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 #67 – “Windows: Just Another Pane”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

Infusion (Download the free guide from Infusion)

Paid for Life (San Diego Charity Seminar)

Mesh (Easily share files between computers)

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)

Great news from Disney!  One of their executives phoned me the other day.  They had watched the episode where I told you about the dining disaster at Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom, Florida.  You’ll discover what they told me and I think you’ll be as pleased as I was.

Thanks to Reuven who alerted me to an excellent video by marketing agency 22Squared.  Let me know what you think of it.

Our question comes from Louie Bernstein, who tells me that he’s needs more people to try his software, so it’s an issue of conversion.  I dissect his website and give some suggestions about how to improve the conversion.  You can apply the same principles to your website.

Microsoft Mesh is a relatively new service that’s currently free.  It allows you to easily transfer files between computers, say a desktop PC in the office with a laptop you use when you travel.  I used to use a service called ‘BeInSync’ which worked well until the company went out of business!  At least Microsoft aren’t going anywhere, so I feel good about using their service.  Actually, it’s very impressive.

The BIG marketing lesson is from the restaurant chain TGI Friday’s.  The way they promote their loyalty scheme is very impressive.  There’s 3 key points that I want you to take away to adapt in your business.  See if you can spot them.

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

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Episode #65 – “Let Me Drop Everything and Work on YOUR Problem ”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

Infusion (Download the free guide from Infusion)

AVG Anti-Virus Software (Get it – it’s free!)

Money From Social Media (Free guides about profiting from social media)

‘United Breaks Guitars’ (Full video on YouTube)

Top 20 Viral Videos (take a look at these for ideas and inspiration)

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)

Another packed show for you this week…

Have you heard about the ‘United Breaks Guitars’ video that’s gone viral online? I talk about that, and how United Airlines really dropped the ball. They now look like a bunch of fools in my opinion because they acted too late.

I’ll also announce the winner of the Magical Marketing Experience competition for 2009/10. I’m thrilled to give this tremendous prize to a very deserving winner. If you entered, it could be you…

The ‘ask andrew’ question is all about creating viral media. I’ll explain that although it’s impossible to design something that’s guaranteed to go viral, there are some principles you can learn and understand that will at least help you go in the right direction.

How about a nice new nifty click? When I buy a new computer there’s one important piece of software I install before I do anything else with it. Any idea what it is? Well, it’s free, and you can find out more in this episode.

The BIG marketing lesson is from Delta airlines. They’ve done something very different, and it’s a great idea that you can adapt to help your business.

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 #56 – “No Sense Being Pessimistic – It Wouldn’t Work Anyway…”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

AirfareWatchdog.com (Search for bargain airfares and view routemaps)

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)

Wow, what a busy week. I’ve been travelling around the country. Last week included:

Salt Lake City, Washington DC, Bethesda, MD, New York City, Stamford, CT, and Chicago, Il!

Did you notice that both Haagen Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s have released tiny ‘snack’ size versions of their popular ice creams – available in supermarkets? They sell for around a $1, so the profits must be substantial.

A lot of people send in questions about registering domain names, so I think this one will be helpful for you. It’s about how to register the best possible domain name for a business. I’ll give my top tips that you need to keep in mind.

As you now know, I travel a lot, and it makes sense for me to keep an eye on airfare bargains. While I use Kayak.com much of the time, I’ve also found Airfarewatchdog.com to be really helpful, for a number of reasons that I explain in the episode this week. Both are good tools for different reasons.

This week’s BIG marketing lesson is from The Guitar Center, which is a national chain of music stores here in the USA. They do a great job of keeping connected with their customers via direct mail, and I was impressed with one particular strategy that I explain in this episode. You can do something similar, and I’ve even pre-researched some resources to help you implement, fast!

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

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Episode #54 – “I Wear This Shirt When I’m a Grouch’”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

The Promo Dashboard (Great New Resource to Help You Increase Profits Online)

‘Care About Color’ Report (Vital information for Your Business)

JustOneClubCard.com (combine all your store cards onto one)

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)

Considering more people get struck by lightning than are catching swine flu, I’m thinking the frantic news reports are a little bit unnecessary, don’t you? There again, I’m guessing that governments are rejoicing at the chance to distract some attention from the economy!

