tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86245139790691020962012-01-12T13:40:29.063-07:00Elizabeth Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886151307155377978noreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-80158403538250775452012-01-12T13:40:00.002-07:002012-01-12T13:40:29.076-07:00

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-63356823190214295192011-07-18T19:27:00.000-06:002011-07-18T19:27:26.406-06:00

Here’s a quick piece of advice that can make your advertisements really make you money. Repetition builds reputation. We’d all like one advertisement to do all of our work for us… and sometimes it will. I once created an advertisement for my tour company where I was trying to get over decades of fear for our arch enemy the USSR – the Soviet Union, AKA evil empire. I took a head on approach,

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-55075320547328325642011-07-07T08:00:00.003-06:002011-07-07T18:21:07.089-06:00

Much Ado is made of choosing a name for a commercial purpose, be that a stage name, a product or service name or the name of a company. This is part and parcel in the discussion many have over "Branding." Everyone knows of successful brands that have been established and love to tell about Kleenex, Jell-o, RCA and Ford. Household names. So people seek to follow their example. Bad idea. Branding

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-37387476845358711032010-10-02T09:42:00.006-06:002010-10-02T10:16:12.439-06:00

A very bright and energetic psychologist asked me to look at the flyer she was making that advertised a seminar she was creating. Here is the flyer she sent me.It is clear, accurate, concise and direct; four qualities that must be in good writing. But, its chances of attracting or compelling people to come are diminished because of the following:1. The first words are about her. Your ad must

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-71216473520548766162010-09-29T13:58:00.004-06:002010-09-29T14:19:59.185-06:00

When Dante had Tantalus reach up for some fruit of the tree or stoop down to drink from the pool of water, both nutrients receded and he was out of luck.You get to tantalize people with an ethical bribe that brings them more value than they expected when you use a coupon or something like it. Coupons are great for any product because they are one of the least expensive ways of advertising. Yes,

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-46794827594374660952010-09-28T13:51:00.007-06:002010-09-28T14:12:45.165-06:00

Here’s an experiment for you. Anyone can find differences in similar universes. Racism is all about that. She’s a human, but the skin color is different therefore the whole person is different. Nonsense. An intelligent person can see similarities in different universes. Tell me the similarities between a cat and a refrigerator. You’ll think of one or two but with some thought you’ll think of a

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-3062512512114393692010-07-10T10:06:00.003-06:002010-07-10T11:20:40.135-06:00

FREE -- good for selling things, bad for paying your bills.When I advise singers, I stress that they should never again sing for free. And they don't have to in order to make a living from their talent. To folks of other skills and business the same advise applies. Don't give away your services. Ever. Now, let me contradict that or at least set up the paradox.In every business transaction one

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-22676812699311822592010-07-07T18:28:00.002-06:002010-07-07T18:32:57.195-06:00

I haven't posted for a bit because I've been editing the 2nd Edition of Marketing Singers. I keep thinking I need to rewrite this book and make it a more general book for all small businesses and entrepreneurs. So little is out there to help them with their unique circumstances. But... I wrestled with the issue and decided I had to help singer first. I've added a great many more tips in the 2nd

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-23403076192780658922010-06-13T11:15:00.002-06:002010-06-13T11:17:05.471-06:00

How many words should an advertisement contain?When I throw that question out to groups, I hear some interesting first responses: Groups of people hoping to create their first ads say: I never read long letters or ads with lots of words.Groups of experienced marketers who really haven’t written an ad themselves, but have approved many say: That will depend on the media, the space available, and

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-37034568901473785852010-05-29T12:19:00.003-06:002010-05-29T15:05:25.572-06:00

Two turkeys read the advertisement for Flying Lessons. Excited to fly, they spent the day at the flying lessons flapping, and soaring and seeing life from a new vantage point. At the end of the lesson as they were walking home, one said, "that was great. When's the next lesson?"Too often we read or hear great advice and then WALK home. Jason, a reader of this blog, took what was said in the

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-84545370429174722922010-05-25T13:15:00.003-06:002010-05-26T23:29:31.259-06:00

