At Dan’s course, “Inner Fire Presentations,” I was reminded that “there is no sale if a problem isn’t being solved.” In other words, our sales efforts require that we connect with a problem the prospect has, find a solution and present it as the most reasonable choice. For example, as a former art dealer in art destination Carmel-by-the-Sea, it was common for people to walk into the gallery, find a piece they liked but express the problem of having “no place to hang it,” or “no money to buy it.” My job was to help them find a solution for that problem so the art could be taken home to be enjoyed at length. The gallery scenario is extremely basic, but also foundational in understanding the sales situation.

In support of this concept came a recent post by Paul Castain in his “sales playbook.”  He reminded his readers that bad news sells more than good news. Bad news, as you can see, is a problem and creates more problems.

Have you heard any bad news lately? The economy, for instance? Lost homes? Stressed bread winners? The foreign war on two fronts? False reportage created by the media that created bad news? (The Balloon Boy episode, for instance.) But it isn’t only bad times that promote bad news. You have no doubt noticed that the major mass media are full of bad news at all times. What is our role in this?

Romantic Comedy Marketing is about bringing good news, that is, love and joy, not because it sells product and services, but because it solves a deeper problem of relatedness. We promote long-term relatedness, hope in the end result, and a lighthearted touch because people that we deal with matter to us.

Romantic Comedy Marketing is an approach that looks at people before product and service before sales.

Romcom Marketing teaches us to answer the call to deeper needs: to belong, to matter, and to live well.

I encourage you to check out and develop deeper commitments to those that are committed to these values, such as Dan Boe and Paul Castain. Check out those recommended to you by others you trust.

As a Romcom Marketer, solve the problems created by bad news and use it to our best advantage. Create client friendships that will last through and rise above any difficulty “brought to you by…” the bad news reports.

Or as some optimist once suggested we do, “laugh all the way to the bank” the Romantic Comedy way.

Copyright 2009 Rich Guy Miller

This does not mean that we cannot set goals, plan, court or follow our dreams. It does not mean that we should play “hard to get” with success, money or love. “Not pursuing” does not mean our highly desired ends are up to fate…any more than our happiness is up to fate.

Like happiness, love, success, and money are not outside of us. And this distinction is where we often get messed up. For example,

• We are our best source of happiness, not circumstances.
• Love for our own self is our responsibility, not primarily another’s.
• We cannot allow others to define our level of success; that is only ours to determine.
• Money and business, while being part of an exchange of value, must at least begin with our own sense of value that we offer to others.

How often we pursue these things without realizing that we are the keepers of the keys!

I love how Romantic Comedies illustrate our pursuits of love. By being along for the chase given by the storyline, we see the character’s silliness, foibles and ridiculous misunderstandings created by limited information or the character’s limited perceptions. We can laugh at the coincidences and accidents instead of being frustrated by the obstacles and traps.

What business pursuits of yours could be considered humorous if seen from a reader’s, viewer’s or prospect’s perspective? Is trying too hard giving you a vision of watching your prospects escape? Is your marketing so aggressive that the business appears to be trying to be everything to all prospects? Does your estimation of prospects show that you value them more than they value themselves (spending more on them than their purchases warrant)? Do your referrers or does your advertising bring you unqualified clients? There is a multitude of ways to over-pursue.

Romantic Comedy Marketing will explore in our next issues the antidotes to the over-pursuit of business. As an incentive to read the next issues, I offer this: the answers are easier than what you might have been taught in your business courses and they are a lot more rewarding than what you were asking for. As a hint, I offer this: you will hear a voice of confidence, a joyfulness of being and ways to cultivate those qualities that attract business.

Copyright 2009 Rich Guy Miller

The worst thing we can say to a prospect or client is… “I am in this for me.” The strong inference, of course, is that the client or prospect is just another stone to be stepped on in pursuit of a goal. It leaves them stranded, alone, used and their loyalty is based on things like price or convenience that can be undercut.

