ROOTNOTES ONLINE

I will find out once and for all if it truly is “Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”

I am going to a one day Marketing Mastermind sponsored by my friend Mike Capuzzi the creator of the remarkable Copy Doodles.  That will be followed by a networking get together in Mike’s suite at the Phillies game.

The trip came about because of a contest I won for the most innovative use of Mike Capuzzi’s Copy Doodles, a terrific product for anyone trying to break through the clutter in their marketing.   So here’s the back story and then the campaign.

I had a meeting scheduled with a buyer to present a new bedroom set.  We were to have dinner the evening before the meeting but a conflict came up and she had to cancel.  Knowing that she liked Red wine, I thought of the most expensive bottle I could think of (Silver Oaks) and decided I would make up a story about enjoying that wine by myself.  I knew Copy Doodles had napkins and a wine stain as part of the package so I hit on the idea of writing this as though I was at the bar.

After getting into it a bit I realized I didn’t have enough room on those silly napkins to get my message across so I went to the next morning with the concept of being hung over and needing to hand write the yellow legal pad.  It was a good story that provided lots of laughs and broke the ice for an excellent presentation.

On the last page of the Copy Doodle samples, you’ll see four questions I pose that will help you make better presentations.  As always make sure you leave comments below.  Thanks

Tags: Furniture, Marketing, Uncategorized by Mike Root
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For those of you who have never been to Tupelo or for those of you who have but have never had the good fortune of seeing some of the finer establishments, below is a pictorial of our recent trip during the February market. It all started when we called the hotel to get directions and were informed that our room that was reserved 45 days in advance at the Microtel had been given away to someone else. We had a guaranteed reservation and the Tupelo housing office agreed with us. Unfortunately when they guy at the front desk gets a better offer before we show up, there is no room at the Inn and no recourse. So at 9:30 at night we start looking in all the back water towns around Tupelo and end up in New Albany in what is supposedly the last room in a 50 mile radius. It had to be the last room because it hadn’t been rented for at least a year (since the last market when some other sucker lost his room). We should have been concerned when it was found by the proprietor of the motel equivalent to a Motel 6 that lost it’s franchise 10 years ago. We should have been more concerned when that same person said “it has a roof and four walls but that is all I can guarantee you.”

Our first clue should have been :

Think I’m just trying to be funny? Well here’s what we got…

Here is the  beautiful coral bathroom with towel rack and medicine chest missing.

Here was our towel. That doesn’t look so bad until…we had to share it all week! (Size similar to illustration)

The mechanics of this place were great. Fortunately the proprietor turned on the heater before we went
into room. It didn’t help as the beds were frozen solid. It was the first time in at least a year the place
was thawed out. Because of the cold we didn’t have to use the fire alarm or hang up any clothes (since it
was so cold we wore everything we had! I don’t think we could have hung up much with the one hangar.

The name says it all…

An exterior view of the palatial estate

Left, the swimming pool. Right, the owners Lexus that is worth more than the property. It should be when he charges us $60 because it’s market.

I will say it was nice that we didn’t need to set an alarm in the morning. The train promptly arrived bright and early every morning (and every 30 minutes throughout the day!)

Below, Emmet is happy to leave. He’ll miss the porch furniture outside our room though.
Who says traveling isn’t glamorous. For their part, the Tupelo market did feel bad about our experience and comped our room for the next night.

The neighbor pawn shop and the five star breakfast place…

Overall it was a memorable experience…

Think you have a “better” bad hotel experience? Share it below in the comment box and we’ll see whose experience tops as the Most “Memorable” Hotel experience.

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This week I spoke to a group of sales and marketing professionals from Midwest Labs at their annual Marketing Conference.  I always enjoy sharing my sales and marketing expertise with people in other industries.  The group from Midwest Labs run a very successful testing lab for a variety of elements from soil testing to food to environmental.  This obviously calls for a diverse group of clients in business to business selling and business to consumer selling.

