Entrepreneur Association Of Tokyo: Worst Marketing & Promotion of 2011 Award "No Riff Raff!"

Ladies and gentlemen the Worst Marketing and Promotion Award of 2011 goes to.... Envelope please... A Linked in group in Japan called the Entrepreneur Association Of Tokyo!


Clap! Clap! Clap!

The flunky association with the funky title gets the award for an extremely lame attempt at building their data base by obtaining contact information and details of company owners and executives. Then they can use this information to market those people and probably use/sell this data to obtain sponsors. How clever! How original! Took a page right out of Marketing 101.


Fantabulous and superbulous are words that come to mind..


Hello? Guys! I think that most people, who would matter to you, for this sort of thing (a thinly-veiled crass attempt at data-mining), are pretty protective of their personal information.


But, that's just me, I suppose.  


First, let's look at what the commotion is all about:


The Entrepreneur Association Of Tokyo plans on holding a "Shacho Night" (President's Night) at a bar in Tokyo. The charge for the event is ¥10,000. The invitation, in its hoity-toity, manner claims that:


"This is a “members only” event. Attendees must be a Company President, Owner, CEO or Country Head and an approved member at www.tokyoexecutives.com or our Linked in Group "Tokyo Executives."


Wow! High-powered clientele! There must be some great speaker and entertainment lined up for this event, right? Or, heck, maybe even some hot belly-dancers? Well, if you thought so, you thought wrong. Go to the back of the class!


At the top of the invitation it says:


"We are pleased to introduce the first ever “Shacho Night” – A Special Dinner Event especially for Company Presidents, Business Owners, and CEOs. This event will be organized and hosted by Tokyo Executives.

This will be a great opportunity to meet with other CEOs and we expect the dinner discussions to be lively and engaging."

No entertainment? No famous speakers? "Expecting the dinner discussions to be lively and engaging"?! Not much of a killer line up there. No wonder they didn't try to book Tokyo Dome for this gala event.

And just who are Tokyo Executives? Must be a well known and long established company in Tokyo, right? Wrong. A look at their web page reveals that the company was established way back in (August?) of 2010 - ancient! Coupled with  that long and storied history, the company also boasts a staff of three people.

Count them: One, two, three.

Far be it from me, though, to trash some small businessmen trying to make a buck, but, guys at least have some basic manners - as well as a tiny bit of common sense - before you go off acting like the King of Siam. 

I showed this invitation to my friend Roger Marshall. Roger, of course, is merely a rookie only having been living in Japan since 1971 and a managing partner at one of the most reputable executive search companies in the entire world. I sweep floors, empty waste bins and clean the latrine twice a week at Roger's offices. So while I am shining his shoes, sometimes Roger will talk to me. Roger laughed when he saw this invitation and this was how our conversation went,


"Mike?" Roger said as his lips curled on a hundred dollar Cuban cigar.


"Yes, boss?" I muttered.

"It's OK what they are trying to do. How they are doing it is idiotic." He added.


"Yes, boss." I replied


Roger then tipped me a dollar and walked off in the rain towards the train station. 


The qualifications listed on the Tokyo Executives web page might be good enough to get an teaching job or job at a restaurant (nothing at all wrong with gainful employment). May I suppose that it stretches the imagination to think it  qualifies these people to decide who is "presidential enough" to fit into their little club? Does, say, the president of a large car manufacturing company have to apply too? How about someone who has received funding from a major Japanese corporation for their project? Or does the application requirement and approval process only apply to small businessmen and riff raff like me?

Let me allow you, dear reader, to decide if I am just over-reacting to some pompous nonsense from some amateurish clowns or is this really insulting? Here's their email notice:

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW

There's several problems here that I'm sure Miss Manners would take offense to. Please refer to the amateurish writing skills and redundancies as designated by the arrows 1 & 2. 

