86 The Chairs!!

Last night I made a presentation at the Las Vegas Wedding Network about effective wedding trade show exhibiting (Mining Bridal Show Gold).

It included a wide range of issues, from goal setting to training employees, following to asking for the order. Naturally, it included a rather entertaining segment on the important rationale in staging a booth.

To me, one of life’s great puzzles, is why virtually every trade show provides you a table and two chairs. The table may be useful if placed effectively, but the chairs are not just useless, they are a big-time-negative-factor.

You want people to look you in-the-eye, not down at the top of your head. You should either be standing, or, if you need some support (maybe you have a bad back or get tired feet easily), then upgrade to a bar stool or similarly high chair.

The only thing worse than one chair is two chairs. Two people, seated, will tend to turn and talk to each other, and unknowingly ignore the prospects, as they move into the area outside the booth. If you even have the ‘appearance’ of ignoring a prospect, in most cases they will just keep walking.

My advice: For your next bridal show, 86 the chairs!!

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Authority

Technorati Tags: Andy Ebon, bridal show, chairs, trade show, wedding marketing blog, wedding show

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My dad, a fulltime freelance writer. would often work on anthologies. Occasionally, he might be one writer short to contribute a chapter. In those cases, he might write that piece under a pen name. A perfectly acceptable practice in the field. My favorite pen name that dad used was “Chester Butterworth.” It gives you a visual that “Martin Ebon,” his real name, does not. The joke for me was that reviewers or other writers would occasionaly quote Butterworth. Very funny stuff.

Having a quiet chuckle is fine. Believe your own B.S., and promoting it, is another thing, entirely.

Recently, we have seen a growth in the number of phony awards recognition. These ersatz awards don’t pass the smell test. They are fraudulent in multiple ways.

During my 2-year tenure as NACE National Membership VP, we completely transformed the application and judging process for industry awards. The first challenge was to completely renovate the submission process, making certain that subjectivity in judging would be minimized. Documentation was defined, clearly. It now takes time and effort to submit for an award, but the end result is fair, even-handed judging, and industry awards that actually mean something.

Sample award format

The other day, I received a solicitation from the selection committee of the U.S. Local Business Association acknowledging me for an award. Part of the verbiage read, as follows:

The USLBA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USLBA identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

This is unadulterated nonsense. For the price of $80 or $100, I can buy business a plaque that touts non-existent achievement, judged by a non-existent selection committee. It’s quite a scam. I’m sure they sell a lot of plaques, though.

The only weaker move would be to actually buy one of these plaques and promote them as reality.  It would be the phoniest of all self-promotion. Yet, I’ve seen companies that hang these in their office, and place plaque images on their websites.

So, I’m calling these companies out. If you see a wedding industry business promoting phony award recognition on their website, please email me their web address, so I can embarrass them, directly. Hopefully, you’re not participating in this charade.

This hype and any other similar hype should be called out for what it is: PROPAGANDA

Technorati Tags: awards, ersatz awards, phony self promotion, uslba

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After you get over the grogginess, you feel pretty good, and maybe over confident. Because the next morning you wake up and feel like you took a gun shot in the shoulder. In make case, four gun shots. Let the painkillers begin. Every four hours, without fail.

Add the home therapy (6-8 hours, daily), shoulder sling, and it’s a regular party.

On Friday, the real work began… major league physical therapy. My introduction to a 3-times weekly workout, that supplements exercises at home, for about the next 7-8 weeks. Doctors, with a sense of humor, refer to it as the torture chamber. It comes under the category of necessary evil.

The therapist asked me what I’d like to be able to do after completing therapy. My short list wasn’t complicated, but as well as mundane things like shaving, I’m hoping to play racketball again. He didn’t seem to think that was out of the question.

I’m now able to wear the sling on an ‘as-needed’ basis and return to the computer keyboard in moderate stints. I’m even able to drive, if necessary.

Goal Setting for 2009: I already have a log of big goals for 2009, and I couldn’t help but wonder how these 2-3 months were going to affect my work and life in general. One can’t will this kind of setback away. One can simply adjust mindset and workload. Work through the pain and avoid the easy excuses that lead to procrastination.

