When Does Passion Trump Expertise?

Ron Santo died December 2, 2010. In his 70 trips around the sun he was many things: an All-Star ballplayer, a business owner, a popular broadcaster and a humanitarian.

As a ballplayer, Santo won his share of awards (Gold Gloves & All Star games). He owned a series of mostly profitable businesses following retirement from the game as a player. His achievements as a broadcaster transcended convention. He was anything but the consummate analyst in the booth. Santo was all grunts and groans and "Ohhhhh noooooooo" exclamations. His affection for the Cubs -- a team he signed with as a rookie for 4x less than what he was offered by another ballclub -- endeared him to Cubs fans everywhere. {Cubs fans may have thick skins from years of falling short, but that doesn't mean the pain of losing isn't any less real.}

The story has been told many times over the years; when Santo was diagnosed with diabetes as a young ballplayer he hid the disease from all but his closest teammates. He kept candy bars and Cokes hidden in the dugout for those times mid-game when he felt his blood sugar dropping.

He helped raise millions of dollars for diabetes research. He poured the same energy for baseball, business & broadcasting into finding a cure.

On the field he wasn't the slickest fielder. In business he had a few clunkers. In the broadcast booth he was far from polished. For Ron Santo, what drove him to succeed was his passion. He had that special something that all of us should consider, admire and emulate.

Are You Marketing Relentlessly? (Part 2)

This entry is the conclusion to a two-part series on "Relentless Marketing," a marketing approach I use and advocate for any other small business owner.

Q. What makes the most sense for a small business when it comes to social media?

A: There are so many options these days that seem cheap and easy. I'm hard-pressed to say that one thing or another makes the most sense. Over time, if I've learned anything it's that integrated marketing works best for any company, organization or non-profit. The idea here is that the business owner uses a balance of tools -- website, point-of-sale, targeted advertising including Google AdWords, design, networking and media relations -- in a consistent, relentless manner. When it all comes together the new business pipeline stays full.

Q. Are there any guidelines for deciding what percentage of revenue or expected revenue should be spent on marketing?

A: Do what's comfortable, but don't stay locked in. A good rule of thumb is that 5-10 percent of total revenue should be spent on marketing. There are plenty of examples, though, of companies that spend far more or less and get the results they want. What it boils down to is this -- can we ever have too many customers?

Q. Is there any way besides trial and error to determine what marketing tactics are best for a particular business? That is ads vs. direct mail vs. email vs. social media, etc.

A: For my small business clients I always recommend that some sort of tracking system be instituted to see how customers find out about their business. More sophisticated outfits, regardless of size, are continually polling customers on not just satisfaction, but also on what influences them. A simple survey goes a long way in determining just what makes a customer happiest. I never like trial and error. I think it's really important to look at what the competition is doing AND saying, and then figure our how to differentiate my clients so that they stand out more. When we figure that out, sales improve and life is good!

Market Relentlessly (1 of 2)

Recently, I was asked by colleague Gary Swiontek, GrooveMaster Graphics, to share my thoughts on small business marketing. We'll share some of those ideas over the next two installments of View from the Marsh.

Gary: What do you think small businesses or start-ups should do about marketing?

MB: "I think one of the mistakes small companies make is that they stray from marketing on a regular, consistent basis. My mantra is "Market Relentlessly." The idea is to spend time and money every week on outreach to new customers. I'm a lot like many of my clients -- I always feel best when my new business pipeline is full. In the first few years of my agency we marketed in a surge-forward, fall-back manner. We'd surge ahead with marketing, sign new clients, take care of the work and when the project was completed we'd fall back to start the process all over again."

Gary: Where is the best place to start?

MB: "Frankly, way before doing a newsletter, brochure, advertisement, website or anything else, we help our clients work on an "Elevator Speech." Most small business owners would be surprised to think that something so basic is so critical to their success. A great elevator speech is concise, offers a solution to a problem and ends in a provocative way that prompts more questions from the listener. It's really a critical building block for a successful marketing campaign."

Gary: How much time is involved in what you call "marketing relentlessly?"

MB: "So many people start a business because they have some sort of expertise or technical skill. In my case, I was trained as a journalist and had years of experience working for the media before getting the bug to join a marketing agency. I caution small business owners about getting too wrapped up doing things outside their area of expertise, especially hands-on marketing. For my business I rely on outside experts for financing, tax planning and technology. As much as I may want to save some money by doing these things myself, it makes far more sense for me to hire an expert so I stay focused on what I do best."

