Niche Marketing Matters
By John Bradley Jackson

Why Do You Exist?

Now that is a heavy question, is it not? Yet, there must be some reason that you are here on this planet at this time.

This type of question can motivate some to study philosophy and others to enter the seminary. Or, you could consider good old fashioned denial and avoidance to dodge the question—why bother answering a question that cannot be answered anyway?

To save you that trouble, here is the simple answer. You exist to fulfill your own unique purpose—whatever that may be. That is why you exist.

You have a unique responsibility to live out your own personal script. Maybe that purpose is to invent things like software or music. Your purpose could be to lead or teach others. You might have one purpose, a few, or many. Whatever it is, it is exclusively yours. It does not matter what your purpose is as long as you do it.

Alas, here is the rub—you must uncover your purpose before you can do it. One way to discover your purpose is with the creation of a personal mission statement. A personal mission statement addresses three basic questions:

1) What is your life about?
2) What do you stand for?
3) What are you doing to fulfill that purpose?

Using no more than 30 – 40 words, a personal mission statement says what you wish to accomplish or contribute and who you want to be. Your mission statement speaks about what you are doing today to fulfill that purpose.

Don’t confuse your mission with vision. Vision statements describe what could be in the future while a mission statement lives in the here and now.

Yes, answering these questions may not be easy. Here is an exercise that might help get you going. Imagine that it is your 80th birthday and you are having a grand party. All your family, friends, co-workers in your profession, and neighbors have gathered to hear you speak. What would you say to them is important in life? What did you do for 80 years? Why?

As the Greek philosopher Epictetus wrote, “First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”

John Bradley Jackson

© Copyright 2010

All rights reserved

P.S. Corporations write mission statements that typically answer these questions:
• Identify the Customer or Market served
• Product, Service or offering
• Geographic Domain
• Commitment to ownership
• Company or Personal Philosophy
• Self or Business Concept
• Speaks to the brand

Research indicates that mobile devices are being adopted at a rate of 3-4 times that of PCs globally. What’s the big deal you ask?

In a nutshell, we are witnessing a disruptive technology on a global scale. An edge that developed countries have held for the past decade (or longer) has been the ownership and usage of the PC and the web for the distribution of information. The third world could not play this game since they could not afford it.

With the low cost of mobile devices and the flood of information now delivered by them, the gap between developed countries and the third world closes overnight. The implications are staggering. In particular, the role of media changes dramatically.

With mobile device usage so common place, advertisers and social media can reach over 6 billion people. Local or national brands can morph into global empires. Are you still making fun of Twitter and Facebook? Think again.

Oh yeah — one more thing. The jobs will follow the mobile device usage. This means that income and wealth will be redistributed globally.

John Bradley Jackson

© Copyright 2010

All rights reserved.

Source: Neilson and Cambridge Group

Many people in their 20s are now choosing a slower path to adulthood by postponing marriage, careers, mortgages, and babies. Instead, they are choosing to remain single, stay in school, travel more, and rent.

A Clark University reports that, “One-third of people in their 20s move to a new residence every year. Forty percent move back home with their parents at least once. They go through an average of seven jobs in their 20s, more job changes than in any other generation. Two-thirds spend at least some time living with a romantic partner without being married. And marriage occurs later than ever.”

More than a blip on the screen this appears to be a new reality. Our culture is adapting to a longer life expectancy with the average American now expected to live nearly 80 years. Compare this to 1900 when the average life expectancy was only 47 years. This explains why people back then seldom finished the 8th grade and frequently got married at 14 years old and had children.

My message to the parents of these 20 year old late bloomers is to “lighten up” and let the kids find their way own way. Our biology dictates our behavior and our biology has changed. We must adjust our expectations.

For those in their 20s, adulthood can wait. Party on.

John Bradley Jackson

© Copyright 2010

All rights reserved.

P.S. Marketers take note. Traditional age based demographic segmentation is obsolete. People in their 20s are not looking for life insurance or Roth IRAs. Instead, they would prefer to score some really cheap tickets to Cancun.

