Richard Bliss Blog

Want To Get Fired? Email Can Help

Tired of the grind at work? Looking for a change? There is a simple solution. Send a off color joke to your fellow employees via the company's email system and there is a good chance you will be escorted out the door.

There is no privacy at work. And email lasts forever.

And it isn't just email anymore. Kwame Kilpatrick lost his job as the Mayor of Detroit because he got caught lying under oath when his text messages showed up.

A SWAT team member lost his job when management discovered he was carrying on sexting with his work assigned device. It was discovered because management wondered why his text bill was so high compared to others in the department.

He sued and lost.

What about Facebook and Twitter? Surely they are off-limits to monitoring from within your organization? Yes and No. What you do at home on your own computer is up to you. But once you log onto a work computer or use a work issued Smartphone, you open yourself up. If you access Facebook on a work computer, on work time, across a work provided Internet connection, all falls under your companies rights to monitor everything you do.

There is no privacy when you are at work.

Still not convinced?

Here are three ways to get your boss' attention and increase your chances of losing your job

1. Send jokes that relate to race, gender, ethnicity, or religion
2. Share Porn via Email
3. Deliver your latest political views and hit the "Everyone" key

When using email, text messages, Twitter, Facebook, or any other form of electronic communication, remember, once it is written down, it lasts forever.

Think Before You Send - Your job will thank you.

Think Outside the Book

Independent Booksellers have been under duress for years as the big box stores have consistently eroded their markets.

To compete, many independent booksellers have turned to event marketing to drive business at their store.

In any market it is always easier to find new products for your customers rather than new customers for your products. Indepenent Booksellers just don't have the clout to launch massive advertising campaigns to bring in a large numbers of new customers. Instead, they must focus on finding new content for the existing customers.

One way to do this is through event marketing. Holding events at a local bookstore is a way to draw attention to the store, the roll it plays in the community, and the fabulous books that it carries.

Events can be wide-ranging. Oftentimes an event will be a book signing with a visiting author. Another idea is a little further out of the book.

Today, board games are experiencing a new surge in popularity. We aren't talking about Monopoly and Scrabble. Instead, these are games for adults and children alike, with a focus on interaction and thinking. Holding a Game Night at your local bookstore is a great way to have old customers reengage with the store.

Three of my favorites are Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, and Settlers of Catan. You can build events around a themed game night, tying in books to the the games. Holding a board game tournament increases the exposure of the event, oftentimes drawing in a younger audience.

My experience has shown that mothers are anxious to find ways to engage with their children as they compete for attention in a world dominated by video games. Instead, playing a board game where all members of the family brought together is a great way to expand beyond books.

 

Stealing The Show - 3 Things To Maximize Your Next Tradeshow

The lure of a tradeshow is almost irresistible to a marketing person. Lots of prospects all in one place who could use your product or service if they just knew about it.

You already know the challenge. How do you get all those people to stop at your booth and listen to your sales pitch?

Here are three things you can do to maximize your investment and dramatically increase your exposure and engagement at your next tradeshow.

1. Create your own traffic builder - Many tradeshows often have an option to participate in the main vendors traffic builder. There is often nothing stopping you from creating your own traffic builder to increase your exposure through another vendor's customers.

I have been able to make this one work so successfully that IBM was overheard to say they were thrilled to be next to my booth at a large event because they always have spill over from the amount of traffic I generate.

First, look at the show list of exhibitors. Find four or five that do not compete with you or each other. Call them up a month of more before the show and make your pitch. Usually the first year I sponsor a new tradeshow I offer participation for free, but after the first year, you can get the other vendors to contribute money to help make the traffic builder more successful.

2. Go Big, Go Rare, or Go Home - The spiff you give away at your show says so much about your company. Go big with your giveaway or go rare, but don't go with the mediocre. A mediocre giveaway will cause your booth to be avoided except by the guy looking to bring home something to his seven children and your booth has a bunch of squeaky toys.

