DUMP NEWSLETTERS TO BOOST YOUR PRODUCTIVITY (#CASL)

How many newsletters do you receive without noticing?

You may notice due to the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) which takes effect on July 1, 2014. Email lists are already meant to be opt-in already but some senders are asking subscribers to opt-in again.

Before you do, re-examine the value of each newsletter. You have the opportunity to reduce inbox clutter, focus your attention and boost your productivity.

Better Ways?

You get instant information whenever you want via a web search or social media. Those channels may be faster than searching through your email, especially if you have multiple accounts. In addition, you may find newer information or fresh sources.

If you’re following an organization in other ways (e.g., LinkedIn Company Page, LinkedIn Showcase Page, Twitter or Google Plus) you’ll often get the same information in an easily shareable way.

27 Typical Requests For Permission

Having to give permission feels like work. Notice the sameness in these subject lines:

1. Request for consent – time sensitive
2. LAST CALL – newsletter confirmation request
3. Stay informed. We need your consent.
4. Updating our email list
5. Reminder – Consent to Communicate
6. IMPORTANT – requesting your consent
7. Help Us Keep You Up To Date
8. One Minute Ask: Your Consent Is Required (CASL)
9. [COMPANY] requests your consent
10. [COMPANY] needs your consent!
11. [COMPANY] requires your consent
12. Consent requested to contact you by email
13. Stay Connected.
14. Keep us in your inbox
15. Email consent request from [PERSON’S NAME]
16. CASL – What you need to know
17. Update your e-mail preferences! Don’t miss out!
18. Deadline approaching
19. We request your consent
20. ACTION REQUIRED: We require your consent
21. Request for consent - time sensitive
22. Anti-spam is just around the corner
23. [COMPANY NAME] OPT-IN
24. [COMPANY NAME} doesn't want to lose you
25. Say Yes To Stay Connected
26. URGENT: [COMPANY NAME] Requires Your Consent
27. Don't lose out on great business information

The content suffers from sameness too. For example: “July 1 is approaching and we have not yet heard from you. We value our relationship with you and would like to stay connected, but we require your consent in accordance with new Canadian legislation.”

A Simple Way To Keep Subscribers

There’s a simple way for senders to entice subscribers to accept marginal newsletters: offer incentives like prizes or something useful for free. Even big companies aren’t doing this when they easily could. They must think their content is very special even when it’s really about them.

The Exceptions

Some senders aren’t asking for permission to continue sending their newsletters. Perhaps they feel they already have permission. Perhaps they’re reluctant to ask because they fear mass unsubscribes. Perhaps they interpret the laws differently. You can still unsubscribe.

The Sneaky Ones

Some senders are not asking for permission (and never really had it). One doesn’t even have an unsubscribe option. Instead, you’re to send them an email.
One company is saying

“if we don't receive explicit consent from you, in limited circumstances, we will continue to provide relevant communication to you under the implied consent provisions.”

The oddest example is Expedia, which just added me to a list without permission:

“As a subscriber to Groupon Getaways by Expedia, we are happy to start providing you with special travel deals and promotions. As a part of our ongoing commitment to bring you the best experience, we want to let you know that you are now automatically enrolled to receive emails directly from Expedia.”

The last Groupon email arrived on September 8, 2011.

Change Your Mind?

Chances are good that you won’t miss what you’ve stopped receiving. If you change your mind, you can always re-subscribe to a mailing list.

Links

• official website for Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation: fightspam.gc.ca
• Use Mad Mimi for your email newsletters
• What lasting gift can you offer everyone you meet?
• Blogs vs newsletters: which is better for you?
• Three steps to get replies to your emails
• image courtesy of Cat Brauer

PS I’ve unsubscribed from 30+ lists and feel lighter.

MANAGE YOUR PROJECTS WITH ASANA

In a successful small business, you don't have the expensive "checks and balances" (translation: redundancies) possible in larger organizations. Using the right tools helps assure quality while saving time.

When you're working with more than one other person on a project, communicating becomes a challenge. Email adds noise and wastes time. How do you manage your projects?

Many Options

You've got lots of choices for project management but no perfect solution. Your personal preferences matter. I seek solutions which are inviting and well-equipped for free users.
Asana stands out. It’s free for unlimited projects, each with a team of up to 15 people. The pricing for additional features and larger teams looks reasonable.

Why Asana?

Over the years, Asana has become more powerful and flexible but stayed simple. Your shared project can have sub-projects (called "Sections"). Your tasks can have subtasks. You can add descriptions and notes. Your tasks appear in an inbox.

Isn’t that enough to make quick progress?

Example

This screenshot shows two of my important priorities: Taxevity (the insurance advisory where I work) and Money 50/50 (a financial education initiative). The projects are underneath. The example under Networking shows the task of creating a permanent nametag to wear to events (no pins or adhesives to damage clothing!). Click to enlarge.

Other uses

Asana fits work-related projects well. For context-based tasks (e.g., remembering the bread), a smartphone app is more useful. You may find other uses as you become more familiar.
For client-related tasks, you might want to use a CRM like Contactually for tracking.

Since Asana is free, why not try?

Links

• Asana website: asana.com
• Asana: the ‘Tesla of productivity tools’ (Mashable, Aug 2013)
• Asana review (Project Management Software)
• The best CRM for small business
• Tips for setting priorities and organizing your time
• Collect, plan and do with Trello
• Three rules to use the right tools
• Three time tracking tools that work
• image courtesy of Joe Zlomek

PS If you’d like more choices, Lifehacker compares five (including Asana)

LET PIRACY HELP YOU: THREE STEPS TO TAKE

Attention is very difficult to get these days. Digital piracy helps spread the word and offers free access. Studies show that piracy is not harming the entertainment business. In fact, Netflix uses piracy sites to gauge what’s popular and worth adding to their service.

The record-breaking piracy of Game Of Thrones doesn’t concern HBO (see Forbes and The Motley Fool). Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes said this about piracy:

Our experience is, it all leads to more penetration, more paying subs [subscribers], more health for HBO, less reliance on having to do paid advertising… If you go around the world, I think you’re right, Game of Thrones is the most pirated show in the world. Well, you know, that’s better than an Emmy.

HBO’s Advantage

HBO gets credit for each pirated copy. Downloaders want the original. A variation — say  Games of Thrones — might fool people temporarily.

If what you do gets pirated, the recipients may not know they getting the original. They may not even care unless they believe you’re better (and know you exist).

