The Honest Economy: Marcus Sheridan at TEDxRockCreekPark
Marcus Sheridan is one of the sharp young speaker/marketers out there and is worth listening to. he is the operator of River Pools, the most traficked swimming pool website in the world,
which is an example of successful internet marketing in action. His directness and honesty are refreshing.
The Honest Economy is internet marketing
Truth and transparency are what has helped Marcus and his company as well as those like McDonalds to gain trust and improve the relationships with customers by doing the simple things. Answer youir customers questions fully and honestly and keep doing it.
Dang if that is a novel idea.!
The Honest Economy at TedX Rock Creek Park
Below is the transcript of the Honest Economy TedX Talk given by Marcus Sheridan. If you want to know more about Marcus I encourage you to visit The Sales Lion
If you like it and what it represents please share this article with your friends and see if we can get more people to buy into it. You can find and share the video on YouTube at http://youtu.be/0vphJil59bo
0:09
was a couple weeks ago one morning i was sitting in my office
0:14
now’s probably know the equipment
0:17
i had to bring to my daughters softball game that night
0:20
because i’m a coach
0:22
at that moment i realized something
0:24
the sheraton family
0:26
and to buy a pickup truck
0:29
in with his new goal i did what we all do now we have a problem or a need
0:34
i went to the source of all like you with the knowledge
0:38
yes
0:39
i went to the internet and when i went to the internet
0:43
i arrive somewhere
0:45
or something you may have a right before can see this
0:49
this is a webpage from carmax birder carmax before
0:54
pretty unique
0:54
company
0:56
there’s something very special about this image
1:00
but i first when i ask you a question when you hear the words used car
1:03
salesman
1:05
you know
1:07
negative right why do you feel negative
1:10
because
1:11
this is an industry
1:13
that’s been doing things
1:14
well wrong way
1:16
for a long time
1:19
in carmax himself
1:21
they realize this and they said you know what
1:24
this is messed up we’re tired of doing it this way dhamma
1:29
and we’re going to change it and that’s why with carmax
1:33
what they did is they started the process on pine cards very different
1:37
annul haven’t priced instead of saying oh you’ve got to come to a lot
1:41
no here’s the price
1:42
instead of pain
1:44
there’s no guarantee you’ve applied the money back
1:47
daring few ongoing were used car
1:50
you had this incredible checked with
1:52
of all these things to make a certified you have all these autos
1:56
but you can see the cartridge
1:58
in me
1:59
it’s the on their that you know proc
2:03
i thought on this web page
2:05
in a few hours later
2:07
i was driving
2:08
out of that locks
2:10
with that very pickup truck
2:13
and look at another website
2:15
i mean look at the core i didn’t go to another dealership
2:18
the question is why
2:21
i was just the consumer
2:23
i was just looking for an on his car
2:26
from an on his company
2:29
i’m not a surprise
2:31
carmax is changing the way we all seemed fine used car
2:37
these honesty any or three
2:41
in really
2:42
really fascinating
2:44
but this one
2:45
when i see a very welcome your seat
2:48
this is pretty neat
2:49
what’s special about this photo right here
2:52
i’d have all seen that before
2:54
yes it’s a menu
2:56
from mcdonald’s
2:57
and yes these are value meals
3:00
but there’s something very interesting about this photo
3:03
if you can’t see it
3:04
found right here
3:08
it’s the calories
3:09
of this error
3:11
has there been any industry of the last five years that’s been attacked more
3:16
for the responsibilities
3:18
in the fast food industry
3:19
market which has been done here on this very stage
3:23
and instead of fighting the tide
3:25
when his mcdonald now don
3:27
they said you know a lot
3:28
there right
3:29
and why don’t we different
3:32
why don’t you grace truth and so instead
3:35
today
3:36
or shelling
3:37
what’s in the food
3:38
and because they’re doing that
3:40
they’re changing people’s perception on the wait we now see the fast mainstream
3:44
ended down himself
3:46
and they’re doing mort and the question i have is why don’t more businesses do
3:50
just this
3:52
why don’t they in place this truth
3:54
in this transparency
3:55
i’ll tell you why because more on the subject the passed without his stick
3:58
with it
3:59
this is the reason
4:01
what’s that right there let’s say it
4:04
at the big mac
4:05
and there’s something very unique about the big mac isn’t it
4:11
at right there
4:13
it’s this secret sauce you ask the secret soft
4:17
here’s the problem of tomatoes and businesses
4:21
they think they have a secret sauce when in reality it’s nothing but the house
4:25
and i’m interested
4:28
it through
4:30
it’s through we don’t have to take my word for it
4:33
just ask mcdonald’s dont canada has done something in the evening in the spring
4:38
so i mean
4:39
would be so real they started our new your questions
4:44
missing you can ask is any question you want
4:47
they will answer it
4:48
and once that’s question came from added
4:51
from toronto
4:52
and he said
4:53
what’s the secret big mac sauce
4:56
hello
4:58
this is the moment of truth right
5:01
this is like colonel sanders and i think it might that be printing at sea
5:05
this is the coca-cola syrup
5:07
how do you think
5:08
they responded
5:12
this is how they respond
5:15
our answer
5:17
c_n_n_ it’s not going to see companies the signatures fall-off we just are big
5:21
