It’s time for a rest and time to Blog Off.

2009 was our most interesting year.
Challenging, tough, exciting, scary and full of new paths, new ideas and new people.

The biggest single lessons were to choose your partners, friends, co-workers and customers carefully.
A storm brings lots of pirates on to the high seas.

The second lesson is to never panic.
There is always a new path and it might just be better than the old way.

Third learning.
Reinvent and challenge your business every day.
There is always room to improve and never fear failure.

Fourth big lesson.
The market decides, full stop.
Keep trying new things.
Stick when they work, ditch when they don’t.

Finally, because there were so many precious lessons, trust in your people.
Encourage them, unleash them and enjoy them.
They will take you forward you just need to let them.

From all of us to all of you we have so much more we could say but for now, less is more.

From the bottom of our hearts;

“Thank You and Have a Wonderful Christmas and an Exciting Happy New Year.”

Have you ever seen an opening line on a Hotel website that boasts – 100 bedrooms?
It’s the first highlight to hit my searching eyes.
Thing is – Who cares?

Perhaps the owner?
Perhaps the GM?
Perhaps the Conference Booker?
Perhaps the Wedding Party?

But Joe Soap?
He doesn’t care about 99 bedrooms, he cares about 1 – his

People buy benefits, not features.
People buy emotionally.
People read your website.
People want individuality.
People don’t want ‘big’ ‘mass’ or ‘scale’.

Think about your messages.
Think about how you book.
Discover your unique assets.
Sell them.

And think about some help to write really good messages.

Dear Politician

Thank you for your letter.

Actually, can I start again?

You see, I don’t really want to thank you at all.
Let me explain;

Today we are all tightening our purse strings.
We have less money.
The little money we have left is incurring the wrath (and hand) of the tax man.
What’s left over I sometimes use to buy little things like …. Stamps.
To buy that little stamp, I have to earn about double the price (Mr. Tax man does like his slice)
My stamp becomes a very expensive stamp.
I’m careful how I use my little supply.

As a Politician, you get free stamps.
Well, they are not free really, us tax payers pay for them.

Today I got your letter
But I paid your stamp.

The letter told me what a mess we are in.
I knew that already.

I had a good day.
Your letter made the end somewhat miserable.

You see Mr. Politician, I’d prefer not to get your gloomy little letters.
I’d even prefer if you were more careful with our money.

Your stamp (well, mine actually) has cost me another stamp.
My stamp (which cost a lot) was needed to tell you to stop using our stamps.
I really do hope you will stamp it out.
I really really hope you will stop using my money to tell me what I already know.

It would be much more fun to get a cheerful letter giving hope rather than horror.
And Mr. Politician, I’d just love it if you (bet you guessed it) paid for the stamp too.

Yours Sincerely

Conor Kenny
Tax Payer and Stamp Provider

Do you remember the absolute excitement that raced through your veins on Christmas morning?
The elation at opening gifts?
The fun?

As we grow older, it’s more difficult to retrieve that sense of wonder, awe and exhilaration.
Ever wonder why?

As a child, everything is new.
As an adult, it’s not.

There are natural ‘life’ stages.

Childhood – no fear, pure thinking, every gift is exciting.
Teenage years – rebel and pretend it’s “an ok present”.
Adulthood – practical, sophisticated, brands.
Middle age – even more practical, less exciting.
Retired – hard to please, little response.
Old age – impossible to please, no excitement.

It’s a clear path from childhood to old age.

The next time you feel disappointed when the latter 2 categories don’t get excited, ask yourself why.
It’s nothing to do with you, everything to do with them.

As you get older, we move from material to experience.

It’s as if the reality of a ticking finite clock has finally dawned.
It’s why the best gift will be around family, people and company.

It’s that deep experience which comes with age.
The realization that the most precious gift of all is …. time

Is it a leaflet drop?
A better term might be a litter drop.

Today I came home to lots of leaflets.

One for a Pizza company – I don’t eat pizza.
Second for a Painter and Decorator – I already know a good man.
Third was for an Interior Design service – We have the pleasure of working with one.
Fourth was for Gardening Services – It is Winter.
Five was for Toys – I don’t have kids.
Six was for new windows – I just got mine done.

