How to Make Six Figures a Year From Your Linkedin Account - Linkedin Needs More Truth in Advertising - My Linkedin Page is a Big Joke

I have a Linkedin page. I like Linkedin. It's OK, I guess.... Well, sort of. Well, come to think of it. No, I don't. I don't like Linkedin... But read on, this post is about how to earn six-figures from your Linkedin page... 

My Linkedin bio photo

Do you know what Linkedin is? Linkedin is a great place where you can connect with people you don't know or care about and brag about stuff that doesn't really matter. It's kind of like going to a high school reunion where everyone who thought they were hot stuff in school tries to impress everyone else that they are still hot stuff even though they now work part-time as a plumber or are on food stamps!


Heck, nothing wrong with food stamps! Join the crowd! I just got my Obamacard today so I get food stamps too! Hey Linkedin, where do we enter that sort of information on our biographies?

Once again, Mr. Obama has his figures all wrong... It's nearly 46 million strong!

I use my Linkedin page as a deadly-serious sandbox and playground for my twisted humor. I put some serious stuff but mostly all sorts of funny comments and that silly photo on my Linkedin bio. One of my friends saw it and said, 


"Mike! You'll never get headhunted with that photo you have with that stupid brown wig on!"


I was offended. I thought I looked impishly handsome. I replied,


"Really? So you think I should have worn the purple wig or the metallic blue one or my platinum blond wig instead?"

See? I really do have all a platinum blond wig and a blue and purple one too!

Maybe the wig is why I have never had anyone call me even once for a job interview after seeing my Linkedin bio!



Speaking of that, I been wondering exactly what the purpose of Linkedin is anyway? I mean, if it is a site to look for a job then that's cool, but what's the point of posting your bio on Linkedin if the only other people who are going to see it are also out of a job and looking for one too? 


Isn't that a contradiction? It's so confusing. 


The best thing about Linkedin is that Linkedin shares are down from IPO almost as much as Groupon shares are! Come on Linkedin! You can do it!

If Linkedin would clarify why we're here, kind of like 

Facebook does, that would clear a lot of confusion.  

Is Linkedin merely a place for unemployed men to be bragging to other unemployed men? Not hardly.

The truth is that Linkedin was designed for the gainfully employed to show their old high school girlfriend (who savagely dumped them just before the big year-end dance) that she made a mistake that she'll always regret because you - and only you - were the one who really loved her most (that b*tch!) When you understand that, then Linkedin makes sense. 

That's why you rarely see girls on Linkedin. They don't go there because they can't really figure out what the point is either (remember they were the ones doing the dumping). Did you know that, by my latest calculations that guys on Linkedin outnumber women by over 25 to 1!!! 

That'll show her!

Women can turn it on and off like a faucet... Guys can't. Because so many guys are pissed at old girlfriends that explains why guys who aren't looking for jobs put up braggadocio and their profiles and bio on Linkedin. They do it to show the world (and that b*tch) that they screwed up big time messing with number 1!!!* 


I think Linkedin should have a "reality recommendations" part and, instead of just positive recommendations, it should also have a "condemnations" and "personal attacks" place where real comments about your shady character can be added. Stuff that can't be blocked by the page owner. Real opinions on your work quality and ethics (or lack thereof) like these from your former employers:


"So and so worked here for six months and things went fine until we began to notice huge amounts of toilet paper missing from the restrooms and forks, knives and spoons missing from the employee cafeteria." - Manager


Or, remember your very first job? Working at your dad's company?


"So and so was a totally worthless pile of crap employee. He was the worst putrefying heap of overblown bovine excrement imaginable. All his life he's been useless. Totally night and day difference between him and his extremely successful older brother." - Your father

Now that's what we need! Ask any marketing expert and he'll agree with me! What we need is more truth in advertising! 


Oh? What? Oh yeah...How to make six figures from your Linkedin account? That's right. I almost forgot! Anyone out there know? Because, hell, I haven't a clue... I can't even get anyone to call me for a job interview!


*Don't look now, dude, but she actually married a guy who makes more in a month than you make in a year! He's so rich he ain't even on Linkedin!




Inspired by Jonathan Clemons and Roger Marshall


Thanks for the silly images. Check out my new favorite blog site: The People's Cube. It's kind of like the Onion for Socialists... Pretty funny satire... Especially if you are twisted enough to put a funny photo of yourself on Linkedin.

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Groupon Stock Holders! Head For the Exits!

In what, I'm sure will be the second to last post I ever make about Groupon, and how much of a dog company I think it is (the last post will be a "I told you so" when Groupon becomes a penny stock), I'd like to show you Groupon stock performance over the past two days.


