Why I'm in Marketing, Why you are in Marketing
I think this is a very important question for everyone to ask themselves.
In essence, Marketing is the art of finding people and getting them to sat "yes".
The first question you should always ask is "why did you say yes to marketing"
Why are you here and why are you interested in marketing. If you don't know the answer to this question then you can not be successful in marketing and this book is useless to you. Almost always the base answer is Money. This is an acceptable answer, however there are a lot of ways to make money in this world.
The reason I chose marketing should of come to me sooner but has only been a real revelation within the last year. I was born to be in Marketing.
So, Here is my Story:
I tell a lot of people that I’ve got 22 years of marketing experience. It’s enough to break the ice, get a laugh, and then inform them why.
I was born November 2nd, 1988. Just one year old I developed colic, and thus with the medium of non-stop crying and screaming I got my first taste of “attention”. Terrible two's were no different with tantrums in grocery stores and my mother popping valium like candy. In what had to be an attempt to distract me from attention grabbing actions and curb to my parent's never-ending suffering I was bought my first gaming platform at age 4, the SNES. This started a trend that I helped to propagate for the next 16 years: My own spoiling. As early as age 4 I started to develop systems of getting what I wanted, whenever I wanted it. That being said, I apologize. On the bright side, parenting mistakes helped me become successful in life. I think that is what they call a pyrrhic victory.
*
Similarly, there is a video somewhere out there in the world of someone recording the kndergarden school playground of the future class of 2007, with one little kid jumping back and forth in front of the camera view for attention. That was age 5. During middle school the trend continued with incessant attempts at becoming the most popular kid in class which all failed horribly until partial success in highschool. After Highschool I started college and began my first steps into actual Marketing.
*
Basically, as a child I was an attention whore, as a teenager I was an attention whore, now my business is marketing. Go figure.
During early 2007 I got my first taste of WarriorForum. I posted occasionally and mostly just studied Marketing as a hobby until I got in college and started to supplement my income with Affiliated Marketing sites I would build to promote products from CJ.com
While in college in late 2007 I picked up a growing passion for politics and economics, started and managed a number of small political groups, and went to Des Moine Iowa with my best friend Gideon to work for the Ron Paul presidential campaign. There were over 300 young volunteer interns doing everything from database work, to telemarketing, to door knocking. Taking a few basic marketing principles I began to realize how barbaric most of these tactics were and how inefficient the tasks the "Iowa 300" were set out to do.
To understand the political climate better and the mindset of those actually living in Iowa you have to realize how crazy things get during that time. The Iowa caucuses are considered the most important primary event of the presidential election. As such, every reporter, news organization, Political college student, political campaign, campaign volunteer, and every political group with a message to sent goes there for a whole month to quite literally campaign Iowan's to death. There were hundreds of blogs and videos posted online by Iowans talking about how much they disliked what could be called nothing more than Political Marketing Spam.
During the trip I had the highest conversion of any volunteer. I realized this quickly since I had already campaigned in Arkansas with the same typical political marketing tactics and had good responses. These Iowans were getting 15 political calls a day, seeing nothing but political ads on TV, hearing nothing but political ads on radio, got nothing but Political mail, couldn't drive without seeing political signs or protests. Even after they turned their TV's, Radios, and Phones off… They had people knocking on their door to tell them who to vote for!
So the Iowa "300" was instructed by the campaign and a few "student leaders" to manage databases, make phone calls and knock on doors. As you can imagine, every door knocked and every call made had little results. The volunteers got ahold of few people by phone or door; those they did get ahold of were mostly hostile or had their minds made up. The typical result was 1-2 "converts" working all day behind a desk or knocking on doors in the freezing snow.
^^^Marketing Fail^^^
I refused to waste time. I grabbed my sign, a Santa hat(for comic relief and attention), and cards to write down information of those who pledged to support Dr. Paul during the caucuses, then took off from the Campaign headquarters into the city.
Instead of knocking on doors and making phone calls, I sat down with people in public places.
Instead of trying to sound like a side street evangelist or Jehovah's witness; I decided to not talk about my candidate.
Instead I talked about school, home, family, traveling to Iowa, and why as a young college student I was interested in politics. I let those who I talked to tell me what they thought of politics and their political views(for/against the war, the economy, the drug war, bailouts, ect) . It allowed me to know what pain points to mention when I got the inevitable question: "So why did you decide to work for the Ron Paul Campaign?" At this point in the conversation I had already gained their trust and respect, befriended them, as well as had inside information to what political subject that they cared most about.
