Monday, April 09, 2007

Robin Robins Bugs Me

Disclaimer: This post is not about Robin Robins or her Technology Marketing Toolkit.

If you haven't heard about Robin Robins and her amazing technicolor Technology Marketing Toolkit, go to www.technologymarketingtoolkit.com. Make sure you tell her Karl sent you. Thanks.


I bought the Toolkit for three reasons.

1) I was at the point where I needed a quick "step up" in my marketing activity. I have been doing direct mail marketing since I started my business. I had a system. I pumped money into it. I knew it worked some of the time. But I needed to take it to the next level.

2) The timing was right. I could afford to put some money into the business. Even if you know it's the right thing to do, it's hard to spent the money if you don't have the cash flow. I was ready to spend money on faith.

3) If I'd been on the fence, that ended when she completed her presentation and 65 people lined up to buy her toolkit. The bottom line was: She obviously has something to teach me about sales.

Since then I've joined two other of Robin's programs. She gets a monthly stipend from my company.

In return, I get bugged all the time.

Robin's "members" get a non-stop flow of audio CDs, sample campaigns, and great ideas.

Some of my good friends reject her techniques as old-school, un-professional, interrupt advertising.

The truth is, her materials cover print advertising, video endorsements, compensation plans, price structuring, tradeshows, how to find a lawyer, getting the most out of Google Ads, . . . and a LOT more.

I don't think I've ever made a better investment in my business than signing up for Robin's mastermind group.

Stop.

I said this post wasn't about Robin or her Toolkit. That was all background.

As you may know, I have a book called the Network Documentation Workbook. Some people buy it, use it, fine-tune it for their own purposes, and love it. But lots of people buy it, know they should read it, love the idea, and never take action. This is very frustrating for me. I want people to implement this stuff!

My "system" is to put out a book and do enough supporting activities so that people find me, ask me about it, and I can encourage them to use it. But I don't have a system to bug them about it. I don't show up in their mailbox 1-2 times a month. I don't have a monthly call-in. I don't have dozens of audio programs. I don't have free phone days.

I don't have a way to constantly ask people: Are you doing the things you know you need to do?

In my presentations I always say that "we all know" how to be successful. The key is, how do we motivate ourselves to do the things we all know we need to do?

My family is no help. When they bug me to do what I need to do, I say "Please leave me alone about that" and they do. But not Robin! She gets paid to bug me, and she doesn't stop.

She bugs me about my web site, about my marketing plan, about endorsements, about logo design, about goal-setting. And when I ignore her, or put off her advice, she just keeps bugging me.

Until I take her advice.

And then I make more money.

We get caught up in the day-to-day activities. We all need to be pulled back to our goals from time to time. And when we're pulled back relentlessly, then we get in the habit of focusing on our goals. And maybe, someday, we'll motivate ourselves, stay on track, and we won't need outside influence to do the things we know will make us more successful.

I hope one day that I will bug people as effectively as Robin Robins.

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See newer comments on this subject here: Robin Robins' System Does Not Work

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12 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:59 AM

    I might not be getting this right. Her entire campaign so far seems just like one I saw on the web 3 years ago from another attractive and smart honey, who has since disappeared from my inbox, and whose name now escapes me. How effective was _that_ marketing?

    And I can't escape the impression that this is another version of those "make millions in real estate" cookie cutter television infomercials, where each one steals the scripts and copies shot-for-shot the previous instantiation. But maybe that's just a [blink]design issue[/blink].

    But maybe I DO get it. She is definitely an attractive smart honey, who happens to use images like her cute downshot(everywhere, on every single page) and trigger phrases like "hold your hand" and "attraction" and "excited" and others to hook in defenseless(no offense) male nerds. (I have seen no evidence that women are targeted, or have purchased and benefited from Robins' materials.)

    But maybe I don't get it. Robin seems to have found _her_ niche, narrowcasting to male, "mature", consulting professionals, as seen in the photos on the testimonials pages. And truth be told, it's been years since I've seen such a laser-targeted campaign so effectively aimed at all my soft spots: white, middle-aged, successfully self-employed but not exactly where I want to be financially, technically savvy, wondering "where are the easy expansion answers," and worse, "where are all the chicks?" Will this marketing approach work in 2028 or 2048? Will men still be as insecure and un-evolved?