Source: NY Times

“A recent study by the Kauffman Foundation reports 2009 had the most business start-ups in 14 years — even exceeding the number of start-ups during the peak 1999-2000 technology boom,” according to AOL news reporter Kaitlin Madden. But, there is more to the story.

Traditionally, start ups are created by men and women aged 35-44. You know the profile: mid career, skilled, and recently laid off or fired. With few jobs available and unemployment benefits almost gone, they take a swing at entrepreneurship.

Yet, hidden within that stat is the fact that many new college grads are battling to enter the workplace and most can’t even get arrested. These younger types are fearlessly taking the plunge into new venture creation. Unlike the “older” folks, the Gen Y entrepreneurs have little or nothing to lose. Most of them have college debt rather than assets and most have dreams that need to be lived.

While some of us might be saying that the 2008 to 2010 downturn will be remembered as the “Great Recession”, history may pen it as the “Gen Y Start Up Boom.” OK, I can use a better name than that, but you get the picture.

John Bradley Jackson

© Copyright 2010

All rights reserved.

Source: AOL 8/18/10

Paul Gillin, author of The New Influencers,  wrote about the impact of social media. One of his key points was that 78% of consumers trust each other more than they trust advertising – which is why they hang out at Facebook, read blogs, and seek out recommendation sites.

For all intents and purposes, traditional advertising is dead. Consumers are numb from it all and, even if they actually hear the message, they don’t buy it. Instead, they increasing rely on peers via social media for advice.  Don’t believe me? How about Yelp.

Per the Yelp about us page, “Yelp is trying to make the world a better place by helping people to connect with great local businesses. ” Yelp was founded in 2004 to help people find great local businesses like dentists, hair stylists and mechanics. As of June 2010, more than 33 million people visited Yelp in the past 30 day. Visitors have written over 12 million local reviews, over 85% of them rating a business 3 stars or higher.

For many, Yelp is the first place to look for a restaurant or bar. Who needs to advertising when you have friends?

John Bradley Jackson

© Copyright 2010

All rights reserved.

http://www.cuttingedgepr.com/articles/people-trust-media.asp

The tide has shifted and most don’t know it. For decades the US had the largest and most successful middle class in the world. That was in the 20^th century but not now.

To oversimplify things, the globalization of the our “local” economy has forced the US worker to compete head to head with workers abroad who will do the same work for a fraction of our wages. US owned companies recognized the opportunity and have sent the work and the jobs overseas.

Need proof? Look outside:

• 36 percent of Americans say that they don’t contribute anything to retirement savings.
• A staggering 43 percent of Americans have less than $10,000 saved up for retirement.
• Over 1.4 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcy in 2009, which represented a 32 percent increase over 2008.
• 40 million Americans are on food stamps

Yes, these are sobering facts, but what about the US rich?

• The number of millionaires in the United States rose a whopping 16 percent to 7.8 million in 2009
• The top 10 percent of Americans now earn around 50 percent of our national income.

The most sobering fact is that the folks in the middle known as the middle class grow fewer and fewer.

John Bradley Jackson

© Copyright 2010

All rights reserved.

Source: Yahoo Finance.  See the link below which I liberally quoted.

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/the-u.s.-middle-class-is-being-wiped-out-here%27s-the-stats-to-prove-it-520657.html?tickers=^DJI,^GSPC,SPY,MCD,WMT,XRT,DIA

Negotiating is easy. The key to successful negotiation is to not think of your own wants and desires. Instead, give them your full attention.

The biggest mistake that people make is to focus on their own interests and position/s  instead of trying to understand the interests or motivations of the other parties. As simple as it sounds, you need to focus on the other party and their interests (and not just what you want).

You may discover that you share some similar goals. Questions that you need to think about include:

• What does the other party most desire?
• What are their other alternatives?
• Will they negotiate fairly or will they be aggressive or selfish?
• When the meeting begins, don’t rush forward with your position and needs.
• What do they most fear?
• At what point will they walk on the deal?

Focus the conversation on the other side and see what is important to them. Let them speak first. If you are uncertain about what to say, say nothing; this way you won’t give away anything. Consider brainstorming with them about potential alternatives. They may have ideas that prove useful or new ideas that you had not considered.

