Profitable Marketing Insight

Annoying Communication

2012-01-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, Lake Superior State University released its 37th annual “List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Misuse, Overuse, and General Uselessness.” Those conducting the study asked participants to nominate terms they consider tired, overused, or annoying. From those submissions they created the list of twelve terms that they recommend not to use in 2012.

The terms are amazing, baby bump, shared sacrifice, occupy, blowback, man cave, ginormous, the new normal, win the future, trickeration, pet parent, and thank you in advance.

After the events of last year, some of these terms have new meaning. Some of them are new creations. Some have been around a while but, due to overuse last year, have become annoying.

At least one of them, amazing, is a term that has been in our vocabulary for a long time. Interestingly, it received the most nominations, 1500. Why is amazing an annoying word?

It is overused.

Notice people’s speech. Listen to commercials. Watch articles and ads in print. Everything is amazing. Sometimes an exclamation point follows the word in print. When spoken, the voice inflection raises and perhaps gets louder. These are done to put additional emphasis on the word amazing.

In fact, that is usually the reason amazing is used. Amazing is intended to emphasize and bring attention. Often, it is a one word response to communicate surprise and be complimentary. Unfortunately, its overuse has led to annoyance. This annoyance makes it a useless word.

As a useless word, amazing has lost effectiveness. It no longer conveys the communication which the sender intends. As such, amazing has joined other words that are overused and, therefore, ineffective. Those words include quality, selection, and value.

The problem with all overused words is the sender’s lack of specificity. Rather than saying specifically what about something is amazing, the person uses the general term amazing. This generality annoys the receiver because it tells the receiver nothing. So you think something is amazing! What does that mean?

A much less annoying, much more informative communication gives the receiver something new. For example, instead of an amazing washing machine say a washing machine that washes a twenty pound load. Instead of an amazing movie say a movie that pulled me into the story. Instead of an amazing experience say an experience that scared me and made me laugh at the same time.

Instead of “That’s amazing!” say specifically what you find amazing.

When you are tempted to use an overused, misused, and annoying word, stop. Think specifically why you want to use that word. Then, communicate your “why” instead of using the general, overused word.

Your communication will be much clearer and not annoying.

Watch for Shifting Habits

2011-12-30T10:15:00.000-08:00

I heard about a survey this week which caught my attention. It was conducted by the New American Food Pantry regarding grocery shopping. Its conclusion was that this economy has caused grocery shopping habits to change fundamentally.

Nine out of ten surveyed believe that the recession will last another year. The recession has caused them to spend less, but they don’t sacrifice. Instead, they are now smarter about what they need and want. They buy less on impulse. Interestingly, they state that they will not change back to their old habits when the economy improves.

Here are some additional findings:
86% are more precise in what they buy,
80% are more efficient in getting in and out of stores,
managing their time instead of money,
63% decide what brands to buy before they enter the store.

The top five must-have items upon which the respondents are unwilling to sacrifice include pet food, candy, condiments, household cleaners, and beer. They are most willing to sacrifice on frozen pizzas and meals, bottled water, paper towels, sauces, and salty snacks.

More men are doing the grocery shopping than in the past. According to this survey, ten years ago twenty percent of men did the grocery shopping. Today that figure has doubled to forty percent. That means twice as many men are in the grocery store today than ten years ago. At least one of men’s habits do not fit the rest of the survey. They are less health conscious, more brand conscious, and, unlike women, more willing to buy on impulse.

Coupons have generally lost favor with shoppers due to the time it takes to find, clip, and handle them. Today, shoppers prefer loyalty cards. They like to be rewarded for their continued patronage of a business.

Whether you sell food items or not, this survey is important to your business. It indicates that we are doing business in an economic climate in which people’s buying habits are shifting. That shift is affecting your business, too.

How is your business being affected?

The only way to find out is to ask your customers.

Be Transparent

2011-12-02T10:23:00.000-08:00

The commercial opened with two beautiful draft horses pulling a wide, covered wagon through the snow. Santa was seated prominently in the front behind the driver, and wreaths were hung around the wagon, adding color and a festive look. With the snow swirling around, the entire scene was enticing. My interest was piqued. What was this about?

Watching further, I saw Santa and Mrs. Claus, fresh-cut Christmas trees, and kids decorating cookies. The announcer said, “This Christmas, start a new tradition by getting your fresh cut Christmas tree and enjoy horse-drawn sleigh rides, cookie decorating for the kids, and visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus at Vino in the Valley.”

“Nice commercial,” I thought. “It’s very well done. Where is Vino in the Valley?”

The commercial never told me. It’s only information was vinointhevalley.com at the end. “Where is that?” I wondered. “Did I miss the location?”

The next time that the commercial aired, I missed part of it and thought that I must have missed the location once again. The third time that I caught it, I made a point to run it back and watch it all the way through. The only information it contained was vinointhevalley.com.

That’s not enough.

I was reminded of a consumer who told me that she wanted to go to a store, but the store never gave a street address on its commercials. It only stated the two cities where the stores were located. The consumer refused to go the extra step to find the store’s location either online or from a phone book. “I’d like to shop there,” she said, “but if they won’t tell me where they are, I’m not taking the extra time to find out.”

Her reaction surprised me initially. After thinking about it, I realized that she had a point. Why should she have gone to extra effort to find the store? What was in it for her?

As I mulled the Vino in the Valley commercial over, I thought about an ad that I was given recently which completely lacked an address. There was no address, no phone number, and no Web site. I assume that was a mistake.

Was that ad any different from the Vino in the Valley commercial?

Out of curiosity, I finally went online and checked out vinointhevalley.com. I quickly realized why the commercial directed viewers to the Web site. The location was off the beaten path and required lengthy directions. These directions could not be given on a commercial. However, leaving the location off the commercial completely was a mistake. Expecting consumers to take the extra step to find a business likely won’t happen.

As the lady I referenced earlier indicated, people are too busy to investigate. Give them the information that they need to make a decision. Vino in the Valley would have been wise to indicate its general location. By not doing so, I felt that something was wrong. Either they had forgotten or were cloaking it for some reason. The latter made me suspicious. The lack of the location irritated me.

Perhaps the Vino in the Valley people thought that because they couldn’t give all the directions, they should avoid directions entirely. Or, perhaps they thought that telling the general location might be a turnoff for some consumers. If that was their thinking, they were probably correct. However, revealing that information after a consumer has taken extra time to go to a Web site will have the same result. If the consumer wouldn’t be interested by the general location, she won’t be interested by the specific one, either. Having interrupted her schedule to go online, her disinterest may be coupled with irritation.

In your marketing, be transparent. Good marketing piques interest but does not hide or neglect important information. Give consumers what they need to know to find your business.

An Unclear Message

2011-10-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

The other day I saw a sign that shocked me. It read “Experience College the Way It Was Meant to Be.”

“What does that mean?” I thought.

According to the movie depiction of college, “College the way it was meant to be” would include drinking, partying, and having a good time. Being a part of a sorority would be more important than studying. Fielding a winning sports program so that the institution receives funding from alumni would be a high priority. Getting away from home and doing your own thing would drive a student.

Was that what the sign meant?

Was it prompting a retro version of college, the way it was? If so, that seems skewed in favor of the institution, not the student. Many students who attend the movie depiction of “College the way it was meant to be” don’t graduate. Others take more than four years to graduate. Some don’t have the grades to graduate. In these cases, the institution wins, but the student does not.

Can today’s student afford “College the way it was meant to be?” Today, college needs to offer students more than a degree. College needs to offer knowledge. A degree might get a student into an interview, but knowledge will get him the job and help him do well at that job. Knowledge has been found to be the most important determiner of the health of a country’s economy. Is knowledge a part of “College the way it was meant to be?”

I don’t know. What do you think?

Whatever any of us thinks and anyone else who reads this sign thinks is all a guess, isn’t it? None of us is absolutely certain that we know what “College the way it was meant to be” means. The only person who knows is the person who thought up the phrase. It made sense to him or her. It was catchy. It clearly stated the reason to attend that school. Unfortunately, we don’t share that thought.

To us it is very unclear. Sadly, this phrase which was deemed worth putting on a sign with the idea of piquing interest in the school did not accomplish its goal. It requires too much interpretation.

Don’t leave your message to interpretation. Test your message on your customers. Ask them “What does this mean to you?” Find out before you use a message that it communicates what you want. Be certain that it clearly tells your customers “What’s in it for them.”

The Izzy Scoop

2011-08-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I heard a story about the Izzy scoop. What is it? It’s a small scoop of another flavor of ice cream added on top of the ice cream ordered to encourage customers to be adventurous and try another flavor. The ordered scoop is a generous serving. Seeing the small scoop perched on top of the order is attention-getting. “Gives ‘em a chance to try something new without committing to a huge portion,” notes Jeff Sommers, who owns Izzy’s with his wife Laura.

Jeff and Laura came up with the Izzy scoop, which is just one of their many successful ideas. Jeff was a middle school teacher, and Laura was an attorney. Eleven years ago, Jeff bought a book on how to make ice cream from amazon.com. He followed that with a two-day workshop, and, four months later, Jeff and Laura started selling ice cream. “We were doing what we knew from our guts,” Jeff states.

Ever since, they constantly dream up new flavors of ice cream which they sell at their store on Marshall Avenue in St Paul, Minnesota. Their ice cream has been proclaimed the best ice cream in the nation by Readers’ Digest and Bobby Flay, Food Network’s toughest critic. Along with the usual flavors, Izzy’s features some very unusual ones: Salt Water, Cranberry, Norwegian Chai, Graham Cracker, Blue Mountain Spice, and Mango Django, to name a few. Mango Django includes honey, balsamic vinegar, poppy seeds, a dash of cayenne pepper, and ground pink peppercorns. It was the Best of Show Winner 2011 at Izzy’s 9th People’s Flavor Awards, an ice cream tasting event.

In 2006, Hot Brown Sugar took the top prize. The idea came from Jane Carlson, an Izzy’s customer. It features brown sugar burnt caramel ice cream with praline pecans toasted in cayenne pepper. “Wow! It just tastes so great!” Jane responded the first time that she sampled her idea.

Izzy’s uses this contest to solicit ideas for new ice cream flavors from its customers. The rest of this year’s winners include Upside Down Delight by William Turner, a vanilla ice cream with crushed pineapple, buttery yellow cake, and caramelized brown sugar; CH-CH-Cherry Bomb by Nicolas Larkins a Japanese plum wine with grenadine-cherry; Slow Your (Nut) Roll by Markda Awada, vanilla ice cream with crushed Pearson's nut roll, caramel, nougat, and fudge swirls; Fruit! Bomb! by Maggie Baxter, lemon flavored ice cream with frozen strawberries and apricots; and Caramel Coffee Swirl by Amelia Odens, caramel ice cream blended with coffee infused cream and a fudge swirl.

Out of its current 120 flavor selection, Izzy’s features thirty-two flavors at any given time, which are listed on its Web site and updated every three minutes. Jeff searches for the finest ingredients to use in creating these ice creams. He and Laura have decided not to expand beyond one store so that they may maintain their high standards of ingredients and flavor.

Through this attitude, Jeff and Laura remind us what is important in business: creating a product or service that our customers want and delivering it consistently. They involve their customers with an annual contest to get new flavor ideas, and then they follow through on their customers’ suggestions. They innovate with these customers’ ideas as well as many of their own. They top this off with an Izzy scoop, giving their customers an opportunity to be adventurous and sample new flavors. Their customer focus is a recipe for success.

How can you use Izzy’s recipe in your business?

The Impact of Video

2011-08-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

When I was a wet-behind-the-ears TV sales representative, I received some advice from a man I respected who had sold TV advertising for many years. “Everyone wants to be on TV. You just have to find a way to help them do it.”

I embraced his view, approached my sales with that attitude, and sold a great deal of advertising. I helped business people find a way to be on TV.

Looking at his words today, I wonder, “Why did everyone want to be on TV?”

Now I would revise his statement to “Everyone wants to use the impact of video, but they don’t know how to do it.”

What is the impact of video?

First, video is visual. You can communicate a great deal and do so more quickly though visuals. Showing has always been easier than telling. Words can be interpreted different ways, and noise can affect them. Usually, what you see is understandable without interpretation.

Second, video gets our attention and holds it. We are more likely to watch a video than to read a note. The two may take the same amount of time, but video will trump written or spoken.

Third, video conveys emotion. Through video, we can get in touch with the emotions of our customers. We can project credibility and further trust in our businesses. We can speak to our customers on a person-to-person level.

Fourth, video uses movement. We like to see movement. We like to see how something moves. Even seeing normally non-moving items such as text put into moving effects helps us notice and retain the message. Consider the two strongest mediums that we use everyday, television and the Internet. Both use video, and both show movement, don’t they?

Today businesses have the opportunity to use video beyond television. They can set up a channel on YouTube which can be watched by anyone, anywhere, and at any time, 24/7. No longer are businesses restricted to a slot on television which airs at a particular time that is watched by an audience limited by reception and personal schedules. In addition, today’s videos can be part of a two-way conversation with customers. Videos can be used to further relationships with customers, thereby increasing sales.

Cost-wise, videos are inexpensive. YouTube charges nothing to host an unlimited number of videos. You can shoot a video with a digital camera that costs around $100. You can upload what you have shot in moments without any editing. Of all the ways that you can market, video costs very little.

Yes, businesses want to use the impact of video. However, most don’t know how. If you want to learn how, do so. Read a book, go online, or find a resource from which to learn. I am offering my new seminar, How to Use the Visual Impact of YouTube, for just that purpose. I invite you to attend. Whether you attend or not, do use video in your marketing.

Online or off, video is the most effective way to communicate.

Body Language

2011-08-01T05:51:00.001-07:00

When I stopped at a red light yesterday, I noticed a tent with a sign “Free Windshield Chip Repair * See technician for details” on the grassy area between the road and a gas station. Underneath the tent, a guy was sitting in a chair with his feet up on a tub reading a book. He was dressed in quite casual attire: khaki shorts, a tan shirt, and sandals. His shirt did not have a logo or any way to identify his connection with a business.

“What a wasted opportunity!” I thought.

If he and the business he represented had realized the message that he was sending, he would have acted differently. Fortunately, no one could tell what business he represented.

What message did he send?

His message was “I’m supposed to man this tent for a certain amount of time. What a bore! I’ll read a book.”

Somebody at his office heard of the opportunity to set up a tent in a high traffic area and offer free windshield chip repair. I don’t know if this repair happened on the spot or not. I assume that was in the “*See technician for details.” In typical knee-jerk marketing fashion, the boss said, “Let’s do it!” and ordered this guy to man the tent on that particular day. The boss implemented the idea with no thought as to how to do it well.

If you or your employees are taking time to market in this fashion, do all you can to get sales from it. Don’t use it as a time to catch up on your reading. That sends the wrong message. Even worse, it doesn’t get what you want, sales.

This is a time of the year with a great deal of roadside sales and marketing. To be successful, this type of marketing requires active involvement. Realize that 85% of our communication is nonverbal. Roadside marketing offers the opportunity to use nonverbal communication to the max.

To do so, the guy in the tent could have stood up and faced the traffic. He could have smiled and waved at the drivers. He could have held up a sign further detailing the offer. He could have promoted the business on the sign, his shirt, or a hat. He could have engaged potential customers and worked the crowd of drivers with nonverbal communication.

Whenever you market at a roadside stand or a booth, work it by actively using positive nonverbal communication. Smile, look inviting, and make customers feel comfortable. Use body language to increase sales.

Don’t look like the customer will be interrupting your reading.

A Place Where Everybody Knows Your Name

2011-07-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I watched a business owner in action who loves her customers. She was telling a potential new client about her doggie daycare. As they stood in the lobby by the window which looks into the daycare, Heather pointed out different dogs. “That’s Shelby. She’s so tired today. She came in and just stood against the wall. The black one over there with the tuxedo front is Jasper. He’s such a squirrel. The one with the three legs is Josephine. She got hit by a car and was taken to the Humane Association. The vet couldn’t save her leg and had to amputate it. She was here for daycare while she was being fostered by one of our employees. While she was here, one of our clients fell in love with her and adopted her. The client named her Josephine to fit in with her brother Napoleon.”

“They all look like they are having so much fun,” Sue, the potential client responded.

“Oh, they do,” Heather replied. “Due to the heat, today we had several clients bring in their dogs and hand us the leash. ‘My dog is just crazy!’ all of them said. Here they can run and play in air-conditioned comfort.”

“Right now my dog is home in the kitchen,” Sue added. “I think he would love being here.”

The conversation turned to training, and Heather mentioned a teaser course in agility that was starting Monday night. “I’ve always wanted to train my dog in agility,” Sue said, excitedly.

“You’d love this,” Heather explained. “We take everything very slowly so that it’s easy for both you and your dog. We had a golden retriever who didn’t want to walk up the ramp. He wouldn’t respond to any kind of treat, not even raw meat. We finally got him to walk up by placing his ball at the top.”

“Sign me up,” Sue confirmed. “I’ll fill out the form for the doggie daycare and get back to you with that, too.”

After Sue left, Heather walked over to me and my dog. “Dusty, how are you today?” she asked while stroking Dusty under the chin. “Did you get your dental work done? Were you a good girl?”

Watching Heather’s interaction with people clients and doggie customers reminded me of a conversation that she and I had had last week. “Chad and I were kayaking up north last weekend. He told the others with us that I would run into some dog that I knew. When we got to the spot where we were planning to put our kayaks into the water, a dog ran up to me. It was Harley. Chad claims that I run into customers everywhere we go.”

She recognizes them and knows their names instantly.

I’ve given you a few examples of Heather‘s knowledge of her customers. Astoundingly, fifty or more dogs were in daycare yesterday, and Heather knew all their names and histories. She knows their owners, too.

When a business person knows her customers, she speaks volumes to prospective clients. Rather than saying, “I know my customers,” Heather illustrates that she does by recognizing and telling stories about them. She remembers their backgrounds and histories. She knows them because they are individuals and important to her. She communicates that to others without making an effort to do so.

We all like to do business with those who remember us. After all, the most important words to each of us are our names. When our names are remembered, we are impressed. Add something else about us, and we become loyal customers. This is not from neediness or shallowness but from wanting to do business with those who have our best interests in mind. We want to do business where everybody knows our names.

How many of your customers’ names do you know?

A Good Effort

2011-07-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

This week I attended one of my rituals of the summer, standing in line to buy peaches off the truck direct from the Georgia peach growers. The location was a restaurant parking lot. Since the restaurant where the truck had been stopping had closed, this year the truck parked for the first time at a different location. I arrived at the starting time, noon, and joined a line of over one hundred people. By the time I left, the line was as long as when I had arrived.

After standing in line for fifteen minutes, I a girl walked up to me and handed me a two-sided, full color 4 1/4 x 5 ½ piece about the restaurant. “What is this?” the lady in front of me asked.

“This is information about our restaurant,” the girl replied. “You might as well stop by for lunch before you leave.”

The lady turned to me and the person beside me. “Well, this is surprising. What a good idea!”

She was right. The piece that the girl handed out was a good idea and a good effort. Management at the restaurant was taking advantage of the over two hundred people in the parking lot to give them information about the restaurant. That was good.

While I applaud that effort, management could have gone from good to better to best with some thought. That would have yielded more profitable results.

If management had thought the situation through from the customer’s point of view, a pertinent question would have been asked. A good one would have been “What do customers standing in line want?” That would have revealed an important point: those in line for peaches were on a mission. They were focused on getting their peaches and taking them somewhere cool. They were very unlikely to sit down for a meal at that time.

However, the day was warm, and the sun reflecting off the blacktop made standing in line at noon even hotter. All of us were hot and thirsty. Looking at the situation from the customer’s point of view would have revealed how those in line would be feeling. Asking “What do customers standing in line need?” would have uncovered an opportunity. That would have lead to a better effort which would have been to sell water to those in line along with handing out the piece. That would have made a good impression on those standing in line and brought in more revenue for the restaurant that day. Water may have even saved the lady who collapsed from the heat and was taken away in an ambulance.

Thinking the situation through from the customer’s point of view could have lead management to the best effort. Considering that people in line wanted to get their peaches and leave would have brought the realization that they would not stop at the restaurant that day. That leads to the question, “How do you bring them back?”

One way to do that would have been to distribute a coupon or introductory special inviting people back another time during the next couple of weeks. Setting an end date on the coupon would use urgency and encourage them to return soon. That would spur more people to come back to the restaurant before they forgot about it.

The combination of tailoring the piece with an offer that had urgency, having water available to purchase, and distributing information about the restaurant would have been a best effort. That would have been reached through thought. Good efforts require action. Best efforts require thought.

Are you thinking through your marketing so that you achieve the best effort?

Meaningless Message

2011-07-09T14:06:00.000-07:00

A Toyota dealership in my area recently moved into a new facility off the new bypass. As the facility was being constructed, the dealership ran TV ads promoting that the new location was opening soon. The message of one of these ads was “We built it for you.”

The first time that I heard this ad, I responded out loud, “No, you didn’t. You built for yourself.”

I considered writing an Insight about the message. However, I did not, hoping that this was an ad that had been put together quickly and would not continue.

Was I ever wrong!

Evidently, this was the start of their major campaign about the move. I heard the commercial a couple of times, and then it was not on the air for a few weeks. When the new facility opened, however, the commercial aired multiple times a day. During the opening campaign all the business’s TV and newspaper ads used this theme. “We didn’t build it for us. We built it for you. The new facility is everything that you‘ve been looking for.”

Not only was the business continuing the “We built it for you” theme, it had emphasized the theme by adding that “We didn’t build it for us.”

Okay, who buys that? Do you buy it? Do you think any business builds a new facility for its customers first? I don’t. I think that a business builds a facility because management thinks the bottom line will benefit with the new building. In this instance, management wanted to tap into the new bypass, which has an enormous amount of traffic.

What does a customer get from the new facility? I have no idea. I guess “everything that I’ve been looking for.” Well, I have never looked for anything in a car dealership facility. If you asked me what I would want in a car dealership facility, I could not tell you one thing off the top of my head. As most customers, if I thought about it for a while, I probably still couldn’t tell you what I would want in a car dealership facility.

Have you ever bought a vehicle because of the dealership’s facility?

I haven’t. I bet no one has.

The ads did not give me any clues as to what the new facility offered me, either. There were no specifics of what’s in it for me as a customer of the new facility. Backing up this statement with facts would have been more effective. Telling me what the facility offered “that I’ve been looking for” would have been informative and interesting. That would have put meaning into the message.

Advertising messages are effective only if they have meaning to the customer. Otherwise, they are a waste of time and money.

What do your advertising messages mean to your customer?

Costly Little Mistakes

2011-04-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

This week a spokesman for Toyota announced it is inevitable that all thirteen of its American plants will be temporarily shut down, laying off 25,000 employees, probably at the end of April. The reason for the layoff is that Toyota has closed all of its plants in Japan due to the earthquake and tsunami. Some of the parts made at the Japanese plants are used in the American-manufactured cars.