mac with instead of going deeper into it and fax just take a look at this
5:26
danielle from our executive chef
5:29
being well stronger how to make a big that
5:32
at home
5:34
including the secret
5:36
sults
5:38
legendary patio
5:40
and shut down and do it
5:42
strongly
5:43
do you think mcdonald is worried that evan is going to invite pastas buddies
5:47
over and all those that have amid nah convention at home
5:52
isn’t going to happen is that
5:53
because everybody having doesn’t want to make a big macro secrets off he just
5:57
wants to know how they do
6:00
what they do
6:01
and that’s the way
6:03
week
6:04
consumers just window
6:08
what they do
6:11
your customers want to know what
6:12
you do
6:14
how
6:15
the way
6:19
three me
6:21
you know there’s so much more to this
6:23
because sometimes people think
6:24
this is just about
6:26
big industries that are changing the perception
6:29
approving our like used cars like that
6:31
heisinger
6:33
are used to be before as a marketing di
6:36
i was a pool guy in fact still today i’m a silent partner in a company called
6:40
river pools
6:41
out of the junior
6:43
and we started two thousand one and we do fiberglass sleepless one of our
6:46
pulled back here
6:47
near d_c_
6:49
and things are going pretty well up until about
6:52
two thousand inmates that we all know what happened
6:55
two thousand eight
6:56
bad day for poor guys let me tell you because the economy crashed
7:01
the housing market with it
7:02
installed in luxury spending
7:04
and then all the sudden
7:05
we were in big big trouble by january of two thousand and im
7:09
my company with your story straight weeks of the overdrawn our bank account
7:14
sixteen employees at the time it was the hardest
7:19
extremely stressful we really didn’t know what to do
7:23
as the top of my business partners we decided to do one thing
7:27
we said why don’t we do differently than it’s ever been done before this industry
7:31
why don’t we justanswer all those questions we’ve gotten over the years
7:35
about what it is
7:37
that we do
7:38
why don’t you come the wikipedia
7:40
a fiberglass pools and so we did just that any question
7:44
positive or negative we answered it on our website
7:47
things like how much of the part of a left-wing cost of course you can say
7:51
that right to go have them
7:52
come to a lot and see the car
7:56
we answer the question
7:58
or one of the problems with fiberglass pools the problems without stopping or
8:02
out of losing a lot
8:03
a part of our school might not be for you
8:06
and here’s why
8:07
and something really amazing happened will start to answer all these questions
8:11
so promise we
8:14
people believed us
8:15
and the trust grumman because the trust grew
8:17
the traffic grew as well
8:19
in two years later river pools
8:22
became the most rapid swimming pool website
8:25
in the world
8:27
still is to this day
8:28
were liberal
8:33
i_q_
8:36
or lateral digital david
8:38
the land of their lives
8:40
or killed
8:41
all because we see ourselves
8:44
teachers
8:46
i was sharing this very same story and share with you right now a few weeks ago
8:51
i say this is about two months ago now
8:53
and dallas texas
8:54
and after i was done
8:56
and still to come up to me was employee of the new york times
9:00
use the markets this is really really fascinating
9:02
this whole artist approach
9:04
the business of dancing all these questions regardless of letters of that
9:08
thing i want to do a story on this i don’t think you love it
9:10
until a few days later i’ve talked to new york times reporter
9:13
for about an hour and a half
9:15
the conversation just kept going going us more more questions then a few days
9:19
later
9:20
i got a call here’s our there was a photographer
9:22
coming down
9:23
you want to take a picture of me
9:26
simple company
9:28
than a week later
9:30
on the cover
9:32
of the business section
9:33
of the new york times
9:35
appeared this photo right here
9:37
some goofy guy with the laptop and for the fiberglass pole
9:42
map here’s the irony
9:44
on what happened
9:46
can see the title which is what it says
9:49
a-level missionary marketing strategy
9:52
and there
9:53
customers questions
9:58
ordain
9:59
and that’s not new
10:02
but the crazy thing yes
10:04
most don’t do this
10:06
most don’t do this
10:10
what’s so fascinating about this is for the next three days
10:14
if mail ory
10:17
retired business section
10:19
of the year
10:20
in over the next month
10:22
i got thousands and thousands of visitors
10:24
to my website
10:26
some people just started
10:28
saying to me
10:29
markets
10:30
mute
10:31
did with this company exactly what i felt for a long time
10:36
that i should be doing as well
10:38
this transparent approach to business
10:40
i loved it and i want to do it myself
10:43
because you know for a long time we’ve had a problem
10:46
for about two decades
10:47
well mostly through the dark ages a business finley
10:50
we got ourselves a little bit of trouble
10:52
because of the but now there is a new movements
10:56
afoot
10:58
my question for you this day
11:01
it’s what’s one of these new groups are you
11:04
arguing truth order
11:07
holding it all in
11:09
not sharing any of it
11:11
thinking have secret sauce
11:14
you know
11:16
three of the teacher
11:18
bracing openness
11:20
just giving it
11:25
this
11:26
is the essence
11:28
of the honest economy
11:32
and is that you leave here today and we’ve had some pretty cool
11:36
experience here
11:38
i’m gonna leave you with one count
11:41
that you allowed truth
11:43
and transparency change everything
11:46
i know
11:48
that it will
11:49
are you with me
