tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11048127658892352652012-02-16T01:57:12.539-06:00The Finisher's Blog. Observations about starting and finishing.Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.comBlogger551100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-34022619568696007362008-04-14T07:21:00.003-06:002008-04-14T07:45:47.035-06:00

Three or four months ago I went through a process of planning the next two years of my business. I think it is time to revisit that and refocus on the things that I need to focus on.I write about Finisher's Qualities each week because I feel I am an observer. For the last year or so I have tried to find examples in all walks of life that I could take a look at, study, and describe that could help

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-20615970542309035332008-04-07T07:18:00.003-06:002008-04-07T07:41:24.232-06:00

Kansas Jayhawks made it into the Championship Game.KU is the team I cheer for after I cheer for Davidson.KU played an amazing game, almost gave it away, and then re-focused to pull away for the win.I was thinking about the game and wondering why that happens so often in sports and in life. I was just talking to a friend last week about getting close to a goal and then losing focus.Why is it that

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-19550995471003556782008-03-31T07:48:00.003-06:002008-03-31T08:01:30.582-06:00

I am a Davidson College Alumni.It was absolutely from another world amazing to be upset about being one shot from the Final Four this weekend. Amazing.And, it made me think about Great Finishers and my 7th grade soccer team.Every year at my little school, there was a game between the 7th graders and the 8th graders. We thought this was the year for the upset. The thought of not winning NEVER

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-65059909495148210052008-03-11T07:34:00.004-06:002008-03-11T07:56:23.306-06:00

Hello all,I have heard from many of you about the several things you are subtracting from your working lives. I think everyone has at least had this on their minds over the past couple of weeks. I am here to tell you it is not too late to join the Challenge!The goal here is to first DEFINE what your world is.Then, lay out how will you become the Best in the World ... the best in YOUR world.Then,

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-25197235250528724862008-03-11T07:18:00.005-06:002008-03-11T07:59:47.208-06:00

I have heard from many of you that you continue to look for things to Subtract from your working lives. (If you haven't read about my Subtraction Challenge...do so HERE)In keeping with the idea that I need to connect the dots that get us from being a great Finisher to how and why that is important to your business.Finishers Make Time for Focus -I have recently started reading a very strong blog

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-64134699292105911352008-03-05T09:10:00.003-06:002008-03-05T09:42:54.292-06:00

If you are pushing to the edge of your industry, or your position, or your career choice, there must be something to push against.Finishers Persist, even flourish, when the Way gets harder.As the line from "A League of Their Own" goes, "Of course baseball is hard. It is the hard that makes it great. If it wasn't hard, everybody would do it."How do you learn to persist when The Forces of

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-58931780069359581712008-03-03T09:08:00.002-06:002008-03-03T09:23:56.131-06:00

As I look for ways to connect Finisher Qualities with my business life, I decided that to find ways to connect and learn from a group and then observe the ways that people Finish, or Close, or Just Do IT would be the most beneficial for me and the most interesting way to approach a blog.With that in mind, this week's post is about Subtraction.Have you signed up for the Brain Bucket Subtraction

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-38393889327050528922008-02-25T08:18:00.005-06:002008-02-25T08:58:38.648-06:00

Here at the Finisher's Blog, I try to observe and report what makes people great "finishers" in their chosen fields / areas. Then I try to connect those observations to business work...sales work...marketing work.This week's observation is counter intuitive and a lot of people don't want to try it.Great Finisher's subtract stuff from their list without apology.(Here comes this week's Seth Godin

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-73157481740939019092008-02-18T09:53:00.004-06:002008-02-18T22:35:46.895-06:00

The great Seth Godin wrote a post about stress the other day. He inspires me even in his "worth thinking about" moments.HERE is the post entitled Stressed.This is great stuff to think about if you are a marketer ... what is the language we use and how does it color our approach to what we do.I also think that Seth's post is very applicable in the Finisher's Qualities arena...Great Finishers seek

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-45620402395020762502008-02-11T08:37:00.000-06:002008-02-11T09:27:34.231-06:00

Great Finishers don't learn how to finish by accident.Sure, we all understand that (performance enhancing chemistry aside) our sports heroes get great because of hard work over a period of time.But how many times do you hear the story of a sports figure who is full of talent and never realizes their "potential," or they never achieve their big goals..whatever those may be?How many times do you

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-77651779562350459762008-01-24T11:03:00.000-06:002008-01-24T11:41:28.077-06:00