Toyota is not the only car manufacturer which is affected by the disaster. Merck, a German company, is the sole source of the glossy paint pigment used on most motor vehicles. Where is Merck’s only paint pigment plant located? You guessed it, Japan. Merck’s plant has been closed due to the earthquake disaster and won’t reopen for four to eight weeks, depending upon repairs to infrastructure and utilities in Japan. The Merck plant is located thirty miles away from the damaged nuclear power plant, and, therefore, what happens at the nuclear plant also determines when the Merck plant reopens.

The closing of this one plant affects the color choices of vehicles from most car makers.

The closing of all the Toyota plants in Japan affects 15% of the parts needed for American-manufactured Toyotas.

Wow! The loss of a small number of parts, 15%, is crippling Toyota’s manufacturing process in the United States. The loss of one plant’s paint pigments is drastically limiting the color choices of all auto makers.

I am amazed at the poor planning of Toyota, Merck, and the auto makers. They are all multinational corporations. Why would Merck have only one location which produced a pigment? Why would Toyota not have plants in more than one location which produced all their parts? Why would the auto makers have only one supplier of paint pigments? Why would you locate a sole plant in an earthquake zone?

Where is the contingency planning? Where is the consideration of weaknesses in their marketing plans? Why didn’t anyone in management at these companies address this situation?

I asked this question of the students in my marketing class, and one suggested the management was arrogant. Perhaps. I don’t know the internal workings of the organizations well enough to answer the questions. I do know the results, however, and that is why I am bringing this to your attention.

We can all get caught up in the daily activities of our businesses and neglect planning. That neglect may seem a little mistake. However, that little mistake can be costly to a business. When you discover the mistake, it is too late to fix it. It is too late for Toyota or Merck to build or retool another plant as a backup. It is too late for them to plan for contingencies. It is too late for them to explore their weaknesses. It is too late for the auto makers to find a backup paint pigment supplier.

It is not too late for your business. When did you last update your marketing plan? When did you last review your business’s weaknesses? What weakness could cripple your business? What would you do if that weakness suddenly loomed large?

Think about this. List your weaknesses. Make your contingency plans. Most importantly, implement those plans.

Justin, Ted, and Grayson

2011-04-01T07:16:00.000-07:00

Justin Bierber. Ted Williams. Grayson Chance. Are you familiar with these names? They all have gained notoriety from YouTube videos.

Justin owes his success to his mother. Raised in Canada, Justin taught himself at a young age how to play the piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet. In 2007 at the age of twelve, he entered a singing competition in his hometown of Stratford, Ontario, and placed second. His proud mother shot a video of his performance in the competition and posted it on YouTube for family and friends to watch. After her first YouTube upload, she continued to post Justin’s performances, and his videos grew in popularity. A year after her first post, Scooter Braun, a former marketing executive, was searching YouTube for another musician and came across Justin’s videos by accident. Scooter was impressed. He tracked down the theater where the performance which he had watched had been shot, then located Justin’s school, and finally reached Justin’s mother. She allowed Justin to fly to Altanta to meet with Scooter and Usher, and that was the beginning of Justin’s teen heartthrob career. Now seventeen, a couple of weeks ago Justin could not leave his London hotel room due to the throngs of fans outside.

Ted was homeless in early January. He wrote on a piece of cardboard that he “had a God-given golden voice” and needed work. Holding his sign, Ted positioned himself on a busy street corner in Columbus, Ohio. A reporter sitting at a traffic light read Ted’s sign and was intrigued. He opened his window to talk to Ted, and Ted’s reply in his deep, rich voice further piqued the reporter’s attention. The reporter grabbed his camera and shot a video of Ted holding up his sign and talking. As soon as the reporter returned to his desk, he uploaded the video to YouTube. Within hours, the video had gone viral, and virtually overnight Ted became a YouTube sensation. Offers for voice work poured in, including the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and NFL films.

Grayson shot a video of his performance of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” at a sixth-grade music festival and uploaded it to YouTube. His brother wrote to The Ellen DeGeneres Show and suggested that Ellen watch the video. On May 10, 2010, two weeks after the video had been uploaded, Ellen watched it and awarded Grayson the first recording contract with her a new record label. Seven months later on January 3, 2011, Grayson was the 28th most subscribed musician of all time on YouTube with a 286,000 plus subscriber base. His videos have had over thirty-seven million views on YouTube.

Ted’s original video has had over eleven million hits.

Justin continues to upload videos to his YouTube channel. He has six million fans following him on Twitter.

What do Justin, Ted, and Grayson have to do with your marketing?

They all gained fame through YouTube. YouTube has impact. YouTube gets attention. YouTube encourages sharing. While you may not be interested in the millions that these three have touched, YouTube is an effective marketing tool to reach your customers. Using an inexpensive digital camera, you can shoot a video and broadcast your business at virtually no cost on YouTube. If you were offered free commercials on TV you would use them, wouldn’t you? YouTube is a free video channel.

In addition, you can add new videos whenever you want at minimal cost and have them available for your customers to watch 24/7 on YouTube. Your videos can be tied to your Web site, pulling in more attention and ranking your site higher in the search engines. People like video, and that’s why YouTube gets a great deal of attention. Video is a powerful marketing tool.

Are you tapping into the power of video on YouTube?

Exceeding Expectations

2011-03-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month, the dog Sugar, a boxer, and her owner went to a training session that they had been regularly attending. During the session, Sugar suddenly collapsed and stopped breathing. Sugar’s owner was totally distraught and began crying and screaming for Sugar to revive.

Ron Pace, the trainer and owner of Canyon Crest K9, hurried over to Sugar and started CPR. Since Sugar was lying on her side, this was easy to do. After several pumps on Sugar’s side, Ron thought that he saw a faint movement of Sugar’s chest and decided to try mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. As he was blowing into Sugar’s mouth for the first time, Sugar stirred.

“Talk to her,” Ron encouraged Sugar’s owner. “Encourage her to wake up.”

The owner did and, within minutes, Sugar regained consciousness.

Sugar’s owner was ecstatic. Minutes earlier, she had thought that Sugar was dead and now Sugar was alive.

If Sugar had been at another training center, would she be alive? Maybe. Maybe not.

At Canyon Crest K9 Training Center, Ron Pace knew doggie CPR. I suspect that not all trainers do. In addition, Ron took action and used his training to save Sugar’s life. Sometimes people know how to do CPR but do not take action in a critical situation. Ron did. He went beyond the service that he had promised Sugar’s owner, which was to help her train Sugar. He applied a skill that he had taken the time to learn and brought Sugar back to life.

For service businesses, maintaining a consistency of the services offered is a constant challenge. Different employees deliver services differently. They have different styles, different personalities, and different levels of expertise. They interact differently with customers. They have different motivations. With all these differences, how do you ensure that they deliver a service in the same fashion?

In addition, how do you teach them to handle a situation such as Ron encountered and go beyond the expectations of your customer? While most employees will not be faced with a life-and-death situation, every day employees have unique situations which offer the opportunity for service that exceeds a customer’s expectations. How these opportunities are handled may determine whether a business retains a loyal customer or not.

Ron is the owner of his training center, and, as the owner, was probably more inclined to take immediate action. Would one of his employees have done the same? I don’t know. How do you train employees to take action, use the right action, and know when to contact the owner first?

How do you train employees to give consistent service and to know when to exceed customers’ expectations?

Inspired by this question, I have a new seminar, Internal Marketing, which I will be offering after April 26. Watch for more information on it next week.

Six Steps in Handling Complaints

2011-03-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

A week before my birthday, several of the businesses from which I regularly receive e-mails usually send me a “Happy Birthday” message along with a special offer. Some of these offers I do not use, but one for which I always watch is the free sundae from Culver’s eClub. This year a couple of days after my birthday I realized that I had not heard from Culver’s. Wanting that sundae and curious as to why I did not receive a coupon, I e-mailed the Culver’s eClub. “Why did I not receive my birthday e-mail?” I wrote.

Within twenty-four hours I received a reply from Anna Udelhofen in the Culver‘s Franchising System. “I apologize you did not receive your birthday email. When was your birthday? I ask because we recently underwent a system ‘makeover’ for eClub and the eCoupon function is not back up and running yet. Therefore we are keeping track of any backlogged messages for birthdays that were missed during this period and will send them out to guests shortly. In the meantime, I would be more than happy to mail your coupon if you wouldn't mind providing me with your home address.”

She concluded, “Thank you and I am sorry for the inconvenience.”

I was impressed. She replied promptly, and, more importantly, she did more than apologize. She gave me the reason for the oversight. She told me the truth, which is something many business people shy away from doing. Those who do so fail to realize that customers are human, too. Things go wrong in their lives. They make mistakes. They understand mistakes. Making a mistake with a customer is not the problem. The problem is the way that you handle the mistake after it occurs.

How you communicate with a customer after a mistake is critical to keeping that person as a customer. Six steps are important.
*First is being prompt in your response, at least within twenty-four hours.
*Second is offering a courteous apology.
*Third is telling the truth as to why the mistake happened.
*Fourth is offering to rectify the mistake, at least by giving the customer what
was missed. Going a step further is even better.
*Fifth is getting the offer to the customer.
*Sixth is following up that the customer received the offer and discovering if
the customer is satisfied.

Looking at Anna’s response, so far she had completed four of the six steps. Yesterday in the mail I received a coupon for a free sundae, completing step five. Usually, the birthday eCoupon has an expiration date after two weeks. The coupon that she sent did not have an expiration date. By not applying an end date to the coupon, she took step four even further. Since the next couple weeks look quite busy, I appreciate the extra time to use the coupon. Anna completed the first five steps with flying colors!

Will she solidify me as a customer by following up?

The Immediacy of Web 2.0

2011-03-11T13:50:00.000-08:00

As I was working at my computer on Monday, the 11:00 a.m. news was on KSTP TV. I heard the two anchors, Brad Sattin and Rebekah Wood, discuss Governor Dayton’s new puppy. “What breed of dog is it?” Brad wondered. “I heard that it‘s a German Shepherd.”

“No, it’s not a German Shepherd,” Rebekah replied. “Look at its black color. Maybe it’s a Lab.”

Having heard other news reports about the puppy and having had four German Shepherds, one of which was black, I knew that, yes, indeed, the puppy was a German Shepherd. Thinking that I would let Brad and Rebekah know that information, I found their e-mails at the KSTP Web site and hurriedly typed the following e-mail. “That is a German Shepherd. Shepherds come in more colors than the traditional: black, white, and tawny. Mingo is a black German Shepherd. Dayton loves Shepherds; that is why he got another one. Just because a dog is black does not mean it is a Lab! Shepherds' ears are always floppy when they are puppies; it takes a while for them to stand up, often until they are six months or older.”

I immediately sent the e-mail to both Brad and Rebekah.

A couple minutes later, I heard Brad say, “We want to give a shout out to Elizabeth Fischer,” and I thought, “Oh, I wonder what another Elizabeth Fischer did?”

Then I caught the rest of his statement. “For her e-mail letting us know that the puppy is a German Shepherd. She says that just because a dog is black does not mean it is a Lab!”

I was shocked.

“Wow!” I screamed to my roommate who was out of the room. “They just gave me a shout out on TV! Not only did they receive my e-mail, but they read it immediately, maybe on a break. I wasn’t paying close attention. Most amazingly, though, they used it right away and cited me as the source.”

Yep, I was jazzed. My roommate and I played the segment back several times.

When I returned to my computer, I had an e-mail from Brad that said, “Thank you!” and one from Rebekah that said, “Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. The ears are actually what threw me off. I knew there were different colors of German Shepherds, but didn't
not know about the ears! You're wonderful Elizabeth. Thanks for the lesson! Take Care,
Rebekah”

She said that I was wonderful! Okay, they now have a friend and a viewer for life.

While I have chuckled all week at my reaction, this episode has a great marketing lesson concerning Web 2.0. First of all, I am very typical of most of us who love to be recognized. Giving a viewer a shout out live on TV and calling that person “wonderful” in an e-mail both qualify as recognition. Second, responding quickly adds the power of immediacy. I had just written the e-mail, and it was fresh in my mind, both of which added impact and excitement. Third, tying a viewer’s response into the broadcast gave an additional dimension and freshness to it. Finally, Brad and Rebekah’s humanness in that they didn’t know the answer, were willing to hear the answer, acknowledged the answer’s source, and thanked me both on air and via e-mail for the answer made them real to me. They became more than news anchors. They became people to whom I could relate.

They used the immediacy and the interactivity of Web 2.0 to make their news cast relevant to their viewers and, in the bargain, solidified a viewer for life.

How are you using Web 2.0 with your customers?

Defense Does Not Develop Customers

2011-03-05T03:55:00.000-08:00

My dogs are addicted to a treat from Merrick Pet Food, which I had been ordering directly from Merrick. Last fall, Merrick decided not to handle direct retail sales any longer, and, when I went to Merrick’s site to order, I was directed to Pet Food Direct instead. I placed my first order with Pet Food Direct, and, since I am always perilously close to running out of these treats, I immediately set up automatic ship. Ten days after the automatic shipment was scheduled, I contacted Pet Food Direct and asked the shipment’s status. I was informed that the treats were not in stock, and the person suggested that I order a replacement.

I was not surprised that the company was out of stock because I had not yet received the shipment. I was surprised that I had not received an e-mail that the automatic shipment was not being sent. I was shocked that the person suggested ordering a replacement. Obviously, this person did not have a dog or, at least, not a picky dog. She would have given much better customer service had she asked first how important that treat was to my dog. Had she discovered that the treat was not that important, she could have suggested a replacement. However, to suggest a replacement without first knowing the situation was very unwise.

Added on top of the lack of communication regarding the delay in the automatic shipment, her response irritated me.

I responded straightforwardly, telling of my disappointment in her lack of communication and her ignorant suggestion. I also stated that Pet Food Direct was losing a customer. Before I wrote my e-mail to her, I had contacted Merrick and discovered that Merrick had the treats in stock, and, according to Merrick’s records, so did Pet Food Direct. I mentioned this in my e-mail, too, and suggested that she check her inventory levels.

Her response was very defensive. “I do check the inventory levels everyday and process the orders as soon as possible. You do have to remember when an item is out of stock, sometimes we have issues getting the item from our supplier, or sometimes they can short our order.”

Although she ended her reply with “I’m sorry that we are losing you as a customer,” she expressed no other regrets. She had no regrets for the automatic shipment not be shipped. She had no regrets for the inventory levels. She had no regrets for the inconvenience to me. Expressing regret for a customer’s inconvenience is critical to retaining that customer. It demonstrates a focus on the customer, which Pet Food Direct does not embrace.

That was also apparent in the lack of communication regarding the automatic shipment. If a customer has set up an automatic shipment, that customer is relying on the shipment to occur. The customer wants to receive the merchandise within a already-assigned time frame. To have that time lapse with no communication is rude, unprofessional, and poor customer service.

Perhaps the lack of communication is not surprising, however, in light of the tone of her response to my inquiry. Rather than looking at the situation from the customer’s point of view, she became defensive. She instructively wrote me what she does and how their system runs. Why do I care? I wanted the treats; that’s all. I didn’t care about her problems. I just wanted mine solved.

That is the basis of good customer service.

When a problem arises with a customer, focus on the solving the customer’s problem not defending your position. Defense does not develop customers, focusing on the customer does.

The Power of YouTube

2011-02-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

At the end of the Oscars last night, the fifth grade PS 22 (Public School 22) chorus from New York City sang the finale, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” They were joined by many of the winners of the evening, all proudly holding their Oscars. At first glance, you may assume that the PS 22 chorus is in New York City which would bring it notoriety. You may further assume that the school is a “Glee” situation of featuring and cultivating the arts. Both are incorrect assumptions.

The PS 22 chorus has an energetic director, Mr. B, who regularly takes videos of his chorus and uploads them to YouTube. His initial purpose had been to show the chorus to the children’s parents. He was marketing to his customers. “When I started posting this stuff, there weren’t other schools doing it. Now, the department of education is encouraging it.”

These videos captured the attention of the New York Times, the New Yorker, and many musicians. The PS 22 chorus has won a Webby Award, performed at the White House, and prompted contacts from “the most extraordinary musicians on the planet who want to make music with the kids.”

Last year the chorus was brought to the attention of the producer of the Oscars. After watching the videos, the producer decided to invite the chorus to perform last night‘s finale. When Mr. B received the call from a Hollywood producer, he told the office to take a message. Upon returning the call, he learned of the extraordinary offer which gave sixty-five fifth graders the experience of a lifetime. They experienced their first airplane ride, went to Disneyland, and sang the finale at the Oscars.

That is the power of YouTube.

Why is YouTube powerful? First, YouTube is visual. Humans like visual. We like to see, which communicates to us more completely and quickly than any other method. Even more, YouTube is moving visual, adding the impact of motion and showing real life. Third, YouTube is easily spread online to others.

The PS 22 chorus is the most recent example of the power of YouTube. What’s even more amazing is how easily anyone can use YouTube. From music teachers to businesses, anyone can set up a channel on YouTube in minutes at no cost. You can broadcast yourself to the world virtually instantly. As a business person, you can broadcast your business to your customers instantly at no cost. I think YouTube is an important part of today’s marketing plans which is why I am presenting a seminar about YouTube in June.

How are you harnessing the power of YouTube for your business?

Howt to Write an Effective Commercial

2011-02-18T10:16:00.000-08:00

“On her big day, when everyone else is looking at her, she’ll be looking at you.”

That is the opening line to a Men’s Wearhouse commercial. As this is being said, the camera has the bride’s view and slowly moves down the aisle approaching the groom. Unlike most wedding day advertisements which target the bride, this commercial is all about the groom. After all, he is the commercial’s target.

Those opening words speak to him, don’t they?

What is his focus on his wedding day? Why is he going through the event? Who does he want to please?

His bride, of course. He is doing all of this for her. She is his focus.

I’ll bet most grooms never thought of being the bride’s focus as she walks down the aisle. I certainly hadn’t until I watched the Men’s Wearhouse commercial. After the first time that I saw the commercial, I thought, “Now that’s a different take.”

The second time that I saw it, I thought, “That is looking at the situation from the customer’s point of view.”

The third time and all subsequent times that I have seen it, I have thought, “This is a masterfully done commercial which targets its market perfectly, speaks to what its target market wants, and directly presents its message.”

The message is that since the groom is her focus he wants to look good and he can do that by coming to Men’s Wearhouse where “He’s gonna like the way he looks.”

This commercial lays out a template of how to create an effective commercial. First, know your target market. Men’s Wearhouse market for wedding tuxedos is not the bride, it is the groom. Yes, I know that brides often suggest where tuxedos will be rented, but Men’s Wearhouse is talking to grooms who want to have a say in the matter. Men’s Wearhouse is also talking to brides who want tuxedos which will make the grooms look good.

Second, understand what your target market wants. Grooms want to look good, especially to their brides, don’t they? That is exactly what this commercial addresses. Men’s Wearhouse marketing arrived at the opening line for this commercial by taking the customer’s point of view. When the guests stand and face the bride coming down the aisle, they are not looking at the groom, but she is focusing on him intently. At that time, many brides may see their grooms as a refuge in the storm. With her intent look, he wants to look his best. As she is looking at him, she does, too.

That leads to the third aspect of the commercial, simple and direct. Men’s Wearhouse does not attempt to show a sample of all the tuxedos which are in stock. They do not tell you that they will find you what you want. There is no attempt to sell the extras of a free tux with a certain number ordered or tailoring or delivery. Men’s Wearhouse keeps the message simple and direct: We will make the groom look his best for his bride.

Take a look at your advertisements. Do they address your target market? Do they talk from your customer’s point of view? Are they simple and direct?

If not, redo them with these questions in mind.

Timing

2011-02-11T14:22:00.000-08:00

Oprah launched her new network, OWN, on New Year’s Day. That was a smart move. While New Year’s Day featured the typical crunch of football games, this year it fell on a Saturday. That meant the normal weekday programming of soaps and talk shows which would be OWN’s competition was not available. In addition, usual Saturday programming does not have broad appeal because people don’t watch much TV during the day on Saturdays.

New Year’s Day Saturday, however, was different. Most people had the day off and, due to the holidays, were around the house, whether their’s or someone else’s. Not all of them wanted to watch football. In fact, OWN’s target market of predominately women were interested in something other than football. They were looking for fresh, interesting programming that they could watch while the guys watched football. The time was ripe to introduce OWN.

A mix of original programs, strips, specials, original documentaries, and acquired movies, OWN was watched in 85 million homes on New Year’s Day. Wow! That’s an impressive number, particularly for a holiday.

When I sold TV, many clients avoided holidays, but those who used them got excellent response. One client who managed a summer music festival took my suggestion and ran a schedule on Thanksgiving Day. “Think about it,” I urged my client. “Families will be mulling around the house with the TV on, discussing what they did last year and what they plan for next year. Your commercial airs and gives them an idea to attend your music festival and have a good time. They may even go as a family. Or, they may think of giving the gift of tickets for Christmas.”

My client had been listening intently. “You’ve got a good point. Let’s try it.”

We did, and he was amazed at the response. Many people saw the commercial because of the holiday. In addition, they had an urgency to call immediately after the holiday due to an early bird ticket price cut off date of December 1.

In both of these instances the timing was right.

Do you have an opportunity which could be advertised on a holiday? Would your target market be watching? Would the timing be right?

Think this through. Don’t dismiss a holiday as a “bad” time to advertise just because it is a holiday. The holiday could actually make it attractive. Consider whether your target market would be watching. Discuss if your target market would notice your commercial. Decide if the timing would be right. Think beyond your normal boundaries.

Remember, timing is critical.

What If Opportunities

2011-02-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

At the end of both the NFC and the AFC championship games, commercials aired offering hats and t-shirts featuring the winner’s logo and the “official NFL” championship logo at NFLshop.com. This offer is no surprise to viewers. For several years, potential winners of a big event have been pre-taped answering the question, “Now that you’ve won (fill in the big event), where are you going?” with “Disneyland!” That “what if” opportunity has acclimated us to commercials which reference the win immediately. At the end of the championship games, most viewers did not stop and think, “How did they do that? How did they know that team would be the winner?”

They didn’t know, of course. A commercial was made for each of the four teams, and they aired the actual winner’s commercial. They prepared for the eventually of “What if the Packers win?” “What if the Bears win?” “What if the Steelers win?” and “What if the Jets win?” In so doing, they took advantage of a tremendous what if opportunity. Think about it. When are fans of the winning team most likely to buy? When they are most excited about the win, right? That is why NFLshop.com management aired a commercial at the end of each game. They wanted to offer excited fans the first chance at championship merchandise.

Every good retailer will tell you that striking quickly by having the product is critical. That is why after the NFC championship game the owner of a store in Wausau, Wisconsin, drove to Milwaukee to pick up championship merchandise to have in his store when it opened Monday morning.

