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Aggressive Small Business Marketing & Advertising
Big thoughts, ideas and how-tos for aggressive, fast-growth businesses and the entrepreneurs who fuel them.
What I hate about the 4-hour work week …
Posted by Michael Cage on Thursday, June 05, 2008Let's start at the beginning.
I don't hate Timothy Ferriss, nor do I hate his book, “The Four Hour Work Week.”
In fact, I think the book is excellent in many ways on a tactical level.
What I do hate is the underlying philosophy that makes an idea like The 4- Hour Work Week so appealing.
I will go so far as to say that the reason I am in business ... doing what I love doing, sharing what I discover with other entrepreneurs ... is to get as many people as possible away from this mentality.
Let me explain...
For years, we have been taught that work is something you have to do ... so that you can do what you really want while you are not working.
Most of us, as kids, were indoctrinated in that industrial-age philosophy.
The skeleton of the myth is that you ...
... go to school so you can get good grades
... so you can get into a good college where you get good grades
... so you can get a good job where you can work your way up the ladder
... so you can “suck it up and do your time” at work while you enjoy your life on the evening, weekends and eventually when you retire.
People who believe in this kind of work/life separation are also those most likely to say:
“It’s just business, nothing personal.”
It manifests in entrepreneurs who believe they can be bastards in business, but “as long as they show up at church on Sunday” ... they are still “good people.”
And, most common of all, it manifests in entrepreneurs who mistakenly believe they have escaped the old “job myth” because they have their own business. Yet when they substitute “successful business” for “good job” in the above myth, the realization that they are still living by those old industrial age roles sinks in.
By the way, I’m not saying there is something “wrong” with that. Only that you should think accurately about what you are doing and why you are doing it.
...and ask yourself if that is really what you want your life to be about.
The whole traditional myth is summed up nicely in a country song:
I don’t have to be me till Monday
Friday, Saturday, Sunday
I ain’t gonna face reality
Three days without punching a time clock
Three nights of goin’ non stop
No work and all play
I don’t have to be me, till Monday
I find this myth repulsive.
It deadens the soul.
It “teaches” us to ignore our gifts and our passions in favor of what others tell us is possible.
It was “useful” for the industrial age.
But it's bullshit.
And along comes the 4-Hour Work Week and some people think they have found sweet escape.
But it is really just the same old myth taken to a hedonistic extreme.
Work still sucks.
So do as little of it as you can.
And live your life on your own terms the rest of the time.
It is the same philosophy which permeates the “Internet marketing” world.
It is the core promise of the stereotypical “get rich quick” pitch.
Does anyone doubt the “1 Hour Work Week” isn’t far behind?
The “17 Minute Work Week” after that?
And they’ll sell a ton.
They’ll sell precisely because they are piggybacking on that tired, old myth that just about everyone is living through.
Here’s what I believe ...
The world doesn't need any more people selling crap so they can live a playboy's life.
It needs people who are committed and passionate about who they are and what impact they want to be having. People for whom each day is an opportunity to do what they love, experience the ripples flowing from their efforts, and be well rewarded for it.
What is that thing that, if you were to choose to do it ... fully and without compromise ... would stir your soul?
Truth is ... at this point, making one million or ten million or fifty million in a business is commonplace.
I’m not saying it is always easy. Only that the path is known and clear, and can be duplicated when you are willing to make the required sacrifices.
But building a business that is an expression of who is it you most want to be in this world ... a business that actually makes a difference ... that, to me, is truly something to celebrate. And I believe that is becoming more and more true as we shift away from a commodity-driven era and into one where, increasingly, our choices are made as much by ours values as our wallets.
Think Steve Jobs to John Scully ...
"Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?"
Which brings me to an interesting point.
While I think the philosophy Timothy Ferris offers in the 4-Hour Work Week is a freshly-polished version of the same old industrial-age myth, my experience of how he does what he does is quite the opposite.
To be clear, I don’t know him and have never spoken with him.
I do think I’d like him a lot ... he strikes me as the kind of guy who’d be willing to engage passionately in a conversation like this. And I respect smart people with big ideas who have the guts to put them out in the world, no matter whether I agree or disagree.
My sense is that Timothy loves what he does ... feels strongly about his message and the impact it can and has had ... and I believe he happily works a lot more than 4 hours per week at it as a result. I absolutely believe he does what I envision the highest form of entrepreneurship to be about ... I just wish he were teaching it, too.
There are 38 comments, add your own!Is “find a need and fill it” bad marketing advice?
Posted by Michael Cage on Thursday, May 17, 2007Just because marketing advice is repeated often ... doesn't make it true.
"Find a need and fill it ... that is the key to successfully marketing a business." - Someone who needs to be slapped around a little bit.
Truth is, follow this "find a need and fill it" advice and you are inviting commodity pricing.
Think about it...
People NEED to get their roof repaired ... but they WANT on-time, courteous service, clean workers and a guarantee their roof won't leak again.
People NEED a computer network set up ... but they WANT someone who understands their business, will suggest things to make it run smoother before a breakdown prompts it, and won't make them feel stupid by talking geek to them.
People NEED to have a cavity filled ... but they WANT to look good and have a pain-free experience in a friendly office with warm people.
People price shop for what they need, and even that makes them grumpy.
People pay premium prices for what they want, and they love it.
Go to an Apple Store. Play marketing anthropologist. Really observe the people. You'll "get it" in less than an hour.
Service business, retail business, business-to-business, whatever your business...
...if your business struggles with commodity pricing or if you have to "justify" your price more than once in a blue moon ... betcha an iPhone (ahem, another example) you are focusing on what your customers or clients need, and aren't paying attention to what they want. And that makes them begin to not want you.
