Wizard of Ads Partners

"If you want to be one of the first into a new territory you cannot wait for large amounts of evidence. Poring over numbers can't help you see what is ahead." - Joel Barker, American Futurist and Author

 

 

Is There a Limit to How High You Can Climb?

by Roy H. Williams

A client achieved 42 percent of his market potential. Never before had I seen a business break the 40 percent barrier. It was kind of like seeing someone run a four-minute mile. I knew it was possible in theory, but I never thought I'd actually see it.

Ben had come to Austin for his annual marketing retreat. After the usual pleasantries, he said, "Traffic is flat, sales are flat, and I'm not happy."

"Ben, you've done everything that can be done. You've trained your staff, created a tantalizing compensation structure for them, advertised relentlessly, added every conceivable product line that might increase your attractiveness to your customer, refined your purchasing methods so that your prices are visibly better, built a fabulous new store for the comfort of your customers, and through it all, not one of your competitors has awakened."

"Are you saying that 3 and a half million is all that can be done in my town?" he bristled.

Looking him calmly in the eyes, I carefully enunciated a single word: "Evidently."

Business owners, I tell Ben's story to give you a glimpse of the Realities of the Marketplace:

1. Impact Quotient. How powerful is your message compared to your competitors'? This is the Impact Quotient of your message, whether it's delivered through mass media, face-to-face by your salespeople, or word-of-mouth by your customers to their friends. Advertising is more effective when you have something to say.

2. Market Size/Ad Budget Ratio. How big is your town relative to your ad budget?

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"Service that delights today is the only thing that counts today - everything else is window dressing."- Unknown, From the book The One-Year Business Turnaround by Wizard Partner, Mike Dandridge 

Actions speak louder than words.

By Wizard Partner, Tom Wanek 

If you’re a business owner or marketer, I promise you’ll be hearing more comments like this in the future. But to be clear, customers aren’t telling you actions are more powerful than words.

No. That’s just not the case. Saying the right thing has never been more important in gaining attention and persuading your customers to take action.

Customers are actually telling you that words aren’t enough. They’re telling you that words without cost have zero credibility.

Face it. Ad-speak fools no one. Customers are looking for proof you are as advertised. Proof that your claims ring true.

How are customers going about finding this proof?

They’re comparing the things you say with the things you do. Yes, your customers are watching you.

So what signals do your decisions send?

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How to Get Where You Want to Go
By Roy H. Williams

Hear the Memo. 

1. See your destination in your mind.
“When you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.”
– White Rabbit

2. Start walking.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
– Lao Tzu (604 BC - 531 BC)

3. Think ahead as you walk.
"It’s like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." – E.L. Doctorow     

4. Don’t quit walking.

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"A deadline is negative inspiration. Still, it's better than no inspiration at all."
– Rita Mae Brown