heartharmony.com.au

Recently I have been having a great discussion with a colleague about the difference between selling your knowledge (doing the work for other people) and selling “how to” apply your knowledge.

If you take a look around the self help section of most book stores, you will notice that “How to” books have been taking over shelf space at a great rate of knots. People love to learn how to do things and are willing to give a lot of things a go provided they have the right information and support. But is this trend good or bad for business?

Most businesses take the “this will take away my business” approach, so horde their knowledge as effectively as squirrels store nuts for the winter. They only share information if money crosses their palms and jealously guard their hard won knowledge.

Yet other businesses take the total opposite approach. In the internet marketing world “moving the free line” is gaining massive momentum. What people used to pay for is now given away as free, with other paid items being offered to the free list later. These “back end sales” come as a result of the business having demonstrated their expertise and giving people a taste of what it would be like working with them. And people take up the paid offers in droves as a result of their experience.

But where did this approach come from? Well, free tastes have been part of history, but one of my favourite stories relates to a simple US shirtmaker in the mid 1800’s. He worked out that there were more customers out there who may be interested in learning how to make one of his shirts than would be interested in buying his shirts. So in 1863 he designed the first paper pattern in a variety of sizes, coupled with instructions on how to make his shirts. This was the first time that paper patterns had been made commercially available.

The idea was a massive success and before long he designed patterns for ladies clothes, mens trousers and childrens clothes. In fact the idea took off with such success that it became a million dollar international business.  The guys name was Ebenezer Butterick and home sewers everywhere still buy Butterick patterns today. (Thanks R. Brasch “A Bee in your bonnet?” for this story).

The point here is most businesses have something that they can teach people to do at home and this information can generate revenue either from purchase of the information product or from “back end” sales. Taking an abundance approach in terms of sharing your information can be good for your business.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance copywriter

Testimonials are great for business. They sing your praises and help potential clients understand what it is like to do business with you. They are so powerful that the FTC in the USA implemented a whole raft of regulations and restrictions around how to use testimonials in marketing.

In the past few years video testimonials have been all the rage, which means popping your favourite clients in front of a camera and getting them to talk about their experience of working with you. Seeing “in the flesh” a real person talking in a positive way about your business is more powerful than written testimonials alone.

But … and this is a huge but … not every video testimonial that is filmed should be used. This is my favourite example of one of the worst testimonials I have seen – made even funnier because it is Ian Healy (ex-Australian cricketer and accomplished media commentator) talking about his web company. So what? Well the web company uploaded it to You Tube.  OK, Ian may be taking the mickey out of the whole process and trying to be funny with his comments, but you judge for yourself (from about 31 seconds in), whether you would like your client telling the world that “you can’t measure anything they do”, “results … well who knows”, “the company is a little top heavy” and other gems.

If you are going to use video testimonials, you may want to talk with your clients before hand. Help them gather their thoughts and don’t be afraid to do a few “takes”.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Copywriter

Sometimes you look at a picture and go hmmmm … there may be something in this. Loved these photos doing the rounds at the moment in Australia (for our non-Oz readers, the guy on the left is our Prime Minister). The question is, is this product placement at it’s best, coincidence or something more sinister?

If you want to understand the psychology behind why this may be good for Kevin Rudd, the Psychologist Magazine has a great summary of some of the studies about why the familiar is more popular. Expect to see a whole new range of products wearing politicians avatars in the near future!

Separated at birth

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance copywriter

Ever been really excited about something … I mean really excited …  so excited that you are bouncing up and down in anticipation?

What about if you have seen it all before, you are a tad cynical and you are over the hyped up behaviour of some of the people around you?

People are a lot like animals really. I took this video of two of our animals the other day and couldn’t help reflecting on some of the offices I have worked in. Are you the dog or the cat in this scenario?

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Copywriter

PS: Milly finally did get to the bowl of cat food. She just waited for half an hour till the cat had left before making her move.

With all the furor over iSnack 2.0 and iPad (proof we need more women in IT), it helps to go back into history to soothe frazzled business execs nerves that not all naming stuff ups are bad for business.

Think of the ubiquitous Pizza Hut. This business was started by two humble uni students in 1958 who saw how popular pizzas were at toga parties, so conned their mum into funding a pizza shop. They rented a property on a busy street corner, bought second hand equipment and hired the cheapest signwriter they could find to put the word Pizza in big letters on a sign. The signwriter must have been having one too many that day, because they painted the word “Pizza” on an angle and lopsided. The guys couldn’t afford to get a new sign done, so they worked out they could put three letters under the word Pizza. After much searching through the dictionary, they found the word “Hut” and the distinctive Pizza Hut company came into being. (We gratefully acknowledge R Brasch in his book “A bee in your bonnet?” for this story).

