Now Playing at the Incubator Theatre
On Broadway and Technology

Cast & Characters in Order of Appearance

Narrator — GPS Lady
Tom Sales — Paul Szklarski
Betsy Sales — Stephanie Szklarski
Ann Tithesis — Sandy Spadaro
Trap Wizard — Howard Yermish
The Selling Universe — Itself

Synopsis

This compelling story unfolds in a Philadelphia suburb not far from Exit 4 on the Jersey Turnpike. Having had a vision of a better Selling Universe, where no Objection is left unturned and no Sales Trap is seen coming, Tom Sales (Paul Szklarski) makes the life-changing decision to start a family business of expert sales trainers, including daughter Betsy (Stephanie Szklarski). Years later, his dream has come to fruition. Droves of corporate and small business sales teams are trained to match & mirror, qualify prospects and deliver seamless presentations, ultimately leading to … making the sale.

Joined by supporting characters, Ann Tithesis and the Trap Wizard, Tom and Betsy’s conviction remains tried and tested, despite the grueling jokes and innuendos about sales people. The Sales Trap is proven to be a myth and the dark fear of salespersons no longer exists in The Selling Universe.

1. Lose 10 pounds
2. Find Mr./Ms. Right
3. Quit smoking
4. Start running
5. Decrease caffeine
6. Increase marketing
7. Make more money

Check. Check. Check.
No sweat. Right?

It’s a new year bearing a full list of new promises that we make to ourselves. 92% of the resolutions made on January 1st will be forgotten by February 1st.¹ Are we all suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder? Perhaps.

But we’re willing to bet it’s more about pleasure vs. pain than you may think.

Ask Yourself:

• Is the pain you avoid greater than the pleasure you receive from breaking comfort zones?
• Do your habits support making the change needed to accomplish the goal?
• Are you more surprised your lack of success or your lack of planning for it?

Now Tell Yourself:
Either START planning your habits or STOP making resolutions.

¹ Living on the Up Beat – http://www.pr9.net/games/consumer/3207december.html

Less than Zero – The Sales Pitch

Example: Saying thanks by offering a $50 OFF coupon on the next $200 order they place. “Thank you, now please buy more stuff.”

0 to 3 – Notable Effort, Nothing Special

Examples:

• Sending a non-denominational card at the holiday that covers X-mas, Hannukah, Kwanza and the Chinese New Year all in one shot…just in case.
• Have it signed by an electronic service that computerizes your signature.

4 to 7 – Establishing Character & Intention

Examples:

• Differentiate your “Thank You Moment” by focusing on a customer-specific anniversary.
• Giving a gift of something that matters to the client rather than to you.

8 to 11 – Be the Hero

Examples:

• Don’t wait for a holiday. Exercise “Random Acts of Kindness” and expect nothing in return.
• Do work, fulfill an order or fix something that’s broken for no cost – send no bill.
• Send Bobby McFerrin with a singing telegram.

Now you know what we’re thinking when we get your electronically signed “Season’s Greetings” card, complete with Brush Script font in gold foil and all! But ultimately, it’s the thought that counts.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Gobble-Gobble!

Sandy wondered that too until Howard showed her the product, raved about why he liked it and then painted a specific verbal picture as to how she might use it in her own world. Kind of like an unpaid evangelist, or a fanboy.

Funny thing is…most folks that are paid to peddle new products or technologies often miss the mark on this seemingly obvious format. Why? Maybe it’s hard to explain. Maybe the peddler is an untrained advocate. Or maybe they just don’t give a crap.

The question to ask yourself is, do you need to be a Marketing GURU to communicate beyond what’s on the specification sheet? We don’t think so. But you have to be a fan of what you are selling. You have to honestly believe in it.

Sample BAD Script:

“The MiFi 2200 supports 802.11B…and it also supports 802.11G…it receives the Internet over a 3G network. It has VPN compatibility, NDIS support nodes, yada yada blah blah blah…”

I can read the spec sheet myself. Tell me why I should give you money to walk away with a smile on my face and this gadget in my pocket.

It starts by speaking in your own voice, and saying why something is applicable and relevant to you and your customer. This evangelizes products and services better than a well memorized features list. You might even find that your customers will do the tricky selling for you.

