"...keeping you great"
HEADLINES: (Sales and Marketing Education -- part 2)
Ask Seth Godin your top marketing questions -- I'm working hard to get you direct access to the top thought leaders of our time -- see below, but first...
Quickparts' Eight Years of Record Growth -- earlier today I received this note from Ron Hollis, CEO of Atlanta-based Quickparts.com "Quickparts has begun implementing Ultimate Sales Machine for Custom Design Parts -- we started in December... we have taken his (Chet Holmes') info as a baseline and developed a Quickparts approach to make it great...I'll have my top guy on the call Thursday with Chet." Ron, thanks for the feedback on Chet's material.
Chet Holmes' Teleconference Call Thursday, February 5, 11:44am -- 12:30pm EST. Here's a link to sign-up for this complimentary learning opportunity. Pick up tips from the guy Charlie Munger (Warren Buffett's partner) called "America's greatest sales and marketing executive." No technology needed but a phone.
"Creativity changes the game, whatever game is being played," notes Seth Godin in his latest blog this morning. 'We're going to run out of cash by the end of the year,' is accurate unless you count creativity into the equation. Then the accurate statement is, 'Under the current rules and assumptions, we're going to run out of cash...' Big difference." Here's a link to Seth's entire blog, which is the #1 marketing blog in the world. I read it every day and I get it delivered via email vs. RSS feed -- that way it's in my flight path -- an option Seth provides.
#1 Marketing Blog -- Top 20 Posts from Seth Godin in 2008 -- review these posts at your next weekly marketing meeting (you have one, right?). I particularly liked his one about the top mistakes we make with business cards (#20) -- he shows 8 cards and picks his favorite. Your business card should make it obvious what you do -- that's what the card does that is Seth's favorite. Ask the question "can people tell what you do from your business card?" All the little stuff adds up -- get it right!
Ask Seth Godin -- here's how Seth is going to handle his LIVE webcast next Tuesday, Feb 10 (11:58am -- 2pm EST and available on-demand afterwards). He'll take time to talk directly about what's new in marketing -- what's working and not working -- then he'll take questions directly emailed to him by the participants during the webcast. And for those signed-up, you'll also get information on how to submit your questions ahead of time if you like -- Seth will review these in preparation for his presentation. Don't hold back. Be specific. Have him look at your website. Send him samples of things you're writing and working on. He wants to get specific and detailed.
Godin WARNING: Seth wanted me to emphasize that he won't be responding with email answers (too hard to answer this way) -- he'll only be responding verbally during the webcast.
Learn while skiing -- McDermott's VP, Bruce Crager, also sent me a note this week "Just wanted you to know how McDermott came to be one of the biggest watchers of the (Lencioni) webcast. I saw the webcasts offered in your weekly email and then asked Dennis Mease of our OD group to buy it and offer it to our offices worldwide which includes Houston, Morgan City LA, Dubai and Singapore. We had a large number of folks watch the live webcast, including me while on vacation in Telluride CO (it was a snowy day so I stayed in instead of skiing). Dennis provides coaching to my team and is a great resource. The point is, your regular email resulted in 100's of people being exposed to Pat and then to the next two speakers. Thanks for setting this up!" And with the bad weather in the U.S., people stranded at home could still participate in the workshop. This is the future of executive education -- get your people in a monthly rhythm of learning.
Front Row Seats --- the full page ad for the Sales and Marketing Summit landed on 1 million CEO desks this week courtesy of our co-hosts FORTUNE Small Business magazine. If you plan to attend and want front row seats, pre-register now. $250/executive saves you the best seats -- like a rock concert, we seat in order of registration and size of team -- earliest and biggest get the front row tables. Here's a link to the ad. Join us April 21 -- 22 in New Orleans.
PDA versions of my "Growth Guy" weekly insight are now available in easy-to-read blog form. Click this link to register at Viigo. Then select Business>Entrepreneurship. You will be able to add "The Growth Guy" blog to your mobile device. It's a great way to get the Weekly Insights wherever you are.