Business is an Exchange of Value: Mickey Mantle for Yogi Berra

Do you want to deal? Then let's trade.

It's doesn't have to be equal value but it does need to be perceived as equivalent value.

I learned about how to make business deals in elementary school - grade one - seven years old.

We traded baseball cards. A deal sounded like this, "I'll give you a Mickey Mantel for your Yogi Berra."

That's clear.

The answer is yes or no - or let's re-negotiate.

There was no deception in that offer. Your word was your contract. Nothing was in writing. We understood each other.

Stop positioning and proclaiming your policies. I don't want to talk with your interns who can't make decisions.

Do you want my Mickey Mantle or not. If so, give me your Yogi Berra. If you don't want to give up your Yogi Berra, then why are we talking?

George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing
Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

The Deceptive Power of Contrast

This photo surprised me.

The two men on my right were the greeters at this restaurant in Yazd, Iran. It was an Iranian restaurant. The food was terrific.

What surprised me?

When I entered the restaurant I was first greeted by the smaller man, then the larger man.
My memory recorded the second man as a giant.

But looking at this photo you can see that I'm noticeably taller than the giant. Curious how our brain plays tricks on us. I would have sworn that the giant was at least 7 feet tall and 300 pounds.

I'm about 6 feet tall and weight (still) less than 200 pounds.

Why did my brain record the facts differently than the camera?

Contrast.

The brain records new information in relation to existing information. When we learn something new our brain first searches for a way to relate that new information to the existing database within our brain cells.

Upon entering the restaurant, I first saw the smaller man, then I saw the larger man. The larger man was ordinary by himself. But the smaller man was so unusually small that my perspective was changed so much that the second man appeared massive in comparision.


George Torok

Keynote Marketing Speaker

Marketing Like Picasso not Like Van Gogh video

First World Advertisement Forum - keynote marketing speaker, George Torok, points out the marketing lessons from great artists, Van Gogh and Picasso. Video Clip.




Market like Picasso - not like Van Gogh. George Torok delivering keynote marketing speech at the First World Advertisement Forum.

More videos from George Torok at YouTube

The Purpose of Marketing is not to Build a Brand video

The purpose of marketing is to sell. Yet, when the marketing fails to product results some marketers claim that is was good branding. Who cares?

If you are small business you should not be wasting your money on branding. Instead you are better off investing your marketing in building more profitable relationships. You are not Coke or Nike. You are "insert your name here".







George Torok

Marketing Speaker

Canadian Business Speaker

Coke and the Power of Perception

Marketing lesson on the power of perception from a live presentation from George Torok to a group of buisness owners.

Enjoy this video.

George Torok is a marketing expert who speaks to conferences, conventions, corporate meetings and executive retreats.

This is a good message and a sample of his presentation style.

Learn more at www.Torok.com

Call 905-335-1995

Shove Your Brochures

The man at my door kept shoving his flyer at me. I didn’t put my hand out to accept his flyer. He seemed surprised at my unwillingness to play his game.

He knocked on my door and interrupted my day. I owed him nothing yet he acted like I did.

He said, “This is for you.” as if it was a gift. Instead of accepting, I asked, “What’s it about?” I wasn’t wearing my reading glasses so I couldn’t read it. He told me and I answered that I wasn’t interested.

He walked away disappointed because he hadn’t given me his brochure.


The lessons for marketers:

Engage people in conversation to test and stimulate their interest. Why should anyone take and read your brochure?

Giving out brochures is not the measure of successful marketing yet so many marketers claim success because of the number of flyers mailed, brochure given out at a trade show or visits to a website.

Prospects are not obliged to play your game. That doesn’t make them rude. In fact you were rude to interrupt them. How can you be less rude and more inviting with your marketing?

The purpose of marketing is to sell things. Success means closing deals. Shove your brochures.


George Torok
Marketing Speaker

Marketing Speakers in Iran: Karaj

Every marketer dreams of themself as the marketing hero. This was one of those moments. My face on a billboard. I was one of a few marketing experts that were speaking at a conference in Karaj city in Iran. While driving to the city of Karaj we were excited to see our photos on a highway billboard.

When we arrived at the conference centre in Karaj, we were greeted with the super star treatment - red carpet, photographers and videographers.

