Marketing – Business – Life :: Allen Mowery

Walmart: Capitalizing on the LazyIf Walmart were any slower they’d be the Federal government, or so I have come to surmise. I was reminded of this the other evening as I stood in the express checkout lane at our local supercenter, completely frustrated that even after the holiday rush they were still unable to open more than a half dozen registers.

Do I like standing in an express line for twenty minutes? Do I like never being able to find an associate when I need one? No. So why do I keep going back? Because Walmart knows its customers. They understand the inbred laziness of their primary (i.e. American) consumer, and they capitalize on it. Sure, we might complain to friends or rant in blog posts about our discontent. Yes, you can find a number of products elsewhere for cheaper. But in the end we endure what we believe to be necessary evils for the convenience of the one-stop-shopping experience, and Walmart’s knowledge of this has put them on top of world. Even standing in line for twenty minutes is more convenient than the time it would take to go elsewhere.

Capitalize on ConfusionWe just came through Christmas, and in all reality, I’m kind of relieved that it’s finally over. The constant barrage of money-driven advertising begins to wear on a person, and we quickly become wary of all of the sales gimmicks. The incessant “buy this,” “save money on this,” and the ever-popular “find-your-personal-identity-by-giving-them-a-gift-worth-having” marketing tactics strip many consumers (myself included) of any joy during the holiday season. We shut down, we tune out, and turn off those annoying voices and images, trying to find a moment’s respite before we lose our minds.

Next year, capitalize on this confusion by creating a miniature escape for your customers. Don’t hit them with a sales pitch or price gimmick; go against the norm, whether it’s giving away a free product or service, providing peace of mind or simply letting them know that they mean more to you than a dollar sign.

Top Five Marketing BlogsAs we are getting ready to head into 2010, here is my “Top Five” list of marketing blogs to frequent in the coming year.

1) Seth’s Blog
website: sethgodin.typepad.com
rss feed: Click Here
Seth Godin is a bestselling author, entrepreneur and avid agent of change. Godin is the author of ten books that have been bestsellers around the world. This is his personal blog, where he riffs on marketing, respect, and the ways ideas spread.
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Try Gaining TrustAs I scrolled through my morning dose of RSS feeds, humor, and motivating articles I came across a post by Seth Godin in which he talks about the blatant mistrust that is “inherent in the system” (hat tip to “Dennis“). He describes his experience while setting up a friend’s PC recently and the barrage of trial software, default opt-in tricks, and roundabout ways of navigating software. (Simple solution: Go with Apple… “it just works.”) So often customers are conned into disclosing personal information, getting locked into an agreement, or paying more for additional (and often needless) products and services. In today’s consumer world, and society in general, nothing is valid at face value and [almost] always comes burdened with fine print. We have gone from being a people that can accept a man at his word to being constantly paranoid of everyone, continuously wary of a hidden loophole.
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Google Wave & Its Business PotentialEver since it was announced by Google in May of this year the web has been abuzz with information regarding Google Wave and it’s potential impact on business communication and workgroup collaboration.

What is Google Wave?

“Google Wave is an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration. A wave can be both a conversation and a document where people can discuss and work together using richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.” – Google

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