They attend a variety of trade shows throughout the year and so much of my presentation was built around how to be most effective at a trade show.  If you would like to have a copy of my outline on the presentation entitled “17.5 Keys A Sales Rep Can Make Their Upcoming Market or Trade Show the Most Successful Ever”, send us an email at meroot@mikeroot.com with the subject line  Tradeshow and we will forward it onto you.

The four categories I discussed were as follows:

• Knowledge of Your Customer, Client or Prospect’s Needs As It Pertains to Your Product
• Communication To Your Customer, Client or Prospect Before The Market or Trade Show
• Communication To Your Customer, Client or Prospect During The Market or Trade Show
• Communication To Your Customer, Client or Prospect After The Market or Trade Show

It was a great group of people and I think they were amazed that applying principles of furniture sales could actually apply to them.  But you see thatt’s the big secret.  What works in marketing furniture will work in marketing of accounting, dentistry, and even soil samples.

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Yesterday, the New York Stock Exchange recorded a 1010.14 intraday trading loss that they are blaming on computer errors.  By the end of the day the stock market had recovered some of the lost ground only being down 347.80.  But for the consumer that is somewhat skittish about the shape of the economy and is concerned about huge run up in stocks over the last several months, this event may be one more challenge for ongoing consumer confidence. 

Even though business in the first quarter has been good for a number of retailers, the rest of the year still looks to be a challenge requiring aggressive promotional activities coupled with sharp merchandising to encourage the customers to part with their dollars.  The government stimulus of tax refunds and new homeowner tax credit are gone for the year.  The good news is that a number of people have bought homes recently and will need furniture.  The bad news is that without the tax credit, the housing activity is expected to be stagnant for several months which does not bode well for later year activity. 

But of far greater concern is the overall health of the economy beyond housing

My son Jay and I attended the Glazer Kennedy Super Conference recently where high level entrepreneurs and sharp marketing people gather to network and share ideas that are working in businesses across the country.  In one session of over 800 people, the speaker asked for a show of hands of how many people had an increase in business from 2008 to 2009 and over two thirds of the room raised their hands. 

Into this environment, we had the good fortune to hear from Harry S. Dent, Jr.  The program introduced him as “among the most reliable, successful and celebrated economic and business trend forecasters of our time!”  Dent uses the science of demographics to predict the direction of the economic activities in all countries.  His recent book and an audio CD series that followed deal with “The Great Depression Ahead” and “How to Prosper in The Downturn” in my opinion are must reading  and listening to gain a different perspective on the true state of the economy.  I have posted a link to easily get either resource from Amazon at www.mikesreading.com.  

Jay and I actually had lunch with Harry before his talk (it’s a long story so if interested in how I did that you’ll have to ask me later).  But I can tell you from the lunch and later the speech that Harry is unwavering in his predictions.  There is absolutely no uncertainty in his mind that what is about to occur is inevitable.  It is not if, but when. 

And folks, it’s quite scary….

• What Harry predicts is that we will experience a huge market crash sometime late summer to early fall of this year. 
• He believes the market could lose 50% or more of its value by year end. 
• He believes it will take approximately 2 years thereafter before the economy gets back on its feet. 
• To prosper he recommends going very liquid in your investments so that when the market does tank, you will be there to buy up stocks at 50 cents on the dollar. 
• Get rid of any non-performing real estate at whatever the price because it will be worth less in 6 months.

Based on life cycle spending, demographers can predict with much certainty when household spending patterns will peak and fall.  Harry’s predictions are that the baby boom generation spending habits are entering a period of saving for retirement and not spending on kids or things.  There will be a lack of demand for many consumer products because the next generation coming along is much smaller and will not have the same buying power as the baby boom generation. 

His specific timing for the crash later this summer is based on several elements.