Do you think your business doesn’t say the worst thing? What about when an appointment is missed, follow up doesn’t take place, promises or claims are made with no intention of being kept, email correspondence is dropped, personal appearance is sloppy or the office is uninviting, or my “favorite” “I am in this for me” – web content or sales materials that are all about how great the company is at what they do?

Networking is another way we can easily come off saying the worst thing. I know we are supposed to have the right pitch so we don’t waste the other’s time and so they can remember us. But networking is about the net-working, not about you-working. It is about listening to the contact’s needs to see if you know someone that could help them.  Networking at its best is asking questions about building their business and finding ways to promote them. (Don’t take it from me, consult a networking professional such as Donna Fisher (www.donnafisher.com)

Why am I ranting about the worst thing? Because I see that many of us are guilty and if we are going to turn things around for our businesses and the economy, together we must stop saying and doing the worst thing, “I am in this for me.”

Relationship marketing is the standard we uphold at Romantic Comedy Marketing. If we are not in business for all of us, and acting on that principle, one by one our businesses will rightly fail, with no one else to mourn our loss.

“I am here for you because together we are golden.” That’s the best thing to say. (It works for romance, too.)

Copyright 2009 Rich Guy Miller

For me, I have had baffling electronics challenges (went through two laptops and three cell phones), a broken tooth (my first in five decades) and I said goodbye to my parents who moved so far away I entertained doubts I will see them again.

Many others I know have been also been struggling behind the proverbial 8 ball. On hearing some other entrepreneur’s recent dilemmas, I realized that whatever is going on is not just about me.

So, here is a gift that I hope might help. I received it the other day from one of my Linked In partners and it gives us all reasons aplenty to truck on. So, refusing to believe that this cascade of events can continue forever, I forward my friend Paul Castain’s submission, which I call a great everyday pickup line. It’s the romance of sales.

Everyday . . .

A new business is born that requires your product or service.

A business wants to grow and they need your help.

A sales rep goes M.I.A. leaving an orphaned account for the taking.

A business moves into your area finding it easier to deal with a local company.

A new buyer joins the company looking to make a name for themselves.

That old buyer who used to tell you “No!” may have left.

A vendor drops the ball creating an opening for you.

A vendor gets complacent creating opportunity for you.

A rep fails to offer an idea that you have that could impact your prospect’s business.

A buyer just doesn’t like their rep.

A buyer hates the buying process with their vendor.

A buyer wants to deal with someone who isn’t just about the commission check.

A buyer feels like they are over paying for what they are getting.

A rep misses a deadline

A rep fails to communicate properly giving you an opening.

A company needs the benefits of your offering to help them streamline their process.

A buyer wishes they could find a vendor that would “get it right the first time”.

A referral from an existing account is there for the taking

A “low ball” company can’t sustain quality

A sales rep gets caught in a lie to a customer losing credibility

A vendor implements some stupid, non customer friendly policy

A vendor raises their price making the buyer reevaluate the situation

Somebody’s client becomes FED UP!

You can follow Paul on Twitter http://twitter.com/paulcastain

As you, a Romantic Comedy Marketer, are true to your ideals, know that the happily ever after will arrive.

Copyright 2009 by Rich Guy Miller

Although we know that women have made regular gains in income and access to education over the last three decades, the hard data reported by Newsweek this month is eye opening.

• Literacy around the world has become nearly equal between women and men.
• In the US and European Union, more students are women than men.
• In China and Viet Nam, now 70% of women have jobs outside the home as births dropped.
• Women control some $12 trillion of the world’s $18 trillion in annual consumer spending and that is expected to rise, especially as more women climb the ranks of power in first world countries.
• One expert indicates that the number of Fortune 500 CEO’s will increase from 38 to 100 in the next ten years.
• Those are just a few of the gains now and into the future.

There seems to be evidence that these new earners are what the world economy needs. Studies of women’s purchasing behavior indicate that women buy more things that are linked to well being, including health, education and family care. They are predicted to affect the business environment as well, fostering a more organic business model such as giving more consideration to workplace health, family demands, open door management, economic and natural resource conservation and increased cooperation over competition.