What you create can be copied whether text, audio, video or photo. With 3D printers, physical objects are getting easier to duplicate too. If you can’t stop piracy, how can you benefit? Let’s look at three steps.

1. Make Something Worth Stealing

What are you creating that’s worth stealing in the first place?

What you do is likely similar to what your competitors do. You may follow standard procedures and have learned from the same teachers (for example, to sell investments, life insurance or real estate). Do your terminology and processes differ enough for a buyer to notice and care?

What makes you truly different? Maybe you have expertise in a niche. Maybe your background gives you an edge.

2. Demonstrate Your Ownership

Getting attention is a big challenge even if you’ve got the best solution. Invisibility hurts you. People with lesser ideas but more visibility have an edge.  You need to take steps so that you don’t disappear.

When you put content online, you establish a timeline. You show you were first. A web searcher can see you were the originator. For this to work, you’ll need to publish on sites where users can’t change timestamps (e.g., on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+). A blog or website may allow manipulation.

3. Keep Creating

If you’re a thought leader, you won’t run out of ideas. You’ll likely have too many. As you share your current thinking, you’re getting further ahead. The pirates can copy faster than you create but they can’t copy what’s going on in your head — your creation process. They can’t have the same understanding. How can they get ahead?

Our Fears

We don’t want our ideas stolen. Fear of our competitors may hold us back from sharing content that would attract buyers. Is that prudent?

I’ve had ideas stolen. Once, a vice president at a bank branch in another city sent out one of my blog posts under his name. How did that get through the Compliance department? I found out because a connection asked for my opinion on the ideas. I responded saying I agreed 100% and linked to my original post. I didn’t contact the plagiarist who ended up losing a client.

You don’t have to give everything away. Be selective. You wouldn’t publish your “secret recipe” or post your source code. What can you lose by showing your processes at a high level, publishing case studies or sharing your ideas?

Related Links

• How to move from out-of-sight to top-of-mind
• Building trust before meeting in person
• The five marketing keys from Google’s Chris O’Neil
• How to beat Goliath with your marketing
• The three marketing essentials for today
• Step 6: how to disappear online
• image courtesy of jdurham

PS Even if you don’t get pirated, you’ll be easier to find online.

CASE STUDY: LURING BIG PROSPECTS WITH SMALL GIFTS

Part way through a coffee meeting, a real estate agent gave me a tiny box the size of a business card and the thickness of a deck of cards.

The page on top was more like photocopier stock than card stock.
It had two messages:

• “For the sweetest deal in real estate, call me!” and
• “Oh, by the way … I’m never too busy for any of your referrals!”

One business card was taped underneath. Below that was a small box that held three small football-shaped Lindt chocolates that looked nothing like the photo.

What Effect?

The agent’s intentions were good but was this approach effective?

Virtually anyone can use the same message: “For the sweetest deal in (fill in the blank), call me!” and who would refuse referrals?

If you get the sweetest deal, doesn’t the other side gets the bitterest deal? Maybe a sweet deal is better and leads to less cavities.

The Perfect Gift

The perfect gift is significant, personalized and unexpected, according to Robert Cialdini. Does chocolate qualify?

• significant? No since we have lots of chocolate at home. Besides, I got a normal box of Lindt truffles at another event.
• personalized? Partially since my name was added to a pre-printed sheet. I would have preferred a fully handwritten card.
• unexpected? No since I saw the box the whole time and knew the purpose (best to hide it)

The chocolate was probably on sale at the nearby Lindt Factory Outlet. I paid for our coffees, which probably cost more. Also, I was spending something much more valuable, my irreplaceable time. I felt let down at what looked more like unsubtle manipulation than generosity.

The Ask

A tiny box of chocolates from an outlet is cheap. Real estate is expensive. How does one small gift lead to a big commission? Repetition helps but are we likely going to get chocolate on a regular basis. Do we even want more?

Besides, there are lots of real estate agents that look interchangeable. How do you pick one? Chocolate gives no indication of skill (e.g., in negotiating).

A Better Approach

Timely ongoing information makes a much more useful gift. The content could be about the area of specialty, real estate. Not the generic articles that come with the junk mail every month. But something original that shows a genuine desire and ability to help prospects. The value and name recognition builds with consistency.

Emailing information via a newsletter allows tracking and cost-effective scaling. Buying and delivering chocolate does not.

Standing Out

We've dealt with real estate agents for ages. Not a single gave such a small gift. Not a single one gave useful ongoing information either. There's an opportunity to stand out.

Asking for a referral when giving the chocolate is bold — too bold for a first meeting. Would small bait land a big referral?

How was the chocolate? I don't know. I gave it to a child who might appreciate something that small.

Links

• What lasting gift can you offer everyone you meet?
• Rediscovering email newsletters
• Change your quarterly marketing messages to monthly
• Two clever examples of golden marketing at a live event
• Five steps to personal branding success from Dan Pink
• The three marketing essentials for today
• Flubs in a seminar with a $500,000 ticket
• Gift ideas for your business

PS Another gift, is paying attention to what your clients are doing and helping them succeed.

THE BEST BUYING EXPERIENCE REVISITED: AUDI, BMW, HYUNDAI, INFINITI, JEEP, LEXUS, MERCEDES, LAND ROVER, TOYOTA

Has the process of buying a new vehicle improved online? We looked at experiences with Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz three years ago. This time we’re looking at more companies.

Make An Offer

Have you been asked to make an offer? How annoying. How are we supposed to know what to offer, especially on a used vehicle? Can’t they make a fair offer and compete on factors like service (e.g., free loaners, work completed on time), location, facilities (cappuccino anyone?) and hours (open on Sunday!).

Acura (MDX)

We test drove an MDX around 3 PM on a Tuesday. We weren’t able to stay for a price quote. The advisor said he’d send us the information later that day. He didn’t. No call until Thursday evening around 8 PM while I was driving in bad weather. He offered to call on Friday but never did. Would you return or give this dealership your business?

Audi (Q7 Diesel)

This experience was fine. The advisor answered our questions and phoned back as scheduled. However, the only vehicle we could test drive had the wrong engine and trim. Do you feel comfortable buying without trying?

BMW (535i xDrive GT)

We test-drove two well-equipped 5-Series Gran Turismos. One dealer’s had a loud rattle at some speeds. The other dealer was worse. The car stopped running on the way back. The warning light said the oil pressure was low and shut the engine off. Luckily we were at a traffic light and the warning blinkers worked. The dealership didn’t send anyone to our rescue quickly. After 15 minutes, I braved the chill, snow and slippery sidewalks to walk back to the dealership. Would you want to go back?