Go Big - Combine this with a traffic builder. Rather than spending hundreds or thousands on landfill toys, take the money and invest in something big. We often give away 42" flat panel TVs because for less than $2,000 I get everyone's attention, especially if I'm competing against rubber ducks in the booth next to me. This big prize also increases the likelihood of participation by vendors in your traffic builder. They then help you spread the word.

Go Rare - I once attended a show with about 1,500 attendees. We had printed up some T-shirts that said either SPAM, VIRUS, or PORN in big white letters on a black shirt. This time, rather than having boxes of t-shirts, I only printed 50 and handed them out very subjectively. There wasn't any way to officially get one. We slowly handed them out to people who we knew would wear them. By the end of the show, nearly every single attendee had been by the booth, wanting to know how they could get a shirt. The event coordinators asked us to not do that again since their information staff were hounded about how to get this coveted shirt.

Find something coveted or rare and give them out sparingly. It has to be something high profile, otherwise the covet factor won't kick in.

3. When looking for a way to increase your exposure, oftentimes looking outside the show itself is a bonus.

At a tradeshow with over 200,000 people, I rented 10 Hummers. Not the H2, but the big wide military style H-1s. This was when they had just come on the market and caused people to stop in the street to watch you drive by. I then sent a postcard to the 800 press and analysts signed up for the show. On the postcard was my cell phone number and a promise that instead of them waiting in 2 hour cab lines, I would dispatch a Hummer to any location and take them anywhere they wanted to go. The catch was they had to listen to my company pitch for the 10 to 15 minutes it took to get them where they were going.

Over 600 press and analysts took me up on the offer. My small company got more exposure in the trade magazines than other companies that had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars.

I remember John C. Dvorak in my Hummer with a writer from PC World who had already written two articles on my company and was planning a third. John was incredulous that I was getting so much ink as such a little company. He did appreciate the ride though.

 

The next time you have a trade show, take some time to think of these three things to maximize your exposure and have everyone talking about your booth and your products.

 

iPhone vs Stupid Driver - iPhone wins

Not many things make us as angry as an aggressive driver doing stupid things. It can make us feel helpless, or worse, tempt us to act as stupid.

On my way to pick up my daughter at school, a car approached me from behind at a fairly high rate of speed, far more than that 30mph zone we were in. Then, to my amazement, I realized that they were going to attempt to squeeze past me on my right, inbetween my car and the parked cars on the street.

Two things went through my head. Cross over into the oncoming traffic lane to give the idiot a big opening, or nudge to the right to discourage them from doing something stupid.

I nudged to the right, and they accelerated, blew past me and, made a hand gesture as they passed.

Here's the thing, three blocks further up is another light, a very very long light, and I knew I was going to be right behind this person in a few seconds.

As I pulled up behind them, my heart was racing and my temper was up, I just wanted to get out and kick their car or some other kind of act to release the adrenaline.

Instead, I pulled out my iPhone.

The woman in the car ahead was watching me very carefully in her rear view mirror. She was waiting for the light to turn green so she could turn left. I knew the light wasn't going to change for a very long time, so I carefully undid my seat belt and opened my car door.

This got her attention. She was watching me carefully. I then pulled out my iPhone and clearly and delibertly took a picture of the back of her car. Then, to make sure she knew what I was doing, I very carefully took a picture of her license plate.

My every move was being watched and I was very careful not to make any kind of gesture or action that would threaten her. After all, I was being the crazy person now.

I could tell that she was now agitated. Head was bobbing, body shaking.

Suddenly, instead of continuing to wait for the light to turn green so she could make a left turn, she did a right turn across lanes and raced away down the street in the opposite direction she had initially wanted to go.

Not sure what happened to this woman, but I do know that I felt a lot better. All she could see was me taking very careful pictures of her license plate. It was enough to rattle her.

Thanks to my iPhone and my little camera.

 

 

How to get to Japan from the USA - Google Route

Thinking of making a trip to Japan? Here is Google's list of directions to get from here to there.

