What Can XL Offer You? - Wealth Dynamics

"Our legacy defines us, and our vision reminds us: The more we follow
our purpose, the more we become who we are meant to be." - Roger Hamilton

In 2002, the United Nations Millenium Declaration, signed by all 191 UN member states, set a target to halve world poverty by 2015, and to end world poverty altogether by 2025.
In the same year, XL Results Foundation and the concept of World Wide Wealth was launched. We set a goal to create a global foundation of learning and networking resources for entrepreneurs and business people from all walks of life.

Roger Hamilton, Founder of XL, is Asia's leading wealth consultant, author of internation bestsellers "Wink and Grow Rich", and "Your Life, Your Legacy", Creator of the internationally recognised Wealth Dynamics Profiling System, and an internationally recognised keynote speaker and wealth coach. He owns businesses across Asia Pacific in property, event management, franchising, coaching and training.

Using Wealth Dynamics - the only profiling system that offers direct strategies for wealth and financial success to Entrepreneurs - over 50,000 people have discovered a whole new way of doing business, and they are reaping the rewards of greater wealth, satisfaction, peace of mind and renewed vitality for life itself.

Discover in just 15 minutes;

• Your wealth profile
• Role models who share the same profile
• Your strengths and weaknesses as a wealth creator
• How to build your wealth foundation
• Your moment of wealth creation
• How to create value using your profile
• The value you need to own
• How you need to leverage
• How you secure your cashflow

Once you have your profile you will understand YOUR wealth frequency and what you need to do to create maximum attraction so that opportunities to create your wealth flow to you. You will also understand why people like Richard Branson, Donald Trump, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet become very wealthy... while others lose their wealth... even though they are doing exactly the same things.

How it works

Since the beginning of time wealth has only been created through any one of eight contrasting paths. These paths have been categorised and by the creator of Wealth Dynamics; Roger Hamilton.

Creator - Creating a better product

Creators are big picture thinkers with an awesome ability to get things started, although they tend to be shocking when it comes to finishing things. Examples of successful creators include Bill Gates, Larry Ellison and Richard Branson.

Star - Creating a unique brand

Stars are aware of the strength of their personality, and often use it to their advantage without realizing the negative impact it can have on those around them. Examples of Stars who have found their natural path include Martha Stewart and Anthony Robbins.

Supporter - Leading the team

Supporters have strong interpersonal skills and are great at building relationships but generally poor at knowing how to use their ability to create sustainable wealth in a way that’s fun for them. Examples of supporters who have discovered the secrets to their profile are Rudolph Giuliani and Jack Welch.

Dealmaker - Bringing people together

Dealmakers are great communicators, influencers and negotiators with a strong sense of timing. Examples of successful dealmakers are Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch.

Trader - Buying low, selling high

Many people see themselves as traders, possibly as a result of the increased profile of online, retail and options trading. George Soros has achieved great wealth through following his natural path as a trader without deviating.

Accumulator - Collecting appreciating assets

The accumulator is the safest profile, and relies on a system to achieve incremental wealth growth. Warren Buffet is possibly the world’s most well known accumulator.

Lord - Controlling cash generating assets

Lords are rarely seen, yet rolling in cash, and often in control of natural resources and man made structures. They act slowly and certainly, which frustrates many around them. John D Rockefeller and J Paul Getty are two successful and well known Lords.

Mechanic - Creating a better system

A mechanic has the ability to control and manage people without necessarily having any charismatic leadership qualities. Successful mechanics include Ray Kroc and Sam Walton.

Find the style of business that works with your natural strengths and weaknesses and learn how to create a sustainable system of increasing cashflow that fits your natural talents and passions.

Not only is wealthy dynamics a groundbreaking tool for personal development, it's fantastic for putting together teams. Different profiles balance each other out and a complete team will perform to astronomical proportions. This is where XL comes in, a network of entrepreneurs and business people who know their profiles and are seeking others to connect with complimentary profiles. Targetted and effective networking on a whole new level.

What are you waiting for? To get started on the path to a life worth living with your wealth profile, visit Learning4ever and order your profile now, or to take this incredible learning to the next level, check out the Wealth Dynamics Weekend.

Promotional Products - What can they do for you?

The pens you’ve got on your desk, or in your bag. Grab them out. Lay them out in front of you. Good. Now get your keys and lay them out. Now check your bag for any napkins or those little moist wipe things you get at the drive through.