"So," says a potential buyer of your product, "How much do you charge?" No doubt you've been asked that. Often we are quite sure of the price we want but just saying it causes palpitations because we really want the sale. Here's a tip on how to make this less painful and more profitable.Remember that prices are just numbers and with numbers there is no such thing as a big number. No such thing as

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-30999747241767369242010-05-15T10:01:00.006-06:002010-05-20T11:29:00.619-06:00

PS. After writing this I wondered if, when you read the blog, you might question whether or not this applies to what you're doing. It does. At least it applies in all of the ads I've created in the following areas: 1)non-profit fund raising; 2) construction and real estate development, US or abroad; 3)consumer goods like books, pearls, investment grade numismatics and philately, flags; 4)concerts

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-56447062987997967352010-05-05T07:49:00.005-06:002010-05-05T08:10:44.442-06:00

Advertising is a pain. We see so many advertisements everyday that the thought of adding to the congestion and information overload is nauseating. But, if no one knows you have something to benefit them, then you'll stay where you are -- business wise. The trick is to somehow make advertising that doesn't look, feel or seem like advertising. That's counter-intuitive because of all the ads we see

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-26000975127863203312010-04-24T11:22:00.000-06:002010-04-24T11:43:47.434-06:00

Got a call the other day from a very bright and well seasoned fellow who is an administrator at a local university. He wanted to know why the Entrepreneur conference he was holding this year was drawing so many fewer people than the one I held last year. He figured correctly that they should have been able to use last year’s successful conference as a foundation to build upon. We were told last

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-42652069082241392712010-03-31T10:29:00.005-06:002010-03-31T10:50:05.245-06:00

Are you a candidate for the Emily Dickinson Award? And what's that you ask? The award for a creative person, cloistered in their own creative castle, that no one has heard of and won't until after they're deceased and someone with marketing savvy finds and promotes. (I love many of Emily’s poems – particularly The Bustle in the House* – but find it a shame she couldn’t enjoy her own success and

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-68702678560313233282010-03-09T11:40:00.000-07:002010-03-09T11:42:32.658-07:00

A question came up about a new advertisement. As mentioned previously in other blogs, much time is spent worrying about the graphics. It’s certainly a worthy consideration, but not nearly so important as the headline. Graphics attract attention – get eyes to the copy. But graphics don’t sell. They lead the read in. Once there, the headline must grab the reader.You grab the reader by putting him

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-61356205518820067642010-03-06T22:14:00.003-07:002010-03-06T22:42:18.956-07:00

Human emotions and needs are immutable. They cross all cultures and all geographical barriers. Marketing is the art of understanding human patterns and behaviors. It assumes you know what you want and then you seek to observe patterns of human actions to see if you have something humans want or need. WANTS are the most powerful. People sacrifice wants for needs all the time. People need education

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-40213363076451876972010-01-31T11:28:00.002-07:002010-01-31T11:35:24.596-07:00

One, as in one and only, one life to live, one at a time, power of one... Guiness Book of Records called Joe Girard the “world’s greatest salesman.” For good reasons. He sold, on average 6 cars a day (or was it 9 a week? -- doesn't matter 'cuz it was a bunch). His secret to success was simple. He shared it with me one day when he gave me a solid gold lapel pin with just the number 1. By itself...

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-15882098930314700072010-01-29T09:41:00.003-07:002010-01-29T09:56:04.194-07:00

Here's a fun marketing idea.While the hey day of direct mail marketing is quickly receding into the ethernet, perhaps it is just reseeding. The principles will sprout up in use elsewhere.Take this idea. I used to put into direct mail letters a return envelop. Usually it would be a Business Reply Envelop or BRE that had the bar code indicia so no stamp was needed to send us a reply. It made it

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-30977842715664127662010-01-29T09:19:00.003-07:002010-01-29T09:39:39.174-07:00

Much is made of genius. It's a magical thought that someone does better than you because of their innate, born-with mental acumen. It gives us comfort to know there is nothing more we could do to achieve what they've achieved because... they were just born that way.In this current world of rationalizing so many things because of gene pool back strokes, let's talk common sense which isn't so

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-78789134456816357482010-01-17T07:24:00.004-07:002010-01-17T07:50:59.198-07:00