Whether we will see more laughter in the workplace (as in Romantic Comedy Marketing) is another story but clearly, increased joy might be a workplace benefit. As Romantic Comedy Marketing is clearly about relationship marketing, honoring our clients and being a part of the solution, we applaud this development. And, as in any Romantic Comedy script, we will have many, many bumps, misunderstandings and fears of change ahead. But the happily ever after may not be that far away!

Copyright 2009 Rich Guy Miller

 There are two common reactions to Romantic Comedy in difficult times:

1. Increased interest in the kind of delightful escape romance and comedy can offer;
2. Increased disgust in Romantic Comedy escapism and insistence on real progress.

I have felt both. If you have been following this blog, you have read my support for both reactions. They both have validity. When times are difficult, it may be mentally and emotionally healthy to find some comic relief in order to not be overcome by the sheer volume of bad news and trends. There is also a human tendency to cling to hope, especially when there is no evidence for it.

At the same time, it may be economically healthy to get the work done that makes for either progress or fortification when former reliables are showing signs of collapse. Focus on results at this time may lead to more efficient and reliable forms of income…proving once again that adaptability is a hallmark of survival.

I cannot come down completely on one side or the other. We need to be inspired by goals such as love, joy, partnership, shared success and celebration. And we need to do the work without fooling ourselves about what progress is being made. It is a two-sided coin.

Recently, I watched a documentary about Howard Zinn, author of The People’s History of the United States. The author’s point of view is not taken from the party line, but is rather a history of the underclasses searching for fair treatment on American soil.

I thought one quote particularly worth noting because it wraps these two perspectives together: hope and action.

 “To be hopeful in bad times in not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history of not only cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness…And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents. And to live now, as we think humans should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”

When economic times make us feel strapped for resources, our actions continue to count. If the spirit behind those actions is to create relationships with shared love and joy, we don’t have to wait for the economy to become ideal. Each moment that we live in defiance of all that is unacceptable about “business as usual” is itself a great place to be.

Thank you for supporting the ideals of Romantic Comedy Marketing, adding love and joy to the mix of business.

Copyright 2009 Rich Guy Miller

Think of a lonely man or woman. Their needs for closeness, compassion and conversation are as alive in bad times as good. The need isn’t resolved by waiting for the right partner to come along and sweep you up. Things don’t change by waiting for better times. The need is present now. Action now is rewarded.

Take, for instance, the following poem found on an antique postcard:

I lost my heart

Some time ago,

And searched the

Country round.

I mailed an “Ad” to Cupid

For his column

“Lost and Found.”

He sent me straight to you,

And there I found to my surprise,

The heart, Dear Love,

Which I had lost-

It pays to advertise.

When income dwindles, it is easy to consider how much advertising “costs.” But practical romantic marketers take it from their heart- “advertising pays.”

For practical results, you want good ad copy. Call The Impress Group, where we get you and we get it “write.” 760-967-1775

Copyright 2009 Rich Guy Miller

Recently, the Dismal Tragedy Marketing offered by the media and other businesses got its face in my normally Romantic Comedy view. I wanted to give myself credit for maintaining my robust outlook, but outlooks are notorious for meaning nothing to the bank. And I did some hard thinking about what would make Romantic Comedy Marketing of true value.

The questions that I kept asking myself were, “What works? And does Romantic Comedy Marketing work in the real world?” I don’t want to sell pie in the sky romance. Or laughing off real problems. What really works? I came up with a list of things that make for progress and those that impede it. In this analysis, progress is all that really counts. Baby steps and learning from failures, for instance, are more valuable than waiting for the right timing and avoiding failure at all costs.

The truth about Romantic Comedy Marketing is it can be non-productive when it is in denial of realities. For instance, Romantic Comedy Marketing is a long-term strategy, not a quick fix. So, if your business needs a quick fix, apply that, instead of a vague hope that love will win the day. Love and laughter may win the banker’s heart but not the loan approval. Right tactics get the loan.

