Internet, Facebook, Cats & Hot Babes

Mwa internet, mwa!
Mwa internet, mwa!

People love the internet. More than almost anything we love the internet. All our favorite websites, apps and services depend on it, so increasingly it’s where our attention is migrating to. And where our attention goes, our dollar goes. Away from print magazines and newspapers, away from traditional broadcast TV, away even from giving undivided attention to our loved ones.

Internet Addiction Disorder…it’s a real thing!

Teens and 20 something year olds in the UK are now spending almost 30 hours a week online. THIRTY HOURS!! And you can bet they’d do the same in Zimbabwe if they could afford it. Fact is, Internet access in Zimbabwe is still too pricey for some.

 

Here look at this cute Continue reading

How To Create Awesome Social Media Content, Or Else…

awesome social media

Offline, invisibility is a problem you can just throw money at. Money to Interrupt and disturb your way into the attention of your market. There I am, reading the latest on Government’s “amazing plans” for economic turnaround or about Donald Trump’s plan to Make America great again – then boom. Your full page ad is in my face – ” Cheapest, Fastest Thingy on Earth -Buy Now!”. Maybe this time you can distract me from the news story, long enough to sell me something.

It doesn’t work as well as it used to.

It’s a trend all across Africa, this Continue reading

8 Crazy Things You Must Believe To Become A Success In Hard Times.

You will rise and fall on the strength of your beliefs. Make no mistake about it friend, if you believe the right things in life and in business, then you will become a Success. The closer your beliefs align with truth, the closer you get to genuine success, especially in “the winter”

Yea but…

Ok, It’s true, bad stuff happens to good people and all that, but in reality, in the end, what happens to you is only a small part of what eventually becomes  of your life. Far more powerful are the things going on the inside, in your mind and heart, than on the outside, in your circumstances.

Fortunately, success leaves clues, and after thousands of years and countless examples of successful people, we know that the rich and the poor think differently. This is true for individuals, organizations and even nations. Successes think in very different ways to those who up failures, and failures, think differently and quite frankly, some of their beliefs must have seemed crazy at the time.

From the shoulders of giants and from my own experience, I offer these crazy beliefs for you to adopt. They’re crazy because sometimes, to some people, they’re just going to seem unrealistic, childish and even stupid

But so what right Continue reading

Use THESE 7 Secrets to Turn Your Ordinary Flier Into a Huge Customer Pulling Magnet

Flyer by lighting world...
Flyer by lighting world…

Listen closely; if you follow this step by step advice, the next flier you design for your business will be the most profitable piece of paper you’ve ever printed. Here’s why…

The humble flier has been around forever. It remains a popular marketing tactic for many local businesses, and for good reason. Compared to many other forms of marketing, they’re relatively cheap and easy to design, print and distribute.

Problem is, the average flier is completely ignored.

Most fliers are ignored, thrown away without so much as reading the first line. They’re worthless pieces of paper, hardly worth bending over to pick up should they fall to the ground. The reason for this is that usually when they’re designed, most of the critical fundamentals of effective, psychology driven marketing are ignored, in favor of meaningless things like “make our logo bigger” and “my favorite color is red”

Trees hate it when you cut them down for rubbish flyers!

Trees hate it when you cut them down for rubbish flyers – have a heart!

Now, if you get just a few of these things right, your flier will make you more money than it cost to produce. But If you nail them all, you’re going to have a huge customer pulling magnet on your hands.

Oh, you like the sound of that?

Good, then let’s get started. First thing you have to do is make sure Continue reading

No One Else Will Do This For You, Thanks DV8!

dv8 restuarantNothing beats being able to say “No one else will do this for you”, and then backing it up with a definite and unique promise. Marketers call it a Unique Selling Proposition (USP), and it’s vital to the success of your business.

I mean if you’re saying exactly what Tom, Dick and Harry are saying (like these guys), then why the heck would I prefer you?

I wouldn’t.

Have you seen DV8’s “Kids Eat Free” offer? 

I thought that it was awesome. They can say with confidence, at least for today, that “No one else will do this for you”. And if they can get you in the door today, they have a chance to win you over as a regular customer, long after the special is done and gone. When was the last time a decent restaurant offered your kids a free meal?

What about you & your business?

Can you offer me something none of your competitors will? A definite benefit that no one else would be generous enough to offer? A specific promise no one else would be bold enough to give?

 

Most businesses I consult with don’t have a unique selling proposition at all. They’re happier to play in the safer middle ground of not promising anything too special, too different. Problem is, it’s not safe at all.

It’s risky business to be the same as your competitors. It means you have to rely heavily on price. It means you had better be nearer to me, easier to reach than your competition. It means at anytime, I could switch to someone else and forget all about you. It means, if you close down today, I might not even notice.

DV8 promises “steaks you leave home for”. Are their steaks that good? I don’t know. What I do know is that if Kids eat free today, and can have fun in the play room while I relax for an hour, then I might just find out.

 

 

 

What If I’m really An 18 Year Old Girl, Should You Be Talking To Me Like That?

bad targetingQuick question, how would your marketing change if you discovered your target market was mostly over 50 years old? Or really loved Oliver Mtukudzi, not John Legend? Or preferred Microsoft to Apple?