Enough theory and examples from the past, how about a quick report on something I'm currently doing. Most of what I'm going to write below was actually written by one of our investors who condensed my daily reports. (I believe in constant and accurate communications between a company and its investors -- positive and negative reports that tell it like it is.)I'm a managing partner in VMT, (

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-70938405702046234872010-01-04T08:52:00.001-07:002010-01-04T08:52:56.888-07:00

No matter if you’re rich or poor, “free” is still a head turner. Last time we discussed guarantees. Guarantees are just another form of free. It reverses the risk and gives the consumer confidence that you might be worth trying. Many years ago a couple of motels in the San Francisco Bay area experimented. This was the era when TV in a motel room was often paid for by putting coins into a

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-69632585897338758262010-01-01T09:25:00.002-07:002010-01-01T09:30:31.037-07:00

To start 2010, consider the words of Edward Sill about "Opportunity":"This I beheld or dreamed it in a dream.There spread a cloud of dust across a plain,And underneath the cloud, or in it,A furious battle raged; swords shocked upon swords and shields.A prince's banner wavered then staggered backward,Hemmed by foes.A craven coward hung along the battle's edge and thought,"Had I a sword of keener

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-53247044110616069622009-12-31T11:38:00.000-07:002009-12-31T11:39:08.980-07:00

Risk-reversal should be a common sense and widely known marketing concept but, as Mark Twain once said, “Common sense is none too common.” Risk-reversal is simply taking on the risk yourself and taking it away from your customer. RR comes in many forms including: guarantees, free samples, “try one”, delayed payments... and the list goes on as far as your imagination works. This principles

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-11944873430319442272009-12-26T14:01:00.004-07:002009-12-26T14:14:42.604-07:00

In my last post I said you shouldn’t be like the socialists that want to change human behavior. Several wondered why I would say such a provocative thing on a marketing blog.(Pictured in the USSR, I donate a new bell we made from a melted down artillery piece. It was the first bell put into a Russian cathedral since the Soviets stole bells from Orthodox churches to melt them into cannons.)Simple.

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-15290306150553180042009-12-16T14:23:00.005-07:002009-12-16T15:11:39.487-07:00

Not all business is marketing... just the stuff that matters. Someone does need to make the product. But they’ve got to make something someone wants. “Wants” are all about marketing.Often times inventors seek to create something they like that solves a problem that intrigues them. In the end it doesn’t sell because no one else really cares or his solution is worse than the problem. Inventors (

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-12070365168422099522009-11-25T07:59:00.003-07:002009-11-25T23:28:38.594-07:00

An old maxim that’s been used in leadership, business, politics, marketing and even the arts goes, “Those who fail to plan can plan to fail.”Too often the neophytes in the art world equate spontaneous thinking followed by immediate action with creativity. It does happen, but rarely. Great singers didn’t become great by following this foolish reactionary methodology. At an early age they committed

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-70627733259907140292009-10-24T22:55:00.003-06:002009-10-24T23:18:49.183-06:00

It doesn’t much matter what kind of marketing you’re doing, you’ll need to come up with a headline. So, let’s discuss headlines. But first, breath again. No danger is ahead. Just wanted to get your attention. Hope I did.Some rules on headlines:1. The purpose of a headline is to get you to read the next line. Therefore, the headline is the most important sentence in your announcement,

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-63023310157584200302009-10-20T23:40:00.004-06:002009-10-21T00:30:18.608-06:00

Speed.In marketing there are a couple of other ways of looking at it. Many wait until too late to do something. They fear rushing in. They don’t know how to manage speed. Speed kills, they say. I have a different point of view. About right now is better than exactly right later. Fear of failure gets people into the mindset that they need to keep doing market research, fiddling with figures,

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-76149818449383446592009-10-12T16:12:00.009-06:002009-10-12T17:16:41.495-06:00

Today marks the beginning of an era. A rather bold claim, but, I suspect it's true.Those who have started a business know it is difficult. It doesn't matter what kind of business it is... from music to mechanical, from computers to composing. It requires fortitude and patience.But try starting one with a new technology. That's impossible. Welcome to the land of maze. Will it work? Who will

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-81001929989627910502009-10-09T11:05:00.003-06:002009-10-09T11:51:00.590-06:00