#1 says: "Please Note: This event is for Company Presidents, CEOs, Business Owners, and Japan Country Heads only. All participants must RSVP in advance. There are a limited number of spaces available. "

#2 basically says the same thing: "This is a “members only” event. Attendees must be a Company President, Owner, CEO or Country Head and an approved member at www.tokyoexecutives.com or our Linked in Group "Tokyo Executives"

This invitation made me laugh at just how preposterous it was. I suggested to these eager beaver business men on their Linkedin page:


"...You should have added to the invitations, 'No riff raff allowed and only pompous twits need apply.'" 


My error! I should have written:


"...You should have added to the "insultations", 'No riff raff allowed and only pompous twits need apply.'"

This is a crass and shallow attempt to data mine information for marketing purposes. And just how does one become an "approved member" pray tell? Well... Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! They must register at the Tokyo Executive website and/or register by sending in their email and contact information. Like I said crass, low class, no common sense, poorly written (redundancies) and pretty transparent what they are trying to do. 


When I went back to see what other people had responded to my own comedic and low class remarks, I found that I have been blocked from the site!

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW

It says, "Sorry! You're not permitted to view the information you requested."


Oh for shame. I guess I'm out of the club! What'll I ever do?

I guess, though, that I can console my devastated pride by remembering the words of that great and genius businessman Groucho Marx when he remarked about club memberships:


"Please accept my resignation. I don't want to belong to any club that will accept people like me as a member!"


Actually, I wouldn't. I would, though, think that people would take some common sense advice on manners and professionalism when it is obvious that they have been very amateurish and lacking in writing and marketing skills with this very poor presentation.


If they can't do that, they could at least have a sense of humor... But, nope. Doesn't seem like a sense of humor is what these guys are strong in.


Sounds like it's going to be a fun night!


NOTE: Of course, on this blog, I rip these guys. They deserve it for this   neanderthal effort. It is unfortunate that they are the target of my derision today. Recently, I have been saving such criticism for high-fliers like Groupon, Linkedin, Twitter, etc. So, in a way, I am complimenting Entrepreneur Association Of Tokyo by putting them in with such a big name crowd... As if it actually matters what I think anyway... 


Whenever I write a post and blast some big name company, that article will get at least a few hundred and, sometimes a few thousand reads - especially if they are rewritten and posted on Lew Rockwell where they will get several hundred thousand reads. Alas, that won't happen with with this article as Entrepreneur Association Of Tokyo isn't a popular enough name to justify an article like that. (And my piddly reputation isn't big enough to carry it alone...)


So, let's let bygones be bygones. May I suggest to Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo that, had we met in private, of course I wouldn't be blasting them in public like this. But, as this is a blog, readers are not interested in niceties and pretty things. It seems they are interested in cutting straight to the chase.


They blew it big time with this arrogant effort. They used public media to promote their effort, they get blasted in the same public media for doing so poorly. It's called the "Free Market". By the way, it is laughable that they block me from visiting the page that they sent me. I guess the free market only goes so far... Perhaps they should write to Linkedin and try to have me banned? (But don't think I am complaining, you can freely associate with whomever you wish)

Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo? All entrepreneurs are equal. Some are more equal than others.

I find it astounding that I should have to recommend this to people who supposedly head an organization called "Entrepreneur Association Of Tokyo" but may I suggest reading "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnagie? 


If we all would read and practice the wisdom of that book, we could most probably double our response and, most certainly wouldn't, at least, have people thinking we are stuck-up, rude or incompetent.


Good luck. 


(I wonder if I'll get invited to this year's Christmas Turkey dinner?)

Choose Your Business Partners Well

The title of this article might have also been called, "Working Hard to No Avail - Choose Your Partners Well."

Lee Dorsey - Working in the Coal Mine

Choosing partners well might seem obvious to everyone. But, in this day and age of limited opportunity and a poor economy, many might say that it is not a choosers market. But let me also add on to this statement by saying that one should not only choose their partners well, they should also choose their clients well.... Especially if they are a new business. 


There are only 24 hours in a day; only so much time that can be dedicated to doing a job right. What happens to you if you work hard and show the needed dedication to your projects only to have those projects ruined by business practices of your clients or partners? What happens to you and your reputation if you introduce your partners and clients to your own local business network connections - and bring them into your network - and they turn around and make you look bad to your connections that you had nurtured for all this time?