Forget find a need and fill it.
Find a want, touch your market ... and lead a movement.
I talked about this in today's Aggressive Marketing & Entrepreneurship Daily Podcast (along with a discussion about when to release version 1 of your product or service, true entrepreneurial competencies, and how to stay passionate and energized in your business). If you haven't listened yet ... what are you waiting for? ... I'm on Episode #4. (Subscribe in iTunes.)
There are 24 comments, add your own!The first Aggressive Marketing & Entrepreneurship podcast
Posted by Michael Cage on Monday, May 14, 2007Quick follow-up: The 2nd episode of "Aggressive Marketing & Entrepreneurship Daily" has been posted. AND ... you can now subscribe to the podcast using iTunes or RSS Feed. If you just want to check it out with my handy web-based player, just click this link.
Fact is ... I'm a slow writer. And while I love blogging here, and will continue to do so, going forward I'll be putting plenty of attention on podcasting my comments, marketing strategies and general "good stuff" for entrepreneurs.
The first podcast is up ... and I'm talking about everything from what really makes an entrepreneur an entrepreneur to the meaning of "aggressive marketing" --- which just might surprise you.
Anyway, here is the link - The Very First Aggressive Small Business Marketing & Entrepreneurship Podcast. You can listen to it directly on the web page or download the mp3. I have the King of All Nerds (said with love) putting together the feed and iTunes buttons; so they will be up soon.
Feedback counts on this. How much I do and what I answer going forward is going to depend on the response I get. Go, listen ... and leave a comment (or a link in).
There are 13 comments, add your own!The differentiation trade-off and marketing to values
Posted by Michael Cage on Tuesday, May 08, 2007One of the most common requests I get from clients is, "how can I differentiate my business/product/service/offer?"
The trade-off is clear. You can escape commodity-pricing and increase the flow of new and repeat business by being clearly and compellingly different. But part of being different is being willing to turn away, sometimes even offend, those who do not match the new vibe your business puts off.
The more different you purport to be, the more important congruence becomes. This means the promises you make in your marketing, the experience people have when they arrive in your office, the staff they interact with ... literally every touchpoint between your customers or clients and your business must match.
For a simple example, consider the jarring experience of making an appointment with a realtor who held herself out to be an expert in luxury homes and the luxury market ... and she then picks you up in a Yugo. That is lack of congruence. (Note, it may not be "fair" ... but it is how it is.)
With a good knowledge of the market, the answers about "how" to differentiate come easily. It's the willingness to say "no" to the clients who don't fit the new differentiation that is tough (for the client).
Anyway, here a great example of clearly a differentiated marketing message from a Berkely, California dentist.
From his site:
Imagine a Berkeley dentist's office that embodies the kind of innovative thinking synonymous with Berkeley. Imagine a dental environment reminiscent of a yoga studio or your best friend's living room -- a wellness spa designed for your comfort. Imagine experiencing eco-dentistry™, the pioneering approach that values the planet and your well-being. Imagine receiving a healing foot massage and listening to meditative music while your teeth are lovingly cleaned. Imagine seeing your smile miraculously transformed with leading edge techniques, natural-looking materials, and artist-quality restorations. This is not a dream: we are transcendentist® and Dr. Fred Pockrass.
Check out the Transcendentist, Dr. Fred Pockrass. Nice job.
P.S. There is a second, and probably more important lesson here. If you read the above description, you'll notice that he is clearly marketing to values. Not to features and benefits (traditional marketing and copywriting). Do it right, and marketing to values is an order of magnitude more powerful than the old stuff. Interested? Let me know in the comments and I'll write about it in a future post.
There are 7 comments, add your own!Still cold calling for lead generation?
Posted by Michael Cage on Sunday, April 15, 2007When I write about touchy subjects, I get angry E-mails.
In July of 2004, I wrote that businesses and salespeople that rely on cold calling are like functional drunks. They don't grow fully because of it ... in the back of their mind they know it is bad for them ... yet they manage to survive without too many negative consequences. At least for a little while.
I'm glad old posts never get removed, because I got a "best ever angry E-mail" this afternoon from a guy who will remain anonymous for obvious reasons.
He writes...
"As a recovering alcoholic who lived for years as a functional drunk, I'm mad as hell that you'd lump me in with anyone stupid enough to cold call!"
Talk about making my day! 
In all fairness, stupid is way overdoing it. Cold calling takes guts. I know. I cut my teeth as a teen selling fire alarms door-to-door during sweltering Baltimore summers. And people who are taking action and are doing anything to engage their market and grow their businesses have my respect. Far too many sit on the sidelines ... hoping, wishing, and dreaming.
Anyway...
The truth is that most entrepreneurs, salespeople and business owners who drive sales through cold calling simply don't know what they don't know. They see what the competition is doing and copy it. Or they do what they "have always done." Or they have tried another method of lead generation, couldn't get it to work and gave up. Whatever the cause, they simply don't know how to get the many systematic ways there are to generate leads working so that salespeople spend their time selling ... not begging someone to let them get in the door in order to have a chance to sell.
When you know how to engineer effective marketing systems, you flip the roles --- motivated, qualified prospects chase you instead of you chasing them.
These are all topics --- lead generation and business-to-business / b2b marketing (or, my preference, b2e or business-to-entrepreneur marketing) --- that I'll be writing about later this month. If you have any specific questions or comments, now would be a good time to get them in. Oh, and Mr. X, I'd like to thank you for the motivation. 
P.S. I know I haven't posted much lately. Mucho changes happening here, including a launch of a new podcast. Details to follow. Stay close.
There are 23 comments, add your own!