Starting Fast and Figuring Out the FinishI started writing blogs several years ago, but never worked that hard to define my niche, differentiate my content, or plan my approach.Then I decided to blog about something that I struggle with personally and in my business and to make this blog an exploration of those failings as well as a series of observations about people I think are great

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-72435737829073976752008-01-14T08:37:00.000-06:002008-01-14T09:39:40.684-06:00

This weekend I decided to build a compost container and it taught me something about Finishing.Problem:I have a number of large trees in my yard and I am tired of bagging up the leaves and sending them off to the landfill.Solution:Build a compost container to turn the leaves into supercharged compost for the extensive garden that is now in the works.Lesson - In order to finish well you have to

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-54029865813344354342007-12-10T07:55:00.000-06:002007-12-10T08:23:25.101-06:00

Last night I was playing in my weekly tennis league. It is a double's league where you play 35 minutes with each player on the court. The player with the most games won moves up the ladder, the player with the least number of games won moves down. I played so well for the first two rounds, and I didn't play well in the third. Now, this isn't that interesting to anyone, except that it is a great

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-39121782685185602902007-12-03T09:09:00.000-06:002007-12-03T09:18:52.449-06:00

I was putting together my week's list this morning, and realized that there was an unfinished item on there from September 7...That is not good finishing, but it was a result of focus on other priorities.The problem? This was an item that was directly related to the future of my own business. This item, to finish a website for Brain Bucket, was not a paying customer, and therefore had been put

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-62041079716799581262007-11-26T08:51:00.000-06:002007-11-26T09:10:22.910-06:00

My wife accuses me of terrible bouts of indecision because I am a planner, and she is a big time do-er.Everybody knows that you have to focus in order to do something well.I tell myself and my daughter and my customers to focus 100 times a day.Deciding to focus is easy. Linking Focus with Finish is another thing altogether.Everybody realizes that sometimes in order to reach a goal, you have to

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-11159972412805160402007-11-12T08:06:00.000-06:002007-11-12T08:48:24.142-06:00

Start to Finish.Brainstorm to Finished Project.Goal setting to Execution.I am the king of the left hand side of that list.This week (same as last week), I am faced with several do-able projects. The problem has been actually doing that work to finish these things. I keep juggling. I keep spinning the plates, and as a result, none of them are finished.If you are reading this and I owe you a

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-76585334703396112092007-11-05T07:39:00.000-06:002007-11-05T08:02:48.738-06:00

Here's a finisher's quality and a guilty pleasure all rolled into one post:I am obsessed with the PBR.No, that doesn't mean I am hanging out in some guy's back yard having a "yard" beer.That is the Professional Bull Riding. "The Toughest Sport On Dirt" - as their commercials say.This weekend was the end of their season where the league crowned its "World Champion."My finisher for this week,

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-13879948027597126262007-10-29T07:16:00.000-06:002007-10-29T07:22:43.703-06:00

Here is a superb recent post from Tom Peters regarding Individualism in Business. Many of the things he brings up are related to being a finisher. I hadn't thought of it this way, but teams always out perform individuals.Even if you are a sole proprietor in your business...look for a team.Here is the link: Individualism in Business

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-54773490475784134812007-10-22T07:12:00.000-06:002007-10-22T07:35:19.192-06:00

In tennis there is a moment of shot recognition when your opponent can only make a defensive shot that is only just going to make it over the net. Once you recognize that they are not able to hit an offensive shot, you must "close on the net" in order to get to the ball before it drops below the level of the net...Some people are waiters...they wait until the ball bounces and then blast it

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-28918165480348021162007-10-08T07:16:00.000-06:002007-10-08T08:02:07.593-06:00

Finishers do little things right away, and put the big things in a plan.I have a list of "honey do" items around the house and the yard and the car and the garage. Unfortunately, those have been supplanted by larger and more pressing projects that take multiple weekends and late week nights to complete. But this morning, as I walked to the car I saw four or five very small projects staring me in

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-58488470932735683712007-10-01T07:03:00.000-06:002007-10-01T07:12:03.084-06:00

The Kansas City Chiefs were playing at the same time I was playing a tennis match yesterday. One of us did a great job finishing, and the other did not.The Chiefs were on the road, coming off of several sub-par performances, and against a top-notch team from last year. They never quit. They were behind in the first half and they stuck to their game plan, kept making good plays to put their

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-32436107862302576562007-09-24T06:50:00.000-06:002007-09-24T07:21:25.651-06:00

Over the last couple of weeks I have transformed my blog into examining the qualities of people who are strong finishers. Here are my first few observations:1) Finishers Do Not seek out the path of least resistance. You can insert any number of quotes here - "Do Not let good enough be good enough." - Bill Parcels comes to mind this morning. Any number of quotes from Gordon Ramsey also fit here

