This Video is a perfect demonstration of how perception and wording can create two completely different experiences.

Social Dynamics is a key important area which i believe everyone should get a handle on. David DeAngelo’s field is PUA (pick up artist or dating coach) but his information can be carried and used in many business and personal circumstances.

Visualise the two perceptions of the two same exact images in this video to see what i mean.

Interested to discover this morning that despite all the North South boarder trade efforts banks havent been putting in their efforts and to do their bit.

Merchants in the North can’t set up a Laser Card payment system without a registered Southern address and likewise traders down south can’t set up Switch Card Payments without a UK registered address.

To me it seems absolutely ridiculas that northern Irish cards don’t work down here and visa versa, strategically lazy even. Maybe im missing something, but there seems little logical reason???

More must watch business inspiration.

Derek Sivers owner of CD BABY which has:

– 242,846 artists sell their music at CD Baby
– 4,574,622 CDs sold online to customers
– $83,590,381 paid directly to the artists

And he claims in this interview he’s worked less than 4 hours in the last 6 months on CD Baby.

And Timothy Ferris, who if i talk anymore about how much i like the guy on this blog it’ll start to look a bit like lust than just admiration. 🙂

I’ve been slow to make this post as i dont want to mention the list of companies i’ve come across doing it but it’s really annoyed me that so many B2B business who sell ex works UK have got on the PaddyTax band waggon.

The argument for Irish shops charging more more is that they have higher costs Etc. However when distributors are selling from the UK is the most blatent example of the grass is greener on the Irish side and therefore it can hack a (from my experience) 15% – 20% increase above their UK price. When challenged they usually say they fix their prices when the exchange rate was different and they can’t change it now. A load of rubbish, but thats their line and its take it or leave it in their eyes.

So my advice is if your buying from the UK check the exchange rate and if their riding the Paddytax Wagon insist on paying Sterling if they will allow it.

I’m probably classed as a work-a-holic. I don’t look at it like a bad thing – but the difference is that i know its temporary. I’ll probably retire in a few years – but just for a few months, because i honestly expect i’d get bored of travelling. I love it that much, to me its a game.

Take today i did the whole company executive “work day” (10-12 hours), later tonight i’ll travel to my favourite bar; and do a 5 hour DJ set. Tomorrow (Saturday) i spend the afternoon lecturing at the Dublin Music Achamedy (6 hours) Followed by another dj set DJing infront of 2000 people at Spirit (57) Nightclub. But to me thats fun.

One of the people i really look up to is Author Timothy Ferris, the guy is really inspirational. Here’s why:

One big marketing mistake that businesses make is they often shy away from their customers. If you do something right you have a duty to let the customer know and if you do something wrong you really need to talk to your customer and let them know you are aware of their problems – and what you are doing something to solve them. Every aspect of your business is marketing and every aspect is the responsibility of the first point of contact.

Take two examples.

1) I was recently eating in a restaurant, the food was good and at the end of the meal the waiter said this KILLER marketing tag line “I hope both the food i served and my service was to your satisfaction”. Nothing in your face about it, but he knew his job down to a fine art. The service had been perfect, so much so we barely even noticed until he mentioned it. Frankly we were glad he did as we talked about it the next day to our friends and were happy to tip that little more. Everytime our glasses we nearly empty they were filled up, we didnt have to ask for anything because when i looked for soya sauce he noticed and brought it before i asked. He had done a great job and was proud of it! Isn’t it funny how we tend not to catch people doing things right?

2) Take in stark contrast my relationship with waste collectors AES in Portlaoise – awful is an understatement. The expectations are similar – show up and preform a tast. The reality is disturbing. I’ve regularily called their office – usually they pay lip service then promise a call back – which they actually do less than 5% of the time in my experience. So I wrote to the Managing Director and also the admin explaining my frustration – i got a call the next day, so i asked did you get my letter? I’m not aware of any letter was the reply – so offfically i never was acknowledged for the letter nor the problems with their service. That day my bins were collected. Some weeks later i rang 5 times in one day after a month of non collections created a bad smell. This time when i arrived home the bins were collected (even though though it wasnt bin day); however noone called to tell me they were going to be collected, my 5 calls were never returned, no one addressed the problem and at the next collection day there was again no collection. Despite having paid twice for service till August i will probably hire another company and continue to quest, probably unfruitfully, to return my double charged payment – which they’ve now send three unrelated invoices for.