If you inspect those pens, your keyring, your napkins, you might notice they have one thing in common. Most of them have logos on them, sometimes a slogan and some contact details. They are promotional products.

You know how you go to places and borrow their pens and end up wandering away with them in your bag? There’s a reason you don’t get tackled by security for doing it. Businesses want you to have promotional products.

First, lets see what wikipedia has to say about promo products;

“Promotional items or promotional products refers to articles of merchandise that are used in marketing and communication programs. The items are usually imprinted or decorated with a company's name, logo or message. Premiums, incentives, business gifts and awards are also considered promotional products. Often distributed at trade shows, used in direct mail and as part of guerilla marketing campaigns, these items are also referred to by the slang terms "swag" and "tchotchke".”

So now we know what the experts have to say about promotional products. But what are they good for? For that we need to go back to the little spread in front of you. You should have at least a couple of logos in front you, I can count three or four on my desk right now. That means that I am a walking advertisement for those logos. In exchange, I get to have a pretty pen (I always need a pen), a keyring (it’s got Milhouse from the Simpsons on it!), or a napkin for those awkward moments, like eating ice cream in the car.

Promotional products shouldn’t be confused with merchandise, which is a whole other kettle of fish. Merchandise is basically the branded products you pay for, the action figures you get from movies and comics, the mugs you get from your favourite tv show or the t shirt from your trip to Hawaii. Merchandise can double as promotional products when needed, and serves the purpose of brand exposure as well, but you need an existing and desirably brand before you can expect people to pay you for the right to advertise your brand.

So what are the benefits of promotional products for your business?

Exposure
When your logo is on something useful, for example a pen or a key ring, it’s being carried everywhere, it’s being seen not only by the person carrying and using it, but by everyone they meet, everyone they loan that pen to or unlock that door in front of. This is the kind of exposure that buries your logo into the minds of everyone who sees it. Subtle, but effective, and it doesn’t make people shut down the way they do when the ads come on in the middle of their favourite show.

Association
Not all exposure is good exposure, so having your name associated with something useful or fun, like a lolly or a stress toy, is invaluable marketing for you, because it’s a direct association, and you don’t have to tell the people you’re reaching anything at all, the promotional products do it for you!

Customer Relationships
Always having a spare pen handy, or something funky to give to customers or potential customers is a great way of making a small, bug significant connection. People love free stuff, and enjoy seeing generosity in the businesses they deal with. Don’t you like the places that give a lollypop to your kids? What about the places that give a lolly to you? Doesn’t it make you feel like coming back?

So what kind of products are on offer?

There are literally thousands of promotional products you can try, but here are just a few…

Pens
Pens are perhaps the most tried and true promotional product in the world. They’re useful, they’re cheap, there’s huge variety and a high level of customizability, and people are always looking for more of them. The thing about pens is that you need to be careful when you choose them, no one needs their name associated with a pen that broke on the second day, so do some homework before you buy a set.

Keyrings
Keyrings are a promotional product employed heavily by the automotive industry and the property market. They have a long life and they’re almost always with their owner. People love keyrings, they can be any shape, any colour and almost any size (mine has millhouse from the Simpsons on it) and they’re cost effective.

Confectionary
This is a good one to go for if your customers often have children, or if you’re in an industry related to hospitality. Things like mints on the pillow, the lolly on the airplane, or the mint that helped to mask the garlic from lunch. Confectionary doesn’t have a very long life so it’s more of a tool for building customer relationships, however it’s cost effective and always results in a grin. It can also be combined with other items for a double hit of warm fuzzies.

Stickers, badges and magnets
Anything with a membership aspect to it can benefit from these sorts of promo products. My Dad has a BMW, and he belongs to the BMW car club. Guess what’s sitting on his windshield? A BMW club sticker. So everywhere my Dad drives his beloved car (he spends more time with it than he does with me), he’s helping out the club by showing off that he’s a member. Magnets are great because they get put up on the fridge, and stickers are also a great thing for kids, and they tend to last longer than confectionary. These products offer huge flexibility in design and shape, and are cost effective in proportion to their useful life, how old are the magnets on your fridge?

High End Items
When you’re selling something big and shiny, like a ticket to a big conference, a batch of expensive computers, or a new boat, you might want to look at higher end products, such as compendiums, technology or just really high grade pens and so on. Before you go spending a lot of money on these items you need to think carefully about the type of market you’re aiming for, and what kind of things are useful to them. If you’ve got a high portion of vegans in your customer base you don’t want to be handing out leather bound compendiums.