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-49702523858247225852007-09-19T07:44:00.000-06:002007-09-20T07:41:28.056-06:00

My goodness this is fantastic. Merlin Mann has a blog that I follow called 43 Folders.Here is a recent post about how he puts presentations together. Pick any single piece of this advice and you would have a good presentation. Put them all together, and you have a really, really, really fun approach to the daunting presentation.This is the finisher's blog approach - do your research, search out

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-1356004217665951102007-09-19T07:17:00.000-06:002007-09-19T07:34:34.571-06:00

Seth Godin hits the sweet spot again. I was all ready to write my own blog post...and Seth launches this one.Two kinds of 'don't know'What a great marketing thought that feeds into the Finisher's Blog concept.The core concept here is that you can't deal with lack of motivation with more information. Often people ask me to look at their website. First Red Flag: "It took me months to write it and I

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-52429726033118749092007-09-17T07:15:00.000-06:002007-09-17T07:38:00.204-06:00

I once had a sales manager who gave me the mathematical formula for productivity.Productivity = effort divided by interruption.In the language of this "Finisher's" Blog, I will take that to mean that the more I Finish the things that interrupt my day, then the more productive I can be.Of course, there are always stops and starts to any day. I believe that The Finisher is the person who finishes

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-14581687806583946542007-09-10T07:43:00.000-06:002007-09-10T07:58:54.199-06:00

Start the week off with a Happy Quote from WorkHappy.net. This is a good place for "killer resources for entrepreneurs.Guy Kawasaki is always good for a handful of posts that will force you to think about what you do. Check out his blog, it is called How to Change the World. The Personal MBA...is a list of the best business books. Its motto is "Mastering Business Through Self Education." And here

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-9693856933225873712007-09-10T07:14:00.000-06:002007-09-10T07:42:47.484-06:00

Roger Federer won his fourth consecutive U.S. Open yesterday. And even though he would not say he won it with ease...no one really came close to putting together a sustained challenge. Sure there were a few sets he lost, and there were more unforced errors than we are used to seeing, but no one could match him.Most sporting commentators describe Federer's performances by saying something like, "

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-38710418579801462822007-09-05T09:48:00.000-06:002007-09-05T10:47:56.667-06:00

When I was 10 my grandfather made an observation about me...I was a fast starter but a slow finisher. I would often get excited about starting something, but would rarely finish it.When I was racing bicycles I was able to focus on the early part of a race, but often allowed negative thoughts to creep into my head when the race started getting hard. One day I learned a big lesson while in training

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-7341962676181524752007-08-29T10:30:00.000-06:002007-08-29T10:39:12.019-06:00

The other night my wife (a relatively new tennis player) had the opportunity to practice with one of the best tennis instructors in the WORLD. HIs name is Ajay Pant and he is an amazing tennis geek.She shared this story with me. He was talking to them about losing on the tennis court, and he related that when he loses he is absolutely torn up. He is angry, depressed and not fun to be around. This

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-59070407956751560782007-08-29T10:19:00.000-06:002007-08-29T10:30:41.404-06:00

Most people these days have a website. (It is not hard to get a website, unless you want a really hard website to get.)Here is a post from Earnie's Blog...one of my favorite interactive marketing bloggers. His points about multiple waves of marketing, and that online marketing is not about finding a silver bullet, are really applicable to business and marketing today.Here is the link: Multiple

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-62145175988231738722007-08-27T09:06:00.000-06:002007-08-27T09:14:20.977-06:00

I have attended a number of networking groups for small business owners over the past year. Many of the organizers of these groups create scarcity by not allowing duplication...that is, you can't ever be the second web developer, plumber, real estate agent, in these groups. I like this idea because it forces you to truly define what you do that is different.For example, I went to a meeting a week

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-26009339017449120312007-08-27T08:39:00.000-06:002007-08-27T08:46:31.239-06:00

I play tennis. I love tennis, and even though I am fast closing in on 40, I work hard each week to get better. There is always something to work on. I like playing with other people who are working hard to get better. I like playing with them even when they beat me!I do not like playing with people who really aren't trying to improve. In tennis, often these are people who are called "pushers."