So…are you going to be a Fanboy? Or will you find yourself saying, ”Hmmm, I’ve never sold one of these before.”

WARNING: Equestrian Crossing Ahead

Hi! Hey do you want to play game now with me, Cookie Monster? Okay, I start.

“One of these things is not like the other ones, one of these things just doesn’t belong. Can you guess which thing is not like the other ones…before I finish my song?”

Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock.

Damn it Cookie Monster, Give me more time!!

1. In this corner we have hospice: a safe, sedate pillar of the underlying sadness that comes before imminent death.
2. In the other corner we have pit bulls: animals that humans generally fear and will avoid in order to keep their own limbs intact.
3. The last corner features a WILD and CRAZY GIRL whose main professional responsibilities include marketing of the other two, all the while maintaining truth to her own passions and personality.

Sounds like a juggling act? Turns out that our guest for this episode, Christine Zajac, has made us believers that there IS NO ONE thing that doesn’t belong with the other! Not in this game.

Who knew?

But what about boob sweat, you say? Well…you’ll just have to listen in carefully…and let us know what YOU think.

• Samaritan Hospice
• The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
• Smilin’ Pitbull Rescue
• Bad Rap
• Skin Texture Photo (a.k.a. Boob Sweat)
• New England Journal of Medicine: Early Palliative Care for Patients with Metastatic Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer
• Miller-McCune: Palliative Care May Trump Heroic Measures in Life Expectancy
• KMIR6: 7 Things You May Not Know About Hospice Care
• Temperament and Myths from the organization who cared for the Michael Vick dogs: Monster Myths

Now, you can use Facebook, Foursquare or one of the many other location based social networks to prove to people that you and your friend(s) do more than sit on your couch and watch Dancing with the Stars.

So why would anyone care? If you can get over the initial weirdness and paranoia, you might just create some wildly serendipitous results, helping you to connect with other forward thinking people and make powerful business connections. You might even score the most points or even become the mayor!

“The Mayor?” I hear you say? Yes, if you are one of the first 23 people to check in, you are eligible to win one of these fabulous prizes!

• A free piece of cheesecake
• A pair of Jimmy Choo Shoes
• An unsolicited movie recommendation
• And your own personal stalker in aisle four at the pet store

Sound strange? Or is this an opportunity to use technology to extend real connections with real human beings?

In the following proposed agreement between “Market My Business, LLC,” herein referred to as “Payee,” and “Big Bank of Karma,” herein referred to as “The Universe,” Payee agrees to render an annual deposit of no less than three dollars and sixty cents ($3.60) for each FRIEND which The Universe generates.

The term FRIEND, by definition of purpose within said agreement, is one which offers an ongoing and valued support such that will promote, in a favorable manner, the outcome of Payee’s lead generation system and business-building courses of action.

The following values have been placed on said FRIENDS by categorical range of potential loyalty and longevity:

• Average Joe = $3.60
• Client = $4.75
• College Buddy = $5.25
• Mom = $10.75

This correspondence and subsequent package of attachments serve to outline the complete scope being requested, including objectives, procedures, identification of responsibilities, and estimated fees upon fulfillment of terms.

   
______________________________
[Your Name Here], President
Market My Business, LLC

   
______________________________
Big Bank Of Karma
The Universe

(Here is the link the Adweek article: Value of a ‘Fan’ on Social Media: $3.60)

In addition to showing your unfaltering support of the show, you have the opportunity to learn everything you ever wanted to know about digital media, but have been afraid to ask. If you are in marketing in any capacity, go to PodCamp Philly.

Tickets to PodCamp Philly are $20 (an amazing deal). The fee covers both days of PodCamp and admission to the social events. Admissions fees are donated to a local charitable/educational organization. Last year, PodCamp Philly raised over $4,000.00 for Covenant House in support of homeless youth. We hope to see you there.

Great Photos

If you haven’t been by our website recently, you may not have seen the amazing new photos, including the one where Sandy tries to strangle me. Special thanks to Nicole Young Photography for doing such an amazing job with this. Please visit her site and keep her in mind for your own corporate and family portraiture.

