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Knowledge Cafe |
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All Marketers Are Liars
The Power of Telling Authentic Stories
in a Low-Trust World
by Seth Godin
From the dust jacket: "All marketers tell stories. And if they do it right, we believe them. We believe that wines tastes better in a $20 glass than a $1 glass. We believe that an $80,000 Porsche Cayenne is vastly superior to a $36,000 VW Touareg, even if it is virtually the same car. We believe that $225 Pumas will make our feet feel better--and look cooler--than $20 no-names. . . and believing it makes it true.
Successful marketers don't talk about features or even benefits. Instead, they tell a story. A story we want to believe.
This is a book about doing what consumers demand--painting vivid pictures that they choose to believe. Every organization--from nonprofits to car companies, from political campaigns to wineglass blowers--must understand that the rules have changed. In an economy where most people have an infinite number of choices (and no time to make them), every organization is a marketer and all marketing is about telling stories.
Marketers succeed when they tell us a story that fits our worldview, a story that we intuitively embrace and then share with our friends. Think of the Dyson vacuum cleaner or the iPod.
But beware: If your stories are inauthentic, you cross the line from fib to fraud. Marketers fail when they are selfish and scurrilous, when they abuse the tools of their trade and make the world worse. That's a lesson learned the hard way by telemarketers and brands like Marlboro.
This is a powerful book for anyone who wants to create things people truly want as opposed to commodities that people merely need.
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I have really enjoyed this book. It is enlightening into more of what makes marketing work or not work and Seth Godin is the guru of marketing.
Here's something we all know, but so many businesses don't get from page 74: "If our sign is cool and our location is cool but our people and our products aren't, we're not telling a coherent story." You also know and have seen as I have that the opposite can also be true. You go to a place that has the kindest, most thoughtful and caring people and the place looks like crap. That would also be an incoherent story.
Here's another: "If a consumer has a lousy telephone experience with a hotel reservations agent, his impulse will be to hate the service from every person he interacts with when he finally arrives at the hotel. . . the only solution is a warm, personal interaction between an authentic and caring individual and your disgruntled customer."
Throughout this book there are little tasty bits like these and broad strokes of understanding of large marketing ideas. I love how it instructs and opens your mind to other ideas about marketing and at the same time offering great specific advice about making it more effective.
I think this is a great book for everyone from a salesperson on the car lot to the President of the company. Understanding what is really workable and why is in everyone's best interests.
I found that buying the book and the MP3 unabridged audio was very helpful to study this by reading along with the audio. It sure enhances the absorbsion.
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There's no time like the present. Here is a link to get it right away. You will be so glad you did:
Book:
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K.C. Archive |
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Here is a list of books and audio's that have been recommended in the Knowledge Cafe.
All Marketers Are Liars
by Seth Godin
Failing Forward
by John C Maxwell
Leadership Is An Art and Leadership Jazz by Max DePree
The Spirituality of Success by Vincent M Roazzi
Power In Praise by Merlin Carothers
The Go-Giver by Bob Burg & Hohn David Mann
The Gratitude Effect by John DeMartini
Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, MD
The Power To Have It All Audio Package by Bob Proctor
The Secret - Book and Audiobook by Rhonda Byrne
Acres of Diamonds by Russell Conwell
Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
As A Man Thinketh by James Allen
The Power of Focus by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt
How To Talk To Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere by Larry King
Lead the Field Audio by Earl Nightingale
Your Invisible Power by Genevieve Behrend
and
The Spirit of Opulence by Thomas Troward
You Were Born Rich by Bob Proctor
Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz, MD
You2 by Price Pritchett
The Magic of Believing by Claude M Bristol
Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins
Success Magazine
and
How To Lose Friends and Alienate People by Irving Tressler
and
How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy
and
How To Sell Anything To Anybody by Joe Girard
How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling by Frank Bettger
The Success Principle by Jack Canfield
Jeffrey Gitomer Little Books Collectors Edition: 5-pack of books plus CD
Enterprise One To One
and
The One To One Fieldbook by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers
Sales Bible by Jeffrey Gitomer
Customers For Life by Carl Sewell |
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CTS Blog |
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Have A Great Day! |
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Smile. It's the easiest gift you can give someone. Better yet, tell someone something positive and uplifting today. It will make their day--and, it will make yours! |
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Show Your Favorites |
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Do you have some special favorite bodies or body companies? Or, perhaps you have photos of overloaded trucks.
