Episode #71 – “I Do Know It All… I Just Can’t Remember it All at Once”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

Infusion (Download the free guide from Infusion)

One Minute Coupon (Creates printable coupons for your website)

NiftyClicks (Discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Get a Private Telephone Consultation with me (to Help YOUR Business)

Buy This Week’s T-Shirt (from National Media Services)

Yep, many of the big airlines are still screwing their own business up with bad customers service, silly charges, and other nonsense. Long time viewer of the show, Meny Hoffman shares his experience about trying to upgrade on Continental. They wanted to charge him a $250 PENALTY for upgrading to a higher class of fare! The extra $1200 is apparently not good enough for greedy Continental Airlines.

United Airlines are still feeling the heat from Dave Carroll, who created the “United Breaks Guitars” video that’s been seen over 5 million times on YouTube already! Dave’s just released video #2, with a new song. It’s great!

Then there’s UPS who are still irritating me no end. They won’t deliver to our new studio address in Salt Lake City because the address isn’t in their computer! Yet USPS and Fedex have no problem. I HATE the “our computer says” type of excuse. Fix it! Computers don’t think for themseves, they do whatever humans tell ‘em to do!

This week’s question is all about the t-shirts I wear on the show. What’s the marketing signifcance? Watch the show to discover the answer.

You can now offer printable coupons on your website, thanks to OneMinteCoupons.com, I’l share that nifty click with you this week, it’s really useful.

I love hearing YOUR succes stories, so keep ‘em coming. You can submit your story using the ‘ask andrew’ link at the top of the page, and you can win an incredible prize, something from my travels

A few weeks ago, JetBlue offered an ‘all you can jet’ pass, valid for a month, and it was a major success. Think about how YOU can challenge the existing pricing model of your industry and offer something different, and better.

GotBiz.tv is officially launching 9-9-09, sign up for free updates and offes at GotBiz.tv. I’m excited to launch this new network for you, and all the shows will be free.

Let me know your opinion about the show – simply write a comment below.

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

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Episode #68 – “I Listen to Bands that Don’t Even Exist Yet!”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

Infusion (Download the free guide from Infusion)

Paid for Life (San Diego Charity Seminar)

StockLayouts (Professionally designed marketing materials, ready to use)

NiftyClicks (Discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Get a Private Telephone Consultation with me (to Help YOUR Business)

Buy This Week’s T-Shirt (from National Media Services)

Went to Austin, Texas last week and that was quite an experience. In the Little Long Horn Saloon they play a game that I can only describe as bizarre (but fun).

I have some more outrageous business signs to show you from all over the world, even a few from righ here in the good ‘ol USA!

If you own a small business that serves local customers you’ll probably relate to this weeks question, which is all about how to promote your business in the area without spending a lot of money. Or no money

Now there’s no excuse for not having professional looking marketing materials. This week’s resource, StockLayouts is an amazing find for anyone that needs business cards, postcards, stationery, posters, etc as promotional tools in your business.

Finally, the BIG marketing lesson this week comes from a company called MasterPlans.com – it’s an advanced copywriting strategy that’s incredibly effective at persuading readers. Let me know what you think.

If you’d like to share YOUR favorite little known website, simply write a comment below!

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

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Episode #63 – “Not Made in China ”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

Infusion (Get a FREE Trial of the #1 Marketing Management System)

The iPhone Blog (Great resource for iPhone users)

NiftyClicks (Discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Get a Private Telephone Consultation with me (to Help YOUR Business)

Buy This Week’s T-Shirt (from National Media Services)

Played golf for the first time in a loooong time, and regretted it. Not just because I’m a rubbish golfer, but because I stayed out in the sun too long and got deep fried and crispy.  I’m paying the price for that one.

If you sell more than one product (I do hope so) then you’re in the same predicament as Ted, who submitted this week’s question.  He asks how to cross promote products, and I provide lots of suggestions for him, and you too.

I know so many people who have converted to the iPhone over the last year or so, and all of them love it.  I have a resource for you iPhone addicts that’ll keep you up to speed on all the latest news surrounding the phone.

The BIG lesson I promised from last week is here!  Remember how I showed you the Valenti ad and contrasted it with the one from Rosetta Stone?  Well, the time has come for me to reveal to you WHY the latter is SO much better.  See if you can identify with the good or bad example with your own advertising.

Also this week there’s a competition to test YOUR marketing skills.  If you know the answer, rush to add a comment and you could win a years subscription to NiftyClicks.com

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

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Episode #59 – “It’s not that I forget…it’s just that I don’t care! ”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

Scratch n Dent Sale (Grab yourself a bargain until everything gets sold out)

MemberGate.com (The online membership site platform – check out the free videos)

FatCow.com (FatCow WebHosting)

Wufoo.com (Create forms easily online for your website)

NiftyClicks (Discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Get a Private Telephone Consultation with me (to Help YOUR Business)

Buy This Week’s T-Shirt(from National Media Services)

My initial reaction on hearing about RyanAir’s plans to charge for using the toilets on their planes was shock, but in this economy it figures. RyanAir have a track record of doing things like that. Nothing is free on their flights, not even a measly drink. Rather than try and skimp and save at every turn, wouldn’t they be better off focusing on PLEASING the customer?! Apparently the only airline that gets what customers want (and gives it to them), is Virgin.

If you’re interested in one of my training products but money is tight, it’s a perfect time to invest.  I’m having a scratch n dent sale this week until all the items dissapear. Visit Scratch n Dent Sale.

If you’ve ever wondered about creating a ‘lite’ version of an existing product and selling it cheaper or even give it away for free to attract business of the standard version, pay attention.  That’s exactly the topic I’m discussing this week in ‘Ask Andrew’.

