Steve Miller's Blog, page 11

The Uncopyable Power of Story

Whether your business sells B2C or B2B, your customers are people. And people love stories.

Do a Google Search for “Brand story,” and you’ll see a plethora of books, articles, videos and more, all on crafting the right story for your business. It can be overwhelming.

What’s an Uncopyable marketer to do? Consider the power of simply being authentic.

Mark Osterstock is the president of a successful machine technology company, Q-Mark Manufacturing Inc.  He’s been sending a monthly newsletter to customers and prospects for several years. They’re not written with the expectation of a response, and he doesn’t usually get any. But in September, that changed. He tried something different when he sent a newsletter before the huge trade show his company was exhibiting in. (He gave me the okay to share, and YOU get the benefit of his generosity.) Mark told me:

We rarely get direct feedback from our newsletters, but several people were moved enough by the story to reply with their own supportive comments.  One person stopped by our booth late in the day and asked “Who is the guy who wrote about trimming Barbie’s hair?

For the first time, the company newsletter generated multiple responses. Even better, it brought prospects (MOOSE) to Q-Mark’s booth at a certain mega-show called IMTS, held in Chicago this past September.

New prospects will lead to new customers, more sales and an increase Q-Mark’s bottom line.

I could describe the newsletter, but honestly, it’s so well-written, I’ll let you read it for yourself:

Dear Reader,

You may not know this, but I’m a tool & die maker. I learned the trade from my father. Beginning in my early teens, he taught me precision metalworking while I worked at this twelve-man tool & die shop in Southern California. I helped him make dies that trimmed Barbie’s eyelashes and hair (toymaker Mattel was just down the street). Other dies made helicopter parts destined for Vietnam. We made parts that flew on Apollo space capsules. And so much more, all precision machined, all productive.

Today, Q-Mark has amazing machinists who are far more skilled than I. Combined, we have so much manufacturing know-how that we can product just about anything.

Some of these professionals will be in our booth #135501 at IMTS in Chicago, September 10-15. Please stop by. You can see all the things we make, and meet the people who make them. It would be a privilege to greet you, and personally show you around.

Hope to see you at the show!

Sincerely,

Mark Osterstock

President, Q-Mark Manufacturing Inc.

In his newsletter, Mark told his story in an interesting, relatable and meaningful way. When I asked how it felt to write the personal opening, he said “it was easy!”

Being genuine and authentic doesn’t have to be hard.  Mark’s company manufactures “styli and accessories for the metrology and machine tool industries.” Facts and features prove their products are superior to the competition. But again, no matter what the industry, people do business with people. That might seem obvious, but how many marketing pieces do you see touting the wonderfulness of a particular product or service in “corporate-speak?”

We’re all people. Yes, we’re makers, sellers and buyers, intent on doing business. But beyond work, we’re dads, moms, sisters, brothers…and so much more. Going beyond the facts is the best way to create a personal connection.

Mark Osterstock has a story.

You have a story, too. Don’t be afraid to tell it.

(I’d love to hear your successes: please email me with YOUR results at kay@theadventure.com.)

Link to Q-Mark Manufacturing’s full newsletter here.

A New Tool to Spy on Your Competition

I recently became aware of a cool tool on Facebook that allows me to do some free, easy, and non-nefarious sleuthing of my competition.

Want to know what that tool is? Watch my 9-minute video and find out!

ANNOUNCEMENT!
I am holding a two-day UNCOPYABLE IMPLEMENTATION BOOT CAMP in Seattle, WA on January 9 & 10, 2019. If you’re interested in attending, Click Here .

This Marketing Tip May Not Be For You

There are three primary purposes for developing a powerful branding proposition.

First, it tells your moose (target market) why they should do business with you. What PROMISE are you making to them that clearly explains your unique value they can’t get anywhere else?

Second, it helps define who your moose are.

Third, it helps someone who is NOT a moose to disqualify themselves as a prospect.

Much too often companies are reluctant to narrow their target market down, which is actually a mistake. In this week’s UNCOPYABLE Branding episode, Steve shares an example of how the state of Nebraska has a adopted an unusual new slogan that addresses people who AREN’T their moose.

My Interview with Tom Shane (audio)

Their branding promise is, “You’ve got a friend in the jewelry business.”

If you live in an area where Shane Co. has a location, you’ve probably heard the iconic commercials produced and voiced by founder Tom Shane and his son Rordan.

I was really looking forward to my conversation with Tom, and he did not disappoint. Shane Co. has certainly achieved an Uncopyable status with their amazing business model, money-back guarantee, lifetime warranty, and world-class customer service.

You must listen to this awesome interview.

And for more information, go to http://www.shaneco.com.

Want to download and listen on your smart device? CLICK HERE.

How To Build Uncopyable Attachment

My smokin’ hot wife, Kay, and I are down in Sunriver, OR on a working vacation this week. We used to have a cabin here, but sold it about three years ago. Still, we love this place.

Our favorite breakfast restaurant in the world is located here – Cafe Sintra. The food and ambience is amazing and we became friends with Tracie Landsem, the owner. 

Tracie has instilled an strong “engage with our customers” philosophy in her staff. They are all extremely friendly, smiling, and eager to help. But, naturally, Tracie is the lead dog, making all her customers feel welcome and important. She often brings a complimentary plate of pastries, which makes you feel special.

Tracie has made Cafe Sintra UNCOPYABLE. Watch our short video and learn more about ways to create that magical “attachment” with your own customers!

