Author Archive
400 years
Posted by Troy Forrest on September 11th, 2009 at 11:30am
Been there, done that, got the scars to prove it.
I drove past a church school the other day that’s got a big new sign out front – “400 years of global experience”. Not at this campus, but from its parent group’s educational origins.
Why advertise how old you are? (my wife tells me she’s trying to forget… oww!)
Maybe;
- 400 years worth of people thought we had something valuable enough to keep us in business this long (market forces would have crushed us if we weren’t great at what we do)
- We’ve done plenty wrong, but we took the hits, learnt from them and improved (and we know where the traps for young players are)
- We’ve got a long-term perspective (so when you’re running around thinking about your short-term worries, we’re keeping an eye on the horizon for you)
- Because it makes us seem less scary, less risky, more trustworthy than the Johnny-come-lately’s
- Because your problems, goals and dreams, while always unique, won’t be completely foreign to us
Whether you’ve been in your business for 3 months or 30 years, you have accumulated experience and wisdom. Why not share it with current and prospective clients?
Posted in Uncategorized
Rounding out the top ten … Which clients make the finals?
Posted by Troy Forrest on September 4th, 2009 at 10:29am
We love lists that rank like things. Fortune’s 500. The AFL ladder. Take 40 Australia.
Some are objective (largest employers in your field, highest reported profits). You make the Olympic finals based on milliseconds, not how loud the crowd cheers for you. Other lists are subjective (like 20 to 1′s greatest movie villains). Anthill magazine just listed its top 10 Aussie TV commercials of all time (atop, VB’s original “Matter of fact, I’ve got it now…”).  Not based on how much money the ads made, but which were, according to editors, ’most memorable’.
Posted in Uncategorized
Three for free
Posted by Troy Forrest on August 28th, 2009 at 11:49am
“A free lunch is only found in mousetraps.”
- John Capozzi
3 free experiences I had this past week;
- A restauranteur relaunching his business, offering a free come-try-our-new-menu lunch to a group of networked colleagues. Implied cost – if you like it, tell others, and come back to spend
- Two young ladies walking around the Unley Football Oval signing people up for a free raffle (win a footy!). Even though it was free, people were still reluctant. Unspoken potential cost – after the draw, they’ll sell my details to a timeshare holiday place who will harangue me in the middle of dinner. I don’t need a football that badly.
- Some clever professionals donating time & wisdom to speak at a forum I’m building. The sense-of-obligation cost of taking this free help – expose & endorse the generous parties, owe them a favour, create a forum worthy of their presence.
‘Free’ comes with different costs.
Posted in Insight, Marketing Strategy
7 levels of support
Posted by Troy Forrest on August 20th, 2009 at 10:43am
“It was worth it… after all, I am your biggest fan!”
- IncrediBoy, The Incredibles
Consider the spectrum of people surrounding your business right now;
- The actively-eroding – they don’t like you and they’re trying to convince others not to like you either
- The deliberately-ignoring – they’re not vocal in their sniping, but your correspondence goes straight to their round file
- The unaware-you-exist – they can’t judge you because they’ve never heard of you
- The apathetic – they know you exist, but they don’t care yet
- The supporter-in-principle – they like the cut of your jib, but haven’t moved to buy or recommend you yet
- The conscious-purchaser – they’ve seen the light and are investing with you
- The raving-fan – they go out of their way to tell others how good you are
Do you know which group gets most of your time and energy? Is it the right group?
Posted in Uncategorized
Artists shift your thinking
Posted by Troy Forrest on August 13th, 2009 at 4:28pm
“The most acclaimed artists not only create more works than their peers,
they also generate more failures.”
- Dean Simonton
In his analysis of how people can change the minds of others, Cognition Professor Howard Gardner looks at revolutionary artists. He suggests that artists create watershed moments - alter the thinking of an entire population – by doing 3 things; Continue reading…
Posted in Imagination, Marketing Strategy