Great Quotes Collected By Daniel Felsted


Topics
Brands/Branding Customer Service Marketing Direct Marketing Viral Marketing Creativity/Design/Copywriting Employees/Leadership Best Practices Websites/email/Online General Byrd Bagget Advertising—Print, Online, Radio, TV, Magazines, Catalog DCF Quotes Gospel Quotes Copywriting

According to Forrester Research (December 2003), consumers mistrust ads for most types of products and rely on word of mouth from friends and family as the No. 1 trusted form of "advertising." This being the case what are you doing to get to customers in the ways they want to be contacted.


Work Expands to Fill the Time Available—Plan and stay focused

Live and “love to be fascinated.” —Roy H. Willams



Brands/Branding:



“To understand the product is to understand the needs of the customer.”
— Howard Kaplan http://persuasion.typepad.com/architect/ Jan. 21, 06

“to sell more products, marketers must better understand the needs of their customers, and how their products resolve these needs.”
— Howard Kaplan http://persuasion.typepad.com/architect/ Jan. 21, 06

“Does your marketing distinguish between good and bad or better and best?”
—DCF

“Does your marketing promote the difference between good and bad or better and best?”
—DCF

“The secret to your sustained success is in how well you keep your brand promise. Your actions, not your words.” Followed by: “We examine every interaction with all your stakeholders to understand what promises you’ve made or should make and what you need to say and do to keep them more often.”
—BrandTrust.com

“The world’s most powerful business tool is the least understood.” “Buying decisions are made on promises that transcend products. These promises are rooted in trust—the most basic of human emotions. It’s all about feelings, not figures. Building trust by keeping your promises.”
—BrandTrust.com

“The world’s most powerful business tool is also the most misunderstood. The e-factors are all about feelings not figures and feelings rule all buying decisions!”
—DCF

“The little things you do are more important that the big things you say [you do].”
—BrandTrust.com

“Customer trust is at an all-time low” according to a 2004/5 Yankelovich Partners study

“Quiet down the brand’s image [on packaging]. Consumers are becoming cynical. The packaging designs that speak to the consumer instead of screaming at them will be highly valued.
—Marianne Kimchuk

“Customers are no longer willing to be led down the path of the brand simply trying to sell more products in lager quantities.”
—Marianne Kimchuk

“Brands that reflect community and social responsibility and the company’s morals and values gain the respect of consumers. Consumers are learning to distinguish between brands that use ‘feel-good’ or ‘politically correct’ marketing attempts and those that are honest reflections of the company’s core mission.
—Marianne Kimchuk

“A brand is a set of persuasive promises about a product or service that differentiate it from others in universally positive, contextually relevant and personally compelling ways, AND that are logically supported by its physical characteristics or properties.”
—Harris-Wirthlin

“No matter what your brand is… always ask yourself what is the benefit to the consumer.”
—Mike Dabadie, Harris Interactive

“A brand must reconcile two disparate [entirely dissimilar] ideas; what they make vs. what we want to acquire.”
—Mike Dabadie, Harris Interactive

“A successful brand expression enhances the likelihood of communicating with key stakeholder groups in a way that motivates desired actions.”
—Mike Dabadie, Harris Interactive

“A product is something that is made in a factory; a brand is something that is bought by a customer.”
—Steven King

“A brand is a distinguishing name or symbol intended to identity goods/services, and to differentiate those goods/services from those of competitors.”
—David Aacker

“The consumer is also willing to pay extra (sometimes a lot extra) for the free prize.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside p. 53

A brand without a convincing usage scenario is actually not a brand. …brands are not human-like and they do not have a life of their own outside the consumer's mind. They are instruments, simply means to achieve ends.
—Dan Herman

Consumers love brands because they offer an extra value—that is, one in addition to the core product or service. That value becomes the major motivation for consumers to buy or use the product.
—Dan Herman

I define a brand as "the sum total of your values, as evidenced by how you deliver on those values, at every point of contact."

Your brand is what you stand for, and what you won't stand for. It is your company's personality. It is how you will and won't do business.

In short, a brand is what you, your company and your people live.
—Steve Cuso

“Win the heart, and the mind will follow.”
—Hamp Baker

“Most companies don’t realize customers rarely think the same about their company as they do.”
—Liam Mulhall, blowfly.com.au

“Considered your brand a life experience.”
—DCF

“You can’t afford not to manage your brand.”
—DCF

“A brand should take into account the customer’s total shopping experience—every contact point is important and should be in accord with the customer expectations.”
—DCF

“A personable, efficient, and knowledgeable rep make up and cross selling much more possible, and the customer more receptive to the overture.”
—Kristine Kirby Webster, Principal, The Canterbury Group

Brands are chosen not only for rational reasons (usually the 4 P’s), but also for emotional ones. In fact, when it comes to brands, emotional reasons usually drive a large portion of the purchase decision. People want to be part of success, part of a legacy, and part of a winner. They want people to identify with them as such.
—Kristine Kirby Webster, Principal, The Canterbury Group

If customer satisfaction is compromised, so is the brand’s equity. And if equity is compromised, the brand’s performance suffers, and its place in the marketplace is weakened, perhaps permanently.

The true value of the brand for the consumer lies not only in the product’s performance, but in the product’s support and service.
—Kristine Kirby Webster

Brands should have as their main focus the customer, and their needs and wants. People will pay more for the experience and peace of mind a brand can offer. All levels of a company should be tuned into a customer’s needs and perceptions.
—Kristine Kirby Webster

People buy brands for the brand experience, and the employees of a company--and the customers’ interactions with them--are indeed part of that experience, and a large part of what builds customer loyalty.
—Kristine Kirby Webster

A 1996 article in Marketing Review by Jeff Resnick stated that companies that excel at creating and maintaining loyal customers can command prices that are four to seven percent higher than weaker competitors, and that they can generate up to three times more profit.
—Kristine Kirby Webster

Behavior reinforces the brand.
—Kristine Kirby Webster

Are your employees aware of the part they have to play in creating a relationship and engendering loyalty with customers? Are they just selling a product, or are they fulfilling the brand promise? Do your employees really know and understand the brand? And are they invested in doing so?
—Kristine Kirby Webster

A brand is in many ways a living, breathing thing. It is more than just visual, or rational, it is emotional and behavioral in practice.
—Kristine Kirby Webster

“Consistency is the most important ingredient in a relationship”
—Kristine Kirby Webster

“Brands are chosen not only for rational reasons (usually the 4 P’s), but also for emotional ones. In fact, when it comes to brands, emotional reasons usually drive a large portion of the purchase decision. People want to be part of success, part of a legacy, and part of a winner. They want people to identify with them as such.”
—Kristine Kirby Webster, Principal, The Canterbury Group


“People will tout a product they like, but they will shout from the rooftops about a product that also is an experience. Experience sells.”
—Kristine Kirby Webster is Principal of The Canterbury Group

“Businesses are governed by the relationships they create and keep, and the impression they put out to their customers.”
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 30

“If today’s brands are to survive into the twenty-first century, they must be more customer oriented than ever before. A brand cannot grow without forming long-term relationships with each and every individual customer.” Followed by “Companies can no longer afford to hire brand managers who stick around for a year or two and then move on to the next project or product. Brand managers have to have long-term relationships with their brands, know the brand inside and out, understanding its vision, and supervise its consistency.
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 22

Frequently, repeat purchases are based more on the intangible assets that a brand offers, and any direct contact with the consumers is an opportunity to shine and strengthen the brand-relationship bond through deliverable intangibles such as service.
—Kristine Kirby Webster

“…successful brands become so by delivering on the brand promise time and time again. The value of a brand to many consumers is realized by the brand delivering a “known”: the consumers’ familiarity, their expectation, and the performance of the brand are static no matter where delivered or by whom.”
—Kristine Kirby Webster

In this day and age, a marketer is both a direct marketer and a brand marketer. Frequently, repeat purchases are based more on the intangible assets that a brand offers, and any direct contact with the consumers is an opportunity to shine and strengthen the brand-relationship bond through deliverable intangibles such as service.
—Kristine Kirby Webster

“A brand is the impression it makes on its customers.”
“There is no real tangible “brand” that you can hold in your hands and use. It’s all in the customer’s mind. A brand is like a promise, and it’s just as fragile.”
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 96

“Customers will keep buying from a company if it keeps its promises, exceeds its customers expectations, and focuses on creating a consistent impression.”
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 96

“Successful retail is in the details.”
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 92

“The only thing you can do is make sure that every aspect of your brand lives up to the promise it makes; make sure it does what you say it will do, that it maintains a high degree of quality, and that it cares about what people have to say about it.
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 84

First impressions
We tend to trust what our friends have to say, and if they tell us something is not good, we won’t even try it. If, however, they heap praise on a product or brand, we want to see for ourselves.
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 83

“To have loyal customers, you must become a company that is worth being loyal to.”
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 51



Customer Service:




“Any plan to improve customer satisfaction must start with measuring and reducing employee turnover of all types.”
—Eric Bowles, The Hawkshust Group

“Don’t just give the customer her money’s worth. Give her more for her money than she has any right to expect”
—Robert W. Bly

“A continuous customer relationship is only possible when the experience transcends the act of consumption. That's why satisfaction scores rarely correlate with future purchase intent. Simply satisfying functional needs is never enough: An emotional connection must be made, where customers are convinced the company has their best interests at heart. The payoff: resistance to competitive offers; openness to buying additional products and services; and, ultimately, a willingness to serve as a brand advocate.”
—Stephen Shaw

“A brand is much more than logos and slogans; it should stand for a superior experience. In their recently published book Best Face Forward, Jeffrey Rayport and Bernard Jaworkski argue, "The quality of interactions with customers—and the customer experiences that result from those interactions—is rapidly becoming the sole remaining basis of competitive advantage.”