Some More Ideas…

• Get a mascot – A little fluffy toy that can feature on a keyring, a sticker or a pen is a great way of adding a dash of fun and personality to your promo products
• Why not send out little promo products with orders for clients? It always adds to the relationship and prolongs the exposure of your brand. People like value.
• Why not have a collection of promotional products, and with each order, a new part of the set is revealed.

If you have a loyalty program, try something a little funky with your memberships, maybe a kooky barcoded ring or a uniquely shaped card.

So what’s right for you?
Choosing the right promotional products is as crucial as actually having promotional products. To find the right items for your market and budget you need to ask yourself the following questions;

• Who am I targeting?
• What do these people like?
• What do these people do?
• How will they receive my promo products?
• How much do I make on average from each customer or sale?
• How much of that can I spare for promo products
• What will my promo products be used for?
• How often will they be seen?
• How long will they last?

Using this info, weigh up what the best option for you will be. Avoid low grade products, even if they’re cheaper, because having your name tagged to a broken pen is worse than having no pen at all.

So get out there!

Promotional products are the way of the future in building customer relationships and getting your name out there. Many small businesses have no need or budget for large marketing campaigns and targeting your market with promo products can be an ideal way to get your name where it matters most, into the daily lives of your customers and potential customers.

For a great range of promotional products, try www.premierproducts.com

- Bridget Hughes

Making your Mark 3

Key elements for a lasting impression with your customers

This Week’s focus: Bars, Seminars, and being Social

I work in web design. Well, sort of. I work in web design in the sense that I can put together a basic site, understand most what people mean when they talk about htaccess, DNS and SQL (if you know what those acronyms mean, give yourself a pat on the back), and that I know enough people in the industry to fulfil most client requests, or have the unfortunate computer of a person who’s annoyed me hacked (not that I would, honest.)

Many of my projects involve dynamic coding and databases – basically, the site can, to a limited extent, think for itself. Of course, I can’t produce those sites without the help of some excellent programmers. How did I find these programmers? Social networking.

I know a guy who knows a guy. The guy introduced me to the guy he knows and now I know the guy the guy I know knows. Complicated? Not really.

So what use is a Social Network? That elusive buzz word we hear so often nowadays.

Webster (courtesy of Dictionary.com) defines Social Networking as;

“the use of a website to connect with people who share personal or professional
interests, place of origin, education at a particular school, etc.”

“a person's family, neighbors, and friends with whom they are socially involved”

Wikipedia enlightens us on some of the business applications of Social Networking, such as;

“Social
networks connect people at low cost; this can be beneficial for entrepreneurs and small
businesses looking to expand their contact base. These networks often act as
a customer relationship management tool for companies selling products and
services. Companies can also use social networks for advertising in the form of
banners and text ads. Since businesses operate globally, social networks can
make it easier to keep in touch with contacts around the world.”

But Social Networking has many more forms than the internet. The seminars you go to? The conventions and trade shows? The bars you frequent? Your neighborhood darts club? They are all valuable sources to build your network.

The core element of social network is not about selling. It’s about relationships. It’s about building your resource pool to a hundred times what it is on your own. Say you know three people, and they know three people, who in turn know three people. It’s the ripple effect, it grows. A strong network allows you to draw on hundreds of people for countless resources, for everything from direct marketing and joint ventures, to getting that leaky tap fixed for a good price.


So what are the benefits of Social Networking?

Resources
When you know a plumber, you ask a plumber about plumbing. You don’t go to the phonebook. The fact that said plumber knows you means that they’re going to be nicer to you, perhaps with a good price, some good advice or maybe just a better result. If you know a web designer (like me) you’d go to them for info and prices on web design. You have a starting point for whatever it is you’re after when you know people. People know people who know people. It all adds up, and within a strong network, you can cut your costs, and source better resources than by going through the phone book.

Trust
Trust is one of the biggest issues in business to date. Decisions are based on trust as much as logic. For example, you can be protected by a contract, but if said contract is broken, you still lose out in pursuing it, even if you win in the end. Therefore you’re more likely to enter into a contract with a person or business you trust not to break said contract. Somebody that you know, or that a friend or associate knows. Obviously you don’t trust some one from the off, which is why a network of strong relationships is crucial for better sales, better deals, and better business.