Pretty shocking stuff. Especially if you own shares in this company!


On Monday, Nov. 21, 2011. The Dow Jones Industrials (DJI) had a bad day dropping 249 points or -2.1% to finish at 11,454. The NASDAQ Composite Index (IXIC) closed 1.92% lower at 2,529.14. On the other hand, Groupon (GRPN) had an even worse day by dropping almost 10% and another nearly 1% after-hours! See chart:

Today, Tuesday Nov. 22, 2011 (USA time) it wasn't as bad as yesterday's market saw the DJI down 53.59 or -0.49% to finish at 11,493.72. The NASDAQ closed 1.86% lower at 2,521. But! Groupon was one of the top three losers for the day dropping a whopping 3.51 or -14.89% to close at nearly their IPO price. The final closing was 20.07.

Head for the life rafts! If anyone knows where or how they can short GRPN shares, please comment and let us all know. Opportunities of a lifetime, like this one, don't come very often.

As I have written over and over before, a business model built on SPAM mail isn't a good business model at all. They should have built a portal. They should have taken Google's $6 billion dollar offer.

I'll make a prediction here: GRPN stock price will be under $1.00 by December 15, 2012 So if you want to be stupid and "BUY" then wait for their 60% off coupons! (Or, as Karl Denninger says, "There's crazy and then there's really crazy!") 

UPDATE: Zerohedge writes, "Groupoff - Groupon back to IPO price":

As of this moment, everyone who has bought and held GRPN stock since the IPO price is at best flat, and almost certainly at a massive loss, as only a few banks were allotted shares at the $20.00 offering price, which were quickly flipped to subsequent greater fools. As of this moment, GRPN is back to the IPO price or precisely $20.00. We expect once this is taken out for the one way Grouponzi Red Light Special to fair value, somewhere around $0.00, to take a few months at most.

PS: I have made some really good bucks buying and selling stocks over these 35 years... Actually, only three. I've only ever bought three times. I won big three times. Great opportunities only come once every ten years or so (unless you have insider information) one day soon I will write about these exploits. I found these chances of a lifetime just simply from reading the news. You can too. Sometimes things are just painfully obvious. As a loser, Groupon was one of them.

Had I been able to invest huge money instead of my piddling amounts, on the good ones....I might have been rich!

Or as my wife says:

UPDATE 2: Groupon was the #2 biggest drop on the entire NASDAQ today according to Yahoo Finance:

NEW YORK (AP) -- A look at the 10 biggest percentage decliners on Nasdaq at the close of trading:

School Specialty Inc. fell 26.4 percent to $5.17.

Groupon Inc. fell 14.9 percent to $20.07.

First Clover Leaf Financial Corp. fell 11.6 percent to $5.74.

Viasystems Group fell 10.9 percent to $15.77.

ID Systems Inc. fell 9.7 percent to $5.14.

Mackinac Financial Corp. fell 9.6 percent to $5.00.

Technical Communications Corp. fell 9.6 percent to $7.17.

Forbes Energy Services Ltd. fell 9.2 percent to $5.35.

KIT Digital Inc. fell 9.2 percent to $9.52.

Lihua Intl fell 8.8 percent to $5.36.

UPDATE 3: Another from Zerohedge:

Yet another fatal flaw in GRPN's business model is revealed to the sheeple IPO buyers.

Bakery Burned in Groupon Deal for 102000 Cupcakes

‎ - International Business Times

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Groupon Stock Price Drops Over 14% in Three Days!

The stock market had a real bad day today because of Eurozone and Italy worries and things there are going to get worse. Nevertheless, after Groupon's IPO, even with the Bear Market rallies, Groupon has been a loser three days in a row. 

Nov. 7, 2011. Dow Jones rises 0.71% yet Groupon drops 0.54% (after hours drop another 0.85%)

Nov. 8, 2011. Dow Jones rises 0.84%... Yet Groupon drops a massive 4.12% (after hours drop another 0.12%)

Today, Wednesday Nov. 9, 2011 (USA time) Dow Jones takes a beating on Euro news and sinks 3.20%.  Groupon decline accelerates and drops another massive 3.53% (after hours drop another 0.08%)

In three days, Groupon shares have lost 14% of their value. I predict Groupon is heading for penny stock within 2 years. This is a serious opportunity to short this company stocks.

On top of that, the news is all bad for Groupon. From the Wall Street Journal just today!:

Merchants Grumble Over Groupon Late Payments

Competitors are threatening the daily deal site leader by offering quicker payment to merchants, possibly jeopardizing a key part of the company's business model.

