Despite this the student wants to know where the research would take place. “Dear colleague, you’ll need to go to New Zealand for a couple of months, and the scholarship is also quite generous.”

The young man replies: “Great, I’m really interested in this method. When do I fly there?”

Are you trying to find the connection between this story and marketing? There’s none. But the story is real. The young man has just told me the story himself. People like listening to stories; we remember them. Stories sell. Perhaps this story has made you think about what’s ethical and where the limits are?

Luckily enough I work in sales and marketing. I’ve never conducted tests on animals and never will. I do carry out a lot of tests, but only on people J. In sales and marketing – as in science – those who frequently test win.

And don’t judge the young man. Bear in mind that the steak you enjoyed so much last night had been freely grazing on open meadows but a day before.

If the article’s laid out like the one in the picture, you can be sure that readership ratings are going to be low. Twice as many people would read the same article if it was published on white background in black type. This fact has been proven for so many times in direct marketing. Good old David Ogilvy says on p. 21 of his book Ogilvy on Advertising!:

“I recently counted 49 advertisements set in reverse (white type on black background) in one issue of a magazine, many years after research demonstrated reverse is difficult to read”. Drayton Bird claims the same; everyone who knows something about direct marketing says the same.

You know that I know something about direct marketing. I’ve read plenty of books and articles on the topic, and we conducted over 150 direct marketing tests last year. I attended numerous lectures on the subject at the biggest annual publishing event in the world – the Folio: Show (http://www.folioshow.com) which attracts magazine professionals from around the world. Reverse type reduces readership ratings. Period. No exceptions. By the way, if you work in magazine publishing, you should attend the Folio Show at least once every five years.

We all agree on this – reverse type reduces readership ratings. This kind of type is good for shorter passages of text, perhaps a headline, but certainly not for the whole text. All of you who read the marketing guru’s diary know better. And if you’re ever in the situation to decide on a text layout, remember this entry. It seems that designers aren’t taught that at school. Marketing gurus teach you that. To get this kind of knowledge you need to attend expensive lectures, or simply read books which are much cheaper. You just have to work a bit harder.

But why do these things still happen? Because those who design don’t read and don’t attend seminars; they copy their colleagues who likewise don’t read, and they improvise. Because magazine professionals don’t depend on readership ratings as much as – for example – catalogue sales professionals. You won’t find such layout in a Neckermann mail-order catalogue because they care how much they sell. They know that white type on black background is difficult to read – if readers don’t read, they aren’t going to buy either. Ultimately, weaker sales spell less profit and hungry children at home.

Unique selling propositions should be unique. If both you and your competition claim you have the lowest prices, then this isn’t your unique selling proposition. What do most Slovenian sellers claim?

Look for something that you can offer to your customers, but your competition can’t.
Look for something that customers appreciate and you competition doesn’t have.

Here’s an example from a street in Krakow, Poland. Competition among street artists is fierce and they all fight for the passer-by’s change. But only this couple takes pride in having performed for the pope, and they have a photo to prove it, too. This is one unique selling proposition that their competition certainly doesn’t have.

Most Slovenian entrepreneurs should take a week off and think about what really separates them from the competition. This would really pay off.

Have a look at some pictures from Krakow.

A silver street artist

A bronze street artist

One more silver artist with a sword

A window from which Pope John Paul II addressed youth

Jewish quarter

A few Communists are still around

Your guru’s looking in the distance

OK, my brother was guilty, but I wasn’t. J It’s true that I was driving though a small village, but the speed limit was exceptionally set at 20 mph that day because of a village party. They put a sign “end of all restrictions” at the end of the party. I took the sign seriously and floored it. But then a police officer appeared out of nowhere saying: “Sorry, I’m just doing my job.”

I saw he felt guilty for it. He knew I was right. Probably most of his victims that day hadn’t even noticed the sign, and I was able explain to him why I drove that fast.

