Advertisement Ideas: Not Interested Stifles Business Success!
I am always amazed when I make a phone call to a business to offer them something that can really help their business and the person on the other end of the phone say we are not interested. So let’s get this straight you have a business you need positive exposure in the market place and a TV Show Host is calling you to offer you a chance to create a digital imprint and you are not interested. Each time this happens I hang up the phone and think did they realize that they just stifled the potential for growth and to have an advocate for their business. When I do seminars I always tell the audience to be open and receptive to everyone that calls and walks through the door(If you have a brick and mortar business) as you never know how the person you are speaking with can be of value and service to you. Your lack of interest could be costing you the valuable dollars added to you your cash flow that is necessary to grow and expand. Your lack of interest can be driving business to the competition who was open and receptive. One business owner told that if they entertained everyone who called they would be out of business.I answered then hire someone you know, like, and trust to be the one to look over the opportunities that are being presented so as to not leave money on the table. An appearance on my TV Show, The Anything Bucket, which airs on Tuesday at 6:30 PM EST puts you in front of over 50,000 viewers mostly women aged 25-54 earning over $100,000 annually what a great demographic to have. Then if you choose to purchase your clip for $150 you can use it across all your marketing platforms so as to create a buzz and generate more clients/customers.
As many of you that read this blog on a regular basis are aware I volunteer with The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of West Boca Raton, FL and have set up a website at http://main.acsevents.org/goto/jdogg2 and I stand at $1614.82 raised so far, however I have run into many people who express this phrase that they are not interested. I find this curious for many reasons as it is proved that supporting local charities can lead to more business. I know that in 2012 when I was emceeing a Relay For Life Event one of the participants asked me what I would charge to emcee a birthday party I gave them a price and they hired me. If I had not been interested in Relay For Life I would have missed this opportunity. I have asked all business people who visit http://main.acsevents.org/goto/jdogg2 and make a donation to please leave a link to the website so I can share their business with my followers. So again you can see where not being interested can be stifling your business. Think about it you make an in-kind or monetary donation and you gain exposure in the market place and pick up customers/clients that otherwise would not have known about you. I am from the old school if you give me support I will do my best to give you support. Sometimes your lack of interest costs you business because you pre-judged someone and didn’t know the sphere of their influence. Ask yourself where your lack of interest may be costing you in the areas of brand awareness and recognition, cash flow, new customer/client procurement, and customer/client retention. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Not Interested Stifles Business Success!!!
In football going over the top has been a way to effectively achieve the objective of getting first downs and touchdowns. In going over the top a player puts himself at risk for the best interest of the team. In business and in non-profit organizations going over the top can be very risky as the message or your actions may not resonate with the audience you are attempting to reach or may not be in line with the hierarchy of an organization. I have often been the one to go over the top be it break dancing at a leadership conference or asking for donations on a parade route or hanging up a FREE HUGS sign at my local Starbucks. Sometimes my over the top actions have yielded great fruits and scored me many points while at other times I have been thrown for a loss. The risk of being an over the top thinker and implementor is great however the rewards this thinking yields makes it all worth it on many occasions. I was told that many people who meet me for the first time don’t know what to make of my over the top thinking or actions and that this thinking may be creating challenges in my personal and professional life. I believe that in order to succeed you must be an over the top thinker because sometimes it is the crazy actions that get noticed and rewarded. I remember one day I was about 14 years old volunteering at The Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon and I decided to get the audience to pledge money for the amount of push ups I could do in a minute. Some thought I was crazy but I knew exactly that doing something unique and different I could raise some much-needed funds for those with neuromuscular diseases. I grabbed the microphone and said Hello, I am Jonathan Lederman and I am asking everyone to make a pledge for the amount of push-ups I could do in a minute so we can help the kids who can’t do push-ups because of Muscular Dystrophy. I did 52 push-ups and raised over $500. I remember standing up at a Jaycees meeting when a local chapter was on the verge of cancelling their Spreading The Joy program and I said what if we ask people we do business with to donate. I was told we never did that before. I asked why not the worst they can tell us is no. I asked them to give me two weeks as we were going to meet again in two weeks they said okay. Well at the next meeting I stood up as told them I secured monetary donations in the amount of $2500 and in-kind donations of over $1000. They asked how I said I just asked. I also told them about the door blocks I set up at the local KMART where we would simply ask customers for donations. They were hesitant at first and didn’t want to do it so I said okay I’ll go on the first day and if anyone wants to join me great if not that is okay too. On that first day I collected over $500 and recruited 15 chaperones for The Holiday Shopping Spree. That year, 1989, saw us take 64 needy children holiday shopping and feeding 30 needy families. Simply by being an over the top thinker I have found success. The lesson here is to take a risk and go over the top. 
Snopes.com states that the term Black Friday does not have anything to do with the slave trade. I wasn’t there so I can only go from the evidence that Slave sales were advertised and many of the dates correspond to the day after Thanksgiving. My point here is that advertising can often be used to manipulate people and keep them in the lack mindset. Regardless of the origins of Black Friday is has created madness that has seen more people hurt than helped. Maybe we should abolish Black Friday as encourage retailers to close on Thursday and then run business as usual and thus not encourage the lawlessness of the few who ruin it for everyone.
In my business consultations I tell my clients all the time it is time to roll up the sleeves and get to work. I believe it doesn’t matter who the governor is, who your mayor and council people are, who you state senator is, who the president is because in the long run they have very little impact on your business. It is you who will determine your level of success. It is you who will find the right people to help with your marketing and media relations. It is you who will build your brand. The decisions will be yours as an entrepreneur. Sure you will delegate your responsibility but when it comes to the success of your business it lies with you and only you. If you choose not to advertise and your business slows down that decision is on you not your competition, not the economy, not your workers, and not any other outside influence. I speak to many entrepreneurs and I hear so many excuses that I say okay which are you going to be the excuse maker or the action taker? The key to have a successful flourishing business is to work on it everyday and make sure that you are creating brand awareness daily. Ask yourself how am I rolling up the sleeves and getting to work? What can I do differently?
In rolling up your sleeves and getting to work you will begin to reap many benefits like a buzz in the community, customer/client loyalty, and of course increased cash flow. I was out collecting donations recently after delivering my All You Have To Do Is Ask Presentation when I came across a jewelry store and the owner said I am not interested things are slow. Granted I look like a salesperson when dressed in a suit and tie but I am also a potential customer who can also refer people business. I said to the gentleman to bad as I could have brought you some people. He argued and said not in this economy I simply asked him when was the last time you called customers you haven’t seen in a while?His answer I don’t do that. I said okay maybe you should consider adding that to your mix instead of complaining, and I left. Think had he rolled up his sleeves and called 10 previous customers and asked for referrals he may have seen a jump in his business. When things are slow that is when you should be making personal contact with people and letting them know you are still here to serve them and asking them if they know 2 people who can benefit from you services. Remember that every encounter you have is a chance to build a stronger customer/client base and to enhance the customer/client experience.