Hyundai (Genesis)

We got a test drive but not with the trim level we wanted. We were given misleading information. We were told that buying was better than leasing because we could return the vehicle anytime and get a new one. Really? How was the value set? By appraising the vehicle. You can do that anywhere anytime but will likely lose during the process.

The salesperson was talking to other people while I was there (a phone call, a person walking by). While waiting, I sat in the rear seat of a Genesis R-Spec and closed the door. It wouldn’t unlock! I tapped on the glass and called out. The rescue only took a minute but felt much longer. I returned the next day and this time my wife got locked in. Why hadn’t the childproof locks been deactivated?

At a second dealership, we were told there were no vehicles for test drive but to wait. This wasted time and didn’t change the outcome. Perhaps the salesperson wanted us to think he tried … before pitching a different vehicle. This guy also talked about himself a lot.

Neither advisor followed up. The dealerships were scrunchy and didn’t build confidence in the level of service they’d provide.

Infiniti

We had a bad experience with Infiniti in 2005 and have never returned. That’s unfair but that’s life. At the time, we went on a test drive and the license plate that hangs from the trunk fell off. The salesperson was with us the whole time and knew we hadn’t opened the trunk. He made us feel that we were to blame and left to retrace the path. Would you feel like returning?

Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler (Grand Cherokee Diesel)

This is the worst experience ever. The doors and windows were plastered with signs saying we’d be treated like VIPs because of the big autoshow underway. We told the receptionist we wanted to test drive the new diesel Grand Cherokee. She called a salesperson. He declined to help, saying he had a meeting in 20 minutes. She said she’s find someone else but didn’t. There were other advisors around but no one offered to help. After minutes passed, we told her we were leaving. No one made an attempt to stop us. Would you like to get your vehicle serviced here?

Land Rover (LR4, Range Rover Sport)

The website calculators don’t give a clear understanding of the cost of leasing. We drove to the dealership … but it had moved. Even with GPS, we couldn’t find the new location. How long would you search?

Lexus (RX350)

The first dealer didn’t have the trim we wanted in the showroom or available for a test drive. We tried a lesser version. During the test drive, we heard the clink of glass from the back. We later found out this was from a case of beer. Maybe that’s a bonus for buying? The salesperson asked good questions. Why did we like diesel (which he didn’t sell)? How does Mercedes service compare with BMW?

We returned two days later within 30 minutes of closing. No receptionist. No one there bothered to talk to us. This time we noticed the small showroom didn’t have the F-Sport, GX or LX. Would you buy what you can’t see or compare?

I visited a different Lexus dealer between other meetings. The experience here was good. They had all the vehicles indoors and I got a test drive (though on a model with a lower trim). I didn’t have time to discuss price. However, I did chat with the sales manager who emailed a proposal which met all our requirements.

Mercedes-Benz (ML350 Bluetec)

We were sent on a test drive on our own on icy roads during a storm. No advisor. We didn’t mind. Maybe they knew we already had a Mercedes? Our usual advisor likes to demonstrate the vehicle first and always comes with us.

Mercedes has corporate stores in the Toronto area. This is ideal because all the inventory is consolidated (no need to visit different locations). There are also lots of demonstrators. I have an advisor in their head office and an advisor in the dealership of my choice (the downtown flagship).

Despite these resources, I never got an answer to a basic question: if we buy our current vehicle at lease end, what’s the scheduled maintenance for the upcoming years and how much would that cost? I asked several times. Instead, I was told that maintenance could be very pricey after the warranty. The problem is with the reliability of the electronics. Replacements are pricey. That’s not reassuring. It seems that the focus is on selling or leasing new vehicles.

Overall, the experience here was the best. Have you visited a corporate store?

Toyota (Highlander Limited)

The trim level I wanted wasn’t available for a test drive. I drove a more basic version (no heated steering wheel!) which only had fuel for 17 km. Unlike the experience at BMW, we made it back. The experience was good. I said I’d return after dinner with my family and asked that the Highlander be fueled.

When we returned, we waited only to find there was nothing to test drive. Apparently the vehicle was in for repairs. How reassuring. Why hadn’t the salesperson (who just started a week ago) saved us a trip? We couldn’t test a 4Runner either because the advisor who drove the demo truck left 15 minutes earlier (probably while we were waiting).

Toyota dealer 2 had no receptionist and no Highlander in the showroom. A salesperson offered to help us “in a minute” after finishing with another customer. We left after the minutes passed. The Sienna on display had a broken door hinge.

Toyota dealer 3 had the Highlander but only with a lower trim level without a heated steering wheel or blind spot detection. The vehicle took a while to heat up and the steering wheel stayed chilly throughout. Could we go on the highway? No, that was discouraged to save time. Customers were encouraged to do that at a different dealership and then buy here. Could we drive the 4Runner? Nope. No test vehicle because the model didn’t sell well. Could the lack of a test vehicle be a reason?

We went back inside and got tired of waiting for the salesperson (who only had three months of experience). I wanted to tell the receptionist we were leaving. She must have seen me but continued talking to a co-worker.

Overall

There are still huge opportunities to improve the experience of visiting dealerships and the quality of the advisors. Overall, corporate stores feel best and reduce the need to visit multiple dealerships that sell the same brand.

Links

• Money-saving tips for car shopping today
• Marketing lessons from the Hyundai Genesis
• The best buying experience: Audi vs BMW vs Mercedes-Benz
• Three lessons from the salespeople at Audi, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz
• The car purchase: recovering from bad service
• image courtesy of Jane Seymour

PS We’re on the verge of making our decision and ending the shopping process for a few more years.

HOW TO EMAIL ALL YOUR LINKEDIN CONNECTIONS

You've been working hard building a nice quality LinkedIn network. Now you have a meaningful message for all your connections. How do you reach them?

Why Not Post An Update?

Posting an update is quick and easy, but will enough connections see it? The chances decrease if their network is large and they don’t visit LinkedIn often. You can post your update more than once but risk annoying your connections with smaller networks who visit LinkedIn regularly.

Email Through LinkedIn

LinkedIn limits your message to 50 recipients at a time. If you have 500+ connections, you can be spending a long time reaching them. The process of selecting the names is a hassle too.

