Archive for the ‘Wealthy Bag Lady’ Category
You’re Fired. Now You’re a Star on Ice
In 1986, Scott Hamilton was fired
from the Ice Capades. He was told that male figure skaters don't attract big
crowds. He thought, "Why don't I create my own ice show?"
The first Stars on Ice tour
started in five cities. Now it tours in fifty-five cities.
Now Scott Hamilton is one of the
most popular and successful skaters in the world. He was inducted into the
United States Olympic Hall of Fame and he still performs to cheering crowds.
Stars on Ice has become one of
the most successful, beautiful and innovative ice shows in the world.
Sponsors
Stars on Ice is also a great
example of sponsorship. The skating tour has been sponsored by Discover Card,
Target, and Smuckers.
I Made the List: 101 Women Bloggers to Watch in 2010
Drum roll please…
I made the list of WE Magazine's 101 Women Bloggers to Watch in 2010.
I'm so honored to be the one to give advice on business and sponsor success.
It's such an honor to be included with such great and inspiring women.
3 Trends for 2010
Cause-Related Marketing
- Conversations vs Advertising
To be successful, businesses need to have
two-way conversations as opposed to doing one-way advertising. Businesses need to champion collaboration
instead of an "us and them" mentality.Just check out Zappos as a
great example of being customer-centric. They listen to customers and foster an
atmosphere of transparency. With collaboration, you'll also attract great
people. Zappos is also one of the most desirable companies to work for and it
attracts top talent. - Sponsors Funding Real People
With the recent implosion of the Tiger Woods
brand, corporate sponsors will be thinking differently about where they put their sponsor
dollars. Instead of mega-celebrities, sponsors will be giving more money to
real people like you with strong core values.Make no mistake about it. We are entering the age of over-deliver. Your sponsorship proposal needs to be a Win-Win-Win
for everyone. Companies need to do marketing and sponsorship represents great
opportunity for you.
People
feel good about buying from companies that give back to the community.
Cause-related marketing is all about how companies are giving to charities.
The
recent Subaru Share the Love event had car purchasers choose one of 5 charities
including ASPCA, Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, National Wildlife
Federation and the Boys and Girls Clubs. Now you can buy anything from cookies
to cars and feel good about it.
30th Anniversary of the Best Business Book Ever
What's the Best Business Book Ever?
Surprise, It's a Novel: A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford
When I read this book, I was young and impressionable, working in a showroom at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles. I had dreams of starting my own business, but didn't know how.
Emma Harte was a poor uneducated servant girl who was left pregnant at 15. Despite the odds against her, she became a billionaire business owner. Her story inspired me to take risks in my own life and go for my dreams despite the obstacles.
I know it's not the typical business book in everybody's library, but the Emma's story is so captivating that I put it on the top of my business book list.
I celebrate the 30th anniversary of a rich tale that inspired me and countless women to live their passionate lives and do it bravely.
Tribute to Jim Rohn
Jim Rohn, the America's Business Philosopher, died on December 5, 2009. I had him as my keynote speaker at Women's Small Business Expo in 2005.
He was wise, funny, and full of amazing knowledge. The women business owners hung on his every word and couldn't wait to get their books signed and have their photos taken with him.
His teachings have had a huge impact on my life and I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes from Jim Rohn:
“Formal
education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”
“If you
don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's
plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”
“Success is
not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the person you become.”
Jim Rohn inspired so many people and I was honored to have him speak at Women's Small Business Expo. He will be deeply missed.
Sponsors Support Tiger Woods to the Tune of $100 Million Dollars
Tiger Woods’ sponsors lined up to back him yesterday after the golfer’s
admission that he had committed “transgressions” against his wife, Elin Nordegren and his family.
Sponsors Include Nike, Gatorade and Gillette
Major brands including Nike, Gillette and Gatorade said that their sponsorship
deals, which net Woods about $100 million a year, remained unchanged.
Gillette said that it had no plans to change its marketing program.
Gillette is experienced at dealing with the blushes of its spokesmen. In 2004
the men’s grooming brand signed David Beckham to a three-year sponsorship
deal just days after stories about the footballer’s alleged affair with his
personal assistant Rebecca Loos.
Yesterday TLC Laser Eye Centers and NetJets, a private jet hire company, also
said that they continued to support Woods.