    Well done, but what a sad state of affairs for men in 2008. Or am I just talking about myself? And I'm still unsure if I get it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous9:19 AM

    Followup.

    Okay, now I get it. Robins, for a fee, becomes one's marketing gadfly. Much cheaper than hiring a marketing firm or executive, and for the small businessperson perhaps as effective. Fair enough; well done.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm not sure why you thought you were evolved.
    :-)

    All I know is the bottom line: Robin's materials and approach are laser focused on SMB Consultants and SMB clients.

    The program works.

    And you get a lot more than a couple of form letters. If you give it a shot, you'll actually be overwhelmed with the amount of information you receive -- printed, electronics, and on audio CDs.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous4:49 PM

    I'm wondering if "Robin Robbins" (or her organization) even truly exist? I tried asking questions (via email). No response. I replied to direct emails (emails sent to my email address - not broadcast emails), no response. And to top off the cake, my last request was for several Canadian clients who would act as references for her services. No response.

    So yes - "Robin Robbins bugs me..."

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well, somebody sends me great stuff every month.

    Try this contact form:

    http://www.technologymarketingtoolkit.com/contact.php

    ReplyDelete
  6. You make a good point ThoughtIWasEvolved. I laughed when I read your comment. I used to work with Robin about three years ago and I was a very insecure back then :-)

    My world view has expended since and I would not work with Robin again.

    All the best!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Note on Comments:

    I recently deleted a comment without posting it because it contained an outright attack on a person.

    I am happy to post comments that disagree with me or my experiences, but please be respectful. You can give the details of your experience and support your argument with facts. You don't have to resort to personal insults.

    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Karl,
    Curious if you are still working with Robin? If so how has it worked for you over the years?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for the question, Gerhard.

    Yes! We have used Robin's stuff for years and we love it. Her materials work great in a recession too.

    More importantly with this post: Robin's programs involve a huge amount of education to take my business to the next level and keep me motivated.

    Her monthly newsletters are always a "good read" and are filled with great information and inspiration.

    Elsewhere I have noted that buying Robin Robins' Technology Marketing Toolkit is one of the best decisions I've made in my business.

    ReplyDelete
  10. So how it helped you this material!!! Can you be more specific?

    thanks

    Tassos

    ReplyDelete
  11. Some specifics.

    First, I love the monthly mailings. There's more great ideas each month than we can implement. We get an audio program that's truly informative and 99% not trying to sell something.

    For example, the mail includes a postcard idea with graphics, messaging, and layout. All you have to do is drop in your company's graphics and specific offer and you're ready to go.

    Second, Robin's printed newsletter is very well written and focused completely on motivation and real-world examples.

    For about nine years now I have looked forward to the monthly mailing, and tried to implement at least one thing each month.

    Third, Robin's site is filled with example mailing campaigns that just work. Really, honestly work. Her "bad date" mailing has literally made millions of dollars worth of sales across hundreds of I.T. consultants. We use it from time to time and always get a response. We haven't made a million dollars on that letter, but we've certainly made a few hundred thousand dollars with it.

    If you're in the right program, Robin will take a letter (or set of letters) you've written and fine-tune them to be much more effective. I went through this process with a set I wrote about five years ago. The transformation was amazing.

    I could go on. The point of the post is that all this "Robinized" activity takes our marketing to a new level, educates us on many topics related to business, and makes us more successful. Even when I know what to do, Robin motivates me to actually do it.

    For those who are skeptical, please look at her annual conference. You'll find a ballroom filled with hundreds of IT Professionals who have made millions of dollars with Robin's programs and continue to renew every year. This is not bullshit, it's not a scam, and it's definitely not a get-rich-quick scheme.

    Robin makes it very clear that you don't get rich by buying The Technology Marketing Toolkit. You get rich by taking the advice and templates and working your butt off. You send the mailings, you make the follow-up calls, you practice your presentation, you have a great service offering, and you sign up new business. It's work. It's hard work. If you're willing to do the hard work, you'll make money. If you want to buy a "kit" that will make you rich without any work, then you're fooling yourself. That's not Robin's fault.

    ReplyDelete
  12. By the way . . . if you're interested in why I still get the monthly mailings from Robin, check out this video:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f4xmWgeGck

    ReplyDelete

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