After I was done for the day visiting coffee shops, crosswalks , malls, and sandwich shops I came back to the campaign HQ with 22 new supporters.
As you can imagine this caused other volunteers to want to do the same. The campaign eventually allowed 5 other volunteers to go with me who the student leader and I picked on a "charismatic" basis. These guys got similar success and my team and I achieved results 1000% better that traditional campaign tactics.
After returning home I continued working with the state campaign in Arkansas and focused on the campaign in my home county "Searcy County". My country had 3 times the percentage of votes than the second highest county in the state and was the only county to place for my candidate.
Because of that I decided to campaign myself. I ran for Searcy County Clerk as a known Athiest in the Bible belt against a 12 term unbeatable incumbent.
I lost:
Searcy County Clerk*
100% Precincts Reporting
Smith (D) *
2,691 65%
Walsh (R)
1,437 35%
lol... Such is life.
Around that same time. My dad decided to give me his copy of the 4-hour workweek by Tim Ferriss. I always thought self-help books were silly(and still do), however this book changed my life. Why? Because to a young wanabee "Insert anything Awesome" this book gave me direction, as well as a proper "mentor" who reminded me, of me.
Because of that I began work with my best friend on my first Information product Total Defense:
We wrote a 35 page business plan for it, however never had enough capital to start it.
After that my life took a bad turn with no money, and after my car engine blew up twice, no car. I spent 3 months learning how to retool my engine. Then moved to NWA to get into Selling Insurance with my Best friend.
That failed horribly. Never get into insurance.... I then went back to Marketing made some money consulting an author who wanted to self-publish. I then moved to Nashville, started my own Window Washing business, acquired 40 clients in 3 months, sold the business, then moved back to Arkansas to work with my business friends on a great startup.
I ended up doing Marketing Consulting for 5 friends with their own startups and working on a startup on my own until I got fired from my Assistant manager job for siding with the girl who was getting sexually harassed by the Manager's boyfriend.
That made me realize my priorities and is the reason I am here again.
Because this is my home.
Marketing is my Love.
Anyway, Thankyou for listening to my story. I hope you enjoyed it.
-Landon
In essence, Marketing is the art of finding people and getting them to sat "yes".
The first question you should always ask is "why did you say yes to marketing"
Why are you here and why are you interested in marketing. If you don't know the answer to this question then you can not be successful in marketing and this book is useless to you. Almost always the base answer is Money. This is an acceptable answer, however there are a lot of ways to make money in this world.
The reason I chose marketing should of come to me sooner but has only been a real revelation within the last year. I was born to be in Marketing.
So, Here is my Story:
I tell a lot of people that I’ve got 22 years of marketing experience. It’s enough to break the ice, get a laugh, and then inform them why.
I was born November 2nd, 1988. Just one year old I developed colic, and thus with the medium of non-stop crying and screaming I got my first taste of “attention”. Terrible two's were no different with tantrums in grocery stores and my mother popping valium like candy. In what had to be an attempt to distract me from attention grabbing actions and curb to my parent's never-ending suffering I was bought my first gaming platform at age 4, the SNES. This started a trend that I helped to propagate for the next 16 years: My own spoiling. As early as age 4 I started to develop systems of getting what I wanted, whenever I wanted it. That being said, I apologize. On the bright side, parenting mistakes helped me become successful in life. I think that is what they call a pyrrhic victory.
*
Similarly, there is a video somewhere out there in the world of someone recording the kndergarden school playground of the future class of 2007, with one little kid jumping back and forth in front of the camera view for attention. That was age 5. During middle school the trend continued with incessant attempts at becoming the most popular kid in class which all failed horribly until partial success in highschool. After Highschool I started college and began my first steps into actual Marketing.
*
Basically, as a child I was an attention whore, as a teenager I was an attention whore, now my business is marketing. Go figure.
During early 2007 I got my first taste of WarriorForum. I posted occasionally and mostly just studied Marketing as a hobby until I got in college and started to supplement my income with Affiliated Marketing sites I would build to promote products from CJ.com
While in college in late 2007 I picked up a growing passion for politics and economics, started and managed a number of small political groups, and went to Des Moine Iowa with my best friend Gideon to work for the Ron Paul presidential campaign. There were over 300 young volunteer interns doing everything from database work, to telemarketing, to door knocking. Taking a few basic marketing principles I began to realize how barbaric most of these tactics were and how inefficient the tasks the "Iowa 300" were set out to do.