Take note of Step 31. It is critical.

Starting from Unknown road
1    Head northeast toward 3900 Rd
2    Turn right at 3900 Rd
3    Continue onto Independence Ave
4    Continue onto 3900 Rd
5    Turn right at US-166 W
6    Turn right at US-166 W/US-75 N
7    Merge onto US-166 W via the ramp to Sedan/Arkansas City
8    Turn right at KS-15 N/243rd Dr
Continue to follow KS-15 N
9    Continue onto US-160 W/W 9th Ave
Continue to follow US-160 W
10    Turn right to merge onto I-35 N toward Wichita
Toll road
11    Take exit 42 to merge onto I-135 N toward I-235/Wichita/Salina/US-81
Partial toll road
12    Take exit 95B to merge onto I-70 W toward Hays
Entering Colorado
13    Take exit 289 toward Colo Springs/Ft Collins
14    Keep right at the fork and merge onto E-470 N
Partial toll road
15    Take exit 47 to merge onto I-25 N toward Ft Collins
Partial toll road
Entering Wyoming
16    Take exit 8B to merge onto I-80 W toward Laramie
Entering Utah
17    Slight right at I-84 W (signs for Ogden)
18    Merge onto I-15 N
19    Continue straight onto I-84 W (signs for Boise)
Passing through Idaho
Entering Oregon
20    Take exit 179 to merge onto I-82 W toward Umatilla/Kennewick
Entering Washington
21    Continue onto US-97 N
22    Merge onto I-90 W
23    Take exit 10 to merge onto I-405 N toward Bellevue
24    Take exit 14 to merge onto WA-520 W toward Seattle
25    Take the Montlake Blvd exit
26    Merge onto Montlake Blvd E
27    Slight left at NE Pacific St
28    Continue onto NE Northlake Way
29    Turn left at 6th Ave NE
30    Turn right at NE Northlake Way
31    Kayak across the Pacific Ocean
Entering Hawaii
32    Continue straight
33    Turn left at Kuilima Dr
34    Take the 3rd right onto HI-83 W
35    Continue straight onto HI-99 S/Kamehameha Hwy
36    Slight left at HI-80 S/Kamehameha Hwy
Continue to follow Kamehameha Hwy
37    Take the ramp onto I-H-2 S
38    Merge onto I-H-1 E
39    Take exit 13B toward Halawa Hts. Stadium
40    Merge onto I-H-201 E
41    Merge onto I-H-1 E
42    Take exit 23 for Punahou St toward Waikiki/Manoa
43    Turn right at Punahou St
44    Take the 1st right onto S Beretania St
45    Take the 1st left onto Kalakaua Ave
46    Kayak across the Pacific Ocean
Entering Japan
47    Turn left toward 県道275号線
48    Turn left toward 県道275号線
49    Turn left toward 県道275号線
50    Turn right at 県道275号線
51    Turn left at 国道125号線
52    Turn right at 県道24号線
53    Turn left at 千束町（交差点） onto 国道354号線
54    Turn right at 中村陸橋下（交差点） to stay on 国道354号線
55    Take the ramp to 常磐自動車道
Toll road
56    Keep left at the fork, follow signs for 東京 and merge onto 常磐自動車道
Toll road
57    Take exit 三郷ＪＣＴ toward 三郷出口・外環・松戸・大泉
Toll road
58    Keep right at the fork, follow signs for 三郷西出口・外環・大泉
Toll road
59    Take exit 高速三郷ＩＣ on the right toward 外環・大泉
Toll road
60    Merge onto 東京外環自動車道
Toll road
61    Take exit 高速大泉ＩＣ on the right toward 関越道・新潟
Toll road
62    Merge onto 関越自動車道
Toll road
63    Take exit 藤岡ＪＣＴ toward 上信越道・藤岡・長野
Toll road
64    Merge onto 上信越自動車道
Toll road
65    Take exit 高速東部湯の丸ＩＣ toward 県道81号線
Toll road
66    Take exit 東部湯の丸ＳＡ on the right toward 東部湯の丸出口
Toll road
67    Merge onto 県道81号線
68    Turn right at 常田（交差点） onto 国道18号線
69    Turn left at 県道483号線
70    Turn right to stay on 県道483号線
71    Turn right to stay on 県道483号線
72    Turn left at 大屋駅前（交差点） onto 国道152号線
73    Turn right at 下丸子（交差点） to stay on 国道152号線
74    Turn left to stay on 国道152号線
75    Continue onto 中山道/国道142号線
76    Slight left at 大和橋（交差点） onto 大門街道/国道152号線
77    Slight left
78    Turn left
Arriving at Unknown road
Total: 8,828 mi - about 35 days 18 hours