1. Mortgages are due to reset in July, August, September, October.  More foreclosures will follow.
2. Consumers will not be participating in the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters when the government stimulus wears off.  Unemployment is still quite high around 10% so there is not purchasing power.
3. Investment banks are highly leveraged
4. There is an incredible amount of government debt along with unfunded federal liabilities that must be accounted for.
5. Interest rates are being artificially held down.  Once they go up it will stifle investment even more.
6. China has a huge real estate bubble that could pop by year end.
7. This problem in Greece is just one of many European country challenges that will hurt the US indirectly. 

 In his opinion, the real concern is not inflation but deflation.  The private sector is massively deleveraging that leads to deflation.  The last time we saw deflation on this scale in the country was 1929 through the 1930’s.  Businesses that keep standing will be the winners.  Businesses with cash, cash flow, and credit will survive and thrive after the next couple year’s shakeout.

 I present this to you as an insight for contrarianism that if proved accurate could help you position your business and your financial future.  I am by no means a financial authority, and my financial advisor did not get as worked up about Harry’s teachings as I did.  So do not take this column as an endorsement and blame me if it doesn’t work.  However, for me personally, I believe the upside in the market is minimal for a while.  If Harry is even half right, I am much better to be out of the market, then in them.

 Once again I strongly encourage you to get his book published a couple of years ago and his audio program that was published late last year at www.mikesreading.com.  You can also sign up for his regular web posts or his ongoing newsletter service at www.hsdent.com.  If you would like a link to a video clip of Harry Dent from the recent conference, drop me an email at meroot@mikeroot.com. And I’ll send it out to you.

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Yesterday afternoon, my lovely bride of 24 years, agreed to play nine holes of golf with me.  This is a remarkable event for two reasons.  First, my wife does not share the same passion of the game that I do.  So to get her out in April was a treat and bodes well for Sunday afternoon couples golf this season.

And second as a golf enthusiast, I should probably been home watching the final round of the Masters.   But this year, I was ambivalent about the tournament until the final hour of coverage.

I have never been to the Masters in person, but I would like to make that trip sometime.  More importantly, I would love to have the opportunity to play the course with my father who by and large is the most passionate, enthusiastic golfer I have ever known.  I took him to Pebble Beach this year where we met Tom Watson and Johnny Miller and he thought he was in golf heaven.  If I could ever figure out a way to play the hallowed grounds of Augusta with him, his life as a golfer would be complete.  But I digress from the topic of the 2010 Masters.

This year’s Masters was billed as the return of Tiger Woods after an absence from the golfing world due to personal digressions.  Unfortunately, that pretty much dominated the news media the first few days of coverage.  With Tiger lurking near the top of the leader board, people were interested to see if he would make a run at it.  They were amazed at how much he could concentrate and bring a high level of intensity after “all that he had been through.”

Give me a break.  It’s not like life forced him into his current predicament.  He made a $110,000,000 last year, and because of his off course antics he will earn far less this year in the endorsement world.  Good!

This sad fascination of the public with Tiger along with the cozy attitude towards him during the week is the disconnect with celebrity and reality.  If anyone else were to pull the stunts that Tiger has pulled, their wife would have probably left them and even fewer fans would have cheered upon their return to the public eye.

Let’s contrast that with the eventual winner, Phil Mickelson.  Largely unnoticed during the Tiger feeding frenzy of the early rounds, Lefty went about taking care of business.  As the week went on and he ended up close to the top of the leader board, playing in the final pairing on Sunday, the media began to focus a bit on Phil.

And when he finally won, and his wife was waiting for him at the 18^th green, the story was told.  You see Phil also took some time off over the last 11 months for treatment.  But the treatment Phil was concerned with was his wife Amy’s breast cancer.  The whole week Amy was so weakened that she had not attended any of the rounds at the Masters.

In fact Phil said “I was just really glad she was there.  I wasn’t sure is she was going to be there today.  To walk off the green and share that with her is very emotional for us.”