Whats the connection? It all comes down to ownership of responsibility. Would the sales person in the latter example stand face to face and ignore you. Probably not. But he doesnt feel its his problem hes in sales so not at fault for accountings mistakes, not to blame for the bin collectors not collecting the bins – its just not is him problem, nor the person who’s remit it is to answer phones. On the other hand the waiter in the previous story took responsibility for our whole meal – if the food was bad it wouldnt have been his fault but he still took ownership and would have apologised (and meant it).

So how do you turn a business around from the a group of individuals who work to a team who takes ownership? Really its simple, change the language you use and the way you approach problems. Your first point of contact with a business should become “Your Guy / Girl”, once they find out about a problem they must follow it up untill its solved and if its not they must keep contact to inform the customer of its status, if your company has closed doors then have ‘Your Guy / Girl’ be outside with the customer knocking on them. Every day a business owner should have someone with a list of customers problems and asking is this being solved yet? Make daily / weekly contact untill it is. Ironically it shouldnt just be considered the job of customer service – i feel it should be someone in the marketing department. Who knows how much their latest TV ad cost and how much the cost per conversion on a flyer is, when compared to one friend / neighbour recommending a restaurant or advising to avoid a bin company.

After all whats the point in having a sales force if you cant retain customers who want your service. Patch up the holes in your bucket before you fill it!

Photo Taken at Oxygen 08

(For those not from Dublin – Gourmet Burger is a well known Dublin restaurant that serves fancy high quality burgers and Abrakababra is a fast food chain.)

Sorry folks blogging has been slow as of late. Thought i’d make a mini post just to keep everyone upto date.

Next Dublin Media Centre DJ course Starts this Sat, ment to post on this but it was literally sold out the day after we announced it – so didnt see the point. [email protected] for info on my next course and to get on the waiting list for it. Might Consider doing one in the Portloaise area if there’s demand, will still be through DMC but looking at how far some people travel for this months course it might be be worth looking into.

Twittering has been slow, i’ve become more of a twitter spectator as of late. Will get more active as i’ve implementing some time saving ideas next week. www.twitter.com/ronanob – If your on twitter add me.

Jobs in Laois? If you know anyone looking jobs in Laois for Sales / Admin i’m looking for people at the moment so send CV’s here if you know anyone looking – Would be much appreciated.

Nowadays pets are big business and pet owners are willing to lavish big money on their pets. I was delighted to hear this evening on the radio, friend, business personality and travel journalist, Karen Creed, talking about her latest project. Characteristically entitled the Ruff Guide, Karen has teamed up with Pedigree® to Publish a Guide to for Dog lovers to take weekend breaks and bring their beloved family member with them. It tells you where to go for great wakls and what pet friendly hotels Better still they are giving away the guide free of charge.

To get a free copy of the JointCare+ RUFF GUIDE, you can write to: Pedigree JointCare+ RUFF GUIDE, PO Box 7808, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin or e-mail JointCare(at)edelman.com.

Congrats to Karen on her success and it got me thinking about how pet products has become such an emerging business, with massive potential. Take Mollys.ie, under the leadership of entrepreneur Claire B (another entrepeneur who i have the privlidge of calling a friend), which in the past two years gained huge success and a loyal clientel. In a business where the customers are buying a product that must be filled with love, it’s not a business that you can throw money and make a success – i think you’ll all agree the labour of love shines through when you look at Mollys.ie or visit their store.

Its a dogs life and its great to see some of their loving owners have their more than over due success.

One company that has got its marketing bang on the money in the last few months is Guinness. The last two promotions i’ve been aware of have really demonstrating that whoever is now running the show knows the three elements that makes any marketing campaign.

1. Know your customer
2. Know your customers life time worth to the company.
3. Know your customers expectations of perception.

In Guinness’s case they had a particularly hard challenge, in my opinion, as they needed a perception re-adjustment to reposition the brand to a changing market place.

Several weeks ago Guinness hit their first home run by offering free branded poker kits. They made it simple to get and did complete risk reversal. They even beat customer expectations with a few free samples of their products, well timed apart, so that frequency was brought into effect. This way the brand was constantly in the homes of potential clients and when the poker kit was in use the brand was re-inforced with the product in a comfort situation – Their homes. Possibly the best product placement done in years.

Then the next phase of their marketing, this evening, in one of Dublins better bars i was impressed to see the Guiness promo team out in force, with another well thought out promotion. To create a habit you have to use repetition and with tonight starting off a three consecutive week promotion, where each week customers much buy a guinness (there by not devaluing the brand) to get a reward, which changes each week. This week they severed Gourmet burgers, with special guinness brand mustard. I think if you partake all three weeks you get a hoody; again re-enforcing the repetition to create a habit.

So i take my hat off to the Marketeers behind the concepts, its rare marketing guru’s get praise, usually they just get buckets of money.