“Most companies view customer service as an obligation rather than an opportunity to set themselves apart”
—Stephen Shaw

“A smile on your face puts a smile in your voice.”
—Debra Schmidt

“Teach your employees how to build relationships with your customers.”
—DCF

“The most important factor in business in the next few years is‘ quality of service.’”
— Gallup Poll

“Learn about people and what makes them tick and you’ll be much more successful.”
—Steve Clark, New Schooling Selling

“Don't learn to sell, learn to serve. There’s a lot more money in it.”
—Steve Clark, New Schooling Selling

“Consistency develops creditability with the customer.”
—Robert Antall

“Train your people to be good listeners, not only good talkers!”
—Nadji Tehrani

“There is no room in customer care and CRM for rookie mistakes.”
—Nadji Tehrani

“Let us all remember that companies live or die from repeat business.”
—Nadji Tehrani

"Employees treat customers exactly the way they perceive they are being treated by their management."
—An old saying

“You know me. I’m a nice person. When I get lousy service, I never complain. I never kick. I never criticize and I wouldn’t dream of making a scene.
I’m one of those nice customers. And I’ll tell you what else I am. I’m the customer who doesn’t come back. I could tell you off and feel better, but, in the long run, it’s better just to leave quietly.
You see, a nice customer like me, multiplied by others like me, can bring a business [your business] to its knees. There are plenty of us. When we get pushed far enough, we go to one of your competitors.”
—Celin-o-gram, Celina Group

“Good service begins with inner excellence.”
—Sunumu Nakamura

“If you find a job you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
—Japanese Proverb

“Remember, the customer is your employer!”
—Author Unknown

True customer analysis requires an understanding of not only how and what customers think but also how they act.
—Ian Durrell

“The only way to have great customers is to be one.”
—DCF

“Promotional marketing is the shopper’s tiebreaker.”
—Colin Beasty

“Rescuing people from the results of their own foolishness is really what customers service is all about. Customers rarely obey the rules. They expect you to rescue them whenever they do something stupid. Will you be a “rescuer,” known far and wide for customer service, or will you steadfastly insist that your customers follow the proper procedures?”
—Roy H. Williams, sf of the wizard of ads, p 177

“A study by Bain and Company in 2003 found that a 5% increase in customer retention improves profitability by 25% —100%, especially where customers have ongoing purchasing relationships.” —Mike Heberling FrontRange Solutions

“Service resolution accounts for 80% of the time and cost in providing customer service.”
SSPA 2003 Support Industry Benchmark Study

“The successful companies of the future are the ones that place far greater importance on the quality of customer service and customer care as opposed to focusing on cheap labor.” —Nadji Tehrani

“The future belongs, by and large, to the companies that are customer-centric and those that focus on customer experience management.”
—Nadji Tehrani

“Service doesn’t end with a sale, it just begins.”
—Performance Research Association

“Dissatisfied self-service consumers spend 35% more online than their satisfied counterparts, accounting for 41% of total revenue from all consumers who contact customer service.”
—Jupiter Research

“A board customer goes somewhere else.”
—Dan Kennedy

“How does your product or service enhance the life of your customer?”
—Ruth Crowley, Harley-Davidson

“Good isn’t good enough anymore.”
—Ruth Crowley, Harley-Davidson

“Do fewer good things and more great things.”
—Ruth Crowley, Harley-Davidson

“Build relationships and trust.”
—Ruth Crowley, Harley-Davidson

“When customers are lost, 75% of the time it is because of a shortcoming in service.”
—Ruth Crowley, Harley-Davidson

“The ‘EXPERIENCE’ is critical to success.”
—Ruth Crowley, Harley-Davidson

“Bad Service is death for a Company. Not dramatically, but more like a thousand small knife cuts.”
—Dan Hill, Body of Truth

“How much time do you spend with your customer?”
—DCF

“Community involvement is critical to your success.”
—DCF

“Perception is more important than price!”
—Ruth Crowley, Harley-Davidson

“Persuade by reason… convince by emotions.”
—Mike Dabadie, Harris Interactive

“People who are happy are your company’s worst enemy.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

“People want most what they've had the least of.”
—Dan Kennedy

“Customers think you’ve got the solutions. Don’t disappoint them!”
—DCF

“Consumers are starved for recognition. They want to be noticed, valued and appreciated by the people with whom they do business.”
—Debra J. Schmidt

"Those companies that put customer needs first usually grow in a sustainable way, vs. companies focused on just revenue or profit,"
— Linda Ireland a partner at Aveus. To reach Ireland, call (612) 395-5100, or e-mail info@aveus.com

“I do not consider a sale complete until goods are worn out and [the] customer [is] still satisfied.”
—L.L.Bean 1912

“Customer satisfaction was followed by increased revenue and increased customer loyalty and retention in the survey that asked ‘what do you want from CRM initiatives?’”
— John Gaffney (Leave italicized out of quote)

“ Ignoring the contact center is tantamount to ignoring your business.”
— Natalie L. Petouhoff, Ph.D., Pepperdine University business professor

“The reality is that every single customer touch point is an opportunity to build loyalty.”
—Vicky James, Director of Strategic consulting Services, NeEdge Systems,
Direct Mag, May 1, 2004 page 47

“The customer has become the hub of all business, replacing the time-honored corporate centerpiece we've lived with for so many years. As a result, the nature of the customer has changed and how to approach that customer has become--not dramatically--different.

It's easy to accept the traps of the "old" business setup. You have the customer-facing "things" you do, and you have the operational things you do. External and internal. In fact, most businesses are still there. But it is the ones that are recognizing that they do have to be customer-centered that are the newer success stories of the 21st century. Including how they see their business processes.”
—Paul Greenberg, The 56 Group, LLC

“Your customers are your partners in business. Treat them as valued members of your family. The secret of marketing is retention. Developing lasting relationships is vital to your long-term success.”
—DCF

“I have always believed if I can please the 5 percent of our customers who are the most discriminating, I’ll never have any difficulty in satisfying the other 95 percent who are less critical. The latter know the difference between good and bad. But the former recognize the difference between better and best.”
— Stanley Marcus of Neiman-Marcus

“When you get complaints, solve problems promptly, give customers something for their trouble and remind them that you care.”
—Dean Rieck DMnews May 17, 2004

“A whopping 91% or customers who leave do so simply because they are “not satisfied.”
—U.S. News & World Report

“The fate of your company is in the hands of your people. Train them well.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p. 95

“67% of all shoppers intend to return home with the item they are shopping for, but that only 24% actually do so.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p. 118 How many people leave your store disappointed each day?

“For every five sales you make, another nine customers who had hoped to buy from you will leave your store disappointed and empty-handed.”
Followed by
“This means your existing store traffic can give you 2.8 times your current sales volume, if you sell only those customers who are ready to buy.”
Followed by
“The only thing more expensive than hiring a sales trainer is not hiring one.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p. 119
Followed by
“Any investment in sales training is an investment in your own gross profits.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p. 119

“It is important that the highest level officers…listen to real customers making real comments and complaints.”
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 141

“Show your customers you value the relationship more than the sale. Don’t disappear after the sale.”
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 190

“Excellent customer service gets talked about.”
—Kristine Kirby Webster from article Brandmouthing

“The new, enlightened consumer has to be noticed, understood, and catered to.”
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 25

“Your customers are your partners in business.”
—DCF

“All feedback, good or bad, is a tremendous opportunity.”
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 49

“Never try to trick or manipulate your customers.”
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 223

“Customers must never feel neglected.”
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 51

“Price matters, but it’s the service that keeps people coming back.”
—Sean Carton, Chief Experience Officer, Carton Donufrio Partners

“Customers want to know that they are important to us and our business. They also want to know that we remember them from one interaction to another.”
—Elaine K. Harris, Customer Service: A Practical Approach, p. 39

“Customers are much less likely to question price if they are doing business with a company that has a reputation for producing a high quality product.”
—Elaine K. Harris, Customer Service: A Practical Approach, p. 5

“The only real question in the prospect’s mind is, “Why should I care?”
—Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Creativity, Houghton Mifflin Co, Boston, 2001, p 30

Talk to your “prospects about their favorite topic—themselves.”
—Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Creativity, Houghton Mifflin Co, Boston, 2001, p 31

“My friend spent as much time on the second sale as he spent on the first sale. As a result, he made a considerable fortune.”
—Donald Libey

We already know how to treat customers 100 times better than the best retailer. We are the future channel of choice."
—Donald R. Libey

“We already know how to treat customers 100 times better than the best retailer.”
— The visionary Direct Marketer Donald R. Libey

“Offering opportunities will become one of the most important sources of competitive advantage in the future.”
—Kaj Storbacka & Jarmo R. Lehtinen
Customer Relationship Management: Creating competitive Advantage Through Win-Win Relationship Strategies, 2001, p.14

“The less important a product is, the more important encounter-related issue are.”
—Kaj Storbacka & Jarmo R. Lehtinen
Customer Relationship Management: Creating competitive Advantage Through Win-Win Relationship Strategies, 2001, p.85

“Smiling, motivated, enthusiastic employees are critical to customer service in any industry.
—Whitney Tilson



Marketing



Remember this
“People in business are uniquely unqualified to see their own companies and product objectively. Too much product knowledge causes them to instinctively answer questions no one is asking.”
—Roy H. Willams


“You buy what you buy because you want to scratch an itch. You are dissatisfied in some unspoken way.
“To increase your sales volume, you must identify the dissatisfaction that lurks in the heart of your customer.
“And then you must shine your flashlight of words into that darkness.
“How bright is your language-beacon?”
—Roy H. Willams

“The survey reveals that the 90 percent of consumers are likely to "always" or "sometimes" purchase the exact brand that they discover or research online.”
— by Giselle Abramovich (http://www.dmnews.com/cms/authors/1182.html)
November 27th, 2006

Use this for an article on proof to add content to your website!!!!