LinkedIn’s limits are probably designed to discourage spam but most of the messages I receive this way are spammy. Also, you lose basic formatting options like bold, italics and bullets and friendly links (e.g., this instead of http://www.marketingactuary.com/2012/10/building-trust-with-linkedin-your-30.html).

What happens if LinkedIn limits the number of emails you can send in a day?

Email Through Your CRM

You can send email through your CRM system like Contactually (the best option for small business). Again. you may face limits on how many emails you can send at a time (e.g., 50) and in a day (e.g., 300). These systems aren’t designed for mass emails.

Perhaps they have concerns over spam even though the messages go through your own email provider (which may also have daily limits).

Your CRM likely holds non-LinkedIn connections too. Selecting the ideal recipients takes time, but is a worthwhile exercise. For instance, you might want to only reach people who live in the same city.

Email Through an Email Service

The ultimate solution is to use an email service like Mad Mimi (review). A free account may be all you need. These services give you a quick, fast way to reach your connections. You also see who’s opening the emails and what they’re clicking on.

Here’s the one-time process

• Prune your LinkedIn network (now’s an ideal time)
• Export the connections from LinkedIn
• Import the list (instructions for Mad Mimi)

You’re now ready to compose and send your email.

Do You Have Permission?

Are you allowed to send messages to all your LinkedIn connections? I’ve asked around. This isn’t legal advice but the answer looks like yes if you

• build a quality network
• send messages infrequently
• have meaningful content (e.g, skip generic messages like “Happy New Year”)

Your LinkedIn connections gave you permission to establish a business relationship with them. You can’t without communication. You’re simply finding a efficient, considerate way to reach them.

Links

• Building trust with LinkedIn: Your 30 day action plan
• Why Contactually is the best CRM option for small business
• How to prune your network
• image courtesy of DosEfes

PS Transparence, my monthly newsletter still requires opt-in.

WHAT WILL YOU DO DIFFERENTLY FOR TODAY'S CUSTOMERS?

The world keeps changing at an ever-faster pace. Are you?

In recent days, we visited the mall. That’s a place we rarely go anymore, which made the changes stand out. Since smartphones are commonplace, there’s now an iPhone/Android app to help you locate stores by name or product category. Perhaps the next version will give walking directions too.

The department store had a sign saying that if they didn’t have what you wanted, the sales associate would look online [on their website] and have the item shipped to your door (free for orders over $50). The shoe store didn’t have the right size in stock but we could order online. The salesman didn’t help further because he probably doesn’t get a commission for online sales. The sports store only sold the nicer yoga mats online (free shipping for orders over $99). In the future, we were advised to check on what was in-stock online to save a trip to the store. The camera store didn’t have any LED lighting kits on display, which meant buying without trying.

Imagine that. The bricks-and-mortar stores are sending you to their online stores. That’s different. Think of how consumer behavior is changing. The lesson is to look online, which makes an easy first step. That has consequences for what you sell and how you sell.

What are you going to do differently? When are you going to start? If not now, then when?

Prime For Change

We managed to find the yoga mats and LED video lighting on Amazon (links to aStore). Since we’re buying without touching the items, we relied on the reviews by actual customers on Amazon and YouTube.

While ordering, Amazon offered a free month-long trial of Prime, which has two key advantages:

1. “free” two day delivery on many items (or upgrade to next-day for $4)
2. no minimum order size (normally standard free delivery requires a minimum order of $25)

Now impulse purchases are even easier. especially with 1-click ordering. Prices are generally good on Amazon and the selection is much wider than any physical store can offer.

I’m planning to cancel Prime during the free trial because in Canada the $79/year price excludes Amazon Instant Video and the Kindle lending library. How strange. Naturally Canada has less selection and higher prices but that’s not Amazon’s fault.

Two Surprises

When you are expecting delivery, you may want to track the shipment online. To my surprise, Google Now makes that effortless. Without even opening email, I was shown a link to the tracking page. Another surprise is that UPS is making the delivery a day earlier (which is next-day delivery).

Unexpected good news changes future expectations. What more might your customers be expecting because of their experiences elsewhere?

Get Started

Change takes time but deciding to change takes a moment. As a minimum, you can start by acquiring new skills. For instance, I’m going to use video more extensively and have been learning about depth of field, lighting and editing.

Links

• Hero or zero: the sad tale of Lenovo and UPS
• 10 tips for using a webcam for business
• Final post of 2007: Three communication tips
• Final post of 2008: Move beyond “tell them thrice”
• Final post of 2009: Three lessons from 2009
• Final post of 2010: Three tips to master networking events
• Final post of 2011: Are you sick of social media too?
• Final post of 2012: What will you stop doing?
• image courtesy of Erin Parker

PS Last week’s post got missed because we were without electricity and heat for over 90 hours due to an ice storm in Toronto. This is the final post of 2013. Best wishes for 2014!

WHY CONTACTUALLY IS THE BEST CRM OPTION FOR SMALL BUSINESS

(Contactually provided no incentives for the writing this blog post. Since I'm now a big supporter, I’ve become an affiliate to help them thrive.)

A successful business requires a solid Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. The challenge is choosing a solution which is:

• easy to use: adds contacts automatically from your emails and LinkedIn; shows social media feeds; notifies you of changes in your network such as new positions
• scalable: to allow other users as your business grows
• web-based: for access anytime from anywhere with nothing to install or maintain

Other Options

You do have choices. I had Batchbook for almost four years but never really liked it enough to use regularly. I recently experimented with Insightly (tied to one email account and price based on the number of contacts) and Nimble (feels too lite).

If you’re married to Highrise, Pipedrive, Salesforce or SugarCRM, you don’t need to switch since Contactually integrates with them. That’s a solid sign that Contactually is different. If you find there’s too much overlap after your free trial, you might want to save money by dropping one.

Even More

Other useful features in a CRM are

• email templates to speed up and standardize replies
• pre-scheduling of emails (e.g., write at night and send in the morning)
• track when emails are opened
• unlimited contacts without a surcharge
• sensible reminders to follow up
• benchmarking against other CRM users (e.g., like RescueTime does for time tacking)

Contactually has all these features.

The Concept

Contactually is very well thought out. You get easy-to-use features without clutter or undue complexity. For instance, you can introduce two connections to each other with a few mouse clicks.

The basic idea is that you group people into “buckets”. That terminology still feels weird but is easy to visualize. Maybe that’s because we know what a bucket looks like. In contrast, synonyms like “group” or “category” or “tag” or “community” feel abstract.

You can put people into multiple buckets.