  • What if you’re sponsoring soccer teams to get my attention, but I’m really into Rugby or Cricket?
  • You’re using complicated words, but I didn’t get past high school?
  • You’re developing a “great new app” but I use a basic feature phone?
  • You’re putting up Bill boards in Borrowdale but I live in Hatfield?
  • You’re charging too little for me to believe it’s good quality?
  • You’re distributing fliers outside Chicken Inn, But I eat at Mugg & Bean
  • You’re taking out full-page adverts, but I don’t read the newspaper
  • You’ve got fancy flash animation on your website, but I surf with my phone (can’t see them)
  • i could go on and on…

What if you’re talking to me like a 50-year-old man, but I’m really, I’m an 18-year-old girl?

“Well, that wouldn’t happen to us, we know our target market very well”. I doubt that. If you’re anything like the average business in Zimbabwe right now, some expertly done research would show you surprising things about who your target market really is.

Listen, i always say, strategy should be driven by data, not creativity. It’s not good marketing because it’s so creative no one has ever done it beforeit’s good because it feels like you’re talking to me…about something I care about, about a solution i believe in.

Ask yourself, do you know what pages on Facebook are popular among your target audience? Do you know what keeps them awake at night? Have you bothered to find out where they hang out for fun?

Probably not. But you should find out. Guessing is one of the reasons your marketing is so expensive

When you get to know me, your marketing will naturally and effortlessly improve. If your marketing isn’t working, maybe it’s because you’ve got it in the wrong place, or maybe, when I see it, I just don’t believe you, or worse, I don’t even care.

 

 

 

How To Not Commit Suicide After Business Failure

failureThey say failure teaches more than success, and maybe that’s true (Tom Cruise disagrees).  What is certainly true though is that there is a way to fail, and a way not to.

I’ve personally learnt quite a bit from my failures, things i thought i already knew, but didn’t really. Two main lessons stand out…

  1. Failure is not to be feared
  2. Don’t commit suicide when you do.

Failure is not to be feared. 

Continue reading

Dear Entrepreneur, Are You Afraid Of Shadows?

fear of shadowsSciophobia or Sciaphobia is the Fear of shadows, which sucks as far as phobias go, since shadows are everywhere you go. This fear of shadows is quite different to other phobias though, and that’s what makes it so interesting (to me). You see, unlike the Algophobia- Fear of pain, Altophobia- Fear of heights, or Iophobia- Fear of poison, Sciophobia is the fear of something that presents no actual danger – at all! That’s what got me thinking about you and your business.

As entrepreneurs we often fear things that present no real danger.

Fear is a terribly unhealthy use of your imagination. Consider that in the hands of the right mind a little Continue reading

WARNING:Read This BEFORE You Join Any Network Marketing Company in Zimbabwe

warning challenges aheadSo why are so many Zimbabweans struggling to make money with Network marketing? Are they all lazy? did they join too late? Were they scammed?

No…it’s more than that. You see MLM when done right is a genuine and fantastic opportunity, but you have to know how to avoid the mistakes others have made.

 

When we did the research, we discovered 3 reasons people fail – reasons that are very specific to the Zimbabwean network marketing environment. I’ve put it all together for you in a short report.

In it, you’ll discover

  • 3 Reasons why (despite the hype), why so many Zimbabweans just aren’t making money in network marketing
  • How to choose a network marketing company that will work for you
  • Why i have rejected every invite to join all the popular network marketing opportunities, except one

 

get free reportFill in the form ASAP to get your free copy of the special report sent to you.

 

 

SPECIAL REPORT: How To Chose A Multilevel Marketing Company In Zimbabwe

get free reportOne of the questions I’m often asked about network marketing, is “Max, which one should i join?” Today I’ll answer that question. Now those of you who know me know also that I don’t easily endorse any opportunity, and when I do, it’s because I’ve done my home-work and often personally made use of it.
Listen, Multilevel marketing is an amazing opportunity for anyone looking to make money in Zimbabwe. It’s a far easier and affordable way to start your own business than most traditional methods, and I highly recommend it…but not just any.

Want to know exactly which network marketing company i recommend, and why? Want to know the facts about why so many are struggling to make money in MLM in Zimbabwe and what you can do differently?

This free report is for you. I’m making this report available for a limited time to you. Fill in your details in the form below and I’ll send it to you via email. Continue reading

How To Sell Carrots (Zimbabwean Rasta)

It’s not everyday you come across a vendor that draws a crowd and gets people pulling out their phone cameras. This particular Rasta Carrot seller does just that. Of you don’t speak Shona, you won’t understand a word, but this guys strategy has made him Zimbabwe’s most famous vendor!

 

Experiment: Are People willing to Pay To Reduce Other Peoples Income?

people and moneyWould people pay to reduce other people’s income? This was the question researchers set out to answer in a study published In the French Annales d’Economie et de Statistique. The answer shocked them; a rare glimpse into the nature of both people and wealth.

Here’s what happened, and the surprising and terrible mindset it revealed Continue reading

Why You Absolutely Have To Read My First Sentence

funny-headline12
Headlines make all the difference

Once you read my first sentence, you’re off on a journey to discovering one of the most important things you’ll ever learn about marketing. So important in fact that many an expert has claimed this one secret alone can be responsible for as much as 80% of your marketing success sometimes.  Personally, i consider it the second most important thing.

And here it is Continue reading