Guests on Upcoming Episodes

In our upcoming plans for the show, we are going to start having guests from time to time. At first, we are hand-picking our guests while we work out the logistics and setup stuff. If you have an interesting marketing “thing” that your business or organization is doing, we might just want to feature it on a show. Head over to our Suggestion Box to let us know.

As always, thank you for listening… Howard

P.S. By the way, I won the contest with my Gadgets Seducing Other Gadgets video. Don’t be too excited. It was $20 and I spent it on Roly Poly sandwiches.

Let’s call this The Old Math.

Time honored methods of traditional networking have taught us that certain actions MUST be taken in order to be effective at turning networking into quantifiable business. You know the ones we’re talking about:

• Spit out your 30 second commercial (after hours of practiced memorization, mind you) every time you meet someone new
• Leave behind as many cards as you collect
• Have a definitive goal on conversion rates (prospects to sales) BEFORE attending any given event
• Spend no more than 5 minutes with each person and then move on

Howard and Sandy say, “CUT IT OUT ALREADY!”

Episode 7 urges you to reconsider the ultimate goal using The New Math. What should we be promoting – Product or Personality? When so many of us are turned off by car-salesman tactics*, the big equation should result in making people feel “Glad to Meetcha!”

Intent to have conversations + Being yourself = making memorable connections

Interrupting ÷ awkwardly waiting around for an “in” × enthusiastic breakpoints = masterful timing

Telling real stories – practiced commercials + promoting others = creating trust and curiosity

Positive body language + demonstrative gestures × genuine interest = sending a message of engagement and investment

Today’s Lesson:
We get that time is money. But people want to do business with people they like. So…what are you gonna do with my card??

*Disclaimer: The term car-salesman used here as an adjective rather than an insult. Sorry Uncle Joe!

In this episode, we attack this social network from two angles. From Howard’s view, this is not the place where he “spends 30 minutes reading someone’s resume again & again,” nor does he find that he can “curate his best connections there.”

On the other hand, Sandy’s clientele in certain stuffy industries have found this to be the best place to grow databases and build value in group discussions with like-minded professionals. They don’t miss all the “shiny objects” that so easily distract the less business focused reader.

They’re both right…so why is there a large elephant standing awkwardly in the corner of the room?

Compared to the other major social media players, is LinkedIn a no fun zone? Perhaps it is all of the email that invites you to join someone else’s professional network on LinkedIn. (Seriously, who talks like that. People, customize the invitation message!)

Certainly they’ve tried (or are trying), with the recent additions of applications like BlogLink, the Amazon Reading List, and the Twitter integration. Have these added functions simply turned it into a poor Facebook wanna-be, potentially changing what those serious folks used to embrace about LinkedIn?

Perhaps the attempt to “out Facebook, Facebook” could be the ultimate demise to this business network platform. What do you think? Do you hang out on LinkedIn?

I would like you to share this podcast with your professional network on LinkedIn.

Clearly, this video can only be explained by a complete lack of sleep.

But wait, Jirbo Games, the author of the “Type-n-Talk” application is having a contest for the best video portraying the possible uses for its iPhone app. If the video wins, I will give away the prize (I think that it is an iTunes gift card of sorts) to one of our Facebook fans, er, I mean “someone who likes our Facebook page” or one of our followers on Twitter.

So here is what you can do. Head over to the Jirbo Games page on Facebook and vote for my video. You don’t even have to “like” Jirbo games or even be on Facebook to vote. So vote early an often.

Voting closes on September 2, right before the release of our next episode, a spirited discussion about LinkedIn, the business social network. So vote early and often.

Thank you for listening… Howard

“Who’s that Trip-Trapping over my bridge?!” says the ugly troll.

“It is I, Little Billy Goat Marketer…”

Every business owner worth his/her weight in leads has taken the time to build a bridge of their own. Stone by stone, the actions they take to market that business create a bridge that one hopes will lead to great respect, admiration and…oh yes, a golden stream of flowing revenue.

Until the trolls pitch a tent under the bridge.

Have you met said trolls? Not mythical creatures at all, but otherwise known in the marketing world as complainers, haters or spammers. These uglies whisper negative commentary, discount your brilliance and post/air the flaws in your bridge, often avoiding the accountability that comes with a grown-up discussion.