That retailer knew his best opportunity to sell Packer championship merchandise was Monday morning. He also knew that by driving to pick up the merchandise he would be the first in his area to have it. Being quick and first helped him maximize his sales and his profits. He brought in the merchandise, marked it his desired price, and put it on the shelf. When a customer wants an item or a service and wants it now, price is not a factor. There are no discounts or dickering needed in what if opportunities. No, there is only a great deal of profit.

Think about this. Through its tracking, Wal-mart has discovered that before a hurricane hits in Florida, residents stock up on strawberry pop tarts. Knowing that, Wal-mart immediately trucks in more strawberry pop tarts whenever a hurricane is forecast in Florida. By doing so, Wal-mart is taking advantage of a what if opportunity. What if a hurricane hits? Then people want strawberry pop tarts.

Now you may be thinking, “My business is not Wal-mart. I can’t track what people want.”

While you may not have Wal-mart’s software tracking program, you do have a brain. You also know your customers, or, at least, I hope that you do. Using your brain, think through the what if opportunities for your business. Think about what changes affect your customers. What if there is a heavy snow or rain storm of which we have had a great deal lately? What if rioting in Egypt causes the price of oil to increase? What if there is an early or a late spring?

How do these situations affect your customers?

We operate in a dynamic business environment. Changes are happening every second, many of which we are unaware. Make a point to think through which situations affect your customers, creating a what if opportunity for your business. Then plan how you would handle that what if opportunity. How do you need to prepare in order to do so? Do you need to create a commercial, an e-mail, or an ad that you would immediately run? Would you need to pick up merchandise as the retailer from Wausau did? What would your staff need to know?

Answer these questions. Then implement your what if strategy. What if opportunities are profitable, but they must be addressed quickly which means that they require pre-planning. Once you are in the middle of the what if opportunity, it will be too late to prepare.

What are your what if opportunities?

Find a Way

2010-12-31T11:44:00.000-08:00

I just heard an inspiring story about a young woman who pleaded with a soft drink company to change her life.

“Music is my passion, but I can’t do that without your help. If I can’t find a way to pay for school, then I can’t go. You could change my life.” That was North Central University junior Nicki Boon’s video message to Dr. Pepper requesting to participate in Dr. Pepper‘s Million Dollar Tuition Giveaway which involved throwing a football into a hole in a target.

Two days later Nicki was called by a Dr. Pepper staff member. Her video plea had worked; she had been chosen to participate. Determined to win the contest’s prize money, she practiced five days a week, 100 throws a day. She became obsessed with winning.

Nicki also worked at a steakhouse, and one of her customers was Minnesota Vikings Ray Edwards. The next time that she waited on his table, she explained her opportunity to him. After she was finished, Nicki added, “I know that you play football, do you have any tips for me?”

“Can you throw the football?”

“No, not really.”

Ray advised, “Throw a two-handed chest pass.”

“You’re a football player. Why are you telling me to throw it like a basketball?”

The next practice, she understood why. “I had so much more control that way,” she explained.

Nicki’s practice paid off, and she went all the way to the final competition held at halftime of the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. The underdog facing a baseball pitcher, Nicki maintained that the actual competition was “a blur. It felt like David and Goliath walking in there.”

When the competition was over, Nicki saw that she had seven and then realized that her competitor had five. “Did I win this?” She asked out loud.

“Yes,” said the officials.

Nicki was amazed. “A weight just lifted off my shoulders. It was a miracle.”

Her prize was $123,000, which is enough to make her dream of studying the music business at a school in Nashville come true. Her unorthodox method of throwing was accurate, and that’s all that mattered.

I found several of Nicki’s actions interesting. First, she was determined to find a way to have a career in the music business. Second, that career path had to lead through school. Third, she was willing to search out of the box for the money. How many women music majors would consider throwing a football for whatever purpose, even a scholarship? Fourth, she tenaciously and consistently practiced throwing the ball well. Fifth, she sought help from an expert. Sixth, perhaps most importantly, she followed his advice. She was determined to find a way, and she did.

The next time you have a challenge which appears hopeless, remember Nicki Boon and find your way.

Internal Marketing

2010-12-31T11:41:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago I walked up to my newspaper box to pick up the paper and encountered a mess. The paper had been stuffed into the box amid slush and snow. Since the paper was not enclosed in a protective plastic covering, it was soggy and limp. I carefully carried it into the house, separated its parts, and hung them over chairs to dry.

As I was doing this, I thought about the role of the delivery person. Although this person may not picture himself as an important part of the company’s marketing, he is. He actually puts the company’s product, the newspaper, into the customer’s possession. How that newspaper arrives makes the first impression of that day’s product. That impression contributes to the customer’s attitude toward the company. More importantly, the condition of the newspaper when the customer gets it determines how and even if the customer can consume the product. A newspaper that is damaged beyond retrieval cannot be opened, viewed, or read.

A newspaper in that condition causes frustration with the customer. The customer does not have the product which he ordered, and he must now take time to address the situation. At the very least, the customer will be emotionally upset. He will probably contact the company and complain. Another company employee will take the call and process the adjustment to the customer’s bill or have another paper delivered. The customer will go without the product or receive it late and not be happy with either option.

The company cultivated this customer, and the customer subscribed to get the information that the paper provides. If the paper is not readable, the customer has not received what he wanted. If the customer does not receive what he wants, the company has an unhappy customer and risks losing him. Since the company’s objectives include happy customers and repeat sales, those objectives are not being met.

All this happens due to the actions of a delivery person. Does he understand the importance of his job?

I doubt it. He sees himself as someone who drives around and stuffs newspapers into boxes. Likely, he has not been shown how his job fits into the company’s revenue stream. He does not know that his position is an integral part of the company’s marketing. He has not been told that the delivery of a readable newspaper, not merely the delivery of a paper, is critical to the company’s success.

This is not his fault. Informing him is management’s responsibility. In order for the company to be profitable, management needs internally market and inform every employee of how his job contributes to the company’s success. Each employee ought to understand how to do his job well and that doing so is important. He needs to know how his job helps achieve the company’s objectives. When he does, he will make certain that the paper he delivers is in a condition which makes the customer happy. That, of course, is the company’s ultimate objective.

How many of your employees do their job without understanding how it fits into your company’s objective of serving and retaining customers?

The Good Samaritan

2010-12-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

I discovered Monday morning that the township plow had come down the frontage road and blocked the end of my plowed driveway with chunks of snow. I called the guy who plows for me and asked him to come by and unblock it. His wife said that he was out plowing and would come over. Since the time was 8:30 a.m. and I didn’t need to leave for class until 4:45 p.m., I was confident that he would take care of it.

My driveway is quite long and snakes down the hill with the end of it out of sight from my house. Normally, I would see it when I walk my dogs, but Monday I did not walk them because my schedule was very busy. Consequently, I had no knowledge if the driveway was unblocked or not when I drove down it to leave for class. Since I hadn’t heard to the contrary from my plow guy, I assumed that it was clear.

You can imagine my horror when I reached the end of the driveway to find that nothing had been done. With no shovel and no time, I chose the lowest spot, stepped on the accelerator, and drove into the mess. Thankfully, my car went through undamaged. As I continued down the road, I thought that I would have to shovel my way back into the driveway in twenty below temperatures when I returned home that night.

When I returned, I got out of my car with the intention of retrieving a shovel, but, as I walked through the ruts I had made on my way out, I thought that I just might be able to get back in without shoveling. I repeated my earlier efforts and was successful, leaving the shoveling until morning.

The next morning my plow guy called to tell me that his plow was broken and he was waiting for parts. I did not want to continue to risk going through the mess at the end of my driveway so I picked up a shovel and headed out to clear a path through it. As I was working on the lowest part which I had driven through, several pickups with plows drove past. Watching them drive away through my iced-up glasses, the marketer in me thought, “One of the best marketing actions that a person with a plow could take would be to drive around after a snowfall looking for plowing opportunities. Any of these guys could have picked up extra cash by stopping and offering to help me. They may have even signed up a new customer.”

The mouth to my driveway from the frontage road is very wide. Tuesday morning I shoveled just enough to get out, vowing to finish Wednesday when the temperature would be thirty degrees warmer and not below zero. Wednesday afternoon I went out to do just that. The temperature made a huge difference, and I had moved about a dozen shovelfuls when a pickup with a plow drove by. After traveling just slightly past me, I noticed the pickup’s brake lights. Suddenly, the pickup backed up and came to a stop beside me. Rolling down his window, the driver said, “Would you like me to help you with that?”

I smiled. “I’d love it; thank you!”

With four quick swipes, the truck’s plow accomplished in seconds what would have taken me an hour or more. When he finished, I asked, “Do you have a card?”

“Not with me,” he replied, “but I do have some paper. I’ll write my name and phone number on it.”

“Great! I might call you to plow me out in the future.”

“Call me anytime. I live close by. Merry Christmas!”

After he handed me the paper, I thanked him further, and he drove off. I was reminded of the story of the good Samaritan. Although I know that he helped me out to be nice, in doing so he made a very good impression. As I walked back up the driveway carrying my shovel, I marveled at how many pickups had driven past compared to the one that had stopped. That led me to wonder how many opportunities such as this the average business passes up everyday. How many customers do we pass by and miss the opportunity to make a good impression? Most of us are so absorbed by what we have to get done that we fail to take note of what is happening around us.

When did you last notice opportunity as you passed by it?

How to Experience Growth

2010-12-10T10:38:00.000-08:00

I was pulled into a news report recently by this statement, “In the past three years, not including this year, this company has had an increase in sales of 749%.”

“What?” I thought. “Did I hear that right? Did that company have a 749% increase?”

I grabbed the remote, ran the story back, and listened again. To my amazement, yes, that was precisely what had been said. In addition, the company was adding 59,000 square feet to its 740,000 square foot warehouse and one hundred more employees to its 250 employee force. It was also expanding into Ireland and Hong Kong. “We can’t keep these products on the shelf,” noted the company president.

Like you, I wondered, “What do they sell?”

He soon revealed what the company sold by forcefully dropping an iPad on the floor. The iPad was picked up from the drop, and it worked perfectly. The iPad didn’t get damaged because it was protected by the coverings that the company sells. This company, Otter Box, sells protective coverings for iPads, iPods, iPhones, Blackberries and other devices. These coverings are very effective protection. During the report, iPads were dropped several times with no resulting damage due to the protective covering.

While all of that is very impressive, the reason that I am sharing this information with you is why the company president stated the business was successful. “We listen to our customers and give them what they want.”

Wow! This is a business which not only listens to the customer, but implements what the customer says that he or she wants. Even more, the business admits this to be the key to its success. On its Web site, the company proclaims, “Throughout the years, we've listened to customer feedback and attribute the evolution of our products to consumers who've challenged us to take the idea of a protective case to the next level.”

In this sluggish economy where many businesses are struggling, this company is experiencing an astronomical, almost unbelievable increase of 749%. Yes, Otter Box has a hot item that they are selling, but that wasn’t always the case. Company founder Curt Richardson started out with waterproof boxes which did not sell all that well. After listening to the wants of his customers, he developed the boxes into four product lines of device-specific cases for today's hottest technologies. He morphed his company’s offering to fit what his customer wanted. Before he did that, he talked and listened to his customer.

Have you talked and listened to your customer lately? Your customer has the key to great opportunities for your company.

The Missing Step

2010-12-03T06:54:00.001-08:00

Last month, a cruise ship had a fire on board and, as a result, became disabled in the Pacific Ocean just south of San Diego. You may have heard about the incident. Forty-five hundred people were stranded fifty-five miles from land, and, for four days, they had no running water, no working toilets, no electricity, and no fresh food. Without refrigeration, much of the food on board spoiled, adding an obnoxious odor to their other discomforts.

Carnival immediately addressed the situation by sending tug boats to retrieve the ship and talking to the press. In a statement, CEO Gerry Cahill said, "We know this has been an extremely trying situation for our guests, and we sincerely thank them for their patience. Conditions on board the ship are very challenging, and we sincerely apologize for the discomfort and inconvenience our guests are currently enduring. The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority, and we are working to get our guests home as quickly as possible."

Later the CEO acknowledged that the situation had ruined many guests’ vacations. However, he wanted to do everything possible to “ease things on board and make the guests whole again.” All passengers received free drinks for the duration of the cruise, prompting several passengers in their interviews upon arriving home to admit a great deal of drunkenness. In addition, they were all refunded their cruise fee in full plus given another free cruise including airfare.

Carnival’s management handled the situation well because they told the truth. They admitted what had happened immediately; they didn’t attempt to hide or disguise it. As quickly as possible, they did everything they could to ease the discomfort of their passengers. They refunded the passengers’ money.

Then, they seized the opportunity to invite the passengers back by giving them a free cruise.

That is the missing step which most businesses do not take. Yes, I know that many do not take the other steps, either, often not admitting the truth, not attempting to make things right, and not refunding money. In fact, I just read this morning that one of the major complaints of customers online is that they are not treated well by Internet sellers when there is a problem. Some customers can’t even get a response from these online merchants. You and I both know that is a very unprofitable way to do business. The measure of a business comes when a problem arises. That’s when the customer discovers what type of service the business truly provides.

If the business handles the situation well, then the business is wise to take the next step and ask for more business from the customer. Survey after survey has shown that customers will not stop doing business because of a problem. How the problem is handled determines customers’ continued patronage. Customers want to be treated kindly and fairly.

When they are, invite them to do business with your firm again.

The Results Are In

2010-11-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

Two years ago, Mountain Dew tied in with the presidential elections and offered Dewmocracy 2, a multimedia promotion that started with a multiplayer online game. As part of the game, players were required to create new flavors of Mountain Dew. Pepsi, the company which produces Mountain Dew, chose the seven best flavors from those submitted in the game and had fifty Dew fanatic fans taste test them. At the same time, Dew lab trucks drove around the United States and reached more than 200,000 fans for their taste-test input.

From these taste tests, the seven flavors were narrowed down to three, which were put online for a vote. Dew fans for each flavor picked the colors, names, advertising, and packaging design for the new flavor. They also promoted their flavor. Mountain Dew encouraged fans to tell the world which flavor that they wanted by chatting with other fans on message boards, downloading wallpapers and icons, and getting others to vote for that flavor. The results are in, and White Out, the new flavor, was launched October 10. In the ad copy, Mountain Dew White Out is “built by Dew fans for Dew fans - - - letting the world know: It’s Different on the Mountain!”

Dewmocracy is an excellent example of using Web 2.0 as it was designed, which is to be interactive. Today’s Web tools offer businesses of every size the opportunity to connect with your customers and receive feedback from them, creating a two-way communication. The Web is different than traditional media in that it offers an opportunity for your customers to respond to your message. Mass media is only a one-way communication, which is why many mass media messages now contain Web references.

Those references offer the opportunity to involve customers. Whether the business sells a product such as Mountain Dew or a service such as Direct TV, giving customers the chance to feel more a part of the process through feedback is profitable marketing. Take this further by actually using the feedback for change in the product or service and you have employed the Web wisely. You have used interactivity to involve your customers.

This involvement expands and deepens customer relationships with your company and your product. You go beyond maintaining top of the mind awareness with your customer to making your business a part of your customer’s activities. Doing creates memorability Memorability generates repeat business. Repeat business develops profitable customers.

I understand that you might look at what Mountain Dew did and think, “Dew’s customers are young people with a great deal of time on their hands who are willing to get this involved. My customers are not like that.”

Don’t judge your customers too quickly. Perhaps a contest such as Dewmocracy is not a good fit for your business, but some interactivity online is. Your customers would enjoy an online process which allows them to do something that they love. What do your customers love to do? What do they love about your product or service? How do they use what you sell? Find a way to weave their interests into an online activity that involves your product or service. Consider a contest, an opportunity to share tips or have questions answered, or a chance to present a creation.

Challenge yourself to differentiate your business with your customers through online interactivity.

Logistics

2010-10-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

In a new advertising campaign, UPS is teaching customers the definition of a word: Logistics. What is logistics? Well, according to UPS, logistics is “When it’s planes in the sky for a chain of supply,” “When the parts for the line come precisely on time,” “A continuous link that is always in sync,” and “There will be no more stress cause you called UPS.”

Looking in Merriam-Webster, logistics is either the aspect of military science dealing with the procurement, maintenance, and transportation of military material, facilities, and personnel or the handling of the details of an operation.

Why do these definitions matter? They demonstrate how the definition of a word can be manipulated to suit the situation. Unfortunately, in this case that will not be helpful to UPS because the word logistics is not clearly understood by the audience. Therefore, UPS must educate the audience as to the meaning of the word. The TV commercial attempts to do this with a jingle that sings the above phrases to the tune of That’s Amore.

Any time that a company uses advertising to educate, a great deal of marketing effort is being wasted. You see, learning happens from repetition. Good education repeats and repeats and repeats so that learning takes place. Learning the meaning of a word requires the receiver to receive, focus, and think.

Today, people don’t think anymore than is necessary, and they certainly don’t do so when mindlessly watching TV. In order to absorb the new UPS message, they would need to pay close attention to the definitions that are sung and think how these definitions apply to their lives. Doing that requires way more attention and thought processes than today’s TV viewers will give.

This commercial caught my attention because That’s Amore is one of those songs that sticks in my mind after I have heard it. However, except for the refrain of “That’s logistics,” I didn’t understand any of the rest of the words. To write this Insight, I went to YouTube, played the commercial, listened carefully, and paused it after each phrase. The commercial is beautifully shot, but, if the audience doesn’t get the message, is it accomplishing its goal?

I think not.

On the contrary, UPS’s former message, what can Brown do for you, was clear and customer-focused. Now, UPS does not like being “brown” anymore. They wanted to change their image so they decided that they heart (love) logistics. Their challenge in this new message is that most people are not certain they understand logistics. “No problem,” the creative people at the agency for UPS said. “We will educate them.”

While much of marketing involves education, advertising does not. Advertising messages must be easily and quickly understood by the receiver. People easily and quickly understood “What can brown do for you” because the UPS trucks and uniforms are brown so UPS is associated with the color brown. With the old commercials, UPS had branded itself with a color, which is quite a feat.

Now they have abandoned brown, which everyone readily understands, with logistics, which everyone does not get.

What can logistics do for you?

Customer Non-friendly

2010-10-04T04:16:00.000-07:00

Recently, my roommate bought a new flat screen TV. Wanting to patronize an independent dealer rather than a big box store, she walked into the new store in town which was a branch of a store based in South Dakota. The store stocked Toshiba, the brand that she wanted. She found a stand that she wanted, too, and ordered it. Once the stand came in, she planned to complete the deal and have both delivered.

That’s when the struggle began.

She called at 5:20 p.m. on a Sunday with no answer. Since she assumed that the store would be closed at that time on Sunday, she was not surprised. However, the phone did not have an answering machine, either, which today is quite amazing. The following day was Labor Day. In an attempt to find out the store’s Labor Day hours, she looked at the store’s Web site. On the company’s location page, one South Dakota store was revealed, but no other stores showed up. The page loaded slowly, possibly due to the Google map placement, and whether other stores were on the page or not, she could not tell. Whatever was the case, she could not get her information.

Then she called again. No answer. No answering machine. She was very frustrated.

Finally, a couple of hours later, someone answered the phone. One of her questions concerned when the TV would be delivered. The TV was at the store, but she was waiting for the stand that she had ordered. “Our warehouse will know on Tuesday if the stand is in,” the salesman who had sold her the stand and TV replied. “I will call the warehouse that day. If it is in, we will get the stand on Thursday, and we can deliver both later this week. I will let you know what I find out.”

Tuesday came and went, and he didn’t call. Thursday was the same story. Two and a half weeks passed before he called. “The stand is here,” he said. “Can we deliver the TV and stand tomorrow?”

I was astounded. First of all, he had not followed up on his promise to check on the delivery status of the stand. Even if all that he had to report was that the stand would not be in that week, the salesman would have maintained his communication and his credibility with a call. Salespeople who call only when they have good news are making a big mistake. What they don’t realize is that silence speaks volumes. Silence leaves the customer wondering what is happening. Silence builds the customer’s frustration. Communication trumps silence any day and builds a relationship with the customer. Silence does not.

The second reason that I was surprised was his expectation of delivery the following day. He either felt lucky or was clueless. In this hectic time, customers’ schedules are seldom that flexible. Mostly, they are just the opposite. His action seemed all about him. “Okay,” he thought, “this stand in finally here. Let’s get this delivered so that I can finish this sale and get my commission.”

He would have demonstrated his interest in his customer if he had called and asked what day worked best for her to take delivery. Had he done so, he would have discovered how anxious she was to have the TV. Of course, he could have known that, too, if he had followed up on his promise and called back two weeks prior. Instead of showing his interest in her, he called with a question as if he were still selling. At this point in the sale, he needed to recognize that he was no longer selling; he was servicing. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t know the difference.

You will shake your head when you hear the end of the story. When the delivery men pulled the packaging off the stand in the living room, they found that the glass in the stand was broken into several pieces. Evidently no one in the warehouse or at the store had checked the stand prior to delivery. At least, I assume that due to the surprise of the delivery guys. Now she is waiting again for a replacement stand to be delivered.

This company’s management and staff would develop customers if they understood that little things make the difference in handling customers. Little things leave customers happy or dissatisfied. Little things spread good word of mouth or not. Little things are customer friendly or non-friendly.

Check on your little things. How are you and your staff handling them?

A Wise Play

2010-09-14T14:15:00.001-07:00

Last Friday my roommate opened the sports section of the newspaper and noticed a two page spread on the paper’s football pick contest. “Look at this,” she urged. “They have listed the advertisers’ picks for the games this weekend.”

Indeed they had.

Below their pictures, eleven advertisers’ picks were listed along with their names and the names of their businesses. These were the advertisers providing the prizes for the contest and advertising in the two-page spread which promoted the contest. Since their picks were in the center of the paper, the picks jumped out at the reader.

“That is smart,” I replied. “The newspaper involved the advertisers by having them make those picks.”

Contests are notorious for getting the involvement of consumers. This time of year, consumers frequently participate in contests which offer the opportunity to pick the winners of football games. Football fans love to guess the winners, don’t they? Melding their interest in picking football game winners with the involvement that consumers have in contests, the local newspaper created the “Click, Pick, and Win” contest. Entrants can sign up and make their picks online. Their results are totaled each week and added into a running total. Weekly prizes as well as a grand prize are awarded.

Tapping into the football hype at the beginning of the season is smart for the newspaper and for the advertisers. Why? First of all, most readers of sports pages are part of a hard-to-find market: men. Guys read the sports pages, especially this time of the year, to keep up with their favorite team and find out what is happening with other teams, too. If men are a business’s target market, this is an excellent vehicle to reach them.

Second, guys who are football fans love to participate in guessing which team will win a game. Setting up a contest in which they can do this on a weekly basis gives them the opportunity to do so and have bragging rights as to their picks for the week.

