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Don’t Be A Marketing Yawn: Competition, Scarcity, Abundance And Muscling Your Way To The Table

“There’s still room,” I said.

“You don’t think it’s too crowded, too competitive?” he asked.

“It may be, but if you find an area where nobody is working…there’s likely a good reason,” I replied. “And besides, we’re not talking about a high cost to enter and get started, and to find out if you can carve out your own corner.”

Competition is great. It’s fun. Sure, it’s good for consumers, but as a business person I enjoy it.

Mentioned in today’s show are three guys. They help illustrate that competition can be based on personality, approach and connectivity. One person isn’t going to effectively serve everybody shopping for a service or product…even if the niche is as narrow as podcasting. By the way, I like all these guys and admit I hope they’re all doing well because they all bring something special and unique to the space.

Daniel Clark – QAQN.com – Daniel is very involved in various Internet marketing areas, most notably affiliate marketing. He has his own unique style and personality. Don’t we all? He has his own unique circle of friends and acquaintances, too. Daniel is illustrative of just doing it. He produces shows and doesn’t let kid noise or anything else stop him. Wrap it all up and you’ve got Daniel’s unique approach to podcasting and coaching.

Cliff Ravenscraft – PodcastAnswerman.com – Cliff has a different story than Daniel or Mark. He dumped a career in insurance to pursue a dream of being a full-time paid podcaster. A wife, three kids and a mortgage – they’re all part of his story. But there’s more to his story. He’s got a religious background having served in various capacities with churches. He peels back lots of areas of his personal life. It’s part of his story and he’s very willing to share it. Cliff is a geek’s geek and you can tell he loves technology. Bundle all that together and Cliff has is own unique approach.

Mark Jensen – NewMediaGear.com – Mark is different yet. He doesn’t market himself as a podcasting coach or consultant, and frankly I don’t even know if he does it, but he’s in the space of podcasting having started a show years ago called PodSqod. He morphed that into New Media Gear some years ago and his show is just what the title says, it’s very focused on gear. Mark’s YouTube channel is popular with guys who suffer mic envy (ahem, I resemble that remark). Mark has broadcast radio experience and voice-over experience. He’s very technical when it comes to gear and hardware.

Three different guys. Three different approaches. Three different focal points and backgrounds. And guess what? There are plenty of others I didn’t mention. I think there’s room for these and others because one-size-doesn’t-fit-all.

Competition helps us become better. As Jack Welch often said during his tenure at General Electric, “Get better or get beaten.”

Yes, I’m a strong proponent of competition and being competitive. That doesn’t mean I believe in scarcity. It means I believe in trying to be the very best, which necessarily means others are left in the dust.

 

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One Reason Why You Should Forgive

What does forgiveness have to do with careers and business? Plenty, because the focal point of forgiveness is people, or a person.

Whether we’re injured or causing injury – it happens. Sometimes it’s intentional and malicious. I’d like to think that most of the time, it’s not. Maybe it’s just thoughtlessness, or selfishness.

The greater the harm or damage, the greater the effort to accomplish forgiveness. A commitment to harbor ill-will, bitterness, resentment and to seek revenge is exhausting. In business terms, it’s among the lowest ROI propositions going. And because the emotions that fuel it are so high, we often push headlong into bad behavior. Who cares if it pays? We desperately want what we want.

Everybody knows the feeling of wanting forgiveness. What if we could embrace that feeling and flip it over, using it to fuel a desire to forgive others?

I’m not saying it’s easy, but I am saying I think it might be worthwhile.

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If You Don’t Care Enough To Stay Focused

As a man in search of an epiphany I’m happy to share them when I get them. Especially since I don’t get them very often. 😉

Today’s show was prompted by a familiar story of a frustrated employee dealing with an erratic boss. It dealt with the boss’ control issues and his intense focus shifting to disinterest or indifference. Maybe you’ve experienced a boss like that yourself. I know I have.

But it got my wheels turning as I was working out at the gym. And BAM! I had an epiphany. So here it is.

Thanks for letting me share it with you.

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Stupidity In Marketing – It’s An Epidemic!

A single email prompted today’s show. It was from an American author whose work I follow. He’s got a CEO who sent out an email whose subject line was: price reduction has now ended.

Here’s what the email said:

Hi Randy,

The XXX XXX XXX program price reduction ended at midnight last night and the program is now available for $1995.

If you wish to purchase the program – risk free – you can find out what’s included by following the link below:

(the url link appears here)

Best wishes,

XXX
CEO, XXX XXX XXX 

Identify the challenges I faced in today’s show and email me your answers (I give you the email address in the video). I’ll select a random winner and surprise you with something (not sure yet what, but I’ll figure it out).

Perhaps my next show needs to be entitled, “Stupidity In Videocasting – I’m Leading The Way!”

Thanks for watching!

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“She Never Told Me, ‘No!’ That’s Probably Why I’m So Rotten.”

You’ve seen it. Plenty.

Some unruly child about 3 feet tall, all of 45 pounds wielding enough power to be the envy of any Communist dictator. And a parent softly pleading with this little tyrant to behave, act nice and stop yelling.

Power corrupts. Three and four year olds don’t have an extraordinary capacity for wisdom though. Drunk with power he grows increasingly confident in his ability to twist mom and dad into Harry Houdini contortions as they try to bend to his will.

Permit me to introduce you to Melvin Williams, the subject of the HBO series, “The Wire.” Melvin ran the heroin trade in Baltimore for decades. No, Melvin doesn’t take drugs. He doesn’t even drink. He just wanted to make money – as much as he possibly could.

Melvin is an old school hoodlum who refused to rat out anybody…so he’s done his share of prison time. Twice. Refusing to testify against anybody. A life of crime, sacrificing too much time behind bars.

He loved his mom, but in a Biography Channel episode about his life, he made this comment about his mom.

Parenting is a lost art in many homes. Sadly, Melvin’s home didn’t do him any favors. Sure, his mom may have been a good woman, but to be a good parent demands a willingness and ability to say, “No!” And to enforce it.

“She Never Told Me, ‘No!’ That’s Probably Why I’m So Rotten.” Read More »

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