Send us photos and a short story of your experiences and we will put them in the CTS IdeaLetter.
Send to:
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CTS is proud to be associated with the National Ford Truck Club
If you're part of a Ford dealer, we highly recommend you subscribe to the FordPros Magazine. It's FREE! Click on one of the links below to sign up and get access to their new website.
This is a great organization!
NEW WEBSITE
For the
National Ford Truck Club
or
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2010 NTEA
Work Truck Show |
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The National Truck & Equipment Association's huge annual event is coming up very soon. The Work Truck Show is an awesome event and a great chance to see truck bodies and accessories from all over the United States and the world.
The hotels fill up fast, so get registered right away. Last year's event in Chicago was off the charts great and Knapheide's party at the Navy Pier was a smash hit. Plan to attend and bring a friend!
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Tony Anderson of Harbor Truck Bodies shows off one of the new Masterack packages. Harbor is a Masterack distributor and can take care of your van interior needs.
Call Tony at 800-433-9452 and visit their website at www.htbi.net.
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Free
CTS Daily Inspirations
Email
We all need a little pump up to start our day, including myself. We now offer a Daily Inspirations email to give you some food for thought and a little encouragement. We began this new feature in Sep '09, and feedback is very positive.
To subscribe, click the link above "join our mailing list" logo. You will be sent an email to finalize your changes.
To see some samples, click here: Samples. If you prefer, an easy way is just to drop me an email (see link below) and put Daily Inspirations in the subject line. As always, you can unsubscribe easily at any time.
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Stratec Locks! |
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Recently, Strattec sent me 3 locks to try, one for GM, Ford and Dodge. I have to tell you that this is one sweet lock. The lock "codes" itself. You just take your ignition key, put it into the lock, turn it and unlock the lock. Now the lock is "coded" to that key only. Try another key and it doesn't work. It is just that easy.
Whether you use padlocks on your vehicle or storage facility or around your home, now you can have all the lock keyed to the ignition key of your GM, Ford or Dodge. You have got to try one of these locks to believe it. They aren't cheap, but they are heavy duty and they are an excellent value in my opinion. Try one and I know you will want more.
Learn more at:
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The Royal Touch |
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This design using removable plastic trays instead of metal dividers is such a simple idea and such a great idea. Customers love it. Bravo!
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AG Body Drawers |
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AG Body, Inc. is dedicated to designing and manufacturing a variety of specialized and standard tool storage products. By combining traditional craftsmanship with modern technology, we are able to offer a quality line of truck equipment products tailored to our customer's needs. The A G Body product line includes a selection of size-to-fit drawers, bolt bins, chests, cabinets, and boxes along with standard tool storage items.
Contact AG Body for your storage needs at
800-786-2639
and visit their website
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Free
CTS Daily Inspirations
Email
We all need a little pump up to start our day, including myself. We now offer a Daily Inspirations email to give you some food for thought and a little encouragement. We began this new feature in Sep '09, and feedback is very positive.
To subscribe, click the link above "join our mailing list" logo. You will be sent an email to finalize your changes.
To see some samples, click here: Samples. If you prefer, an easy way is just to drop me an email (see link below) and put Daily Inspirations in the subject line. As always, you can unsubscribe easily at any time.
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CTS
Daily Inspirations
Is Now Also A Blog:
Enjoy!
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Welcome! |
Welcome to the Commercial Truck Success Idealetter!
Published every other week, the Idealetter is an informative thought starter and news source for busy commercial sales professionals and managers with numerous links to great products, the Commercial Truck Success website, Daily Blog and many other links to useful information, tools and inspiration!
Please feel free to offer comments and suggestions for future topics that are of interest to you. Also, please forward this to others you wish to share it with. There is a forward email link at the bottom of this page. I wish you success! Keep up the good work! And, never stop learning! - Terry Minion, Editor |
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Merry Christmas To All! |
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Thank You
For Reading,
Your Contributions and
For Your Feedback!