When one attends a grieving group after the loss of a friend or relative or enters a workout room for rehab, the one thing you immediately realize is this: No matter how bad your situation may be, there is always someone or several people who have bigger challenges than yourself.

Now, forging ahead is always easier said than done. I look for inspiration wherever I can find it. Let me share two people who inspire me.

Denver Smith & Buffy Lawson collaborate.

I have a small sign posted above my desk that reads: “What would Denver Do Today?” Denver is Denver Smith, a friend of mine since the early 1970’s. He was a musician, composer, arranger all-around talented guy. He passed away in 2000, still a very young man, from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). ALS is one of the most insidious afflictions. It chips away at every function in your body, and you slowly wither away.

Being the creative soul that Denver was, he decided he was going to make one final recording with the help of a variety of collaborators. His persistence, even if it only meant a few notes in a single day, was simply unbelievable. I challenge you to read the whole story: The Last Notes: Dying songwriter strives to hold onto creativity (PDF from Tennessean.com).

My other big inspiration is the lively, energetic, and talented “DJ Big Daddy” Sean McKee. Earlier this year, Big Daddy was diagnosed with a form of cancer that was going to require radiation treatment, 7 days a week, every morning for 2-3 months.

Sean McKee aka Big Daddy

Sound like a work hiatus, doesn’t it? Not for Big Daddy. Each morning, he drove to the treatment center. Our mutual friend, Mike Walter, called him every morning to provide moral support. Big Daddy would burst into the treatment center and a kind word for everybody. He quickly became their favorite patient.

Equally amazing to his attitude was his work schedule. He performed the reckless abandon of a perfectly healthy 25-year old. Seems making clients happy by doing what he loves might be therapeutic, too.

As of a couple of weeks ago, Big Daddy is cancer-free. Talking to him, you would never think there was a single doubt in his mind about a complete recovery. Maybe not in his mind, but one never knows how these things play out.

So now, Big Daddy has me on speed-dial. Like Mike did for him, he wants to make sure I maintain a constant positive outlook.

I offer this inspiration to  you: I’m not planning to turn into Superman, but I’m going to work through this challenging period with all the positivity and energy I can muster. I’m going to eliminate useless activity, focus on my marketing plan for 2009, and work through balance of 2008 like a hot knife through butter.

Will I have bad days? Sure.

On those days I’ll remember two things: What would Denver do today? and the way Big Daddy closes his phone calls. To let you know he cares about you, he always closes with: Big Daddy loves you…

Now, go run through a wall!!

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Authority

Technorati Tags: 2009 goals, mike walter, sean big daddy mckee, shoulder surgery

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Shoulder injury

‘Injured reserve’ is a sports terminology for ‘out with an injury.’

This morning I’m having shoulder surgery, as I described in a post, three weeks ago. It’s a 3-pronged repair.

1. Rotator Cuff tear
2. SLAP tear of the Labrum
3. Bone spur

This afternoon, I will be in a lot of pain, which will be mitigated by some painkillers (hopefully). I’m told, by people who have gone through this, that the first two weeks are the toughest, from a pain standpoint.

The severity of the injury/repair will determine the rehab and healing period. The standard projection is 6-8 weeks.

The hassle is not so much the pain, as it is that my right arm will be in a sling 24/7. Since I’m right handed, it’s going to be no picnic. Hopefully, I will have remembered to buy some new loafers by the time you read this.

So, if my posts are not quite as frequent or there are a few typos, you’ll know why.

On the positive side, I have my Easy Button close at hand.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blogger

Technorati Tags: Andy Ebon, rotator cuff, Wedding Marketing Blogger

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One of those businesses appears to be Apple; makers of computers and personal electronics.

On Black Friday, I had an appointment at the Genius Bar of the Apple Store at Town Square, Las Vegas. I had been having an odd problem with my iPhone. When I picked up the phone on an incoming call, I could hear the caller, but they could not hear me. To make it worse, the problem was intermittent.

A couple of days prior to the appointment, I had an extended discussion with iPhone technical support. We tried a number of things, but were not sure if it was an iPhone problem or an AT & T issue. So, on my follow up call, it was decided that I would go to the store, and probably exchange for a new phone.