Brand Awareness
Something all the Stars (see Wealth Dynamics) out there will know about is branding. The goal of any good marketer is to build up an automatic association and recognition when people see their brand. People like to deal with people, so adding a face, a name and a personality to your brand won’t hurt you one bit. By networking, you’re getting your name out into the arena, and you’re building up a presence that will ultimately precede you in the business world.

A survey across several forums (including Business Forum) and business owners in person have suggested that while many business owners recognize the value of Social Networking or certain elements of it, they have yet to understand it’s techniques or unlock it’s full potential.

80% Said they found various forms of Social Networking useful
20% Said they
hadn’t tried Social Networking, or didn’t find it useful

Of the 80% who found Social Networking useful about 30% used mainly tradeshows, seminars and conventions to build their networks, while 50% used mainly websites such as directories, forums and profile sites. 80% of the total who used Social Networking only used one or two forms, while the remaining 20% used multiple forms, including social events, cold calling and referral programs.


Ways to Build up your Network

Tradeshows, Seminars, Conferences and Networking Events
Business people will always need other business people, so they network to find other business people. So go along to events (like the Entrepreneur Business School or latest XL Speaker, etc) in your region. You can look up events here or on Learning4ever.com

Join Websites, Directories and Forums
There are hundreds of networking websites (such as Ecademy, run by XL Results Foundation), article sites and forums you can join. There are those for general business, different types of business, and the general area in which your business is based. Try a quick google search and see what you can find.

Keep your business cards handy
Give people an easy way to contact you, you could meet some one on the street, or walk into a café and be struck by an opportunity to make a contact, keep your business cards handy, or else have an easy to remember point of contact (like a website, a brochure, or an easily remembered phone number) on hand at all times. You never know when you’ll come across a useful person to know.

Offer incentives
Many people aren’t comfortable with using their circle of friends as a social network, which is fine, as if it isn’t handled properly it can come across as rude, however don’t be afraid to offer your friends and their friends discounts or free advice whenever they need it, give them a reason to put their name on the line in recommending you to their friends. Referral programs are also an excellent option, just make sure you turn as many referrals as possible into contacts as well as customers.


How to get the Most out of your Network

Be Generous
Business is give and take, be generous with your time and your experience and people will be generous in telling others about you, and in going to you first.

Keep in Touch
Even if it’s as simple as an email saying hello, grow and nurture your network by letting people know that you remember and value them. This immediately puts you one step ahead of your competitors.

Be Patient
The best customer in the world is one who wants to buy. Don’t drive them away before they become that customer. If you value their business, build the relationship and when they are some one they know wants what you have to offer, you’ll have a sale without having to sell.

Get the Right People
We all know how important having the right people in your business is (See Wealth Dynamics), and the same goes for your network. Seek out people who compliment your strengths and weakness. There is so much more to be gained from a solid network than immediate sales.

Have FUN!
People do business with people they like. Don’t lose your dignity, but remember that at the end of the day, if you’re not having fun, you’re already doing the wrong thing (Roger Hamilton, Your Life, Your Legacy). If you love what you do (and there’s no point doing it if you don’t), let the world know.


So Stand up straight, smile, laugh and eat chocolate. This is your life, your future, and your legacy. Go Live it.


Wealth, Success, and Confectionary,

-Bridget Hughes

f you’re in or around Palmerston North and involved in business, you can’t miss this.

I work for the people that are hosting this, Learning4ever, they know their stuff. When they say some one is good, they’re right.

Every so often, someone comes to New Zealand with the clear intention of adding enormous value to New Zealand businesses just like yours. Someone who shares tremendous business (and life) building ideas that make an awesome difference.

This is your chance to experience that person live in Palmerston North

Imagine.

Imagine people flocking to do business with you.

Possible? You bet it is.

And imagine discovering in one very powerful evening:

* How to rise way above the ’sea of sameness’ in which so many remain trapped
* Why ‘great service’ is no longer all you should be offering
* Precisely how to become remarkable when others are invisible
* How to create real customer attraction
* How to generate far greater sales and profits AND have much more fun doing it.
* How to change un-responsive ads into ads that really work (in fact, you can even bring your ads, emails and letters with you and you’ll get them dramatically improved on the spot).