"The days of selling a product through short-term promotions are history."
– Steve Robbins, owner of Robbins Bros., The World's Biggest Engagement Ring Store

“That business reputations and advertising results are built on saying the right thing rather than reaching the right person.”
—Roy H. Willams

“How can your company serve the silently dissatisfied customers who did not call yesterday—and will not call tomorrow?”
—Dr. Vijay Mehrotra

“Metaphorical imagination is essential in forging empathic connections and communicating experiences that others do not share.”
—Daniel H. Pink, A Whole New Mind, p 136

The future lies in the ability to “understanding the relationships between relationships.”
—DCF & Daniel H. Pink

“Use language that explains our experiences.”
—? Sounds like Roy H. Willams

“No one truly needs these items. They desire them.”
—Eva Joan Bart-Lorenzotti

“Sell products that satisfy the emotional needs of your customers!
—DCF

“Exploit an empty niche. You will be amazed at the results.”
—Nadji Tehrani

“Without an affective combination and convergence of quality and marketing, companies stand to lose significantly.”
—Nadji Tehrani

“Your job is to identify a problem and promote the solution your service or product provides.”
—George P. Demetriou

Psychology 101 principle of truth: “Random rewards beget regular behavior.”
—T. Scott Gross

“Different grabs attention; obnoxious drives people away.”
—Tom Gegax

“The question to ask yourself is, ‘What can you offer that no one else can?’ ”
—DCF

“When you offer customers something they can’t get anywhere else, they can’t not order from you.”
—Tom Gegax

“Skeptical prospects in particular seem to need social proof, knowing that people like them have bought from you and were happy with their purchases.”
—Shari Altman

"A person's name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language."
—Dale Carnegie

On research: “Quit asking people what they think. Begin watching what they do. Ignore their words; study their actions.”
—Roy H. Willams

“What standards has your competition set for you?”
—Performance Research Association

“The average person avoids risk when seeking gain, but is willing to embrace risk to avoid losses.
—Roy H. Williams

“And I want you to remember this – any media sales person, any ad agency person, any consultant, anyone in your own firm who is anti-direct response does not have your best interest at heart. The person who opposes having the results measured accurately already knows that the results are inadequate.”
—Dan Kennedy

“Inclusion of the customer in the total experience is far from where it should be.”
—Lior Arussy

“Reduce your dependency on price by offering your customers non-price reasons to be loyal to you.” IMS!!
—DCF

“Your single most undeveloped opportunity in business is your current customers!”
—DCF

“Whenever we hear cries of pain [from cutbacks], we should also hear ‘opportunity.’”
—Sid Chadwick

“Buying is an emotional experience… selling is capitalizing on (it or this fact)!” DCF

“The unsatisfied are the fold who don’t even realize that they’ve got a problem that needs solving.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside p.60

“Marketing is no longer a separate division. It’s the whole company.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

“In any industry where people decide, style matters.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

“Do people want the fortune cookie or the fortune?”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

“Customers buy what they want, not what we need! Give/Tell them more of what they want.”
—DCF

“I think a gimmick needs to be defined as a feature that the consumer might be attracted to but doesn’t really want…Once a gimmick becomes something that the consumers want and something that consumers talk about—the prize inside the Cracker Jack box—it stops being a gimmick. And the only way to find out is to try it. The marketplace decides, not you.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside, p.32

“When marketing is built into the product, creating products that are innovative is actually cheaper then advertising average products.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

“The only way to stand out and command noncommodity pricing is to innovate.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

“If your goal is growth, marketing is all that matters—and everything you do is now part of marketing.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside
FOLLOWED BY
“If marketing is about communicating to customers that you’ve solved their problem, the first step is, in fact, to solve their problem.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

“Show the problem and it’s easier to sell the solution.”
—Seth Godin

“Once a company gains the attention of its customers, it can acquire more of their business by meeting more of their needs.”
—1 to 1 marketing.com, CRM in Retail Revisited, keyword: Customer Insight, p.5

“Knowing how, when and what to offer a customers can mean the difference between a profitable versus an unprofitable business.”
—1 to 1 marketing.com, CRM in Retail Revisited, keyword: Customer Insight

“The retailer must go beyond the brick-and-mortar “store” and build business by getting, keeping and growing the best customers and, in the process, turn those customers away from competitors.
—1 to 1 marketing.com, CRM in Retail Revisited, keyword: Customer Insight

“Today’s leading retailers are leveraging their rich customer bases to build profitable relationships with valuable customers by focusing their merchandising, marketing and customer service offerings into a powerful, integrated brand offering.”
—1 to 1 marketing.com, CRM in Retail Revisited, keyword: Customer Insight

“Customers who receive relevant communications feel connected, and therefore aren't just looking for the best price.”
—Scott Zientarski, AutoNation

“Pricing is not an issue anymore, nor is it competitive differentiation.”
— Cory Treffiletti

“Gone are the days of "I can prove that half of my advertising works, I just don't know which half." The market no longer tolerates wasted dollars and more and more marketers understand that the development of a brand is a transitional element to improving sales or market share.”
— Cory Treffiletti

“Use their [your customers] probable objections as building blocks not stumbling blocks.”
—Dan Kennedy

Today's consumers demand more than pretension. They demand substance. And they reward—at the cash register—those who deliver it to them.
—Steve Cuso

A customer expects to be at the center of the brands' universe.

… How do you manage to be loyal to your customers? Are you consistent in the way you behave, in the way you talk, in the way you satisfy your customers' needs and--even more importantly--their desires? In short, how do you worship your customer-God?

You can't make your customer loyal to you; this is just the opposite way of seeing things from a customer's perspective. But you can increase your customers' perception that you are loyal to them--more loyal than your competitor is.
—Marco De Veglia, The CRM Group


In the West, the customer is King, but in Japan, the customer is God.
--A Japanese management mantra

“Why would a person choose to do business with you at all?”
—Roy H. Williams, Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads, p.25

“Speed is a factor in business success.”
—Dan Kennedy

“Integrate or disintegrate.”
—Rama Ramaswami

“Customers who shop through a variety of channels have a 30% to 55% higher lifetime value than their single-channel counterparts.”
—Debra Ellis

“Money is no longer in products, it’s in the information.”
—Gregory Caravello

“The average customer has a circle of influence of 52 people.”
—Dan Kennedy
Are you (or how are you) influencing the influencers you do business with? If not your marketing plan needs a boost! The Image Foundry will start you rolling again.

The way to succeed in marketing is:
“Do what you do so well that people can’t resist telling others about you.”
—Walt Disney

“Communicate with your customers and you will do more business.”
—Dan Kennedy

“Added together little things have big impact.”
—Dan Kennedy

“Those that ask get!”
—Dan Kennedy

“Stories Sell. Facts only tell.”
—Dan Kennedy

“It’s not what you sell; it’s what else you sell that’s important.”
—Denny Hatch, 2,239 Tested Secrets For Direct Marketing Success

“People accept offers more frequently than they buy products or services. It is the ‘What’s in it for me!’ syndrome.”
—Denny Hatch, 2,239 Tested Secrets For Direct Marketing Success

“A no may not be a no at all but a future yes.”
—John Francis Tighe

Denny Hatch’s comments on John Francis Tighe’s quote: “There are a lot of reasons why a given recipient doesn’t respond at a given time—not because of your mailing but because of his or her circumstances at the moment.”


“The customer creates his or her own carnival (I call it “customerizing”).”
—Tom Peters

Denny Hatch’s comments on Tom Peters’s quote: “The carnival is a set of opportunities, a canvas on which the customer paints his or her own customized experience. If there are 5,000 customers tonight, they are painting 5,000 substantially different pictures.”


“People will buy from you for four reasons only: (1) price and/or (2) service and/or (3) quality and/or (4) exclusivity. If you cannot offer at least two of the four reasons for buying in the previous secret, you do not have a business.”
—Don Jackson’s Immutable Law

Denny Hatch’s comments on Don Jackson’s Immutable Law: “If you have the lowest price available, they will buy. If you offer excellent quality, they will buy. If you offer great service—quick delivery, easy returns policy, guarantee of satisfaction, marvelous merchandise, pleasant and helpful sales representatives—they will buy. If your product or service is unique and available from no other source, they will buy from you.”

“Marketers create better wants.”
—Frank Knight

“…what people [wanted was – was substituted with –want is] want is not the satisfaction of their wants, but better wants.”
—Herbert Stein
full quote “I had forgotten what my professor Frank Knight used to say, that what people wanted was not the satisfaction of their wants, but better wants.”

“People love to be sold.”
—Franklin Watts

“Bait the hook to suit the fish, not the fisherman.”
—Jerry Reitman

“Today’s overloaded consumer seems to find comfort in bit-sized, systematic, presentations of information.”
—Bob Stone, Ron Jacobs, Successful Direct Marketing Methods

“Sell more stuff to more people more often for higher profits.”
—Sergio Zyman Make into a book title

“Your job is to facilitate the prospect's decision-making process and allow them to feel they're in control of the decision, based on having enough quantity and quality of information.”
—Richard Harshaw, Y2K Marketing

“People always want to make the best buying decision possible, for them.”
—Richard Harshaw, Y2K Marketing

“Always try to convert a disadvantage into an advantage.”
—Elsworth Howells

“Find a need and fill it.”
—J. Paul Getty

“Show customers that you value the relationship more than the sale.”
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 191

“Convince your customers that they can count on you, to make them feel that when they deal with you, they are secure, and they don’t have to worry.”
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 190

“You want your customers to say “They understand me, they are there for me, and they don’t disappoint me.”
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. ?

“Never Stop Courting” your customers!
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 187

“Learn to translate features into the language of the customer, whose only question is, “What’s in it for me?” The customer will hear you when you speak his language.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p. 99

“Getting people’s money is easy once you have persuaded them to give you their time.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p. 113

"Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?"
—Frank Scully

“The currency of our future is ideas.”
—Seth Godin, Unleash the Ideavirus p.17

“A product that’s easy to recommend is a product that’s easy to get hooked on.”
—Seth Godin, Unleash the Ideavirus p.27

“ Promotions must be honest and straightforward to be effective. There should be no catch or fine print to make buyers feel manipulated.”
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 86

“The secret of marketing is retention.” “The secret of successful marketing is retention.”
—DCF

“Under promise and over deliver = happy customers every time.”
—DCF

“Create marketing that makes each prospect a participant in the marketing process. Make it easy for that person to see why he or she should incorporate your offering into his or her own life.”
—Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Creativity, p. 32

“Once you have made a connection with your prospect, communicate something that moves that person from a state from indifference to a state of desiring what you offer.”
—Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Creativity, p. 55

“Plant an idea in the minds of your prospects.”
—Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Creativity, p. 62 context changes.

