31 January 2006 
Live Blogging The State of the Union
Charmaine’s coverage of the State of the Union. Cross Post from Reasoned Audacity
Coming up! Stay with us!
Me, I’m just waiting for the moment when newly-sworn-in Justice Alito arrives and takes his place among the Supreme Court Justices. . .
9:06 And the moment did not disappoint! I’m watching at the Family Research Council’s State of the Union party, and the crowd here is spilling out into the hall. . . Justice Alito just walked into the House chamber — to the chorus of wild applause here at 801 G Street just a few blocks away.
The statistics on the increase in the number of democracies is impressive. I think it is smart to lay the marker down early in defining who the enemy is and what the fight is we are engaged in.
“There is no peace in retreat. No honor in retreat. . . We will never surrender to evil.” I like that he is resolute in defining, and opposing, evil.
{The crowd shot of Senator Specter and Senator Dole was too hilarious. The crowd here went nuts.}
The road to victory is the road to bring our troops home — wow, that is really poignant. When he says that those decisions will be made by our military commanders, big applause here.
“Second-guessing is not a strategy. . .” Yeah.
“Liberty is the right and hope of all humanity” — Yes. He takes a lot of criticism for his strong articulation of, and belief in, the spread of democracy, but isn’t this exactly “the vision thing?”
Speaking directly to the Iranian people — very interesting strategy. In a world of 21st century communication (the blog world!), could be effective.
9:36 “If there are people inside our country who are talkin’ to Al Quaida, we want to know about it, because we won’t sit back and wait to be hit again. . .” You know, this is why you need a cowboy for a President.
Pas the line-item veto — hmmm. . . a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
Yeah, a little stand-up, sit-down, fight, fight, political fight here over Social Security!
Nanotechnology. Umhum. This is the grocery list part of the speech where things always start to drift.
And why do social issues have to be buried at the end. . . they are coming aren’t they?
Okay, here we go. . . abstinence, abortion. . .and wait, marriage protection even —
woah, catching up here: Justice Thomas and Justice Breyer standing and clapping at his mention of Alito’s confirmation! Wow! That is unprecedented.
10:02 Now as he’s winding up we’re back to Mike Gerson’s beautiful language. . . (Nice, nice job Mike.)
30 January 2006
The Carnival of Marketing is Up and Running at Emergence Marketing
Emergence Marketing is
a member of the
Corante NetworkAnd is hosted by Francois Gossieau and Gabe d’Annunzio. Emergence Marketing also points us to two other quick, interesting posts.
Including Your Business Blogger.
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The seasoned pro’s writing Emergence Marketing lend their experience making the blogosphere a better place in extended entry:
Continue reading…
Carnival of the Capitalists is Up — Hosted by PHOSITA
Winner Business
Blogs Award 2005The Award Winning PHOSITA is hosting the 121st Edition of the Carnival of the Capitalists this week.
Read summaries of outstanding posts.
Free.
And be sure to check out PHOSITA’s recommdentation, at the end of the column, on David Wolfe’s Ageless Marketing:
Nearly two decades ago I went out on a neurological limb in my book Serving the Ageless Market…. psychiatrist Louis Kopolow, who wrote the foreword, cautioned me … because I was not a brain scientist, but simply a marketer who loved reading about the brain and mind.
Good read.
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Our talented hosts prove that Oklahoma is OK:
New ideas are the fuel of progress and the foundation of success. Dunlap, Codding and Rogers’ scientific and legal expertise, coupled with your entrepreneurial spirit, enables us to protect your ideas so that your technological enterprise will thrive in today’s competitive marketplace.
Dunlap, Codding & Rogers is a group of highly dedicated professionals with diverse scientific and legal acumen. The philosophy of the firm is simple: Listen and respond to each client’s unique needs; Provide our clients with the highest quality, timely, reasonably priced legal services, and Help our clients create a robust intellectual property portfolio, vigorously pursued and properly grounded in both science and law. Our innovative firm culture results in the consistent acquisition of quality intellectual property assets that are highly valued by our clients and their peers. With experienced, dedicated professionals specializing in all engineering disciplines, life sciences, computer software including Internet systems, licensing, and litigation, DCR’s breadth, as well as depth, will help you identify and protect all of your intellectual property; after all, innovative ideas really are your greatest assets. Now, more than ever, your future depends on the protection of these assets.