And after our presentations we were mobbed for autographs and photographs.

George Torok

Marketing Speaker

Marketing in Turbulent Times

Marketing in Turbulent Times

As published in the April 2009 edition of Enterprise Magazine
----------------------------

May you live in interesting times.

Is that ancient expression a curse or a blessing? I think it depends on what you define to be "interesting" and more importantly how you adapt to it. If you define interesting to mean unpredictable, challenging and threatening - then clearly we are living in interesting times.

Business these days is more like shooting the rapids in a rubber raft than canoeing in a duck pond. It's too easy to be mesmerized by the danger of capsizing. If you focus on the rocks - that's where you will go. The secret is to look for and steer to the high water and paddle like a fiend.

Survival is not the goal If you set your sights on surviving you could slip and sink. If you set your target as thriving then you might flourish. How do you thrive in these turbulent waters?

Marketing is the result of all the messages that you and your staff send. In fact your staff sends more powerful marketing messages than all the advertising you ever do. Therefore marketing becomes the end result of almost every business decision you make.

Think long term Don't make knee-jerk decisions especially about business strategy. Gather as much relevant information as you can. Seek the advice of people you respect. Be clear on your purpose. Examine both the short term and long term effects of major decisions. Once you decide, act quickly and confidently.

Your staff will be looking to you for leadership and hope. Be open to course corrections when and as needed while clearly focused on the objectives and purpose.

Read the rest of this article

George Torok

Marketing Speaker

Recession Busting Experts

Secrets of Power Marketing Revealed

SECRETS OF POWER MARKETING REVEALED

As reported in The Sudbury Star by HAROLD CARMICHAEL


If the concept of power marketing is something you want to learn more about, the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce has a seminar coming up April 21 that will be of great interest.
George Torok, co-author of The Secrets of Power Marketing and a motivational speaker, will host a workshop and also give the keynote speech at a six-hour session set for April 21 at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel.

The workshop will deal with subjects such as building media relations, influencing perceptions, and building, enhancing and marketing your credibility. The keynote speech will deal with things such as how to motivate and persuade others, generate more sales, and earn more money.
Tickets for the full seminar (8 a. m.-2 p. m.) are $120 for members and $170 for non-members. The cost to attend just the workshop is $90 for chamber members and $125 for nonmembers. To attend just the keynote speech, the cost will be $60 for chamber members and $90 for non-members.

Torok, who is based in Burlington, said the messages he will bring to Greater Sudbury have had some refining due to the current recession.

"The fundamentals don't change: there is a refining," he said. "There are more potholes in these times. These times are less forgiving."

On the Torok website ( www.torok.com),"Torokisms" that can be found include "Success comes from doing little things consistently well over time," "You can do anything you want in life. You just can't do everything," and "Do something at least once a year that scares you."

To order tickets, call 673- 7133, ext. 224.

---------------------------------

Sudbury Chamber of Commerce

The Sudbury Star

Marketing Speaker

Sudbury Chamber Event

Sudbury Chamber Event


The following is an excerpt from the Sudbury Star.

------------------

Motivational speaker in town Tuesday


A Hamilton author and radio show host who believes image is crucial to attracting and retaining clientele will be in Greater Sudbury on Tuesday.

George Torok, who coauthored "Secrets of Power Marketing" and hosts "Business in Motion," a weekly radio show in Hamilton, will host a six-hour event. It will include a workshop ("The Secrets of Power Marketing") and keynote speech ("The Secrets of Success").

Set for 8 a. m.-2 p. m. at the Holiday Inn on Regent Street, Torok's workshop will run from 8:30-11:30 a. m. The keynote speech will be given from noon-2 p. m.


"Motivational, very engaging, colloquial and energetic is perhaps the best way to sum him up," said Jonathan Laderoute, a Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce spokesman. "Back and forth with the audience is what he does: he feeds off it."


As of Tuesday, tickets were still available and can be obtained individually for the workshop, keynote speech or both.

The cost for the workshop is $90 for chamber members and $125 for everyone else. Cost to attend the keynote address is $60 for chamber members and $90 for nonmembers. To attend the entire event, the cost is $120 for chamber members and $170 for non-members.

