Don't take pictures without people in them.

Ever been on a trip with someone camera happy?  Snap.  Snap. Snap.  What are they taking pictures of?  That hill, that mountain, that building, that car, that whatever?  Why?  Will they ever look at those again?  Will you?  Now, contrast that with anytime a friend showed you a picture of ... you.  Heck, even a picture of them.  Were you interested?  If it was you, I can almost guarantee you wanted to see it, and maybe even wanted a copy.  So, that leads to the following axiom: People prefer photographs (pictures) with people they know in them.  What can this mean for business?

In business, if you include the customer in the picture, they are about 5x more likely to want to see it.

The picture might be "the sales pitch".

The picture might be "the social network".

The picture might just be "a game".

But whatever it is, be sure to include the people in it.

My friend David Walker says this a different way... he says wait and be patient for the "experiential quality" to reach its peak.  I'd add that that peak, usually comes with other people involved.

At Karmaback, we are working on more and more ways to include the people "in it"... and to make sure people are rewarded for staying around!  The experiential quality should be high.. and there should be "people in it".

Learn when to call...

If you are like me, you hate sales calls: doing them, almost as much as getting them.  If you have a small business, you probably get them and do them a lot.  The trick to making (and receiving) sales calls, is doing them when they will be best received... here is a few tips.

1. Never call after 4pm, or before 8:30am... period.  
• (know the time-zone of the person you are calling.. its very easy to do on the internet)
2. Try calling no more than 2x per day.
3. Call first in the morning, leave a message saying when you'll call back later that day, and do it.  
• (10am and then later at 2pm are good times).
4. After 2 or 3 days of call attempts, email to ask to set up an appointment.  (email the admin if you can), then switch to once per week.
5. Figure out their "slow day"... here is a hint, its probably NOT Monday.  
• Often it is Friday at 10am or 2pm.
6. Don't call on the weekend, or at lunch.

Karmaback, my Seth Godin inspired company.

Sometimes, we forget where inspiration comes from.  I am a Seth Godin fan.  If you don't believe me, read my blog... check out the movie I made... or consider my company: Karmaback.  Yes, almost everything about Karmaback is inspired by Seth Godin's principles.  Permission Marketing is really the core of Karmaback.  We're trying to match up companies that care about their customers with customers who appreciate permission marketing.  We want to leverage peoples social networks, WITH their permission, and help companies create great end user stories.  And the really exciting part: Karmaback is working GREAT for a bunch of really happy companies.

Here are a few "Seth" principles we live by:
Permission Marketing? (Very much so... we give points for permission!)
Purple Cow? (We think so, although our colors are green, we are unique in several key ways)
Linchpin Commitment to Service? (our customers think so, and I work dang hard to keep it).
Meatball Sundae?  (We're different and we're getting our word out "the right way".)
Giving? (Yes, we frequently go above and beyond for our customers.  Plus, we have some amazing free programs, and frequently give our services to others at little to no cost).

Also, At last night's Austin Seth Godin Linchpin meetup, I met Pace from FreakRevolution.com.  Pace is building a company to try to "change the world".  She's got a Linchpin factory that turns people with world-changing ideas into world-chagers.   It was speaking with Pace that got me re-jazzed about permission marketing.

Stay tuned for some "little tweaks" to Karmaback to get us back in line with Seth Godin's principles.  We want to be the BEST place for Permission based Marketing on the Planet.

Austin is a Linchpin City

Announcing the introduction of a new short-film called: Austin is a Linchpin City.  A small group of very loyal and passionate Seth Godin Blog readers started a Meetup.com group back in June 2010.  We shared a vision.  We wanted  to "ship" something valuable and interesting for our city.  We all believed in the tenants shared in Seth Godin's book Linchpin: Are you Indispensable. From that we wanted to do something cool and fun to tell the world, YES, we are, and so is our great city, Austin, Texas.  So here it is, just 2 months later: http://vimeo.com/13843742.

Special thanks to Ryan Jeanes of http://www.theriverislife.com/ and David Crews of www.CrewsCreative.com.  These guys are both Linchpins and were essential in the creation of this film.

Also special thanks to the entire Linchpin Group, Mark Katz of Katz Deli, Roppolo's Austin, and all the others who made this film possible.

So, what makes Austin a Linchpin city?  Without a doubt, it's the people who live here.


If you live in Austin, and want to check out our Linchpin Group, join us!  We meet monthly, and help each other "SHIP STUFF":  http://austinlinchpins.com

Getting Stuff. Loot.

Loot is the stuff you get for doing the stuff you like.  In video games, it's usually a "just slightly better" piece of armor, or "a little bit of coin".  Hundreds of Millions (if not Billions) of people aged 4-40 (and above) play games with loot.  My company, Karmaback, has loot too... and a new kind of game altogether.  Marketing to a new generation of thinkers.  People who "get it".  Gamers.

Karmaback is a game in one sense only: you can EARN loot.  That's me sporting some of the REAL WORLD loot you can get.. yah, it's just a t-shirt... but it's more than that.   Its a symbol of TRUTH, that you can "do stuff on karmaback" and get "real loot".

So, learn about Karmaback, how we reward END USERS with points... points they can turn in for real loot. And learn how Karmaback's loot can help YOUR BUSINESS grow!   

http://karmaback.com

Awesome.

A Focus on Small Business

Small Businesses, whether they be a burgeoning startup or a solid "mom & pop" or something else entirely, have needs.  They need sales.  They need cost efficient Marketing techniques.  They need to reach "the right people" at "the right time".  They need passionate fans to help evangelize their greatness.  We at Karmaback have interviewed dozens of small business owners around the country.  Now, we are proud to announce, Karmaback is dedicated to helping companies (of all sizes, especially small) to address these needs directly... with results.

Sales: The Goal.  This is the ultimate need of any company, and for small businesses, it is usually the #1 topic on their mind.  How am I going to make rent, lease, payroll... How can I keep my dream alive?

Karmaback's answer: We believe you should be delighting the people who love you.  Give them special deals and special offers.  Let us help you make those offers viral, so friends of your fans can see the generosity and the love.  Karmaback Social Coupons are live now, and they are going to get even better soon: http://karmaback.com/sweepstakes/social_coupons/

Efficient Marketing: This means reaching "the right people" at "the right time", with the "right message".

We can't help you with your message, but we are dedicated to helping small businesses reach the right people at the right time.  Social Coupons do this... Social Sweepstakes do it better.  http://karmaback.com/sweepstakes

Passionate Fans!

We can help almost any company find them, reward them, motivate them, and leverage them.

This is what we do!

Let us help you!

We'll only charge you if we are successful... and it will be 100% more efficient than any other advertising or marketing method you've used before.

If you are a big company, we'll help you too... especially if you treat your customers with respect, love, and almost act as though you are a small company, even though you are big.