I met with a friend of mine who is an absolute genius. You know the type, a kindof Bill Gates clone that has peculiar habits but is as smart as they come. What struck me as surprising is that he is an avid reader of cold reading books. Surprising because I would have thought that he would think body language books are a bit beneath his 'genius'. Obviously not.

Actually, he reads cold reading and body language books in the dozens. The other week, he bought a whole host of new body language books and has no doubt already read them from start to finish. Sitting with him for a chat is extraordinary because he is so bright, but also because he is absolutely fascinating with his passion for knowing more about why people do what they do. He likes the idea that he can read people which no doubt has made him a lot of money over time. Important if you are in the business of dealing with people and you need to know what they are thinking to make better decisions yourself.

A chance meeting today of a singer/songwriter from Yeppoon in Queensland, reminded me of how much the past can influence the future.

While we may learn history throughout our education, as an adult, unless you are particularly interested in historical events and people, knowledge on the past can be somewhat limited.

Today, I was asked to market something that has so much historical significance in Queensland, but is yet unknown by most of Australia. It is perhaps some of the best poetry that I have ever read. Up there, in some ways, with Keats, Shakespeare or Blake.

If you haven't read it already, pick up a copy of Pen Blossoms by Mary Rattenbury, published in 1936. It will literally take you to another place.

Like Nostradamus who predicted the French Revolution, Adolf Hitlers ruling and the death of Princess Diana, Mary Rattenbury predicted an invasion of Australia by the Japanese.

Sometimes the best marketing for the future, is to take a look at the past. Look at past authors, poets, artists and gain insight into their work. You never know what piece of brilliance you may pick up and how relevant it is to today's market.

"Oh, they're just the tech geek in the office. They fix things".

The rise of the tech geek in the world of marketing has been fast and furious. In fact, they have become more important to marketing than marketers themselves. How the world has changed!

As a marketer with 20 years experience, I am always trying to figure out the psychology behind why a client picks one logo over another, or one way of doing things over another.

Sometimes, they have insight that perhaps marketers do not. Mostly, they just like a particular colour, font style, identity mark or a way of doing things that may not quite be up with the times.

In any relationship, to spend time caring about another individual and sometimes sacrificing your own immediate wants, is the traits of a good person.

It could be a friend, a loved one, family, a client, a supplier or a member of your team.

When you watch relationships going on around you and you see people who genuinely care about others, its always a warm feeling. It doesn't even have to be about you.

I can't sleep. Too much is going through my mind. I toss and turn all night long and wake up in the wee hours desperate to fall back asleep again, but not able to because I am thinking too much.

It's a problem that many small business owners face time and time again. I am no different.

What does your overarching marketing view look like? Have you written it down? Have you communicated it to your team? Do you have tactical marketing activities around your marketing strategy?

My view yesterday was pretty fantastic if you ask me. I was sitting on the couch overlooking one of Australia's most breathtaking views of Palm Beach pondering Marketing Eye's 2012 overarching marketing strategy.

Others might think that if you were sitting looking at the view (as in the picture) you might not be thinking about marketing, and more about how stunningly beautiful the view is, but when you are a small business owner and your business is 'your life', it makes perfect sense to take the opportunity to not only absorb your surroundings, but also, think clearly about your small business.

We are about to hit February - already! Time is flying and there is no time like the present to make sure your small business is in order. The cricket is mid-way. The tennis is over. Australia Day has been and gone. Everyone  is back in the office. Now, there are no excuses to not have your small business marketing program in order.

If you have not already done it - have a 'think tank' or 'marketing workshop' with your team and key stakeholders. Speak to your suppliers and ask them how they would improve your business in today's everchanging market.

Put a marketing strategy in place and get buy-in from your entire team. Video yourself talking about the company vision for everyone to see. Set up an intranet that has 'everything that is marketing' on it from what your brand stands for, your company culture, 2012 marketing activities, press releases and media stories and lead generation campaigns. Be more transparent and engage all your team on a level that they have not experienced before.

Change your view and I am sure your team and clients will change theirs too! It's business critical to your success in 2012.

Happy New Year!

I don't know about you, but I am feeling pretty good about 2012. Sitting in the kitchen of a friend's home in Vail, I am spending literally hours trawling through websites on marketing from around the world.

With entrepreneurs surrounding me, I constantly ask them what they read online, what apps they download and what is the best marketing campaigns that they have seen. Its an interesting conversation and everyone seems to have a number of websites they love that is consistent with the others and a few have a some 'pearlers' that are untapped by the average entrepreneur that is a must-have resource.

December 7 and counting. While most of us have a jam-packed agenda for December with Christmas shopping to be done, parties, last minute things to finish at work, deals to close and family to catchup with, it seems that many small business owners get so caught up in what is going on, that they forget about what the future may hold.

2012 isn't going to be easy. It is predicted that we will see more floods, earthquakes, droughts, heat waves and cold spells as the world's weather patterns show increasing destabilisation but fortunately the world will not end as previously predicted on December 21, 2012.