Tickets can be obtained by calling the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce at 673-7133.
---------------

George Torok

Marketing Expert & Speaker

Knock, Knock

Knock, knock

It happened again.

I answered the front door - which was an interruption. It always is. Why don’t door knockers understand that they are interrupting? I was not waiting for the visit.

As a marketer I am always interested in what salespeople are doing and saying. But I don’t have much patience. And I can be more edgy then some. Yet I have some empathy because I knocked on a lot of doors as a sales person, fund raiser and political campaigner.


I opened the door.

“How are you today?” (A stupid opening.)

“What do you want?” was my reply.

He then backed several steps away and mumbled something I didn’t hear.

When he had retreated to a safe distance he recovered, “Hello, I am Roberto. We are doing a lot of business in your neighborhood and my boss sent me.”

“So who cares?” was my reply.

Then Roberto backed up even more and replied, “I’m sorry” and then he walked away.

I don’t know if I wanted what Roberto was selling. I don’t know what Roberto was selling. He clearly didn’t understand that I wanted to know what was in if for me before I would listen to anything else he had to say.

Poor, stupid Roberto. He didn’t know how to describe what he was selling – because he failed to clarify it in the first few seconds of contact. He failed to capture my interest.

He wasted my time by asking, “How are you today?” That question is both an insult and waste of time. I knew that he didn’t care “how I am today” yet he pretended to care. I was insulted by that. Too many telemarketers still start their call with that phrase.

I was interrupted and then he wasted my time by telling me his name and a stupid lie that they are doing a lot of business in the neighborhood. So by that point I didn’t like him or trust him. And I still didn’t know why I should listen.

After he wasted the first critical seconds of our contact I posed the question, “So who cares?” A question for which he was not prepared because he retreated. That was a question – not an objection. He had not told me what he was selling and refused to tell me. A question is just that – a question. I asked a question – gave him an opening - and he failed to pounce on it. Have you noticed how some sales people shut down when you ask them a direct question?

Poor, stupid Roberto. He failed to engage me in the first critical seconds of contact. I wonder if he will play back that scene and analyze it so he can correct his behavior for next time. If not then he wasted his time as well as mine. At least I got a story for my blog.


So what can you use from this incident?

1. Questions might just be questions.
2. Always be prepared for your worst questions.
3. Be prepared to adapt to different styles of your listener.
4. Time is a valuable resource – don’t waste it.
5. The first few seconds of contact can make or break the sale.
6. Ask yourself “So who cares?” before you deliver your sales presentation.


For more tough questions and a Marketing Tune Up contact;

George Torok
Marketing Agitator
905-335-1997

CAPS Toronto Speaker's School

CAPS Toronto Speaker's School

This post is for attendees at the CAPS Toronto Speaker's School held June 23, 2007.

If you attended the CAPS Toronto Speaker’s School then this is a reminder and summary of some of the key points from my presentation. If you did not attend this one-day program that these notes might make less sense to you.

If you attended my presentation at the CAPS Toronto Speaker's School then you can probably guess why I’m posting this notice. It’s all marketing.

As a long time member of CAPS and the Toronto chapter in particular I was delighted to offer my hard learned lessons on how to get more traffic to your website. (CAPS is the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers.)

My presentation was entitled, “Profitable Marketing Strategies”.

There are only two ways to increase profit – increasing revenue and decreasing costs.

Increasing revenue through your website means one or more of increasing targeted visitors, and improving conversion. You might add increasing prices and up-selling. I believe that those two are just variations of conversion.

In this presentation I focused on attracting more targeted visitors to your website.

Here are a few tools that you should use to help you examine websites and their search success:

Google – the number one search engine.

Overture Keyword Selector Tool – use it to learn the total number of searches in the previous month for a word or phrase on Yahoo. Estimate searches on Google by multiplying by three.

Link Popularity.com – use it to check the number and nature of links to a website. Be sure to check your competition.

Watch for more notes from my presentation to the CAPS Toronto Speaker's School on this blog.

Blogger’s Manual
As promised I will provide a free copy of the Blogger’s Manual as soon as it is complete. That will be within the next two weeks. Visit this blog to learn when it is available and obtain your copy of this ebook on the “How to’s” of blogging. Watch for it!