You’ll learn about some brand new ways of doing business known, until now, by a few remarkable businesses around the world. And you’ll instantly ‘get’ how to apply those secrets to what you do in your business.

And in this specially created program for you (AND your selected guests) in New Zealand you’ll learn and experience the keys not just to unlock your potential to make it happen but to actually make it happen in a heartbeat.

And imagine too being shown how to do all of that by the remarkable Paul Dunn.

You’ll see and experience examples from around the world of how businesses are creating excitement and ‘buzz’ that attracts more customers than ever before. And you’ll leave inspired to take immediate action.

I know that ‘WOW!’ is just one of the feelings you’ll be experiencing after your time with Paul.

People rave about his work. Kristina Mills, the world’s best female copywriter says of him: “Paul is extraordinary. He is a visionary and a pioneer. Paul’s remarkable strategic mind, his passion for excellence and his marketing genius have brought success to so many businesses. But even more importantly, Paul is a generous, kind and wonderful human being who is truly making the world a better place. I feel privileged to have worked for Paul and now to know him as my mentor and friend.”

Michael Carter, a master innovator and director of BusinessFitness puts it this way: “Paul is a visionary entrepreneur, great marketer, master motivator and one of the best public speakers in the world. Paul taught me valuable lessons about when to follow gut instinct over market research regarding new product development and how to take massive action to make projects happen quickly. While others are still thinking about it, Paul has already done it.”

The truth is it’s a rare privilege to invest time with this man. You’ll leave this evening inspired AND you’ll leave with crucial skills that set you apart in business and in life.

When?

May 23rd, 6:30 pm introductions, 7 pm start

Where?

Kingsgate Hotel, 110 Fitzherbert Ave, Palmerston North

You can Get more information about Paul from Learning4ever or by contacting Beth Greenwood on 06 358 5288 or 021 292 5139 or email at xlresultspn@inspire.net.nz

Space for this amazing evening with Paul is limited. So let me give you all the details so you can register right now.

To Register Online Click here

Or Call Beth Greenwood on 06 358 5288 or 021 292 5139 or email at xlresultspn@inspire.net.nz

You can also get more information by emailing me at sidneysouth@hotmail.com, or leaving a comment on this post.

And let me just add something else to make this EVEN more attractive for you. It’s a $195 evening BUT because Beth drives a hell of a hard bargain, you can come along for a ridiculous (and tax-deductible!) $49.95. That’s amazing value. Bring two friends and recieve a $10 discount each, come in a group of ten and recieve a $20 discount each!

Again, this is one of those evenings you’ll remember and benefit from for a lifetime. Know that I’m really looking forward to seeing you and your guests at this fantastic evening presentation.

We reccomend Registering online or Calling ahead as we are limited to 160 seats and we’re already running out of space.

Making your Mark #2

Making your Mark

Key elements for a lasting impression with your customers

This Week’s focus: Unicycles, Foreigners and Free Publicity

My time in the South Island earlier this year was eventful. Amidst the myriad of accents, the flying unicycles, the dizzying altitudes and small armadas of insects, I found very little in the way of normalcy.

The month was January, the tour was SINZ (South Island New Zealand), the people were insane. Not just your regular insane either, this is insane to insane people, the kind of people who’ve gone all the way through insane and come out the other side, complete with unicycle, annoying bell, and novelty straight jacket.

Naturally, they were celebrities. From my perch in the support van, I attempted (and often failed) to make myself useful to Connie, the superwoman who held everyone together, and I discovered something wonderful. When people think you’re crazy, they’re a lot nicer.

I became a hit with everyone I met, in Wanaka one of the riders received a hi five from a passing skaterboarder and went head over heels in mid pedal, I later met the sister of the flatmate of the offending skateboarder at a bar and engaged in a twenty minute conversation while Ken, the tour organizer, waited for the wine I had been sent to order. The riders were immortalized in a million photos from foreign cameras as tourists came to wonder whether this was a regular occurrence in New Zealand.

Reporters came from everywhere to meet the group; interviews were conducted at backpackers, on roadsides and at the occasional café. The jokes kept repeating themselves, I can tell you just about every unicycle joke in existence, and Ken has a bulging scrapbook of press clippings containing each and every one of those awful, awful one liners.

Let me reiterate my point to you though; these people are crazy. They tackled the steepest street in the world on unicycles, one of them punched a glacier (I still have the water from the chunk of ice that fell off), they rode 160km in one day through gale force winds, they even have their own slang, their own community, hell, they’ve got their own website (www.sinzuni.org)

The point?