The newspaper took this a step further, however, with the third reason that this idea is smart. By having the advertisers make their picks every week, the newspaper opened the door for feedback to the advertisers. One of the greatest challenges to selling media is feedback. The advertisers’ weekly picks will prompt unsolicited comments from consumers on a particular game or week’s picks such as “You did okay this week on your picks, didn’t you?” or “I can’t believe that you picked New York in that game!”

These picks give advertisers an opening for conversation with consumers and the opportunity to build a relationship with them. The picks give both the target market and the advertisers a common interest. Rather than being a stranger who wants to take the consumer’s money, the advertisers become people, establishing trust. After all, you can trust another football fanatic, can’t you?

Trust opens the door to building a long term relationship as a customer and a business person. These relationships are profitable for both parties. That is what you want from your marketing.

The next time that you are offered an advertising opportunity, take a careful look at it. Does the offer involve your customer? Does it offer an opportunity for two-way communication with your customer? Will it afford you the chance to lay a foundation of trust and build a relationship with your customer?

If it does, grab it. That is profitable advertising.

The Marketing Difference

2010-09-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday evening I had the privilege of being a member of a panel of business people who shared our experiences with students at Globe University. We began with panel members giving an opening statement regarding our careers, our current positions, and our recommendations to students.

Pat Lehman, the first panel member to talk, related how his career started in the automotive industry. He moved from that to door and window manufacturing to his current position as Vice President in charge of Manufacturing Operations at Silver Spring Gardens. In addition to their taste-tingling horseradish and mustards, Silver Spring is currently producing Asian recipes for a Japanese company which distributes the products in the United States.

In my statement, I mentioned that my first book, Mistakes I made My First Five Years in Business (and How You Can Avoid Them) had publishers in China, South Korea, and India. As a marketing consultant, I stressed that I am on a mission to get businesses to create and use a written marketing plan because I think that is the key to profitable marketing. In fact, I challenged the students to walk into any ten businesses in town and ask them for their written marketing plan. “I would be surprised if you found one that had a written marketing plan.”

The next panel member to talk, Scott Smith, Global Aftermarket Manager for Extrusion Dies, finished his opening statement by turning to me and noting, “We have a written marketing plan that we work everyday.”

“Great!” I replied excitedly. “That helps you be successful.”

Scott agreed.

David Czysz, the fourth panel member, expressed his storied past which led him from leaving school before graduating to selling cars to his current position selling financial investments. He had an excellent, very concise, very intriguing opening statement which he made to potential clients. I would give it to you, but I did not write it down and paraphrasing it would lose its impact. If David asked that question of me, I would certainly stop, think, and probably want to talk with him further.

Although all of the panel members had very busy schedules, they took time to give back to the students by participating in this panel. As Scott pointed out, one theme that threaded through three of our experiences was the international work. Within twenty years, some experts have projected that half the small businesses in the United States will do business internationally. Three-quarters of the panel members already were doing so. If this is any indication, the experts may be right.

Wherever their business is conducted, critical to the success of each of these business people is their marketing. Scott proclaimed that Extrusion Dies has a marketing plan which they work daily. Pat Lehman told me that the son of the owner, who is next in line to assume leadership of the company, is currently getting his MBA in marketing. David has carefully planned how he approaches and develops his customers. I practice what I preach by creating and using a written marketing plan. The basis of each person’s success was planned, written marketing. That is the basis of every business’s success.

Are you working from a written marketing plan? If not, take time to create one soon.

Then use it.

Buzz and Pester

2010-08-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

I live in the woods, and every summer I endure a number of mosquitoes. This summer, however, the mosquitoes have been the worst I have ever known. Every time that I walk my dogs, I encounter hundreds of them. They are so prevalent that I have cut back on my summer gardening. Frustratingly, they have been around since early April, and, until the frost, they will continue to multiply.

As I was contemplating my Insight for this week, these mosquitoes came to mind. I thought about how similar mosquitoes are to the sales efforts of some companies. They mercilessly pester, irritatingly buzz, and offer nothing that’s in it for me. While I greatly admire persistence, this meaningless, not-in-it-for-me persistence is purely annoying.

Does that remind you of some sales people?

Have you had sales people contact you who had no knowledge of your company? Have they “pitched” you a special, a package, or an idea without knowing how it would fit into your company’s objectives? Have they come back or called over and over and over again to get you to buy?

If so, you have encountered a mosquito-type sales person, one that pesters, buzzes, and offers nothing that’s in it for you. This person’s only focus is what’s in it for him. He wants to sell you something. So what if you get something out of it? His goal is his own pocketbook.

He could make three changes and lose his mosquito-like properties. First, he could prepare before contacting you by getting to know your company and discovering how his product or service could help you solve a problem. With this information, he would be able to show what’s in it for you during his presentation. Finally, after making a presentation which demonstrates that he did his homework, he could set his next contact with you. Doing so would be courteous and put you, the buyer, in control. Buyers love to be in control, and that makes this gesture very well received.

Taking the time to understand a customer increases the likelihood of a sale. Rather than buzzing around customers who may not buy, the salesperson applies his time toward those who would benefit by the purchase. Instead of pestering a customer to buy, the salesperson shows the customer how the product or service solves the customer’s problem. In an effort to close the sale, the salesperson explains what’s in it for the customer to make the purchase. He focuses on the correct “me,” the customer, rather than the wrong “me,” himself.

Both the customer’s time and the salesperson’s time are used productively. Both win.

Best of all, buzz and pester selling end.

Traits of Profitable Selling

2010-08-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

This time of year there are growers selling fresh ears of candy corn on every corner out of the back of their pickup trucks. After passing by several, a couple of days ago I couldn’t resist any longer and stopped at one. Husked ears of corn were propped up on all sides of the truck, displaying the shiny yellow and white kernels. A few seedless watermelons, plump cantaloupes, unblemished tomatoes, and large yellow onions were spread around the truck, too. Scribbled on a sign was this offer: “Corn $5 a bag or 5 bags for $20.”

As I walked up to the truck, a very friendly grower approached me. “Fresh candy corn just picked today.”

“How does it taste?” I wondered.

“Oh, it’s delicious,” he replied as he grabbed an ear and bit into it. “I eat it raw everyday, and it tastes good even that way.”

I had never witnessed a demonstration of someone biting into a raw ear of corn before, and I admit that he got my attention. Actually, he somewhat diverted my attention because I wondered how good raw corn would taste.

“Everyday I eat some of what I grow,” he continued. “It’s delicious. I believe in my products. They are all locally grown, too.”

I bought some corn. In fact, it looked so good that I spent $20 and the rest of the day freezing corn. As I indulged in some corn later, I agreed with the grower. He had raised good corn.

While I was freezing the corn, I thought about how displays of great salesmanship can be found in unlikely places, such as on street corners with growers selling produce. What made his selling effective?

First, he was very enthusiastic about his product. Enthusiasm is contagious. When you believe in and love your product, it shows. Customers have difficulty not being drawn in and buying from your infectious belief. That trait alone was making many, many sales for this grower.

Second, he gave a stunning demonstration. Have you ever seen someone bite into a raw ear of corn, chew it with a satisfaction, and exclaim, “Mmmm, that is good!” Well, if you haven’t, that is a powerful demonstration. It makes you want to bite into the corn yourself, and I am not an eater of raw corn. His demonstration made the corn mouth-watering.

Third, he encouraged a larger sale. Rather than just say so many ears for a price, this grower offered a bag for $5, which sells fourteen ears at once. That was significantly more ears than most growers sell in one transaction. Then he took this a step further and gave a bonus of a bag free with the purchase of four bags. Get five bags for the price of four. That is a five dollar savings. Although only grabbed by a few, his second offer sold even more ears of corn at once. Making a larger sale to every customer is one of the ways to profitably grow your business. He was definitely making profitable sales.

Good salespeople are enthusiastic, believe in what they sell, demonstrate it well, and look for the larger sale.

Does this describe you and your salespeople?

The Key to Success

2010-08-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

This week I had the opportunity to tour First Choice Computer Recycling. Greg, Bobbie, and Shane, the owners, took time from their busy schedules to show their facility and explain what contributes to their success. Last year they moved from their cramped location to a building which seemed almost too big. Ten months later, they have outgrown the building and have planned a 23,000 square foot addition with a basement.

The three began the business eight years ago when recycling computers in the United States was virtually nonexistent. Greg related that they were told, “You can’t recycle computers in this country.”

That attitude did not deter them. They saw a future in computer recycling and discovered storage units and garages full of pent-up computers to recycle. They invested long hours in starting the business, runnning it, and, as the sole employees, dismantling all the computers, too.

Although their initial “sweat equity” helped launch the business, it is not responsible for their success. With thirteen employees, the three rarely tear down computers today. Now each focuses on his or her area: Shane oversees the plant; Greg deals with the buying and selling; and Bobbie manages the office. The key to their success is their expertise in each of these areas.

Greg stays on top of the commodities markets and decides when to sell the metals which are stripped from the items. His knowledge of scrap metal, commodities, and the buy-sell process makes the difference between profit and loss. Shane works to keep the plant running effectively. His knowledge of how to tear items apart efficiently with maximum preservation of the parts determines their value and their labor expense. Bobbie runs the office and oversees the marketing and accounting. Her knowledge keeps the firm compliant with required paperwork and balances revenues and expenses.

Their knowledge as well as their entrepreneurial spirit are the basis of their success. What sets them apart is their drive to continue learning so that they may grow their business. This fits right in with researchers’ findings that what matters most in the economy of a country is not the availability of land, labor, and capital. No, it’s the other two factors of production that determine a vibrant economy. They are entrepreneurship and knowledge.

I think these also determine the success or failure of a business.

Successful entrepreneurs risk, but they manage their risk. Successful entrepreneurs also seek knowledge. They don’t just seek it before they open a business; they continually want information that will help them run their businesses more profitably. They acquire knowledge wherever they can find it: from others, the Internet, workshops, reading, and classes.

I know that in the daily routine of doing business, taking time to increase your knowledge may seem to be a low priority. That’s not so. Successful business people such as Bobbie, Greg, and Shane will tell you that knowledge makes the difference between success and failure, profit and loss.

What have you done lately to expand your knowledge?

When a System Becomes an Annoyance

2010-07-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a person from my dentist’s office called me. “You are due for a cleaning,” she stated. “Would you like to schedule that?”

“Yes, I am,” I replied, irritated. “Even more, I need to replace my temporary bridge with a permanent one, but I don’t have time to attend to either right now.”

“Okay,” she meekly said. “Let us know when you are ready.”

Evidently, she passed along my irritated reply because the next morning I received an e-mail detailing what I had to do to get the temporary bridge replaced. “We will need about seventy minutes to take an impression and then three weeks later you will need an appointment for one hour to seat the bridge.”

As I read the e-mail, my irritation turned to annoyance. At the beginning of the bridge process, I had had an impression made at the insistence of the dentist. I had had to rearrange my schedule so that I could make a special appointment just to have the impression made. Even worse, I had feared that the impression would make me toothless because the lose crown might fall out during the process and not be replaceable. To my knowledge, that impression had never been used, which I asked in my e-mail reply. The response did not address my question but stated that a new impression needed to be made because the tissue may have healed in a different shape.

Realizing that I look at situations too much from the customer’s point of view and at times become more irritated because of doing so, mentally I took a step back. “Why am I irritated?” I wondered.

First of all, I was upset at their system. A system which ought to work for my benefit and theirs had broken down. The hygienist normally scheduled my next cleaning immediately after I had had one, but she could not do that due to the temporary bridge. The person who called for cleanings did so without any knowledge as to what the customer might have in progress. Therefore, she could not help move me forward with my bridge situation. Neither of these parts of the system were working to my benefit nor to theirs.

Furthermore, the dentist had suggested that I call when I was ready to put in the permanent bridge. Well, I readily admit that if I am given an open-ended option such as that, particularly concerning the dentist, I will delay and delay. After all, in my daily schedule getting the bridge finalized is not urgent. Since there is no pain, it also does not seem to be important. The fact that they left the appointment scheduling up to me irritated me because I knew that I would wait. Had they held my feet to the fire by telling me what needed to be done and scheduling the appointment, both of us would have been much better off. They would have had business, and I would have had the work completed.

Instead, neither has happened.

Systems are a tremendous marketing tool and a helpful customer service. However, systems must be set up so that those working the system have access to all the information on the customer. If that is not available, the person contacting the customer leaves the impression that the company is not paying attention to the customer as an individual. By not checking my file, the person calling about the cleaning made me feel that she was not focusing on me. I was just a number to call to drum up more business because the office was slow. In that case, the system left a negative impression instead of a positive one.

Check your system to make certain that your company is not making the same mistake.

Competitive Mudslinging

2010-07-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

Although I realize by a recent survey that I read and another that I took in class today that universally politicians are not trusted and not liked, I am using a political ad as an example for this week’s Insight. Please look beyond the politicians to the example. Russ Feingold, one of the senators from Wisconsin, is facing reelection against Ron Johnson, an entrepreneur who owns a plastics manufacturing business in Milwaukee. Johnson’s commercials have featured him dismissing the traditional political advertising and talking straightforwardly about runaway spending. In no nonsense terms, he firmly states that he wants to go to Washington to fix the situation. “Government doesn’t create jobs; government creates debt. You know that, and I know that,” he says.

Feingold’s response to Johnson is to say that his opponent wants to turn the Great Lakes over to the oil companies. Playing on the disaster in the Gulf, Feingold maintains that he will never let that happen; he will protect the Great Lakes from the oil companies.

Of course, you can guess that Johnson has come back and now has ads running which state that he would never turn the Great Lakes over to the oil companies. Furthermore, he states, Feingold knows that there is a law against that happening. After all, he says, Feingold voted against that law. In fact, he was the only Great Lakes senator to do so.

I know. That sounds like the traditional back and forth mud slinging typical of most campaigns. Voters get tired of hearing these exchanges and become so confused that they do not know for whom they want to vote. Ultimately, the difference between the two blurs into a “He said, he said” exchange.

While businesses do not usually engage in mud slinging, unfortunately, many business people do become obsessed with their competition. They fret about the competition’s prices. They agonize over how their inventory compares to that of the competition. They worry that customers will buy from their competition and not shop them. They place too much emphasis on what the competition is doing rather than on what their business offers customers.

Customers don’t care about competitors; they care about what you offer. They ask, “What’s in it for me to do business with your business?”

99.9% of your customers do not think about your competition when they are dealing with you. If your business has what a customer wants, most likely that customer will buy from you. If not, he or she may look elsewhere. If the customer has done business with you before, the chances are very high that he or she will do business with you first and foremost.

Realize that the concern about your competition resides in your head, your outlook, and your worry. Switch your view and look at your business from your customer’s point of view. Focus on solving your customers’ problems. Don’t focus on your competition. Talking about your competition doesn’t solve a customer’s problem. In fact, you may pique your customer’s interest in them.

Take a lesson from the politicians. If you solve customers’ problems, your business will thrive. If you don’t, you will always be rolling around in the mud with your competition.

That’s not a profitable place to be.

Wasted Advertising

2010-07-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

Have you seen BP’s commercials about the oil spill? On one, a middle management guy says that he is from the Gulf area, he’s in charge of distributing the clean up funds, and he won’t rest until BP takes care of everyone who deserves to get money. On the other, a senior executive says that he was raised in the Gulf area and will see that everything is put back to where it was before the oil spill. Both commercials have a similar theme of the spokesperson being from the Gulf Coast and assuring the viewer that BP will make it right; he will see to it.

In addition to these commercials, desperate tourism businesses are airing commercials which invite vacationers to come there and play in the warm, white sand. Relax on the beautiful beaches. Enjoy the fresh, delicious seafood. Have fun at the Gulf Coast. I’ve seen these commercials a couple of times in the evening but not on a major network. I suspect the businesses don’t have much budget to air these; I’m surprised that they have any budget at all.

A week ago, I saw one of these commercials in the evening, and the first news story that I saw the next morning was of oil washing up in a new location on a Gulf Coast beach. One or two ads in the evening were easily trumped in the morning with one statement by a news reporter, “Oil is washing up on the Mississippi coast.”

Why is BP running these ads?

Beats me. I am totally perplexed. They appear to think that advertising will restore their good name. They seem to think that commercials will convince viewers that everything is all right in the Gulf. They are certain that if they just run these commercials with enough frequency that they will change Americans’ minds about the tragedy.

Evidently BP management or their marketing team missed the lesson on publicity versus advertising. Of the two, publicity is by far and away more credible, more noticed, and more trusted. When Americans see a report on the news about the oil spill, read an article in the paper, or talk to their friends and relatives about the situation, they internalize and remember what they saw, read, or discussed. That information forms the basis for their opinion on the subject. Their opinion determines if they even notice the commercials. If they do notice them, chances are that they dismiss them as more BP propaganda.

What the public knows that BP doesn’t is that you can’t trump publicity with advertising. It’s a waste of effort and money. Obviously, the desperate Gulf Coast businesses don’t know that, either. However I can understand their advertising. When you are desperate, you are willing to try anything.

I am sharing this with you today to reinforce to you that advertising cannot trump publicity. If your customers have formed an opinion due to news or word of mouth, advertising will not change their opinion. Advertising can maintain their opinion, but it cannot change it. Many businesses use advertising in an attempt to educate or convince customers. That is the wrong use for advertising. Advertising maintains; it does not initiate.

Are you using your advertising to maintain your position with customers?

Muddying Your Focus

2010-07-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend the Taste of Minnesota stirred up quite a controversy. For twenty-seven years, the Taste had offered those attending an opportunity to savor delicious dishes from Minnesota restaurants. Under new management and ownership, this year the event was changed to include “over 100 hours of top-notch musical acts on five stages.” With this came an admission charge for the first time. The admission was twenty dollars for the afternoon and thirty dollars for the evening.

When I first heard of the change, I thought, “They are muddying their focus.”

The event’s focus and name had revolved around food, hence the Taste of Minnesota. These changes shifted the focus to music. I assume that the new ownership and management made this change in the hopes of making more money. Events with big name music acts offer more opportunity for revenue than food events. In the interview that I watched and on the event’s Web site, I found the focus to be first on music and then on food.

What’s wrong with that?

An event that had had a food focus in the minds of customers and vendors now had a music focus. That means those customers who came for the food had to pay an admission for the music. After paying that admission, they had less money to spend on what they wanted, which, of course, was the food. Their spending less on food meant the vendors took in less revenue because they sold less food. One vendor said that his business was down 80% from the prior year. Most vendors complained of business being down 50% or more. Not only did these vendors lose on sales, but they also lost on excess perishable inventory which they could not use.

Long-time customers also complained. They were not planning on an admission fee. I wonder how many left rather than paying one? Or, how many did not attend at all rather than pay admission? Those who did attend said that the crowds were substantially smaller than last year. Although that may have been nice for those who attended, smaller crowds did not help either the vendors or the new management.

At the end of the event, the new management maintained that, similar to this year, next year’s event would feature more “top notch musical acts.” Perhaps that will work for them. However, with their muddied focus in the minds’ of both customers and vendors as to if this is a music or a food event, I predict lower turnout by the customers for the food and lower vendor participation. By the time labor and inventory is covered, restaurants usually do not make much money on events such as this. Now that they are competing with the event for the customers’ money due to admissions, restaurant owners will not come back.

For the Taste of Minnesota to survive, the new management will have to clarify its focus in the minds of its customers and its vendors. Is it a music event or a food event? It had been a food event with music. This year it was a music event with food. If management is continuing the music event with food, it will need to target new customers who want to attend music events.

How is your company’s focus? Does your customer clearly understand what you offer?

How to Lose a Sale

2010-07-02T06:35:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine stopped by a Mega Holiday convenience store today to gas up her car. When she went into the store to pay, she spotted a cartload of fresh buns being put on display. Since these were her favorite buns, she reached for a package. “No, don’t take one of these, yet,” the guy putting out the buns exclaimed. “I haven’t checked them in. Come back later.”

Pulling back her hand, she turned toward the checkout, waited in line, paid for the gas, and walked toward the door. As she exited, she noticed the guy standing near the door with a surprised look on his face, likely because she did not have the buns in hand. She almost stopped and informed him that his statement had lost a sale, but then she thought, “Why bother?”

When she related this incident to me, I had three thoughts. First of all, why did the guy even take the buns to the display area before checking them in? That was just not smart. As a matter of procedure, merchandise should always be checked in away from customers. If that is not possible and a customer attempts to pick up an item, then the response on the part of the person stocking ought to be cheerfully to hand one to the customer. Never, ever should a person stocking tell a customer to wait to purchase. The result of that directive will be to lose a sale, just as what happened in this case. Very rarely will customers return, especially in a convenience store where customers are in a rush.

My second thought was “How many sales has this store lost due to customers being told not to buy at this time but to come back later?” No one knows, and there is no way to tell. We know the store lost one. I think that is too many. I also suspect that there are many more. Checking in merchandise on the floor is a pattern of behavior. With that pattern, the possibility of encountering customers who want the merchandise is great. With that happening in a convenience store where customers are hurried leads me to believe that this has happened many times.

Finally, I wondered how many customers had exited the store dissatisfied with their experience as my friend did? Mega works hard to get customers. I’m certain that management does not want any customers upset because they couldn’t make a purchase. What a foolish reason to upset a customer.

How can this be corrected?

Management would be wise to set the policy that I suggested, which is not to have items checked in on the floor. If that cannot be avoided and a customer wants an item, instruct the person checking in the item always to hand one gladly to the customer and make note of it on the paperwork. That puts the customer first. That makes a sale. That keeps a customer happy.

How do your employees handle a situation such as this?

The "Stock" Trap

2010-06-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

Listening to the background music on a commerical for a law firm based in the Twin Cities, I paused. “That music sounds very familiar. Where have I heard it before?” I thought.

This thought nagged at me off and on until I heard the answer on an Eau Claire television station. No, I did not hear that commercial for the Twin Cities law firm; this commercial was for a funeral home. The funeral home runs a consistant schedule, which meant that I had heard the music a great deal. “Hmm,” I mused. “Mixing a funeral home with a law firm is not helpful to either business.”

Although, technically, these television stations are in separate markets, realistically, viewers in western Wisconsin can watch stations from both markets. While viewers in western Wisconsin may not do business with a Twin Cities law firm, the use of the same background music for the firm’s commercial as for the funeral home’s commercial is muddying the message for both in viewers’ minds, whether viewers realize it consciously or not.

The music helps to develop an image in viewers’ minds, and, when the music is used for another business, the image is disrupted, reducing the effectiveness of the commercial. In addition, the music may bring to mind the message from the other business which is using it. Just as with me, the viewer may not be able to place the music, but he or she may pause, focus on the music, and miss the message of the commercial. In fact, the message may not penetrate at all because of the interference of the music.

As I thought about this situation, I was reminded of an e-mail that I received recently regarding one picture that was used on ten different book covers. None of these books shared the same author. They probably didn’t share the same publishing company. None were aware that others had used the same photo for their book covers.