To do this yourself go to maps.google.com, Click on Get Directions, Type in USA, and Japan.

Products or Relationships. Which is more important?

The word for 2011 is going to be Transition. So many companies are going to be facing a transition in so many ways as they continue to adjust to the economy and emerging technologies.

Any marketing department, when faced with this kind of dilemma, has to decide which is more important, products or relationships.

Here is my question to you. What is easier to achieve?

Finding new relationships for existing products

Or

Finding new products for existing relationships?

The answer is overwhelmingly the latter. It is easier to find new products or services to offer to relationships that you have established over time and with great effort. You can build those products yourself or you can go sell someone elses products, but in the end, it is the relationship that you need to leverage much more than the product you need to pitch.

Oftentimes, when companies are faced with dimishing markets, they believe that if they can just find a new market for their existing products, then business will return to normal. A new customer seems always to be more attractive than a current customer but it isn't the case.

One reason that this belief exists about finding new customers, is often we feel more comfortable telling our current story, making our comfortable pitch, and knowing the value of our current product. But when that product no longer shows growth and interest, it is scary for an organization to learn a new tune, and sing a new song. Instead, there is an entrenched belief that if you can just find more customers you can keep the revenue coming in.

But at some point you have to face the music and change the tune. An unexpected benefit you will almost always encounter is that your loyal customers WANT you to offer them more things. They want a reason to keep buying, and often enough, if you ask them, they will become actively involved in helping you find your new offering.

This year, in 2011, as your company or organization faces uncertainty, remember, it is easier to find new things for your fans, rather than new fans for your things.

Here's to a great 2011

Pass along marketing - Ford might steal this from Toyota

Al and Laura Ries often talk about pass along marketing. The ability to easily pass along the marketing message of a product or service.

It is often a phrase or word that sticks in the mind of the prospects and comes to mind when the brand is mentioned.

Examples like Volvo=Safe, Crest=Cavity, Fedex=Overnight.

Up until this point, when it has come to Hybrid cars, the Toyota Prius owns the category. Of all the challengers on the market, it looks like Ford may have the best shot at pushing itself into the number 2 spot for Hybrids. And they will do it with pass along marketing.

Most of the ads from Ford's Hybrid vehicles have had tag lines like, "We Speak Car". What in the world does this mean? Nothing.

Do people say you should by a Ford Hybrid because Ford speaks car?

No, that is silly.

But Ford may have stumbled onto something with some of their latest ads.

Several people in the ad keep saying, "I love my Ford Hybrid, I haven't bought gas in a month."

"I haven't bought gas in a month"

That is a pass along message. It is such a powerful message that people who have seen the ads once or twice will think about it one of those times when they are standing at the gas pump looking at $3 or $4 a gallon prices.

This message is so powerful, that it could carry Ford into the Hybrid space as a leader, simply because the idea of not buying gas in a month can be shared easily and be permanently associated with the Ford Hybrid Brand. Who needs to talk about mileage, about engineering, about all the technology in the car, when everyone would love to own a hybrid that only has you buying gas once a month.

Other hybrids may do the same thing, but Ford has the chance of being first in the mind of the market with this powerful message.