I can imagine the salesman’s persuasive patter;

“We will drop over 10,000 leaflets into houses that you want to target.
They will make the most amazing impact.
Think about it, if just 10% buy from this hugely popular event, that’s 100 new customers all for just ……”

Now let’s tell the truth.

The leaflets will be flung in any door we can get through.
Some will be soggy and damp, it is winter after all.
Some will stick to the others.
Some will even ink stain your hands.
When you come in, your very wet shoe might just slew across their surface.
Then, the owner will usually gather the inconvenient nuisance into a big soggy ball and fire them in the bin.

They will land in 10,000 houses.
It won’t be a leaflet drop.
It will be a litter drop.

Next time you are about to buy into a litter drop, ask the Salesman two questions;

“How many will actually read the leaflets?”

When you have digested his way out answer, tome for question Number 2;

“Prove it?”

Our world is full of wonderful people.
So is yours.

Wonderful people will rise to huge challenges if you ask them properly.
Fabulous results will sustain morale and work will be a pleasant adventure.

But beware just a little.
If your business has no rudder, no compass and no route.
It will also have no hope.

As the storm eases just a little, worth refreshing these little parts.
Here’s a few good question to start you off;

-What is your purpose?
-What business are you in?
-Who are you for?
-Why you?
-Who am I?
-How will you find me?
-How will you communicate with me?
-How will you entice me?
-How will you know I’m there?

Simple but tough.
If you can answer them – great.
If you can’t – start boiling the kettle and gather around the fire.
There is work to be done.

A business often behaves like a human.
Not surprising given that we run them.

A business can have ups, downs, highs, lows.
A business can run out of steam, ideas and even the will to live.

Worse still, just like us humans, a business can die.
That’s the death of hope, jobs and heritage.

We only have the present.
We can’t predict the future.
We can’t do anything about the past.

In a tough climate there is a real danger a leader will either live in the past.
Worse again, despair of the future.

Funny thing is, both are out of their control.

In business, you can only live in the present.
That means now – right now.

Be very very careful that your business is not so busy dying that it forgets how to live.

Everyone has their own unique DNA.
Every business has too.

The DNA of a business is no different.
It evolves over time and weaves its own unique shape.

DNA is a little like a signature – unique, yours and says something.

Your signature might be elegant or gentle.
It could be fast and big.
It might even be dramatic and loud.
Or even angry and aggressive.

How you write, how you talk, how you illustrate your particular brand will be your signature.

If you want to be elegant check if you are.
If you want to be professional, check if you are.
If you want to be loud, check if you are.

Then check your colleagues. They are your brand too.

If your message has a messy signature what do you think I’m going to do?

Discovery Channel airs some fascinating programmes.
Deadliest Catch is one of their number.
It’s all about deep sea fishing in the frozen mass of The Bering Sea off Canada’s west coast.
It’s a rough tough life where a fine line exists between success and failure.

Poor marketing wouldn’t survive long on such heady high seas.
In a vast open place, firing out a giant sized net may catch some fish but it would tow in a lot of rubbish too.
It would be fishing – to no plan.
A giant sea quickly swallows up strategy, nets, fuel and cargo.

The Trawler Men on Deadliest Catch are far more astute.
They analyze past hunting grounds. They check the weather. They load supplies and they make a plan.
They combine instinct with science and science with evidence.

When the time is right they drop their nets.
When the time is right, they haul them in.
In each case, they have limited the risk and run the numbers.
Inevitably they have good and bad luck.
On balance, they prevail.
They always plan.

If your marketing is throwing a big wide net in the hope of catching all – beware.
If you want to hook a bountiful haul, go learn from Trawler Men on deadly high seas.
Go watch the strategists on Deadliest Catch.

Great sports people stand out from the crowd.
Great leaders stand out from the crowd.
Great chefs stand out from the crowd.
So too do Doctors, Dentists, Nurses and in every walk of life.

The trouble with average marketing and average messages is that they assume you are one of the crowd.
Wouldn’t it be better if your message made me stand out from the crowd?
Isn’t that something worth buying?
After all, who wants to feel ordinary?