When I arrived at the store, about 4:30pm, it was slammed. Your basic buzzing beehive. I was greeted at the door, and signed in for my 4:40pm appointment. The flat screens, mounted on the wall, behind the Genius Bar, alternately showed the appointment cue for IPod/IPhone and Macs. As well, there were quick technical tips being shown, in rotation with the cues.

I was called up by Christie within a couple of minutes of my scheduled time. We walked through the issues to that point, and agreed that they would exchange the phone. Only problem, they didn’t have my model in stock. She called the Apple Store at Fashion Show Mall, and set up an appointment (pick up time) for Saturday morning. I went there, the next morning, and the exchange was handled promptly, efficiently, and with a smile.

Guess what? The iPhone was not the problem. Still had the same symptoms. I contacted AT&T tech support via online chat. They tried to slough me off on Apple. I wouldn’t allow it. I spent an hour, online with them. To no avail…. Back to Apple phone support.

I ran it down again. The customer service representative elevated my call to an Apple Product Manager who conferred with a counterpart at AT&T. It was decided that if I could stop by an AT&T store, they would exchange the SIM card. That was the likely culprit.

I agreed, and dashed over to the AT&T store and was served by Mitch. He listened to my recap, smiled and said, “Oh, I’ll take care of swapping out the SIM card, but that’s not the problem.”

“How do you know that’s not the problem? How can you be so sure?” I asked.

“I’ve experienced the same thing,” he responded. Mitch went on to explain that this was a local, 3G network problem. AT&T was upgrading the 3G network (which is its high-speed service), and there were ‘intermittent problem.’ All I needed to do was open up my phone ’settings’ and turn off 3G, reverting to standard speed. He figured in a week or so that the upgrades would be done, and the problem would disappear.

Mitch told me I wouldn’t notice any significant difference in phone service. We made the adjustments and, magically, the symptom went away.

Focusing on the result, ultimately, the problem was resolved. I did burn up about five hours of needed time, in the process.

Here is what I learned along the way.

• Both Apple Stores were staffed to the max, with trained, competent, people.
• Apple’s challenge is that they are in partnership with AT&T; however, they were willing to do ‘whatever it took’ to solve my problem, even if it meant exchanging the phone.
• AT&T online service was too willing to blame the issue on the iPhone and not knowledgeable or aware enough to consider their network as a potential problem.
• The quick diagnosis and solution at the local AT&T store, by Mitch, demonstrated the the right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing. It struck me that if the local stores know of an issue, and its solution, then there should be a mechanism to inform tech support. Clearly my problem was not unique.

What should this mean to you, as a business marketer?

1. “You are as strong as your weakest link” applies here. The fact that Mitch could solve the problem did not make up for the time wasted with lack of intelligent AT&T support, online. On the other hand, everyone I dealt with at Apple was ‘on the ball’ in every way I asked of them. They didn’t even balk at exchanging the phone, even though it wasn’t absolutely clear, at the point, that the iPhone was the source of the problem.
2. The crew at Apple reminded me of Southwest Airlines. Some people enjoy their jobs. Others don’t. It’s easy to tell the difference. They have a passion and knowledge of what they do, and it shows. Despite the fact the stores were slammed, they were ready, willing and able to meet the challenge.
3. Sometimes, as a customer, one has to be relentless. Not having proper use of the phone was about to become a huge problem (read my upcoming post of December 1st), so I wasn’t about take no for an answer, or back off until the problem was solve. The customer service approach was decidedly different in the two arenas.

The big message: People in your company (even if it’s a 1-person) must be clear on your outlook about serving the customer/client and providing the appropriate result. I’ve been an Apple customer since 1984. AT&T is my cell phone provider, simply because they have an exclusive relationship with Apple. If that relationship changes, my experiences with them, between now and then, will determine if it continues.

Ask yourself how your company goes about address and resolving problems. Even better, how do you prevent problems from occurring in the first place.