“In the back of your mind, always remember that great marketing has very little to do with selling and everything to do with buying.”
—Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Creativity, p. 66

“Are you aiming at the head or the heart with your marketing?” or
“Is your marketing aimed at the head or the heart? Be careful, one leads to riches the other to mediocrity!” (the poor-house, the same, etc.)
—DCF

“If you spend more of your marketing budget on retention, and less on new business, your profits will immediately increase.”
— Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p.228

Marketing = Selling = Persuasion; No persuasion = No Selling = Wasted Marketing (no marketing)
—DCF see: Guerrilla Creativity, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 2001, p 10 for more

“The primary purpose of marketing is to instill enough trust and confidence in your offering that people will be motivated to purchase from you.”
—adapted from Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Creativity, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 2001, p 5

“By focusing on retaining just 5 percent of high-value customers, statistics show, a business can boost profits 95 percent or more. And retaining five good customers costs the same as winning back on lost customer. Stop drumming up creative new ways to win back lost, often low-value, customers and focus on identifying and retaining those worth keeping.”
—Michael Kink, When Loosing Customers Is Good for Your Business, DM News, February 16, 2004, p. 27

“Today’s customers are buying services, not just products.”
—Henry Rossi

“on average, you have a 60 percent to 70 percent chance of doing business again with a current customer, a 20 percent to 40 percent chance with a former customer, but only a 5 percent to 10 percent chance of ever doing business with a non-customer.”
—Steven Yanovsky, Is Your Company Sitting On Buried Treasure?, Sept 16, 2003


Viral Marketing


“You should craft your message in such a manner that it encourages pass-along.”
—Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Creativity, p. 44

“Offer something worthy of sharing…Offer an incentive for sharing…viral marketing happens naturally.”
—Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Creativity, p. 44

“…viral marketing is a strategy, and an integral element of your offer. It is a tactic that works toward achieving your campaign objectives, not one of your actual objective.”
—Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Creativity, p. 45

The way to succeed in marketing is:
“Do what you do so well that people can’t resist telling others about you.”
—Walt Disney



Direct Marketing



“Emotional factors control response and buying decisions.”
—Dan Kennedy

“You’ve got 18 seconds to make the sale… don’t trust just any designer or advertiser... make sure they know DM—how to close a sale!” —DCF

“What kind of unique gift can you think of to thank your customers for their business?”
—Lois Geller

“Tests show that whatever percentage of response you receive from a mailer, the response doubles or more when you follow up to those who did not respond to your mailer with a telephone request for them to buy the same product.”
—Murray Raphel


“You've got 18 seconds to make the sale... Research shows that the average person will either read or toss a direct mail piece in seven seconds or less. But once they decide to read it, it only takes a well-done direct mail piece 11 seconds to close the sale. Nothing matters but the sale.”
—gdusa.com

“Those companies that optimize their merchandise, marketing and Web sites to take advantage of the hybrid catalog/Internet marketplace will be in a much better position to experience success in the future.
—Bill Nicolai, senior consulting partner, Lenser

“The customer is efficiently driving the process through his/her own interests and needs, rather than waiting to be found randomly by [you] catalogers.”
—Bill Nicolai, senior consulting partner, Lenser

“There are two basic tactics to using postscripts: Either repeat your major benefit or offer, or focus on an entirely new benefit or sales point.”
—Lee Marc Stein

“Interested people will read everything interesting that you have to say about an interesting offer.”
—Dan Kennedy

“One never-to-be-ignored direct mail principal: when there’s a choice, always use speedy right-hemisphere icons rather than more ponderous left-hemisphere communications.”
—Stone & Jacobs, Successful Direct Marketing Methods, p.324

“Above all, don’t call your reply device an “order form”. Call it a Reservation Certificate, Free-Gift Check, Trial Membership Application, or some other benefits heading. It automatically seems more valuable to the reader.”
—Stone & Jacobs, Successful Direct Marketing Methods, p.307

“Direct Marketing doesn’t have to make sense. It just has to make money.”
—www.hackergroup.com

“Use words that sell and use them often.”
—www.hackergroup.com

“Personalize each contact with your customers.”
—DCF

“There is no single magical tactic that will drive customer loyalty. It’s typically the results of a combination of initiatives…”
—Vicky James, Director of Strategic consulting Services, NeEdge Systems, Direct Mag, May 1, 2004 page 47

“Understand where your customers are in their life stage can provide direction on their needs.”
—Vicky James, Director of Strategic consulting Services, NeEdge Systems, Direct Mag, May 1, 2004 page 47


Creativity/Design/Copywriting:



“Wordmark or symbol, make sure your identity consultant provides a strategic application-based rationale–not just a pretty face.”
Tony Spaeth, www.IdentityWorks.com/issues/issues3.htm

“I have learned that any fool can write a bad ad, but that it takes a real genius to keep his hands of a good one.”
—Dean Rieck

“The secret of great creators is that they add a thing that shouldn't fit, but does.”
—Roy H. Willams

“Never underestimate the power of your creative presentation to make or break your business.”
—Lois Boyle, president J. Schmid & Associates

“Visual Communication…
Collapses all of the senses into a primary visual experience; evokes sensations of touch, taste, smell, and sound.”
—Dustin Longstreth, Wallace Church

When developing a brand experience… there is a hierarchy of human communication
#1 Color Color is the first thing recognized by the human eye
#2 Shape Shape is the second thing recognized by the human eye
#3 Numbers Numbers are the third thing recognized by the human eye
#4 Words Words are that last thing recognized by the human eye!

80% of experiences are filtered through our eyes.
70% of our sensory receptors are in our eyeballs.
2/3 of all purchases decisions are made at shelf!
Touch, taste, hearing, smell are important but focus on sight the most important!
—Notes from Wallace Church Design Lecture

“Better stories begin with better opening lines.”
—Roy H. Williams

“There’s a new way of winning… design matters. Style matters. Extras matter. We want the free prize, something more than we want the thing itself.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

Words alone are capable of expressing all the senses. Here's how:
TOUCH: You tell the reader the products are analogous to something they readily
understand. The cloth is smooth as silk, the beard as rough as sandpaper.
TASTE: Ask your reader to imagine sucking on a lemon and their lips will quickly
purse. Tell them to visualize Thanksgiving turkey with the slightly crisp baked meat, the
tender vegetables, the whipped creamy potatoes … and they will “sense” the taste.
HEAR: You can talk to your reader with words that are as low as a whisper like this. Or
as LOUD AS THIS!
SMELL: The odor of chestnuts roasting, the scent of just-baked apple pie from the
oven, the strong scent of garlic.
SIGHT: The art of seeing is the art of reading. Remember that in the beginning … there
was the word.
—Murray Raphel

“The art of seeing is the art of reading.” —Murray Raphel
“The art of seeing is in the art of writing.” —DCF

“Properly practiced creativity can make one ad do the work of 10.”
—William Bernbach

“Advertising is the art of persuasion.”
—William Bernbach

“Creativity in marketing changes human behaviors.”
—Jay Conrad Levinson

True “creativity is causing human beings to change their minds to the point where they want to purchase what you are offering to sell.”
—adapted from Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Creativity, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 2001, p 6

“Creativity is knowledge. The more knowledge you have, the more creative you can be. The more knowledge you have the more inspired you can be. The more knowledge you have, the more likely you are to succeed at the true purpose of…creativity.”
—Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Creativity, Houghton Mifflin Co, Boston, 2001, p 7

“I believe [design] is an essential strategy for winning the first and second moments of truth.”
—A. G. Lafley, CEO P&G

“The process is finding the questions first and [then] coming up with the answers.”
—Alex Bogusky, CP + B



Employees/Leadership: See Best Practices below



In the book I write extensively about the necessity of for all people to lead themselves, then lead their superiors, then lead their peers, then hire, teach and motivate their people to do the same, because they are the ones who will have the minute-to-minute knowledge of what's happening.
—Dee Hock
How do you lead your superiors?
1. send them quotes and thought that are relevant.
2. regularly sent them victories that have been accomplished
3. keep them in the loop
4. share with them items of interest. Put articles in their box. Send via email. Discuss with them.
5. know your bosses goals and work to fulfill them




“The roll of a leader is to define reality and give hope.”
—Napoleon

“Change brings opportunity.”
—Kennith I. Chenault, CEO American Express

“It is not the strongest species that survives nor the most intelligent but the ones most adaptive to change.”
—Darwin. This is what Business is all about.


“Most managers fail because people don’t want their manages to succeed. Make the people who report to you want you to succeed. Teach them to take your place before they need to.”
—Anil Menon, IBM

“Success is the number of options you create for yourself!”
—Anil Menon, IBM

“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”
—John Wooden

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear."
– Ambrose Redmoon, quoted by Susan Ryan just before she left for Afghanistan

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
— Teddy Roosevelt

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, that is the only thing that ever has."
– Margaret Mead

"When you grow up, you have to give yourself away. Sometimes you give your life all in a moment, but mostly you have to give yourself away laboring one minute at a time."
– Gaborn Val Orden

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear."
– Ambrose Redmoon

"Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance."
– Samuel Johnson

“Never let great work go unnoticed!”
—DCF

“Never let poor work go unnoticed!”
—Dan Sakimoto

“Catch people doing what’s right.”
—One Minute Manager (book)

“Make it safe to fail or make mistakes.”
—Dan Sakimoto

“Encourage a specific behavior.”
—Dan Sakimoto

“The prudent course is to make an investment in learning, testing and understanding, determine how the new concepts compare to how you now operate and thoughtfully determine how they apply to what you want to achieve in the future.”
—Dee Hock

“Money motivates neither the best people, nor the best in people. It can move the body and influence the mind, but it cannot touch the heart or move the spirit; that is reserved for belief, principle, and morality.”
—Dee Hock

Lead yourself, lead your superiors, lead your peers, and free your people to do the same. All else is trivia.
—Dee Hock

Make a careful list of all things done to you that you abhorred. Don't do them to others, ever.
—Dee Hock See worksheet: Becoming a Better Leader.doc

Make another list of things done for you that you loved. Do them for others, always.
—Dee Hock See worksheet: Becoming a Better Leader.doc

Make an empty space in any corner of your mind, and creativity will instantly fill it.
—Dee Hock

It is essential to employ, trust, and reward those whose perspective, ability, and judgment are radically different from yours. It is also rare, for it requires uncommon humility, tolerance, and wisdom.
—Dee Hock

“If you look to lead, invest at least 40% of your time managing yourself - your ethics, character, principles, purpose, motivation, and conduct. Invest at least 30% managing those with authority over you, and 15% managing your peers.”
—Dee Hock

“Hire and promote first on the basis of integrity; second, motivation; third, capacity; fourth, understanding; fifth, knowledge; and last and least, experience.”
—Dee Hock

“If you don't understand that you work for your mislabeled 'subordinates,' then you know nothing of leadership. You know only tyranny.”
—Dee Hock

“I have not sought this honor. I have just lived for it.”
—James E. Faust

“Courage is contagious.” “When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened.” —Billy Graham

“Don’t say it, show it.”
—My Fair Lady

“Do not use your purchasing power to support moral degradation.”
—Dallin H. Oaks, April conference 2005, Ensign May 05, p.90

“Productive employees are happy.” —Mike Faith, CEO, Headsets.com
“Productive employees are happy employees.”
—DCF

“Lifetime Education is the new norm.”
—Donna Loyle said is 2005

“Praise is a manager’s most powerful tool. Be specific and you’ll be a great leader.”
—?

