This is a classic advertising story that is worthy of repetition. It’s not just funny, but exceptionally valuable when you extract from it lessons that you can leverage from it. Enjoy!

A barber had been noticing that his clients had been dropping off slowly over the last eighteen months or so. He blamed the economy and people moving on and such things and just kept plodding on as you would expect.

The last straw for him was when,  just two doors down from his barber shop, someone opened up another barber shop! His competitor put up signage all over the front of the store windows announcing “hair cuts $5” .

When they opened, there were people spilling out the door lining up for haircuts. This went on for days and as you can guess his clients dropped off dramatically to the point that he decided that he would rather sit at home watching Oprah than do hair cuts for five dollars. He even decided he would close down his shop at the end of the week.

That afternoon, a gentleman walked in and asked if he could get a hair cut. The barber warned him that he charged fifteen dollars. The gentleman said that’s fine as he did not have time to stand in line and wait two hours for the barber two doors down .

After he finished the gentleman stood up looked and thanked the barber for a really good haircut. He also said he would be back next time he needed a trim because he was very satisfied with his haircut. That’s when the barber advised him that he was going to close his shop because he couldn’t compete with $5 hair cuts.

The gentleman looked at him smiled and asked “If I can increase the number of clients, would you be willing to pay me two hundred dollars?” The barber said he would only have two days to do it since he was going to close the shop on the third day. The gentleman confidently said that would not be as issue. The barber could not help but like this cocky guy in a suit and since it was only two hundred dollars, he thought he really didn’t have much to lose.

The next day, when the barber showed up, there were people waiting for him to open his door! They continued to stream in all day his phone was ring hot taking bookings! He was so busy that by the end of the day, he was exhausted. He could not remember ever being that busy.

The next day the same thing happened and about lunch time the gentleman walked in smiling and asked how things were going. The barber told him about all the clients and bookings and asked him what he did to change things around so quickly -  hoping he hadn’t done anything illegal. The gentleman smiled and assured the barber that everything was OK and that after work there would be something out the front of the store for him.

That night, the barber walked out the front of his shop and saw an A frame – he could not stop laughing when he read what was written:

FIVE DOLLAR HAIRCUTS FIXED HERE

This is a totally exponential strategy – but here are a few questions I have for you.

• How can you use this story to your advantage?
• How can you leverage someone else’s efforts in a legal and morally acceptable way?
• How can you make the most of your marketing budget to get the very best results?

A lot of people have either heard this story or others similar to it. They get a laugh and move on to something else.

Very few learn the lesson. Very few learn HOW to leverage something like this.

That’s what I teach my clients to do, as their business coach, adviser or mentor. I explain to them that this is not just a funny story. It’s a lesson to be learned and applied. I then usually explain via one of my case study examples or one from a client.  In this case, I heard this story and used it to close a $250,000 sale to a top 50 ASX company.

I know you’d love to know how I did that, but sorry – I keep that information for my Platinum Members!

The thing about having an Exponential Mindset is not just thinking differently, but making sure you walk the thought. That only happens when you’re taught how to translate a great story like this one INTO a practical system and process that you can use in your own business.

Otherwise, it’s just another fun story to tell mates over a cold beer at your local.

If you want someone to help you turn things around, like the barber – contact us and we’ll show you how to get people lining up at your shop front door, into your business or if you’re online – visiting your website.

Google “transactional marketing” or “relationship marketing” and you’ll get thousands of hits with titles like “relationship marketing vs transaction marketing”. Basically, transactional marketing is thought of as a thing of the past, while relationship marketing is the bright future that businesses should be striving towards.

Transactional Relationship Marketing: The Cost Effective and Environmentally Friendly Strategy

Transactional Marketing

“Transactional marketing is an approach that focuses upon one-off exchanges with consumers.”