I was at Chicago O’Hare airport the other day and as I was walking through the food court I glimpsed a hand made sign that made me look, then do a double take. I’ll show you the sign, and let you tell me what you think of the store manager who put it there.

Our question is all about what colors to use for a website design. Good question, because many people don’t think too much about it, they tend to opt simply for personal preference. If you want more on that topic, you can download a special report – there’s a link in the show notes below.

I don’t know about you but I have a lot of store loyalty cards and it’s a pain to carry them around with me, which is why I loved the nifty click resource that I discovered this week, courtesy of Adam Weiss, the podcaster. Let me know if it’s useful to you.

Finally, the BIG marketing lesson is from Coca Cola. They’ve implemented an intriguing twist on the ‘build-a-bear’ concept at their store in Disney’s EPCOT center in Orlando, Florida. Cool idea, and I want you to benefit from an important underlying principle.

Let me know (by posting a comment on this blog) your thoughts about the McDonalds sign.

Enjoy!

Regards,

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Episode #53 – “Escapee – 9 to 5!’”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

The Continuity Summit (details to join me in Stamford, CT May 15-17th.)

KeywordTopia (best resource for finding longtail keywords)

GeekBrief (daily WebTV show for gadget geeks)

Tekzilla (weekly show about technology and other geeky stuff)

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)

I’m back! I’m sorry that you may not have received my email message about why there was no show last week. Simple reason – I had completed a years worth of shows and I felt I deserved a week off! Back to the usual weekly schedule now!

With all the ‘might as well end it now’ doom and gloom accompanying this recession I figured you could use some cheerin’ up, so I want you to watch a clip from one of the late night chat shows that helps to put things into perspective – in a very humorous way (at least I found it funny – hope you do too).

In episode #44 I shared the news about the British restaurant owner who decided to let customers pay whatever they liked for their meal. Shimoda, a regular viewer based in New York jumped on the idea, made a postcard with a ‘name your own price’ offer, and sent it out to customers of her jewelry products. The response was great, and I applaud Shimoda for taking action, so I’m also rewarding her with 3 months of ‘Microwave Marketing’.

I have two favorite WebTV shows. First up, Geekbrief.tv, a daily show featuring Cali Lewis and all things geeky. It’s a great show, fast moving and entertaining. Congrats to Cali for making it to the final rounds of the ‘best job in the world’ competition in Australia.

Finally, the BIG marketing lesson is from KFC, aka Kentucky Fried Chicken. They’ve been smart enough to tie their marketing into both local and national news. I’ll share the strategy with you in this episode, and remember, you can do the same in your business.

Let me know (by posting a comment on this blog) if YOU have managed to integrate news of any kind into YOUR marketing.

Enjoy!

Regards,

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Episode #48 – Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few months, you’ll know that Circuit City, the nationwide U.S. electronics chain has finally bitten the dust. I thought it was funny listening to all the financial analysts thrown in their 2 cents about the reasons for Circuit City’s demise. I’ll share my thoughts on the subject – let me know if you agree or disagree.

PayPal has grown from being an upstart startup to a goliath like company. Should you accept PayPal payments, or should you stick with regular credit card merchant accounts? That’s the topic of the question this week. Share your experiences with PayPal – good or bad.

Marlon Sanders has a knack for creating genuinely useful and practical training products. A lot of people ask me for help creating their first information based product (‘how to…’) to sell online, and while I’ve created some material in that realm, there’s an even better resource, and that’s the one that I talk about in the video this week, from Marlon.

The BIG marketing lesson comes from Old Navy, a popular clothing store in the U.S. They sent a package to my wife, Luci, that was innovative and caught her attention, and that’s what marketing is all about, isn’t it?!

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

Amazon Kindle (The NEW Kindle Wireless Reading Device is must have for serious entrepreneurs)

Info Product Dashboard (Great training program that guides you through the process of creating your first product to sell online.)