“People won’t run through walls for you unless you’ve forged some sort of emotional connection.”
—Tom Gegax, By The Seat of Your Pants, p183

Never forget: people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
—Tom Gegax, By The Seat of Your Pants, p184

Motivation isn’t like a baggy sweatshirt—one size doesn’t fit all. Your challenge is to discover what motivates each and every member of your team.”
—Tom Gegax, By The Seat of Your Pants, p184

“When people sense you’ve got their best interests at heart they’ll rise to the occasion.”
—Tom Gegax, By The Seat of Your Pants, p184

“Enlightened executives are at the service of their employees.”
—Tom Gegax, By The Seat of Your Pants, p184

“You will never be a good leader until you learn to put the needs of your employees first.”
—Tom Gegax, By The Seat of Your Pants, p185

“Good coaches are incurable optimists.”
—Tom Gegax, By The Seat of Your Pants, p186

“Instead of telling people what to do…inspire them to do it.”
—Scott McPhee, By The Seat of Your Pants, p187

“Devote more of your time to inspiring and educating the people who report to you. Monitor, recognize, and applaud their progress.”
—Tom Gegax, By The Seat of Your Pants, p187

“Good coaches also know that leading is more important than doing.”
—Tom Gegax, By The Seat of Your Pants, p187

“Make a careful list of all things done to you that you abhorred. Don’t do them to others, ever. Make another list of things done for you that you loved. Do them for others, always.”
—De Hock, Chairman emeritus of Visa International

“Two of the qualities a good coach must possess are kindness and empathy.”
—Tom Gegax, By The Seat of Your Pants

“Learning how to be a better leader begins with learning how to be a better human being.”
—Tom Gegax, By The Seat of Your Pants

“Winners create their own atmosphere.”
—Gerhard Gschwandtner

“The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts.”
—John Locke

“We’re all standing in our own way on the road to success.”
—Gerhard Gschwandtner

“Effective time managers know that the key to prioritizing lies in identifying what is most important and most urgent.”
—Gerhard Gschwandtner

“It’s no secret what we know doesn’t count. The only thing that counts is what we do.”
—Gerhard Gschwandtner

“I don’t pay good wages because I make a lot of money. I make a lot of money because I pay good wages.”
— Robert Bosch- German Inventor, Industrialist (1861-1942)

“Companies should not let their employees’ lack of knowledge or skill get in the way of their success.”
— Mary Sandro

“Encourage the people around you today, for you never know who they might become, or what tomorrow may bring.”
—Roy H. Willams

“We are all drawn to experiences that link our senses with our emotions.”
—Marianne Kimchuk

“If we look for human frailty in humans [each other], we will always find it.”
—Henry B. Eyring

“We live in a world where finding fault in others seems to be the favorite blood sport.”
—Henry B. Eyring

“Whenever we meet anyone, our first, almost unconscious reaction may be to look for imperfections.”
—Henry B. Eyring
I like keeping these together. They make a great point.

“Values Motivate”
—Mike Dabadie, Harris Interactive

“Your greatest opportunity as an employee is in making things happen.”
—DCF …sounds like Seth Godin? IS IT?

“If we abandoned this product and created another, what would it be?”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

“Difficult work is easy to avoid. Difficult work is exactly what will get you promoted.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside
“I define difficult work as the stuff that takes guts or insight.” —Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

“Your job is to make something happen.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

Dr. John Sullivan notes that companies with low turnover typically have good managers, and those managers provide employees with challenges, opportunities, confirmation that they make a difference, recognition.

“At Marriott hotels we have always understood that satisfied, motivated associates equal happy and loyal customers. In A Carrot A Day, Gostick and Elton provide a daily reminder of who our most important customers are, our associates.”
—Mike Stengel, General Manager, New York City Marriott Marquis Hotel

“Man’s flight through life is sustained by the power of his knowledge.”
—unknown, found on a monument

“Since your boss hired you to make something happen, you now have permission to build a free prize. You have the opportunity (on your bosses nickel) to build a project that will energize you and your co-workers.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

“Measure customer service as the most important aspect of an employee's job performance.”
—Debra J. Schmidt, The Loyalty Leader

“Success is having the right person in the right job at the right time. Are you a leader or a manager? Which does your company need right now? There is a time for revolution and a time for evolution. Which time is it?”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p.199

“Real motivation is self motivation.”
—Dan Kennedy

“Ideas matter more than ever before”
—Michael Novak

“People (employers) judge a book by its cover. Its lazy and not intellectual and they pay the price of their ignorance daily in lost revenue and productivity by not obtaining the knowledge about their employees (an their customers) at their fingertips.”
—DCF

The Human Resource Institute's 12th 6 months survey of issues impacting people management today shows that leadership is a top issue. Experts estimate that effective leadership contributes to as much as 80 to 90% of an organization's success. Tom Peters asserts "All excellent companies have strong leaders at every level." How do you get strong leaders? By coaching employees to be their best. Coaching managers can do more with limited resources, enhance the work environment, meet greater customer expectations, and deliver results.
—http://www.workplacetoolbox.com/index.jsp



Best Practice


"Always take the proactive path."

“If you have an unswaying commitment and a sense of focus others will believe that anything is possible.”
—Magurita W. Kondracke

“…it ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.”
—David A. Bednar, 176 Semiannual Conference Talk Sunday Oct 06
http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-646-32,00.html

"A man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't."
- Mark Twain

“The top seven time wasters in Corporate America according to Peter Drucker are interruptions, procrastination, meetings, poor planning, socializing, waiting for answers and shifting priorities.”
—ziglar.com

“Your heart, my friend, is the size of a stadium. If you try to fill it with small things – a new car, a vacation, a promotion at work, a bigger home, a stock portfolio – a mournful echo will fill your life. But if you fill your stadium with all of humanity and search for ways to make their lives better each day, you will find yourself in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing in the right way. Serendipity will come to stay.

Do you have a purpose outside yourself?”
—Roy H. Willams, Monday Morning Memo, 05,02,05 – reread it’s that good.

"Would you rather talk to a genius once or an idiot anytime you want?"
- Princess Pennie Willams

"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
—Roy H. Willams, Monday Morning Memo, 05,01,05 – reread it’s that good. http://wizardacademy.org/showmemo.asp?id=244


"Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present."
– From The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, (121 AD - 180 AD)

"Life is a journey, and with every step we reach a point of no return."
– Gaborn Val Orden

"In choosing one path we ignore others. And wonder what might have been."
– Binnesman

"Many adventures await you upon the road of life. Enter these doors, and take your first step..." – from a placard above The Horn and Hound Pub

“Do what you can’t and experience the beauty of the mistakes you make.”
—Daniel H. Pink

“Fear not that your life will come to an end but that it will never have a beginning.”
— British theologian John Henry Newman

"Don't be afraid your life will end; be afraid it will never begin."
— Grace Hansen

“Are you a thinker, a doer, or a clutch player? The better you are, the greater potential for influence you will have with your people.”
—John C. Maxwell

“Good enough is never good enough.”
—John C. Maxwell

“Can people trust your handshake as they would a legal contract?”
—John C. Maxwell

“Nothing is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them day after day.”
—John C. Maxwell

“There is no genius or peace in the nursing of a grudge.”
—Gordon B. Hinkley

“Cynics do not contribute, skeptics do not create, doubters do not achieve.”
—Gordon B. Hinkley’s father

“Rather than making cutting remarks one to another, could we not cultivate the art of complimenting, of strengthening, of encouraging? What wonders we can accomplish when others have faith in us! No leader can long succeed in any society without the confidence of the people.”
—Gordon B. Hinkley

“If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.”
—Henry Ford

“How we treat others is really a reflection of how we think about ourselves.”
—John C. Maxwell

“We are made kind by being kind.”
—(Eric Hoffer (1902-1983), U.S. philosopher. The Passionate State of Mind, aph. 123 (1955).)

• “The remarkable thing is that we really love our neighbor as ourselves: we do unto others as we do unto ourselves. We hate others when we hate ourselves. We are tolerant toward others when we tolerate ourselves. We forgive others when we forgive ourselves. We are prone to sacrifice others when we are ready to sacrifice ourselves.”
—(Eric Hoffer (1902-1983), U.S. philosopher. The Passionate State of Mind, aph. 100 (1955).

“Nationalist pride, like other variants of pride, can be a substitute for self-respect.”
—(Eric Hoffer (1902-1983), U.S. philosopher. The Passionate State of Mind, aph. 38 (1955).)

“It’s not try to make it happen, it’s decide to make it happen.”
—Dr, Laura

“The truer measure of sacrifice isn’t so much what one gives to sacrifice as what one sacrifices to give. Faith isn’t tested so much when the cupboard is full as when it is bare. In these defining moments, the crisis doesn’t create one’s character—it reveals it. The crisis is the test.
—Lynn G. Robbins, of the Seventy, May 2005 Ensign, Tithing—A commandment Even for the Destitute, p 34

“Success is usually earned by persevering and not becoming discouraged when we encounter challenges.”
—James E. Faust

“Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life. Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism. Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make you a far happier and more productive person.”
—DR. DAVID M. BURNS

“A problem is a chance for you to do your best.”
—DUKE ELLINGTON

“People who like what you stand for will shop from you again.”
—Patrick Connolly, CMO Williams-Sonoma

“People in business are uniquely unqualified to see their own companies and products objectively. Too much product knowledge causes them to instinctively answer questions no one is asking.”
Roy H. Williams, SF of the Wizard of Ads, p 17

“If we don’t try then we don’t do; if we don’t do, then why are we here?”
—from the play Shenandoah

“It is very important to have challenges and to face up to them.”
—Elder John B. Dickson

"Love isn't something you feel. It's something you give." Should it be get?
—Iome Sylvarresta

“I have a theory about leaving tips on tables at restaurants: the size of the tip isn't really an expression of your judgment regarding the quality of service you've received. It's an expression of your generosity, the bigness of your heart. It's not really about the waiter or waitress. It's about you.”
—Roy H. Willams

“Make offers that are event-driven” as apposed to offers of sales or discounts. Event-driven offers are less likely to set standards of discounting. “Money-off, bounce-back offers don’t condition [your] customer[s] to expect another offer the next time, thus making them an effective way of generating repeat orders from satisfied recent buyer.”
— Stephen R. Lett, www.LettDirect.com

“The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could be.”
—Charles DuBois

“Preparation proceeds power.”
—Charles Linberg

“The status quo appears to be safer, cheaper and easier.” This is wrong.
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

“The harder you try to play it safe, the more likely you are to fail.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

“A Purple Cow is a product or service that’s remarkable. “Remarkable” simply means that a customer is willing to make a remark about it.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

“It takes guts to say to your boss, “Let’s stop running ads and start making a remarkable product instead.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

“Are you invisible? Or remarkable?
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

“The organizations that win will be the ones that realize that all they must do is create things worth talking about.”
—Seth Godin, Free Prize Inside

“Our phone representatives receive 70-80 hours of product, customer service and computer training when hired, and 24 hours each year thereafter."
—LL Bean

Hamilton Hotels ideally provide 70-80 house of training when hired and one hour weekly thereafter.
—as told by an employee

Spillman Technologies requires 45 hours of annual training each year.