“Transactional marketing: Orientation towards single purchase. Limited direct customer / supplier contact. Focus on product benefits. Emphasis on near-term performance. Limited level of customer service. Goal of customer satisfaction. Quality a manufacturing responsibility.”[ii]

Relationship Marketing

“Relationship marketing is a business philosophy which aims to develop strong relationships with a range of stakeholders, such as suppliers, media, intermediaries and public organisations, as well as with customers.”

“Relationship marketing is a form of marketing that emerged in the 1980s, in which emphasis is placed on building longer term relationships with customers rather than on individual transactions. It involves understanding the customers’ needs as they go through their life cycles. It emphasizes providing a range of products or services to existing customers as they need them.”

The new kid on the block is a strategy called Transactional Relationship Marketing, or TRM. This is a process trademarked by direct mail company, Hermes Precisa (HPA).

Transactional Relationship Marketing Read More »»

I recently spoke at the 2010 Food Services Australia Show. I presented a summary of “How To Market Your Restaurant To Fill Your Empty Tables”. This all came about because of the 2010 Exponential Entrepreneur Of The Year Winner, Gavin Buckett, also known as the Gourmet Guardian, Australia’s premier Food Safety Specialist and HACCP Certification Expert who put me in contact with the show organisor.

One of the things I didn’t have time to cover is why a restaurant needs to be on the Internet – trust me, it’s not what you think!

Watch this 3-minute video to find out what 95% of people on the Internet don’t know… that can make the difference between a restaurant full of paying customers and one filled with empty tables.

Today’s post is the second of a two-part list of 20 Tips to Boost Your Direct Mail Response. Direct Mail is still a very effective way to market your products and services. To learn the art and science of Direct Marketing, you should consider our Killer Kopywriting System.

10 More Tips To Boost Your Direct Mail Response Part 2 Of 2

Read More »»

Today’s post is the first of a two-part list of 20 Tips to Boost Your Direct Mail Response. Direct Mail is still a very effective way to market your products and services. To learn the art and science of Direct Marketing, you should consider our Killer Kopywriting System.

20 Tips To Boost Your Direct Mail Response Part 1 Of 2

Read More »»

This 4 minute YouTube video takes a fun approach to resolving the challenge of breaking the language barrier in selling to non-English speaking prospects… Sometimes the obvious is well… obvious!

If you are not a subscriber to my Internet Mastery Blog, shame on you. That means you missed out on this amazing YouTube video on the Social Media Revolution that I published a few weeks ago. Click on the hyperlink now and make sure you watch the video – it will shatter your preconceived notions that the Interweb is just a fad.

Every once in a while I get carried away with ideas, thoughts and what I call distinctions (key tips and techniques that make all the difference in producing results)… Today is one of those days. This post covers what I call the basics of Exponential Marketing for both the NOVICE as well as the VETERAN of Exponential MasterMind Thinking.

Exponential Marketing 101: Mindset

It all started for me with Albert Einstein’s quote “The thinking that got us to where we are is not the thinking that will get us to where we want to be.” That hit me like a two-by-four across the head when I first hear that in my mid twenties…

If you are in your twenties or can remember what you were thinking back then, chances are you were like me – thinking you ‘knew it all’ or at least knew enough…

Boy were we wrong!

So if we have to change our thinking – HOW exactly do we do that? That’s a dilemma and conundrum wrapped up in a paradox!

I was able to make my first quantum leaps (to use some of Einstein’s terminology) listening to Anthony Robbins for Personal Peak Performance Development. It’s important to note that he is a PEAK PERFORMANCE coach, not just a ‘positive mental attitude’ motivator – in fact he hates being called a motivational guru – for a reason.

Motivation is empty – it just gets you fired up with nowhere to go.

Personal Peak Performance is all about knowing who you are and using THAT knowledge to propel you to an outcome, goal or even a life-long dream. In as much as Tony Robbins is great, don’t get me wrong – he is the world’s best at what he does – his teachings, programs, events and products are not enough.

That’s when I learned I needed to triangulate multiple frameworks from other world-leading minds such as marketing genius Jay Abraham, sales master Brian Tracy and spiritual and philosophical mentor Deepak Chopra.