Email Templates

You can send an email to some or all members of a bucket. You can even personalize these emails by inserting a name as when sending a newsletter. What's more — and this is very powerful — you can edit the message for each recipient separately.

Think about that.

Say you want to send the same message to 30 people but make minor adjustments for three of them. Does a BCC or email newsletter allow that easily? Contactually does. You get the benefit of a template and the customization of individual emails.

Previously, I’d create a draft in Gmail, copy/paste into an email and personalize. That’s time-consuming and error-prone.

Relationships

Contactually focuses on helping you build relationships by reminding you to stay in touch.

When you look up a contact, you get lots of relevant information such as the last time of contact, the emails sent and what they're doing via social media.

Contactually monitors what you do also and we'll update contact information from email signatures. You don't have to do anything. Sometimes you get emails from the same person but via different email accounts. Contactually is good at figuring this out. Some CRM systems are tied to a specific email account but Contactually lets you connect to as many as you like. Isn't that what you want?

Following up

When we don’t follow up, we lose opportunities and reduce trust. Contactually makes the process easy, almost enjoyable. You’re given tips on how to follow up. You get access to templates that others have created. Click on the screenshot to see options.

You have weekly goals for the number of follow ups and see your progress on a dashboard. This week, I’ve done none. There’s still hope, since I tend to follow up most on Fridays.

Privacy

Contactually does not store a copy of your email messages. Instead, limited information is kept (e.g., subject line, sender, recipient). You can click on a message to read it from your email provider.

Sales Pipeline

Until recently, Contactually didn’t — gasp — have a sales pipeline. That was not a major omission. You probably know who your active prospects and where they are in the sales process. That's what many CRMs do and it feels redundant and painful.

Not Perfect

Contactually is not perfect but does keep improving. The support team is very helpful . They have live web chat which works well. They are open to suggestions.

For example, I wanted Contactually to connect to my newsletter service, Mad Mimi. Both companies were receptive and within months this happened.

Perfect for Freelancers

If you’re working on your own or in a small group, a CRM solution is especially important. Contactually feels like an addition to your team thanks to smart notifications.

It’s easy to adopt bad habits when you’re the boss. Contactually helps keep you track by benchmarking you against similar users.

Not Perfect

No CRM is perfect and you’ll have your own preferences. Most choices offer a free trial but experimenting takes time. Since a CRM solution contains your confidential information, how many options do you want to try?

If you’re a freelancer or working in a small group, do try Contactually. If you’re satisfied, you can stop your search and focus on your work. You’ll probably want the Small Business Plan, which has the features described above for $40/month. If you just want the basics, the Premium plan is well featured at $20/month.

Links

• Contactually trial (reseller link) 
• Choosing a CRM solution
• Use Mad Mimi for your email newsletters
• Three time-tracking tools that work

PS Contactually doesn’t currently sync with calendars. Again, that isn’t a big deal.

HOW NOT TO ORGANIZE AN EVENT

With an electromagnet, you press a button and get immediate attraction. If speakers are the magnet, filling seats can’t be difficult. Or so I thought.

There are standard ways to organize events. You have a catchy title. You show the benefits of attending. You have early bird specials. You send lots of reminders. You get sponsors. You might even have affiliates.

I knew better.
I ignored the rules.
I learned lots of things that don’t work.

The Experiment

Money 50/50: Insider Advice for Today’s Topsy-Turvy Times had:

• a proper venue with nice refreshments (University of Toronto)
• excellent, credible speakers (each with large followings)
• a topic of universal importance (money)
• a novel format (30 minute segments: 15 minute talk + 15 minute Q&A)
• lots of interaction (Q&A and networking)
• no sponsors (tickets priced to cover the costs)

That’s not enough to fill seats. I was advised to pick a smaller venue with 50 seats. Since I knew better, I got room for 100 to meet the anticipated demand and spread the fixed costs.

Own Network

I thought I could easily fill the seats with people in my network who support my initiatives and the cause of objective financial education. The idea was that they’d attend and invite their friends. The math works:

• 100 attendees = 10 (core group) x 5 (their friends) x 2 (the friends of friends)

That’s before any promotion by the speakers or other parties. Might need a bigger room!

I got the core group but they weren’t very successful in inviting their friends. That’s not their fault. There wasn’t much time and the invitation content focused on the speakers without mentioning the topics. November seems like an overly busy month too.

Its better to treat second level connections as strangers and make the event description compelling. That then helps the core group invite others.

Next Time

Here’s the strategy for next time:

1. Have more lead time: select a date two months away
2. Confirm the venue first: last time I had the speakers first and their schedules made getting a venue more challenging
3. Gather supporters now: ask a core group to confirm they’re attending and will bring one or more friends
4. Crowdsource: get help from the core group on the title, descriptions, content
5. Select speakers: they now fit the event rather than having the event fit around them
6. Market extensively: encourage everyone involved to help spread the word

Debatable

Some matters will not be resolved easily. For instance, do you make the event free, low price or charge a premium price? There are pros and cons to each. I'm still concerned about the compromises from having sponsors. The biggest fixed cost is the room and audio visual equipment.

If there is a way to get the facilities free, the big remaining cost is refreshments. For a free event, its possible to skip the refreshments all together but that cheapens the experience. There may be some way to get food sponsors who don’t want special favors such as time at the podium. I'll explore but am still tempted to charge to cover costs. Paying shows commitment. Attendees will want to get their money's worth, which means showing up. At least that's the theory.

The main lesson is to pay heed to what works. It’s okay to break the rules, but understand those rules first.

Links

• Four clever ways to slash no-shows at your free event
• How to find a free venue for your event
• Case study: how to launch a new brand
• Why bother seeing a speaker live?
• Creating the perfect networking event
• image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

PS If you’d like to experience the next Money 50/50 event, join the mailing list.

WHY YOU MUST TAKE NOTES

The palest ink is better than the best memory — Chinese proverb

“Let me write that down.”

Have you ever been in a meeting where the other person pulls out pen/paper or smartphone/tablet to write down something you just said? Even though the conversation has been going on for a while.

How do you feel?

Um ... didn't I say anything worthwhile before? That's the implication. We take notes when we want to remember something important to us. That's universal. Even if you think you have a perfect memory, who's going to believe you? When you don't take notes, you're implying that what's being said isn't very important. You may claim to have an amazing memory. Maybe you do. Will others believe you?

Taking notes improves your listening skills. You're now engaging another sense. You're less likely to daydream. You're more likely to focus.