Founded in 1957, Dunlap, Codding & Rogers, P.C. is Oklahoma’s largest, oldest and most versatile intellectual property law firm. Our professionals continue to meet the needs of both national and international clients, while offering unique pricing advantages over most large metropolitan intellectual property law firms. With offices in Oklahoma City and Washington D.C., DCR is large enough to provide depth and experience in any scientific and technology field while maintaining our roots: Personalized, pragmatic and responsive legal representation.
28 January 2006
Condom Keychain Campaign
Condom on a keychain
mocking God on the Sistine ChapelThese condoms will not make sex safe. But it is safe marketing. Planned Parenthood is Mocking the Maker by depicting God handing Adam a prophylactic for sex with Eve. Or Steve, I guess.
The marketing campaign is a continuing pattern where Planned Parenthood knows well their customer base and is unafraid of insulting or alienating anyone not in their target market.
Condom on The LadyPlanned Parenthood also mocks the Statue of Liberty. Instead of lifting up a torch, she lifts a condom. But mocking patroitic symbols is passe. Liberals have been doing that since Alger Hiss was guilty.
From the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo Buonarroti
Michelangelo said:
Many believe, — and I believe — that I have been designated for this work by God. In spite of my old age, I do not want to give it up; I work out of love for God and I put all my hope in Him.
Michelangelo’s masterpiece was as chief architect of St Peter’s in 1546.
Michelangelo took no fee.
Planned Parenthood’s budget is $775 million. About $250 million comes from taxpayers.
Planned Parenthood’s campaign is indeed clever. I just wish I didn’t have to pay for it.
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Mike Wallster at ipsofacto pointed Your Business Blogger to The Drudge Report on Planned Parenthood’s condom keychain campaign.
Wear Your RubbersPerhaps Planned Parenthood merely found “A Purple Cow” in providing prophylactic packaging. Seth Godin would not object.
Seamless Garment has more.
Hillary Gets the (Crossed) Finger
Hillary Clinton with soldier
signaling duressAn old picture of Hillary is going around. But there’s an updated message.
In the marketing of politics negatives count. Any “product” that produces above 40% negative is in the red zone.
Charmaine writes:
Gallup has just released a poll on how many registered voters would vote for Hillary Clinton…Bad news for Hill’s juggernaut: a solid 51% of voters “definitely” would not vote for her.
So what does a politico, facing with declining market share, do? Launch New Hillary.
Which will be just as successful as. . . New Coke.
In the old days even the Main Stream Media would lurch into the truth — and capture the message of service men under duress.
The Pueblo crew under duress:
“The Hawaiian Good Luck Sign”
Pueblo Crew Time Magazine
18 October 1968
When a marketer is faced with a sinking product — or politico — the campaign should move away from the disjointed, move to the familiar, to the base.
Some products can’t be expanded into other market segments. New Coke didn’t work. Hillary Clinton with the military won’t work.
Don’t be like Hillary.
Just Don’t Do It.
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Reasoned Audacity has more on the Pueblo.
Be sure to see the Indra Nooyi Digitus Impudicus Pepsi challenge.
Blackfive has more with John Kerry.
Specialist Lacourse signaling duress
with John Kerry
Notice Specialist Lacourse’s right hand?
Anyone want to hazard a guess as to the signal she’s sending?
To some, it’s the POW hand signal for coercion. I was ready to send SAR when seeing that one.
Heh. Good for you, Specialist! Huah!!!
Senator John Kerry, D-Mass., greets Soldiers hailing from his state at Camp Al Tahreer in Baghdad, Iraq Jan. 5. During the visit, Kerry discussed sports, the presidential election, and the state of the war in Iraq. Pictured from left to right are: Spc. Michelle Lacourse, 126th Aviation Battalion; Pfc. Kevin Cole, 356th Engineer Battalion; Spc. Michael Foly, 356th Engineer Battalion; Sgt. Raymond Hegarty, 356th Engineer Battalion. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Charles Maib, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)
Snopes has sources.
Michelle Malkin has more on Hillary.
25 January 2006
The Customer Buying Cycle: In 20 Easy Steps
Kirby Vacuum Cleaners35 Years ago Your Business Blogger was a door-to-door salesman. Peddling vacuum cleaners.
Cold calling. Mocked by Seth Godin.