That’s what happens when you use stock photos. Today you may easily go online, find a photo, pay to use it, download it, and apply it to your book cover, Web site, brochure, or any materials. Those photos are called stock photos. They are quick to find and handy to access. Here’s the catch: They are available to all, not just to you. That means you don’t know if and how someone else might be using them. If someone in your market is using them, their effectiveness for you will be reduced. If, horror upon horrors, your competitor is using them, your message and that of your competitor will meld together. Just as with the stock music, you’ll never know who else has them until they show up on a book cover, Web site, brochure, or materials.

How do you avoid having this happen?

The best way is to not use stock photos or music. If you need a particular photo, have a photographer shoot it for you. I know that is not as quick and easy, but it does allow you to make the photo more your own and have it communicate specifics of your business. As to music, every area has many talented musicians, many of whom would gladly write music for your business that would be uniquely your own. These may cost slightly more and may take more effort on your part, but the end result will be better communication for you and no concern about who else is sharing your photos and/or music.

Avoid the “stock” trap. Use only music and photos uniquely your own.

Turning Annoyances into Guarantees

2010-06-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

What is one of the biggest annoyances of hiring a plumber? Waiting for the plumber to arrive. I was amazed to catch part of a commercial which addressed this annoyance. “For each minute that the plumber is late, we pay you.”

The second time that I heard this commercial, I made a point to listen for the name of the company, which I learned was Benjamin Franklin Plumbing. I promptly went online and found out more from their Web site. “If there is a delay, we pay you. If we are not on time, we pay you $5.00 per minute, up to $300.00”

This is the company’s guarantee. However, it isn’t the only one. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing also guarantees that
-“If our plumber doesn’t wear shoe covers inside your home or leaves your home without cleaning up, you don’t pay a penny.
-If our plumber smokes or swears in your home or on your property, you don’t pay a penny.
-If a repair fails in the first two years, we will repair it again absolutely free.”

In addition, the company promises “Straightforward Pricing with no unexpected surprises! We will always carefully evaluate your situation and will provide you with an exact price you approve of before any work begins.”

I was impressed with the first guarantee. The additional ones seemed to address each one of the major annoyances that customers have with plumbers. Not only did Benjamin Franklin Plumbing promise not to do these annoyances, they took another step and guaranteed that promise.

That made me impressed enough to share this with you.

Guarantees are a very effective but little used marketing tactic. Sometimes giving a guarantee can be difficult. They can be costly, especially when handing out five dollar bills for every minute that the plumber is late. However, the main reason that they are seldom used is because business and marketing people do not think to use them.

Most businesses focus on discounts to stimulate business. If you asked ten people who had done business with a plumber, I think that nine, perhaps ten, would take the five dollar bill guarantee over a discount. They’d figure the five dollars was a sure thing whereas the discount is off a price that was unknown, so how can they tell if it is truly a discount or not?

As far as the business is concerned, guarantees cost less than discounts if the business does not have to pay out the guarantee. These guarantees force the business to focus on what they promise, which is what the customer wants. Best of all, since the guarantees get rid of the typical customer annoyances, customers will not only be happy with Benjamin Franklin Plumbing but will remember it, too. Likely, they will talk about the company with their friends, stimulating a great deal of word of mouth.

Next time that you want to stimulate business, think about offering a guarantee. What annoys your customer that you can guarantee will not happen with your company?

How Not to Give an Interview

2010-06-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

As I was pouring my morning coffee the other day, I caught part of an interview in the morning news. “Did I just hear what I think I heard?” I wondered.

Curious, I grabbed the remote and played the segment back.

“Why do you do this event?” the news anchor asked.

“To put our product out there. It’s a great advertising tool for us as builders.”

“What?!!” I thought. “That is the most uncustomer-focused reply that I have ever heard.”

The gentleman who was being interviewed was representing the area homebuilders in promoting their Parade of Homes. I’m certain that he did not volunteer to do this interview. Likely, he drew the short straw. Or, everyone else refused to do it, either because they were too busy or they had done it before. His unemotional tone of voice and unenthusiastic demeanor instantly proclaimed that he was only doing the interview because he had no choice.

I suspect that he won’t do it again, either. After all, he now can join the ranks of those who have done the interview before and avoid it next time.

His interview points to a very common problem with publicity: Who will give the interviews? When events get established, savvy promoters include on-air interviews in the media mix. They think that the best people to give these interviews ought to be the professionals who are involved in presenting the event. Logically, that works. That logic does not consider, however, that the skills needed to construct a home are not the same skills needed to give a good interview. In fact, these skills may have no intersection whatsoever, which this guy proved.

That does not make him bad; it makes him a bad choice to do the interview.

Whoever is being interviewed first and foremost needs to be excited about the event. He or she should be bursting with enthusiasm. Excitement and enthusiasm are catching and pique interest in viewers or listeners. This is much more important than being in a profession associated with the event.

Secondarily, the person should understand why the customer would benefit from attending the event. What’s in it for the customer to go? What will he or she learn? How will attending help the customer solve a problem?

Thirdly, the person being interviewed ought to come prepared with answers to questions. The questions should previously have been submitted to the interviewer, making that person’s job easier. These questions are a shared platform from which to conduct the interview. They highlight what is important to communicate in the interview. They require thought about how customers benefit from attending the event. Preparing the answers to these questions in advance and bringing that preparation along to the interview makes the interview effective, smooth, and easy for all concerned.

There’s an adage that 90% of life is showing up. That is not true for an interview. For an interview, 90% is preparation prior to showing up. That will enable the person being interviewed to conduct the interview from the customer’s point of view, not from the business’s point of view.

How do you conduct your interviews?

Seven Minutes

2010-06-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

As I walked up to my customer’s desk last Friday, the first words out of my mouth were an apology. “I hope that you don’t mind my causal dress. After we talk, I’m headed to XYZ nursery to buy my tomato plants for this season.”

Gesturing away the apology, she replied, “Your dress is no problem.” She hesitated and then added, “I don’t go to that nursery anymore. We had a problem out there last year.”

“Really? What happened?”

“My ten-year-old son really loves plants, and he wanted to go out there last year to get some to put out in the yard. As soon as I could after work, we drove out there. We had barely walked in the door when an employee approached us and said, ‘You have seven minutes until we close.’ I thought, ‘That’s a poor welcome.’ But that wasn’t all. A few steps later, another employee walked up to us and said, ‘You have five minutes until we close.’ No offer to help. No what are you looking for? Just a warning. I was quite surprised and very irritated by this behavior. However, we quickly grabbed a couple of plants that my son wanted and went to check out. The person who checked us out had a name tag on that said manager, so I related how two employees had approached us and given us warnings of the nursery’s closing time. I expected him to apologize, but what he said shocked me. ‘That’s what they are supposed to do,’ he replied. ‘Tell you that the store is about to close.’ As we walked out the door, I explained to my son that this is not the way to treat customers. I am thrilled to say that my son understood. He gets it; he really does.”

I, too, was shocked. “Wow! That’s not smart. Well, I don’t do a great deal of business with them. I buy my tomato plants there every year because I like their selection and the plants seem healthy, but I am amazed that any small business would treat their customers that way.” I paused. “Although, thinking about it, they don’t market to get more of my business so maybe this is not all that surprising.”

This is a great example of how bad word of mouth gets started. I noticed that my reaction to her story was to feel apologetic about doing business with the nursery. In my reply to her, I emphasized that I only bought my tomato plants there, and then I began to think less well of the nursery. Her intent in telling me the story was not to dissuade me from going there, but simply to relate to me, who am always interested in customer service examples, what had happened to her and her son. In fact, she ended our conversation on the subject by saying that “We’re not going back there for a year or two.”

While I’m certain that she does not tell this story to everyone she knows, the fact that the story exists to tell gives an opportunity for bad word of mouth which the management could have avoided. We all have encountered situations when we could not satisfy the customer which resulted in bad word of mouth. However, there are situations such as this which we can control.

You see, how employees act is a result of management. Management sets the tone and gives the example of how customers are treated. In this instance, the employees’ actions came directly from the manager, as he himself stated. I know why he instructed employees to get customers out of the nursery so that they could close on time, and so do you. He was focused on sticking to his scheduled labor dollars by adhering to hours and not paying extra labor or overtime. In other words, keeping expenses in line was a higher priority than generating revenue.

If he wanted to generate revenue, he would welcome those arriving toward closing. Rather than instructing them in how many minutes they had to shop, he could have an employee offer to assist them in finding the plants that they had in mind. With this assistance, the employee could maximize how much is sold and move the customer along toward the completion of the sale. This could all be done in a very helpful, unhurried manner which would accomplish getting the nursery closed as soon as possible but still getting as much business from the customer as possible.

Think about it. She and her son probably would have purchased several more plants had they had assistance, don’t you think? I do. As it was, I’m certain that they felt pressured to find something, pick it up, and get out of there. When they walked out the door with their purchase, they felt so upset about their treatment that they had a bad feeling and were not interested in returning soon, which makes this also an example of bad customer service.

Leaving your customer with a bad feeling which can spawn bad word of mouth is bad for your business. In addition to being bad customer service, it also offers no opportunity for customer development. Through his directives on store closing, this manager put his business in a negative position with this customer. Although she says that they may return in a year or two, I wonder if that will happen. In that two years, she and her son will likely find another business from which to purchase plants, and that business likely will be much more customer-focused.

Take a look at your employees. How have you instructed them to handle customers at closing time?

Profitable Opportunities

2010-05-28T07:27:00.000-07:00

As a franchise, Harry Potter is the best example of how to grow your business that I‘ve ever seen: First books, then movies, and now a theme park. Being a Harry Potter fan, I cannot think of another series which has set up its fans to want to experience the settings in the book. Each of the distinctive stores in Diagon’s Alley, the ominous pubs of Hogsmeade, and especially the magical halls and rooms of Hogwarts established themselves in Potter fans’ imaginations from the books and were enhanced from the movies. As of June 18, fans can actually walk through these places.

They can taste a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. The advance word is that it “tastes magical. It’s frothy, butterscotchy, and incredibly yummy.” They can buy Sneakoscopes, which cost fifteen dollars at Zonko’s Joke Shop. They can take the Flight of the Hippogriff and feel the exhilaration that Harry experienced on the beast.

There are two other rides, too. Dragon Challenge is a well-executed, traditional roller coaster, and the Forbidden Journey is the park’s cutting-edge ride. These rides along with the opportunity to walk the narrow streets of Diagon’s Alley, shop the stores of Hogsmeade, and investigate Dumbledore’s office at Hogwarts, bring Harry Potter’s world to life.

When the theme park opens in June, the Harry Potter franchise will take customers from reading to viewing to experiencing. The books spark interest in the movies, and they stimulate the desire to visit the theme park, which fans will want to experience over and over again. Although fans will want to enjoy the books, movies, and theme park multiple times, only the theme park will continuously generate more revenue from each visit. That addresses the two profitable ways to grow your business: Have your customer buy more with each transaction and have your customer buy from you more frequently.

These purchases are not merely beneficial to your business but benefit your customers as well, a win-win for both. Doing more transactions with customers and having them buy more on each visit cultivates those customers. With each purchase, they become more profitable customers for your business. They also become more satisfied because their transactions with your business are easy. You know them and understand what they want. Best of all, your business gives them what they want.

Although your business may not offer your customers what they want on the grand scale that the Harry Potter franchise does, your business always has opportunities to do more business with your customers by increasing the frequency and the amount of their transactions. To do so, you need to be alert and look for the profitable opportunities that benefit both your customers and your business.

What profitable opportunities are available with your customers?

Happy Birthday

2010-05-21T15:06:00.001-07:00

YouTube celebrated its fifth birthday this week. The brainchild of three Paypal employees, YouTube was prompted by two events, Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction and the horrendous tsunami in Asia. In 2005 there was no easy way to share videos of either event. As they talked about this at a dinner party, one of the three proposed that they start a video-sharing site. A few days later they agreed to move forward on the idea and designated who would do what part of the project.

Within three months, YouTube was launched in May, 2005. Its big break didn’t come until December 17th of that year, though, when a video titled, “Lazy Sunday” which was a copy of a Saturday Night Live skit, was uploaded. Ten days later the video had been downloaded more than 1.2 million times. While that’s an impressive figure, it pales in comparison to today’s numbers.

Ten months later, in November, 2006, Google bought YouTube for 1.65 billion dollars. Now YouTube receives over two billion views per day which nearly double the combined prime time viewership of the top three television networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS. Every minute 24 hours of new video is uploaded.

Wow! In five years YouTube has those numbers. That is amazing, isn’t it?

YouTube has become a part of our culture. New singers are being discovered on YouTube. New expressions such as “This is going to be all over YouTube” are common. New folk heroes are embraced because they were on YouTube. We have become accustomed to referencing YouTube in many ways.

What does that mean for your business?

YouTube represents an opportunity for you. You may set up your own YouTube channel, www.YouTube.com/your business. Onto that channel you may upload videos that demonstrate your product, explain your service, give information, tell something new, or show something fun. Use the channel as you like to talk to your customers, increase your business, and spread word of mouth. Add as many videos as you wish to your channel. Your only limit is ten minutes and 100 MB per video. That’s a lot of time and space!

Shoot your videos yourself with a digital camera that records in .mpg mode. Ask your customers for testimonials, shoot the testimonial, and upload it. Show a new item that just arrived, communicate why it solves your customers’ problems, and upload it. Record an event at your business and upload it for all who attended (and those who didn’t) to see. Bring your business to life and make your customer feel involved with videos on YouTube.

You won’t break your budget doing this. YouTube hosts these videos at no charge.

Do you have a channel on YouTube? If not, get one soon.

An Invitation from Ernie

2010-05-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

As I pulled the last cookie from the Sandies package, I noticed a small plastic sleeve underneath. “Hmm.. What’s this?” I halfway said out loud.

Ripping open the sleeve, I found a folded tan piece of paper inside addressed “To All Cookie Lovers” with a return address of Ernie Keebler, The Hollow Tree, and a “Treemail” stamp. Intrigued, I unfolded the tri-folded paper to read this message:

Greetings,
Thank you for choosing our cookies. We hope you enjoy every bite!

We’ve recently created a new way to stay in touch with our human friends called “Treemail” messages. We’d love to occasionally share news, recipes, and even ways to save. All you have to do is sign up at Keebler.com.

We make our cookies with care, passion, and Elfin ingenuity. I hope they make your day just a little bit sweeter.

Warmest wishes,
Ernie Keebler

I was impressed. First of all, as a marketer, I appreciated the writing of the message which reflected the elfin personality. It was fun! After all, how many companies can offer “Treemail” messages? Whether you are a kid or an adult, that type of message makes you smile.

Further, the message was written as a personal thank you. Even though this was mass-produced and included in every cookie package, I felt that Ernie was speaking directly to me and truly cared that I enjoyed every bite. Notice that he also took the opportunity to let me know that they made their cookies with “care, passion, and Elfin ingenuity,” which reinforced the persona again.

What impressed me the most, however, was the offer. Ernie wanted me to receive “Treemail” messages or e-mails. In return for giving my e-mail, he told me exactly what I would get and why I should do it. I will get information, news, and recipes. In addition, I could save money. That is a good reason; it’s an excellent answer to “What’s in it for me?”

Not answering that question is the biggest mistake businesses make when asking for e-mails. They don’t give customers a reason to sign up. They also don’t tell what customers will receive by giving an e-mail or becoming a fan on Facebook. The lack of “What’s in it for me?” is a big reason why customers don’t offer an e-mail.

Take a look at your requests for customers’ e-mails. Are you letting them know “What’s in it for me?”

A Foolish Customer Program

2010-05-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, I loved Mallo Cups. My siblings and I consumed more of them than I care to admit, and we religiously collected the “Mallo Cup Play Money” on the cards inside each one. Most had five or ten points. Sometimes we stumbled across a one. Rarely, we discovered a 50 or 100, which always was very exciting!

My roommate recently began buying Mallo Cups and enjoying them again as she had when she was young. Yesterday, she handed me a “Play Money Card” from the one that she was eating and asked me what to do with it. “Can you recycle this?”

I reverted back to being a collector of Mallo Cup Money and recoiled at the thought of tossing away any of it. As I looked at the card, I realized that it appeared identical to those I collected many years ago. I peered at it closely, reading the fine print. Collect 500 points, send them in, and receive $1 rebate check. “One dollar,” I thought, “for 500? Are they kidding? Who would save that many, put them together into an envelope, and apply a $.44 stamp to receive one dollar?”

Are today’s Mallo Cup eaters that foolish?

I can’t answer that question. However, I can tell you that Boyer’s marketing is foolish. The company has trashed a program which encouraged repeat purchases and rewarded profitable customers. Think about it. If the average Mallo Cup Money card from a purchase is ten points, you must purchase fifty Mallo Cups to reach 500 points. If the average is five points, you must buy one hundred to reach 500. If a customer bought fifty to one hundred of your product, wouldn’t you reward them with more than a buck?

Oh, that’s right; there‘s more. You also can save additional points for valuable prizes. Send in for your prize catalog to the above address.

Send in for a catalog? Why not go online? Today, why not have a Web site or Facebook page that involves Mallo Cup customers with Boyer? In what century does Boyer dwell?

Perhaps the last century. These cards looked just the same as those that I collected as a kid with one exception. Those that I collected offered free product sent to your door when 500 points were reached. That program truly rewarded its customers, and that kept us buying Mallo Cups.

Take a lesson from Boyer. If you offer your customers a rewards program, make it worth their time to participate. Tie their reward to enjoying more of what your business offers.

Behind the Scenes

2010-04-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

This morning I read a press release from Arbitron and Edison Research that “a survey of digital platform usage finds that the percentage of Americans age 12 and older who have a profile on one or more social networking Web sites has reached 48% of Americans in 2010, double the level from two years ago.”

That information came on the heels of yesterday’s announcement that Facebook has added a “Like” button which enables a user to share a Web page with all the user’s friends. Peter Cashmore, CEO and founder of Mashable, a popular blog about social media, who writes a weekly column for CNN.com, thinks, “It's a simple yet powerful feature, one that delivers a significant blow to rival Twitter. Once the network effects take hold, it's frankly hard to imagine how any company could unseat Facebook's social networking dominance in the months to come. Without a counterattack, even Google may one day be dethroned.”

Dethrone Google? What’s going on? Isn’t Google the number one search engine? It is today. However, with the Web only one thing is certain, and that is change. The Web is a bubbling cauldron of activity, much of it happening behind the scenes with developers and across the lines with users. It’s very difficult to know or keep track of what’s happening. It’s even harder to know what is coming. Unless you are in touch with people in the know or you read the right blogs, how can you possibly keep track? While my mind is boggled with the possibility of Google not being on top, that possibility is real.

I’m sure Google knows that.

Think back to AOL being all the rage, Yahoo! being the major search engine, or MySpace being the social networking site. Now AOL is seldom mentioned, Yahoo! is seldom searched, and MySpace is seldom used except by musicians who dominate 80% of it. All three have lost their top positions with the general public. None of them held those positions very long.

Although the names and what they offer may change, one thing is for certain. The Web has grown increasingly important in all of our lives. That Arbitron and Edison Research survey also found that “For the first time, more Americans say the Internet is ‘most essential’ to their lives when given a choice along with television, radio, and newspapers: 42% chose the Internet as most essential; 37% selected television; 14% chose radio; and 5% said newspapers.”

It’s not essential just to kids, either. “Consumer use of social networking sites is not just a youth phenomenon. Personal profile pages are maintained by: 78% of teens; 77% of 18 to 24s; 65% of 25 to 34s; and 51% 35 to 44s.” Reread those numbers. They are significant.

Social networking is growing across all age groups.

How does this affect your business? That depends on what you offer and how you decide to use social media. Only you can answer that question. Do not ignore the question, however. As the statistics show, the Web is gathering steam and changing the way people get their information and make their purchases.

Don’t let it leave your business behind.

Words of Wisdom

2010-04-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a rare opportunity to attend a teleseminar presented by Jay Conrad Levinson, the father of Guerrilla Marketing. I have been a fan of Jay’s for more years than I want to admit, and I was very complimented when he gave me a comment on both of my first two books. He shared six points yesterday about Guerrilla Marketing that I want to pass along to you.

First of all, Guerrilla Marketing does not cost money. I’m certain that will surprise you. The first question out of most business people’s mouths regarding marketing is, “How much will it cost?” Money in and of itself does not indicate successful marketing. Instead, Guerrilla Marketing requires time, energy, imagination, and knowledge. These four lead to successful, aggressive marketing.

Second, Guerrilla Marketing takes the mystique out of marketing. “Simple works every time,” Jay said, “complicated does not. Vague and hazy marketing is ineffective.” I completely agree. I have had several clients tell me that I take the mystery out of marketing, which is one of the highest compliments someone could give me.

Third, Guerrilla Marketing focuses on solving problems, not presenting features and benefits of your product or service. What customer problems do you solve with your business? Do you tell new customers that you solve problems?

Fourth, the only number in marketing that matters is profits. Merely increasing sales without a corresponding profit increase is not success. Profits alone tell the truth. I agree with this, too, which is why I named my business Profitable Sales and Marketing. My main goal is to increase your profits with your marketing. You would be wise to have that as your main goal, too.

Fifth, a logo is no longer the right graphic representation to have for your business. Today you need a meme. Have you heard of a meme? I hadn’t until a few weeks ago. A meme is a visual communication of an entire idea. Jay gave an example of a cave man who was trying to catch a fish for dinner. After many unsuccessful attempts, he returned to the cave empty-handed and despondent. As he sagged down against the wall of the cave, he noticed on the wall across from him a drawing of a man spearing a fish with a stick. That graphic gave him the idea to grab a stick, sharpen it, and use it to get the fish. It worked, and that evening his family had a bounteous meal. That drawing was a meme. Memes communicate ideas quickly. With our time-pressed lifestyles, you are way ahead when you communicate your message to your customers quickly and completely. Memes do that better than logos.

Sixth, ask customers questions and sell them what solves their problems. Often what they come in asking for may not do that. Talk to your customers, find out their problems, and offer them solutions that will work. Your customer will be happy; your business will be profitable; and you will receive word-of-mouth marketing which brings in more customers.

Jay called marketing sell biz. “Marketing is not show biz, as some claim,” he exclaimed. “Marketing is not sneaky, unethical, boring, or truth-made-fascinating. Marketing solves your customers’ problems and increases your business’s profits. It’s that simple.”

Thanks, Jay, for your words of wisdom.

Overnight Success?

2010-04-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched Carrie Underwood win entertainer of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards for the second consecutive year. As she excitedly accepted the award and gave thanks to all, I thought about how few of the American Idol graduates have truly “made it.” She is the top one. For all the hype and attention Idol receives, its winners, mostly, are not even one-hit wonders.

Why?

Many cynics may answer that fame is fleeting or that the attention span of the average American is short. While both may be true, I don’t think that either apply to this situation. The answer lies with all the other winners last night who were not contestants on Idol. Although they may suddenly appear on the national scene, they are not overnight successes. No, they have been performing for years, building a fan base. Successful performers do more than thank their fans. They interact with them. They talk to them. They sign autographs. They wade into the audience during the performance and do meet and greets after. They tweet their fans and have a MySpace or Facebook page.

