Lessons from the "Great Detective"

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I've been a Batman fan since...well since the 90's. Other kids were aspiring to be like Superman when they grew up--practically invincible with a Kirk Douglas chin--I on the other hand was drawn to the mysterious allure of the Dark Knight. There was something about his melancholy and generally disinterested attitude toward others, his "gray area" moral standards, and his uncanny ability to be reborn an infinite number of times within the DC Universe only to have another area of his complex psyche become the focus of  new comic, movie or animated series.

There are a lot of things that can be learned from everyone's favorite Vigilante Playboy--like money can't buy happiness or women in leather body suits can't always be trusted--but did you ever stop to think that Bruce Wayne could teach you a thing or two about...marketing??

Be a Detective
Batman has been referred to by a lot of names, and with Christian Bale dawning the Cape and Cowel most recently in the Dark Knight film, people tend to forget that even though The Batman is a heroic figure for justice, in his essence, he is a detective pure and simple. With no superpowers, psychic ability or even a Steven Hawking rated IQ, he manages to solve crimes and apprehend criminals by use of his sheer intellect. How? Partly by paying attention.

It sounds simple enough but paying attention when it comes to marketing is hard work and takes a lot of time. There are 3 main areas that should always have your attention:

1. Your customer's demands
2. Your competitor's service
3. Your own efforts

You'll find that if you pay closer attention to customer demands you will identify ways to improve your product or service. If you keep tabs on your competition, you can keep up more easily with trends in the market or even simple sales promotion. If you scrutinize your own efforts you'll know what you're doing now, what you've done in the past, what works, what doesn't and what you might like to try. Now that you've armed yourself with information you can conduct business more effectively.

Some people call it Market Research, but it's really just detective work. Just pay attention, gather information, then put the pieces together to create a personalized marketing plan. It's a simple notion that will pay off in the long run with the right amount of hard work.

Have a Database
In the Batcave there is a giant computer. Batman's database. Since he isn't super-human, there's no way he could be expected to remember all his case notes or analyze compounds just by looking at them--that's what his tech is for.

Ok, so you've started paying attention to your business surroundings. You have your notes and your ideas about how this puzzle should fit together. Now what? Make a database. I use the term loosely to refer to any collection of information...not just spreadsheets and forms. Its important to organize what you've amassed into something useable. Have a lot of business cards you've collected from clients or prospects? Scan them and create a computerized version of a rolodex or go low tech if you don't want to spend the money on new software and just type them up and save an electronic file. Know about competitor promotions? Make up a calendar detailing the dates then put your information in right beside it. Whatever it maybe you've collected, turn it into something you can use.


Even Loners have a Support Staff
It's no secret that while Bruce Wayne may have been the outgoing type, Batman was decidedly less...amiable. But despite his gruff nature he still managed to have helpful friends. Justice League aside, Batman had his faithful butler Alfred, crime fighting companion Robin and eventually another sassy compatriot Batgirl, to help out (even though he acted like he could handle it all on his own, regularly).

Sometimes marketing can be too big a job for just one person, or it may be the case that what you're doing is outside of your realm of expertise. That's ok, just ask for help. If you decide that you want to send thank you letters to customers who purchased from your new holiday catalog but you aren't a very good writer--ask for help. If you aren't sure what kind of commercial you should have to promote your car dealerships 4th of July sale--ask for help. If your latest product has customers beating down the door to buy and you can't possibly fill all the orders yourself--ask for help. Help can come in the form of a friend, colleague, family member or paid professional. Use the resources available to your advantage, there's no shame in asking for help--especially when it will lead to greater business success.

Other than having the best array of villains of all time, Batman can--and does--teach us a lot about ourselves and the world. Smart decisions are made with good information, working smarter means a better use of your tools and British butlers are the best at keeping secrets. Maxims to live by for one and all.

3 Things I Learned from Fishing that I Should have been Taught in Marketing.

I really like to fish, sort of. I guess I wouldn't consider myself an avid fisherman but there is something very relaxing and zen-like about standing on the shore under the sun just waiting. Waiting for the moment when you get a bite. The exhilaration of that singular moment and the thrill of the catch is enough to keep hundreds of thousands of people coming back...its also enough to support an entire network devoted completely to fishing.

While I was standing on the shore with my Partner in Crime I started to think of all the little things we do when we fish. It then occurred to me that it would make a great blog, if I could only find the time to write it...