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-30759095725295426192007-08-27T08:19:00.000-06:002007-08-27T08:30:04.500-06:00

Jerry Smith is a personal coach, and I read his blog when he does it!Here is his latest post:Excuses, excusesIt made me think of another crossover between sports training and "training" for running your business. There is an idea in training that if you know you are going to have to miss a day of training, then you should drop your hardest day that week. The idea is that you should not skip a

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-15233976122712527712007-08-23T08:13:00.000-06:002007-08-23T08:24:02.108-06:00

Marketing is about connecting with a community ... your community.Seth Godin (again!) blogs about this concept in his post: No Business Model.The concept I have found myself trying to convince people of is that authentic content that is really relevant to a key group of people within your target market is much, much more valuable than a huge email blast spam campaign.The problem is that people

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-75192839938815350962007-07-03T09:04:00.001-06:002007-07-03T09:14:15.904-06:00

URL: Yahoo Customized PPC AdsI have been reading about this stuff for several months, and now Yahoo! has launched something to attempt the customization on the fly that everyone has been talking about.All issues of the timing of their launch aside...(couldn't they have at least done it in a different MONTH from the iPhone?)...this is a direction that many are seeing as a significant shift.As

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-45620481861826320562007-07-03T08:37:00.000-06:002007-07-03T08:43:04.865-06:00

Great Point from Stephanie Diamond from The Marketing Message Blog. First: Figure out who your audience is. (Easy enough to say...and everyone thinks they know who that is)Second: Learn about that group's tendencies on the web.Third: Devise the smoothest, most sensible method of putting yourself or your service or your product or your content right where your target people are already

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-89886418737191318432007-07-02T08:27:00.000-06:002007-07-02T08:38:58.560-06:00

Once again, Seth Godin takes a small observation about marketing and makes it stand for a much larger point. The point of Seth's blog post "Most and Least" is that most of the time we do the least that is required of us. It is virtually impossible to always do the MOST that you can do.Even if you set out to do the most, you will have to pick the times when you really push it and do the most. The

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-29681417692503673382007-06-28T12:22:00.000-06:002007-07-02T08:36:21.993-06:00

I am becoming more and more convinced that the ONLY way to create a website that has super value for your company is to think about the content that must be initiated, maintained, updated, and updated, and updated BEFORE you spend any time or money on any whizbang bells and whistles. Make it authentic, easy to understand, relevant to MY world, and give me a really easy way to share with

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-41160824529039490182007-06-28T12:15:00.000-06:002007-06-28T12:19:43.130-06:00

For July is the end of the year. The time off around July 4, and then a family vacation planned for the end of July always mark the end of my year. I go away, rejuvenate and come back refreshed, if not always ready to roll.I usually take a little time to stop and think, reshape my plans for the coming year, and then try to figure out how to get myself motivated to do the things I KNOW I should do

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-30044073991598277842007-06-21T10:17:00.000-06:002007-06-21T10:22:33.803-06:00

A week or so ago I gave a presentation that I had not had enough time to practice. I got through it OK, but I didn't engage my small and critical audience the way I had pictured in my mind. My mother used to make me practice school presentations two or three times in front of a mirror...that really helped me notice my ticks and annoying expressions. I didn't make time to do that on my last

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-81868862320635496372007-06-20T06:55:00.000-06:002007-06-20T07:08:07.950-06:00

Here are three blog posts that highlight three big ideas about your business.Marketing is changing and it is time to think about your business, the work that you do, and how you find and keep your customers.Here are three BIG ideas for you to consider.1. Seth Godin: Drivers...do you recognize your approach? Is that the approach you want?2. The Messaging Times: Marketing Buzz...you say you want

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-65125655765235541142007-05-12T14:26:00.000-06:002007-05-12T14:28:54.416-06:00

I thought I knew where I was going...and then I read about quitting from Seth Godin's new book. It is called The Dip and it is about quitting, leaning into the dip, and being the best in the world. And then I met with a personal friend and coach, Jerry Smith.And then I read his Balance Life Work blog.Jerry Smith is a fantastic coach. I had lunch with him the other day and we talked about how

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-79759509261921643362007-05-10T08:51:00.000-06:002007-05-10T09:02:35.757-06:00

I have had several marketing / sales conversations recently where I am trying to describe the Web 2.0 direction that we are all heading.When you are working with people who know that term: "Web 2.0" - then the conversation starts at a different point.But, the backstory of the conversation is always in the same direction...."what should I do?"Web 2.0 is more thought and more work.When a marketing

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-53214549775422779642007-05-04T08:51:00.000-06:002007-05-04T08:58:57.261-06:00

Seth Godin's latest post speaks to how marketers would rather take the easy route to reach a lot of people. It is wonderful (of course) and it is a direct reflection of several conversations I recently had with marketers who are trying to walk the line between what their customers are comfortable with and what they know they should be doing.The alternative is to serve a smaller group of people