As a back stage coordinator for Country Fest and Rock Fest for a couple of years, I witnessed this process first hand. An artist who was just getting his start at the time, Jonny Lang, sticks out in my mind. After his performance, the autograph line was so long that finding its end was difficult. That didn’t bother Jonny. He stood in the booth, talked to the fans, had his picture taken hundreds, if not thousands of times, and signed until the last fan was satisfied. In fact, the next act almost finished before he was done. From my perspective, he and his management were very easy to coordinate.

I can’t say that for everyone. There were some big names who were very difficult. You’d be surprised at the acts which made me cut the line and disappoint fans. I did not like doing that. Turning away a customer goes against my grain.

For those of you who are thinking, “There is more to success than pleasing the fans such as good tunes and new stuff,” I agree. However, giving fans attention increases their connection with the artist and that builds loyalty. Loyal fans play well-loved tunes longer and more patiently wait for new ones. Shania Twain is an excellent example of an artist who has loyal fans. Although she has not had a new album in years, her fan base is eagerly awaiting one. Her appearance on Idol this year was highly watched, prompting the producers to invite her back for next season. Just like Shania, the other winners last night have spent years building that fan base at every performance they give.

As business people, we would be wise to take that same attitude with each customer. View each customer not as a single transaction, but as a life-time customer. Even if what you sell is only purchased once in a lifetime, customers talk to other potential customers. Word of mouth is powerful marketing. Encourage customers to say positive comments about your business. Give each customer the attention that you give your biggest customer. Treat each customer as critical to the health of your business.

In truth, they are.

Tell Me About It

2010-04-12T04:58:00.000-07:00

As I was finalizing my purchase at Office Max last week, the assistant manager came over, extended his hand, and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Brian, the assistant manager. I see that you are a Max Perks member."

I mumbled an affirmative.

"We are making a point to talk to all Max Perks members," he continued. "Do you have any questions?"

My standard response of "No" slid out of my mouth, and I turned toward the door. "Wait a minute," I thought. "What do I mean that I don't have any questions? Yes, I do. A couple of days ago I was wondering how Max Perks worked."

Turning back, I caught Brian's attention. "On second thought, I do have a question. Just how do Max Perks work?"

"For every dollar that you spend, you accumulate points. Those points are dollars that you may apply toward your purchase. The points are only available for ninety days, and then they disappear, so you need to use them fast."

"I never understood that."

"We discovered that many Max Perks members are in the same boat. That's why as managers we are making a point to meet every Max Perk member and answer questions. The other day we had a member who had ninety dollars in points. He was glad to understand the program and use the points because they were about to expire."

"Wow! I bet he was happy! Talking to customers is a good idea. As a marketer, I applaud that you are taking this step to teach your customers about your program."

Like most customers, I had been offered to sign up for the Max Perks program one day when I was checking out at Office Max. Every checkout person had been taught to ask, "Want to sign up for our Max Perks program? It'll save you money."

In a situation such as that, I find the easy answer to be "Sure."

Therefore, I was signed up, told to go online, and instructed to register there. Of course, as soon as I left the store I forgot all about doing that or, for that matter, the Max Perks program until the next time that I checked out at Office Max. "Are you a Max Perks member?" the checkout person inquired.

"Oh, yeah," I stumbled, "but I don't have my card with me."

"That's okay," replied the checkout person, "just give me your phone number, and I will apply this purchase to your Max Perks account."

Every purchase since, my conversation with the checkout person has been identical.

This is a classic case of creating a customer rewards program, working out every detail, printing the materials, setting up the online access, promoting it through the checkouts, and forgetting to tell the customer about it. It's easy to get a customer to sign up for a program which supposedly saves the customer money. However, it's difficult to get a customer to take time to learn more about a program which seems like it has more in it for the business than for the customer. People are just too busy to take the time. In addition, many of us, myself included, are somewhat inundated with customer programs, all of which have a purpose of increased customer frequency and most of which seem to want more business without first asking the customer what would encourage him or her to do more business with that company. Not only are we not told about the program, we are not asked about it in advance, either.

If you have a customer rewards program or are thinking of implementing one, first ask your customers what they want in a rewards program. Compile your findings and use them when creating and launching the program. Then tell your customers about the program so that they understand it. When you do, your program will be much more successful. Best of all, your customer will understand what’s in it for him or her and actively use the program.

That will accomplish your goal of increased customer frequency.

One Bold Move

2010-04-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

I heard an interesting story of entrepreneurship a couple of days ago. Angie and her husband, two teachers, wanted to start a business to earn extra money for their children’s college education. The idea of making kettle corn caught their attention, and Angie's husband searched for three days before finding just the right equipment at just the right price. They bought the equipment and began experimenting with their recipe.

Once they had the recipe to their liking, they attended local events and sold their freshly-made kettle corn. After doing this for a couple of years, they had a wild and crazy idea: Take samples of their kettle corn to the Viking's training camp. They stuffed 120 bags of freshly-stirred kettle corn and dropped them off for the Vikings. As the players and staff consumed the kettle corn, many exclaimed, "What is this stuff? This is really good."

The next day, Angie and her husband received a call from the Viking's front office, inviting them to serve Angie's Kettle Corn at all Vikings home games, which they have been doing ever since. That opportunity grew their business substantially. In addition, the presence of Angie's Kettle Corn at Vikings games prompted interest from area grocers, Cosco, and Target.

Angie and her husband's one bold move of taking samples of their kettle corn to the Vikings launched their business from a small operation to a large one. How often do bold ideas run through your mind, but because you are busy tending to your day-to-day business, you do not act on them?

I have done that.

The challenge with bold ideas is first to pay attention. Stop, think the idea through, and mull it over. Ask a couple of people whose opinion you trust for their input. Be careful to ask those who are unbiased. If you know in advance what answer you will receive, why ask? Then act on the idea. Bold ideas love speed. If you receive a bold idea, don't shelve it in your "idea" file. Do something with it quickly.

If you don't, someone else will.

Three Simple Criteria for a Successful Ad

2010-03-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

A rare occurrence happened to me recently. I watched a TV commercial for the first time and remembered it. The commercial was for Frog Tape. (Don't ask me why it is named that!) No, it is not tape for frogs; it is tape that you use to cover adjoining ceilings or walls prior to painting so that your paint does not dribble onto an area which you do not intend to be that color.

Not only did the commercial catch my attention, perhaps due to the name, it also held my attention throughout the entire commercial. I watched it from beginning to end.

Why?

First of all, it was very specific. The commercial used words well. Rather than deal in vague generalities by using words such as quality, best, or value, this commercial explained Frog Tape in very specific wording. "Frog Tape has a backing that works like a laminate, binding to the wall or ceiling and sealing off paint." That was such a powerful statement that I remember it clearly.

Those specific words were coupled with a demonstration of the tape on the wall. When the tape was removed after the painting was complete, no drippage was under the tape. That was compared to "other" tape which did not have Frog Tape's sealing properties. How the laminate bonded was also shown. This was excellent use of television which demonstrates the best of any medium because it uses visual and motion together.

The clincher as to why I remember the commercial is that it gave me a reason to buy. Painting requires a great deal of effort and is not a project that I relish. I like to move my painting process along smoothly so that I save time and stress. If I think that my painting is finished and then remove the tape to discover paint bleed, I am not happy. The commercial showed that happening. Therefore, at the end of the Frog Tape commercial, I said aloud, "I am getting Frog Tape for my next painting project."

This Frog Tape commercial sold me because it satisfied three simple criteria of a successful ad, whatever the medium. First, it used specific wording. Second, it employed the advertising medium well. Third, it gave the customer a reason to buy. The next time that you review an ad, hold it up against these three criteria.

Does your ad have all three?

Responding to Change

2010-03-12T11:22:00.000-08:00

As I was finishing my online order three weeks ago, I was offered the option to ship my order via UPS or USPS. Since the price was the same for both, I thought, "Let's give the Postal Service some business. With e-mail draining away a great deal of revenue, they can use all the help that they can get."

I checked the shipping box for USPS. That was the beginning of a lesson for me.

A week later, I found a note in my mailbox that the Postal delivery person could not deliver a package, and I would have to retrieve it at the Post Office. "What's going on," I wondered. "He always brings large packages to my door."

Curious and somewhat irritated that I had to make a special trip to the Post Office for the package, I made a point to go the next day. First I mailed a book, and the lady at the window who helped me asked if I wanted to purchase stamps. "No," I replied as I handed her the notice, "but I would like to pick up this package."

When she returned with the package, I asked her why it had not been dropped off. "It must not have fit in your box," she stated.

"I've always had packages brought to my door," I returned. "Why not this time?"

"Oh, you must have had a sub. Your regular guy was gone. Do you have a long driveway?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Well, the sub won't go up a long driveway."

"The sub could have left it at the end of the driveway. I have a receptacle placed there for that purpose."

"How would she know that?"

"You should have informed her," I maintained. "I specifically asked to ship this via USPS to give you more business. I didn't realize that doing so would make more work for me."

"I should have informed her?" The lady huffed, turned, walked away shaking her head, and terminated our conversation.

While I realize that this lady specifically may not have had the information to inform the sub, someone, at least the regular delivery man, did and could have shared it. Even more, the Post Office would be wise to have a delivery policy that regardless of the length of driveway the delivery person was to do whatever was necessary to deliver the package. After all, their competition has this policy. UPS and FedEx deliver, period. They do not offer excuses. I think that my regular Postal delivery guy gets that.

Obviously, not everyone who works at the Post Office embraces his attitude.

What is happening to the Post Office is a classic case of not keeping up with and responding to a changing business environment. The Internet and e-mail are taking a great deal of business from the Post Office. At the same time, the Internet is offering more delivery business via online orders. This is an opportunity for the Post Office, but, to grasp the opportunity, the Postal delivery people must all deliver packages to the door. Expecting someone to pick up a package at the Post Office is an attitude which discourages repeat business.

It discouraged mine. Next time, I will not ship via USPS because it's too much hassle.

How is your business doing in response to a changing business environment? Are you responding to what your customer wants? Do you know what that is?

The Winner

2010-03-12T11:21:00.000-08:00

Watching kids dressed in USA Olympic uniforms deplaning amid cheers and then entering the opening ceremonies carrying the American flag, I thought, "What is this?"

The commercial continued with kids at a press conference, a young girl in a sparkling costume about to enter the skating rink, an Apolo Ohno-type boy eyeing his competition at the starting line, four boys grabbing a bobsled for a run, and a kid poised to start the downhill course. As the sound signaled the start, the scene shifted from the child to a mother in the crowd, holding her breath. The commercials ended with this written on the screen: "To their moms, they'll always be kids."

I was choked up, and I'm not a mom. "Wow! What a commercial! Who did this?"

The P & G logo plus those of many of its brands flashed across the screen.

I enjoyed this commercial each time that I saw it in its various forms over the two weeks of the Olympics. The second week, P & G introduced a second commercial, one with moms singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" as they helped their children grow up. That one ended with "Thanks, Mom." That one, too, choked me up.

I was impressed with these commercials for three reasons. First of all, they targeted their market. Their market was moms. These commercials demonstrated that P & G knew what moms wanted, and they communicated that understanding. If these commercials choked up a non-mom such as me, I suspect that they had a huge impact on moms. At the end of each commercial, along with the logos P & G called itself "Proud Sponsor of Moms."

This was giving credit to those in the background behind the athletes, their moms.

The second reason that I was impressed was the emotional connection that these commercials made with the viewer. Eliciting emotion is not easy. Commercials which do so are rare.

They are also very effective.

Taking this emotion and tying it to the event in which the commercials aired, the Olympics, gave the commercials greater attention and memorability. As much as the Super Bowl commercials are touted to be worth watching, I cannot remember any Super Bowl commercial which tied itself to the game and did so as emotionally as these P & G commercials did. Revisiting these commercials on YouTube, I found that I was not alone. The first commercial had had almost 200,000 views.

How do you translate this to your advertising?

I understand that you do not have the budget nor the staff of P & G. However, you can apply what P & G did. First, know your target market. Know what your target market wants. Know what gets your target market's attention. Use that knowledge in your marketing message.

Second, make an emotional connection with your target market. This is tricky and difficult to do. It will require some thought. Perhaps you will not find a way to do so. If not, you can accomplish P & G's third achievement. Connect with an event and tie your advertising into that event. Perhaps in doing so, you will find your emotional connection.

Either way, following P & G's example will get more attention and memorability to your ads.

Lessons from the Olympians

2010-02-26T14:44:00.001-08:00

Watching the Olympics the past two weeks, I have been struck by the individual stories and the lessons that we can all learn from them. Most of the situations that these athletes have encountered are reflective of what all of us occasionally find, although perhaps not in the same form. Tragedies such as that of Joannie Rochette, the Canadian skater whose mother died suddenly, have touched everyone's life. Injuries such as those experienced by Lindsey Vonn have happened to some of us. Disappointments such as Bode Miller felt in not doing well during the 2006 Olympics have been endured by us all.

As I heard story after story of these athletes, I realized that the commentators often revealed the keys to the athletes' success. Over and over, the commentators mentioned the training and preparation of the athletes. Referring to the figure skating, commentators frequently stated that "relying on the athlete's training and preparation helped the athlete skate clean."

Over and over, this proved true. The athletes who had not been training and preparing came up short. This was obvious in their performance, even to the average person. On the other hand, those who had been training and preparing did their best, and that is all any athlete can do. That training and preparation enabled Joannie to skate her best through her grief. It allowed Lindsey to take to the slopes with a bruised shin. It pushed Bode down the course and onto the medal stand three times.

They did their best because of training and preparation.

In business, we attend our Olympic events every day. Every day we want to do our best to keep our businesses profitable and our customers coming back. Unlike the athletes, however, many business people do not take the time for preparation and training. Mostly, we fly by the seat of our pants, handling situations as we encounter them rather than preparing and training for them. We are immersed in our daily routine and don't take the time to step back, look at our businesses, and make preparations.

We don't invest time, either, in training ourselves or our employees in how to do better.

Sadly, this leads most of us not to do our best. Although we may not want to admit it, most of us could do much better in our businesses. Most of us are not satisfied. Many know that their companies are not doing the best. Many also do not realize that lack of preparation and training are responsible.

Look at successful entrepreneurs, and you will find people who invest in preparation and training on a continuous basis. This doesn't happen only when they start their businesses. It doesn't occur once-in-awhile. Preparation and training are a regular part of their business activity. These are the keys to their success.

Take a look at your business. Are you investing time in preparing and training for you and your employees to do your best?

Reason to Buy

2010-02-19T12:11:00.000-08:00

“I found a way to keep my food in my tacos,” the young girl announced to her family.

The camera tilted down to show clothespins clamping the top of her tacos closed. Her alarmed mother glanced out the window to see sheets laying on the ground because the clothespins which had been holding them in place were gone.

The girl continued, “Why don’t we have refried beans with our tacos? They would keep the food inside.”

This commercial immediately caught my attention and made me laugh. You’ve probably guessed that it promotes a particular brand of refried beans. I would tell you which one, but I have only seen the commercial once, and I did not write down the brand name. However, after only one viewing this commercial was memorable and sold the idea.

How was that accomplished?

Anyone who has eaten a hard shell taco knows that keeping the food inside is tricky. Grabbing clothespins off the line to do so is funny. Taco-eating viewers can readily identify with the desire to keep food inside a taco, the difficulty of doing so, and the desperate use of clothespins. The clothespins provide a solution to taco eaters’ problem.

This commercial identified a problem, keeping food inside a hard shell taco, and solved it. In fact, two solutions were offered. The first solution was the clothespins, and the second was the refried beans. Of course, the first was intended to get attention and add humor. The second, using refried beans, was preferred. It was the reason for the commercial.

It was also a reason for the customer to buy. Including refried beans in a taco offered a seldom-used solution to hard shell taco eaters’ problem. For some, this was the first time they had been exposed to the idea. For others, this was a reminder. Either way, the commercial gave them a reason to buy refried beans: To keep your food inside your taco.

I see the lack of giving the customer a reason to buy as a big failing of business’s marketing. Is the number of years a company has been in business a reason to buy? Are the features of a product a reason to buy? Is the fact that you and your employees are nice a reason to buy?

Nope. None of these are reasons to buy.

The only reason for a customer to buy is to solve a problem. What problems do your products or services solve?

Are you communicating those solutions in your marketing?

Entertainment or Revenue

2010-02-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

People are still talking about and reacting to the Super Bowl commercials. For airing once, these multi-million dollar commercials receive a week’s worth of airplay. They also receive more commentary than any other commercials. Most of the comments center around how much those commenting liked or disliked the commercials. This week, I have heard lots of agreement in the critics’ remarks. “This year’s Super Bowl commercials were the least entertaining in several years.”

The commercial which has received the most positive attention is one which addressed a negative situation: the one featuring Letterman, Oprah, and Leno. This commercial got attention because it was shocking, addressed a recent controversy, and starred three memorable celebrities. Its message was simple and funny. In addition to the critics, the commercial has received airplay this week on the celebrities’ shows. Unlike many of its counterparts, this commercial will be replayed and remembered for quite a while.

Quite likely, this commercial accomplished its objective. What objective was that?

Since this was a commercial for his show, his basic objective was to promote David Letterman. He wanted to be funny. He wanted to be “a good sport.” He wanted to talk to more than his viewers; he wanted to talk to Oprah’s and Leno’s viewers, too. Ironically, this unpaid, network promotion may be the most effective commercial from this year’s Super Bowl.

This commercial accomplished reaching its target market, delivering its message, and prompting those receiving the message to act. It did an excellent job associating its product, David Letterman, with its message. Its target market was late night viewers. Its message was that Letterman is funny, perhaps that he is funnier than Leno. I have not seen any numbers, but I suspect that his show’s viewership is up this week. Whether those numbers will remain up when Leno returns to late night is yet to be determined. However, Letterman seized an opportunity offered by the Super Bowl, a highly-watched program, being positioned during a time when his competition was weakened to promote his show.

That was smart marketing.

While not all of us as business people get the opportunity that Letterman did, we all can learn two lessons from his commercial. One is to be alert for opportunities such as this, and the other is to create a commercial which accomplishes your objective. Letterman achieved his objective by creating an entertaining commercial that promoted his show well. I assume that increasing sales was the objective of the businesses running the paid commercials, most of which were entertaining. To be so, many sacrificed association of their products with the commercial. These commercials were expensive entertainment which, I suspect, did not reach their objective.

Unfortunately, the Super Bowl has fostered a competition to create an entertaining commercial. I understand the attraction for doing so. However, if this entertainment comes at the expense of achieving more sales because the entertaining commercial is not associated with the product or service, then what has the advertiser accomplished?
As an example, name three commercials from the Super Bowl and the products or services that they were promoting. Can you do it?

For those that you named, have you purchased the product or service this week?

Sticky Marketing

2010-02-05T09:58:00.000-08:00

I picked up a pizza at Papa Johns the other day and was instantly reminded of a marketing technique which is available to many of us but that we don’t use: sticky marketing. On the top of the pizza box, several pieces of paper were stuck. One was a sticky note offering two pizzas for ten dollars. Another “proudly offered members of the armed forces 25% off.” A third was a folded-over 8 1/2 x 11 full color flyer with lots of coupons and special offers.

These immediately grabbed my attention in several ways. I thought the two pizzas for ten dollars was a great deal and set that sticky aside to use soon. I thought a 25% discount for members of the armed services was a wonderful salute. I gave the flyer the least attention, partly because it had too many offers on it and partly because my attention was spent.

All of these sticky pieces were invitations for the next transaction. Asking your customer to do business with you again while the customer is enjoying the current purchase is profitable marketing. Sticky notes are excellent vehicles to do that.

Yesterday afternoon I ran across another excellent use of sticky notes in marketing. I checked out a bookstore online and read a customer comment from Ed. “I like this place a lot since it has little yellow notes letting you know what awards certain books have won, and why it is a great read.”

“Wow!” I thought. “That is a great idea. Customers love to be given an inside scoop on a book.”

Writing this scoop on a sticky is attention-getting, intriguing, and memorable. The customer who wrote the comment was impressed enough to go to his computer and write a positive comment about the store. That action alone indicates excellent marketing. The customer’s obvious enthusiasm for the store in his comment was profitable word-of-mouth marketing.

Thinking about the power of a sticky little piece of paper, I remembered how excited I was when I discovered electronic sticky notes that I posted on my Web site. I love them because they allow me to highlight a message to visitors without being obnoxious. Visitors may click on them and be taken to a page for further information. I can easily change the message whenever I want. These stickies are a win-win for the customer and me, and the fee to have them is affordable.

What makes a sticky note, whether electronic or paper, effective?

First, the note is small. That gets our attention. Second, these notes are often yellow, which next to red is the color to which people are most attracted. Third, the message is brief. We like brief. Brief is powerful. Notice that I didn’t bother with the flyer because it wasn’t brief. Fourth, the note is portable. I could easily pull the note off the pizza box and place it where I would remember the offer. Fifth, the note is easy for the business to use, whether by handwriting, printing, or electronics.

Most important, however, is the note’s sixth feature: stickiness. The note is easily stuck on a pizza box, a book, or a Web page. It also sticks in the customer’s mind. Remember the customer at the bookstore who took the time to tell others about his experience? The memorable effect that sticky note had on him is something that all business people seek with their marketing. As many marketers and business people will attest, achieving memorability is a challenge. Used well, sticky notes accomplish that.

How can you use sticky notes to invite customers with the next transaction, give them a scoop, or lead them into your Web site?

How can you use sticky notes to make more sales?

Recognize the Problem

2010-01-29T13:50:00.000-08:00

I heard a story the other day about a resourceful nine-year-old boy in Florida named Zach Wilson. Zach spends his weekends playing with dogs at the local animal shelters. Noticing that the number of dogs at the shelter were increasing significantly, he asked an adult volunteer at the facility, “Why are more dogs being dropped off?”

The volunteer’s reply will not surprise you. “The economy is forcing pet owners to make awful choices. They do not have enough money, and they must choose what they don’t buy. Many of them are choosing not to buy pet food. Some of them let their pets loose. Others bring their pets here. They are very sad to give them up but hope that we can find them good homes.”

The boy thought over what the volunteer had said. The next day, he announced to his mom, “Mom, we gotta feed the dogs.”

“Our dog is fed,” she replied.

“No, I mean all the dogs. We gotta feed all the dogs.”

To do so, he and his mother created a food pantry for pets called the Central Florida Animal Pantry, the only one of its kind in the state. Those who get food from the pantry are asked to volunteer as much as they are able. The pantry has received generous donations from pet stores, schools, and community members, but the need is increasing. At the time of this story, they had given away 1800 pounds of food the prior week.