“Sixty percent of retailers generate more profit from their multi-channel customers than their single-channel patrons, and on average the former group is 20 to 25 percent more profitable.”
—Aberdeen Group

In a recent survey report from The Conference Board, 83% said developing leadership skills is the primary learning objective of their people development efforts. One powerful way to impart those skills and develop upcoming leaders is to partner them with mentors.
—http://www.workplacetoolbox.com/index.jsp

"The increasing pace of change demands greater leadership capacity than ever before. Make no mistake: real teams do increase leadership capacity at any level."
—Jon R. Katzenbach, In his book Teams at the Top

The Human Resources Institute reported that: Loyalty and commitment is declining! 71% of responding companies in a recent survey say that loyalty and commitment among their CORE EMPLOYEES has declined over the last five years. And, 86% say their contingent employees are even less committed
—http://www.workplacetoolbox.com/index.jsp

"Always demanding the best of oneself, living with honor, devoting one's talents and gifts to the benefits of others - these are the measures of success that endure when material things have passed away."
—Gerald R. Ford

“Employees with initiative are needed, they are needed badly. They are needed in every business in America. They are needed because they find solutions for the problems pointed out by the merely ambitious. They are the glue that hold a business together.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p. 92

“Always be quick to forgive the employee whose initiative causes you trouble. In the final analysis, this person is a gift from heaven.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p. 93

“People want to be proud of what they do and of where they work.”
—Kaj Storbacka & Jarmo R. Lehtinen
Customer Relationship Management: Creating competitive Advantage Through Win-Win Relationship Strategies, Singapore, 2001, p.21

“The key to success is to get out into the store and listen to what the associates have to say. It’s terribly important for everyone to get involved. Our best ideas come from clerks and stockboys.”
—Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart


Websites/Email/Online:



“Think of your website as a relationship deepener, a half-step between your advertising and your front door.”
—Roy H. Willams

"These days, you can't just go online, see e-mail, get a little information and be off," he said. "People have to find a way to get beyond that data smog, and you must help customers cut through it to get information as painlessly as possible."
— Stephen Spencer

“Customers like the convenience of ordering merchandise online and picking it up at their local stores,” says Lauren Freedman, president of the e-tailing group, a Chicago-based consultancy that provides e-commerce merchandising solutions.


The DoubleClick survey also found that 52% of consumers said they were interested in offers for related products from their permitted retailers, while 47% said they would be interested in membership rewards programs and 41% in sweepstakes.
—DoubleClick 2004 survey

“The ‘store’ is wherever the customer wants to shop…”
—1 to 1 marketing.com, CRM in Retail Revisited, keyword: Customer Insight

The benefit of a microsite is “to target specific customers with a niche focus to take some type of action.”
Susan K. Jones, The Callahan Group, LLC, and Ferris State University quoting Grant Johnson in CADM newletter.

“If you want to motivate the sign-up process, there has got to be a value exchange.”
—Josh Linkener, CEO of ePrize

“A business doubles its chances of making an online sale by mailing a catalog.”
—USPS servey – found in article by Melissa Campanelli, “Catalogs Important to E-commerce Growth, USPS Survey Found.” DMNews article.

“Never, ever, ever send a single e-mail out without plugging your book or service.”
—Penny C. Sansevieri, Author Services - Post Office Box 421156, San Diego, CA , 92124, USA


General:

“The reward of a thing well done is having done it.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson



“So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains, & we never even knew we had the key.”
—Anonymous
Education is the key but a good locksmith helps (teacher, mentor, therapist, counselor).


“Listening, after all, is an act of love.”
—StoryCorps.net

“The more we understand metaphor, the more we understand ourselves.”
—Daniel H. Pink, A Whole New Mind, p136

“This place where you are right now God circled on a map for you."
—Author Unknown given to me by Katarina

"Timing is perfect especially when it doesn't seem to be."
—Author Unknown given to me by Katarina

Be Thankful
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something,
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes,
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
Because it means you've made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings.
~ Author Unknown ~

“Great minds discuss ideas. Average Minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.”
—Eleanor Roosevelt

"What a woman wants," she told me, "is to know in her heart that someone considers her the most important thing in the world."
—Roy H. Willams’ mother.

“A fact is only what you believe.” “Fact and fiction work as a team.”
—Jack Johnson, Brushfire Fairytales (CD), It’s All Understood (song)

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."
--Leo Buscaglia

“Success is relative: It is what we can make of the mess we have made of things.”
—T.S. Eliot

“Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when it is the only idea we have.
—Alain

Your heart, my friend, is the size of a stadium. If you try to fill it with small things – a new car, a vacation, a promotion at work, a bigger home, a stock portfolio – a mournful echo will fill your life. But if you fill your stadium with all of humanity and search for ways to make their lives better each day, you will find yourself in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing in the right way. Serendipity will come to stay.
—Roy H. Willams

“I am one, but only one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something; and I will not fail to do that which I can do.”
—Gaylord Swim paraphrased a quote as above. No author acknowledged.

It is in taking personal responsibility that we can achieve personal freedom. There is no other way.
—Gaylord Swim

“One of the epidemics of our time is the fad of “learning disabilities.” If a child is labeled with some disorder, then everyone – the teacher, the parent and even the child – is absolved of personal responsibility.”
—Gaylord Swim

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

When nature has work to be done, she creates a genius to do it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson Are you ready for the work?—DCF

What would be the use of immortality to a person who cannot use well a half an hour.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

We gain the strength of the temptation we resist.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

We are wiser than we know.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

We acquire the strength we have overcome.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

We aim above the mark to hit the mark.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

We are always getting ready to live but never living.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

We are rich only through what we give, and poor only through what we refuse.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Truth is the property of no individual but is the treasure of all men.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Trust your instinct to the end, though you can render no reason.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Treat a man as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he could be, and he will become what he should be.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

To be great is to be misunderstood.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men - that is genius.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance: that imitation is suicide: that he must take himself for better, or for worse.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

The world is all gates, all opportunities, strings of tension waiting to be struck.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

The only way to have a friend is to be one.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

People only see what they are prepared to see.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

One must be an inventor to read well. There is then creative reading as well as creative writing.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our best thoughts come from others.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Men are what their mothers made them.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Men love to wonder, and that is the seed of science.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Men's actions are too strong for them. Show me a man who has acted, and who has not been the victim and slave of his action.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Make yourself necessary to somebody.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Knowledge is knowing that we cannot know.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is not length of life, but depth of life.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts; they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

In skating over thin ice our safety is in our speed.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you would lift me up you must be on higher ground.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

He that can heroically endure adversity will bear prosperity with equal greatest of the soul; for the mind that cannot be dejected by the former is not likely to be transported without the latter.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

He who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare, while he who has one enemy shall meet him everywhere.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hitch your wagon to a star.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fear is an instructor of great sagacity, and the herald of all revolutions.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fate is nothing but the deeds committed in a prior state of existence.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everybody keeps telling me how surprised they are with what I've done. But I'm telling you honestly that it doesn't surprise me. I knew I could do it.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Every man has his own courage, and is betrayed because he seeks in himself the courage of other persons.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Every man has his own vocation, talent is the call.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Every man I meet is in some way my superior.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Every man is a quotation from all his ancestors.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Every man supposes himself not to be fully understood or appreciated.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Every mind must make its choice between truth and repose. It cannot have both.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Every great institution is the lengthened shadow of a single man. His character determines the character of the organization.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Enthusiasm is the leaping lightning, not to be measured by the horse-power of the understanding.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Enthusiasm is the mother of effort, and without it nothing great was ever achieved.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Death comes to all, but great achievements build a monument which shall endure until the sun grows cold.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Death comes to all, but great achievements build a monument which shall endure until the sun grows cold.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Concentration is the secret of strengths in politics, in war, in trade, in short in all management of human affairs.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Courage consists in the power of self-recovery.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Culture is one thing and varnish is another.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Curiosity is lying in wait for every secret.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Commerce is of trivial import; love, faith, truth of character, the aspiration of man, these are sacred.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as think.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Be an opener of doors.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Always do what you are afraid to do.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ambition is the germ from which all growth of nobleness proceeds.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

America is another name for opportunity.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

All great masters are chiefly distinguished by the power of adding a second, a third, and perhaps a fourth step in a continuous line. Many a man had taken the first step. With every additional step you enhance immensely the value of you first.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

All I have seen teaches me to trust the creator for all I have not seen.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

All life is an experiment.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

A man in debt is so far a slave.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

A man is usually more careful of his money than he is of his principles.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

A man is what he thinks about all day long.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

A man's growth is seen in the successive choirs of his friends.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A good indignation brings out all one's powers.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A great man is always willing to be little.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A great part of courage is the courage of having done the thing before.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A beautiful form is better than a beautiful face; it gives a higher pleasure than statues or pictures; it is the finest of the fine arts.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A chief event of life is the day in which we have encountered a mind that startled us.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Your destiny is determined by your choices.”
—Russell M. Nelson

“If you aren’t happy with the money you have now, what makes you think you’ll be happier with more?
—Roy H. Willams

“Success is a journey, not a destination.
—Ben Sweetland

“He who overcomes others is strong, but he who overcomes himself is mightier.”
—John Henry Patterson

“Geniuses are just regular people, doing what they love. Do you love what you do?”
—Roy H. Willams

“About 40% or retailers answered online inquires within a day, and some 13% did so within an hour, including the holiday shopping season, but another 15% did not respond to online inquires, according to research conducted by The Customer Respect Group during the fourth quarter 2004. “ —CRM March 2005

“2/3 of all purchase decisions are made at [the] shelf!”
—Dustin Longstreth, Wallace Church

“You can’t nag a man into being loving. But you can seduce him into being loving.”
—Dr. Laura

“Great things can be accomplished as long as you don’t care who gets the credit.”
—quote found on Ronald Regan’s Desk

“Life is growth and motion; a fixed point of view kill anyone who has one.”
—Brooks Atkinson

“A mind that is stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimension.”
—Author Unknown

“Business exists not just to make money, but to serve a need.”
—Gary Hoover

“Difficulties are things that show what men are.”
—Epictetus

“Success is often the result of noticing what others have overlooked.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p. 136

“The secret, it seems, it to cheerfully embrace your failures and to count on your successes to outweigh them. Take a chance. Risk failure. Change something that needs changing.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p. 134

“Do you have the courage of your convictions?”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p.191

“Brilliant accomplishments are nearly always the result of a consuming passion.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p.195

“Isn’t it time to quit being scared? Failure is the key to success.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p.183

“Each failure brings you one step closer to success.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads

“Never quit experimenting. Never quit learning. Never quite becoming better.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p.135

"Companies make bad choices not because they're bad companies," she said. "They make bad choices because they're in the dark."
— Martha Rogers, Ph.D.