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-65669112105677679192007-05-01T13:27:00.000-06:002007-05-01T13:49:45.360-06:00

Welcome to the Open Source Marketing Project for May.Whether you are an invited guest or you have just stumbled upon this project, please subscribe so you can keep an eye on what is going on.Here is how this works:I have a marketing and sales project with a customer that needs help. I have tried a few things over the past few months and this project needs some new sets of eyes. I am asking for

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-22221571736852808102007-04-24T11:25:00.000-06:002007-04-24T11:31:49.860-06:00

Penelope Trunk has written a book.She has a blog too. Here is a recent post about how to get an agent's attention if you want to sell a book idea:URL:A week of journalism: Seven ways to get an agent’s attentionThe cool thing is, this is great marketing advice.Marketing is NOT just about features and benefits...and yet, people still focus on that almost exclusively. If I here or see one more car

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-38029364818364894992007-04-19T15:37:00.001-06:002007-04-19T15:51:03.934-06:00

I had the pleasure of attending a well run, established referral group meeting yesterday. Great lunch guys..thanks.This is a group of people that are as varied as you can imagine, and this is a group that does not allow direct overlap of business descriptions in its membership.I was struck by the friendliness and genuine desire to help others in order to help yourself attitude that is a huge part

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-77632458574757812092007-04-18T08:47:00.000-06:002007-04-18T09:02:04.318-06:00

Seth Godin today posts about Offer World, a new and strange land where traditional marketers feel a little uncomfortable.Seth once again points out the very obvious:Marketing isn't about marketing...it's about a relationship. It is more successful when it is a long term relationship.Now - whether that relationship is a one on one meeting in a coffee shop, or visitors coming into your store, or

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-55872879641291686132007-04-16T12:23:00.000-06:002007-04-16T12:40:02.588-06:00

I have suggested to a few customers and friends that they should start a blog as a part of the overall marketing plan for their business.These are people who know what they are doing when it comes to running their business, selling their services, and even doing some marketing.With one exception, I have been met with blank stares and glazed eyeballs. "Why Would I blog?""What would I do?""Who

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-76605422136200963202007-04-13T10:47:00.000-06:002007-04-13T10:58:53.489-06:00

The Washington Post puts Joshua Bell, one of the great classical musicians in the world, in a subway station at rush hour to see what would happen.The blog / internet response has been immense. Take a look at Seth Godin's take on this story URL: I'd Ignore Him TooThe point is that context does matter. Presentation and tone of voice and "the frame" (as mentioned in the story) DO matter.This is the

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-81050538811758449212007-04-12T14:34:00.000-06:002007-04-13T00:02:57.665-06:00

Global Voices Online.From the top of the website - Global Voices aggregates, curates, and amplifies the global conversation online – shining light on places and people other media often ignore.I have to stop myself from reading every post. URL: Global Voices

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-35952605160897140492007-04-10T17:12:00.000-06:002007-04-10T17:16:43.312-06:00

I detest lazy email marketing campaigns. I am even more disdainful of things that sort of look like a direct mail campaign but without any real point.Check out THIS articleabout email marketing. Thinking about it?Email me first! We have better ideas!tobin@brain-bucket.com

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-71182668107053267492007-04-10T16:57:00.000-06:002007-04-13T11:03:40.231-06:00

Seth Godin points out a reference to useless marketing.Useless MarketingI was in a meeting last week where the potential customer said to me, "We really don't want to focus on any of that branding or marketing, we just want a website that shows our work."Now, anyone and everyone in marketing has heard this refrain before. I politely reminded my potential customer that yesterday when we chatted in

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-10114571883300492032007-04-10T12:50:00.000-06:002007-04-10T12:58:03.056-06:00

Again with the Seth Godin reference! Shame on me.Seth posts all the time about how marketing is about making something (could be anything!) remarkable...worth remarking about. So here it is: What would it take for you to get onto Fast Company's "Companies That Care" list?Fast Company - Companies That CareWhat would you do to your company, (the one you run, not the other one that runs you), in

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104812765889235265.post-17079887224346788162007-04-10T10:14:00.000-06:002007-04-10T10:38:49.525-06:00

I just had a great illustration of managed expectations and what that does in different situations.A year ago I had a huge city project tear up my street for a total of 10 months. There was not one single piece of communication from the city about what this was, how long it would last, the sequence of events, what to expect...nothing.The only thing we got in our mail box in 10 months was two

Tobin Truoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017132984928998044noreply@blogger.com0