But when he won, and they shared a long embrace, it stood in stark contrast to the Tiger story the media had been talking about all week.  This was a family that was dealt a blow by fate with Amy’s cancer.  They dealt with the adversity largely outside of the public eye, asking for no one’s sympathy and pretty much ignored by the media because it wasn’t scandalous.

How Phil was able to focus and concentrate was never discussed, even though he had to be distracted while his partner was fighting for her life.  My question is not how Tiger could concentrate after all he has been through, but rather how could Phil play such a flawless round of golf after the life and death concerns surrounding Amy.  I know somewhere on the final holes his mind had to wander to whether or not Amy would be waiting on the 18^th Green to greet him.  But he held it all together like the Champion he was with nary a single bogey in the final round.

Phil played some phenomenal golf to win including an incredible shot on 13 that should go down in the Masters highlight reels for all time.  Playing under a tree, off pine needles, he hits a 6 iron purely 207 yards, over a creek, onto the green within a few feet of the pin.  There are maybe handful of guys in the world that could have pulled that off, and maybe only two that would have tried it on Sunday while in contention to win the Masters.

Of the two, I am most glad that Phil was the one that won.  He stands for everything that the media frenzy around Tiger didn’t cover.  And in the end, he wound up the Masters champion with the Green jacket.  My guess is even Tiger’s wife was pulling for Phil that day.

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For year’s readers of my newsletter “RootNotes” know about Huey the furniture dog.  He’s my earstwhile companion at the office when I am in town.  He’s able to sleep on tall chairs without batting an eye.  He’s faster than the speedy UPS guy who comes with treats.  And he’s a frequent contributor of creative content and comic relief with his begging dance for food.

So years ago I decided to put Huey to work in the newsletter.  Huey’s been photo’d in so many different poses when he sees me with my camera he just rolls his eyes  with an expression of “you got to be kidding”.  But I’m not and here’s why.

People love seeing Huey in the newsletter.  They want to know what he is up to and I frequently get comments that people actually read the newsletter because they saw Huey on the outside.  Go figure.

This last month I got a written testimonial from Tracy who works for one of my large customers.  She indicated that she loved seeing Huey in the newsletter.  That was all it took for Huey to demand his own column.  He said I had to give him the column or he would tattle on me to my wife about all the high carb Jimmy John’s bread I give him for lunches.  Well I don’t want the wrath of Nancy for Huey’s extra love handles.  So Huey now has a column and who knows where it will lead.

Before you think this is all frivolity, there actually is an excellant marketing concept at play here.  First of all, for some reason people love seeing pets in marketing.  I guess they know it’s not a big giant corporation sending the message and therefore they pay closer attention to it.  Remember, we are selling to people not companies and so the pets have a certain appeal.  Second, evidently dogs poll higher than any other animal as a pet in marketing.  Not to by cynical but that may be the reason Presidential families have to have a dog when they go to office (Remember Obamas great search at the start of his term for the family dog).  So if you don’t have a dog for your marketing go rent one.

This whole fame thing is going to Huey’s head though.  He is demanding his own fan club.  He cited Mickey Mouse and Mighty Dog as role models.  I bet him an extra large doggy treat that no one would care whether he had a fan club or not.  So here’s your chance to let us know.  Should we start a Huey Fan Club or not?  Let us know what you think about the ideas in this post.  Thanks

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Here is a FREE GIFT that Will Turn Your Business Around
This past weekend my son and I attended the Outrageous Advertising Academy in Orlando Florida. This was a gathering of sharp marketers and entrepreneurs from all over the world, all drawn together on the basis of a new USA Today Best Selling book by my friend and marketing mentor Bill Glazer
OUTRAGEOUS Advertising That’s OUTRAGEOUSLY Successful.
Bill and I spoke at length on how difficult it is in the furniture business and I made a comment on how great it would be to share the ideas in his book with people in the furniture industry. Bill has worked on and off with the retailers in the furniture industry and he made an offer you will not want to refuse.
He offered to a limited number of people in the furniture industry who read my blog the opportunity to get a FREE copy of this incredibly insightful marketing book about out of the box strategies that any business can use to catapult their sales in this tough economy. Just go to this link and Bill and I will give you a FREE Copy of the book. Click this link

