My co-instructor, Mike Dandridge and I will give you everything we’ve got for the entire two days. Seriously, come prepared to work on your marketing.

Check out the curriculum. Accelerate your marketing. Call 512-295-5700 and ask for the $500 special offer.

Unfortunately, I witnessed two breakdowns that lowered the hospital’s Personal Experience Factor. (Recall that your Personal Experience Factor is the degree to which you delight your customer.) One issue was minor, while the other was a bit more significant.

The first breakdown should come as no surprise. It’s what I call the Tattered Magazine Syndrome, which plagues the health and beauty, automotive and medical industries.

Searching the hospital lobby, the most recent magazine I could find was from 2005. (No, I’m not joking.) Hospital administrators should appreciate that family members have to wait, nervously, for long periods of time. And few will be distracted by a magazine article that’s five years old. Although this particular breakdown is easy to fix, few service companies actually do. Outdated magazines litter office lobbies all across America.

On a side note, one would think this would be a helluva opportunity for a joint venture between health care providers and the publishing industry. I can think of no better way to expose your magazine to millions of new readers than to refresh the magazine racks in the lobbies of hospitals and doctors’ offices.

But let’s move on.

The second breakdown in the hospital’s Personal Experience Factor came after my father was out of surgery. Following the procedure, a hospital staff member walked me and my mother down to a private room where we waited to be debriefed by the surgeon. Sadly, the hospital staff stuck us in what appeared to be a large closet, which also housed its Internet router and other equipment. The room was also near a service elevator, which had broken doors that kept slamming shut every 30 seconds or so. Not a pleasant experience when you’re anxiously waiting to hear if your dad was okay.

Please understand, my goal isn’t to bash the hospital. (Hey, I’m just thrilled that my dad’s surgery was a success.) I only want you to appreciate that every customer touch point must be accounted for. A single breakdown in your Personal Experience Factor can forever tarnish the customer’s experience with your company.

So what about you, do you have an interesting customer experience to share – good or bad? Please leave a comment below.

P.S. My good friend and partner, Mike Dandridge, spent the past decade consulting business owners on how to elevate their Personal Experience Factor. You really should get to know him. Visit Mike’s site for a couple of free downloads that will help you score your Personal Experience Factor.

P.S.S. Join Mike Dandridge and I on July 15 – 16th as we teach our next “Marketing Beyond Advertising” class at the Wizard Academy in Austin, TX. You’ll get plenty of marketing tips and techniques to grow your business.

Have you become so distracted that you’re missing the point?

In this edition of Monday Morning Marketing Quote, I’ll touch on a common oversight in marketing. I’ll also give a few research tips for determining your customer’s felt need. Today’s quote is from my partner, Mike Dandridge, and his book, The One-Year Business Turnaround.

“Many businesses miss the point. Your product or service is only valuable if your customer says it is. We know our product and service so well that we are constantly looking for ways to improve it – in our eyes. It’s easy to forget that customers aren’t as familiar with our products as we are and their idea of what’s valuable can be completely different from ours.” – Mike Dandridge

That’s why I’m stoked to announce that on July 15 – 16th, Mike Dandridge and I will be teaching, “Marketing Beyond Advertising” at the Wizard Academy in Austin, TX.

Here’s a snapshot of what you’ll learn:

• How to look through the eyes of the customer and see your business real.
• Why your marketing and advertising must account for credibility.
• Proven methods to rejuvenate the customer’s experience with your business.
• What biologists and neurologists have discovered about communicating with honesty and trust.
• One hundred key customer touch-points that most marketer’s overlook.
• The seven most common credibility killers in marketing, and how to avoid each one.
• Specific tactics to overcome “predator-competitors” such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot.
• Six currencies that you can risk or spend to elevate the believability of your marketing message. (Hint: Money is only one of the six.)
• How to improve the key points of contact between you and your customer.
• Three questions that will align what you are saying with who you are being.
• The anatomy of a Power Statement: How to craft a marketing message consisting of relevancy, contrasting and credibility.
• Three ways you can purchase word-of-mouth for your business.

Remember, no amount of dazzling creativity or copywriting will rescue you from delivering a ho-hum customer experience. And credibility is earned not by the words you speak, but by the actions you take.

So take action. Grow your business. Sign up for Marketing Beyond Advertising today.

But now is not the time to get all cozy and comfortable. Roll up your sleeves and wrap your arms around a business plan that will win against this stinkin’ economy and the big boys in your market for 2009 and beyond.

Join Mike Dandridge and me for the next installment of Fight The Big Boys and Win at the Wizard Academy on January 20 – 21st.

During this 2-day workshop, we’ll dissect your business from head to toe. And, I’ll give you an in-depth look at the Six Currencies that Buy Credibility. Together, we’ll brainstorm each one – applying them to your business as we look for a story that’s uniquely and wonderfully your own. Once we uncover that story, we’ll use the six currencies to craft your own believable power statement that will increase traffic, sales and word-of-mouth. Then, Mike Dandridge will help you construct a plan to make that power statement operational within your company.

So what’s it gonna take for your business to win in 2009? Join us for the Fight the Big Boys and Win workshop and take control of 2009.

P.S. Be one of the first 12 to register and you’ll get a private room (2 days, 3 nights) and all your meals for free in Engelbrecht House, Wizard Academy’s amazing student mansion.

P.S.S. Here are a couple ringing endorsements from students who have already taken the course:

“It’s simple.

Business success is battle, you and yours ~vs~ them and theirs.

Want more pie, you gotta do something different, dramatically different. For me, drawing a line in the sand began with this workshop.

Tom and Mike reminded me of Business Field Generals, they shared their arsenal of savvy strategies and guerilla tactics and more importantly, they had the talent and real world business experience to lead us to our own discovers, personal insights, market specific solutions and doable action plans. The taught us how to create, lead, leverage, broadcast, kick-ass and eat more pie.

I thank you, my competitors will not.”

Ken Brand, Sales Manager
Prudential Real Estate Services

“These two guys, Tom & Mike, & their class “Big Boys (Girls?)…..” are fascinating, fun & passionate…. natural teachers. For two days they held my attention & interest like glue. I have 30 years of business experience and have operated three companies – I thought I had heard & seen it all……until I took their class. I have been rejuvenated & armed with new, cutting edge information that is unique, fresh and makes so much sense. I could have listened to them for a week easily!!”

Jean Carpenter-Backus, TheNakedAccountant.com