Be Persistent, Be Patient
This has got to be like the Number 1 rule of fishing, one that I usually forget. I'm always in a rush to get out on the water and start reeling 'em in and after about 15 minutes of waiting with no bite, I'm usually convinced that there are no fish and I want to pack up and go home. My partner, however, always plans to wait a few hours and spend all day at a fishing hole if necessary. He's there for the long haul and knows that it takes time to find the fish then convince them to bite. Patience and Persistence wins every time, he always catches the most fish.


This principle is one of the keys to marketing. Marketing is not instant. It takes time. People, like fish, have to be massaged into wanting your "bait." They need to see it enough times, be comfortable with it and decide, "this is an offer I can't pass up!" then you hook 'em. It could take an hour before you get that first bite or it could take a month, but if you prepare your plan with the long haul in mind, you'll catch a lot more fish than your opponent.


Change your Bait
I'm sure you've seen a fisherman's tackle box before (or at least wandered down the fishing supply aisle in a Wal-Mart at least once, even if by accident) and noticed all the odds and ends. There is a reason for the multitudes of different bait out there. Quite simply, different fish like different things. I'm sure each company that manufactures these little plastic miracles puts a lot of work into figuring out the psychology and physiology of the fish they were aiming to entice with their lures--but I just buy what I think will work. I buy things that I think are pretty, lures that I don't have and ones that I see other people using on TV. I try them all and keep what works and put the others aside. You never know what a fish will jump at so you have to be prepared with options.

Having a "marketing mix" is an important way to start your first efforts. Since you don't know what will work for you, its best to try as many things as you can afford (and reasonably execute). As time goes on you'll find out, through response tracking, where the bulk of your customers are coming from. Once that becomes clear, you can stop sinking money into marketing that produces no returns and double up on your winning "lures."


"You Don't Catch Bass with a Bream Hook"
When I started fishing again as an adult, I just thought a hook was a hook and you just tie it to some line and throw it in the water with some bait on the end and that was that. Wrong. I was quickly informed that you "don't catch bass with a bream hook" meaning you have to know your target and use the appropriate tools to catch them. I could put that tiny bream hook in the water with a hundred hungry big mouth bass and would have missed every one of them. Why? Cause you need a heavy duty hook for a heavy fish.

Knowing your target is where most marketers have their biggest problems. If you don't have an accurate cross section of your customers then you're liable to waste time and money trying to entice people who weren't in the market for what you were selling in the first place. Once you know who you're marketing to, the next step is to make sure your "hook" is the right one. Dangling a foreign sports car in front of a customer base over the age of 70 may seem like  good idea, after all they probably have more disposable income than a college student or young professional, but in all reality the likely hood that they would actually bite is pretty slim. Don't believe me? Just take a look the next time you're out for a drive, you won't see too many Maseratis outside the lodge for bingo night.

The Zen of fishing is pretty educational and if you're a small business owner responsible for your own marketing, I suggest you take a day off, head down to the lake and just stand on the shore for a few hours. You'll learn a lot about yourself, your dedication and whether or not you have what it takes to really "catch fish."

Education of a Girl: A Lesson from the Stage and Stardom

Because of my quiet nature around others, most people don't know that I have a background in Theater. Throughout my high school years I participated in lots of plays and took classes. Once I started college, I began to re-evaluate whether or not a place on stage was for me. Ultimately, I decided against it. Even though I don't aspire to be a leading lady any longer, the lessons from that time have manifested themselves in interesting ways--which just happen to be the subject of today's post.

During my time as a Thespian, I had quite a few friends that were really talented. One in particular was a Triple Threat--he could sing, was a great tap dancer and had a certain charm about him when acting. He could do it all and do it well. It takes a special kind of business to be able to take on the attributes of a Triple Threat. More often than not, business owners that try to, expand in ways that don't connect with one another or try to do too many things at once.

A Triple Threat, in the classic sense, does the three things that are important for an actor to be able to get work--ideally on Broadway.They have their end goal and have the skills (singing, dancing and acting) necessary to make an attempt at that goal feasible. What a Triple Threat isn't is an actor, make up artist and set builder. These are not linear skills because two of the three listed are back stage jobs, a completely different line of work.