But cold-calling worked. Here’s how.
It was helpful if the prospect 1) heard of the Kirby product, or 2) was referred to me.
Awareness shortened the sales cycle.
In both marketing and sales, London businessman Thomas Smith outlines the challenge in this cascade.
1. The first time people look at any given ad, they don’t even see it.
2. The second time, they don’t notice it.
3. The third time, they are aware that it is there.
4. The fourth time, they have a fleeting sense that they’ve seen it somewhere before.
5. The fifth time, they actually read the ad.
6. The sixth time, they thumb their nose at it.
7. The seventh time, they start to get a little irritated with it.
8. The eighth time, they start to think, “Here’s that confounded ad again.”
9. The ninth time, they start to wonder if they may be missing out on something.
10. The tenth time, they ask their friends and neighbors if they’ve tried it.
11. The eleventh time, they wonder how the company is paying for all these ads.
12. The twelfth time, they start to think that it must be a good product.
13. They thirteenth time, they start to feel the product has value.
14. The fourteenth time, they start to remember wanting a product exactly like this for a long time.
15. The fifteenth time, they start to yearn for it because they can’t afford to buy it.
16. The sixteenth time, they accept the fact that they will buy it sometime in the future.
17. The seventeenth time, they make a note to buy the product.
18. The eighteenth time, they curse their poverty for not allowing them to buy this terrific product.
19. The nineteenth time, they count their money very carefully.
20. The twentieth time prospects see the ad, they buy what it is offering.
credit: growabrainI like to come in at step 20.
However.
If I was persistent I was able to compress the complete cycle into a single day. But it took shoe leather.
If I knocked on 100 doors in a day, 3 prospects would invite me in for a demonstration: 1 would buy.
Persistence and a trusted brand can speed sales. It was true decades ago.
Centuries ago.
Thomas Smith wrote The Customer Buying Cycle in 1885.
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Thank you (foot)notes:
credit: Nancy LaJoice at the Baltimore Washington Corridor Chamber of Commerce.
Linc-Biz has list.
And see Online with Louise Ripley
Maneuver Marketing gets it right. As usual.
Bookmark growabrain. Worth your time.
I’ve never really trusted a sales or marketing guy until he’s sold cold. After having doors closed. Literally.
24 January 2006
Weblog Awards
Weblog Awards
the 2006 bloggiesDonald Trump once admitted on The Apprentice that, “I’ve been duped.”
Well, Your Business Blogger’s just been duped. Again.
I thought the Weblog Awards was a straight up competition for best blogs. But no.
I nominated a number of outstanding blogs for each category. Like, say, Reasoned Audacity.
But most of my nominees didn’t survive the cut.
Most of my suggestions were right-of-center writers.
Look-it the finalists.
Left-of-center. Which is OK, if I knew before-hand. Now I know.
(But you, Alert Reader, probably already knew that.)
Anyway, two of my nominations did get thru. gapingvoid and The Political Teen.
I’m sure Hugh MacLeod at gapingvoid and I would not agree on most policies political. But I bought business cards from him. He runs a great business. He’s up for Best Brit Blog.
And nobody beats The Political Teen on conservative video and commentary. Ian Schwartz is up for Best Teen Blog.
Go vote. For these two.
Not Firedoglake.
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gapingvoid.comHere’s the backside of my new business cards — artwork by Hugh MacLeod. Loved by sociopaths everywhere.
Don Surber didn’t make it as a finalist. He’s that good. Bookmark him.
23 January 2006
Carnival of Marketing is Up for 23 January
Virtual HandshakeThe Marketing Carnival is up at Virtual Handshake.
Be sure to visit Chinese Economies and Opportunities Grow, by David Daniels in Toronto, Canada. An outstanding analysis noting that China now includes account service industries as part of economic growth. Adding big numbers.
I am planning a visit to China to teach and consult making David’s work timely and useful for Your Business Blogger.
