Edith Yeung.com Dream Think Act

You walk into a bar and here is their special happy hour menu from 5:00 – 7:00 pm.

• $2 well drinks with specific brand of liquor
• $2 shots with specific brand of liquor
• $2 beers with some unknown brand

Have you ever wondered…

Why just these brands of liquor or beer?
Why those special hours?
And how can the bar possibly make money charging just two dollars?

Well… this is the beauty of happy hour marketing.

From the beer company perspective:
I am a marketing manager of XYQ beer company. We are a brand new beer company. No one knows about us (not yet) and we need PR and marketing. Instead of spending tens and thousands of dollars on billboards or online ads, I believe we should focus our resources on marketing opportunities where potential customers would try our product. We have confidence in our products. Once people try it, they will love it. Where can we find these opportunities?

From the bar perspective:
I am the owner of ABZ bar. We are a neighborhood bar and our business is going fine. We have good number of regular customers who come in everyday, but we want more! We want our regular customers to come earlier (or stay longer) and we want new customers from other neighborhood to come visit us. We don’t have budget for online ads and don’t even mention the cost billboards… How can we attract more people without it costing us an arm and a leg?

This is when the marketing manager of XYQ beer company meets the owner of ABZ bar.

This is when happy hour marketing was born.

From the customer’s perspective
I am Joe. Happy hour? How can I say no to that? Probably a little bit early to start the evening… but I can’t miss out such a good deal?

The result?

The beer company is happy. The bar owner is happy. And the customers? Of course they are very happy too.

So…in your business…

Who is the beer company?
Who is the bar?
Who is the customer?

Photo by Niemster

Related Articles

• Is the New Marketing Stuff Working for You? (Free Live Call with Seth Godin)

• You Deserve to Be Happy

• The Secret of Social Media Marketing

• Are You Branding Yourself?

• Father’s Day

This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.

One morning, Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened - as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment.

Who are we?

Watch this video and you may get some good idea…

I love what Jill said in the video:
We have the power to choose, moment by moment, who and how we want to be in the world. Right here, right now… what would you choose and when?

Related Articles

• No related posts

An enthusiastic woman voice called me yesterday. “Edith! How are you?”

“I am doing great!” I answered slowly meanwhile running through my mental rolodex thinking who is this person on the other end of the line.

“Edith, it’s so good to hear your voice. I want to tell you this really good news!”

I started to feel bad. “I am sorry. But I am having a hard time remember where and when we met. What is your name?”

She told me her name and surprisingly didn’t sound that upset that I forgot about her name.

I repeated her name over the phone and hoped that it will trigger my memory of her unique name, but no… I still couldn’t recall…“I am very sorry. But I still couldn’t remember where and when we met. Can you remind me?” I said apologetically.

“Did you go to this conference?” She asked randomly.

“No.” I have never been to that conference before.

“Did you go to this event?”

“No…” now I am suspicious.

“Did you go to this other thing hosted by this person?” she asked again.

Finally she brought up an event name that sounds familiar but that was two years ago… “Yes…” I said slowly.

“That must be where we met!” she said enthusiastically. “I have a great money making opportunity I want to share with you. You don’t want to miss it!”

I was trapped! She trapped me with her warm and energetic voice. The reality was that she has been calling every phone numbers she could possibly get hold of so she can sell her new money making opportunity.

I wasn’t a friend. I was just another phone number in her pile of old business cards and there you have it.

I don’t oppose to cold calling and I do applaud those who make the effort, but here are a few dos & don’ts for cold caller out there:

Dos:
- Practice the correct pronunciations of the person’s name
- Write down when/where/how you met this particular person
- Understand what this person really care about (you will be surprise what you can find on the internet these days)
- Ask for Permission – show your respect by asking if it is the right time to talk
- Practice your 30 second elevator pitch (get to the point!)

Don’ts
- Don’t pretend you are someone’s best friend if you have never talked to this person before
- Don’t guess where you have met this person if you are not sure
- Don’t use these overused buzz words such “money-making”, “income-generating” and “nine income streams”. (Think about how you would normally talk to your closed friends and family)
- Don’t waste people’s time

P.S. This energetic voice didn’t get what she was hoping for. I hanged up very shortly after the “money making” part and moved on with my life.

Photo by LFStudio

Related Articles

• How to Maintain a Positive Attitude

• Goodbye to Corporate America Log - Day 31

• Is Being an Entrepreneur for You?

• Your Sweetest Moment

• Art Linkletter The Four Life Lessons from the 95 Years Young

Caption: Dog doing downward dog.

I have been a yoga fan lately going to this yoga studio in my neighborhood almost every day. I signed up for this unlimited plan for $99 per month so I can go whenever I want for as many times I want.

I figure.

Every lesson costs $16. If it is $99 per month, as long as I go there for more than 7 times in a month, I get my money worth. $99 per month? What a deal!

Not I until I told my friend about it.

“$99 per month? That’s expensive! My gym is only charging me $80 per month and I can use the facilities 24 hours a day and they even have yoga classes!
Your studio is ripping you off! It’s expensive!” my friend said in shock.

Well. Here is my justification (at least that’s what I want to believe).
Going to yoga is not just about the exercise. For me, it’s more than just exercise.

It is the meditation.
It is the teachers and their expertise.
It is the different style of yoga they teach.
It is the atmosphere.
It is the tea that they serve.
It is the scent.
It is the skylight and the high ceiling.
It is the nice sofa.
It is the soothing music.
It is the feeling they give.
More importantly, it is the community.

As a yoga practitioner, not only I am willing to pay a premium for yoga classes, I would also.

Wear special yoga clothing
Use special yoga mat
Use special yoga mat carrier case
Listen to special yoga music
Read yoga magazine
Go to yoga retreat
Follow specific yoga gurus

For me, going to yoga is not just about the exercise. It is a belief. It is a life style choice and it is my identity.

The marketers at my yoga studio have successfully created a loyal fan.
Someone who really want to pay $99 per month forever and ever and feel exceptionally good about doing so.

All of us have a lot we need to learn from yoga.

Photo by majamom

Related Articles

• No related posts

I bet you can you tell what companies or products these taglines are for. Just in case cannot tell, the answers are at the bottom.

1. The entertainment capital of your world*

2. Where’s the beef?*

3. Better late than never – This is a funny one.

4. The Ultimate Driving Machine*

5. Give me taste. Not waist.

6. Got milk?*

7. Why fool around with anyone else?

8. It’s Okay to Look*

9. Just do it.*

10. Broadcast Yourself*

Note: For the one with *, copy and paste these taglines to Google, you will find the matching companies.

Answer Key:

1. iTunes
2. Wendy’s
3. The 40-Year-Old Virgin’s
4. BMW
5. Jenny Craig
6. California Milk Processor Board
7. FedEx
8. Match.com
9. Nike
10. YouTube

Photo by POPOEVER

Related Articles

• Eleven Lessons Learned from Starting My Own Business

• How Do You Measure Success?

• Eight Rules of Developing Great Taglines

• When you turn 30…

• Is the New Marketing Stuff Working for You? (Free Live Call with Seth Godin)