A lot of people ask me how to put an opt-in email form on their website so that they can capture the names and email addresses of visitors.  I use Infusion but that’s only really suitable for an established business in my opinion.  Enter Wufoo.com, a resource that makes it easy to create and include any kind of webform on your website.  I think you’ll like it.

This week’s BIG marketing lesson is from FatCow hosting.  This is a company that does an amazing job at creating a distinctive brand with personality.  You can learn a lot from looking at their site.

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

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Episode #58 – “I Don’t Need Your Attitude…I Have One of My Own;)”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

MemberGate.com (The online membership site platform – check out the free videos)

Retailmenot.com (Source for coupon codes for most sites)

NiftyClicks (discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Get a Private Telephone Consultation with me (to Help YOUR Business)

Buy This Week’s T-Shirt(from National Media Services)

Some companies just don’t get it, do they? I love hearing your stories about companies that don’t understand what customers want. This week, I share a story submitted by viewer Glen Munro, who’s website service provider offered to charge him for a higher level of support – let me know what you think of the proposal.

This week’s question is essentially a website review – see if you can spot any mistakes that YOU’RE making on YOUR website.

I don’t know about you, but I get a kick out of saving money. That’s why I LOVE RetaiMeNot.com, a site that lets you find coupon codes, fast. Many online retailers invite you to enter a coupon code during checkout, and obviously most visitors have no idea where to find a coupon code, so they ignore it. Well, now you know, you can start saving a lot more money!

This week’s BIG marketing lesson is from Amazon.com. I’ve mentioned them before on the show, but this time the lesson comes from a recent newspaper ad they featured in USA Today. You can learn a useful marketing lesson from their unconventional approach, it’s really clever.

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

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Episode #15 – First things first.  You can see I’m wearing a nifty t-shirt I had designed for the show.  If you’d like to grab one, they’ll be available soon.

What is going on with web 2.0 company names?  It seems as though the view is ‘the silier the better.’  Well, there’s one rather big snag.  people can’t spell these names, and if they can’t spell ‘em, they’re not going to visit, are they?!

The viewer question this week is about how to promote a new website.  Learn from the principles I suggest, because they can be applied to all kinds of businesses.

This week’s nifty click is a tool that enables you to add audio to a website very easily.  It’s the best way I’ve come across so far, and it’s inexpensive too.

The big marketing lesson comes from Blendtec, a company that makes blenders.  Pretty dull product, but they’ve done an amazing job at making the marketing entertaining and interesting.  As a result their business has been revolutionized.  Smart marketers, and a great product.

I reminded you in this episode that there’s still chance to join me on our magical marketing experience adventure in Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida on August 19th – 21st, 2008.   Just follow the instructions and submit a video to YouTube.  Record 30 to 60 seconds of yourself letting me know what you like best about this show, or even better, how it’s helped your business directly.

Again, as a reminder, post the video to YouTube (it’s very easy), copy the URL of the video page, and send it to me at: comp@helpmybusiness.com.

Resources and websites mentioned in this episode:

BYO Audio (add audio to your website easily)

Will It Blend? (marketing videos from Blendtec)

Regards,

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Episode #14 – I was recently in England and spotted a cereal box in a supermarket that stood out from the crowd – I’ll explain why on the video.  It’s a great unconventional marketing lesson in how to get noticed in a crowded marketplace (think how many cereal products there are).

The viewer question this week relates to expanding a massage therapy business for increased profitability. I think you’ll find my answer interesting because you can apply the principles to many different service industries.

I love Nifty Clicks, don’t you?  Let’s talk about this week’s gem. If you hate having to register on a website before you can gain access to the ‘free’ content, this one’s for you.  It’s called BugMeNot, and it’s simply a site that contains logins for lots of popular sites – just search for the site you want to gain access to, and chances are you’ll find a login.  Don’t misuse this site – there are logins for sites where you should be paying to gain access.  I don’t endorse that.

The big marketing lesson comes from Tiffany’s the jewelry company.  Their famous blue boxes have become synoymous with Tiffany’s, and they say ‘quality, luxury, and exclusivity.’  I explain how you can improve your packaging to make a better first (and lasting) impression.  Packaging is VERY important, and most people overlook it, or treat it as an after thought.

I made an invitation in this episode for 2 people to join me on a magical marketing experience adventure in Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida on August 19th – 21st, 2008.  This is a sold-out experience, but you have the opportunity to win a place by submitting a video to YouTube.  Simply record 30 to 60 seconds of yourself letting me know what you like best about this show, or even better, how it’s helped your business directly.

Post the video to YouTube (it’s very easy), copy the URL of the video page, and send it to me at: comp@helpmybusiness.com.

Resources and websites mentioned in this episode:

BugMeNot (bypass registration on websites)

Marketing to the Affluent Book (Dan Kennedy)

Gravitational Marketing (Jimmy and Travis website)

Tiffany’s (jewelry company)

Fast-Pack (mettalic mailers)

Regards,

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Episode #13 -iPhone madness has been sweeping the nation again, this time with the new iPhone 3G.  For once, a product that lives up to the hype (IMHBAO – in my humble but accurate opinion).  I also mention another unusual cellphone that you might not be familiar with – there’s a great marketing lesson in there too.  Let me know what you think of the new trailer for the show, we had a lot of fun putting that together.

The viewer question relates to how to implement back end sales from an ebook product.  The Nifty Click relates to how to choose a reliable webhost, and the big lesson comes from online shoe company Zappos.com – keep your wife away from this site, it’s a money pit for women .  Seriously, what a great online company to model, and I’ll tell you a couple of reasons why.

Resources and websites mentioned in this episode:

BlueHost Web Site Hosting

Zappos

Regards,

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