Linda's Marketing Leverage Blog

Two Fifths of Beethoven...and the Power of Pure Sound

Stanford University's new Bing Concert Hall

I had the opportunity to hear two Beethoven stalwarts,  the 5th "Emperor" Concerto, and the well-known 5th Symphony, at the inaugural concerts of the Stanford University Bing Concert Hall today.

The entire experience, from the outdoor setting to the "vineyard style" seating to the impeccable acoustics made this an outstanding experience. Pianist Jon Nakematsu, a Van Cliburn award winner, delivered an outstanding performance of the Emperor Concerto and the Stanford Symphony Orchestra finished the day with a high energy, powerful rendition of the 5th Symphony.

How important are the venue and the acoustics? The notes on these two symphonic warhorses haven't changed in 200 years. Nakematsu has likely played this concerto many times before. But the combination of great performers, a wonderful location and incredible acoustics made this an outstanding performance.

Are you presenting your business in the best way possible? Or are you forcing your audience to work hard to see and hear your message through old filters?  The difference can be incredibly powerful.

Just a Moment for Marketing: Face the Facts on Facebook

Linda asks: With almost 1 Billion subscribers, is Facebook the panacea for your marketing needs?

Top of Mind Thoughts: I'm Sorry Lance is Still News

Am I the only one who is tired of the fact that Lance Armstrong is still dominating our news and entertainment space?

The man lied for years about whether he had taken performance enhancing drugs. Now he's finally decided he needs to tell the truth--on his terms. But is it the whole truth? How can we ever believe anything he says? And, furthermore, why do we care?

Oprah may have built ratings for her interview but all she and the rest of the media are doing is enabling this kind of inappropriate behavior.

Time to move on, Lance. Go back to Texas. Ride your bike, run marathons. Just leave the rest of us alone.

To Sell or Not To Sell: Maybe It's Not Actually a Question

Author Daniel Pink uses his forehead to demonstrate how people focus on self vs. others,  at Watermark on Jan 15

As a society, we look down on selling, considering sales slimey or undesirable. Yet as many as 1 in 9 people are in the sales business. And, according to author Daniel Pink, we're *all* selling every day, even there are no actual sales transactions taking place.

Pink, whose new book is called To Sell is Human, says non sales-people say an average of 40% of their time is spent convincing or persuading others.

On Tuesday, Pink talked about how the tables have turned with the advent of a world where information runs freely and openly. It's no longer buyer beware--now it's seller beware.

He talks about the new ABCs of selling as Attunement (perspective taking), Buoyancy (the ability to remainingg afloat) and Clarity (the ability to curate and distill the key information from the overabundance of available data).

Pink also notes how important it is to connect with the other party--to the point of strategically mimicking their physical behavior and word choices.

Surprised? This all makes sense. All that convincing and persuading that goes on when we're not "really" selling...it's something we call marketing.

Taking the other party's perspective? Part of identifying with your target audience. Connecting with the other side using their own language? A big part of messaging.

Whether we call is selling or marketing, it's what we need to do to obtain our objectives. Kudos to Daniel Pink for tackling the subject in an interesting and amusing way.

Be Ready to Thrive in '13: Free Teleseminar - January 16

To thank our friends and clients for their support throughout the past year, we'd like to share our insights on what we've learned from the past year, and trends that we think may impact your business in 2013.

Please join us as our guest for the Be Ready to Thrive in '13: Top of the Year Teleseminar next Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 11 am PST.

This teleseminar will cover:

• Key learnings from 2012: The best and worst of this past year and how you can leverage these in your business in the coming year
• Baker's Dozen: 13 important topics and trends that will impact your business in 2013
• Plus our Performance PowerBoosts: Powerful ideas you can use to drive your business forward this year, starting immediately.

As a special thank you to our clients and community, we are offering this teleseminar ($49 value) at no charge. Use coupon code TOPOF13 for complimentary registration.

 

This teleseminar is designed for businesses, consultants, professional services firms, and anyone who wants to use marketing to break away from the pack in the coming year.  

 

Join us Wednesday, January 16, 2012 at 11 am PDT. Use coupon code TOPOF13 to attend at no charge.

Last year's Top of the Year Teleseminar was quite popular. Because space is limited, and seats are available on a first come, first serve basis, please reserve your space in advance to ensure you are included.

Just a Moment for Marketing: Don't Discount the Gift Horse

Linda recommends: Take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to you.

Just a Moment for Marketing: Be Part of the Orchestra

Linda advises: Make sure your marketing efforts lead to great business performance.