NiftyClicks (discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Private Consultation for YOUR Business (with me)

Microwave Marketing Training System (special offer for you)

T-Shirts for the show are supplied by National Media Services – check out their excellent service

Regards,

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Episode #38 – Don’t get me started on UPS. They lost my business a couple of years ago when they ‘lost’ two very valuable parcels. Adding fuel to the fire, you gotta’ see the security video in this episode…

This week’s question is all about eBay. As you know, I don’t recommend that anyone uses eBay in a conventional way. BUT, and it’s a big but, you SHOULD be using eBay to promote your business. I’ll explain more in this episode.

I know that a lot of people are into producing their own online videos, but where do you start? I’ve discovered an excellent, low cost resource you can use. In fact, you can ‘try before you buy’ because the site I recommend in this episode has many free videos available.

The BIG marketing lesson is from a little company you might have heard of – McDonalds! But it’s not the obvious marketing lesson you might immediately think of like the ‘would you like fries with that’ upsell. Oh no, sir-ee. Check it out, you CAN use this lesson in your business to make more money on every sale.

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

Izzy Video (video tutorials)

Yanik Silver’s Underground Online Seminar (Feb 2009 – for advanced marketers only)

The Florida Seminar (join me in Orlando FL, Jan 23-25th 2009)

NiftyClicks (discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Private Consultation for YOUR Business (with me)

Microwave Marketing Training System (special offer for you)

Regards,

Having trouble viewing this video? Try the QuickTime version.

NOTE: I know the pop-up ads are annoying – just click on the ‘x’ on the right hand side to close them.  I’m working on trying to get these removed for you.

Episode #33 - We’re surrounded by bad customer service and this week I prove it to you!  You won’t believe some of the pictures I have to show you.

If you’re working too hard, you might benefit from getting some outsourced help.  But where from, I hear you ask?  Well, I’ll share 3 great resources that’ll definitely help you get more done.

The Nifty Click this time is all about customer service.  It’s your opportunity to give feedback to large companies.  You can also post a question or have a rant.  I’ll reveal this special website in the episode.

Siemens isn’t exactly a sexy company, but they provide a valuable marketing lesson for you.  One of their marketing techniques can be adapted by many other industries for great results.  What do a hearing aid and Concorde have in common?  You’ll soon find out!

Websites mentioned in the show:

Find Any Celebrity (find any celebrity for use in your marketing)

The Florida Seminar (join me in Orlando FL, Jan 23-25th 2009)

AskSunday (general outsourcing needs)

ODesk (skilled designers, programmers etc for projects)

AgentsofValue (full-time web designers etc, based in Phillipines)

NiftyClicks (discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Consultation for YOUR Business (with me, Andrew Lock)

Microwave Marketing Training System (special offer for viewers of this show)

Regards,

Having trouble viewing this video? Try the QuickTime version.

Episode #17 – Dell are not in my good books.  I ordered a NEW 24″ LCD monitor and it turned up faulty.  When they sent a replacement, it was a refurbished unit!  Has anything like that happened to you?  Do you know someone that works for Dell?  It’s unacceptable!

The viewer question relates to how to use video to promote an online business.  I present 4 methods for you to implement.

The nifty click is a resource that enables you to acquire a ready made TV commercial for just $499!

Finally, the BIG marketing lesson comes from UPS, the courier company.  It’s not a happy story, and it highlights a classic problem that many large companies have.  UPS need to get their act together!

Resources and websites mentioned in this episode:

SpotRunner (ready made TV commercials)

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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Episode #9 – In this episode, I share some fascinating marketing lessons from Cirque Du Soleil, a resource for stunning quality one-click web graphics, unconventional ideas for boring businesses, and from our recent trip to Italy – how to create an experience for your customers.

Don’t be afraid to challenge industry ‘norms’ in your business. The lesson from Cirque du Soleil is a powerful one because they experienced phenomenal growth as circuses continued to decline.

Resources and websites mentioned in this episode:

www.Cover-Action-Pro.com

www.CirqueduSoleil.com

Regards,

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