Groupon, which offers online deals for local merchants, keeps itself in cash by collecting money immediately when it sells its daily coupons to consumers while dragging out payments to the merchants over 60 days.

As I have said many times before, the Groupo business model won’t work. All business deals, in order to be successful, must be beneficial for all sides concerned. The business owners who make deals with Groupon lose out big time. 

From that same article:

"The payment timing is so erratic you can't count on any of that money helping to pay your bills," says Mark Grohman, owner of Meridian Restaurant in Winston-Salem, N.C.

After running three Groupon promotions this year and last, Mr. Grohman says he won't use the service again in part because it puts too big a strain on his cash flow. "With smaller margins in restaurants, you need that capital in the bank as fast as possible," he says.

Heissam Jebailey, co-owner of two Menchie's frozen-yogurt franchises in Winter Park, Fla., says he also has begun to view Groupon's installment payments as too slow.

"You want to get paid in full as quickly as possible," says Mr. Jebailey, who has run deals with both Groupon and its rival LivingSocial Inc. offering customers $10 of frozen yogurt for $5. He says both promotions were successful but that he'd only use Groupon again if the service promises to pay faster. "We're the ones that have to cover the cost of goods for giving away everything at half price," he says. "I will not do another deal with Groupon unless they agree to my terms."


Here's a video from Market Watch that came out today, too. Groupon's Payment Lag Irks Merchants:

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Crisis in Groupon Boardroom & Greek Coup Du Etat?

It's been written on these pages since the beginning of 2011: Groupon has BIG trouble. Now, with events in Greece completely throwing a wrench into the Eurozone and markets, it looks like Groupon could suffer greatly from events in Athens. It must be confirmed by the latest news today: There must be crisis in the EU and the Groupon boardroom bordering on a full-blown panic.


Here's the details you need to know:


Groupon IPO is Nov. 4th, 2011. They are expected to price on Nov. 3.


The stock market is crashing on fears of a Greek referendum on an EU funded bailout. Who is in charge of Greece? No one knows.


The Dow Jones lost nearly 2.5% today.

Nov. 1, 2011. Two days before Groupon pricing Dow Jones

drops nearly 2.5%... Situation in Europe up in the air. 

Groupon must IPO. Their situation is getting serious. They have yet to turn a profit and, if the books were closed today, they'd be over $221.7 million dollars in the red. Groupon is running out of cash.


SF Gate reports:



Groupon remains unprofitable. The company had $243.9 million in cash at the end of September and still owed merchants $465.6 million. The 8.4 percent increase in cash from the prior period was outstripped by the rise in marketing costs, which jumped 37 percent to $234.4 million.


The company has used 85 percent of the $1.11 billion it has raised from venture capitalists and other investors to buy equity from early investors eager for a return, instead of funding growth. That is contributing to a potential cash crunch, said Sam Hamadeh, chief executive officer of PrivCo, which provides financial data on more than 20,000 private companies.

With two days to go until IPO and the stock market's crashing worldwide, then Groupon must be in a panic... If not, then the stuff they were smoking when they rejected the $6 billion dollar offer from Google must be really killer weed! 



*NOTE & IMPORTANT UPDATE: Let me go on a limb here. I predict that Greece will exit the Euro as Panpadreou has replaced all his military leaders (they were NATO experienced). I suggest that this portends a Euro zone departure. This is roil markets even more in the next 24 hours. This move seems to be an effort to head off a military coup de etat.


Mish Shedlock has an interesting take in Is Papandreou Preparing for a Military Coup or Afraid of One?

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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?)

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Groupon is a Disaster! What Did I Tell You?

I've been writing since last year that I thought Groupon was a flash in the pan and a crap company. I think my predictions are coming true and the recent news seems to bear me out. Read on!


Groupon has had many problems... recently, the worst being questionable accounting practices. But, besides that how could anyone think a business model built on SPAM email woud be viable? I didn't and I still don't. Groupon is nothing but an over-valued business model that is built on digital junk-mail, fer chrissakes!

Well, the results are in. The game is up. It is common knowledge now that Groupon is a disaster.


Yahoo Finance reports on Groupon's fall from grace:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Only a few months ago, Groupon was the Internet's next great thing. Business media christened it the fastest growing company ever. Copycats proliferated. And investors salivated over the prospect of Groupon going public.

Today, the startup that pioneered online daily deals for coupons is an example of how fast an Internet darling can fall.