It is Our Pleasure
To Serve You! |
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Custom Aluminum Dump Insert |
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Here are some photos of a custom aluminum dump insert intalled by Stiles Truck Body & Equipment, Inc., of Turlock, CA. According to Scott Stiles, this unit has a lifting capacity of 7,000 lbs., and is all aluminum construction. It comes with a fully self-contained 12-volt electric hydraulic power unit and has pendant controls. It is built to fit full width and length with no gaps. Contact Scott at 209-667-2639 and visit their website at www.stilestruckbody.com. Thanks Scott! |
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Roush Adds Propane E-Series Vans |
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ROUSH ADDS E-SERIES VANS
TO PROPANE VEHICLE LINEUP
LIVONIA, Mich. (December 14, 2009) - Based on the tremendous reception for the propane-fueled pickups offered by ROUSH® Performance, the company is launching into the next phase of their liquid propane injected vehicle offerings with a line of E-Series vans. "The response from the fleets to our line of F-150, F-250 and F-350 propane pickups and conversion kits has been outstanding, and their feedback inspired us to develop the complete line of E-Series vans. Many of the fleet managers we have spoken with utilize a tremendous number of vans in the course of their daily business and were looking for the type of cost and environmental advantages that propane offers as a motor fuel. Their desire is what motivated ROUSH to continue to add to our line of propane vehicles," said Jack Roush. The order banks are now open for the propane-fueled E-150, E-250 and E-350 and production is anticipated to begin in the first quarter of 2010. ROUSH will offer fuel conversion solutions for both passenger and cargo van applications. The E-Series was selected because Ford has long held a leadership role in the van segment for more than 30 years and fleet managers are familiar with the ordering process, cost of ownership, and maintenance schedules. From an emissions reduction standpoint, the ROUSH propane-fueled E-Series vans will achieve Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) II emission standards; on average a SULEV vehicle is 90 percent cleaner in emissions than the average new model year car or truck. The ROUSH conversion system works on the Ford 5.4L, V-8 engine found in 2009 and newer vans, including the gaseous prep engine offered by the Ford Motor Company. As an alternative fuel, propane offers a variety of advantages. It is available "right here, right now" with a national fueling infrastructure already in place. Propane burns cleaner, with up to 20 percent less nitrous oxide, up to 60 percent less carbon monoxide and fewer particulate emissions. It is already the third most widely used fuel worldwide, following gasoline and diesel. Propane is 90 percent domestically produced, and as an alternative fuel, the purchase of propane-powered vehicles are eligible for a variety of federal, state, and municipal tax credits or rebates. Numerous studies have been conducted on the operational savings fleets can achieve by converting to propane as a motor fuel, and a savings calculator is available online at www.SwitchToPropane.com that allows the user to input variables specific to their usage. It is not uncommon for fleet managers to see savings of more than $17,500 per van over a total vehicle life of 150,000 miles. "Evidence clearly shows that propane as a motor fuel can save fleets considerable amounts of money. Now fleets are taking a hard look at their environmental impact as well. Propane is available right here, right now and can help fleets on both of these fronts. I'm pleased that ROUSH is taking steps to make a variety of propane-fueled vehicles available," said Brian Feehan, vice-president of the Propane Education & Research Council. As with all the ROUSH propane-fueled vehicles, the E-Series vans will be covered by a 3-year/36,000 mile warranty. Dealers are able to order the conversion on a ship-through basis to help reduce transportation costs, or conversion systems can be ordered and installed through any authorized Ford dealership for vehicles already in operation. While propane fueling stations are already quite prevalent, such as at each of the more than 1200 U-Haul locations nationwide, many of the fleets prefer to have a refueling station on-site at their location of business. ROUSH can assist with this by working with propane distributors such as Ferrellgas, AmeriGas or Heritage Propane to install a propane fueling station at little to no cost to the fleet. ROUSH is currently working on developing a propane kit for the Ford 6.8L, V-10 engine used on the E-450 Cutaway vehicle. This is scheduled to be available in late 2010. Complete details on the ROUSH propane offerings can be found online at www.ROUSHperformance.com/Propane or by calling 800-59-ROUSH. Based in Livonia, Mich., "The Art of Performance Engineering" takes place at ROUSH Performance. To get a look behind the scenes at what goes on at ROUSH and how the vehicles are designed, manufactured and produced logon to www.ROUSHtv.com. For more information see your local ROUSH dealer, visit www.ROUSHperformance.com or telephone toll-free (800) 59-ROUSH. Follow us on Twitter @_ROUSH_ or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/roushperformance. *"ROUSH" is a registered trademark of ROUSH Performance Products, Inc., or its related entities. |
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Harbor Retrofit HD Drawers |
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Harbor Truck Bodies of Brea, CA now offers retrofit HD drawer units that can be shipped directly to end users for easy installation in minutes. Prior to this innovation, the drawers were welded into the compartment and were generally done when the body was built. Previously, retrofitting welded drawers was time consuming and required paintwork and taking the unit to the plant or a distributor to get the work done. No more. Now you can call Harbor and order your drawer or drawers and have them shipped directly to you for easy installation.
