Archives

From the category archives:

Marketing

The Answer To Every Marketing Problem

by Ray Edwards on July 1, 2010

Does the guy selling beer at the baseball stadium have a marketing problem?
Does Disney have trouble marketing umbrellas at their theme park during Florida’s legendary afternoon thundershowers?
How about fireworks dealers right before the Fourth of July?
None of these situations present a marketing problem, because people already want the product.
The product, in other words, sells itself.
This [...]

{ 4 comments }

World Cup Predictions For Marketers

by Ray Edwards on June 25, 2010

If you’re aware of the world around you (meaning: outside the USA), you know one of the hottest topics right now is the World Cup.
I don’t have any predictions about who will win… but I do have a World Cup prediction: it will be hot news until it’s over.
That may sound obvious, but there are [...]

{ 5 comments }

3 Lies That Hold You Back

by Ray Edwards on June 23, 2010

There’s not much holding you back other than your own thinking.
Our culture is replete with stories of people who had every disadvantage yet succeeded wildly – and that not through luck but through focused effort.
Submitted as proof: Ray Charles, Stephen Hawking, and Helen Keller.
So what is it about our thinking that so often holds us [...]

{ 0 comments }

Stop Bullies Instantly

by Ray Edwards on June 22, 2010

Nobody likes being bullied.
Somehow, though, lots of us allow ourselves to be bullied all through our adult life.
What about in your case? Who bullies you?
Your spouse? Your boss? Your mother/father/siblings?
For some of us, the answer is obvious (like the examples I just gave you)… and for others it is more subtle – and dangerous.
A lot [...]

{ 4 comments }

The A-Team School of Marketing

by Ray Edwards on June 21, 2010

I just saw the new A-Team movie. Twice.
For those who don’t know, it’s a remake of the old TV show, and it’s about an elite group of Army Rangers who “specialize in the impossible”.
The unit – called an “Alpha Unit” or “A-Team” – is led by Colonel Hannibal Smith. And Hannibal has some trademark wisdom [...]

{ 1 comment }

This is the “On The Road” Edition of the show… recorded “live” in a coffee shop. Wow.
Hey it just goes to show you: imperfect action beats perfect contemplation, every time.
For those who are interested, here’s the microphone I’m using – I wrongly said in the show it was a Logitech, but it’s actually a Plantronics [...]

{ 6 comments }

Cubicle Escape Artists, Unite!

by Ray Edwards on June 9, 2010

My friend Jason Van Orden and his business partner, Jeremy Frandsen recently coined a term I really love: “cubicle escape artist”.
It’s a term that invokes curiosity.
And yet I believe people instinctively know what it means, and their curiosity is really disguised hope.
People know that a “cubicle escape artist” is someone who has somehow escaped the [...]

{ 17 comments }

The Story: Follow up to the initial episode of Ray Edwards Show podcast — all about marketing and productivity.
The Point: Know what drives me bananas? People who spout off about how  you should stop “trading time for dollars”. I think it’s virtually impossible to avoid “trading time for dollars”. And I think I do a [...]

{ 6 comments }

Freelancer’s Guide: Get New Clients

by Ray Edwards on May 10, 2010

Since publishing my last post, I’ve gotten lots of questions from people who want to start service businesses, who have marketable skills and talents, but who are either intimidated or even stopped cold by the idea of getting new clients.
Many of these otherwise bold, creative, talented individuals feel somehow inept or ill-equipped to convince people [...]

{ 18 comments }

Customer Selection Determines Quality of Life

by Ray Edwards on April 2, 2010

This is hard for a lot of folks to swallow, but it’s true anyway.
Instead of scrambling madly for any customer who will hand you money, be selective.
Determine what kind of customer you don’t want to deal with, and work hard to exclude those customers from your business.
If you are brave and decide to take this [...]

{ 2 comments }