To understand the political climate better and the mindset of those actually living in Iowa you have to realize how crazy things get during that time. The Iowa caucuses are considered the most important primary event of the presidential election. As such, every reporter, news organization, Political college student, political campaign, campaign volunteer, and every political group with a message to sent goes there for a whole month to quite literally campaign Iowan's to death. There were hundreds of blogs and videos posted online by Iowans talking about how much they disliked what could be called nothing more than Political Marketing Spam.
During the trip I had the highest conversion of any volunteer. I realized this quickly since I had already campaigned in Arkansas with the same typical political marketing tactics and had good responses. These Iowans were getting 15 political calls a day, seeing nothing but political ads on TV, hearing nothing but political ads on radio, got nothing but Political mail, couldn't drive without seeing political signs or protests. Even after they turned their TV's, Radios, and Phones off… They had people knocking on their door to tell them who to vote for!
So the Iowa "300" was instructed by the campaign and a few "student leaders" to manage databases, make phone calls and knock on doors. As you can imagine, every door knocked and every call made had little results. The volunteers got ahold of few people by phone or door; those they did get ahold of were mostly hostile or had their minds made up. The typical result was 1-2 "converts" working all day behind a desk or knocking on doors in the freezing snow.
^^^Marketing Fail^^^
I refused to waste time. I grabbed my sign, a Santa hat(for comic relief and attention), and cards to write down information of those who pledged to support Dr. Paul during the caucuses, then took off from the Campaign headquarters into the city.
Instead of knocking on doors and making phone calls, I sat down with people in public places.
Instead of trying to sound like a side street evangelist or Jehovah's witness; I decided to not talk about my candidate.
Instead I talked about school, home, family, traveling to Iowa, and why as a young college student I was interested in politics. I let those who I talked to tell me what they thought of politics and their political views(for/against the war, the economy, the drug war, bailouts, ect) . It allowed me to know what pain points to mention when I got the inevitable question: "So why did you decide to work for the Ron Paul Campaign?" At this point in the conversation I had already gained their trust and respect, befriended them, as well as had inside information to what political subject that they cared most about.
After I was done for the day visiting coffee shops, crosswalks , malls, and sandwich shops I came back to the campaign HQ with 22 new supporters.
As you can imagine this caused other volunteers to want to do the same. The campaign eventually allowed 5 other volunteers to go with me who the student leader and I picked on a "charismatic" basis. These guys got similar success and my team and I achieved results 1000% better that traditional campaign tactics.
After returning home I continued working with the state campaign in Arkansas and focused on the campaign in my home county "Searcy County". My country had 3 times the percentage of votes than the second highest county in the state and was the only county to place for my candidate.
Because of that I decided to campaign myself. I ran for Searcy County Clerk as a known Athiest in the Bible belt against a 12 term unbeatable incumbent.
I lost:
Searcy County Clerk*
100% Precincts Reporting
Smith (D) *
2,691 65%
Walsh (R)
1,437 35%
lol... Such is life.
Around that same time. My dad decided to give me his copy of the 4-hour workweek by Tim Ferriss. I always thought self-help books were silly(and still do), however this book changed my life. Why? Because to a young wanabee "Insert anything Awesome" this book gave me direction, as well as a proper "mentor" who reminded me, of me.
Because of that I began work with my best friend on my first Information product Total Defense:
We wrote a 35 page business plan for it, however never had enough capital to start it.
After that my life took a bad turn with no money, and after my car engine blew up twice, no car. I spent 3 months learning how to retool my engine. Then moved to NWA to get into Selling Insurance with my Best friend.
That failed horribly. Never get into insurance.... I then went back to Marketing made some money consulting an author who wanted to self-publish. I then moved to Nashville, started my own Window Washing business, acquired 40 clients in 3 months, sold the business, then moved back to Arkansas to work with my business friends on a great startup.
I ended up doing Marketing Consulting for 5 friends with their own startups and working on a startup on my own until I got fired from my Assistant manager job for siding with the girl who was getting sexually harassed by the Manager's boyfriend.
That made me realize my priorities and is the reason I am here again.
Because this is my home.
Marketing is my Love.
Anyway, Thankyou for listening to my story. I hope you enjoyed it.
-Landon
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http://www.facebook.com/PhotoChrome
Kevin Franz