I want to market a Valentine’s Day menu in a hotel restaurant. I thought it would be fun to do an “aphrodisiac” menu. As for the menu and including the aphrodisiacs, done. I’m having a hard time coming up with a catchy tag line to use in the advertisements. Any help? It’s a prix fixe menu with “his and her” options.
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Jay’s Answer:
I am the manager of a small but upscale salon & spa in a suburban community. I am in need of some fresh ideas for a Valentine’s day promotion, and unfortunately it can not involve massage or skin care as we currently do not have an licensed massage practitioner or aesthetician. I do, however, have a passionate team of stylists and one incredible nail artist, and we also offer hand-sprayed tanning.
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Jay’s Answer: An essay/photo contest: “Why I need a makeover this Valentine’s Day!”. Winner(s) get the works. Let the public help vote for the most deserving entrant.
I have a web solutions company and need a tag line to that. I am catering to corporates and retail segments. I am located in Mumbai? My clients are corporates and Retail institution from India and overseas. Web solutions means i do work into website designing and development. I even do e-learning projects and develop customized software for the companies. Name of my company is IIWS (Industry Integrated Web Solutions). Please suggest me some catchy and sophisticated tag line.
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Jay’s Answer: Since your company name doesn’t say what you do, your tagline needs to describe it simply. For example:
Ultimately, the two basic messages you can convey in your marketing is either “avoid this” (don’t get this disease, don’t get arrested, don’t make this mistake, etc.) or “seek that” (more money, more dates, more clients, more notoriety, etc.). Avoiding something (“fear”) is a great short-term message, but studies show it doesn’t convert people into long-term behavioral changes. However, getting more of something isn’t a great short-term motivator. Is there a way of crafting your marketing message to span both the “avoid” and “more” messages?
This video showcases an idea of how to get people to not go faster than the speed limit – using a speed camera and a lottery system. The camera takes pictures of cars that are speeding (“avoid this”) and issues tickets through the normal police system. The camera also takes pictures of cars that aren’t speeding (“seek this”), creating a lottery, with the winner sharing in the fines that the speeders had to pay. Whether you like the specific solution to the speeding problem or not, the message beautifully incorporates both “avoid” and “seek”.
Making an avoid+seek message isn’t easy. We’re naturally wired for one of these responses, so it’s hard to think of what motivates others.
Let’s take another example – fitness. We all know we should exercise more, yet few people make the effort to make time. Why? In general, exercise is seen as “work” and it feels good only after you’re done or have been doing it awhile (“a runner’s high”). The seek messages “look good” or “feel better about yourself” aren’t sufficient to motivate most people. The avoid message “don’t get heart disease” or “don’t get fat” create a lot of New Year’s resolutions, but low follow-through. One way to create an avoid+seek message would be to show a group of happy/fit people surrounding a sick/unfit person and ask the question, “Who do you look like?”. It allows the person to see both sides of in/action and make their own choices.
What other ways can you combine avoid+seek into your marketing message?
Photo by Jordan Pérez Ordenes
What are you afraid of in your business life? How much does the fear control your (in)actions? We all know people who eased through the solving the problems that confound us, yet the fear paralyzes us.
First: quantify what you’re afraid of. Are you about to risk your life savings launching a new product? Are you worried that you won’t have something interesting to say at your next networking event? Perhaps you’re afraid that the next person you cold call will hang up on you?
Next: look around you. Is the fear that you’re facing something that others have faced? Have you asked others to validate that the fear you’re facing is of the same magnitude you’re imagining it is? What you need to do is determine if your perception is accurate. Based on our own backgrounds, values, and experiences, we interpret similar situations vastly differently. Have you ever noticed that others seemingly blow through the thing that stops you (and vice versa)?
Finally: acclimate yourself. No matter what you’re afraid of, your fear of the action is worse than the action itself. Try:
Let’s say you’re public speaking at your next networking event. Here are some ways to acclimate to your fear:
Give yourself a big gift – the gift of personal growth. Align your perceived fears to “reality”. The freedom from overcoming one hurdle will empower you to make other changes in your (business) life.
Photo by lululemon athletica
I was talking to an employee at a gym the other day and was surprised to hear him mention that he was worried about one of the gym patrons (let’s call him “Frank”). Frank was always cooperative with the other gym patrons, but in the past few months Frank has become quite argumentative with the staff. At times, the arguments have become abusive and almost leading to a fight. The gym employee eventually reported the physical confrontation with his supervisor, and a quick meeting ensued. Frank quickly apologized, the manager sided with Frank, and the employee was without recourse. While the fighting hasn’t (yet) reoccurred, the abusive attitude continues. And now the employee is scared that Frank will do something even more dangerous (perhaps to another patron of the gym or another staff member).
If the gym is your business, how would you handle things? It would seem that if you side with Frank, you alienate your employee. Side with the employee, you alienate your customer. It’s a seemingly no-win situation.
By siding with your customer, you’re clearly stating that “the customer is always right” and that you can easily be replaced. That attitude creates a hostile work environment. Your staff are now more concerned about their well-being (inwardly-focused) rather than making a difference in your business (outwardly-focused). You don’t lose a customer, but you won’t be growing your business with passionate employees. You also allow a bully to run free possibly alienating other customers.
Instead, imagine siding with your employee. Make it clear what acceptable behavior is towards your staff. And, if someone violates your guidelines, give them a quick warning. If the behavior continues, fire your customer. This clearly sets the message that your employees are family, and your family comes first. This will also set higher expectations of your customers.
By ensuring the well-being of your employees, you’re guaranteeing that your employees will be looking out for the well-being of your business as well.