Watch all the way to the end to see the effects of the marketing.

So… why will people pay for what they can get for free?

It’s all about the marketing, and boosting perceived value.

If you’re a small business owner and you haven’t read any of Michael Port’s books, shame on you! He’s got terrific insight to stimulate and motivate you. Unlike many other books about marketing, his ideas are actionable, rubber meets the road doable. I love that! I hate hate hate books on marketing theory, most of what’s in them is tired old advise that I get the feeling the author heard in business school but has never made a dime with. Not so with Michael’s books. You should check them out. But before you go and do that, get a feel for where’s he’s coming from in this video. Enjoy!

There’s an incredible video on YouTube.com that shows the power of subliminal marketing. Watch is closely, it will blow your mind. Just goes to show that really and truly everything we do matters!

OK, before I start… I’m not “girly” girl, and I don’t even like malls. However, I do have pretty hands (thanks to my Mom) and pretty fingernails (thanks to a local business that does great nails). So, for all the guys out there, “the Nail Shop” is that place that we women go to get our fingernails done. [although I’ve been seeing more and more men going in lately too!] That being said…

So I was getting my nails done. And I had my mp3 player on, as usual, listening to actual music for a change (Dave Matthews rocks!) instead of the usual Brad Fallon and Andy Jenkins, or Rich Schefren. When a very atypical and very loud customer came into the shop. This woman was, well, robust. And, well, loud. She had a chip on her shoulder and she was letting us all know about it.

Normally I’d turn up the mp3 player to hear about “all the little ants are marching,” but this time I had to listen. Because underneath despite her boisterous nature, this woman was teaching a serious lesson in marketing 101. Here’s her story: (more…)