George Torok
Member of CAPS Toronto
Marketing Specialist

Click for more information about CAPS. (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers)

Click to read about upcoming CAPS Toronto events.

Visa Small Business Conference in Montreal

Visa Small Business Conference

Did you attend the “Visa Small Business Big Thinking Conference”? It took place in Montreal on Monday June 4, 2007. If you missed it then read some of the key points from my presentation. If you attended the conference then you might check your notes to ensure that you captured these critical points.

I was delighted to be speaking to the eager entrepreneurs at the Visa Small Business conference on how to get more from budget-effective marketing.

Here are some of the learning points from my marketing presentation: It was a packed room and an explosive session. The presentation was both entertaining and enlightening.

You cannot - not market. Everything you do is marketing.
Being good is not enough. You must actively sell and market yourself.
Success is the result of doing little things consistently well over time.
Observe successful people and ask yourself, “Why do they do things that way?”
Success in business comes from following systems.
A system is a process to get to your goal.
A system is built on a key principle.
Systems beat talent.
You are responsible to manage the perceptions of your prospects.
The image of success is a perception determined by your display of confidence.
Focus on your strengths.
Build relationships by saying “thank you”.
Get the media to call you the expert.
Print media exposure has more credibly and is easier to leverage.
Sell to people’s wants – not their needs.


That’s it for now. Of course there was more. The attendees at the Visa Small Business Big Thinking conference received the full presentation. You only get the bullet points here. Perhaps you might attend the next Visa Small Business conference next year.

If you attended the Visa Small Business conference then feel free to comment on this blog post. I welcome your comments and questions.

Visa will be posting more notes, photos and comments on their website in July. Visit the Visa Small Business Conference site to see more.

Rick Spence was the content provider for this Visa Small Business conference. He arranged for all the speakers. The program especially featured Quebec entrepreneurs. He is former editor of Profit Magazine so he knows a lot about entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship. Learn more about the Visa Small Business conference by reading his Canadian Entrepreneur blog.


George Torok
Marketing Specialist
Presenter at the Visa Small Business Conference
Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing

Visa Small Business Big Thinking

Visa Small Business Big Thinking Conference

Perhaps you might think that the words "Visa" and "small business" don’t belong in the same phrase. You might be wrong.

If you are in Montreal on Monday June 4, 2007 stop by the “Small Business Big Thinking” conference organized by Visa. And if you are not planning to be in Montreal maybe you go so you can attend this one-day conference organized by Visa for small business.

You might ask, “What does Visa know about small business?” And that would be a good question. That might be why they have partnered with large and small business to produce this one day conference.

Most prominent on the side of small business experts is Rick Spence, former editor and publisher of Profit magazine. Spence’s presence, savvy and contacts is enough to inject a practical amount of business street-smarts into this conference.

And then there are many other entrepreneurs who just made a pile of money. Maybe you never heard of them. They don’t care; they are still raking in money. And they are willing to tell you some of their secrets – but of course not all. Maybe you should listen up.

My dear friend and mentor, Peter Urs Bender said, “A fool can learn from no one and a wise man can learn from anyone.”

And yes I will be making a special appearance at this Visa Small Business Big Thinking conference. I will be speaking in the Buzz Marketing session at 11:00 am. And I will host a table for the ‘Meet the Pros” luncheon. Call me a fool if you want – but you can learn a lot about marketing from me.

Rick Spence is a valued friend and he invited me at the last minute so I checked my calendar and agreed to be there. Besides, Montreal is a beautiful city and entrepreneurs need all the help they can get.

See you in Montreal at the Visa “Small Business Big Thinking” conference on Monday June 4, 2007.

George Torok
Marketing Specialist
Motivational Speaker
Publisher of over 300 business articles

Learn more about the Small Busines Big Thinking conference in Montreal

Marketing Insights from George Torok

Marketing Insights from George Torok

George Torok is a marketing speaker, trainer and executive consultant. Enjoy this sampling of pithy insights from his speaking, training and consulting programs. He delivers motivational speeches, practical marketing principles and powerful examples.



Running your business is a lot like running a marathon. You don’t build your business by sprinting. You build it by being steady over the long run.