Zach is a tireless champion for the animals. He wants to go even further and help all the animals as much as he can. As his mother says, “It sounds like a lot for a little boy, but we have to try.”

I am impressed with Zach for many reasons, but I want to focus on one. He recognized the problem. As he saw more pets in the shelter, he asked, “Why? Why are there more pets?”

After receiving the answer, he thought through the situation and realized that the problem was that people needed food for their pets, not that the pets needed a new home. Once he settled on the problem, he came up with an alternative solution to abandonment: a pet food pantry.
His solution is much better for many reasons. How much cheaper is it to keep a pet in its home rather than put it in a shelter? How much easier is it on the pet to stay in a home where it is happy than to uproot it and find it a new home? How much less stress is involved for the pet owners not to give up their pets and the shelter volunteers not to receive this influx of unnecessarily abandoned pets?

Most people abandon a pet to the wild or the shelter because they can’t care for it anymore due to changes in their lives. Shelter personnel are so accustomed to taking the pets that are dropped off and caring for them that they don’t stop and think of what is at the root of this problem. Just like the rest of us, they are overwhelmed with the day-to-day tasks involved in the shelter. When the influx of pets is increasing rapidly, they have even less time to think through a new problem. I certainly don’t find fault with them. I applaud them for what they do.

I do think that we can all learn a lesson from Zach, however. In our daily crush of business, we have a tendency to handle a situation superficially as it comes and not sit back and think through the situation to uncover the real problem. What is the problem? Did we identify it correctly? How can we dig deeper to discover it?

Take time to ask yourself these questions. Think the situation through. Recognize the problem.

Once you do, your solution will be much more effective and, possibly, cheaper.

Why Does Your Customer Buy?

2010-01-22T10:17:00.000-08:00

The New York Times announced yesterday that it will no longer be offering its news online for free. Beginning next month, readers will get two articles per month at no charge. They will pay for the rest.

This announcement prompted a Twin Cities TV station’s news to ask people on the street if they would pay for news online. "No," replied one. "Not when I can get it from other sources online for free."

All the other interviewees echoed that sentiment.

Finally, the reporter asked the last person if she would pay if all the news sources online charged. "Well, yes, I suppose that I would pay if I had to," she responded.

How likely is that to happen?

News organizations, especially newspapers, made a huge error at the dawn of the Internet. They did not know what they sold. Rather than view what they sold as news and information, they saw what they offered was the form in which the news and information arrived. They saw what they sold as newspapers or TV news. The format, paper or airwaves, mattered more than the content.

Their readers and viewers, however, were picking up the paper or tuning into the broadcast for the news. They didn't care about the format. They wanted the information. Therefore, when the news became available online 24/7, readers and viewers found getting the information online convenient.

This disconnect between what the readers and viewers wanted and the way that the newspapers and TV news perceived what they sold spelled trouble for the news organizations. You see, the way that these news organizations make their money is by inserting ads or commercials amid the news stories. In addition, the newspapers are accessed by subscription, which is more revenue for them. Free online availability of the news wiped out those sources of revenue. These news organizations cannot insert the number of ads or commercials online that they can in print or during a broadcast.

They did not initially see their problem, however. Since they didn't know that they had a problem and they didn't know how to use the Internet to make money, they did what everyone else did at the dawn of the Internet. They climbed on board. They set up a Web site. They started having their stories available online as well as in print and on the airwaves. "Hey, look," they proclaimed. "Find us on the Web. Read our stories or watch our news whenever you want."

They thought the Internet was a great marketing tool. Since everyone else was climbing aboard the Internet, they got on, too. They certainly did not want to be the last organization to do so. None of them sat down and thought this through first. Nope. They just climbed aboard the Internet bandwagon. No news organization likes to be the last. They all want to be the first with the story. They certainly did not want to be the last on the Web.

Now newspaper subscriptions are declining at a rapid pace. So is TV viewership. People are getting their news online. Since the newspapers and TV stations offer the news online for free, that is what people have come to expect. They have been trained by the newspaper and TV stations to get their online news at no charge. That is a difficult training to reverse, especially when all the organizations that provide news need to do so. As the last interviewee noted, "If they all charge, then I will have to pay."

That's not likely to happen, particularly when these news organizations still do not know what they sell and why the customer buys.

Learn from these news organizations' error. Know what you sell and why your customer buys.

Turn Down the Volume

2010-01-18T07:09:00.000-08:00

When I was a TV sales rep, I had to take my turn manning the station’s booth at the Northern Wisconsin State Fair. Year after year viewers stopped by the booth with one major complaint: turn down the volume on the commercials. Many were quite emphatic. At the time, I didn’t notice the volume difference in commercials. In fact, viewers often acknowledged that the station for which I worked was not the worst offender.

Recently, however, I have noticed the volume being cranked up for commercials on all stations. Whether on broadcast or cable, commercials on all channels are louder than the programs. This leads me to grab the remote and turn down the volume. Sometimes I even mute the commercials.

In last month’s TV Guide, I read that I am not alone. A new bill called the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM) just passed the House of Representatives. This bill requires the volume on commercials to be regulated. If the bill passes the Senate, the FCC will implement technology with cable operators which prohibits commercials to air any louder than the highest decibel of the program in which they air. Representative Anna Eshoo, sponsor of the bill, says that she has received a tremendous response from people all over the country who appreciate the regulation. “There isn’t anyone who hasn’t experienced that dive for the mute button,” she states.

If others are diving for the mute button, maybe I am much kinder in just turning down the volume. Either way, the commercial’s effectiveness is at best greatly diminished and at worst lost all together. Just because you crank up the volume does not mean your message gets heard. More likely, your intended recipient turns you off or tunes you out. Loudness is an assault on the eardrums which stimulates a pulling back rather than a going forward.

We can all learn a lesson from this, whether our business airs commercials or not. Being pushy with your marketing message is not effective. Loudness in commercials is pushy. Capital letters in printing are pushy. Crawlers across the screen in video are pushy. We apply these techniques for emphasis or to get attention, but they translate to the recipient as annoying. When the recipient of your marketing is annoyed, she or he will move quickly to avoid your message.

When that happens, what has your marketing accomplished? At best you have wasted money and effort; at worst you have imprinted a negative impression that cannot be erased. Certainly, you did not achieve your desired outcome of stimulating more business.

Use other techniques to pique interest and to make your message memorable. Don’t push. Instead, gently lead your customer into doing business with you. You will both be happy with the outcome.

Give to Get

2010-01-11T08:18:00.001-08:00

The other day a friend showed me a mailing that she had received from Country magazine. "Look at this. There are tips on each of these pieces of literature."

She was right. On the back of the acknowledgment that she was the recipient of a gift subscription to Country was a twenty-five tip listing of energy and, therefore, money-saving tips. On the flip side of a glossy, full-color piece from Checks Unlimited were fourteen random tips from residents of Canada and the United States. On one-half of one side of a glossy, full-color piece for Bradford Exchange were tips for great salads, tenderloin tips, and straining broth.

"Interesting," I commented. "May I keep these?"

"Sure. I thought you'd want them," she replied.

When I looked at the first piece, I instantly recognized that the staff at Country knows its readers. They know that Country readers love tips. Giving new subscribers money-saving tips on the back side of an acknowledgment will ingratiate newbies to Country. The second and third pieces, however, gave me pause. "Wow!" I thought. "Country is using its knowledge of what readers want to assist vendors who are advertising with them to get more attention to their offers."

The staff at Country knows that tips printed on an offer are likely to get read and kept. The piece will be looked over more carefully. Perhaps it will be referenced several times. It may be shown to others, too. Attention to the offer, particularly multiple times and possibly by multiple people, increases the likelihood of a sale.

In addition, these tips establish the credibility of both Country and the vendors to readers. The tips are sound advice and new ideas, both of which readers appreciate. Just seeing these tips makes a favorable impression with readers. Since readers want tips, they will save these tips even if they do not have time to read them immediately.

How can you apply what Country did with your customers? What do your customers want to know?

Take a little effort to ask your customers this question and then think through their answers. Apply what you learn to your marketing efforts. You will likely find that they are interested in some type of updates about your product or service as it affects their lives.

When you know what information your customers want, sit down with your staff and brainstorm where to access this information. You and your staff have a wealth of knowledge that you can share. This knowledge comes from what you have learned through years of experience, your opinions that are based on your expertise, and your reading. Freely quote others with whom you agree. Don't assume that just because you have a piece of knowledge or have read something that your customers also have this information. Once you have decided upon and assembled the information that you think your customers want, give it to them.

Make your message more memorable by tying it to information.

After all, you have to give to get.

Randyland

2009-12-31T10:48:00.000-08:00

This morning I found inspiration in a news story about a fifty-one-year-old waiter from Pittsburgh named Randy. Waiting tables at breakfast for twenty-three years, he has a love of Pittsburgh and of people. This attitude elicits comments. “He’s cheery. He’s welcoming. You feel like you are coming down to your kitchen to eat,” offered a customer.

“I’ve worked with him for twenty-three years. He never has a bad day,” said a waitress.

“He is eclectic, eccentric, and wonderful,” added a cook.

The restaurant‘s manager went further. “Ever-giving is his motto, and not just about breakfast, but about his love for other people.”

Randy has applied his positive attitude toward helping his community and laying the groundwork for opening his own restaurant. In the middle of northside Pittsburgh, he has created Randyland, a thirty-block area of renovated buildings and gardens. In the middle of broken-down buildings and boarded-up homes, Randy’s efforts have changed the look and the feel of the neighborhood.

He describes it as “an oasis of joy.”

Starting with $10,000 on a credit card, Randy bought the first building that he says was “trash, garbage, a ghetto.”

Over the past twenty-five years, Randy has used recycled materials and other people’s trash to create 800 streetscapes, gardens, flower pots, and murals. He’s even planted banana trees. In the process, he has beautified the area and changed attitudes. “Color is therapy,” he maintains.

A professional woman who knows Randy agrees. “The color helps us accept diversity and that we’re all different. We live in America. Randy sets the tone and gives you the opportunity to be your own self.”

Pointing to a bullet hole through his “Thank you” painted on a garbage can flap, Randy notes that he “thought of getting rid of the hole, but it’s interesting because it shows that we’re still in the city, still a-changing, but thank you for understanding us.”

Randy’s investors are his customers. Over the past twenty-five years, he has funded the entire project on the tips that he receives in his job. Randy hopes to turn the first building that he bought, now his home, into his restaurant someday, which will be a gathering place for the community.

The reporter asked, “What’s your goal?”

Randy answered, “Take Randyland worldwide. Teach people the joy to just live life and be happy in who you are. Don’t worry about the economy, your age, your sex, your wealth, your intelligence. You are so very, very, very, absolutely no doubt about it, valuable.”

This enthusiastic individual has many reminders for us as business people One is his attitude. People bubbling with enthusiasm are hard to resist. They make us smile. They are memorable. They make us want to be around them. Contrast this with someone who is negative. That person makes you want to get out of his or her presence quickly, right? Like bees to honey, enthusiasm attracts people.

This new year check your attitude and the attitude of your employees. Do your attitude and their attitudes attract people?

Set a goal in 2010 to exude enthusiasm.

(This is an excerpt from volume two of Profitable Marketing Monthly CD. Click here to find out more about the CD.)

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

In this season of too much to do, too much to buy, and too many people to see, I hope that you find a way to escape too much stress. Take a deep breath, smile, and experience the outpouring of goodwill that Christmas engenders.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Elizabeth

Switching Your Message

2009-12-18T14:08:00.000-08:00

When I sold radio advertising, I heard an expert say that businesses switch their messages way too quickly. This holiday season I have been watching an excellent example of this with the Target commercials. Have you seen them?

The first one which caught my attention opens with a close up of a dog whining. As the camera pulls out, the viewer sees an elderly man standing beside the dog. Next to him is another guy. All three are looking at the outside of a house which is overdressed with lights. The guy asks why the dog is whining to which the elderly man replies, “He doesn’t like people flaunting their money.”

“But I don’t have a lot of money,” the guy states.

“I know.” This statement by the elderly man ends the commercial.

The second one shows two boys helping their father hook up video camera to TV. “How’s this?” Father asks.

“Still can’t see anything,” one of the boys replies, and they both giggle.

The boys and the viewers can see Father’s backside in the TV. Obviously, the camera is hooked up correctly, but the boys are having fun at Father’s expense. The commercial continues in this vein, and the situation is never resolved.

The third commercial involves a couple and their two children opening Christmas presents. As they tear the wrapping off a new TV, the husband comments, “I thought that we were going to hold back on spending this year.”

The wife responds, “Santa knows how to shop.”

He responds that times are tough, and they continue to have a terse exchange in front of the children who both look concerned.

I have watched these commercials several times with mixed emotions. I find the one with the boys and their grandfather humorous and the one with the two men and the dog puzzling. When I watch the one with the couple, I become uncomfortable. Seeing a couple argue in front of their children on Christmas morning makes my stomach tighten.

I had always recognized Target’s past commercials instantly. They had a consistent look. Even if I had seen the commercial for the first time, I correctly guessed that I was watching a Target commercial.

I cannot say the same for these commercials. They do not have a consistent look. They do not have a consistent message. They do not look at all like Target commercials. I assume that someone at Target thought their look ought to be updated. Consequently, the company hired a new advertising agency and developed new commercials. In this change, they left their message behind.

Switching commercials because personnel become bored with the current ones or because they think the business needs a new look is not smart. In the switch, the message, as well as the viewer’s attention, can be lost. Regarding Target, I am uncertain as to what message these new commercials intend to convey. I certainly am not receiving it.

Take a lesson from Target. Before you switch using a long-time commercial or ad, stop and think again. What are you accomplishing? How is your message presented? What does your customer think?

Answer these questions before making any switch.

Think Sell

2009-12-11T13:43:00.000-08:00

Every once-in-a-while, I find myself slipping into a “telling” rather than a “selling” mode. I was reminded of that pitfall when I recently read an excellent article by Michael Masterson. He used an example of a letter that he sent to a client about a new idea that Michael received when he was in Paris. I am including the letter which he sent his client below.

James,

I have a great idea for you.

It's an idea I gave to "Peter" in London five years ago. He used it to create a $10 million business. Nobody is doing this in the States yet. You could be the first.

Here's what you need to know now:
It is easy to do.
It is perfect for you.
It is a clever twist on something you already know.
But it is much more powerful than what you are doing now.

I can show you how to implement this idea in less than half an hour. I can give you a blueprint you can hand to your key people so they will know exactly what to do. I assure you that you will have this up and running in less than two weeks. And if the results I've seen elsewhere hold true for you, your sales will increase by at least 300 percent by the end of the year.

One caveat: I like this idea so much that I'm tempted to give it to another client who has a similar business. I'm holding it for you -- but only if you can assure me you will give it your full attention.

What do you say? Shall we schedule a meeting to go over it?
Yours truly,
Michael

Notice four selling techniques which Michael used very well in this letter. First and foremost, he piqued interest. Starting with enthusiasm, he said that he had a great idea. James could be the first in the States to use it. Michael bullet-pointed for James “what he needed to know” prior to their meeting, explaining enough but not too much.

Then, Michael made the idea sound easy to James. Michael could “show him how to implement this idea in less than a half an hour.” Michael would also provide James with a blueprint and assured James that this idea could be “up and running in less than two weeks.” Finishing that paragraph with a bang, Michael stated that James’ “sales would increase by at least 300 percent by the end of the year.” You’d like your sales to increase that much, wouldn’t you? Of course you would. Any business person would!

Michael followed that powerful statement with a paragraph that creates urgency. Michael was thinking of taking the idea to someone else, but, if James is willing to give the idea his full attention, well, then, Michael will hold the idea for James. In other words, act immediately, James, or this is idea is gone.

Finally, Michael closed. If James responded affirmatively to Michael’s question about meeting to go over the idea, Michael had James’ first “yes” toward buying.

What would you have done if you had been in James’ shoes?

That’s what he did. James immediately called and scheduled an appointment for a week later. At the meeting, he came prepared with a tape recorder and took many notes. In the end, he bought the idea, and, as Michael wrote, the idea is already starting to work for James.

Using these four selling techniques, Michael persuaded James that buying this idea would be profitable. Reference this letter the next time that you want to sell a customer. Remember to pique interest, make it easy, create urgency, and close the sale.

Think sell, not tell.

A Man with a Mission

2009-12-04T11:29:00.000-08:00

I watched a report a couple of days ago which struck me so profoundly that I wanted to share it with you. The story was about Dan Phillips from Huntsville, Texas. Dan is a man with a mission. He is determined to provide home ownership to anyone who has a job and either good credit or no credit. “In most cities,” Dan explains, “affordable houses cost $140,000. That’s not affordable. Between fifty and twenty thousand dollars is affordable.”

That is precisely the price range of the homes that Dan builds and sells at a profit. How does he do it? Dan uses 85% or more recycled materials in the homes. These aren’t just typical recycled materials. These materials include wine corks for flooring, picture frame samples for ceilings, and glass serving plates for windows.

The entire community helps Dan collect these materials. Everyday he receives calls from Huntsville residents who are about to discard anything from bottle caps to bathroom fixtures. Dan thankfully accepts it all. “In a community this size, enough material to build a small home is thrown away every week. By using this material to construct homes, we are saving a great deal from the landfill.”

Dan believes that we can solve one social problem by fixing another. That’s why he keeps materials out of landfills and builds affordable homes for people who otherwise might not have their own home. As you might imagine, each home is unique. One reporter called the homes “weird.” I find them intriguing. I am still attempting to figure out what material is on the roof of one home.

By building homes for people who would like to own a home but cannot afford a $140,000 one, Dan has filled a want. He discovered a market not being served and found a way to serve it. Dan said that he was on a mission. His goal was to create homes for all and positively impact the planet while doing so.

Beyond his contributions to society, Dan offers a marketing lesson for us all. Marketing begins with your goals. Your goals prompt you to find a want that is not being served or not being served in the way that you would serve it. That want helps you to craft your offer. A well-thought out goal, a well-researched want, and a well-crafted offer lay the basis for successful marketing.

Marketing is not a sleight-of-hand to magically make a product, service, or information sell. Marketing begins when the idea for the business is formulated. Marketing communicates how your product, service, or information fills a customer’s want.

Is your marketing doing that?

Watch the story on Dan that I saw here.

The Trend of the Past and the Future

2009-11-20T12:03:00.000-08:00

Last week I searched for a cover for a vent on the outside of my house. I had looked online and had seen many different options, none of which would work for this particular vent. My next stop was a chain home improvement store. The salesperson there was helpful and walked me over to the one item that the store stocked which might work. I had seen that item online and already knew that it was not my solution. I voiced my thoughts and asked for alternatives. She replied that was all they had.

Nearby was an independently-operated hardware store. Suspecting that the store stocked the same item as I had found online and at the chain store, I thought, “I am assuming what they stock. I want to know for sure.”

As I walked into the store, I was greeted by the owners’ sweet German shepherd. The husband of the husband and wife team who owned the store immediately asked me if he could be of assistance. I reiterated that I wanted to cover the vent.

He showed me the same solution as I had seen online and at the chain store.

“That won’t work,” I replied. “I want a cover with smaller holes and more flexibility in attachment. Any other ideas?”

He sat down on a stool, cupped his head in his hand, and looked down at the floor. “Let me think a minute.”

After a few seconds he had a solution. “I’ll cut you some flexible screening. You can lay the screening over the vent and cut it to size. Then double the screening over along the edges and attach it around the vent with these screws.”

I walked out of the store with the solution to my problem in hand.

The next time that I have a problem or want an item that the hardware store may stock, I will go there first. While online offers quick access and big chains proclaim cheap prices, neither one of these offers someone to help you solve a problem. Neither one offers someone to create a solution. The chain store’s salesperson did her best to be helpful, but she had not been taught to think of solutions. She had been taught to sell products.

On the other hand, the independent hardware store owner thrives on solutions. His solution resulted in a sale and a new customer.

As business people and as consumers, we can be lured into thinking that cheapness and bigness are everything. In truth, what really matters are solutions to problems. Those solutions come from one person to another. When a person is unavailable as happens online or the person to whom I am speaking has not been taught to think in solutions, as a customer, I become frustrated. Only knowledgeable solutions will ease my frustrations.

For years small business people have built their businesses by offering solutions to customers’ problems. They have taken the time to listen to their customers. They have stopped to mull over problems. They have created solutions and offered them for the customers’ benefit. This is the trend of the past and the future. To be successful, this requires thought from those working at the small business.

How are you solving your customers’ problems?

Ineffective Communication

2009-11-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago, I watched a commercial which I had seen several times. This commercial always gets my attention because it starts with a little girl sitting alone on a school bus. She is the last rider of the day. The bus driver asks her questions.

“How was school today?”

“All right,” the little girl replies.

“Do you like your teacher?”

“Yeah.”

At this point, the first time I saw the commercial I wondered just why the bus driver was quizzing the little girl. After the next question, I understood.

“Did you miss your mommy?”

The little girl gets out of her seat, scurries down the aisle, jumps into the bus driver’s lap, and wraps her arms around the driver‘s neck. “Yeah, I missed you, Mom.”

No matter how many times I have seen this commercial, I feel a swell of emotion during that scene.

Then I wonder, “Whose commercial is this, anyway?”

I tend to think that it is for a kid’s treat or food, something that Mom might give a child after school. Usually, I am so caught up in the emotion from the little girl hugging the bus driver that I forget to notice what business name is listed at the end of the commercial.

When I watched the commercial the other day, I made an effort mentally to register the business. As the little girl and her mom walked away from the buses hand-in-hand, the voiceover said, “For life’s important moments, Marshfield Clinic.”

Since I am suspicious that I am an unusual consumer of advertising, I turned to my roommate. “Did you just watch that commercial?”

“Yeah, I like it.”

“Who was it for?”

She gave me a perplexed look. “I don’t know. Some food company?”

“No,” I replied. “Marshfield Clinic.”

She was astonished. “Really? I never would have guessed that.”

This is a wonderfully-written, well-acted, attention-getting commercial that is woefully ineffective.

Why? First, it does not deliver a message, unless you maintain that the closeness of the mother and daughter is a message. Second, this commercial does not make any reference to Marshfield Clinic until the end of the commercial, which is not enough. Third, nothing in the commercial has anything to do with healthcare. A consumer’s mind must make many flips and somersaults to connect what is shown in this commercial with Marshfield Clinic. Who was sick and got well, the child or the mother? How sick was she? How recently did she recover? No one will think this far. Viewers will mentally turn off the commercial because Marshfield Clinic’s connection to it does not make sense.

As evidenced by me and my roommate, the viewer not connecting the commercial with the business is the most devastating result to Marshfield Clinic. I am certain that we are not alone nor unusual in our responses.

While creating an attention-getting commercial is important, sacrificing effective communication to achieve attention makes the marketing effort a waste of time and money. Your message is more important than creativity. Make certain that your message is clear and that your business is easily connected to your message.

That is effective communication.