But what does this have to do with marketing? A lot. Police officers are smarter than most entrepreneurs. They put radar detectors on busy roads, with higher chances of catching perpetrators. They hide radar detectors in the part of a residential where there are no houses or residents. Long straight stretches of road with a bush to hide in. I wrote about it some years ago, you can look for the entry.

But it’s perfectly fair that they got me. It only took me six hours to drive from Prague to Ljubljana, so I must’ve driven too fast. But not where they got me. I thought about proving my innocence with my GPS unit, but I changed my mind after I’d checked the statistics.

It must have gone crazy because it said that I’d been doing 251 mph! But I really don’t understand why I paid only 35 euros. A special price for gurus?

Now that I’ve mentioned Prague, have a look at some photos and read my next entry.

I like awarding street artists; they appreciate it.

Andy Warhol anywhere we go.

Prague Funfair Orchestra

There are more tourists in Prague that Czechs.

“It depends what kind of a car we’re talking about,” would be the correct answer. How about a 1934 Škoda convertible, 3 gears, non-synchronous transmission?

I couldn’t resist such a ride. How does this Škoda entry relate to marketing?

Because those who’d come up with the idea of driving tourists around in old Škodas and Tatras knew how to make something from nothing.

A slow and noisy ride in a roofless car is charged ten times more than the most ordinary ride in a cab. Isn’t this good marketing practice? I think it could work in Ljubljana, too. I’m already browsing the web to find an old Škoda.

I could drive tourists around Ljubljana on weekends. 60 euros for a 30-minute tour. Let’s say ten tours on Saturdays and ten on Sundays, and I’d earn 1,200 euros per month which means 12,000 euros in ten weekends. This should cover the costs of car maintenance and the driver, shouldn’t it? OK, I admit it’s only a draft business plan, but in my opinion it could work.

Ervinator, my blogging mate, could you come up with 10,000 euros, and we could buy an old Škoda together?

I would hire a student to drive the car, of course; 3 euros per hour and he’d love the job. I just need to find the right car on eBay and a co-investor interested in the project.

Have you ever wondered why monuments never celebrate committees, juries, or any other teams? Why is there always one horse and one horseman, never a whole troop?

The reason is simple. Nothing in the world happens without a true leader. This applies to sports, politics, business… all walks of life. There’s one man and never a team behind each brave deed, behind all progress. Of course, leaders organize and motivate their team, that’s why they’re leaders in the first place – to lead, to show the way, to motivate, to bring out the best in their team.

The situation is similar in sales and marketing. One person should lead a project and the responsibility should lie with them. Wherever the decision-making process is split among many, the decision that’s been made is wrong and usually too late.

Too many cooks spoil the broth.

Why is this kind of advertising good?

• Because without a doubt, all the villagers – and an occasional passer-by – notice the plaque.
• Because the neighbors see it.
• Because the neighbors then discuss their insurance policies and their advantages, and support their choice. This is a good example of word-of-mouth.
• Because if one house is insured soon there are going to be more. You know how it goes in Slovenia – if a neighbor did it, I have to do it too.
• Because the plaque says that the house has a good master.
• Because it discourages competitors’ sales representatives (on the other hand, it might invite them, too).
• Because…

Later I asked my father about the plaque and he said that his father’s house had a similar one, a Vzajemna insurance company plate from before the War. It seems all insurance companies used to do it. The idea itself is nothing special; it’s been used by companies from other industries for quite some time now.

Think about it for a while. You must’ve noticed that almost every inn has its name written on a sign that also advertises beer.

This statement isn’t mine. These are Gregor Cuzak’s words, in his blog on October 3^rd. Gregor made a mistake, though, by giving me credit for these words. I have to admit I’m jealous that I haven’t said them myself, but what can you do. J Read his entry. Recommended.

I took a photo of these delicious-looking mushrooms though. Mushrooms and eggs for dinner today.

Or perhaps not. Keep away from what you’re not familiar with. Gregor is right, he speaks from experience and I agree with him. I’ve done it both – I’ve sold and I’ve bought advertising space. Several million euros were involved and I’ve learnt my lesson (most of the money wasn’t mine). If you don’t know the game, there’s a high chance you’ll get burned. Do your research, read books, attend seminars, talk to professionals. Reading a blog such as this also helps.