Episode 5 begs the argument that legitimate commentary, either negative OR constructive, can and should lead to better ideas, more effective customer service and intrinsic improvements to your bridge architecture. After all, the trolls do win if you let the fear of negative feedback keep you from crossing.

Our conclusion? Listen for the trolls, and learn from them.

But I noticed something; our Robotic GPS Voice Lady has been working overtime, responding personally to a couple of others on Twitter. In fact, she has even been a little flirty. You might want to follow @10exit4 on Twitter and ask her questions or suggest show topics.

Opening the Suggestion Box

We read and appreciate all of the comments on the blog, Facebook and Twitter. Sandy and I do have a ton of ideas for upcoming episodes, but we definitely want to address marketing topics suggested by listeners. So please feel free to post your suggestions on the Facebook wall or at the shiny new suggestion box page on the website.

And about that Facebook page. If you like the show or just feel wonderfully generous, you can easily share with your Facebook friends. Just look under the show logo in the top left, click the “Suggest to Friends” link and then click on everyone (well, maybe just some people, okay everyone!) to suggest the page.

That brings me to the subject of the next episode, “Trolls Under My Bridge.” Trolls come in all shapes and sizes and colors. Not like those so-ugly-they-are-kinda-cute-toy trolls, but the ones that show up at the worst times and spoil your marketing efforts. We all know them when we see them and they are usually ugly beasts.

Stay tuned for next week and thank you for your attention… Howard

In the absence of any better marketing ideas, and because I care so little about your time, I’m sending you this very general direct mail piece that isn’t properly addressed to you and that includes plastic, cellophane and a silicone glue backing that won’t play well with your shredder, but will play into your general paranoia about personal privacy.

In addition, I’ve enclosed a token gift pen and a poorly customized object that you’ll be unable to use and that wastes my precious marketing budget. Fortunately, it increased my cost of postage, which should provide some comfort to you.

But wait! The best part is that I’ve automatically enrolled you into our program that is pure profit for us but a waste of money for you. You’ll need to figure out which of our 800 numbers need to be called to make it stop. The email notifications cannot be replied to because we don’t monitor those email addresses.

In closing, I’m certain that, despite a standard 98% failure rate, this poorly executed direct mailing plan is guaranteed to annoy you into purchasing our mediocre product.

Is it working??

Your Friend,
The Robot GPS Voice

By ignoring the show notes from this episode, we will be opting you into an ongoing “drip” program in which you will eventually fall prey to our cunning plan. That is, to change how you approach the marketing for your business.

(Okay, so we aren’t opting you in, but we do hope that you share it with your friends.)

While you are waiting anxiously for the episode release next Thursday, take a second or third or ninth listen to the previous episodes. (You can even subscribe on iTunes.) Then out of sheer love and devotion, consider sharing the fun with your friends. How do I do that? Well I’m glad you asked.

Step 1: See that box over there on the right side of the page, you know, the Facebook one. Go ahead and click the “Like” button. If you are already a fan of the Facebook page for 10 Minutes at Exit 4, it will say “You Like This,” which means that you have been extremely efficient.

Step 2: If you are one of the Twitterverse, please follow @10exit4 and then post the following Tweet:

Just listened to a great new podcast by @10exit4 -
check it out at http://www.10exit4.com.

(If you just click the text above, it should automagically create the Tweet for you. What a world we live in.)

Step 3: Email a friend, just one, the link to the show website. Tell them that they should listen to an episode or two. I’ll wait right here while you do that. Okay, your back, now repeat that 74 times please. Thank you!

It does sound silly, and we know it should.

Perhaps you’ve experienced it as a Facebook Lost Weekend.

Depending on whether you’re in it for the engagement of conversation or for the purpose of learning from others, the big question is, “how can it be two hours later?!”

Sandy embraces it like a sponge; Howard uses a timer. Swap opinions with us as we talk about how to filter efforts without losing track of precious time or sanity (well, okay…we can’t promise you won’t lose your sanity).

The sharing of personal information on Facebook is a marketing strategy for building better relationships. But how much information is TOO much? (Baby poopy pictures are probably over that line.) Where do you draw the line between who your online persona is and who you are to your friends & family? Take 10 minutes to chat with us about over-sharing, categorizing your privacy settings and increasing credibility as it pertains to Facebook Etiquette.