Yesterday, I was at an event where Bob Silvy (a marketing specialist) was talking about a concept he called activation. I’ll share an example that he provided to explain the idea.
Large events like the PGA Tour or 40 Top Executives Under 40 often have many prominent sponsors, such as Nike, Starbucks, State Farm Insurance or Visa. Often, large sponsors just put their name on the event and send staff members to network and hand out information. They believe they are building brand loyalty or reinforcing brand awareness. Basically, these companies just show up.
There is another breed of companies that use the principle of activation. They go way beyond just showing up. Bob shared how Cingular wireless “activated” their sponsorship. Cingular was one of many sponsors at an event to honor the “Top 100 women in San Francisco”. Only 15 of the top 100 women were current Cingular customers.
They gave all 100 women the latest Nokia cell phone with unlimited service for two months. At the end of the two months, they called up these women who were leaders of companies and organizations and asked questions like, “How did you enjoy the Nokia phone? How did you like our service? Wasn’t the quality of the service really exceptional?”
When they got positive responses to those questions, they signed these women up as new Cingular customers. Since these women headed up large organizations, Cingular also asked, “Wouldn’t you like to give your employees the same quality of service as well?” They turned this two month trial into a selling bonanza and signed up hundreds of customers.
While the 15 other sponsors just showed up, Cingular cleaned up. This is activated marketing in action. I saw this marketing story as a powerful metaphor: In life you can just show up, or you can live an activated life. It’s your choice.
When we get hurt our minds determine how how bad it is. From that assessment it determines how quickly we are going to heal. This happens in a blink of an eye in our subconscious. Put another way our mind lets our body know this will take a long time to heal this injury (it codes it as an ingery that will take 10 days to heal). And our body obeys.
I came across a technique to recode the healing process after the accident.
One of my clients got into a car accident last week. I called her while she was in a restaurant having lunch and guided her through recoding the healing process. In that 10 minute call she coded the injury as one that will heal very fast. Take a look at the email I received this morning:
“Hi Umar,
I just wanted to say thank you for your gift on Thursday. I have sent a
picture of the bruise on my back because I wanted to show you how yucky it
looked the day before you called (Wednesday). I thought it was going to be
there for weeks, if not months. After your phone call… it was completely
gone by Friday. I am not exaggerating at all and I can’t think of anything
else that would have caused it to go away. All things considered, I am
healing very quickly.
You are truly a blessing. If there is anything I can do to repay please
don’t hesitate to ask.
Thank you.
Sincerely,”
I had a coffee with a sales veteran (65+) who stressed how important it is to turn up the volume. He does 100 dials a day, everyday. He predictabaly hits 3 to 5 sales each and everyday. So it’s back to the basics for me!
I was recently asked, “What is the distinction between being successful and being significant?”
To me being successful is about the here and now. It’s about having more than enough money, love, rewards, and a comfortable future for me and mine.
Significance is about going beyond my needs and making a difference in the lives of others. Building something that goes beyond my life span. Building something that goes on long after I am forgotten.
So now it’s my turn to ask, “What is the distinction between being successful and being significant to you?”
I’m sitting in the Red Carpet lounge at Dulles airport finishing a beer. I will be going to Rio for the second NLP world Congress. I became aware of NLP in 1986 and in a few days I will be doing a presentation at the congress to my peers in the NLP community.
I’m thinking I will do a presentation about NLP and the quantum effect. Are we all connected?If we are what are the possibilities for good and are their any pitfalls we need top watch out for. I need to get a highly effective presentation ready for Saturday.
I have a few ideas in my head, a blank sheet of paper, and my favorite pen in my hand.I’ll let you know what I come up with tomorrow. Find out more about NLP on my Mr. Breakthrough website:
This past Sunday I was leading a retreat for the board Concert Artists of Baltimore. To help the group connect at a deeper level I asked them why music was so important to them. Everyone took turns introducing them selves and sharing why they thought music was important. One board member said she was part of a choir that sang at senior centers. One day while they performed a man spoke for the first time in many years.It seemed like a miracle.
The reason I share this story with you is that the staff at the center had tried “everything” their professional minds could think of to get this man to speak. The reason the choir connected to the man was because it was relevant to him in some way.
Generally, we spend too much time trying to communicate what’s important to us.What we need to start thinking about; is what I’m about to present relevant to the audience.Could I refocus the message that would make it relevant? When we find what’s relevant to others we make great strides in building relationships, communicating ideas, and closing more deals.
Relevant is one of the two most important words in language. I’ll tell you about the other word another day. Find out more on my website at www.ProductivityCubed.com
If you don’t know your purpose it feels like you are lost. Learn the secrets that will help you discover your purpose. Hint; Purpose is a direction, find yours!
If there is anything I can do to repay please