Try it and see what happens.

John Bradley Jackson

© Copyright 2010

All rights reserved.

A new survey indicates that despite the lack of measurable ROI, companies still embrace sustainability based on both potential economic reasons and the hope of product differentiation in the current marketplace. Thus, green is still cool for the customer and they will seek providers who offer sustainable products.

Still, the payoff will have to come soon for most companies to continue to subsidize the costs of this green compliance.

And, in a future economy we will all be driving hybrids and wearing clothing made of corn products. Dream on. We will all buy green products or make green products when it makes economic sense to do so.

For more information, check out this Newsweek article.

John Bradley Jackson

© Copyright 2010

All rights reserved.

The internet age is one that has lost its personal touch, if not its humanity. Little personalization is done. Everything is digitized, automated, and delivered but is done without compassion or style. Letters are addressed to “Dear Occupant”; “Please insert your name here.”

Seemingly, every letter received has a label created from a database by printer. Often misspelled and with wrong annotations, they are dispassionate and rude. Therefore, we toss them in the trash without opening them. Worse, yet, e-mails bombard us daily to such an extent that we filter them for spam such as mail from strangers, salespeople, and lost relatives; even with this editing, we still pound away at the delete key. Who wants all this junk mail?

Personal note cards are mail that always gets opened. The “retro power” of the handwritten note card with a real stamp is now truly amazing. When an envelope comes to your name and address written in cursive, don’t you open it first? This is the appeal of the handwritten note card, arguably a relic from the past, but an effective tool in our sterile internet age.

For many years, I have recommended that you go to the local printer and get stationery made on good paper with professionally printed letterhead. Note cards give a personal touch in our depersonalized world. Always handwrite the address on the envelope. Don’t use labels or printed envelopes and always use a real stamp. Make it look like a party invitation or, better yet, a love letter.

Say thanks. Congratulate. Don’t qualify or demean these acts of kindness and generosity with limiting words or thoughts. If you like someone or something, say it. For example, if you want to congratulate someone on a job well done, write that. Then back it up with evidence. Cite an example. Avoid using qualifying or demeaning words like “This is just a note to say thanks.” What do you mean “just a note?” Instead, say thanks and give a reason why.

Give compliments and avoid flattery. When you compliment someone or something, explain why and give an example. A compliment without evidence is just flattery. Flattery is not remembered and is not as believable. Compliments are remembered, if not cherished. Say it with a handwritten note card today.

John Bradley Jackson

© Copyright 2010

All rights reserved.

P. S.

Yet, digital printing and software may have actually solved the problem. A company called “Send Out Cards” has a compelling solution worth trying. They have a web based solution that mimics your own handwriting and sends out cards in your behalf with with a real stamp! And, I must emphasize it looks real! On top of everything else the process is easy and inexpensive. I am just stunned. You must check this out.

http://www.sendoutcards.com/janetjackson

According to the May 26, 2010 edition of Wall Street Journal, “the number of employees voluntarily quitting surpassed the number being fired or discharged for the first time since October 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Before February, the BLS had recorded more layoffs than resignations for 15 straight months, the first such streak since the bureau started tracking the data a decade ago.”

For a number of months, I have been warning both large and small employers, that they can expect a backlash from angry employees who have been planning to leave at the first opportunity. This flight will prove most apparent with talented sales people who have seen their incomes decline by up to 50 % in some industries.

Candidly, they are as mad as hell and they are not going to take it anymore — just like in the movie “Network” from long ago. Ironically, the variable sales commission plans that rewarded performance turned against the sales worker as the economy plummeted into the recent malaise. In many cases, unsympathetic employers called for sales people to work harder for less money with no relief. Many sales reps were told that they were “lucky that they had a job” and to “tough it out.”

The worm has now turned. The same unsympathetic employers now will watch their market share drop as their sales people join other firms.

John Bradley Jackson
© Copyright 2010 All rights reserved.

See the Wall Street Journal Article:
http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/109636/more-workers-start-to-quit?mod=career-worklife_balance