These people didn’t pay a cent for publicity, and everywhere we went I was hearing about them before they arrived. People love a nutter. They love a group of nutters even more. Ken sent out a simple press release, and bang, every newspaper in the South Island wants to meet this loony bunch.

So how can we harness this powerful tool of free publicity and twist it to suit our nefarious purposes? Well…

Gimmicks

Having something just that little bit strange about your business is a great conversation starter, it’s a way of getting people laughing, and more importantly, getting them talking. An ongoing gimmick, even better, one that’s interactive, is fantastic way to not only get attention, but to build your business a long lasting market presence, it also gives you a base from which to work your marketing, an ongoing theme, adding a consistency to your image.

Events

Organise something a little bit different, sponsor a teddy bears picnic, hold a funny hat day, if you do something a little wild, and then let people know, you’ll attract interest, it’s a great of throwing your name in a positive light. You can use it to reach out to your market and the people around them and reach them in a way that builds trust, because you took the first step without pushing them to buy. And better yet, you did it will they were laughing.

Press Releases

One of the best ways to get the word out to traditional publications is a press release, it doesn’t have to be long, the press release for the SINZ tour was less than half a page, but it detailed when the riders would be in certain locations, what they were doing and generally outlined how funny and bizarre these people truly are. This was more than enough to entice reporters out to meet us as we entered and left towns, and the best part is, they did all the work. Ken, the tour organizer, simply had to email half a page to fifteen or so newspapers, and the word got round. People were talking about us days before we got to them, and you only had to mention a unicycle before people knew who you were. And what did it cost? Not a thing.

So be a little funky, and let the people come to you. For more business tools, ideas and resources, visit www.learning4ever.com

Wealth, Success, and Unicycles,

- Bridget Hughes

Making your Mark

Key elements for a lasting impression with your customers

This Week’s focus: Humour, Gimicks and Generally Horsing around

Ever seen what happens when a horse eats grass clippings? (All you gardeners note this down). It isn’t pretty, and it’s a common problem faced by many horse owners. My first brush with the gooier side of this particular problem was when I was twelve years old. I’d had my pony, (Nick, or ‘Grumpy Bugger’ for short), a month and I was excited.

I was proudly walking Nick home for a bath (which basically meant I got wet, stomped on and covered in horsehair) when I spied our next door neighbor; an elderly nun that we all knew as Sister Joan, and the sweetest lady for miles around. So, naturally, she had to be introduced.

I presented my boy, loudly pointing out the similarities in the colour of his hair and mine, his lovely mane and his pretty new halter. She nodded and smiled, tentatively reaching out to stroke his nose…

Nick chose this moment to sneeze. Not just any sneeze, the mother of all mothers of all sneezes. Sister Joan’s lovely white cardigan turned green. Why? Because approximately a kilo of green, grass clipping filled, sticky goo had impacted with it at high velocity. Pony1 to base, we have a direct hit.

On the upshot, Nick felt a lot better.

Protect unsuspecting members of the clergy! Recycle your grass clippings in the appropriate containers and don’t feed them to horses.

Nuns everywhere are depending on you.

Did that make you laugh?

I hope so, or I need a new party trick. The important thing is, if you’ve gotten this far, the story kept you interested. Why did it keep you interested? Because it made you laugh. It built a fundamental relationship with you – the audience – by letting you into my world and entertaining you. If you were a horse owner, wouldn’t you be interested in reading on? You might go on to read about how dangerous grass clippings are to horses, and start instructing the local gardeners to buy a compost bin and stop poisoning your precious babies. You might also refrain from introducing local clergy to your pets.

In business, there are key elements to success; A great service, a great product, fantastic people. But how do you get people to click on your site, to walk in the door, or to pick up the phone? It’s all in your marketing. And according to the fifty people we’ve been speaking to, it’s not about size, colour or sound. It’s all about humour.

Ever been to a foreign country where you can only stutter a few syllables of the local language, and even then you’re not sure if you’re asking for a taxi or insulting some one’s grandmother? You might notice that it doesn’t really matter what you say, once you’re laughing with the locals, you feel connected to them, more at home, and less likely to be unwittingly married to somebody's daughter.