Even if much of the conversation is banal, you still benefit by taking notes. As a minimum, you're improving your note-taking skills. Wait a second you say. When I'm writing notes, I'm not looking at the other person and reading their body language. True but you are paying more attention to what they're saying and how they are saying it. That has value too.

Payment

One of the best ways to pay someone today is with attention. That's exactly what note-taking does. You can take notes on your smartphone but this is slow unless you have a stylus as with the Samsung Galaxy Note series. When you use electronics, there's a temptation to get distracted. What does that unread email say? Even if you don't wander, the others may think you're not paying attention because they'd get distracted in that situation.

Using paper alleviates those concerns. At worst, you could be making a grocery list or jotting down words for a blog post. At least you're being more discreet then you could be with an electronic device.

Respect

Taking notes is very respectful. Even if you throw those notes away later, the optics look terrific and more will stay in your head. In my case, I scan the notes and give them a file name that helps with future searches. I put action items into a To Do list.

You don't need a large notepad. You can have a second smaller one that easily fits into a pocket or purse as a backup. For maximum benefit, start using it from the start of the conversation.

Links

• The best way to capture your thoughts
• Boost productivity: three gadgets get things done
• Picking the best medium for your message
• image courtesy of Gareth Weeks

PS Taking notes is also worthwhile during presentations.

HOW TO BEAT GOLIATH WITH YOUR MARKETING

"What happens in wars between the strong and the weak when the weak side does as David did and refuses to fight the way the bigger side wants to fight, using unconventional or guerrilla tactics? The answer: in those cases, the weaker party’s winning percentage climbs from 28.5 percent to 63.6 percent. To put that in perspective, the United States’ population is ten times the size of Canada’s. If the two countries went to war and Canada chose to fight unconventionally, history would suggest that you ought to put your money on Canada." — Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath

Who’s scheming to defeat you?

As Malcolm Gladwell points out in David and Goliath, you can’t fight conventionally … if you want to win. How strange that there’s still such desire in doing things the normal ways.

"When an underdog fought like David, he usually won. But most of the time, underdogs didn’t fight like David. Of the 202 lopsided conflicts in Arreguín-Toft’s database, the underdog chose to go toe-to-toe with Goliath the conventional way 152 times — and lost 119 times." — Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath

Maybe getting an A for trying is seen as better than doing what’s needed to win.

Advertising

We can’t have a shoot-out without guns. We’d lose.
— Jason Statham (The Italian Job)

There are other ways to win. Consider advertising. That’s a conventional way to get attention. Maybe you can’t buy enough billboards or TV spots to make a lasting impression. Maybe you can’t afford any. Instead, you could earn attention by creating solid content that your network helps you spread. That is doable but less glamorous. You won’t win an award for the Ad Of The Year.

Google’s new Hummingbird smarter search algorithm helps smaller publishers with relevant content get found. YouTube puts you on the screen for free.

Old Boy Networks

Maybe you can’t make inroads into private clubs where big business gets done. New opportunities emerge.

Golf is considered essential for business … especially by golfers on expense accounts. Not every successful person golfs. I don’t. While the golfers are sweating or getting soaked outside, you can bond with the nongolfers.

Look at all the diversity in people these days. Which groups are a natural fit for you? If you get connected to the ‘rising stars’, you’re well positioned for successes the old boys won’t see. Besides, they’ll retire someday.

Bigger vs Better

Our cards were speed and time, not hitting power. — Lawrence of Arabia

The Goliaths are often slow and wed to the status quo. Be quick and experiment. They’ll know you hit them but not how to respond. You have a huge advantage when they’re unbalanced. Look at what happened to former giants like Blackberry.

Other Battles

Maybe you’re not a good writer? That’s fixable. The nature of reading has changed as we’ve moved from paper to screens. There’s more skimming now (notice how I use lots of subtitles?). There’s also more tolerance for minor mistakes. Besides, you’ll improve with practice if you get started and keep going.

Maybe you don’t have 20+ years of experience? You’re spared from unlearning the old, less relevant ways engrained into yesterday’s experts. With less mental clutter, you’re better positioned to adapt. You might have skipped the step from typewriter to desktop computer to laptop. Does that really matter in today’s world of tablets and smartphones? Some new services don’t even run on computers or web browsers (e.g., newsreaders like Zite or Google Currents).

Maybe you don’t have enough customers? That means you’re not bogged down with the wrong kind of customers.

Maybe you don’t have time or don’t know how. Who does? You could start small by investing 15 minutes a day. The learning and doing become simpler. Baby steps help you win the marathon.

We think of things as helpful that actually aren’t and think of other things as unhelpful that in reality leave us stronger and wiser.
— Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath

You achieve a sweet victory when you turn perceived disadvantages into advantages. We root for the underdogs in the movies and real life.

Links

• Google ‘Hummingbird’ algorithm to elevate niche websites (The Telegraph, Oct 3, 2013)
• Comparing strategies at Apple, Blackberry, Google and Microsoft
• Creating the perfect networking event
• How to move from out-of-sight to top-of-mind
• One billion reasons to create your own videos
• Three ways to beat the market leader
• Bonding with nongolfers
• How healthy is your marketing?
• Building trust with networking
• image courtesy of Paul Moore

PS Maybe your biggest Goliath is inside you.

HOW TO HIRE THE RIGHT PERSON (OR NOT HIRE THE WRONG PERSON)

The hiring process consumes vast resources — especially attention. Yet you can't tell if you're hiring the right person. Sorry.

As the divorce rates show, we’re not great at picking a mate either. We’re easy to fool.

Public Face or Private Place?

Candidates construct a facade and provide references from well-meaning sources who cannot be objective. As the mutual fund fineprint says, past performance doesn't guarantee future results. Yet the past get used to imply a future at least as bright. Your biases get in the way too.

Malcolm Gladwell says we learn more in minutes in a private place (not meant to be seen) than from months examining a public face (meant to be seen). Employers can’t examine bedrooms but there is a substitute.

What’s more private than your thoughts?

Granted, we self-censor what we communicate but hints of the truth peek through as the quantity grows. Online content forms a digital tapestry that’s quick and easy to examine.

Then Now and Then

You're hiring today for an unpredictable future. On 9/10, you can't tell how a candidate will perform on your equivalent of 9/11 and 9/12.

Given the right (or wrong) circumstances, great candidates flounder while the lousy-but-lucky flourish. As with politicians, we can't tell who's who until afterwards. Deciding is tough.