The Pizza Hut guys didn’t have expensive competitions, or run massive focus groups to come up with their name. They just had a problem and had to solve it, and you could argue they did it more effectively than a mountain of marketing people at Kraft and Apple.

The two boys also had a lot of the right ideas in terms of naming their business for a web 2.0 world. You see  it pays to name your company with words that include the term that most people are looking for on the net (and buy the .com to match). This means your keywords naturally appear in searches sort of like instant SEO without too much hassle, and your business is easy to find. You could get all creative with a unique name, but where there is a simple solution that gives you brilliant SEO benefits, you may want to try that first.

So, if you get stuck for a business name, certainly get some data on what people are looking for on the net, and then bung on a simple word ala Pizza Hut. You could be on a real winner!

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance copwriter

Have you ever looked at the humble shopping trolley? I mean really looked at it and wondered “who the heck invented it”? Yes, I know shopping is my least favourite contact sport and I will do anything to avoid grocery shopping, which is why one day I was pondering this question while I studiously avoided thinking about the wonky wheels and while dodging the local kids who were treating the shopping aisles like a roller derby.

So I went hunting … and discovered a brilliant book by Rudolph Brash called “A Bee in Your Bonnet?“  This quirky little book covers the history and meaning of a whole litany of useless phrases as well as useful information about the inventor of many modern day marvels … including the shopping trolley.

Now I know you are dying to find out who to thank (blame) for the shopping trolley – it was Sylvan Goldman in the 1930’s. Mr Goldman owned a supermarket in Oklahoma City and figured that people only ever bought as much as they could carry in their shopping bag. He thought that if he could make it easier for people to carry more, they would buy more, so converted a folding chair by adding wheels and a basket and hey presto – the shopping trolley was born … And people ignored it in droves.

Apparently people were afraid to use the new fangled invention – they thought they would run into things. Undeterred, Mr Goldman thought for many a long night on how to get people to use them. So what did he do to get over people’s fears?

1) He hired a pretty girl to hand people a trolley the moment they entered the store instead of the older shopping baskets

2) He advertised the new invention widely in the papers so the early adopters would know about it

3) And (drumroll please) he hired actors to smilingly wheel around fully laden trolleys through the shop and carpark

Mr Goldman went on to patent the idea and died in 1984 a multi-millionaire – all from the one simple idea.

What can you learn from the humble shopping trolley?

• A good idea is not going to make you money unless people want it and use it.
• There’s ways around many problems if you are creative enough.
• People value the opinion of other people – if they see other people enjoying your product it makes them more willing to try.
• You need to tell people about your creations – positive press is still important.
• Sex sells

It’s good to see modern day supermarkets going back to the basics. We are all now used to the massive trolleys – and until recently people only had the choice of the behemoth trolleys or a small red basket. Note the introduction of a range of smaller trolleys that bridge the gap. People have taken to them in droves and average basket sale has increased as a result. Everything old is new again!

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Copywriter

If you talk with any HR Manager, one of the most challenging parts of their jobs is graduate recruitment. They want to hire uni students for part-time or casual work, or they are looking for new graduates or experienced graduates for jobs.  If you advertise on one of the traditional job boards or through the press you get inundated with spam applications or applications from unqualified people – all of which have to be reviewed and answered. All of which takes time.

Most Australian HR Managers end up contacting each individual uni, hoping they will list the vacancy around the campus or on their jobs board. But people change roles, so it is a constant battle to keep up to date with who is in the career role in the Unis.

Until now.

Yesterday a colleague talked me through a brilliant new service called CareerHub Central. In Brisbane there is a great software development company that has developed the software that is used by almost every Uni as well as TAFE NSW  in Australia to run their careers boards.  They have even started expanding into the UK (love local success stories)!

The latest enhancement of this software is that now employers can log a vacancy with CareerHub Central, choose the uni’s and career areas they want the vacancy to be listed with and hit submit. The vacancy is then listed on the Uni careers boards.No more stuffing around. No more chasing contact details. No missing Unis by mistake.