Your examples and comments are not just welcome, but encouraged.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blog

Technorati Tags: Add new tag, Andy Ebon, Apple Store, AT&T, customer loyalty, customer service, Fashion Show Mall, Genius Bar, iPhone, ipod, quality problem, Sim Card, Town Square, wedding marketing blog

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My entrepreneurial instinct is to turn any problem into a business opportunity. Obviously, I thought, people everywhere are probably experiencing a similar state of being overwhelmed.

The next two thoughts were:

• Master or conquer the state of overwhelm
• Write a book about it

OK, that sounded good. I need a book title, and a domain to go with it. My brain is geared to work in headlines, domain names, and titles. That skill is derived from being enamored with the creative style of billboards which fuse copy and images better than almost any other medium. The copy guideline: 7 words or less was the norm. For domains and book titles, one things in even fewer words, preferable no more than 2 or 3.

Magically, it hit me: “I’ll call it Dot Calm!” It’s a play on the phrase dot-com. “Simply brilliant,” I thought.

Then, in a moment of humility, I thought I’d better search Amazon.com
, in the unlikely possibility that someone had the same thought, had written a book with that same title.

Well, whaddya know. There it was… dotcalm: The search for sanity in a wired world.

I wasn’t terribly disappointed. I simply bought the book. It was brilliant. And it stands up very well, today. So, if you’re touched by the occasional or constant problem of TMI (too much information), buy yourself a copy, new or used, from Amazon.com.

I reread it periodically. It’s that good.

Technorati Tags: amazon.com, dot-calm, overwhelmed, TMI, too much information

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Aisle Walk

I look for inspiration all over the internet. I mean that from a geographical and creative standpoint. If one spends some casual time surfing, you will find some very interesting wedding websites. Some good. Some bad. Some both.

I came upon a striking website in Vancouver, Canada. Aisle Walk - Wedding Style In Motion. It shows a stylish image, with the date, 2008. The date at the bottom of the screen says, 2007. Huh?

The site has some great photos, but some very conflicted navigation. Tiles (buttons) at the bottom of the screen take you to entirely different screens and layouts. If you click on the Media link, it takes you to a screen that begins with the following verbiage:

We are simply giddy with excitement that the Vancouver 2006 Edition of aislewalk has won Gold at the International Gallery of Superb Printing in New York.

OK, so now the site is straddling three different years.

AisleWalk editor's diary

Then, there’s a navigation item, on the top strip, titled editor’s diary. That link brings you to a blog (imagine that…) and its latest post… from April 2008.

Here’s an idea! When it comes to navigation, speak plain English. Call it a blog!!! Then people might actually discover it.

Oh, another thing. If it’s almost December 2008, and you haven’t made a new post since April, do you really have a blog?

Then there is the ‘About Page’ on the blog editor’s diary. Here’s how it reads.

This is an example of a WordPress page, you could edit this to put information about yourself or your site so readers know where you are coming from. You can create as many pages like this one or sub-pages as you like and manage all of your content inside of WordPress.

That’s the boilerplate text that is a placeholder when you set up a WordPress page. It could have been deleted. However, it’s been posted for two years, with no actual content.

I was so excited when I first saw this site. Then, disappointed. It would take so little to bring this current and make it really rock.

Beautiful design doesn’t make a bit of difference if the navigation is whack and the content is out of date.

Please write that down.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blog

Technorati Tags: aislewalk, Andy Ebon, out of date, stale content, vancouver, website design, wedding marketing blog, whistle

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Don't Drive Drunk

It’s official! We’re already into the holiday season.

That means networking, parties, celebrations, lavish hors d’oeurves, and booze.

When you’ve had too many cocktails or glasses of wine, you’re a boozer, a drunk, a lush…. take your pick.

Aside from all the platitudes, such as “Drink Responsibly” or “Don’t Drive Drunk,” how about “Don’t act like a fool, in public.”

It’s not even Thanksgiving, and I’ve seen more than one fool who couldn’t conjugate a sentence at a public networking business event. It’s annoying, bad manners, and IT’S BAD FOR BUSINESS.

Do you want to know what I really think?

Don’t be a buckethead?

By the way, if you don’t need this reminder, please pass it on to someone who does. And if they don’t get the memo, take away their keys and drive them home. And don’t take know for an answer.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blog

Technorati Tags: booze, don't drive drunk, drink responsibly, drunk, holiday celebrations, lush, networking

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Eat ham!

