization that provides furniture to families just out of homelessness, battling HIV, and fleeing domestic violence.  And as I sit today by the fire, full from a good meal, I know there are families having a much less comfortable day than I.  Being the holidays, coupled with the tough economic times, we are dealing with a severe shortage in needed furniture, mainly mattresses and box springs.  A small contribution of $25 will help a handful of families sleep on a mattress and/or eat a warm meal on a real kitchen table.  Click here if you can help: https://payments.auctionpay.com/ver3/?id=w036002.  We are grateful for your support!

Todd Schnick, Director, Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta, www.furniturebankatlanta.org/

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Great sales advice from the film Boiler Room:

He is right though.  A sale is made on each and every call.  The question is who is making the sale?

Todd Schnick.  Be Intrepid.  www.intrepid-llc.com

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Meet Biff, star of the GrowthANSWERS GrowthGaffe series found at www.growthgaffe.com.

Biff will be the guest marketing “expert” at the GrowthANSWERS Meet The eXpert series this coming December. Click here to get information: www.growthanswers.com/expert

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One of my all-time favorite viral videos, originally forwarded to me by my GrowthANSWERS business-partner Steven Winokur.

The message?  Well, every viewer will take something different from this video presentation.  Me?  When you have a niche market – go after that niche market with a simple message and a clear call-to-action.  Sometimes when you are trying to communicate to a target audience – simple is better.

Enjoy!

P.S.  BTW, I have NEVER had this experience with my clients…

Todd Schnick.  Be Intrepid.  www.intrepid-llc.com

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Many of us are still trying to get through 2008, which has been, without a doubt, a tricky year.  2009 promises to be an even more unfriendly economic environment.

As a small business owner and entrepreneur, you might get lucky and survive without a marketing plan.  For a little while anyway.  But you will NOT build a sustainable growth enterprise without a marketing plan.

You can go to the store and buy from hundreds of marketing plan development books.  I am sure you can download from hundreds of on-line sources to do the same thing.  Do I have a recommendation for a book?  Or a trusted on-line source?  No, but taking even modest steps to think through your marketing strategy is important.  Most small business owners have not taken even minor steps.

And creating a marketing plan isn’t rocket science, but it does require some serious thought.  And it doesn’t have to be a 30-page document, either.  Even doing enough strategic thinking to prepare a one-page outline is an important and critical step.  You wouldn’t see a builder construct a house without a blueprint – you shouldn’t execute on your company’s marketing without a plan either…

Here are simple basic steps you need to take to create a solid marketing plan for your organization.  These steps shouldn’t be surprises to you.  If they are, then you should question why you are in business.  But, in any event, here are the seven basic steps you need to build a strategic marketing plan:

1.  Market & Competitive Analysis – Does your market even want your product or service?  If they don’t want it, they won’t buy it.  Are there unmet needs in the market?  And is there too much competition for you to be profitable?

2.  Know Your Customer – Who are they?  What do they want?  Why do they buy?  How do they buy?  What are their shopping habits?

3.  Determine Your Niche – It’s better to tell people you repair Fords, than saying you repair all cars.  It’s much easier to market to that niche audience.  But seek to dominate that niche…

4.  Create Your Message – The story you tell to identify a person’s problem or unmet need, and how your product or service will solve that problem and fulfill that need.

5.  Decide On Your Tactical Options – websites, blogs, direct marketing, Goodyear blimp ads, trade shows, networking, etc.  Choose options that reach your niche market – cost effectively.

6.  Set Sales & Marketing Goals – How many product sales or contracts signed do you need to be profitable?  And how many prospects do you have to reach to meet those goals?

7.  Set Your Marketing Budget – What will all this cost?  Don’t budget too little, it may not be enough to reach the correct amount of prospects you set in #6…

That’s it.  You can’t start with item #5 without having gone through steps 1,2,3, and 4.  That’s what I find most of my clients have done.  But I promise, even creating a basic seven-point outline will go a long way towards helping you meet your company goals.  Good luck, and Be Intrepid!

Todd Schnick.  Be Intrepid.  www.intrepid-llc.com

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Ok, trying a new marketing tactic.  I am doing my level best to get on board all this social networking stuff.  But my goal is to help drive traffic to my blog/website…

Last night, I got myself started on Twitter.  A little disappointed, I must say, that Twitter isn’t a perfect fit with Wordpress, but we will survive.

So, I will let you know how this works.  You can find me at http://twitter.com/toddschnick!

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