You agree to do a job for money. Time is also money. If you spend lots of time on a project and then your partner or client ruins it, then not only have you lost time, you lost money... Reputation is also money - only your reputation is priceless. Protect your reputation like gold.

Your company logo here... Er, never mind....

I know what I am talking about here because huge incidents involving my partners and clients it have happened several times in the last two years. One just happened again in the last few days.


I started a marketing and advertising branch in my company because I felt that selling advertising for TV and radio shows that I produced was not getting the results I wanted in today's market. Why? Well, when I sell for a TV or radio show and the client is interested in the Internet, cell phones, events, print media, then I lose out.


But if I take care of the client needs across the board, it matters not to me if they want the Internet, I can arrange that; if they want TV or radio, I can arrange that too. If I run the advertising agency, rather than just being an executive producer for a broadcast, then I am able to fill clients needs whatever they may be. Of course, you must always fill a need.


The market is tight and competition is tough. No matter, I was still able to go out and do some major tie-ups for huge Japanese companies and overseas corporations trying to break into the Japanese market. The deals were all set up to be very mutually beneficial to all parties involved. Since my company is a new company in this market, I was arranging promotions for a very inexpensive price - sometimes free - to show clients that I can achieve the impossible in the Japanese market for little cost to them.


But, in some cases, the business problems of my partners or other unforeseeable events have caused damage to my company. 


There is an old Chinese curse that says, "May you live in interesting times."


I have to say that it has been a very fun, exciting, sometimes extremely stressful, and yes, interesting few years; I have had client companies suddenly go bankrupt. Once was an airlines that was shutdown by their local country government. It was the first time in aviation history that a license was revoked to a private company by a government. Yes. That was my client. I had to spend the next three months going about to the Japanese partner companies and bowing my head profusely and apologizing. (Hint: Always bring a box of cookies to the person you are apologizing to. This shows manners and respect in Japan... And, no, I don't mean a dollar bag of cookies from the convenience store. I mean at least a $20 gift box of cookies from the department store. High class stuff only!)


Luckily for me, all my Japanese partners knew me for years and understood that these events were out of my control. They appreciated the fact that I took responsibility and apologized. 


I am proud to say that I still have every single one of these Japanese partners still as partners today!


I've had another airlines be in the news, twice in two weeks, for having knives and cutters found onboard - as well as another highly visible mechanical failure - just as we were about to agree to a deal with another major Japanese partner. The Japanese partner, when he heard about this incident on the news, was extremely worried. The deal was killed.


And now, yesterday - right after a major promotional deal was just completed in Japan - I see where riots have hit the streets of one of my client countries that was involved in this major promotion. I won't name the country, but this is a country that is not in the Middle East and is not one of the EU nations suffering. Many people do not even know this country. But, yet, there they are on RTTV and on Youtube and the alternative news media; riots in the street and full battle gear riot police battling it out with demonstrators.


I seriously doubt that a Japanese person will want to go to vacation there. If this news hits the mainstream media in Japan, which I suspect it will soon, then all the work that I did with the fine people who work at that nation's Tourism Board and I will be down the drain. Not to mention the fact that the major Japanese partner of our recent promotion will be furious and demand an explanation from me. If the rioting escalates and the situation worsens, this will also probably ruin any future cooperation between me and that Japanese partner forever.


I have no control over this situation. Even though I don't and this is 100% not my fault, I will still need to bow my head to the Japanese partner, apologize and take responsibility.


It takes a long time to build trust. It just takes one action to destroy that trust. 


I took a long time building trust and a relation with the Japanese partner. This one incident might destroy that trust forever.


So never forget, dear reader, whether it is a new job position that you are applying for or you are deciding who to work with or work for, choose your partners carefully.


Good reputations are hard to build. Sometimes, things out of your control, will make them even more difficult to keep. 


Remember that time and reputation are money. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. Choose your partners and clients well. 


This article was inspired by Roger Marshall of Odgers Berndtson, now there's a guy who only chooses the best.