FREE OUTRAGEOUS BOOK

There is a wealth of applications that retailers and reps can use in their sales and marketing efforts and for a very limited time the book is Bill’s and my gift to you.
PLUS Bill agreed to give away an INSTANT download of his most OUTRAGEOUS award-winning sales letter that has been used successfully in 57 business categories including the furniture business. It is an awesome letter.
Over the years, I’ve personally learned many OUTRAGEOUSLY successful marketing lessons from him. And his NEW book is incredible…
In this book Bill shows you:
- How to apply OUTRAGEOUS Advertising to ANY Business
- How OUTRAGEOUS Works Online & Offline
- The Most POWERFUL Marketing Tool (and how to use it)
- How to Harness the POWER of Testimonials
- How to use PREMIUMS to SkyRocket Response
- How to use Holidays in your Advertising
- Dozens of Really OUTRAGEOUS Real-Life Examples (that you can use right away)
So if you have ever suffered from a lack of OUTRAGEOUSLY successful advertising ideas, I highly recommend you grab a copy of this book NOW – and you can’t beat the price (FREE)…
But don’t wait or ‘think about it’ as Bill and I will only give away a LIMITED number of copies of his book OUTRAGEOUS Advertising That’s OUTRAGEOUSLY Successful. Click this link right now

FREE OUTRAGEOUS BOOK

PS. This is a true gift from Bill and I to my readers. The book currently retails for $19.95 and has been on several business books best seller lists over the past couple of months.
PSS. I actually did this to see if anyone is actually reading my blog. I figured a bribe was in order and Bill agreed to help. But it is truly a terrific book and will help you grow your business whether you are a rep, a retailer, a designer or even a factory guy. Pick up a copy of the book OUTRAGEOUS Advertising That’s OUTRAGEOUSLY Successful for Free.

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I Was Hanging Out With George Foreman Last Weekend…

That’s right, my son and I met George Foreman.  We spent about an hour with him listening intently to all his stories.  He was born so Poor, they couldn’t afford the extra “O” He was “Por”.  His story continues on through his Olympic Gold medal and two time Heavy Weight Championships.  It’s a story of ups and downs told by a very engaging and enjoyable gentleman.

Of course these days he is internationally known for “The George Foreman Grill”.  George has just written a book called “Knockout Entrepreneur”.  It’s an engaging read you can pick up at www.MikesReading.com if interested.

For more about my meeting with George Foreman watch my video about the benefit of using celebrity in your marketing.

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My son and I have a tradition of making at least one home Notre Dame football game a year. Last weekend, we made  our annual pilgrimage to watch the Irish play Michigan St. Although the campus, the gameday atmosphere, and the game were all very exciting and memorable, there was something else memorable that I thought I’d share. The lady behind the coutner at the rental car place did a terrific job of upselling me. I had booked a cheap, weekend rate car, however the lady persisted that I rent a Chevy Camaro. I told her politely no a couple times, however she persisted and I said ok. The lession I learned, and that everyone can learn from this experience, is that if the original sales pitch doesn’t work, Be Persistent! By being persistent and repitching the upsell in various ways, you very well may get the sale when a mere mortal salesman would’ve given up after the first “no.”

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What do “frozen shoulders” and the current economy have in common? They both may seem like impediments in their respective ways, one on the golf course and the other in the business world; however these obstacles can be overcome with the proper mindset. By maintaining an optimistic mindset, you can not only improve your golf game, but also improve your business.

Tags: Golf, Marketing, Uncategorized by Mike Root
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