In sales, nothing is more powerful than a recommendation from a happy customer. When a customer gives you or your company a complement, ask them to put it into a letter. Or better, in this online age, ask them to post their thoughts on their blog, twitter, facebook, or other social media site."As the editor of a peer-reviewed design/construction magazine, I’ve happily worked with Michael Chusid on multiple occasions over the last 10 years. A writer, consultant, and advocate, he brings his vast experience in architecture and the built environment to topics as diverse as concrete, ceilings, sustainable design, and wall finishes. Whatever the specific subject matter, Michael’s writing displays not only his wordsmith skill and ability to convey complex technical information, but also his passion for the world of building products and materials. He also understands the needs of editors in a trade publishing environment. In other words, his writing is clear and concise, his arguments are persuasive without losing objectivity, he meets deadlines, secures photography, and provides sources for his information, and he truly understands both his story’s content and its audience. It’s a genuine pleasure working with him."Don't be niggardly in giving recommendations to your customers. Architects, contractors, and distributors like to be recognized, too.
I know there are issues combining concrete and glass... I want to set old bottles into bases of concrete. Will I get degradation of the concrete segment that holds the bottle? Is there a additive I can use to eliminate the problem? I do use metakaolin in my mix; will this reduce or cure the issue?Two days later, Andrew responded:
I found this great article that speaks to the problem and solves itI wrote the article over six years ago -- a reminder of the enduring value of getting published. At the time, I was a consultant to BASF, producers of MetaMax brand High Reactivity Metakaolin (HRM). The article includes a great case study and explains how HRM makes it practical to use glass in concrete mixtures. The article cites my client's brand names and includes a link to their then current website.*
with metakaolin: http://www.solutions.precast.org/precast-concrete-recycled-glass-tiles-case-study They replace up to 20% of their cement with metakaolin when using all kinds and colours of recycled glass in their concrete.
“Michael and I worked on a technology transfer program for a mutual client in the building materials area, with great results. Michael is an inventive individual, with out-of-the-box ideas that get the job done in creative ways.” Raymond Hemmings, Founder and President, Hemmings & Associates, LLCOld fashioned, face-to-face networking also works. For example, a client recently told me how pleased he was with the work Chusid Associates had done for his business. I thanked him for his compliment, then asked if he would be willing to put his sentiments into a letter I could use. Here is what he sent:
"Chusid Associates made critical contributions to successfully bringing Lythic Solutions to the marketplace. With their knowledge of our industry niche, they worked to helped shape our message and make a conceptual strategy for branding. Their PR articles in trade publications generated contacts from specifiers and contractors from around the world and led to sales. The Chusid Team’s ability to produce effective marketing literature and collateral sales materials, based on our knowledge and advanced technology products, leveraged us into market prominence quickly and with credibility. Collaboration with Chusid Associates has made it possible for Lythic Solutions to build its brand, on an international scale, in a faster time frame than we had anticipated before finding them." Brad Sleeper, General Manager, Lythic Solutions.I have tried to demonstrate in this post that testimonials work best if they are shared publicly. Make sure the writer has given you permission to use his or her name, then place the testimonials on your website or work them into your advertising.
"The Federal Trade Commission today announced that it has approved final revisions to the guidance it gives to advertisers on how to keep their endorsement and testimonial ads in line with the FTC Act.
"The notice incorporates several changes to the FTC’s Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, which address endorsements by consumers, experts, organizations, and celebrities, as well as the disclosure of important connections between advertisers and endorsers. The Guides were last updated in 1980.
"Under the revised Guides, advertisements that feature a consumer and convey his or her experience with a product or service as typical when that is not the case will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect. In contrast to the 1980 version of the Guides – which allowed advertisers to describe unusual results in a testimonial as long as they included a disclaimer such as “results not typical” – the revised Guides no longer contain this safe harbor.
"The revised Guides also add new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that “material connections” (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers – connections that consumers would not expect – must be disclosed. These examples address what constitutes an endorsement when the message is conveyed by bloggers or other “word-of-mouth” marketers. The revised Guides specify that while decisions will be reached on a case-by-case basis, the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service. Likewise, if a company refers in an advertisement to the findings of a research organization that conducted research sponsored by the company, the advertisement must disclose the connection between the advertiser and the research organization. And a paid endorsement – like any other advertisement – is deceptive if it makes false or misleading claims.
"Celebrity endorsers also are addressed in the revised Guides. While the 1980 Guides did not explicitly state that endorsers as well as advertisers could be liable under the FTC Act for statements they make in an endorsement, the revised Guides reflect Commission case law and clearly state that both advertisers and endorsers may be liable for false or unsubstantiated claims made in an endorsement – or for failure to disclose material connections between the advertiser and endorsers. The revised Guides also make it clear that celebrities have a duty to disclose their relationships with advertisers when making endorsements outside the context of traditional ads, such as on talk shows or in social media.
"The Guides are administrative interpretations of the law intended to help advertisers comply with the Federal Trade Commission Act; they are not binding law themselves. In any law enforcement action challenging the allegedly deceptive use of testimonials or endorsements, the Commission would have the burden of proving that the challenged conduct violates the FTC Act."
