In my world, words are all powerful. We use them to motivate, cajole, remind, educate, inform, invite, inspire, and most importantly Sell More Better. It’s amazing how words themselves when said, depending on your age or circumstance, create such vivid recollections causing our emotions to run wild.
I say all this to illustrate my response in my head when my son, Jonathan, announced on Father’s Day that he had made arrangements for he and I to tour Vietnam for two weeks this September.
What I Learned from Riding Motorcycles with My Son
07/30/2015
Last weekend, starting bright and early on Thursday morning, I embarked on an annual motorcycle trip with a few friends, and for the first time my son Jonathan! Everyone was looking forward to seeing Jonathan’s much anticipated, 2015 tricked out Triumph T-100. Jonathan, even as a little boy, was always the individual, everything had to be different from the crowd.
When you’ve been in business as long as we have (40 years!!), things tend to change. I’ve seen a lot of fads come and go over the years: clothing, technology, Presidents, and they all change. There is one thing, however, that has never changed and that’s the need to innovate. The need to tinker with what we have, to make it bigger and better, and to push the boundaries of what we know.
I was recently asked the question, “What is Cowley Associates’ Purpose?” I didn’t have to think about it much, so I responded with, “Well, it’s quite simple really. We help clients sell things.”
Thirty-Nine years! We began so small – and awkward. We took baby steps, sometimes more backward than forward: in fits and starts we learned our business. Now we are 39 years successful with that much experience and can-do.
Now, we look around and see, fourteen thousand, two hundred thirty-five days later it’s suddenly the year two thousand and fourteen! It hits me that I’m just reading an Orwellian novel. 2014 indeed! Can it be?
Okay, I’m all for making a buck but I think things are really getting out of hand. Have we really gotten to the point where we need to start thinking about Christmas shopping the day after Halloween? And for that matter what’s up with Halloween junk the day after Labor Day? Aren’t things moving fast enough?
I don’t think about this enough I know, but when I do I am just amazed.
Just yesterday I was in Tops with Gail doing our weekly grocery shopping, which – if you think about it – is, in and of itself, something to be thankful for. Some people in our community can’t even do that, especially now with government cutbacks being talked about.
Well back to my story, I was waiting for my turn at meat counter to get my regular order of store-roasted turkey. I’m on a high protein diet these days.
I went golfing a few weekends ago, as I often do. A great way to relax and get a breath of fresh air.
As I was moving from one hole to the next, I noticed out of the corner of my eye, a team behind me. They seemed normal enough except for one key extraneous factor: each one of them had a great big, long woodsman beard that stood out like a sore thumb.
Immediately, I thought, “These guys look like they came right out of Duck Dynasty,” the popular reality TV show whose main characters all sport extraordinary beards.
3 Don’ts in Marketing (a.k.a. 3 Marketing Mistakes to Avoid)
09/23/2013
It’s easy to make mistakes in marketing if you’re not a pro. People tend to think it’s “not that hard” and they’ll print out some homemade posters and think they’re good to go. After 37 years in the business, I think I’ve learned a thing or two about what not to do in marketing, and I’ve outlined three of the biggest mistakes so you can avoid them.
3 Don’ts in Marketing
#1 Don’t: Mirror Marketing
This is a biggie. It’s very tempting to do, but can be a disaster if employed.
I’ve been in this business for a very long time (well, since the original Mad Men) and I want to share with you the “big secret” about marketing. The #1 most important thing about marketing is…
[Pause for effect.]
Activity! And the frequency of that activity. Let me tell you a little bit about it.
Brand New Shoes
It goes without saying the first thing you need is a product or service that there’s actually a market for. You need people out there who need what you are marketing. Without that, you are dead in the water.