And it is my considered opinion that Romantic Comedy Marketing is not the best or only strategy for winning new clients. It is always best to be positive and follow the golden rule; we all know that. But winning new clients requires several systems that get the word out fairly dispassionately, such as using advertising, signage, web content, and word of mouth, a medium you don’t control. There must be a regular and unromantic schedule of contact. There must be a level of quality that matches the investment. Etc.

Romantic Comedy Marketing is best for the core clients that make your business a wonderful partnership. It is a long term and shared feeling of united goals. And there Romantic Comedy Marketing works in a monetary way. Those clients are worth the extra effort because they add real business.

I read a blog post from Seth Godin this week that considers the cost of resolving customer problems. He discusses three levels of customer service from helpful information that is relatively inexpensive (directional signage, short instructions for assembly, etc.) to direct intervention such as an information desk to “Spare No Expense” kinds of problem resolution. Seth opines that this last effort makes no business sense.

There are times when Romantic Comedy Marketing cannot be justified monetarily. I am not recommending wasting time and resources on clients that will never be valuable resources. And this “spare no expense” philosophy, if we are honest, is what many of us in small business are willing to do to get a contract or sale, when it does not make any business sense. Let’s get out of the clouds and make our business efforts, whether labeled Romantic Comedy Marketing or something else, of true value.

I will be happy to email my list of “What Works for Progress and What Doesn’t” to any subscriber. It will help keep your mind on what works. Just email me. Richguy@TheImpressGroup.biz. Have a profitable week that works for you! Treat yourself.

Copyright 2009 by Rich Guy Miller

copyright 2009 Rich Guy Miller

People Magazine in their August 3, 2009 issue reviewed the latest Romantic Comedy “The Ugly Truth,” starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. It didn’t get the highest marks. Besides warning about its borderline smut level, commentator Leah Rozen states, “The only truth revealed is that while finding love is hard, making a successful romantic comedy is even harder.”

It’s true, finding love is hard and making romantic comedy successful may be harder. Success in a Romantic Comedy movie obviously does not come by throwing wads and wads of money at it. It is not accomplished necessarily by hiring known stars. A romantic comedy success requires something more of the heart.

Romantic Comedy and Marketing may seem like something of an oxymoron. How could love and joy have anything to do with the bottom line of making money through advertising and public relations? I think the relationship is well documented in the overall success of Romantic Comedies.  A match made in heaven is about the heart, whether it is pairing a romantically challenged TV show host with a crude insensitive male (such as in “The Ugly Truth”) or matching a loving,  joyful perspective with the realities of business marketing.

Many of us will fall easily for a romantic comedy, but the marketing of our business is more of a frustrating necessity. It is so hard to determine if it works. Lord Leverhulme, founder of Unilever is quoted here: ” Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, and the problem is I do not know which half.”  There is some tragic humor!

By contrast, marketing with a joyful spirit, taking ourselves lightly, as well as adding kind and loving measures to our business approach, our lives become less stressful, more animated and more enjoyable. Not a minute or effort or contact is wasted. It is a matter of the heart.

While “The Ugly Truth” or “Romantic Comedy Marketing” may not win an Oscar or Emmy, “Romantic Comedy Marketing” creates winners every time. Winning is simple; We:

• Pay attention to The List,
• Focus on being lovers and creators of loving actions,
• Stay committed to the inner comic,
• Know “Life is Beautiful,”
• Link at eye-level, and
• Remember that “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

The ugly truth comes down to this: successful Romantic Comedy may be hard, but love, joy and success are only ugly by virtue of matching our ideals (Romance and Comedy) with realities (Marketing). If we succeed only 50% of the time on the bottom line (per Lord Leverhulme) we have still succeeded 100% of the time by shooting for the stars when others wouldn’t.

PS. The bold text above refers to earlier issues of The Romantic Comedy Marketing Newsletter. Just go to www.romanticcomedymarketing.wordpress.com for review of these core values.

copyright 2009 Rich Guy Miller

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