At the hairdressers, notice how everyone gossips and jokes with you, the majority of their customers feel safer in the hands of some one with scissors when they’re joking about something entirely unrelated to the fact that a blade is now dangerously close to their scalp.

All of this is the crucial part of relationship building. Businesses, and more importantly the people that run them, do much better when they’re accessible, when they reach out to their market. Would you buy from some one who looked down their nose at you? Or some one who made no effort to stand out from the crowd? No, you buy from an equal.

One of the fastest and most entertaining ways to achieve this kind of bond with potential customers is humour.

There are very few cases where humour cannot be packaged to suit your target market, but for most of us, it’s a valuable tool, and the best thing is, it doesn’t cost anything more.

Here are some examples of great ad campaigns that used humour.

The Bugger Campaign

Ok, any kiwi will know this one. Toyota hit the jackpot. Your standard kiwi bloke bungles just about everything on the farm because he’s not yet figured out how powerful his new ute is, declaring that good old kiwi oath all the while.

For more than a year after the ad ran, people were recognising the ‘bugger ute’ and the ‘bugger ad’. Even now I see license plates, spare tyre covers, bumper stickers, all branded with that one symbol of kiwi culture. And Toyota has glued their product on to it.

The ‘Yeah Right’ Campaign

This one is a classic, another symbol of Kiwi culture, Tui is developing itself a proud history of hardcase advertising, delving right to the heart of your standard, laidback kiwi.

Everything can be taken with a grain of salt, and the Yeah Right Ads take the proverbial out of just about everything that could be considered pretentious.

The Speight’s Southern Man Campaign

Another fine example of Kiwi Ana, this time geared for the southern man, the adventures of a couple of cockies takin’ life slow and steady, with a can of speights firmly in hand. Like the Tui and Bugger Campaigns, the theme has spread far and wide, from billboards and commercials, to clothes, stickers and a range of weird promotional products.

The Point?

Customers feel more comfortable when they’re laughing, they’re having a good time, it brings you down from on high and makes you and your business accessible to the people you need to reach. It doesn’t have to be crude humour, it doesn’t have to be overly witty, it’s important that it matches up with your market.

There’s other ways to involve humour in your marketing and customer service, you can use Promotional Products, Competitions, and other forms of marketing. Try a few of the ideas below.

Promo Products

You could try putting a spin on standard promotional products with things like stressballs, money boxes and joke calendars. You could add some personality to your branded pens by adding a cute bauble on top. These items are great because not only are they fun, but they’re useful, and people keep them, they grow to associate that little giggle (or that snorting, knee slapping gauffaw that’s normally reserved for the after work drinks), with your name and logo. Why not get yourself a little mascot? Some cute little stress toy on the front counter and in your ads, give him a name, give him to your customers, they’ll remember him, and by proxy, you. If ever you wanted to make contact with your customers where it matters, this is the way to do it.

You can take a look at some great promotional products at www.premierpromoproducts.com

Jokes and Stories

One of the things I do to pass the time while I’m waiting for the doctor to poke, prod, proclaim me well and charge me fifty dollars, is read the jokes and cartoons they put up on the wall, it’s great, because it’s funny, and I don’t feel so bad about parting with money that really would have been better spent on that gorgeous new skirt I saw in town. My inbox is full of comics and jokes and funny stories, and I love it. I like it when people go out of their way to make me laugh, it shows that they’re willing to go the extra mile to keep me as a customer. Why not send out some jokes and quotes with your invoices and newsletters?

There are hundreds of jokes available at www.jokesgalore.com and www.siglets.com

The Personal Touch

Good reception staff are always smiling and quick to pick up on when a customer at the front desk wants to make a joke. It doesn’t matter if it’s actually funny, they laugh anyway, because laughing with some one builds a bond. When I deal with customers I often adopt a rueful sort of humour about the things my pets put me through, and a lot of customers identify with that because they have pets or children. If you start with a reserved style of humour and just feel out how people respond, you can soon have them thinking they’re your best customer. And since they’re the one standing in front of you, they are.

You can find more tips on great customer service at http://www.secretsofsuccess.com/customer/

So inject some humour into your business, and be nice to twelve year olds and ponies, they might be armed.

For tools, tips and secrets to help grow your business for a life worth living, take a look at joining our site at www.learning4ever.com

Wealth, Success, and Salvation from Gooey Grass Clippings,

-Bridget

Next Week: Unicyles, Foreigners and Car Breaking