Triangulation in simple terms is like what a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) does to locate you on the earth – it takes each dimension (x, y and z) and determines where you are along the axis to pin point your exact location.

What I do for myself (and now my clients) is create a continuum of strategies, tactics and techniques along the 4 axes (peak performance, marketing, sales and philosophy) whereby the INTERSECTION of these 4 dimensions is the point where your Exponential Potential is released to give you a quantum breakthrough.

I know it sounds surreal and I guess it is for the uninitiated.

Once you adopt an Exponential  Mindset, it’s like learning a new language – you stop translating and start thinking in the new language – only then can you consider yourself fluent… In linguistics, fluency means you can communicate with a whole new group of people who speak that language. In business, that fluency means abundant wealth and success – because you now possess the language of profitable thinking.

I call this antimimeticisomorphism. I even have a website dedicated to having fun doing out-of-the-ordinary things that create extra-ordinary results with the least amount of effort at the lowest cost.

I have a series of fun videos on the concept on my Personal Mastery Blog under the category antimimeticisomorphism.

I am about to publish a bestseller of the same name – via an interactive publishing model involving a small group of contributors that has already spawned a secret website.

As you can see for yourself – this is a VERY different way of doing things… That’s the whole point!

But you know what? It’s also great fun – producing new, exciting products like the Marc-Ka-Ching Kube™ and concepts like the 1 percent improvement doctrine outlined in the following two short YouTube videos.

The 1 Percent Improvement Doctrine 1/2

Read More »»

I know this sounds like a loaded question, but seriously – would you like to have a continuous stream of QUALIFIED PROSPECTS showing up at your front door with credit card in hand WANTING to buy from you? Would that change things for your business a little?

I know you’re cynical. We’re in the middle of a recession and it sounds like hype. But don’t take my word for it – listen to what Sydney Plumber David Conroy of The Lone Drainer And Pronto has to say…

Sydney Plumber Gets New Leads For Free

“I re-launched our website using Exponential Internet Marketing Strategies suggested by Marc during my “Hour Of Power Consultation” (Scroll down to Component #10) and on the FIRST DAY I got two new leads that turned into PAYING CLIENTS. Within the first month (April) – we had 58 new clients and in the first week of May a whopping 20 new clients! All for FREE. Business is booming so much I have to consider hiring more plumbers!”

I am presenting in Melbourne on Tuesday 12 May 6-9 PM and the following week in Sydney 19 May 6-9 PM the concept of Flipping Websites For Profit at an Investor Briefing… What many people don’t know is that the FREE traffic generation strategies produce are REAL CLIENT LEADS for brick and mortar businesses.

REAL LEADS we need to give to businesses…

Businesses just like yours. Retail Stores, Gyms, Jewellers, Plumbers, Chiropractors, Naturopaths, Pilates Studios, Accountants, Life and Business Coaches, Food Safety Specialists, you name it.

With hundreds of websites creating leads DAILY – we need to know…

Do YOU want any of these leads?

If you do – you need to become a client. If you want to understand how this is possible, watch this short 3-minute video that well “says it all”…

YouTube Video That Explains How We Can Give You FREE Leads For Your Business

What we do is create the boat and get the fish to jump. Once they are in our boat, we need to know – do you want these QUALIFIED LEADS?

Interesting concept isn’t it?

It’s Exponential and you can benefit – WHEN you get with the Program – The Exponential Program. Come to the Investor Briefing to find out what this is all about.

Attend The Wealth Without Worries Investor Briefing To Discover How You Can Get NEW LEADS Into Your Business For FREE!

Sam Kritsotakis of Eskae Jewellers has done it again – created a simple exponential marketing strategy to boost his sales, better serve his customers and also increase his client list. I would guess he did all this in less than one hour…

The strategy is self-evident, but then again you have to ask yourself “Why doesn’t everyone do this?”

Read More »»

What would happen if your marketing worked? Answer the questions in the Business Marketing Autopsy and you’ll discover the profit cancers that may be killing your sales… Click on the banner below to access it for FREE.

