It's official!
Now in it's third season, Donald Trump's killer television series
"The Apprentice" is officially a "franchise."
With new seasons in the making, a clothing line that carries "The
Apprentice" brand, DVD's in production, and mega-fortunes to be
made, it's no surprise that the king of real estate... a man who
knows a good thing when he sees it... is involved.
I like Donald Trump a lot.
Mostly because I learn something new from him every time I watch
him in action.
One of the barbs critics aim at Donald Trump is that he's a
shameless egomaniac who can't get enough of the spotlight.
Well, they may call it egomania, but from my perspective... it's
a brilliant business strategy.
I'll admit it: I'm a marketer.
My job is to make people sit up and take notice of my clients
(and their products or services), and to deliver a "brand"
message at every opportunity.
That's exactly what "The Donald" does.
If that makes me him an egocentric, self-congratulatory target
for media pundits, who cares? Because it also makes him a
"household name"... in households from Bangor, Maine to Bangkok
Thailand.
Brand recognition is the foundation of every marketing strategy.
If you're a small business owner, YOU are your brand.
That means you must sell yourself as well as your product or
service.
Trump understands the concept, and what's why you see his brand
Trump on everything.
You've got to be willing to get name out there… Willing to say,
"Hey look me!"... Ready to stand up for yourself, believe in
yourself, and blow your own horn…
Loudly and as often as possible.
Have you noticed that each episode of "The Apprentice" includes a
segment devoted to a current Trump project?
This as an opportunity for "The Donald" to billboard a success
story.
Week after week, he tells millions of people, "I'm a great real
estate giant and here's the proof." Take a tip from "The
Donald"…
You've got to be your own full-time marketing campaign 24 hours a
day... because nobody else will!
Especially if you're an entrepreneur.
When you're the own of a business, especially a new business,
it's kind of like being a parent.
Before your business can "talk"... before your "little one" has
grown and established a reputation that literally "speaks for
itself"... you need to be the "spokesperson."
How long will this last?
You may not want to hear this, but the answer is -- forever. You
must always be ready to carry the banner for your business and
your success.
So, before you give Donald Trump "two thumbs done" for shameless
self-promotion, consider how his ego... and his knack for savvy
marketing... is a real asset to his business empire.
If it's good enough for "The Donald," it's good enough for me...
and YOU, too.
The next time you sit down for the next episode of the "Book
Smarts vs. Street Smarts" season of "The Apprentice," open your
mind.
Instead of picking at the negative traits of "The Donald" or his
"top guns" Carolyn and George, think about their success and ask
yourself...
What can I learn from this guy? How does he marketing himself?
How can I adapt this concept to me and my business?
The truth is, if you can't get at least a handful of "golden
nuggets" from this super-successful entrepreneur, you may be
hopeless.
What I'd like to do is share some of the key marketing insights
I've learned from Donald Trump and "The Apprentice" that you,
too, can use in your business.
Before we get to the marketing insights, however, there's a
bigger business concept that you need to understand.
I'll give it to you the way I like best... straight... "Lok-ed
and loaded" to blow your mind:
You have something to learn from people of any age, any
background, any education, and any level of success.
The candidate on "The Apprentice" can't hold a handle to Donald
Trump's success. Yet each week, they pull rabbits out of hats,
rising (more or less) to meet the challenges presented to them.
Every new task makes them better in business as they evolve,
refine strategies, and respond to what they're learning. There's
no better formula for success than the flexibility and resilience
they demonstrate.
So don't just focus on "The Donald" for your weekly dose of
marketing magic.
Keep an eye on the candidates, too! You never know who's got
something to teach you.
***Apprentice Marketing Lesson #1 - Too Much Is Never Enough
Actually, "too much is never enough" was a successful slogan from
the early days of MTV, but it could just as easily be the "poster
child" for marketing. You can never connect with consumers too
frequently.
There's a marketing truism out there: To sell a prospect, you'll
need to make repeated contact. That's why most direct mail
campaigns use a minimum of three messages, why magazines put as
many as five subscription forms in each issue, and why "The
Donald" says the word "Trump" as many times as he can in every
episode of "The Apprentice."
Does it make a difference? Can it make "The Donald" even more
successful?
Definitely.
In the 21st Century, every consumer is bombarded with advertising
messages…up to 3,000 a day for some people.
After a while, they just tune out. Or, if they don't tune-out,
consumers are often so distracted that they don't really hear or
see a marketing message.
It's more effective to send three mailers to 1,000 prospects than
one mailer to 3,000though the cost is the same. Another approach
is a "timed" or "sequenced" campaign.
In this kind of campaign, message #1 is a teaser. #2 is the
"guts" and a gift offer. #3 gives ordering instructions. The
sequenced approach allows you to generate both expectations and
recognition.
Prospects look forward to hearing from you.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you need to
keep hammering away at the eyes and ears of potential prospects.
But the main reason for this many not be as obvious as you
think...
By repeating your marketing message over and over, you "imbed"
that message in the consumer's mind. Then, when the consumer
needs what you have to offer, they'll think of you first... even
if aren't actively marketing to them in the moment.
The goal is to make yourself the automatic go-to solution for a
problem whenever that problem occurs. The consumer's sub-
conscious will do the driving.