Life Lessons from Coach John Wooden

Legendary basketball coach John Wooden passed away last week. His passing at the age of 99 brought back many memories. As a kid I rabidly followed college basketball, especially the Tobacco Road variety played by Wake Forest, Duke, North Carolina and North Carolina State. This was during the Wooden Era when his UCLA teams racked up a remarkable winning streak (88 in a row) and dominated the college game (10 NCAA titles in 12 years).

In 1974 I was extremely fortunate to attend the Final Four in Greensboro when North Carolina State upended UCLA in the semi-finals, disrupting Wooden's reign. My younger brothers and I were in awe during the whole experience. Not only did our heroes win the title that year, but we were close to the court in the presence of some of the best college coaches ever -- Wooden, Al McGuire (Marquette) and Norm Sloan (NCSU).

Wooden was peerless as a coach AND teacher. Reprinted here are his tips for team development. I think you'll agree that Coach Wooden's guidance applies in any situation:

• Be thinking at all times.
• If you do your best, never lose your temper, and never be out-thought or out-hustled, you will have nothing to worry about.
• Without faith and courage, you are lost.
• Have respect for, without fear of, every opponent and confidence, without cockiness, in regard to yourself.
• Never be a spectator, be in the fight at all times.
• Unselfish team play and team spirit are two of the foremost essentials for our success.
• We have tough battles ahead. Enjoy the thrill of being in a hard fight.
• Never stoop to playing dirty -- play hard and don't complain.
• Be sure you acknowledge and give credit to a teammate who hits you with a scoring pass or for any fine play he may make.
• Be a competitor. When the going gets tough, really get going.

Smarter eMailing

What do you do when you get an email without anything in the subject line? If you are like me, you probably grouse that the sender couldn't even take the time to say "wassup." And if an email like that ever comes from someone I'm not familiar with that it goes in the trash unread a click or two later.

Like a good headline for a newspaper article, a snappy email subject line better tells the story you want to share.

When you originate an email use the subject line to be specific with names, facts, dates or anything else that gives the recipient a preview. If you are responding to somebody's email free feel to add at the front of their subject line -- "In response to ..."

Many times a lengthy email string will, like any good discussion, veer from the original topic. When that happens it's okay to modify the subject line appropriately.

Don't be afraid to edit yourself. I try to re-read every original email and/or response one or two times before I hit send. It's amazing how many typos I make and they wouldn't be caught without taking that extra moment or two to re-read.

Just as important, proofing an email usually results in a few well-placed edits. After all, emailing is intended as a means for short and concise communications. Got something more to say? Put it in a memo or better yet, make a phone call.

The Super Bowl of Social Media

At the end of last year Pepsi announced they pulled their ads for this year's Super Bowl. The brand that showcased celebrities like Cindy Crawford, Britney Spears, Will.i.am and Michael Jackson (flaming hair & all), decreed that the Super Bowl of consumer advertising didn't taste right.

For weeks marketers have wondered what's next. On February 1 Pepsi launched The Pepsi Refresh Project, a social marketing grant campaign to make the world a better place. Instead of pouring millions of dollars into the sinkhole of Super Bowl advertising, Pepsi is spending its money on projects that help communities across a range of issues, including health, culture & arts, food & shelter, the Earth and neighborhoods.

Projects are submitted by regular folks to The Refresh Project website (http://www.refresheverything.com/). Site visitors vote for their favorite projects and the top vote getters receive funding from Pepsi.

This echoes a campaign that American Express has used the last two years. I'm sure there are plenty of other examples of feel-good social marketing -- Ronald McDonald Children's Charities and Target House come to mind first.

What's most gratifying is the bold move made by Pepsi to redirect $20 million to a broad swath of smaller scaled projects that anybody can feel good about. At the time of this posting, 729 projects had been submitted to the website. Each project sponsor will no doubt launch a mini-campaign to get friends, family & neighbors to visit the Pepsi site to vote for their pet project.

Hard to knock a program that offers so many winning propositions for everybody involved. Think I'll crack open an ice cold Diet Pepsi and peruse the projects before casting my vote on this Election Day.

Don't let lemons turn you sour

For years I've carped on my kids about how to deal best with tough situations:

"When life serves you lemons it's time to make lemonade!"

Branding guru Seth Godin has a new twist on this common tale in "The Lesson From Two Lemonade Stands." Given the ever-increasing importance in creating the best possible brand experience for our customers, I thought Seth's story deserves a second look:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/01/the-lesson-from-two-lemonade-stands.html