Ultimate Work At Home Dads &#187; key packaging

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Charlie Seymour Jr is an entrepreneurial evangelist and marketing-success coach helping individuals and companies (up to $100MM) explode their success through online and direct-response marketing. He specializes in blogging, podcasting, photography, video, and Facebook applications. Visit his blog at http://bit.ly/24eYTO to learn more about his successes.

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Fallacies of Marketing

062 The Invisible Touch – The Shock of the Not-New

061 The Invisible Touch – The Small Stuff

Charlie Seymour Jr — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:03:49 +0000

The Third Key: Packaging

I've always loved simple statements and sayings.

To say someone is "well-grounded" really means this person is earthy, of or from the earth. Even like a flower child who was really well-grounded.

Harry Beckwith points out one in this section of his book that I had never heard described before: well-heeled.

People often shine their shoes, make sure to wear an attractive suit, wash and comb their hair.

But when it comes to the heels of their shoes, they often let that repair go until they get some more money. So to say someone is well-heeled (and not down-in-the-heel) it has to do with the physical condition of their shoes – or at least that is where the expression started.

Handle It Like Gold

Years ago when I was the VP for Marketing at Jackson-Cross Company and we hosted clients for meetings about our representing them in their real estate sale, we met in our largest conference room which we called The Board Room.

I learned how to present the proposal as if it were gold.

Think about it:

If someone hands you a report with care and gently places it in front of you like it was the finest-quality dinner, you'd think totally different about it than if the person handing out the report tossed it across the table to you.

Think about that the next time a waiter serves your dinner – do you feel they treat it with extra care and respect, or do they basically TOSS it at you?

Do YOU handle details as if you REALLY care about them? Because if you do NOT, your customers and clients will pick up on it very quickly.

Or your business cards – are they printed on your ink-jet printer on micro-perforated card stock which SCREAMS that you are cheap and don't run a real business.

Or your email address is to AOL or Google and not to your business's address?

Though some people profess that they don't sweat the small stuff (and it's ALL small stuff), I recommend that you take CARE of the small details so they don't become a problem.

And remember your heels – keep them looking good so that people can tell when you ENTER or LEAVE a room that you really care – and no detail that will help them will go unnoticed when they hire you.

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
Blogging, Podcasting, Consulting

The Invisible Touch – A Marketing Blog Series By Charles Seymour Jr
For The Index, Click Here!

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Fallacies of Marketing

061 The Invisible Touch – The Small Stuff

059 The Invisible Touch – The Purist's Prejudice

Charlie Seymour Jr — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:12:57 +0000

The Third Key: Packaging

The "Purist" says that only education, service, what we can do for our clients is what matters.

Maybe it SHOULD be that way, but let's face it: it's not!

Your words make things beautiful. Your attitude and the way you carry yourself adds to your beauty. The materials you use to package your presentations all add up to a more beautiful package for you.

Think about a fancy restaurant where the starched table cloths and contrasting napkins really look GREAT when you enter the banquet hall. You have NO idea what's going on in the kitchen or the pedigree of the chef, but if things LOOK great, you feel they WILL be great.

Right?

And when the chef comes out of the kitchen, does her clothing matter to you? Does his tall hat tell you something about him?

I have a friend who attends one of the monthly business meetings I go to. I've mentioned attorney Virgie Vakil before. When she first walks into a room, you just KNOW that she is quality. Her hair is coiffed, her clothing impeccable, the way she carries herself with head held high and posture upbeat tells you a LOT even before you have a chance to speak with her.

That's her personal packaging… and it WORKS.

So forget about not judging the book by its cover – we ALL do it (even unconsciously) and it's really important to our thinking.

Are you doing the same for your own materials?

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
Blogging, Podcasting, Consulting

The Invisible Touch – A Marketing Blog Series By Charles Seymour Jr
For The Index, Click Here!

PS: You can find me here:

PPS: Do you have trouble writing? Turn Your Words Into Gold – Go Here To Learn More! NOW is the time to start.