Top 5 Marketing Lessons from Coca Cola
and carefree living. Coke was one of the first lifestyle brands, even
commissioning Norman Rockwell to do a collectible painting for one of
their ads. I loved posing with the polar bear because it was one of my
favorite holiday campaigns. I even have a Coca Cola polar bear magnet
on my refrigerator.
2. Don't Be Afraid to Raise Your Prices.
to 6 cents. There was an initial price resistance, but people paid it
because drinking a Coca Cola was an experience. Now most people don't
even think about how much they pay for a Coke.
3. Use Sponsorship.
with sports and lifestyle and helped them become a worldwide brand.
4. Go Big or Go Home.
biggest advertising blunders of all time. New Coke was quickly removed
from the market and the old formula became "Classic Coke". Sales
increased after that and their failure turned into a huge success.
How to Work with Fortune 500 Companies
-
Make a human connection. People do business with people, not faceless corporations. Working with
Fortune 500 companies is all about relationships. Introduce yourself by
phone rather than email, have meaningful conversations and establish
rapport. - Be clear
about your benefits.
Don't just talk about your company. If you want a Fortune 500 company
as your client or sponsor, talk about the benefits you can offer them. -
Pass their tests. Companies
will put you through tests to see if you have integrity. Do what you
say. Get information to them when you say you will. Respect their time
and be early for appointments. Let them know that your word is your
bond. - Be brief, be brilliant and be gone. Don't ramble. Executives with Fortune 500 companies are busy. Tell them the bottom line and get to the point quickly.
-
Follow a
process and follow up. I've
seen lots of people lose lucrative sponsor deals because of poor
follow-up skills. After your initial conversation, don't just say "I'll
call you next week". Make al follow up appointment and confirm it with
an email. Always have next steps.
Sponsors Would Have Dropped Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi would have been a pariah in his own sport if his drug-taking
exploits had been made public while he was playing, it was claimed last
night.
Leading sponsorship experts said that Agassi’s new status as a revered
philanthropist would protect him from rejection by the sponsors who now
support his charitable causes.
But they were shocked by the revelation that Agassi took crystal
methamphetamine, a highly addictive drug, and then lied to the tennis
authorities.
If that had become public knowledge at the time, they believe
he would have been thrown out of tennis so fast there would have been scorch
marks on the lawns of Wimbledon.
“There is no question he would have been banned and rejected by every sponsor
he had,” Dominic Curran, director at Synergy, the sport sponsorship
consultancy, said. “It was not just a question of taking
performance-enhancing drugs or a recreational drug but a substance that has
horrific consequences.
“Any sponsor would have dropped Agassi like a hot potato and could not
countenance being associated with an offense and a lie on that scale.”
Agassi became one of the most sought-after sportsmen in the world, racking up
more than $100 million in endorsements during his career — putting him in
the same league as figures such as Tiger Woods, Michael Schumacher and Roger
Federer.
Michael Phelps, the eight-times gold medal-winner at the Beijing Olympics last
year, discovered just how fast sponsors can react when Kellogg, the food
company, refused to renew its $1 million endorsement deal with him after he
was pictured appearing to smoke cannabis through a glass pipe, known as a
bong, in January.
But Agassi, with Steffi Graf, his wife and winner of 22 grand-slam singles
titles, have devoted themselves to their charitable foundation, which has
raised more than $40 million to educate underprivileged children. His deal
with Longines, the Swiss luxury watchmaker, has also been used to raise
money for charity.
Deals like that will go on if and when Agassi’s image is rehabilitated, in
spite of his drug-taking confessions from a difficult past.
What Happened to Civility?
Poor Taylor Swift, eyes welling up with tears, looked broken-hearted. Beyonce, wanted nothing to do with this drunken fool.
What about congressman Joe Wilson who yelled, "You lie!" during Barack Obama's speech?
With extremely stressful lives, people are teetering on the edge of emotional breakdowns and crossing boundaries of acceptable behavior more than ever, but the professional entrepreneurs aren't going to take it.
Etiquette experts are experiencing a resurgence in their businesses.Yes, etiquette is making a comeback because people aren't putting up with boorish behavior anymore.
With the Internet, these kinds of rude outbursts live on forever, so when you feel anger, just take a breath and smile. We should all remember what our parents and teachers told us us about putting ourselves in the other person's shoes, having empathy and being kind to each other.