You get access to over 200,000 current students and graduates – with the uni career sites getting over 1 million hits per year, and over 7500 students per day (which means students and graduates are actively looking for work from the sites).

And what makes it even better is only current students or Alumni of each uni can access the relevant uni career sites (they need their student ID to log on). This means your vacancy only is visible to the specific groups you are interested in attracting, reducing wasted time in sifting applications.

This is a seriously brilliant application that will save most HR Managers weeks of work each year. Price wise it is cheaper than an ad in one newspaper and on par with other job sites – but remember, your ad is super targeted to the groups you want to attract, so you theoretically should get an increased response rate both in quality and quantity of applicants.

The other great thing about the application is individual Government agencies and companies can list their company profile (for a fee). This means when students are researching potential employers, your company is front of mind. Great in the competitive graduate recruitment market.

If you are looking for uni students or graduates in Australia, then give CareerHub Central a go.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – HR writer

On our holidays last week we visited two iconic tourist attractions on the Sunshine Coast – The Big Pineapple and the Buderim Ginger Factory. Both have been around for about as long as each other. Both promote a particular food product (pineapples and ginger). Both have very similar offerings – a tourist shop, guided tour to learn how the food product is grown and processed, train rides, mechanical rides and restaurants. Yet the experiences could not be more extreme.

The Big Pineapple is a massive fibreglass pineapple that you can walk through. It is heritage listed as it is such a part of the Qld psyche. In its heyday you had to queue for ages to fork over large sums of money to taste one of their famous pineapple boats (parfaits). There were train rides through the pineapple plantation, rides in cute macadamia nutmobiles through the macadamia nut grove, boat ride through the future of food, and an animal nursery. While most of these attractions are still there is an air of dank decay around the place.

When we got into the car, I asked my teenager to describe what she saw:

• One of the attractions had obviously been affected by a storm a long while back – all the canvas was in shreds and the attraction closed (this was the first thing you saw when you drove into the carpark).
• The outdoor toilets were sealed off (and by the look of the cobwebs had been so for a long time), with portaloos the only options. The indoor toilets only had one soap dispenser – the rest had been ripped from the walls. The floor and wall tiles were cracked and only about 1/3 of the toilets were not blocked off.
• The carpark was full of potholes and untended gardens.
• The entrance was blocked – and although it was free to enter, you had to give your details to the overworked lady at the front who would try to sell tours to you. Most people gave up and just pushed the gates open themselves and went around her.
• Tours were relatively expensive and didn’t explain what you would get for the money.
• The tourist shop was full of cheap trinkets – the same as you would see at any Dollar store. There was very little unique or different. After much searching we finally spotted a few lonely pineapples (with fruit fly buzzing around them).
• The restaurant functioned (sort of). It was massive, it echoed and guests were few and far between. Parfaits were still on sale at very high prices.
• The staff wore dirty uniforms, were frazzled and didn’t know what they were doing. They were obviously not enjoying their jobs.

I asked my teen to put into a few words her experience. “Sad. The place looks uncared for, unloved and the staff obviously have taken that feeling to heart in how they treat their customers”. Her prediction “closed within 6-12 months maximum”

It was no surprise to hear later on that it was in receivership. They took what worked many years ago and then didn’t keep pace with the changes.

The Buderim Ginger Factory was a totally different experience. Again in the words of my teen.

• The carpark was neat, clean and well signposted.
• The gardens were amazing – full of flowering ginger plants.
• The opening was wide and welcoming.
• The tour desk was clearly visible – with no hard sell. Tours were clearly explained.
• Staff were warm, welcoming and efficient (and with neat uniforms).
• The guided tour was informative and ended with a tasting of products and with ideas on how to use and combine the foods into recipes.
• The Cookery School was amazing. Michelin rated chef teaching people how to cook (with ginger of course).
• Lots to keep smaller kids interested with kids tours and Gingerbread people.
• Lots of food options – from home made ice-cream store, to sweets & meals.
• Immaculate toilets.
• Store had a massive range of ginger (and honey) related products as well as the best cooking equipment range outside of Brisbane.

I personally was fascinated by how the Ginger Factory had seen the trend for the fascination for cooking and had positioned themselves to capitalise on this through their cooking school, product ranges and teaching people how to use their products in their cooking. They held regular events with guest speakers and chefs to draw people back time and again. They also had gardening experts showing the beauty of the ginger plants (and selling many ginger plants in the process).

