Neil Hernandez's Blog

Find 10

It would be great for everyone to believe in your cause. But, that's not how it works. Would you rather have a mediocre message spread out to millions of people or ignite the passionate few? Seth Godin, in his blog post first, ten describes the secret to the new marketing:

Find ten people. Ten people who trust you/respect you/need you/listen to you...Those ten people need what you have to sell, or want it. And if they love it, you win. If they love it, they'll each find you ten more people (or a hundred or a thousand or, perhaps, just three). Repeat.If they don't love it, you need a new product. Start over.Your idea spreads. Your business grows. Not as fast as you want, but faster than you could ever imagine.

People think that when they launch their product, it needs to be marketed to the masses and launch off like a rocket ship. No, the focus should be to build a fantastic product that really instills the passion of a few people. If you did a good job and they love it, they will spread the word for you.

$5 less than cost

Seth Godin points out that Wal-mart is now selling best selling books at about $9 or less each, or about $5 less than cost. Why are they selling a product at a loss. Because they know that a customer that buys a book is a luxury item buyer. If you can get this luxury item buyer in the store then guess what he will likely buy more than just that product. See, Walmart realizes that there are different types of customers and treats them accordingly. In this case, cater to the luxury item buyer in the hopes that he begins to love your store and buy more.

Likewise, in the world of marketing and sales, some customers are different than others. Some will be worth more to your business. But only if you recognize them, satisfy them, and help them spread the word.

A good pruduct is an infection

"Art is an infection" said Leo Tolstoy. What did he mean by that? Tolstoy meant that in order for something to be considered art, it must affect you and have an impact on you. In other words it must infect you. Furthermore, the infection must be immediate.

Likewise, a product in order for it to be good, must be an infection. If you see the product, be it a website, a movie, a book, a person, or whatever and it takes time for you to decide it it is good, then it is not a good product. If you have to say, let me think about it, let me read it, let me absorb it, let me sit on it, let me test it for a while before you finally say I like this, then it is not a good product. For you at least. It might affect someone else, and thus be good for them, but for you it is not a good product.

So the key then, is if you are making a product is to design the product for only those who see it and get affected by it. Then cater and build to those who are infected. Your job is not to try to convert those who are uninfected. But to infect as many people as you can. Then create a tribe from those infected. Create personal, relavant, and carefully crafted anticipated messages and other products to those infected.

Share to Gain

Mitch Joel brings up a good point when he says: "There is a simpler way to not only make your mark using social media, but to get ever-more comfortable with new media: You can simply start sharing content."

In other words, you do not have to create new content all the time in order to be successful in social media. So your blog, your twitter updates, your Facebook posts, do not necessarily have ot have new original material up there.

I know a guy who has thousands of Twitter followers just by tweeting a quote on love and motivation every day. It is not his quotes or his content, he just delivers it and builds a tribe of fans looking for a message from him every day that is relavant, personal, and anticipated.

Be Like Van Gogh

"I see drawings and pictures in the poorest of huts and the dirtiest of corners," said Vincent Van Gogh. He loved the world and he loved simple things. He could see beauty in all.   He would write letters to his beloved brother and when he saw a beautiful starry night, he would capture it in a sketch and send it to his brother.

Ironically, Vincent Van Gogh was an artist before the world knew him as an artist. He drew and created art for the love and sake of creating art. He did not do it for fame, he did not do it for money. He did art for the sake of creating art.

Can we all learn from Van Gogh and create something you love for the passion of doing it.

Habits Win Over Knowledge

I attended a workshop yesterday by Mina Shah, an Anthony Robbins trainer. She talked a lot about habits and patterns. When habits and knowledge collide, habits always win. That's why you can read all the books you want, goto all the motivational seminars, and read the best blogs out there, but if you can't improve your habits you will never improve. In order for things to change you have to change. And real meaningful change starts with an discovery of who you are, understand the patterns and habits you are currently doing, and then most importantly DO habit improving activities.

What's better, intention or results?

I know somebody who has been out of a job for over a year and a half. He spends all of his time talking about how the economy is so bad and that is the reason why he has not been able to find a job. He blames Bush, he blames the economy, he blames, his industry, he blames everyone but himself. He could have spent the last several years of his life building a marketable skill set. But in his eyes he is a success. He tells everyone that he is persevering, that is looking for a job, despite not getting any results (getting a job). He keeps telling everyone that he will eventually find a job so he can develop seed capital to build his own business. Yet, when you look at the way he spends his time - he wastes a lot of it and does not really spend more than a couple hours a week (at the most) looking for a job.

So here is a man with great intentions of finding a job and building a business, but when you look at measurable results, he has none. So the question, I have to ask you, is this man successful, just because he has great intentions? I think not. I judge people on their results. Intentions are important, but your intentions have to produce results for it to mean anything.

Craft an image and stick with it.

Hugh Hefner

Bill Gates

Ever notice that every picture of Hugh Hefner always includes him with beautiful women. Or that almost every picture of Bill Gates shows him speaking in a conference or otherwise looking intelligent like. See, it is all about image. Every image of yourself - whether you like it or not - portrays an impression in people's minds about you. Your FaceBook photo albums, your LinkedIn Profile photo, how you dress everyday at work, every image. Make sure you craft it the way you want it.  I'm not saying to be like Hugh or Bill, but to craft an image and stick with it.

Tactics Change When Strategy Changes

Some of get stuck on doing the tactics. That is, the tasks that must be done. but what if the situation or your strategy changes? Then you need to throw all of your tactics out of the window and make new tactics. Taking steps towrads irrelevant tactics only get you closer to something that you do not want.

3 must have's for business success

When people think of business, they think of the technical side of business the product, accounting, how to make the product, the legal part, etc. But for real business success, according to Seth Godin, you will need to demonstrate:

• sales
• additive effort
• initiation

Sales is obvious, if you can bring in money to an organization, people will want you. Additive effort to me is another word for work ethic that is addictive. If you bring in the energy and work ethic to your work environment, other will sure to follow. The third is initiation. You gotta be able to initiate projects, idea, or thoughts. This is a changing world, you gotta show action.