The only luxury I want is the time to do what I want to do.
—DCF

“When emotion and reason come into conflict, emotion always wins!”
—Denny Hatch, 2,239 Tested Secrets For Direct Marketing Success

“Commit long-term.”
—Denny Hatch, 2,239 Tested Secrets For Direct Marketing Success

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
—Thomas A. Edison

“Everything is an opportunity.”
—Rush Limbaugh

“One opportunity seized creates fifty new opportunities.”
—Chinese Proverb

“Labor distracts customers. Their only work should be to become so delighted with your products that they place orders.”
—Susan J. McIntyre, McIntyre Direct

“People process emotional ideas more easily than intellectual ones.”
—Dean Rieck

“Morel habits are a form of wealth.”
—Michael Novak

“Truth, fair play and trust are key to success.”
—Michael Novak

“Whatever you value most is your self interest.”
—Michael Novak

“Anything worth doing is worth doing well.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p. 92

“To succeed, you have to put in the work.”
—Hallie Mummert, Editor of Target Marketing

“You can’t manage what you don’t measure.”
—Hallie Mummert, Editor of Target Marketing

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”
- —Denny Hatch, 2,239 Tested Secrets For Direct Marketing Success

“The customer is seldom paying attention.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p. 22

“Do you have the humility to accept that you may be wrong?”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p. 125

Remember, myths are gospel truths to those who turn to them for explanations of the incomprehensible. Their falsehood can only be seen from a dispassionate distance.
APRIL 18, 2003
SAVVY SELLING: The Seven Deadly Myths of Selling
By Michelle Nichols Business Week Online

_
Prof. Walter Neff passed this on

Your success isn't a matter of luck, it's simply a matter of the choices that you make. Success isn't something you can wait for, it's something you'll achieve with effort over time. Things won't turn up in this world until you turn them up.

You can choose to be lazy or ambitious. Stop and think about your choice again. You always do your own choosing.

The great opportunity in your life is where you are right now. Every situation, properly perceived, is an opportunity for you.

First, say to yourself what you would be, then, do what you have to do, to make things happen.

Success is right in front of you.

Internet and catalog sales represent 9-12% of the total retail sales.
Martin Vilaboy Outdoor Magazine Feb 03 p.30

According to analysts at America’s Research Group 74% of American shoppers view all retailers within a specific niche or industry as looking the same, In other words, most retail operations, as far as consumers see things, do nothing noticeably better than their competition, which means many specialty retailers that claim to offer “superior customer services” aren’t doing it in ways that create a point of distinction.
Martin Vilaboy Outdoor Magazine Feb 03 p.30

“Any investment in sales training is an investment in your own gross profit.”
Followed by
“The only thing more expensive than hiring a sales trainer is not hiring one.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads p. 119

“Talk about your customer’s experience in all your communications!”
—DCF

“Everybody likes to have inside information.”
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 147

“If you don’t communicate an idea, you’re communicating the wrong things.”
—Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Creativity, Houghton Mifflin Co, Boston, 2001, p 10

“The fact to face is that it’s exceptionally difficult to sell anything to anybody unless you tap into an emotion that they’re already experiencing.”
—Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Creativity, Houghton Mifflin Co, Boston, 2001, p 20

“Be brazen in the way you compare yourself to the market leader. Your story should be short, solid, and memorable.”
—Seth Godin

“In order to avoid the danger of commoditization, price should not be the only issue discussed in a relationship.”
—Kaj Storbacka & Jarmo R. Lehtinen
Customer Relationship Management: Creating competitive Advantage Through Win-Win Relationship Strategies p.50 2001

“The need for customer oriented pricing is growing.”
—Kaj Storbacka & Jarmo R. Lehtinen
Customer Relationship Management: Creating competitive Advantage Through Win-Win Relationship Strategies p.55 2001

“Research has shown that the average consumer is exposed to about 3,600 commercial messages a week.”
—Kaj Storbacka & Jarmo R. Lehtinen
Customer Relationship Management: Creating competitive Advantage Through Win-Win Relationship Strategies p.71 2001 NOTE: see resources/advertising for 3000AdADay article.

“In practice, the profitability potential of the customer base has proven to be tenfold in comparison with the expected results of marketing campaigns. Identify potential in the current customer base is thus the most profitable kind of marketing.
—Kaj Storbacka & Jarmo R. Lehtinen, CRM, p. 44

“As products and services are becoming more complex, the significance of information is growing.”
—Kaj Storbacka & Jarmo R. Lehtinen, CRM, p. 21

“Emotions determine the use of knowledge…Knowledge in turn determines acts.”
—Kaj Storbacka & Jarmo R. Lehtinen, CRM, p. 21

“The customer’s value creation process should be analyzed on the basis of emotions, knowledge and acts.”
—Kaj Storbacka & Jarmo R. Lehtinen, CRM, p. 21

“Generation X customers expect to be educated.”
Kaj Storbacka & Jarmo R. Lehtinen, CRM, p. 22

“Manufacturers often disregard the fact that products are bought for a specific purpose. Value cannot be determined simply by the appearance of products on the store shelf. Value is only revealed in usage.”
—Kaj Storbacka & Jarmo R. Lehtinen
Customer Relationship Management: Creating competitive Advantage Through Win-Win Relationship Strategies p.11 2001

“Persuasion is not a science but an art”
—Bill Bernbach

“I don’t separate creativity from effectiveness…”
—Bill Bernbach

“The customer is not a moron; she is your wife”
—David Ogilvy

“I am responsible for my own success, no excuses!”
—Elaine K. Harris Customer Service A Practical Approach, p.121

“The customer just wants to be treated as a person.”
—Rogers & Peppers, 1-to-1 Fieldbook, Currency Doubleday New York 1999, p.46

Schmooze—making an emotional contact with someone. ie: you talk to someone and something is brought up. Later you send them an article on how to fix or solve their problem. Do it everyday.

“Emotions are impulses to act!” What impulses do you own?
—Scott Rockwood, CEO Richter7

“Powerful brands stand for something meaningful.”
—Scott Rockwood, CEO Richter7

“Emotion strengthens memories…”
—Timothy Brock, Marquette University study

“Your company’s customer service culture will determine your long term success.”
—Brad Johnson, CFO REI

“Take care of your employees, take care of your customers, and everything else will take care if itself.”
—Gary Comer, Founder Lands End

"90% of the people in an organization have more creative ability, talent, resourcefulness and intelligence than their present jobs require or allow."
—Steven Covey as told by Connie LaMotta and Victoria James

“Price matters, but it’s the service that keeps people coming back.”
—Sean Carton, Chief Experience Officer, Carton Donofrio Partners

My husband's company has an award called the V.A.S.E. award. It stands for Value Added Service and Excellence. Only 2% of the employees receive it. You are recognized at the annual holiday meeting and given a jacket and a cash bonus. Your fellow employees vote for the candidates. These are the people who interact and work with you on a day to day bases. They know the hard work and effort people put into their jobs.

When we moved to Ohio, My husband left the corporate headquarters and joined a small satellite office. What's nice about this award is that it gives a person visibility within the company (name recognition) even though you're not sitting in the main corporate headquarters, you still have the chance to win the award.

Once announced, the owners and the partners individually take the time to recognize the individuals. I can tell you that it was very motivating for my husband to receive this honor two years ago. In my mind, it's something small, but it has a positive outcome for both the employee and the company itself.
—Maureen Pechinak

"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."
—Japanese Proverb


__

“There are three ways a company can improve return on equity: (1) raise profit margins (increasingly difficult in an environment where companies are struggling merely to maintain their margins); (2) increase leverage, which adds risk (and corporate America is already at record-high debt levels); or (3) increase asset utilization (sales/assets). It is in the last -- maximizing the productivity of assets (including human assets) -- that JetBlue schools other companies and industries.”

—Whitney Tilson

Whitney Tilson is a longtime guest columnist for The Motley Fool. He did not own shares of the companies mentioned in this article at press time, though positions may change at any time. Under no circumstances does this information represent a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. Mr. Tilson appreciates your feedback on the Fool on the Hill discussion board or at Tilson@Tilsonfunds.com. The Motley Fool is investors writing for investors.


Byrd Baggett
Quotes from Byrd Baggett’s Book The Complete Book of Business Success

“Customers will always get what they want. The question is, ‘Will they get it from you?”

“Do you add value to your customer’s business?”

“You’re not learning anything when you’re talking.”

“Know your clients hobbies.”

“Customers buy enthusiasm!”

“If you want to impress your customers, make written notes when they respond to your questions.”

“Excellence is not optional.”

“One act of indifference can destroy a relationship forever.”

“Put out a suggestion box, read the contents once a week, and act on them.”

“Without attention to excellent customer service, even a good marketing plan will fail.”

“Employees who are given positive feedback work harder and accomplish more.”

“The receptionist should not put customers on hold.”

“Perform for results, not recognition.”

“Encourage decision-making at all levels.”

“Before you critique another’s behavior, list five positive things about that person.”

“Look for ways to make other people’s jobs more challenging and fulfilling.”

“Employees want to be heard and understood.”

“Learn how to help others achieve their full potential.”

“Be willing to create openings for exceptional people, even when a position isn’t currently available.”

TEAM means “Together Everyone Achieves More.”

“Listen twice as much as you talk.”

“Offer your customers at least one service they cannot get anywhere else.”

“Customers want to feel important.”

“Remember, little things make a big difference.”

“No employee is exempt from serving your customers.”

“Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up”

Customers love to hear “What can I do to help you?”

“You can never train your staff to much.”

“Remember, customers talk.”

“Educate customers on the best ways to use your products and services.”

“Make sure your support staff feels as important as your sales staff.”

Say “Thank you” a lot.

Never say, “I don’t know.” It is your responsibility to know.

“If customers don’t receive 100% satisfaction, they should not have to pay full price.”

“Reward your employees for excellent customer service.”

“When employees love their jobs, customers feel the winning spirit.”

“One act of indifference can destroy a relationship forever.”

“Remember, customers have choices.”

“The customers confidence is a powerful asset.”

“Sales get customers; service keeps them.”

“Make all your customers feel as if they’re the most important.”

“Know what happens once your company receives a complaint.”

“Consistently share articles and books on customer service with your staff.”

“Testimonials about excellent service are the most effective advertisement.”

