B2B and Industrial Marketing Blog
Every Friday I visit, Joel’s blog (a long-time reader of b2blog) for his “Fun Link Friday”
Corvine Design – News Section.
All the links have been surfed for quality and uniqueness…you won’t be disappointed. Check out the ‘foil project’ in today’s post.
I remember reading Consumer Reports initial review of the Ionic Breeze air filter a couple years ago and understanding it was not the great things the commercials made it sound like. Sharper Image sued CR and it got tossed out, all while selling 2 million IBs.
Chris Bush posted about new CR claims about the IB, and SI’s response
One of the big “success stories” in the recent annals of DRTV (Direct Response TV) has been the Sharper Image Ionic Breeze. But, according to this story at engadget.com, the company may need to find a new stud for its stable.
Here’s the Consumer Reports position.
Here’s Sharper Image’s response to the May 2005 story in Consumer Reports.
This has all the makings of the media version of the Hatfields and McCoys.
While the new technical issue is the generation of Ozone (that ‘fresh smell’ the IB brags about), the CR position mostly talks about the lies that SI’s endorsements are. SI concentrates on the ozone issue in their response, leaving clarification of product endorsements as footnotes.
As a marketer/copywriter/salesperson, the response by SI just smells of PR cover-up. How false does a statement like this sound: “its safe enjoyment by millions of consumers is impressive testimony to its safety and effectiveness as an air cleaner. ” Ford could have said the same about the Pinto!
First, have you tried the neato super folding trick yet? Here’s how it goes for those of you too lazy to click on my links:
Now to mash-ups. A mash-up is simply taking two or more songs and mixing them together to create something new. The first one I came across (quite by accident) is a whole album called The Beastles. Have you guessed what it could be? The Beastie Boys mixed with The Beatles. Its pretty heavy on the B-Boys, but with the mix of the Beatles you can’t help but smile (at least as a B-Boys fan).
I haven’t found a central source for these yet as they are underground and possibly illicit, so blogs and del.icio.us seem to be the way these things get around. Here is an article from Wired on mash-ups. And here is a guide to making mash-ups that I found interesting because it shows how the secret to doing a mash-up is syncing the beats.
What two groups would you want to make a mash of? How about Veggietales and Green Day?
Did you try the folding trick I posted about yesterday? Print out the little diagram and take it home and try it. Strangely addictive trick. Okay, back to today’s post:
Last month when I went to California, I bought an iPod Mini. Had it the next day, even with super-saving shipping from Amazon. Was going to get just a thumb drive, but then thought an MP3 player would be cool. The Mini is definitely a cool way to go. But now on to the fun…
So I quickly learned about podcasting. You’ve probably already heard about it and have a vague idea of what its all about. Its cooler than blogging and I think it will be even more revolutionary. You don’t need an iPod to get involved, you can just download the shows to your PC and listen to them there. I blew-off NPR’s recent fund-drive by just listening to podcasts in my car (I have the iPod hooked to a small FM transceiver. Actually, I use the headphones very little with it.)
Tracking the shows you like is easy with a free podcasting client like iPodder. It automatically can check for podcasts, download them, and if your MP3 player is set to auto-sync, uploaded.
Here’s one show to get you hooked: Coverville, which is a 30 minute show full of cover songs. I like the recent a-capella show. I’m not big into the business shows, like I am in blogging, but they are out there. Have you got a podcast to recommend?
All work and no fun make Dave a very dull boy. And with a very harried week for me (short-staffed), how about making some posts of fun stuff. Learn something new and find some new websites.
It sounds silly, but folding a T-shirt can be fun. And the Impulsive Buy is a fun blog to read. For the marketing angle, the product reviews at IB should be good lessons in what makes a product remarkable (or not).
The Impulsive Buy: Neato Neato Super Super T-Shirt Fold
More on the subject of folding with a good diagram on how to do it
Got this in an email newsletter today from Process Heating (not on their website however):
Results of Process Heating magazine?s electronic survey of industrial electric heater users show that most buyers prefer to purchase their heaters from U.S. companies.