Call Harbor at 800-433-9452 and talk with Kimberly, Tony or Warren. Also look at the other accessories available and other bodies at www.htbi.net. |
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Smith Electric Vehicle News |
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- SEV US Corp to develop jointly with AM General, a prototype electric postal delivery vehicle for the US Postal Service
- SEV US Corp customers win additional $4.5m Federal grant funding for 65 Smith trucks through the Clean City Program
- Strong demand for Newton electric truck: SEV US Corp order book now stands 255 trucks
- Tanfield confirmed as largest supplier to UK's Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement Programme
- Renewed focus on production ready medium duty electric vans and light duty trucks (Newton and Edison)
- Withdrawal from electric car-derived van development: Termination of US Ford Transit Connect project
Tanfield is pleased to announce further developments from its associate company, Smith Electric Vehicles US Corp ("SEV US Corp").
SEV US Corp, together with AM General, a leading manufacturer of military and commercial vehicles, headquartered in South Bend, Indiana, USA, is developing a prototype electric version of the gasoline-powered Long Life Vehicle for the United States Postal Service ("USPS"). There are currently approximately 178,000 Long Life Vehicles in service with the USPS. AM General will manufacture the chassis and SEV US Corp will supply the electric drive train, including the motor, battery pack, electronics and ancillary systems.
Darren Kell, CEO of The Tanfield Group Plc, said: "With AM General we combine a global leader in specialist vehicles with a world leader in electric vehicle integration. The goal is to deliver an electric vehicle that is perfect for the United States Postal Service; a vehicle that is energy efficient, cost-effective, reduces US reliance on oil and lowers greenhouse gas emissions."
As announced on 6 August 2009, SEV US Corp won $10m in grant funding from the US Department of Energy (DoE), to facilitate its growth towards volume production and to build a demonstration fleet of electric trucks. In addition, SEV US Corp customers have been awarded funding for 65 Smith Newton electric trucks, amounting to $4.5m, through the US Clean Cities Program. SEV US Corp is applying for more funding through the US Government "green vehicles" programmes.
SEV US Corp has commenced production of the Smith Newton electric truck platform at its assembly facility in Kansas City, Missouri. Appetite for the Smith Newton truck is strong in North America and SEV US Corp now has an order book of 255 trucks.
In light of the swift growth in demand for the production ready Smith Newton, SEV US Corp mutually agreed with Ford to terminate its development project with Ford of an electric car-derived van based on Transit Connect. In the short to medium term, forecast volumes did not justify the investment requirement and limited the working capital available to support the growth of Newton. SEV US Corp believes that investing in the existing Smith platforms represents a better use of its financial resources, allowing it to take full advantage of a potentially very sizeable market and to gain market traction more quickly. It was concerned that the market for electric car-derived vans would become increasingly competitive. In North America, Ford still intends to launch its own electric version of the Connect.
In other markets, the Board of Directors believes that the best strategy going forward for the Company is to focus on preserving and enhancing Tanfield's market-leading position in the medium-duty commercial vehicle sector, through its many variants of Newton truck and Edison van platforms. Tanfield remains Ford of Europe's official collaborator on commercial electric vehicles, initially focused solely on the Ford Transit platform, which is marketed as the Smith Edison.