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Uncopyable Podcast Interviews with Steve Miller

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can’t get enough of Steve Miller? Feast your ears on one – or all – of these recent podcasts. Listen as the hosts pick Steve’s brain for advice that will make you and your business Uncopyable. Bye bye, boring commute. Hello, gripping entertainment with game-changing insights! These are perfect to enjoy as you drive, walk or fly. Or you can just sit, and still feel productive.

Motley Fool Money with Chris Hill

Duct Tape Marketing with John Jantsch

Marketing And Finance with Roger Edwards

NACS – Convenience Matters  with Jeff Lenard and Carolyn Schnare -Building Your Own Box to Beat Your Competition, Part One

NACS – Convenience Matters with with Jeff Lenard and Carolyn Schnare – Building Your Own Box to Beat Your Competition, Part Two

Marketing Book Podcast with Douglas Burdett

Market Boldly with Katrina Olson

Marketer of the Day with Robert Plank

Cut the Crap with Ryan Caligiuri

Lifestyle Business Owner with Aaron and Mayumi Muller

Humor and Uncopyable Marketing

I bet you love to laugh. You wouldn’t be a follower of Steve Miller’s if you didn’t. Steve’s a pretty funny guy. As his other half, (our 32nd anniversary is coming up in October) I have the opportunity to laugh with him – and at him – almost daily.

Laughter is an endorphin-booster, a tension-easer, and just plain fun. Which makes humor a smart marketing tool that’s not used nearly enough.

For a masterful example of marketing humor, check out this video with Ryan Reynolds and Sir Richard Branson. There’s a lot of joking around as they announce a partnership between Virgin Atlantic and Aviation Gin (which Reynolds recently purchased).

The clip has gotten huge press. The results demonstrate how effective humor can to create buzz for your product. (As long as your product or service isn’t too serious. Joking about something like cremation services could cause your business to go up in smoke).

Watch the clip, and think about opportunities to use humor in your marketing. It could help your message to resonate with your audience in an Uncopyable way.

Are Any Of Us Able To Learn From Tiger Woods? I Doubt It.

Tiger Woods is back in a very big way. His recent victory at the finals of the PGA Tour Fedex Cup Championship was a long road back from his travails of the last nine years, including a sex scandal, divorce, and four back surgeries.

Years ago, I used to include Tiger’s innate ability to think differently from the average golfer as a great example for understanding our own situations. I even gave a 12-minute talk at the famous TED Conference about it. After the scandals, I had to stop using it and TED removed it from the video library. Thanks, Tiger.

But now that he’s winning again, I can’t help but ask the question, “What can we learn from the latest Tiger Woods?”

I believe I have figured something out. I think I’ve uncovered a powerful lesson. The problem is I’m not sure many of us, including me, are able to use it.

What did I discover? Watch this week’s UNCOPYABLE Business video are find out. And then I wish you luck trying it out for yourself.

Are you a member of my Inner Circle yet?

Stealing Genius: The Surprising Story of Hedy Lamarr

What do you know about actress Hedy Lamarr? There’s more to Lamarr’s story than the average person assumes – myself being an average person.  The surprising truth – that she was an inventor who used the concept of Stealing Genius – is revealed in the movie “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story.

Before I watched the movie, I didn’t know much about her. I vaguely remembered she’d once been called the most beautiful woman in the world. (And wait… wasn’t there a character with a similar name in Blazing Saddles?)

Bombshell covered Lamarr’s life as a movie star, including multiple husbands and the predictable drama. But Lamarr wasn’t only a stunning beauty and gifted actor. She was a super smart inventor. (It’s kind of not fair that she had both beauty AND brains.  She’d probably argue that it also wasn’t fair that her real name was Hedwig.)

If you’ve read the #1 Amazon Best Seller, Uncopyable – How to Create an Unfair Advantage Over the Competition, you know “Stealing Genius” is an innovation strategy. Stealing Genius refers to looking for ideas outside yourself, your industry and your world.  Stealing Genius forces you to look for ideas in unusual ways, instead of just copy-catting your competitors.

Lamarr’s most famous invention was a communications technology referred to as “Frequency hopping.” It was utilized in WW1. She was the co-inventor, along with a gentleman named Georg Anthiel. The two received a patent for it. The basic idea is still in use in GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth.

That’s pretty cool. But Steve and I were most impressed with another invention: faster airplane wings. Howard Hughes was a friend at the time, so this was obviously before he became a hermit who didn’t cut his fingernails. Hughes (or Howie, as she may have called him),  was trying to make his airplanes fly faster. Lamarr was intrigued, and wanted to help. In an impressive Stealing Genius move, she decided to buy two books; one on birds and one on fish. She studied their efficient movement through air and water. Then, she applied what she learned to airplane wings. She ended up changing the shape from square and boxy, to a more aerodynamic design that could indeed fly faster.

Here’s a clip of Hedy Lamarr telling the story. 

The movie is interesting, and I recommend it. Whether you watch it or not, it serves as a good reminder. As you look for innovative ideas for your business, use the concept of Stealing Genius. You just might come up with an idea that changes everything.

Who Says Trade Shows Are Dead?

Last week my smokin’ hot wife, Kay, and I attended the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago. It was the largest IMTS in history by every measure, including 129,415 total registrations.

Trade shows aren’t dead. They are still a viable and important marketing tool for many businesses.

More important, though, this underscores the fact that there are many, many marketing tools that still work very well. Heck, even BILLBOARDS work for many businesses.

Don’t get snared by the shininess of “new” media. Use the media that works best for YOUR target market. Watch this week’s UNCOPYABLE Business video!

Are you a member of my Inner Circle yet?