Markets Won’t Die
I was filling myself with brain juice today at trendwatching.com with the November trend briefing and noticed a link to this story: Luxury market to contract in 2009.
Scary, huh?
Or not really?
Well, it seems like a “captain obvious” headline to me … based on the current economic environment, this type of headline is not really surprising. Media sensationalism that attracts eyeballs and sells ads.
You could, of course, act like a wailing worker sheep drone and moan about more of the “bad news” that’s bringing down civilisation.
Or, you could read the story about more closely and find opportunity where it might not have otherwise obviously appeared.
Here’s what you’ll find in the story:
The (personal) luxury goods market — which has steadily expanded for more than a decade — is expected to slip between 3 percent and 7 percent in 2009, to between €163 billion (US$214.9 billion) and €170 billion (US$224.13 billion) in sales, according to a new study by consultants Bain & Co. presented at a conference of more than 50 top Italian luxury goods producers.
So the market is still ONLY somewhere between US$214.9 and $224.13 BILLION.
They even report that next year’s result “won’t impact the long-term business outlook”.
Of course, if you’re Chicken Little, then you’ll read the headline and believe the sky is falling in. But if you’re a smart cookie, you’ll see well beyond the gloomy headlines and realise there’s still a mass of opportunity that may fluctuate, but certainly won’t vanish. Clever marketers will capitalise on this outlook and make it work for them.
How? Firstly, by making sure you at least keep up your regular “touches” with your best customers. Don’t let them forget who you are.
I recently created a small mailout (of just 300 postcards for a specific travel destination) for one of our travel agent clients, and they’ve already got a 5.3% response (that’s holiday bookings, not just enquiries) — translating into tens of thousands in extra business.
It doesn’t take rocket science to do that. While others are worried about what’s going on, smart marketers are doing what they need to do to stand out against their opposition. Marketing stands out even more when your competitors slow down their activities! And like the example above, it doesn’t need to cost a fortune.
As I’ve heard from both Tony Robbins and Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars Episode I, your focus determines your reality!
Twitter Tweets On 2008-11-07
- Adding another gold sponsor to the Christmas TraveLeague http://www.christmastraveleague.com event. #
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Twitter Tweets On 2008-11-03
- Gearing up for the “race that stops a nation” tomorrow — no, not the US election, but the Melbourne Cup horse race down under! #
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Masterclass Days Two and Three
We’ll we’re settled in back home after landing at midnight from Brisbane … and after being out on the dinner boat on the Brisbane River on Saturday night, yesterday morning wasn’t a good time for a Day Two wrap up!
So here I go on the final two days.
Day Two …
Again, some sensational content revealed by Pete. We got stuck into some really good advanced copy techniques, and Pete shared some of his proven copy “chunks” — closes, offers, chunks for particular markets. We also went over essential checklists and formatting and he shared some gold nuggets and big lessons from his wealth of experience.
Even though I’d heard nearly the same presentation for the third time in a month, Declan Barnett was a guest on the day with some really good web 2.0 content. Declan really gets it and had some great content to add trust to a medium like the internet which desperately needs it. He also gave me a couple of great ideas for current client projects. We had another internet expert with us at the event, Greg Cassar, and Greg also chimed on during Declan’s presentation with some extra resources and tips.
Bret Thompson revealed his journey from coming along to masterclass as a business owner without an prior copy experience last November to now doing some great work on his own business ventures and for some of the top marketers. A lot of the group new to copywriting found Bret very inspiring to achieve what he has in his first year.
Even if you’ve done copy for a long time, Bret did a fantastic session and shared some excellent insights on the work he’s been doing and how he’s been putting Pete’s techniques to great use — and how he’s really come ahead leaps and bounds on skills like getting the “big idea” for a promotion — something that requires great skill and thinking, and Bret is rocketing along on all cylinders doing just that. I’m looking forward to seeing the promo in action Bret has done for Declan that I gather will launch in coming weeks.
Back to Pete.
He gave us all his “top secret” workbook chock full of more gold nuggets and incredible insights. It’s really amazing to see and hear what Pete shares — really specific stuff on selling, getting the big idea and having the right mindset for attracting wealth. To call Pete a copywriter really undersells his mastery.
Pete and David McMahon also gave us a sneak preview of the new Crocodile Marketing Inner Sanctum, the membership levels and plans for 2009. Happy to say that Mel and I will be in their peak group for that venture, along with plans to be part of Pete’s 2009 private wealth coaching group, to really blast ahead next year and take my business to a whole new level. It’ll be a big year and I can’t wait!
Nearly all of us ended up on the dinner cruise down the Brisbane River, a good way to socialise and network and make some new friends (and a nice seafood buffet and a few drinks too) — alas our plans to let Pete swim back to Eagle Street pier didn’t eventuate! He stayed dry!
My wife Mel (left), Pete Godfrey (middle) and me (right) almost exhausted at the end of Day Three of Pete's Last Ever Masterclass
Day Three
Today was all about the business of copywriting — setting up for success and all about the relationship with clients: on being a copywriter, getting clients, handling clients and some real insider gems on being a successful copywriter.
This was really more than a great refresher (although it definitely reinforced what I’ve been doing) — now I have some extra tools in my “weapons of influence” to help clients get the most out of the work I create for their projects.
One of the best parts of immersing myself in live events like this masterclass is both reconnecting with friends and meeting new copywriters and being able to share some extra insights to help them accelerate into a successful career. I know I’m always learning and on the lookout for ways to improve, and equally I love hearing from others having much success and sharing ideas and resources.
And I really loved Pete’s distinction about the business we’re in. Expert marketers say that all business owners are really marketers — but Pete went a step further and highlighted a great point. We’re more than just marketers — we’re really in the business of relationships.
Final Thoughts
An event like this masterclass really makes a difference in emotional direct response selling and marketing. Sure, I’ve been writing to influence people for about 16 years. That’s been a mix of copywriting and business communication — along with political marketing and campaigning. But it’s been a real lift to have Pete’s lead generation system — especially for the environment I mix in with Mal Emery’s Platinum Group and the clients I work with. I know it’s taking my skills to a higher level and is an incredible set of tools to have in any copywriter’s arsenal.
Unless you were a dysfunctional flea, there’s no way you could do Pete’s masterclass and not get at least 10-times your value — just from day one.
Sadly, it was the “last ever” masterclass, but it was captured on DVD, so look out for the upcoming DVD set if you really want to get inside the mind of arguably the top copywriter in Australia (and force out all of the brilliance that is in there!).
Twitter Tweets On 2008-11-02
- Landed at midnight back home in Melbourne after the 3-day copywriting masterclass — sensational “refresher” and several new distinctions #
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