Eighty-eight percent of respondents to the February survey indicated they do not look to China or India for their electric heaters or heating elements. Why not? Here are some direct quotes from respondents.
- We buy American.
- I try to promote the U.S. economy.
- I am comfortable with domestic suppliers.
- Because I live and work in America.
- Good U.S. manufacturers are available.
- Our company typically likes to go with American-made products.
- No reason to, and would prefer buying U.S.-made goods.
- We have an established relationship with a U.S. manufacturer and always patronize American manufacturers.
The February 2005 survey was emailed to more than 5,000 subscribers and had a 6 percent response rate.
So, while it seems that everything is made in China these days, the industrial B2B world still likes to buy American. If you’ve got foreign competition, it would be smart to boast that you are selling domestic products. Instinctively, you might think that doing so is too much ‘talking about us’, but to the buyers there is a benefit: feeling good about their decision.
One of the first topics I discussed on this blog was Industrial Quick Search, whose tagline “The engine inside the engine” defines what they do very well. They are a directory website service to increase visibility of industrial companies like mine. Their high Google rankings and convenient list of suppliers was quickly copied by Thomas Register (now Thomas Net). I joined their listings with the belief that the sooner a searcher can find my website and products, the better.
In recent history, Google has buried or dropped a number of their sites, including the one I am listed on. Traffic dropped significantly, but I am patient to see them recover (dropped to the levels I get from Thomas).
They haven’t been sleeping, adding content to their otherwise spartan directory sites. Now they are adding a new website, www.iqsdirectory.com which aggregates all their listings and looking to add an RFQ tool so that a visitor can blast their request to directory members. This becomes more of a ‘sticky’ website for the repeated industrial product searcher, more like GlobalSpec or ThomasNet.
But, as one person said to me about online directories recently, “what are they really selling?” In IQS’s case, its quality website traffic. Can they deliver like they used to?
One of the frustrations as a salesperson is paperwork. Since we implemented ISO, one of the added forms is a “Request for New Customer” form, that also requests a standard credit app (trade references, duns#, bank info) from all new companies that buy from us.
Apparently is a more common procedure these days, but most buyers don’t send this information with a PO, and most buyers don’t list their name or contact info on their POs. So you’ve got to hunt down the buyer and request that info. I usually wait until I’ve entered the order so I can also tell them what other problems their might be with their PO. At least for us, the ‘request for new customer’ doesn’t slow down the order, which is a competitive advantage over the #1 in our industry who won’t release any order till credit is approved.
So, while filling out one of these forms, I wondered if my new one-man marketing department should create its own ISO procedure requiring detailed info on new customers for demographic analysis? Or at least add these questions to the ‘new customer’ form. Probably better to tack on to someone else’s painful paperwork than add my own, huh? Shouldn’t we treat the customer’s demographic data with as much importance as the customer’s credit info?
I’ve always given my all to help my customers and reps. Its a point of pride to be able to take care of them and make them look good to their peers. But now that I am training my sales replacement so I can concentrate on marketing, I’m finding myself struggling.
Its almost like reading a text book at bed time…I know it is important, the info is good, and it has to get done, but, how the mind wanders and gets sleepy. My most efficient time right now is when my replacement is here training with me a couple hours a day. Its weird to be promoted out of a job and suddenly find that you feel like you can’t do that ‘old’ job up to standard.
Why is this? Perhaps its because my goals have already changed. Or finally getting a sense of completion and release after so many years of just continually juggling from order to order. Whatever it is, it just makes me feel incompetent right now. Must…push…self…harder.
The Marketing Profs just published good, “1,000 foot level” article on B2B copy writing. The basic point is that we are trying to create a relationship between our company and the prospect, and the copy and tone we use in our materials should support that. Telling it like it is not only shows honesty, but makes the benefits clear. Here are their Five B2B Copy Myths and my read on why to bust them. See the article for their detailed reasons.