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Terrific talent hosting the carnival this week. From the Virtual Handshake Amazon blurb:
Book Description
More people have used the Internet to participate in an online group than to read news or even to buy something. Online social networks have enjoyed phenomenal growth in recent years, and every major Internet portal now offers some kind of social networking or “blogging” tool to its users. But these tools are not just recreational – they are rapidly becoming essential tools for business. They are part of a “social software” toolkit that includes blogs, relationship capital management software, advanced contact managers, virtual communities, web conferencing, instant messaging, and much more. The Virtual Handshake gives you the tools to take advantage of these new technologies to become dramatically more successful in business. Filled with clear, real-life examples, The Virtual Handshake shows you how to: * sign new customers, meet new business partners, and find your dream job * create a powerful professional presence online * attract business in online networks * meet more relevant senior people * start and promote your own blog * master the email deluge * analyze and value your social network * use web conferencing and discussion forums to build strong relationships * manage your contact database * ensure privacy and safety online The Virtual Handshake is the first book ever written about how to become extraordinarily successful by using these new online tools. Buying the book gives you a free pass to an extremely thorough and continually-updated resource site, TheVirtualHandshake.com.
and About the Author:
David Teten (New York, NY) is a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Nitron Advisors, an independent research firm which uses social software to help hedge funds, venture capitalists, and buyout funds to learn directly from frontline industry experts. He is a former Bear Stearns investment banker and strategy consultant, and speaks frequently at conferences and at universities such as Wharton, Columbia Business School, Yale, and Princeton. Scott Allen (Austin, TX) is a 20-year veteran entrepreneur and IT executive who has implemented solutions for clients such as IBM and Amazon. He now provides strategic marketing consulting to a select group of clients and is the Entrepreneurs Guide on About.com, where he helps over 30,000 monthly visitors pursue their dreams of business ownership.
Carnival of the Capitalists is Up for 23 January
Patent BaristasPatent Baristas is hosting with outstanding links and analysis.
The counsellors at Patent Baristas point us to gapingvoid and top 10 reasons why nobody reads your blog. I like #2:
2. There’s nothing in it for them.
Yeah, people really want to spend the short time they’ve been given on this Earth to find out what an unemployed managing consultant dork has to say. Dream on.
(No, I’m not just a dork; I’m a sociopath. I’ve got gapingvoid businesses cards on order in order to prove it.)
Also visit Rofasix and Why Is Discrimination Against Wal*Mart OK? Read his sound advice at the end.
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Our tatented hosts from Patent Baristas:
Barista Stephen Albainy-Jenei is also a patent attorney and Member of Frost Brown Todd LLC. When not serving up patent chat over a cup of java, he’s handling a diverse intellectual property practice in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and chemical fields for leading universities, research hospitals and research institutes, as well as biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies ranging from start-up to Fortune 500 companies. He works closely with biotechnology and emerging growth companies to brew up successful new business models, execute strategic intellectual property protection and litigation, and structure and negotiate technology transactions.
He is designated as one of “America’s Leading Business Lawyers” in intellectual property by Chambers & Partners. In addition, he has been designated a SuperLawyer Rising Star.
Prior to joining Frost Brown Todd LLC, Mr. Albainy-Jenei was Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Director of Intellectual Property for the University of Cincinnati, ultimately serving as the Acting Director of Intellectual Property and University Patent Officer. He is admitted to practice in Ohio, the US Patent and Trademark Office, and the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. He has an MS degree in physiology and was a PhD Candidate (ABD) in pharmacology and cellular biology. He received a JD from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
and:
Barista Karlyn Schnapp is also a patent attorney and senior associate with Frost Brown Todd LLC and a snappy dresser. Her area of concentration is patent prosecution, with her practice concentrated in the areas of chemistry, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. She also practices in the area of intellectual property licensing. Dr. Schnapp represents a variety of clients including corporate researchers, university researchers, entrepreneurial start-up companies and individual researchers. She is admitted to practice in Ohio and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Prior to joining Frost Brown Todd, Dr. Schnapp achieved the rank of Associate Professor at Northern Kentucky University, where she maintained an active research practice generating over a quarter of a million dollars in external grants. She has given technical presentations in the U.S., Canada, South America and Europe and has published 15 papers in peer-reviewed journals.She has a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati and a JD from the the Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky University.
22 January 2006
March for Life Tomorrow!
March for Life is tomorrow — start your day with Blogs for Life at the Family Research Council — 801 G Street — right across from Gallery Place metro from 9:00 till 11:30. . . or, if you aren’t in DC, join us by webcast starting at 9:30!
More on the March for Life convention and the Roe Effect at FRCBlog.com.
Cross-posted from Reasoned Audacity.