“Customers want solutions, not excuses.”

“Happy customers tell few; unhappy customers tell many.”
—Byrd Bagett


“Integrate or disintegrate.”
—Rama Ramaswami

“Customers who shop through a variety of channels have a 30% to 55% higher lifetime value that their single-channel counterparts.”
—Debra Ellis

“While it’s endless. It’s not timeless. For a limited time.”
—edited from an ad for all you can eat ad.

“There are only two things of importance. One is the customer, and the other is the product. If you take care of the customers, they will come back. If you take care of your product, it doesn’t come back. It’s just that simple. And it’s just that difficult.”
—Stanly Marcus of Neiman Marcus

“Money is not longer in products, it’s in the information.”
—Gregory Caravello, A wise businessman




Advertising:



“I don’t make 7 figures a year but it feels like it in saving.”
—Nickorett Ad (radio)

“Make History or be History”
—Schermer Kuehl (design firm) Ad, client Entegris, Inc.

It’s all about the customer…

Smart Decisions

“Tell better stories.”
—Nissan TV ad

“The best ads are about the customer and how the product will change his life.”
—Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads, p. 44

Headlines:
"On the average, 5 times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90% of your money."
—David Ogilvy

"I spend hours on headlines -- days if necessary. And when I get a good headline, I know that my task is nearly finished. Writing the copy can usually be done in a short time, if necessary. And that advertisement will be a good one - that is if the headline is really a "stopper".
—John Caples

"Based on hundreds of tests conducted, a good headline can be as much as 17 times more effective than a so-so headline. And this is with exactly the same body copy!"
—Ted Nicholas


Print:


• “A Job well done is a job that’s never really done.”
—Ad for SmithBarney-citigroup

• A treasure around every corner (www.MDwelcome.org) ad

• “I want to forget how to work and remember how to play.”
—princess cruises ad

• Is there a place
where the only lines I’m in are my own?
Maybe I’m in the right state of mind,
just the wrong state. New Mexico Ad

• Stop envying. Start doing.”
—School of visual Arts ad


Radio:

• As a Dr. I avoid the use of the word “Miracle” but I encourage people to use …

•


Online:

• “We’ve thought of every detail.”
www.DavidsBrital.com

TV:


Magazines:

“Might as well have the best”
—Filson apparel

Might as well have the best
For the holidays

“Simply put, motivation, ability and opportunity are the key factors that determine whether or not people will pay attention to your ads, how they form attitudes and what they remember. In short, it determines whether and when they will buy.”
The Psychology of Conversion by Debbie MacInnis www.MarketingProfs.com

“Research has also taught us that we usually remember something better and for much longer periods of time if we imagine it.”
How to Use Imagery to Create Memorable Messages by Debbie MacInnis

“Imagery can be used to make products more desirable.”
How to Use Imagery to Create Memorable Messages by Debbie MacInnis



Catalog


“Print catalogs generate a vastly higher response rate, and this is not likely to change in the future.”
—Bill Nicolai, senior consulting partner, Lenser


DCF Quotes:




“If you want to make changes empower your employees to make decisions.”
—D. C. Felsted

“Confirm that your customers made the right decision to buy from you.”
—D. C. Felsted

“Excuses do nothing but hold me back, No Excuses. Only successes!”
—D. C. Felsted

“Use valuable real estate to educate.”
—D. C. Felsted

“Small acts of recognition are very powerful.”
—D. C. Felsted

“Giving is living. Caring is sharing.”
—DCF

“People don’t want a can of blue paint… they want blue walls.”
—DCF

“People want blue walls not cans of blue paint.”
—DCF

“Your customers are your partners in business.”
—DCF

The only luxury I want (desire) is the time to do what I want to do.
—DCF

“The secret of marketing is retention.”
—DCF

“Under promise and over deliver = happy customers every time.”
—DCF

“Are you aiming at the head or the heart with your marketing?” or
“Is your marketing aimed at the head or the heart? Be careful, one leads to riches the other to the poor-house!”
—DCF

“Personalize each contact with your customers.”
—DCF

“People (employers) judge a book by its cover. Its lazy and not intellectual and they pay the price of their ignorance daily in lost revenue and productivity by not obtaining the knowledge about their employees (an their customers) at their fingertips.”
—DCF

“If you want to make changes empower your employees to make decisions.”
—D. C. Felsted

“Confirm that your customers made the right decision to buy from you.”
—D. C. Felsted

“Excuses do nothing but hold me back, No Excuses. Only successes!”
—D. C. Felsted

“Use valuable real estate to educate.”
—D. C. Felsted

“Small acts of recognition are very powerful.”
—D. C. Felsted

“A Job well done is a job that’s never really done.”
—Ad for SmithBarney-citigroup

“One opportunity seized creates fifty new opportunities.”
—Chinese Proverb



Gospel Quotes




“The sin that will cleave too all the posterity of Adam and Eve is, that they have not done as well as they knew how.”
—Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe, (1954), p89.

“Each time we read the book [of Mormon] we should probably ask ourselves, ‘Why did these writers choose these particular stories or events to include in the record? What value are they for us today.’ ”
—Keith B. McMullin

“Tragedies never triumph where personal righteousness prevails.”
—Keith B. McMullin

“Every time calamity strikes, there is a corresponding sacred obligation that falls upon each of us to become better. We should ask ourselves, ‘What part of my life needs to change so that the weight of chastisement need not be felt.’ ”
—Keith B. McMullin

“There is no happiness without service, and there is no service greater than that which converts the home into a divine institution, and which promotes the preserves family life.”
—Joseph F. Smith

“I believe the mission statement for mortality might be “to build an eternal family.”
—M. Russell Ballard

“It is important to remember that all larger units of society depend on the smallest and most fundamental unit, the family.”
—M. Russell Ballard

Jesus Christ is the reason for the season—Christmas
I wrote it after hearing “the reason for the season” in a story at church. DCF

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
—author unknown

“Your mind is a cupboard, and you stock the selves.”
—Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, May 2005, Constant Truths for Changing Times, p.19.

“Remember that ofttimes the wisdom of God appears as foolishness to men, but the greatest single lesson we can learn in mortality is that when God speaks and man obeys, that man will always be right.”
—Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, May 2005, Constant Truths for Changing Times, p.22.

“Kindness is the essence of greatness…”
—Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, May 2005, The Virtue of Kindness, p. 26.

“Kindness is a passport that opens doors and fashions friends. It softens hearts and molds relationships that can last lifetimes.”
—Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, May 2005, The Virtue of Kindness, p. 26.

“The things you say, the tone of your voice, the anger or calm of your words—these are noticed by your children and by others. They see and learn both the kind and the unkind things we say or do. Nothing exposes our true selves more than how we treat one another in the home.”
Followed by
“I often wonder why some feel they must be critical of others. It gets in their blood, I suppose, and it becomes so natural they often don’t even thing about it. They seem to criticize everyone—the way Sister Jones leads the music, the way Brother Smith teaches a lesson or plants his garden.”
Followed by
“Even when we think we are doing no harm by our critical remarks, consequences often follow.”
—Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, May 2005, The Virtue of Kindness, p. 27.

“Never look down on those who are less perfect than you.”
—Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, May 2005, The Virtue of Kindness, p. 28.

“The Church is not a place where perfect people gather to say perfect things, or have perfect thoughts, or have perfect feelings. The Church is a place where imperfect people gather to provide encouragement, support, and service to each other as we press on in our journey to return to our Heavenly Father.”
—Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, May 2005, The Virtue of Kindness, p. 28.

“One way you can measure your value in the kingdom of God is to ask, ‘How well am I doing in helping others reach their potential? Do I support others in the Church, or do I criticize them?’ ”
—Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, May 2005, The Virtue of Kindness, p. 28.

“Whenever you forget self and strive for the betterment of others, and for something higher and better, you rise to the spiritual plane.”
—David O. Mckay

“May we realize as never before that mastery of one’s personal inclinations is the heart of Christian religion and of all religions.”
—David O. Mckay

“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
—David O. Mckay

“Your weakest point will be the point at which the Devil tries to tempt you.”
—David O. Mckay

“Self-mastery comes through self-denial of little things.”
—David O. Mckay

“Man is responsible not only for every deed, but also for every idle word and thought.”
—David O. Mckay

“What a man continually things about determines his actions in times of opportunity and stress.”
—David O. Mckay

“… live is largely what we make of it.”
—David O. Mckay

“All good things require effort. That which is worth having will cost part of your physical being, your intellectual power, and your soul power.”
—David O. Mckay

“All good things request effort.”
—David O. Mckay

“Your mind is a cupboard, and you stack the shelves.”
—Thomas S. Monson, Constant Truths for Changing Times, Ensign May 2005, p.19

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
—Lord Acton

An unwillingness to be completely submissive to the Lord’s will.
“The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar,” Elder Maxwell said. “The many other things we ‘give’ … are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!”
—Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 30 or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 24.

“I do not think it pleases the Lord when we worry because we think we never do enough or that what we do is never good enough.”
—Boyd K. Packer

Read The Unknown God by Mark E. Peterson

“To be trusted is a greater complement than to be loved.”
—David O. McKay

“Every trial and experience you have passed through is necessary for your salvation.”
—Brigham Young

“Its not so much what happens to us but how we deal with what happens to us.”
—James E. Faust, November 2004 Conference

So if you have problems in your life, don’t assume there is something wrong with you. Struggling with those problems is at the very core of life’s purpose. As we draw close to God, He will show us our weaknesses and through them make us wiser, stronger, If you’re seeing more of your weaknesses, that just might mean you’re moving nearer to God, not farther away.
—Bruce C. Hafen, “The Atonement: All for All,” Ensign, May 2004, p.97

Only the restored gospel has the fullness of these truths! Yet the adversary is engaged in one of history’s greatest cover-ups, trying to persuade people that this Church knows least—when in fact it knows most—about how our relationship with Christ makes true
—Bruce C. Hafen, “The Atonement: All for All,” Ensign, May 2004, p.98

We can have eternal life if we want it, but only if there is nothing else we want more.
—Bruce C. Hafen, “The Atonement: All for All,” Ensign, May 2004, p.98

But the Lord said those who “observe their covenants by sacrifice … are accepted of me.”
—Bruce C. Hafen, “The Atonement: All for All,” Ensign, May 2004, p.99




Copywriting



“I am boring and pedantic when I say too much. I am mysterious and deep when I say too little.”
—Roy H. Willams MMM11/27/06

“Ready to take your career to the next level?”

“Contrary to what society tells you, most of the common beliefs you were taught, and have practiced during your life are simply counterproductive.”
—Dan Kennedy