It seems too obvious. Too common sense. But according to Mark Twain, "Common sense is none too common." So here is evidence common sense is right: if someone contacts you for business, and you want their business, the clock is ticking rapidly.A recent MIT study that my friend Benoy Tamang gave me, found that on the Internet if you get an inquiry and you call them within 5 minutes, you have more

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-16629254853660342762009-10-07T11:53:00.008-06:002009-10-07T15:56:09.986-06:00

Let me give you the short lesson on fund raising. You may not be into fund raising, but, hang on because what I teach here is directly applicable to ALL businesses and marketing.Besides, maybe some day for some group they'll lean on you to raise some "free" money. As someone once told Noah, "When it starts to rain it's too late to build the Ark."(Picture caption -- if you know how to get it under

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-79072762149332784182009-10-05T08:08:00.006-06:002009-10-05T08:33:56.522-06:00

We’ve all heard a hundred folks bemoan their lot in life and reduce all the reasons for their woes down to bad luck. Or they diminish the accomplishments of others by declaring that their fortunes were a matter of good luck. Either way, luck was the master.Ever was it so.Thomas Holdman decided his love for art ought to be in creating stained glass windows. Soon after taking a university class in

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-56901148883772601902009-10-02T17:02:00.004-06:002009-10-02T17:10:55.667-06:00

Personally, I get bored with certain words. They’re used so much they lose their meaning. Words that once were terrific nasty words are long forgotten. The impact diminished from constant repetition.(Picture: In 1998 I was allowed to teach one class at the Polytechnic University of Havana, Cuba on a fantasy for them... How to Start a Business. Had some fun at the fort afterward.)But certain words

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-64569479946263237162009-09-30T08:24:00.005-06:002009-09-30T08:43:52.482-06:00

A mark of an intelligent person is being able to see similarities in different universes. Anyone can point out how one person is different from another. It’s the hallmark of racism. We see a person with a different skin tone and draw conclusions. But race is a terrible predictor of behavior. I won’t get off on racism, but instead use it to illustrate the point that it is a prime example of

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-2095073945996825932009-09-28T20:21:00.005-06:002009-09-28T21:06:44.855-06:00

I could just as easily ask, "who is in marketing" as "who is in business." Is there really a meaningful difference? Maybe in theory, but, not in the real world. So the question is the same. Who is in business?(This picture is of me and a new Soviet business man in 1990 in the USSR. I was there teaching people how to start their own businesses. He just bought one of my books that had been

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-28517212507084772862009-09-16T21:32:00.002-06:002009-09-16T21:45:02.869-06:00

I keep watching people put together plans for making sales. Most have little experience so they copy something that seems good. Images bombard us daily so it is natural to assume those images are worth copying. The overwhelming number of marketing and advertising plans, however, are not for you. They may work, but then, how do you know? Certainly the people who created the plans rarely know if

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-5176129297091019312009-09-11T10:47:00.004-06:002009-09-11T11:45:44.010-06:00

Being told you are lousy is no fun. Frankly, it can turn a person into a hermit. I have two things to say about this.Thought #1 -- Don't do to others what they are doing to you. It's so easy once you're criticized to figure that is the way things should be. And so to your subordinates, students or anyone, you do what you've seen done to others and yourself. Criticize, and then rationalize it as

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-67870635183696707722009-09-10T08:54:00.005-06:002009-09-10T09:09:05.716-06:00

Carole Blum asked me to review this advertisement that she posted in Classical Singer magazine to try and figure out how to get more responses. A worthy goal! Here is my response. It applies to all advertisements regardless of the product or publication: (I noticed that when the ad is posted the color goes all weird, but, double click on the ad and you'll see the proper colors.)"Dear Carol,I

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624513979069102096.post-4541627011482279232009-09-02T22:00:00.005-06:002009-09-02T22:40:28.282-06:00

(to read the ad to the left, just click on it.)To write a good advertisement first know why you're writing it.Here are some of the choices:1. To gain notoriety2. To become familiar to the audience3. To make money4. To give recognition to someone (like my great university faculty)5. To at least pay for the cost of the advertisement and gain notoriety, some branding and positioning.6. To position

Mark J. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360662530395870161noreply@blogger.com0