Here’s a photo of a castle where David Ogilvy worked. David Ogilvy bought this castle in the golden age of marketing, the golden age for marketing agencies.

Gregor mentions Al Ries. My company published an excellent book by this author, The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding.

Companies spend millions on marketing programs, which proves to be futile despite big budgets and good organization. When a company makes a mistake, the competition soon takes over its business. How to avoid these mistakes?

Al Ries and Jack Trout spent 25 years studying what pays off in marketing and what doesn’t. They discovered that programs that had paid off had always been designed according to the basic rules of the market.

The authors identify 22 situations you might find yourself in when managing or establishing brands. The book isn’t just about laws but also about traps. The authors conclude that a good brand name is one that sounds good. Competition is fierce in business today; you can succeed only if customers choose your product from among the abundance of others.

Spread the scent of success!
Aleš, I hope you’re not hungry.
You enter the kitchen and smell something delicious. The smell infuses the whole kitchen, you inhale, and memories of your grandmother’s kitchen come back.
You peer into the oven and see the delicious cake, the kind only your grandmother used to make. The cake looks tender and delicious. The top is already golden brown and it’ll be done any minute now.

You open the oven and hear the sizzle; you can already feel how the dough will melt in your mouth.

This is the best cake you’ll ever have.

Sorry to burst your bubble – you won’t because this is not a kitchen but your office, and you’re sitting in front of your computer.

You know it too, but you were so close, you could see and smell the cake. The description probably made your mouth water. You remembered how it feels like to bite into the cake.

This description could be different.

I could simply have said that the cake was delicious and smelled good. Would such a description make your mouth water? Probably not; I wanted to take you to the kitchen and make you smell it there.

When drawing up advertisements, keep in mind that your customers have five senses. Make them see, hear, smell and taste your product or service. Good descriptions should make your customers feel your product.

Do you happen to rent rooms at the seaside?

The day breaks and you hear birds singing. You wake up into a beautiful morning; a light breeze carries the soft scent of pine into your room. You look out of the window and see a fishing boat in the distance on the crystal blue sea…

Do you get the importance of descriptions? Your potential customers aren’t there, they can’t see, hear, smell, touch or taste what you can.

Next time you write descriptive advertisements, decide which sense is the most important for the description of your product or service. If you sell food, of course you’ll use the smell; sight also matters.

Find the right words and your potential customers will eat out of your hands.

Božo Hudopisk, MSc

Sales and Marketing Manager

Vaš profit d.o.o.

http://www.vas-profit.si/

Yes, Božo is right. He might even enter national direct marketing championships.

Shop assistants can’t sell.
Most shop assistants haven’t heard of the six commandments of perfect service. A big American department store once carried out a survey in which women pretending to be shop assistants observed 260 other sellers in action.
Here are the results:

• Only one called a customer by name.
• Only one brought a chair to a woman who was waiting.
• 83 didn’t offer anything to a customer – they just let them leave the shop without a word.
• 34 didn’t try to retain a customer when they said they were going to look for a product in other shops.
• 175 didn’t try to offer something extra to a customer.
• Only 71 sold in a polite and professional manner that would make customers return to the shop.

Despite it all, plenty of shops don’t bother educating their sales staff.

How should we sell?

A gas station employee had been employed at a station for some time. Every time a car stopped by he would casually ask the driver: “How much gasoline do you want?” The driver would usually ask for ten liters (2.6 gallons). When the employee finished he would add: “Any oil?” The driver would normally ask for a cup (250ml). This didn’t escape the station manager who hired another employee. The new employee wasn’t this careless. Every time a car stopped by he would politely ask: “May I fill your car up?” The driver would accept the offer. “You don’t mind me topping up the oil, do you?” proposed the new employee.

The driver was satisfied. And the company became more and more successful. That’s the power of suggestion in sales.