I won a signed copy of Attention! This Book Will Make You Money by Jim Kukral from Andy Beal’s Marketing Pilgrim. I didn’t know what to expect from the book with the fluorescent orange dust jacket (which I’m sure will glow brightly under a black light). The cover got my attention, but the information on the inside kept it.
Each chapter tells a different story of a different way to get attention for your business, your products or services, and even yourself. You can choose to emulate the ideas presented, but even better, you can use the ideas to work out your own attention-getting plans. There are plenty of springboards to take you to a higher level in whatever you are trying to promote.
One of the most memorable stories is Jim’s recollection of getting his first job out of college. He was interviewed by a man who kept his ideas on sticky notes stuck to the walls around his office. This inspired Jim to buy a package of sticky notes and poster board. He wrote the things which made him the ideal candidate for the job on the papers and stuck them to a poster board. He delivered the creation to the very surprised secretary of the interviewer. His now future boss was so impressed Jim remembered the sticky notes that Jim got the job. Not a bad bit of making yourself stand out in the crowd.
This book can be especially good for the web marketer and for those who are working how to use web marketing, and social media sites in particular, for promotion. There are great examples of using podcasts, video, catchy tunes and other ways which are sure to help you starting thinking in new directions.
Inspired by the book, I decided to try doing something a little different.
Our church held a fundraiser today to help us send our pastor to a conference. One of the members of the church is a semi-professional Texas Bar-B-Q’er. He has a 14-foot trailer with large smokers, gas burners, hot water heaters and sinks installed. It’s really a mobile kitchen. He set up his equipment in front of the church and we commenced to selling smoked brisket, sausage, sides and drinks to anyone who cared to stop by.
Although we pre-sold quite a few meals, we thought it would be a good idea to drum up some additional business by having people stand by the road with signs to get the attention of passers by. We’ve seen them before, and we’ve ignored them – those people standing by the side of the road trying to get people to come to their car wash, bake sale, garage sale, whatever.
There I was, taking a one hour shift waving the sign my wife made for the occasion, much to no avail. I was being summarily ignored. In some cases, drivers would even move to the left land to avoid looking at my sign. It wasn’t very effective.
Thinking back on the book, I pondered how I could do this a little differently to garner some attention to our cause. I decided to hold the sign upside down. When I did that, people started to notice. I suppose quite a few people drove by and thought, “Look at that idiot, he’s got his sign upside down.” I could tell from the eyes of the passing motorists that I was getting their attention. Some even motioned for me to turn the sign around, which I did instantly much to the amusement of some. I think some of those people got the idea. I got quite a few waves and smiles. More importantly, I could see that more people were driving past me and pulling into the church parking lot.
There was quite a breeze blowing at the time, too. In addition to holding the sign upside down, I started to mime like I was fighting a gale-force wind. That got a few smiles, and a few more conversions. Although I’m quite sure I looked rather silly, it was fun to play around and do something a little different.
I recommend Attention! to anyone who’s looking for some ideas and inspiration for marketing just about anything.
Attention! This Book Will Make You Money – How to use Attention-Getting Online Marketing To Increase Your Revenue by Jim F. Kukral (Amazon Affiliate Link)
Photo courtesy of Jim Kukral, used with permission
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Thanks for the honest review, and I’m glad I was able to inspire you! Keep it up!
You’re welcome, Jim. I enjoyed reading it and got some great ideas. I’ve recommended it to a number of friends and acquaintances I think will benefit from the information.
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