The Advertising Edge

Legendary San Francisco 49er’s head coach Bill Walsh is considered one of the greatest football minds of all time. Over his fourteen seasons as the 49er’s head coached, his team tallied five Super Bowl victories. But, he took over a team in absolute shambles with a dismal 2-14 previous season record. Yet 24 months later the 49er’s won the Super Bowl. Author Steve Jamison, along with Bill’s son Craig, wrote a book in 2009 about the late coach’s leadership and management philosophy called The Score Takes Care of Itself. Even if you are not a football fan, Bill Walsh’s insights into leadership and motivation are invaluable and the book is an exceptional read. If you decide to read the book let me know what you think.

Marketing Tip: “How to approach this year’s Christmas season”
While doing research on how to help many of my advertising accounts prepare for the upcoming Christmas season, I learned a couple of key points. First, I know for many of you sales aren’t what you want them to be right now. But, saying “It’s the Economy, Stupid” is simply not enough. Hey, don’t be fooled. Your customers have money. They just have a death grip on it. They are wisely holding onto their money, concerned about the future, and less likely to spend it without giving any purchase a great deal of thought.

However, this doesn’t mean they will never buy anything again, and it doesn’t mean they are only going to buy what is cheap. I also discovered price is not your customer’s main concern so don’t assume lowering prices will solve the problem. For example, during the 2009 holiday season I learned many retailers offered discounts of 50-70% off; but it just bounced off their consumers with very little effect. Consequently, there has to be more guiding today’s purchasing decisions than just price.

In a down economy especially, I discovered we must understand that our customers want more for their purchases than just products. More importantly, they have to believe you know what they want and are ready to provide it. Secondly, they want to feel assured your product is top quality, yet know without a doubt you will stand behind it if the unexpected happens. Some call this “customer reassurance” and believe me your customers want it now more than ever. As a result, we all must understand our customer’s current buying mentality and be prepared to change our selling mentality to better fit their purchasing state of mind.

January in Western Horseman: Cover to featuring a Tim Cox original painting, the history of Western Horseman, focusing on the first 25 years by Randy Witte, saddle maker Ralph Shimon, Pat Close featured in Women of the West, Western Horseman’s role in launching horsemen’s careers, Luis Ortega and horsemanship by Chuck Stormes, horse Show evolution: showing horses during the past 75 years, retro rodeo, and much more.

In addition, the January issue of Western Horseman features the Equine Education and Careers Special Advertising Section. Give me a call to learn how you can be a part of Western Horseman’s 75th Anniversary issue this January.

A Little Something Extra:
“Even when you have an organization brimming with talent, victory is not always under your control. There is no guarantee, no ultimate formula for success. It all comes down to intelligently and relentlessly seeking solutions that will increase your chance of prevailing. When you do that, the score will take care of itself.” Bill Walsh