I've hired badly and have seen too many bad hires. The basic experience, credentials, skills and fit were in place. The ability to adapt was not.

When hiring people who work remotely (say in sales), you can't see them regularly and their self-reporting is biased. There's always a big opportunity on the way ... and explanations for what went wrong due to circumstances which could not be controlled. It's easier to dismiss poor performance than dismiss a poor hire (Entrepreneur, mistake #4).

Signs To Mind

When hiring, look for proof of

• continual learning: Meeting mandatory continuing education requirements isn’t enough. Also look at additional learning such as reading, workshops or courses (e.g., free at Coursera, EdX and Seth Godin’s new Krypton Community College).
• applying the learning: The real proof of learning is the ability to apply the lessons, ideally in new ways (e.g., Netflix studies piracy sites to decide what to buy).

The "Free Prize"

When the hiring process identifies more than one candidate who can do the basic work well, how to decide? As with an Android phone, the extras make the difference (ease of use with Moto X vs better specs with Samsung). As books and movies show, it's difficult to identify who will matter later. Gollum would fail the interview process but make a better guide than Google Maps or Mordor.

When you hire wrong, the big cost comes from the opportunities lost. Those we can’t quantify until we're able to run simulations in parallel universes.

Links

• We’re easy to fool (with examples)
• The WRAP on Decisive by Chip and Dan Heath
• The true cost of hiring a bad employee (The Undercover Recruiter, Jul 2013)
• The unexpectedly high cost of a bad hire (LinkedIn, Jul 2013)
• So much for qualifications: employers hire the people they like (Time, Dec 2012)
• Avoid these harmful hiring mistakes (Forbes, June 2013)
• Top 10 hiring mistakes business owners make (Inc)
• Four hiring mistakes entrepreneurs make (Entrepreneur, Sep 2013)
• Three proactive ways to boost your credibility
• Mitch Joel’s 8 steps to getting a job today
• Building trust before meeting in person
• image courtesy of e-pyton

PS There’s also the risk of losing your great hires (see ceo.com)

THREE STEPS TO RECYCLE OLD CONTENT

You want people to read and share your content but lives are busy. They may not even notice, lack immediate interest or forget.

When you recycle content, you help them re-discover what you’ve already done.

1. Build To Last

To warrant future attention, your content needs to last. You can write about something which is of the moment but for similar effort, you can write something with future appeal too.

You may need to explain the interconnections.

For instance, my recent post about whether it’s better to pre-announce or ship compares strategies at Apple, Blackberry, Google and Microsoft. Blackberry had just announced they were for sale, which made the post timely. There are still ways to refer back to this post years later. Perhaps a company will have disappeared or changed strategies.

2. Build To Find

If your content is easy to find with a web search, you increase the chances of rediscovery with no further action from you (e.g., case study). You can’t count on this though.

You help with rediscovery when you embed links in your new content. I put links throughout my posts and at the bottom too. This allows readers to easily click to read something else (though not all links are to content I’ve created).

3. Build To Share

Content is easiest to share when all that’s needed is a click of a button. Social networks are your friend. You expand your reach when you have already built audiences on them. A newsletter is another mechanism, though sharing is often more complicated.

You may like creating PDFs, but they are awkward to read on a smartphone, consume bandwidth and take up storage space. Copy/pasting can be a hassle too. How do you track readership? Instead, you could put highlights in an easy-to-share-and-track blog post with links to the PDF.

Examples

When I write a blog post, here are the steps for initial readership

• automatic tweet
• manual posting on Google+
• manual update on LinkedIn
• inclusion in a monthly newsletter

School restarted today. I re-shared content from prior years (this and this) rather than writing something fresh.

This is Life Insurance Awareness Month. My new post about Boomer Esiason has links to timeless posts about prior spokespeople like Buddy Valastro, Lamar Odom and Leslie Bibb.

When there's a major storm, I've got ready-to-go content about inaccurate weather forecasts or snow plows or power failures or the aftermath.

As you create more content, you'll see more connections between what’s happening and you’ve already got. That creates more opportunities to recycle.

Links

• Case study: getting new traffic from old content
• Get ‘Back To School’ with your marketing
• Your digital tapestry is your legacy
• A teen predicts the future in 1978
• The six basic fears from 1937
• image courtesy of Tammy Mobley

PS It’s A Wonderful Life gets recycled each Christmas.

HOW TO WORK FROM A HOME OFFICE (PART 1)

Working from a home office is not the same as working at home.
If you have an office office, you could easily spend some time working from home too. The photo shows a cramped setup that might be usable for short periods

Working from a home office means working primarily from the office located in your home. I've been working from my home office for over 3 years. We’ll explore three keys for long term success.

1. Equip

The key word in “home office” is office. An office is a place you work. An office is equipped with the right tools for you to get results. These tools might include:

• an office-grade chair
• full-spectrum lighting (ideally daylight)
• a business-grade computer with an external keyboard and external monitor
• a computer table with a keyboard tray with an adjustable height
• a business-grade printer/scanner
• reliable, fast Internet
• a desk or table
• filing space

Does your office look like an office? Sitting in the corner of the basement is less than ideal if you have options. A separate room is ideal for privacy and to separate your work and home lives.

Maybe you have no visitors. That doesn't matter. Your physical surroundings affect your  mindset, productivity and results. Even colours make a difference. It’s easy to scrimp on your setup. If you had an outside office, what would you pay in rent? Maybe you can use a portion of that money to equip your home office in stages.

I'm lucky. In the mid 1990s, I had a 20’x20’ office with solid oak furniture and chairs finished in the fabric of my choice. When the company switched to open concept in grey/beige, I bought my furniture.

2. Work

You go to an office to work. You’re in the right frame of mind and dressed appropriately. If you wouldn’t go to an outside office in your pyjamas, why go to your home office that way? At least dress well enough for a video conference call.

You're at your office to work. so work. With no one to monitor you, you might not be accountable. You can bring in discipline by having rules (e.g. no personal tasks except during breaks), a schedule (e.g., slots for checking email) and using time tracking tools.

3. Go Home

When you're done working at an outside office, you go home. The travel creates a buffer. You lose that when when your office is at home. How do you stop working? This may be your biggest challenge — especially if you enjoy what you’re doing.

There’s no place like home if you can’t stop working. You don’t what your home office to become your office with a kitchen, shower and bed.