***Apprentice Marketing Lesson #2 - Sex Sells, But Too Much Sex
Repels
The candidates chosen for "The Apprentice" are uniformly
attractive, articulate, and the kind of people that most other
people enjoy looking at.
The producers of the show -- including Mark Burnett who produces
that other mega-hit "Survivor" -- know that sex sells on
television.
Sex sells in marketing, too.
During the second season of "The Apprentice" when "The Donald"
pitted the men against the women, tasks were routinely won thanks
to sex appeal... women's AND men's.
(You may recall that the men's team used one of their attractive
members to flirt with and win over a table of gay diners during a
restaurant challenge.)
But if you weren't watching closely, you might have missed the
episode where sex didn't sell -- big time... and THAT is the
point of this mini-lesson.
In one of the last episodes of the second season, candidates were
challenged to sell candy.
On one team, two blonde women donned matching red leotards and
flashed -- their smiles only -- at male prospects.
Sales were brisk because, as we all know, sex sells... and for
most men there's nothing sexier than a leggy blonde.
The other team was struggling, so with just minutes to spare
before the end of a task, one team member offered to drop her
skirt as a way to convince male passersby to buy her candy.
They bought... in droves.
They weren't buying candy, of course, they were buying sex...
just like the guy who finds a car suddenly irresistible because
of the leggy swimsuit model that's advertising it at the Auto
Show... and just like the guys who bought from the blonde "twins"
on the other team.
The problem with the "buy my candy and you can see my buns"
approach is that it was over the top.
As "The Donald" pointed out in the boardroom, the candidate
wasn't selling candy... she was selling sex literally, with a
candy bar bonus.
That, my friends, is why so many marketers are referred to as
prostitutes... and why the candidate who dropped her skirt was
dropped from the show at the end of the task.
As "The Donald" put it so eloquently: You're fired!
The skirt-dropping candidate was fired despite the fact that she
had fulfilled her mission -- to make money. Why? By over-
selling sexuality, she left a negative over-all impression.
Sex is powerful stuff…use it wisely and sparingly.
***Apprentice Marketing Secret #3: Cross-Promotion
I've talked about this concept until I am blue in the face, but I
still meet prospective clients who stubbornly say, "My product is
such a winner that I don't need to partner with other businesses
and give away any of my profits."
That's insane!
Or more delicately "No man is an island"...and no business is
either. There's not a company on earth that can survive without a
constant stream of qualified prospects coming through the door.
So it doesn't matter what industry you're in or what
product/service you make available, whoever you are...
Tying your product to another popular product, service, business,
or person is always a winning marketing strategy.
"The Apprentice" has featured cross-promotions with Burger King,
Pepsi, the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain, and other well-
know, extremely successful businesses.
If these super-corporations benefit from cross-promotions,
doesn't it seem logical that your business can, too?
The biggest trend in high-end marketing today is film and TV
cross- promotions. Ever since E.T. gave Reese's Pieces a huge
boost, marketers have aggressively tried to get their products
"placed" in films and television shows.
Having a good product or service is NOT enough... although it's
certainly "Job 1." Quality and value bring your customers back
for more. But how the heck do they do how wonderful your stuff is
if they haven't even bought from you yet?
In order to make a sale, you need someone you can sell to. To
achieve that you need effective marketing systems to get these
people in your funnel in the first place.
Cross-promotion is the key.
Customers who are already "sold" on the business your partnering
with become, essentially, pre-sold on you.
And cross-promotion allows you to expand your marketing reach
without spending any additional marketing dollars.
Can you imagine how much Burger King would have to pay for a 15-
second spot during "The Apprentice."
By appearing within the show in a carefully negotiated cross-
promotion, Burger King gets all the gain (aka the audience) with
none of the pain (advertising expenses)
What did "The Donald" get out of all of this? In addition to
finding a company willing to let his apprentices take over their
business for the day, consumers will now "think Trump" when they
purchase one of the burgers promoted on the show.
Clever, huh?
You're Fired... Fired-Up, That Is
I've "distilled" the essence of just three of the effective
marketing concepts that Donald Trump has accidentally shared on
"The Apprentice." They're the same strategies he uses in his own
business, but he's let the cat out of the bag and now his secrets
are YOUR secrets
If you're inspired by what you've read here and would like to go
deep into Trump's mind, "The Donald" has written several powerful
books filled with stories, anecdotes, secrets, and amazingly
effective techniques for making it to the top... and staying
there through
thick and thin.
*Trump: How to Get Rich
*Trump: The Way to the Top
*Trump: Surviving at the Top
*Trump: The Art of the Deal
*Trump: The Art of Survival
Did you notice that each book leads with the word "Trump"? He
never misses an opportunity to promote his brand.
I told you "The Donald" was a master marketer!
And consider this: if you can beg, borrow, or steal just one or
two ideas from a man who's sitting on a billion-dollar empire...
ideas that could jumpstart your business empire... wouldn't it be
worth 20 bucks? (Less if you get a second-hand copy on Ebay).
This is your chance to be "The Apprentice" of Donald Trump... to
learn from the master... without worrying about getting fired on
national television
Dan Lok
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