When a business ventures to add more products or services, trying to appeal to or gain more customers, they enter dangerous territory when they don't go linear. For example: a bakery could also be a coffee shop. Baked goods + coffee=good. A bakery could serve light lunches as well. Baked goods + lunch=cafe. Also good. However, a bakery should never join forces with a butchers. Even though they both sell food, baked goods + raw meat=bad. If you're thinking about expanding your offerings in order to cater to a wider range of customers, take the next logical step and keep it linear.

Believe it or not, competition was pretty stiff in high school. As with anything, there were a few overachievers who had decided early on that the stage was their calling. In hopes of standing out, some of the girls were not only good singers and actors, they specialized in more than one type of dance, or took an interest in gymnastics or learned to sing in other languages. Granted those are all admirable skills to have, but in all reality, they should have just worked on their acting. In trying to be a "Jack of all Trades" they made themselves "The Master of None" and effectively lost sight of what they were hoping to accomplish--being famous for their acting.

Some business owners fall into this same trap. They tack on so many new services that they can't do any one thing exceptionally well. The first example that comes to mind is Miami Subs. We used to have a Miami Subs here in Tallahassee. Until I actually visited the fast food chain, I had assumed that they were like Larry's Giant Subs or a Subway. I was totally wrong. Yes they had sandwiches but their menu goes on for days! They even went so far as to carry Kenny Roger's Chicken and Nathan's Hot Dogs at one point. With a menu that all over the place, it was hard for them to stand out for one delicious dish that would keep customers coming back--so they didn't come back.

The next example is a success story of sorts. Hardee's used to have a menu just as horrible as Miami Subs. When they realized that a more linear approach would help them attract new customers, they ditched the fried chicken and focused on being a better burger joint. With their ThickBugers leading the way, the franchise that was on the brink of food oblivion is now enjoying measurable success. The important point here is: it is better to be known for one great thing than a thousand mediocre attempts.

For my last example, I really wanted to drive my point home with a "phenomenon" we can all relate to: the Singer-Turned-Actor. Some singers and pop idols try their hand at acting, hoping that their celebrity will help rocket them to the top. Cases include: Jessica Simpson, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Mos Def, Jennifer Hudson, and Mandy Moore. Good first step, after all it is linear skill. However, taking a linear step does not always equate to talent on the other end. Whether or not someone is "good" at acting is all a matter of opinion; the point I want to make here is we've all had the thought "why did he/she think they could act" regardless of whose new movie we were watching. Just because you do one thing very well, don't assume you can do everything very well, whether it happens to be a linear skill or not.

It all comes down to evaluating your strengths and weaknesses before expanding your business. Build on your strengths, expand with your strengths, strengthen your weaknesses but never assume collecting a lot of weaknesses will make you stronger.

Education of a Girl: What Weird Al & MJ Have Taught Me

I'd never really thought about it until [adult swim] bought it to my attention-- Weird Al Yankovich was still making songs a good 10 years after his hay day in the 90's and the great MJ (the now late Michael Jackson) had apparently run his course and was absent from the public eye as far as music was concerned--keep in mind this was before his "This is It" tour was announced. The implications of such a simple observation didn't register at first but now that I think about it, it makes perfect material for a blog post.

What I learned from Weird Al: All you need is a niche. Weird Al's music, for those of you who may not know, was based on parody--he would take popular songs and remix them with funny lyrics. Naturally this kind of music doesn't have the same built in audience that a boy band or blond pop idol enjoys, but that didn't matter. It still doesn't. He didn't need everyone to like his music and he understood that not everyone would. But, and this is a big but, he believed that at least someone, at the very least one person besides himself, would like it and would "invest"--spending money, becoming a fan, promoting his craft by word of mouth, ect. Its important to find people who "are buying what you're selling" and sell to them. Additionally, I learned if you're going to be "different" you should be prepared to be treated as such :)

What I learned from MJ: Staying power takes Hallmarks--plural. Most famous entities have a single thing they happen to be known for. Watching the Simpsons the other night I was reminded of this when Lisa traded away her pearls, I know its silly but she looked so naked without them that it was weird. The list extends further than that, Huckleberry Hound and that song, Donald Trump's hair, Jay Leno's chin--you're starting to see it now right? Well by now I'm sure you're saying "MJ had his glove" and you'd be right but he also had the Moon Walk, and how you could always see his socks for some reason, the Thriller music video and that huge repertoire of songs that became iconic in themselves. If you want to be known for something make it plural. The more good things people can associate your name with the longer they will remember you.