You don’t need to do every little thing perfectly. You just need to do them.


There is a myth that if you do what you love the money will follow. You should do something that you love, but the money will only follow if you also do some things that you hate.


An imperfect system is better than no system at all.


Marketing is about sending messages. Everything you do or don’t do sends a message.


Success is simple but never easy.


Branding is not about cute logos, pretty fonts or pantone colors. Branding is about building an emotional connection with your clients.


Some of the things in your business are frustrating, embarrassing and painful. That builds character. To build your business you need to build your character.


Talent runs hot and cold. Don’t rely on talent. Follow systems.


Success comes from doing little things consistently well over time. It’s not about the luck break.


Building a business is a race. But it is not about a race to the finish line – it is a race to keep running.


Your staff might be sabotaging your marketing message behind your back. Or even worse they might be sabotaging your message in front of you - and you are ignoring it.


You claim to be different from your competition – well what are you doing differently?


Watch what successful people do and don’t simply copy them. If you do you will always be a follower. Watch what successful people do and ask yourself, “Why do they do it that way?’


The above are marketing insights from a recent marketing presentation by George Torok. If you quote them - please be sure to quote the source - George Torok.

George Torok
Motivational Speaker
Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing

What Audiences say about George Torok

CPSA presents over 150 events across the country in a year and you are the most professional speaker I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.
Ann Babej
Canadian Professional Sales Association


My sales brokers were not only presented with excellent, usable material that they can apply in their daily work, but they were also thoroughly entertained – what a rare combination.
Dan Lawrie, CLU, C.F.S.B.
Dan Lawrie Insurance


This has been the most productive seminar our association has ever held - totally captivating from start to finish.
Doug King
Ontario Monument Builders Association


George entertains with more useful, behavioral insights and tips usable today than any other speaker I’ve heard through TEC and elsewhere.
Bob Michener
Campbell, Michener & Lee


You have a gift.
May-Anne Leeder
Molson Centre for Innovation


Are you ready to hear this speaker?

What business owner do you know that needs this speaker?

What association do you know of that craves this kind of audience feedback?

George Torok
Power Marketing

Marketing Stories

Good marketers are good storytellers. Great marketers are great storytellers.

I said storytellers – not liars. There is a difference.

A storyteller conveys a message in an interesting and entertaining way. A story engages, clarifies and sticks in the mind of the listener. A well-told story stimulates visual images and touches emotions.

Think of some memorable childhood stories like The Night Before Christmas, the Cat in The Hat, and Jack and Jill.

Why did those stories touch you and why did you remember them so well? Notice how little logic has to do with any of these powerful stories. Imagine if your marketing messages worked as well. They can if you learn to tell great stories.

Telling marketing stories and telling stories as a public speaker have a lot in common.

Great leaders use stories to inspire.
Great sellers use stories to persuade.
Problem solvers use stories to find common ground.

You can learn how to create and deliver great stories by listening in to the teleseminar on Thursday July 27, 2006.

It will take just one hour but the information you gain will transform your ability to tell more great stories.

Register for this teleseminar now.

Learn more about this Story Telling Teleseminar.


George Torok

PS: If you can’t make it this time you can still order a copy of the program.
Send an email to George@Torok.com


Learn how to tell your story with more impact.

Write Headlines That Kick Butt

Write head-snapping profit-driving headlines in seconds.

Stop wasting hours or even days agonizing over a good headline. Why settle for good when you can choose from 100 commanding headlines? And generate these headlines in a few heartbeats.

All you do is answer four simple questions about your offering, hit go, and stretch for just a few seconds. And like magic you can select from 100 killer headlines that are guaranteed to out-draw your previous results by at least 30%.

You know the importance of a powerful headline. If your headline doesn't grab your reader - you have lost that sale. Download this amazing program that will write headlines for you in 17 seconds or less… (read more)

You know how important a headline is.
You know how tough it can be to write them.
This software just blew me away with the results and ease of use.

I liked it so much I bought the resale rights.

Go ahead and check it out. I guarantee you’ll love it and more importantly improve your marketing results.

Go ahead – make your day.
Learn more about Headline Creator Pro.

Start kicking butt now.

George Torok
Power Marketing