This place was buzzing – with locals and tourists rubbing shoulders into what has become a real hub for the community. Her prediction “Will expand. I can see it going on TV on gardening and cooking shows”.

The difference? The Ginger Factory was all about the future – teaching people to buy and use their products way into the future. Yes, there was a great experience in the “now”, but the seeds were planted for future purchases.

The Big Pineapple was all about the past – We used to be good. We are an icon. People “should” come. Experiences were also only focussed on the present moment. There was no recurring income. No way people could take a bit of the pineapple with them.

So, why did I ask my teen to describe what she had seen? Just to show it is really easy for anyone to pick up which businesses are working and which ones are in trouble. The things she looked for were the same things that all customers look for:

• staff who care and know what they are on about,
• clean and well maintained facilities,
• sense of community,
• help to know how to get the most out of your product or service and
• a unique experience.

Many businesses could do with a teenager to look through their business and tell them what they see.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Copywriter

This is a tale of two movies. Both outstanding in their own way. Both with lessons for businesses that care to listen.

The first movie is Avatar. Last week ourselves and a good proportion of the world decided that Avatar in 3D was a must see movie. If you haven’t yet seen it the whizz bang special effects are truly mindblowing. And the massive investment by James Cameron and his backers have been handsomely returned as a result. Avatar demonstrates the future of film – with exceptional CGI, sound and blended human acting throughout. From a business perspective, Avatar demonstrates that there is always a market for the “next big thing” – for new ideas flawlessly executed.

But today we went to the other extreme. We visited an ancient picture theatre in the middle of rural Queensland – the Majestic Theatre in Pomona.

When you walk into the cinema you step back nearly 100 years of film. To a time when going to the pictures was an event you dressed up for. To a cinema with rich red velvet curtain walls, candelabra lights and painted proscenium arch.

In the early days of movies, film was in black and white and without sound. The plot was moved along by appropriate text slides and the musical stylings of the local muso who played the organ, changing tunes as the action shifted. CGI was not even a dream in the wildest imaginings.

The Majestic is the only cinema in Australia to still regularly show silent movies, complete with organ accompaniment by Ron West.

Recently when we were helping mum clear the effects of one of her friends who had passed, we discovered a stunning photo album filled with postcards of the silent movie stars of the 1920’s and 30’s. We knew the collection had to go to a deserving home, so donated it to The Majestic theatre. We organised our holiday to coincide with visiting the theatre.

As thanks we were treated to a private screening of the 1920’s film “The Haunted House”, with Ron on organ.

To be honest the kids were initially very sceptical – after all Avatar was their most recent movie. But within a few minutes when the candelabras had dimmed, the curtains opened and the music started to play the kids were lost in the movie. They laughed until tears formed in their eyes. The story was universal and the humour spanned the generations.

It was one of the most memorable experiences I have had in a long time. Sitting in a darkened theatre, bathed in the warmth of Ron’s hospitality and listening to the magic of  my kids laughter.

As any parent would know, the sign of a good movie is the car ride home – the kids couldn’t stop talking about what they had seen.  We talked about my kids grandparents and great grandparents. We talked about the cars, the kitchens and the portrayal of African-Americans they saw in the movies. We talked about the universality of slapstick humour no matter the nationality … we just talked. The silence of the movie triggered an avalanche of conversation – given my kids are teens this was a miracle!

Now, silent movies will never make The Majestic buckets of money. But The Majestic in Pomona is the hub of the local community. People travel for hours to attend one of their silent films. And the richness of the experience they offer cannot be priced.

The Majestic shows the value of a good business, doing what it does best consistently and continuously. It does not want to be main stream – it is the ultimate niche business, and everyone is the better for it being there.

So, if you ever are north of Brisbane, take the exit to Pomona and take in a silent movie at the Majestic.  Sure, enjoy the next blockbuster at your local cinema, but enjoy the living history of The Majestic at Pomona.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Writer

If you are in Australia, trying to keep up with all the IR changes can be a challenge. The Council of Small Business, Australian Government, Workforce Guardian and Telstra Business have all got together and put together an incredibly useful website to help small business learn and stay up to date with all the Fair Work requirements.

This is definitely a site to save into your bookmarks www.fairworkforsmallbusiness.com.au

Sign up for the free monthly newsletters, watch a webinar, check out the interactive guides to help you work out what you need to do for business.  Finally … a decent website that tries to make a very complex issue easier to understand. Now all small business needs is the same thing for Workplace Health & Safety!

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance HR Writer