Whilst consolidating its market-lead position in this sector, Tanfield continues to pursue an order for the delivery of over 50 Smith Edison vans with a leading UK retailer. Additionally, Tanfield is now confirmed as the largest supplier to Phase One of the UK Government's Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement Programme. Tanfield will supply a total of 57 Smith Edison vans in the first phase.
Darren Kell added:
"Tanfield is gaining real traction with its core products in the electric van and truck sectors across the world" |
Guest Article:
The Boss - Poly Power V-XT Snowplow |
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It's a V-Plow, a straight blade and a scoop!
This is what the Pros say about the Boss Poly Power V-XT:
The snow flies further - The moldboard is built with a slick poly material and is shaped with a very aggressive angle. The snow is easily thrown over existing snow banks, off the roads and makes further passes easier.
Snow does not stick - The poly material repels stick snow. The truck is able to push the plow blade easier.
It looks good! - The guys like the aggressive look of the V-Plow on the front of their truck!
Simple to attach - The SmartHitch System is simple to attach. In addition, other full size models of Boss plows can be attached and used on the same truck.
Back of blade
Scoop position
Boss Snowplow builds a full line of excellent snowplows. Check their website: www.bossplow.com.
Here is a link to find a Boss dealer near you:
Guest article by Steve Taylor.
Steve is a consultant in the Truck Equipment business with over 30 years in the snowplow and truck body manufacturing business. Visit his website at www.truckarchitect.com. He specializes in the design and quality/reliability field and may be reached by email at steve@truckarchitect.com |
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Interesting Custom Racks by North Bay |
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I've known Bob Dias at North Bay Truck Body for a long time and I've seen a lot of his racks. We also built his website and I was looking at some of the photos of his rack projects and these two caught my eye, so I asked him about them. These are his responses:
"It is a North Bay Truck Body special. 2"x2" square tube construction, spaced for galvanized E-track for vending machines. Tie off capable in the front as well as the sides. We provided a third brake light cutout and an angle front return to help keep the bed intact."
"It is a North Bay Truck Body special, 2"x2" square tube construction, two extra vertical legs per side with #9 flattened expanded metal cover to the inside. Four points of cutout for the RS-1 Rack Straps. Swinging rear bar and has an angle front return for strength and a weld point for the expanded metal. It also has a 48" cab over rack. Six 1/2" rope hooks."
Bob Dias builds all kinds of custom racks, custom flatbeds and other products. Call Bob at 707-864-2700. I can tell you this straight up: they don't get any better than Bob. Visit his website with over 1,000 photos at www.nbtb.com. |
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Royal Low Pro w/Horizontal Series |
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This is a body that you don't see every day. It is an 8' x 33" Low Pro Royal Service Body with a horizontal series on the curbside, where the horizontal compartment over the wheel is extended to the end with a small square door below, and verticle series on the streetside. Notice the height of the top of the open top lids is about at the bottom of the rear window. This helps it to look a whole lot more like a pickup truck and less like a commercial truck. In addition, this great body is mounted on a crew cab LT1 loaded chassis. It even has remote start and power seat. It is powered by a DuraMax diesel with Allison automatic transmission. You can find this unit at Fairfield Chevrolet-Isuzu Truck in Fairfield, CA. Call the commercial department at 707-422-7777, ext 3113. Visit their website at www.fairfieldcommercialtruck.com. |
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Interesting Scelzi Contractor Spin |
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This is a great spin on the contractor body. Notice the additonal boxes on the streetside on top of the upper bed boxes and the boxes go all the way to the end on the streetside, but on the curbsite a more like the normal contractor body. This also utilizes a square headboard rather than tapered. Take a look at all the small add-ons too. All kinds of different storage areas, many specific to a task.
Scelzi Enterprises, Inc. builds high quality products at more than fair prices and they build such a wide variety of products for light duty, medium duty and even heavy duty trucks. Contact them at 800-858-2883 and visit their redesigned website at www.seinc.com. | |