Groupon is discounting its expectations for the IPO that in June was valued as high as $25 billion. In a regulatory filing Friday, the company said that it expects a valuation that is less than half that at between $10.1 billion and $11.4 billion.

It's the latest twist for Groupon's IPO, which was one of the most anticipated offerings this year. In June, after Groupon filed for the offering, the SEC raised concerns about the way it counts revenue. Then the stock market plunged.

Now Groupon faces concerns about the viability of its daily deals business model. The novelty of online coupons is wearing off. Some merchants are complaining that they are losing money -- and customers-- on the deals. And competitors are swarming the marketplace.

"Groupon is a disaster," says Sucharita Mulpuru, a Forrester Research analyst. "It's a shill that's going to be exposed pretty soon."

"Exposed soon"? Are you kidding me? Let me brag. I exposed Groupon many times in the past.

Let me recite just a few of them for your convenience:

Jan. 19, 2011: Groupon CEO Insults Japan With Simple Minded Apology 

Jan. 20, 2011: Obsfucation from Groupon Japan?

Jan. 20, 2011: Groupon CEO Insults Japanese With His Callous Apology - Part 2

Groupon Japan's New Year's Disaster

Feb. 08, 2011: Groupon Does Something Stupid Again! What Did I Tell You?

Feb. 10, 2011: Groupon Image and Branding is Horrendous 

Feb. 13, 2011: Is the Boycott Groupon Movement Anti-Business? No!

Feb. 21, 2011: More Trouble for Groupon in Japan - Again!

Feb. 23, 2011: Groupon Ex-Partner Chimes In

August 02, 2011: The Great Groupon Japan Disappearing Act 

My, I am surprised to see that I have been kicking Groupon so much. But then again, it is easy to kick such a poorly run and inept company. It is also fun to do so when their management are so brash and conceited.... Especially in Japan.  

As I predicted long ago.... Groupon is a flash in the pan and their business model is not good nor sustainable. Any good business deal must be beneficial for all parties concerned. Businesses were losing big money on Groupon and the promised repeat customers generally didn't materialize.... Many companies actually lost customers and reputations!

I have an idea though, why doesn't Groupon give out 50% ~ 80% off coupons on their IPO? 


If that fails too, then they can stick that in their liberal refund policies! I predict that their IPO will be the failure of the decade.

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The Smartest (and Most Profitable) Business in Japan?

Today, you won't read about the company I am going to tell you about in magazines about business or the economy... You won't see news reports about them on TV shows about profitable businesses...Why? Well, as I've written many times before, the mass media is not interested in the truth. The mass media are only interested in filling the spaces between advertisements. That's all. 


Besides that, as a more than 30 year veteran of the mass media, I will tell you that the business of most in the mass media is: kissing businessmen's a*ses in the hopes of getting paid advertising for their media...


While the Internet and Social Media are all the rage today (Hint: when things are "popular", they are already out of fashion) there's still a few "traditional" business models that blow the rest away.


You won't read too much about this company in the mass media... Yet... But you will someday soon (the mass media are always a day late and a dollar short.) But this company blows the socks off of Groupon, Twitter and these other flash in the pan "Social Media" darlings of today. 


I'm talking about a publishing company. That's right, a publishing company. You know, printing press and all. Ink and paper....


Gutenberg would be blown away that a company, so many centuries later after his invention, could use his idea and still make a massively successful and profitable business in the age of the "Internet", in the age of "digital media."


Remember that it wasn't that long ago when people were saying that the Internet was going to destroy books and magazines? Ha! Laughable. Remember that it wasn't that long ago when they said that children today needed to know about the digital age in order to survive? Ha! Laughable. 


As it was 2,000 years ago and as it will be 2,000 years from now, the wealthy, the intelligentsia, the church and the movers, shakers and leaders of society will be people who read books. It has always been that way, it always will be. 


To think otherwise is just plain stupid.   


You know, I'm talking about one of the most profitable companies in Japan today...a publishing company that puts out old fashioned things like books and magazines... And, no, you can't get their products on Kindle.


I'm talking about Deagostini. Specifically Deagostini Japan...(If that link doesn't work, see here: http://deagostini.jp/)


Look out Internet businesses! Your business models are far too often a scam (or full of scams or SPAMS!) I think so because if your online business doesn't translate into something tangible or real-world, then you are headed for a fall.

Move over Groupon. I've railed on you over and over. But your business model is a joke. Who could possibly think that there would be a potential for a business that survives on SPAM? And you want a 60% sales commission!? Any good business model has to be good for all parties concerned... I don't see where you are getting any repeat customers in Japan... Maybe that's why your advertising here has disappeared. Gee! Does Groupon save me time from having to clip coupons? I never really had a problem with that before. Did you?