In the United States, this is Thanksgiving week. Most people are off work on Thursday. Many people have a 4-day holiday.

In fact, many people take a half-day or full day off on Wednesday. Now we’re talking.

There is one drawback. December 1st is next Monday. No buffer, no breather, no nothing.

You have some choices this week. You can land on the couch. Watch some parades and football. Watch even more football. Fight the crowds at the every mall and retail store, as you strive to save buck or two.

Here’s an idea: Make a plan

In a week such as this one, there are generally as many demands on your time. Why not create a nice mix, with some uncommitted time, too.

• Get clerically caught up, ahead of December.
• Do some Christmas shopping online.
• Call some old friends and reconnect.
• Start your marketing plan for 2009.
• Spend quality time, not just ‘time,’ with your family and close friends.
• Surprise someone you’re not that close to, with a heartfelt hug.
• No matter what your overall state of your fairs, ponder your good fortune.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blog

One more suggestion, after watching the irrepressible Sarah Palin pardoning a turkey…. EAT HAM!!

Technorati Tags: ham, quality time, Sarah Palin, turkey, wedding marketing plan

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The good news is the asuring message to their existing customers, who are still waiting on dresses. Instructions were given on how those orders were going to be fulfilled. They made it abundantly clear that they were not simply ‘closing their doors’ and stranding brides. They would follow through on all orders. Unfortunately, reports of these sort of closures crop up, in good times and bad. Usually, they are not handled in such a professional way.

AAYBG was a bridal salon selling dresses, accessories, and providing wedding planning services.

The letter outlined a number of reasons for closing, including:

• the economy
• ‘appalling’ online competition
• long time employees ‘running off and getting married, and having babies’
• compatibility of the business with the ownership’s personal lives

Through all this sentimentality, there is a major omission. From a website standpoint, this small business couldn’t market its way out of paper bag.

Harsh? You’re damn right!!

I see and critique a lot of websites. I use both my experience and technical tools to analyze sites. It’s hard to do worse than this.

One excellent free tools to evaluate Search Engine Optimization is called Website Grader. The provider of this tool offers many paid services, but this one is free. Just put in your company domain name (and those of a couple of competitors, if you’d like), and its evaluation system rockets into action. In about 30 seconds, you have been given a grade, on a 1 to 100 scale, with specific explanations of what you are doing well, and what needs correction, as it relates to Search Engine Optimization.

I’ve concluded, after running these evaluations via Website Grader on many sites, including my own, that if you make the recommended changes, you see immediate improvement in your score.

For the sake of comparison, I think a score of 70-79 is good. 80-84 is very good. 85-89 is excellent. 90 or more is outstanding.

After running the All About You Bridal Galleria website address through Website Grader system, it came up with a score of 2. That’s not a typo. It’s two, 2 TWO!!!

It would be hard to score that low, if one was trying. Just visit the final score, and see what the report says.

Besides what the report outlines, there are other major league flaws.

Here’s just one: Not only does the site play music, automatically. It plays LOUD music. Even if you mute it, when you navigate to another screen, the music BLASTS you again. You can’t hide from the music unless you entirely mute your computer. It is common knowledge that brides often do some of their wedding research from work (under the radar). And, therefore, the idea of putting auto-loading music, particularly loud music, is NEVER recommended for a wedding site. You will lose many prospective customers, immediately, because you have busted them to everyone within earshot of their computer.

I’m sure the AAYBG owners are wonderful people. It’s clear that their ethics and heart are in the right place. I wish them the best in serving their customers, and making their closing their doors in the smooth and orderly way they’ve planned.

There are many lessons one can learn here. Pick a couple.

Here’s mine: “We’re all ignorant, just in different things.” If you’re a 4-star chef, that doesn’t mean you’re qualified to run a restaurant. You must complement your weaknesses with a partner who has the appropriate strengths and/or seek outside professional advice.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blog

Technorati Tags: all about you bridal galleria, Andy Ebon, bridal gowns, bridal salon, business closing, closing our doors, Las Vegas, search engine optimization, SEO, website, wedding dresses, wedding marketing blog

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