Usually $297, it’s yours for FREE, until I change my mind… Which could happen at any time. Don’t wait, it’s not worth the risk to your business’ health.

As an Exponential Growth Strategist, I hear it all the time… “How can I get MORE prospects to buy from me?”

The answer is quite simple, but before I give it to you, you need to watch the video below, otherwise you won’t believe it. It was originally given to me by Stuart Gordon of Giant Promotions.

Now that you’ve seen REAL FISH JUMPING INTO A BOAT, you’re mind is open to believing that you can exactly the same thing with prospects who will become clients JUST AS EASILY.

We covered this at last week’s amazing 3-day Exponential Internet & Business Building Bootcamp. If you weren’t there, we missed you. We covered the incredible power of a Unique Selling Proposition – that gets prospects to willingly and knowingly JUMP INTO YOUR BOAT!

I can’t go into the details of creating a USP with you in a blog post – that took all of Monday evening to do, but I am sure you’d agree it’s worth the 3 hours when prospects start to jump into YOUR boat!

Daniel Lizurek of www.FastProfits.com.au jotted down the key questions I was asking Bootcamp participants and they included

• Think of your best client + the service your provided step-by-step
• Who are you talking to exactly?
• How can you connect with MORE people?
• Are you screaming at the WRONG CROWD who aren’t listening?
• Are you selling the EXPERIENCE?
• What do you sell/do and how do you do it?
• Make it SHORTER.
• Erase words that don’t add MAXIMUM value.
• Clarify your role with your client.
• Is it what people WANT?
• What’s the key BENEFIT that you offer?
• What FEELING do you need to imbue the USP with?
• Capture peoples’ imagination.
• How can you build pre-eminence?
• What’s the discomfort in your business?
• How do you add value to the experience of your product?
• What makes you different?
• What are you great at doing/delivering?
• What can you be the BEST at?
• What can you do that no one else can?
• Be more SPECIFIC.
• Explain VISUALLY.
• Is your USP confusing?
• Is it CLEAR/OBVIOUS what you do?
• What’s UNIQUE about your value proposition?

This is a starting point to get people to CONSIDER if they want to jump into your boat..

The next 2 days of the Bootcamp covered those aspects IN DETAIL, Step-By-Step and Click-By-Click.

Don’t you wish you were there?

I do

Make sure you don’t miss the next Exponential event we stage.

Once you start to get prospects to jump into your boat, trust me, you’ll be addicted!

You’ll learn to have FUN and people will WANT TO HAVE FUN WITH YOU…

For the list of our upcoming events, click here.

Onward and upward!
Marc

P.S.

Want to know what an awesome USP looks like?

FAST PROFITS will invest the necessary time to understand your business to unshackle you from the burden of copywriting using its own 6 year-old secret formula PROVEN AND GUARANTEED to maximize your profits leveraging a trilingual kaleidoscopic perspective imbued with 78 psychological triggers, a 56-point ‘X-Ray’ focus checklist and 29 response-boosting tactics to write unique and actionable copy without using templates while remaining flexible to your input and reasonable revisions at no extra charge so you can have
peace of mind that each project will be completed on time and on budget so you can remain focused on your business – rather than distracted and frustrated with time-consuming copywriting.

Welcome to the Business Mastery Platinum Blog – over the coming weeks and months we’ll keep you updated with the latest cutting edge strategies for building a profitable business that someone would want to buy.

This blog is different in that it focuses on developing and Exponential Mindset that creates extra-ordinary results by doing things that are out-of-the-ordinary.

It’s called thinking and acting antimimeticisomorphically.

I know that’s a mouthful – go to Antimimeticisomorphism.com.au to learn a little bit more about this fascinating exponential concept and subscribe to our RSS feed so you don’t miss out on that ONE thing that could make ALL the difference in your career or business.

Onward and upward!

Dr Marc Dussault
Director
Business Mastery Platinum Program