Links

• How to work from a home office (part 2) (new)
• How to design the ideal home office (Entrepreneur)
• Shades of meaning in the office decor (The Telegraph, May 2008)
• slideshow: How to successfully work from home (Forbes, Aug 2012)
• Recovering from another computer breakdown
• Three rules to use the right work tools
• Best 5 colors that increase productivity
• image courtesy of kaymystiry

PS If the patio beckons, maybe you wait until your lunch break?

BLOGS vs NEWSLETTERS: WHICH IS BETTER FOR YOU?

Which gives better results, a blog or a newsletter?

We’ll look at considerations in picking the winner for you. The points aren’t listing in any particular order.

IN THIS CORNER: Blogs

The more quality content you publish online, the more likely you are to be ranked high by Google and considered an authority in your subject area.
— Forbes, June 2013

Blog Pros

• Makes you known to strangers
• 100% permission-based: subscribers opt-in on their own
• 100% free with Google Blogger (no hosting, optimized for search) [the platform for this blog]
• Two-way communication: readers can leave comments
• Shareable via social networks
• Old content can get new traffic (see case study)
• Improves your Google Author Rank
• Public content helps build trust

Blog Cons

• Can't see who's reading: could be competitors, though this may not matter
• Audience takes time to build
• Visitors rarely subscribe and you have no way to contact them
• Writing takes time (ideal is at least once a week)
• No privacy: you're visible to the world (which could be a plus)

The Case Of Seth Godin

Seth Godin is an author and public speaker (e.g., at The Linchpin Session). He's also a major blogger with quality posts daily. He doesn't have a newsletter or use Twitter. Since you can subscribe to his blog, you are getting a newsletter of sorts but he won’t send you personalized emails.

Since Seth already has a large audience, his approach works well for him.

IN THIS CORNER: Newsletters

Email marketing is a great way to reach your customers where they are without spending a lot of money. But it’s a big responsibility, too — people don’t give their email addresses to just anyone. — Forbes, Oct 2012

Newsletter Pros

• Lets you see who's reading and what's read (by person and in total)
• You can add subscribers with no effort on their part (with their prior permission)
• Very flexible (send messages on demand, segment your list)
• Takes little time (e.g., fine to send once a month)
• Builds a mailing list, a valuable asset
• Might link with your CRM for even better analytics
• Allows "drip campaigns" to send a series of prescheduled emails
• Lets you exclude competitors as subscribers
• Hidden from search engines (like an individual email)
• Can make your list available to others (i.e., you send out an email from someone else to your mailing list)
• Less writing (your content can be links to articles by others, as in Transparence)
• You can segment your list to run multiple campaigns or multiple newsletters

Newsletter Cons

• Must be permission-based (limits your reach)
• Requires a clean, up-to-date mailing list if you’re sending to current contacts (takes time to prepare)
• Hidden from search engines (though you can post issues online)
• You can be reported as a spammer (even if you aren't)
• Content must be valuable to your audience (not just your self-promotion)
• Extra features and more subscribers cost more (though the basics may be free)
• A perception that they're salesy (since they often are)
• The cost increases with your audience size (generally not a problem unless you're getting the wrong subscribers)

The Case of Dan Pink

Dan Pink is primarily an author (e.g., To Sell Is Human) and public speaker. He blogs and has a newsletter but both are sporadic. This month, he announced that he's stopped blogging

“We’re going to shutter the blog and instead expand and deepen our collection of videos, articles, and guides on working smarter and living better”.  — Dan Pink, Jul 17, 2013

Dan will communicate through his newsletter, which has over 71,000 subscribers. If you don’t already subscribe, sign up. You’ll get a newsletter which is useful and interesting. You never know what you’ll get. Here is the current issue.

Dan is effectively changing from two-way communications to a broadcaster. That approach can work since he’s well known.

The Winner Is …

If you're established and have built a quality contact list, you have a valuable asset you're probably underusing. A newsletter could work well for you.

If you're new, you may not have a mailing list yet. A newsletter is a way to build one since you now have something you can offer everyone.

In my case, I started with a blog but that was in 2007. Today, I might start with a newsletter like Dan Pink’s. The ideal is having both, but you can start with one.

Links

• What lasting gift can you offer everyone you meet?
• Rediscovering email newsletters
• Use Mad Mimi for your email newsletters (new)
• Building trust in a transparent world
• Building trust with blogging
• image courtesy of Gorilla

PS Whether a blog or newsletter, make sure your content is of value or your you'll lose your goodwill and audience.

EVEN NIAGARA FALLS GETS BORING

Do you remember your first visit to Niagara Falls? (If you haven't been, substitute another dream-for-you location like the Grand Canyon or Taj Mahal that you’ve visited.)

Do you remember the anticipation, the wow? Perhaps followed by the "then what"?

Your experience of Niagara Falls depends on factors such as the

• the time of day
• the season
• the weather
• how much time you have
• your stress level
• whether you're there voluntarily
• who you're with
• how long you're there
• how often you visit
• why you're there
• where you view (Canada, US, the air, the water, a hotel or restaurant)
• your condition (tired, stressed, rushed)
• how much you care about nature
• the crowds

Some factors you control, others you influence and others you might as well accept.

The Same Isn't Enough

We quickly get bored.

The first rainbow is impressive and maybe the second but the third? The postcards don't lie (though they may be embellished).

Niagara Falls keeps changing. There are renovations and new features. For instance,  the Canadian side has a casino and a bird place which seem relatively new. On the US side, the Niagara Falls State Park is undergoing renovations for the 2013 peak season. Hotels get renovated, though they may look the same from the outside. Once our sofa got replaced during our stay. It's much nicer to be the first to use the new than the last to use the old.

Your Clients

Your clients and prospects will have different perceptions of you too. That’s not (entirely) your fault but you do have influence.

Expectations are different to predict and they change.

You can stay the same (let's say you're great). That's not enough to be a repeat attraction. Can you keep changing? What's your equivalent of a light show or renovations?

Since expectations keep changing, keep changing too. You probably are --- you can't help it --- but does anyone know? Unless you help people notice, they won't get the benefits. Neither will you. Seller inform.

Links

• Marketing ideas from wasting water
• What are you omitting that could get you in hot soup?
• Expectations change experiences: what do you call yourself?
• Three overlooked paths to a competitive edge
• Gently remind them what you do
• Do your clients feel cheated?

PS If you haven't visited Niagara Falls, do. If the falls aren't enough, you'll find lots of tourist-trap type things too.