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Fallacies of Marketing

059 The Invisible Touch – The Purist's Prejudice

058 The Invisible Touch – Beauty Trumps Quality

Charlie Seymour Jr — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:55:25 +0000

The Third Key: Packaging

Beauty's in the eye of the beholder… and most of us want to behold real beauty.

Beautiful women. Great looking guys. Terrific-looking houses with curb appeal you can see for blocks.

Cars, book covers, bouquets of flower, diamond rings, a smile with pearly whites.

All of those things are beautiful.

The Cars I've Owned

Maybe you'll stop reading this article after you find out some of the cars I've owned:

My BMW 320 tii was a beautiful car. Tight, compact, smooth, jet black – until the construction workers of a new home of mine accidentally poured acid onto the hood and destroyed the look. (Their insurance covered it, and after a few weeks, the car looked great again.)

My Cadillac Catera was not as beautiful a car, but it was still pretty hot looking. And after I traded it in for my Escape, my kids kept telling me how they missed the smooth, soft leather interior.

But I've also owned a Gremlin and a Pacer.

If you have ever seen either of these cars, you know they are QUIRKY, not beautiful (and that may be kind!).

Even my Ford Contour was a bit quirky, but it drove TERRICALLY – one of the best driving cars I've owned. It was MUCH better in the snow than my Mercedes 300 was (I used to leave that car in the garage after one flake of snow, but not the Contour – it would start snowing and out I'd go… just to see how great its traction control was in the snow – even 8 inches one time!).

But somehow Beauty trumps Quality.

Taller, Better Looking People Get Paid More

So… who gets paid more: the really smart and well-trained but homely person OR the tall, gorgeous guy or girl.

Yep – you guessed it.

Studies have shown for YEARS that beautiful people get paid (on average) more than shorter, less attractive people.

So think about that for your products and the packaging of your services.

Make them attractive. Watch what colors you use – see what other folks use but be sure they are people who sell MILLIONS so that you know the colors they choose have been tested to pay them the most possible.

"IBM Blue" or the blues of Facebook and Microsoft are chosen for a reason. Are you paying attention to this?

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
Blogging, Podcasting, Consulting

The Invisible Touch – A Marketing Blog Series By Charles Seymour Jr
For The Index, Click Here!

PS: You can find me here:

PPS: Do you have trouble writing? Turn Your Words Into Gold – Go Here To Learn More! NOW is the time to start.

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Fallacies of Marketing

058 The Invisible Touch – Beauty Trumps Quality

056 The Invisible Touch – The Blue Fox Revisited

Charlie Seymour Jr — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:07:34 +0000

The Third Key: Packaging

We return to the Blue Fox of 028 – The More It Costs The Better It Seems. Remember the example of the Folgers Crystals replacing the fine coffee of this upscale restaurant?

People believed the coffee was great because of the brand projected by the restaurant.

And… they believed it was great because once inside the restaurant, the decor, the table cloths, the way the serving staff was dressed: EVERYTHING added to the atmosphere that THIS was a swanky place, deserving of high prices. And you can think of this "EVERYTHING" as its "packaging."

Look around the room at your next business meeting: who looks more professional, more compitent, more like someone YOU want to do business with: the young kid with the sloppy hair and unshaven face who is wearing jeans OR the snazzy businesswoman whose understated, neatly-pressed suit attracts your attention as soon as she walks into the room?

Can't tell a book by its cover? Oh, sure you can… or at least sure you DO.

HOW you present yourself and your company is as important to getting business as how educated you are and how high a level your quality is.

Remember the "Packaging" when you present yourself and your work: it ALL counts!

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
Blogging, Podcasting, Consulting

The Invisible Touch – A Marketing Blog Series By Charles Seymour Jr
For The Index, Click Here!

PS: You can find me here:

PPS: Do you have trouble writing? Turn Your Words Into Gold – Go Here To Learn More! NOW is the time to start.