Twitter? You kidding me? I get more messages from Twitter that are SPAM than anything that I would ever want to read... And who needs to read idiotic nonsense on Twitter like, "How to get more followers on Twitter for only $5?"


Jeez! Who wants a bunch of "followers" who are people who know absolutely nothing about you nor do they care about you excepting that you are another digit in their masturbatory dreams of having a large "Twitter following"?

What a joke!


But old fashioned publisher Deagostini is no joke.


Deagostini sells a product that you can hold in your hand. Deagostini sells a product that kids can look forward to like Christmas or a birthday. Deagostini sells an "event" and a "limited edition" item... Once they are sold out, they are gone forever...


People in a consumer society have a history of going crazy over stuff like that.

X-RAY SPECS - ART-I-FICIAL

I know I'm artificial

But don't put the blame on me

I was reared with appliances 

In a consumer society 

When I put on my make-up 

The pretty little mask not me

That's the way a girl should be 

In a consumer society 

Deagostini Japan was founded in 1997. Because of the Internet, 1997, was called the beginning of the end for the traditional publishers and old school mass media. 


Deagostini's late entry into Japan was considered by many a joke. All the traditional big Japanese publishers laughed at this upstart foreign company and their ridiculous ideas for penetrating the already overly-saturated Japanese market... A market that was the most profitable with the highest literacy rate in the entire world...


They all said that Deagostini's products were cheap and poor quality. Then, Deagostini were the laughing stock of the Japanese publishing world. It was thought that there was no way a foreign company could come here and survive... 


That was then.


They aren't laughing anymore...Last year, of the top 15 publishing products sold in Japan, 13 of them were Deagostini products. I got the sales figures for Deagostini Japan yesterday. These figures are not public yet, but I have quite dependable inside information. 


Deagostini sales in Japan for 2010 (still not public information) were....are you sitting down? ¥28,400,000,000! That's ¥284 BILLION YEN! (about $370 Million USD!) Not only is that just incredible, but of those sales about 30% is pure profit of ¥842,000,000 (about $110 million dollars!)

Deagostini Japan's newest model... Think kids go crazy

for this stuff? Yes. They do! I know even adults who buy

these items... Heck! I've even bought them before!

How does Deagostini do it? It's so simple that when I first heard this idea, I slapped my head and thought, "Of course! Everyone knows this idea!"


How do they do it? Deagostini releases their products in a limited edition series. Like the Gundam advertisement above, they will release a quality model of a toy product (anime, war plane, car, ship, etc.) in a series of editions to be released once a month or so. There could be anywhere from 12 to 50 or 60 items in a series.


The first editions are really cheap. They get more expensive as the series progresses.


I bought a Zero Fighter for my son last Christmas at the book store because I couldn't believe how cheap it was and the quality was awesome for the price.

This model was high quality metal cast. It had moving parts.

It came with a huge book, and other great things that boys love... 

I think it was about $4.00.... 

Then, regularly, Deagostini releases the rest of the series in succession. As the issue go along, after a certain point, the items grow slightly in price.


If you are a real collector, you will buy each item until the series is over. Trust that there are tons of collectors with the disposable income to buy this stuff in Japan... Not just Japan! All over the western world. 


In, say, a twenty series set, by the sixth issue, Deagostini has broken even on the cost of production and logistics of the entire series and each item sale after the sixth issue is pure profit.


Get that? In the series, after the sixth issue or so, every item they sell is 100% pure profit.


It's an incredible success story and an incredible business model.


So much so that Deagostini is a model for future businesses in Japan and the world over... How many other businesses can claim that 30+ some percent of their sales is pure profit?


Certainly not Facebook or Twitter, which have no sales; nor Groupon who keeps doing the switcheroo on accounting methods.


Kids want something to hold in their hand and play with. The child's imagination is a powerful thing. Social Media offers no real tangible items....


Deagostini not only offers a product to hold and play with, they sell a dream and something to look forward to every month.


With Deagostini products, kids get Christmas not once a year, but 12 times a year... Adults too.


What's having something to look forward to everyday worth to the average person? Well, judging from Deagostini's Japan sales, it's worth well over $370 million US dollars and growing. 


Nah. No big deal, right? Let's talk about Social Media.... Yawn!


UPDATE: My friend Brenda chimes in:


Mike,

Not only that, they re-issue same series years down the line - all profit! I did some marketing for them in UK years ago.

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