Brevity

2009-11-06T13:54:00.000-08:00

“This is John Smith at 652-3400. Call me back, please.”

I received this message on my voice mail today from a person unknown to me. Although I immediately deleted the message, I have been mulling over its positive and negative aspects.

On the positive side, I am intrigued. Who is John Smith? Why did he call? What did he want? Should I have called him back?

This, of course, was precisely what Mr. Smith wanted me to think. He wanted me to be intrigued. He wanted my curiosity to prompt me to return his call. I have had to restrain myself from calling back. By telling me little, he piqued my interest.

That’s a good lesson to remember; less is more.

On the negative side, this person’s unwillingness to tell me why he called makes me very suspicious. My he’s-trying-to-sell-me-something antenna are waving crazily. Questions plague me. Why wouldn’t he tell me the purpose of his call? Was he calling me in particular or am I merely on his calling list? (I suspect the latter.) Why did he decide to call me?

These thoughts led me to remember a billboard that I drove past recently. The billboard’s message was short: Because stuff happens. In addition to being brief, the message was written upside down and backwards. That grabbed my attention!

Both the billboard and the caller delivered their message with brevity. That’s not easy to do. Distilling your message into a few words is tough. Having those words actually get attention is tougher. Assuring that the words communicate your message is the toughest.

While the caller accomplished two of out of three with a short message that got attention, the billboard achieved all three. Even more, the billboard’s message did not destroy credibility; the caller’s message did.

Do you communicate your message with brevity? If not, doing so will require thought. Brevity is not just a few words. Brevity is a few words that communicate your message well. Sit down and think through your message before you attempt to abbreviate it. Then, run your abbreviated message past a few customers to find out how well the words that you have chosen communicate your message. Apply your customers’ input to tweak and finalize your brief message.

Then use it on everything.

Bandwagon Effect

2009-10-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

“Thompsons have butterfingers!” A kid screamed into the camera.

After that pronouncement, he turned and ran toward the lighted house behind him. Framed in the house doorway, a lady was patiently holding a bowl of Butterfingers. As the kid rushed toward the lady, he was joined by lots of other kids in costumes swarming from every direction. The message was clear: trick-or-treaters prefer Butterfingers.

I was riveted by this commercial. I wanted to share with you the lessons that it offers in communicating with your customers.

First, openings are critical. You only have a few seconds to get your audience’s attention. With the Internet, people’s brief attention span has grown even more brief. Beginning the commercial with a close up of a kid screaming into the camera with a short, to-the-point message gets attention. It got mine.

Second, talk to your audience. Show or use the voice of a situation or person with whom your target market will readily identify. Those who are concerned about kids trick-or-treaters will quickly find this commercial interesting because the topic is on their minds. Another idea would have been to present the commercial from Mrs. Thompson’s point of view and show the Butterfingers disappearing rapidly from her dish as she greets trick-or-treaters. Either way, the audience for this commercial gets the message because they feel addressed. The “Mrs. Thompsons” are the audience. When they identify with the commercial, they receive the commercial’s message.

Third, create a bandwagon effect. Everyone wants one so you should, too. In this commercial, all the kids wanted Butterfingers. If that’s what they want, why buy any other candy? That thought establishes itself in the minds of the “Mrs. Thompsons,” those serving the candy, and also in the minds of the kids who see the commercial. While I would not suggest that a thirty-second commercial can change kids’ tastes to like Butterfingers if they do not, it can stimulate those who do like Butterfingers to want some.

The first two lessons are relatively easy to achieve. Keep them in mind whenever you are communicating with your customers. Remember to grab attention with your opening and to talk to your audience.

The third lesson can be more challenging. You may have to think longer to figure out how to achieve a bandwagon effect for your product, service, or information. As you think, realize that the bandwagon effect that you show or state does not necessarily have to be true for every person who has ever used your product or service. It only needs to be correct for whatever group you are referencing. The kid in the commercial did not say “Everyone loves Butterfingers.” No, he said “Thompsons have Butterfingers.” His statement implied that everyone wanted Butterfingers, but he did not say it directly. After making the statement, he had lots of kids follow him to Thompsons' house. However, we don’t know that every kid in the neighborhood followed.

How do you create a bandwagon effect? Similar to Thompson, reference a well-known customer who uses this product, service, or information from your business. Do this with the customer’s permission, of course. Use a number or percentage. 8 out of 10 or 90% of our customers use this product, service, or information. State a desire that you know your customers want and that your product, service, or information offers. Instead of stating a product such as Butterfingers, say the “What’s in it for me” for the customer from using the product. “Mouth-watering candy at Thompsons” is intriguing to all, whether they like Butterfingers or not.

The bandwagon effect seeds the thought in your customers’ minds that they ought to have this product, service, or information, too.

How can you use the bandwagon effect in your communications with customers?

Give Them What They Want for Less

2009-10-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

In this economy, I hear business people more than ever agonize over price.

“My clients can’t afford it.”
“Customers just aren’t spending.”
“The only way that I will get business is to drop my price.”

While I maintain that price is never the number one reason that people buy, I agree that everyone has limited financial resources. Customers’ perception of tough economic times prompts them to delay or completely withhold purchases. They still have the same wants, but they may choose to act on those wants differently than they would in a vibrant economy.

The guitar company, C. F. Martin, faced this dilemma. For over a hundred and seventy-five years, C. F. Martin has been crafting guitars which have been played by hall of fame musicians as well as ordinary people who love to play a good guitar. These guitars were not cheap. The lowest-priced one was two thousand dollars. In this economy, that was a hefty sum for the average person to pay for a luxury item. Consequently, Martin’s sales were down.

With the option of closing a plant and/or laying off hundreds of their skilled craftsmen, Martin turned to what the current Martin’s grandfather had done during the Great Depression when he encountered a similar situation. They made a new guitar. This guitar is a stripped-down, plain, simple model with no lacquers, no inlaids, and no laminates, but it is still a very well-made Martin guitar, crafted with skill. Named the One Series, these guitars sell for hundreds, not thousands, of dollars. So far this year nine thousand of these guitars have been sold.

By creating this new guitar, C. F. Martin reacted to customers’ wants and the current economic conditions. Customers still want a C. F. Martin guitar. However, in these economic conditions, customers have difficulty justifying a two thousand dollar guitar purchase.

C.F. Martin could not drop the price of the two thousand dollar guitar to accommodate its customers. Instead, Martin created an entirely new guitar which filled the bill.

This action is vastly different than what most businesses do in similar situations. Most business people think that they must drop price, even if that means that the business does not make money, just to prompt the customer to buy. The business focuses on revenue instead of cash flow. If the price does not cover the cost of the good or service and include some sort of profit, the sale does not cash flow. Sure, cash is flowing, but it is flowing in a negative direction because the business is taking in less than the cost of the good or service. Eventually, this negative cash flow leaves the business without enough revenue to cover its costs. What is the point of that?

The point of having a business is to make profit so that the business can survive and thrive. In order to do that, a business must have cash flow. To achieve cash flow, a business must sell the goods or services for more than they cost. Selling goods and services for more than they cost may require creating a good or service that the customer wants and will buy. Offering this good or service may require some thought. This thought takes more effort than slashing a price.

This thought gives customers what they want for less and maintains cash flow for the business.

What new offer can you make which gives your customer what he wants and cash flows for your business?

Make It Fun

2009-10-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I watched a fascinating report about a redesign of subway stairs into musical stairs. Innovative designers and Volkswagen teamed up to turn a flight of stairs at the subway in Stockholm into a keyboard. They placed electronics on the stairs which made each stair when stepped on play a distinct musical note. Then they covered the electronics with floor coverings that turned each stair into a key, either black or white, on the keyboard. This resulted in the entire flight of stairs appearing to be a gigantic keyboard. Volkswagen did not disclose why this was done. However, since the stairs were next to an escalator, many speculate that the motive was to encourage people to take the stairs instead of the escalator.

Whatever their reason, their idea was a big hit.

The number of people taking the stairs as compared to those taking the escalator has done a 180. Now everyone wants to take the stairs, even those who have difficulty doing so. Some people go up and down several times on their ascent or descent just to step on more stairs and make more music. No one takes the escalator anymore.

Why was this so successful?

People love to have fun, and taking these stairs is fun. Rather than telling people that for their health they ought to take the stairs, Volkswagen made taking the stairs a blast. In fact, Volkswagen made people want to take the stairs and touch extra steps in the process, giving them additional exercise. Rather than leaving signs instructing people to take the stairs, they created a desire within the customer to take the stairs. Rather than preaching to the customer, they involved the customer.

They showed the customer “What’s in it for me.”

“What’s in it for me” was making noise, stepping on something cool, and having fun.

We can all take a lesson from this innovation. We can learn to involve our customers. We can learn to lighten up on how we present change. We can learn to bring fun into our interaction with our customers.

Today we have ample opportunities to do this. With boundless technical innovations, we can offer our customers involvement and fun very easily and at a small cost. Volkswagen proved that.

How can you make your customer’s interaction with your business fun?

To watch a video of these stairs, go here.

A New Twist

2009-10-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

“I am furious that I get treated differently as a regular customer than a new customer does,” complained my client. “I thought that my business meant more to that firm. I guess that I am just another number to them.”

Looking me in the eye, he spit out, “A new customer gets a lower price than me, and I have been doing business with that firm for several years! I can’t believe it!”

His outburst reminded me of my days selling radio and television. As salespeople, we were given incentives to find new customers. In fact, doing so was an important part of our compensation and evaluation. Our incentives to the new customers were a variety of price drops, including production freebies.

Occasionally, a regular customer would find out about these incentives and have a similar reaction to that of my client. “Why can’t I get that package? I’ve done a great deal of business with your station.”

I never could come up with a good explanation, probably because I didn’t think that one existed. “That’s how station management set it up,” I usually mumbled, not liking to blame management but feeling that the truth was my only option.

We were never given incentives to retain customers. Station management expected that once a customer had spent money on a schedule the customer would repeat spending at that level year after year. The customer’s spending became a baseline from which to build more business with the customer. There was never a consideration that the customer would not spend or would spend less. Management seemed to think that the customer’s past level of spending was “due” the station. Any reduction was met with management’s distain and censure for the salesperson.

Many times regular customers did not get the attention that a new customer received because the new customer took more time. Since a salesperson only had so many hours to get a job done, we salespeople often compressed taking care of regular customers because our knowledge of them hastened the task.

In other words, familiarity bred neglect.

Our familiarity with a regular customer took that customer and his or her business for granted. Intentionally or not, we were forced to juggle our time, and the result hurt our regular customers. Most regular customers were not consciously aware of this neglect. Even those who discovered the special packages to new customers never understood the extent of our neglect. They did not know what they missed. They did not know what we could have offered them, what we could have done for them, and what more business they could have done with our station.

Neither did management.

Two of the most profitable ways to grow your business are to increase the frequency and amount of business that regular customers transact with your company. Getting new customers is the least profitable way to grow your business. Unfortunately, as my client at the beginning of this piece explained, the least profitable way to grow your business is the preferred method of most businesses.

I recommend a new twist on familiarity. Make familiarity breed profitability. Rather than taking regular customers for granted, see them as the way to grow your business profitably.

Do it today.

Take a Fresh Approach

2009-09-18T13:44:00.000-07:00

Today I drove by a sign that caught my eye. Dominating the sign in large, block letters clearly printed on a white background was “25¢.” Underneath in small letters was printed “sale.”

“What a fresh approach!” I thought as I continued on my way.

Now I did not follow the arrow on the sign and check out the sale. However, I assume, probably correctly, that someone was selling stuff that he or she did not want. Instead of calling the sale what everyone else calls a sale of that sort, either a garage or a thrift sale, this person wisely gave the sale a different name. This person called the sale a “25¢ sale.”

While many items on garage or thrift sales are 25 cents or less, calling the sale a 25 cent sale immediately caught the attention of anyone who saw the sign. That amount of money made me think, “Hey, that’s cheap! Anyone could afford 25 cents.”

Others reading the sign probably thought likewise.

With a garage or thrift sale sign seemingly on every corner lately, this sign also set the sale apart from its competition of other garage or thrift sales. A sale dubbed “garage” or “thrift” sale immediately suggests old, used stuff that someone else does not want. I know that you can find treasures at garage and thrift sales, but you can also find a great deal of stuff that you do not want.

Since this 25 cent sale did not use either “garage” or “thrift” sale on its sign, I have no idea what items were being sold. The mystery of what was on sale was intriguing. Whereas I usually suggest telling as much as you can about your product or service, piquing interest by telling less is an effective marketing technique, particularly when what you tell directly appeals to what your customer wants.

Customers who are attracted to a garage or a thrift sale are interested in something that is cheap, hopefully unbelievably cheap. When a sign speaks to what they want, cheap, that sign gets their attention. A sign that gets their attention has a high likelihood of prompting them to check out the sale, and, ideally, their doing so increases sales. That makes the sign’s fresh approach profitable marketing.

Look at what your customer wants and what you offer. How can you rephrase your communications to speak to what your customer wants?

Just like the person running the “25¢ sale,” break away from the pack and position your business differently from your competition.

Take a fresh approach.

How to Handle Your Competition

2009-09-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

Last week, diving and swooping, hummingbirds sped past my kitchen window. I love to watch them feed. Their antics are laughable. If you have had the opportunity to watch them, you understand. They constantly fight over the feeder. Although the feeder has four “blossoms” which potentially allow four birds to feed at one time, in reality only one does. Occasionally, two will. Once or twice I have seen three. Never have I seen four.

More likely, I am entertained by one bird chasing another away from the feeder. Each bird will go to great lengths to force another bird from the feeder so that it alone may feed. I have seen one dive-bomb another who had settled at the feeder. I have seen one approaching the feeder get chased away by another suddenly flying past. I actually have seen one peck at the back of another which was feeding. They focus so much on getting the other birds away from the feeder that I often wonder how they get the chance to feed. Judging from my daily changing of the feeder, however, I know that they do.

One of my neighbors took down her feeder because she dubbed these birds “mean.” I disagree. These birds are merely being themselves. They remind me of some business people I have met.

These business people are always concerned about what their competition is doing. What is the competition’s latest promotion? What is the competition’s newest line? How are the competition’s sales? Rather than focusing on their customers, these business people spend their time focusing on their competition. Like the hummingbirds, they want to chase the competition away from their customers.

These business people want their customers all to themselves.

While that is understandable, it is not realistic. Customers may also check out and/or do business with your competition. Accept that fact. Know your competition so that you understand why your customer might do business there. After that, focus on your customer. Focusing on your competition too much takes your focus off your customer.

Be like the hummingbirds who fed the most. They sat at the feeder, focused on imbibing the rich liquid, and ignored the competition which attempted to chase them away. The best way to "beat" your competition is to focus on your customer, give that customer what he or she wants, and keep the customer coming back to do business with you time after time.

After all, your revenue comes from your customer, not your competition, doesn't it?

Addressing the Wrong Issue

2009-07-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I heard a report that the names of two terminals at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport may be changed from Humphrey and Lindbergh to “One” and “Two.” The airport commission met to decide the issue. Commission members are held back from the name change by the estimated 2.2 million dollar cost to change signs both inside and outside the airport. At the end of the report, the reporter said, “People don’t understand these terminals because more signs are needed.”

“Wait a minute!” I thought. “They are changing the name of the terminals and spending over two million dollars in new signs because they need more signs?”

Checking out the story more thoroughly online, I discovered that the commission is reacting to complaints from those unable to find their flight. Some people have missed their flights due to the situation. This happens because the two terminals are three miles apart off different exits and have no road connecting them. If a person goes to the wrong terminal, finding the other one means retracing the route back to the highway and taking another exit.

The signs indicating the terminals do not list which airlines fly out of each one. Airlines switch terminals, too. If one’s last flight on Midwest left from the Humphrey terminal, today Midwest flights leave from the Lindbergh terminal. Without a listing, how would a traveler know that?

Not surprisingly, travelers have complained. In one week 600 travelers complained at the information booths around the airport. Travelers have also gone online and registered their complaints. As we all know, those with complaints get our attention. We tend to react to their complaints, often without checking out precisely the size of the problem and without thinking through the problem from the customer’s point of view. Since some complaints have voiced that the names “Lindbergh” and “Humphrey” are meaningless to them, the commission apparently feels that the names of the terminals are not memorable and, therefore, a great deal of the problem.

From what I read online, I suspect that the names of the terminals are not the problem. The problem is not knowing which airlines board at which terminal. I don’t think any traveler cares about the name of a terminal. He or she just wants to board on time. Thus, rather than changing the names of the terminals, the commission could solve the problem by listing the major airlines that board at each terminal. Doing so would make choosing the exit much easier, which would dramatically decrease the number of people going to the wrong terminal.

Incidentally, the new names of terminal one and terminal two will be for highway exit purposes only. In actuality, the terminals will still retain their historic names.

Huh? That sounds like more confusion will ensue.
To solve a customer’s complaint, you must get to the problem. Often, the problem is not what the customer voices. Those who voiced that they couldn’t remember the terminals were merely blaming the names because the names weren‘t “relevant.” I question that terminal one and terminal two would have any relevance, either. In fact, I can image myself getting to the exit and thinking, “Was that terminal one? I think so. Wait a minute, maybe it was terminal two…”

The real problem is behind what the customer voices. In order to discover the real problem, you must ask the customer questions. Don’t ask the customer what he or she thinks is the problem; find out what the customer wanted that he or she did not get. That information will point to the problem and, then, the solution.

Are you asking customers questions to discover the problems indicated by their complaints?

Reminder Marketing

2009-07-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

Last week I froze strawberries. I love to savor their peak-season freshness at off-peak times, and, thus, every year I freeze several quarts. I froze the first few quarts in a store-brand plastic bag. When I ran out of those bags, I opened a box of Ziploc bags.

As I pulled the first Ziploc bag from the box, I immediately noticed a difference from the store-brand bag. The plastic was a heavier, distinctive blue color. Boldly printed across the front of the bag was “Ziploc” followed by a white space to write a reference to the bag’s contents.

“Look at that,” I thought. “Ziploc has used reminder marketing.”

I returned to the berries. Reaching for the last lush, ripe, juicy berry at the bottom of the flat, I noticed something under the strawberry that was red, too. It was a sticker. The sticker said, "Govins' Meats and Berries," followed by a listing of the products that they offer, “All natural beef and lamb, free range chicken and turkey, strawberries, and pumpkins,” and ended with their phone number and Web site address.

"Good for them!" I murmured. Govins, too, had used reminder marketing.

The next day I had lunch at Taco Johns. After removing my food from the tray, I noticed a coupon for a free cini-sopapilla bites with a five dollar purchase. Taco Johns was giving me an incentive to spend another five dollars, either that day or another.

All three of these are examples of reminder marketing. Each business was reminding the customer of the origin of the purchase and inviting the customer back. Three important characteristics of reminder marketing are that it is easy to find, provides information that the customer wants, and offers additional benefits. Let's look at each of these more closely.

Reminder marketing must be easy to find. While this may sound obvious, I know of a business person who placed the business's name on the bottom of a cup rather than on the cup's side. Unless the customer totally drained the cup, the name was hidden. Notice that Ziploc positioned its name boldly toward the top of one side of the freezer bag. Govins' name caught my attention from the bottom of the empty flat, and Taco Johns invitingly slipped the coupon underneath my lunch so that when I removed the tacos, I saw it.

Further, each of these gave me information that I wanted. The Ziploc name on the bag was a convenient reminder of the brand of bag, making it easy for me to know what to buy next time. Govins’ information gave me a handy reference to call for additional berries and told me of other products which I may want. Taco Johns informed me of a new offering that sounded delicious.

Finally, two of them gave me an additional benefit. Ziploc left a white space on the bag in which to label the bag's contents. Taco Johns gave me a free sample with a purchase.

These additional benefits left me with a good impression and a reason to do business with them again. The benefits took me a step beyond reminder marketing, setting me up for my next purchase.

Every business has opportunities to invite the next purchase. Every business has ways to do reminder marketing. This is a simple but critical method to develop a customer.

How many ways does your business implement reminder marketing?

Sticking to Your Objectives

2009-07-03T09:51:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning I watched a news story on CBS about an amazing relationship between an elephant and a dog. The story took place at an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee. As the reporter remarked, "An elephant sanctuary in Tennessee? That sounds like a story in itself!"

This sanctuary rescues elephants that are no longer wanted or have been abused. When an elephant arrives at the sanctuary, it immediately bonds with another elephant. The elephant in this story, Tara, did not bond with another elephant; she bonded with Bella, a stray dog which had shown up at the sanctuary. They go everywhere together. Last year when Bella got sick and had to stay in the sanctuary office for three weeks, Tara stood outside the entire time, waiting. To appease Tara, Bella was carried out to see her. Since then, this unusual twosome go all over the sanctuary together.

Evidently, CBS had reported on this story previously and the report that I watched on Sunday was a follow-up piece because the owners of the sanctuary referenced the first story and what had happened after it aired. "After that story aired," remarked the wife of the husband and wife owners, "we were bombarded with calls. We had request after request about Tara and Bella. Disney even called and wanted to do a film about them starring either one or both."

"Disney!" the reporter exclaimed. "So what happened with that?"

"We thought about it," she continued. "Our reason for having this sanctuary is to give the animals here an opportunity to live life for themselves and to be the creatures that they are rather than be performers for the entertainment of humans. For them, just being who they are has intrinsic value. That is our goal with this sanctuary. We turned Disney down."

The reporter was stunned, and so was I. They turned down Disney. They turned down a great deal of money. Most amazingly, they stuck to their objective.

Sticking to an objective is not easy. It's easy to forget your objective. It's easy to be swayed from your objective by lucrative offers. It's easy to rationalize out of your objective by the temptation of an offer. Diverting from your objective is much easier than following through on it.

That's why you set objectives. Objectives state what you want to accomplish. They require a great deal of thought to formulate. Once written, they are a ready reference and best when reviewed consistently. They help you maintain your focus. They keep you on the path toward achieving your goals.

The elephant sanctuary stayed on its path by following its objectives.

How are you doing following your objectives?

Reduce Your Frustration

2009-06-26T03:08:00.000-07:00

As I was walking my dogs early yesterday morning, I witnessed a spectacular sight. The high humidity had spawned a heavy dew which clung to everything. Wherever a spider had spun a web, the beauty of the web in minute detail was exposed for all to see. The sun filtering through the heavy haze glinted off the dew, acting as a back light to further accent these spinnings.

Everywhere I looked, I saw webs. I was amazed at the number of them. There were more than I had ever imagined! Their uniqueness fascinated me. One was very deep, about six inches horizontally. Others had long, single-strand anchors. Some were softly draped and swung with the slightest movement. No two were alike.

However, all had something in common.

Beyond the fact that they were all created by a spider, all of these webs were a part of a system. As my dog moved past one into the ditch to sniff, I worried that on her way back out of the ditch she would ruin the web, forcing the spider to flee. I hated to see such hard work disrupted.

Looking closely at the spider, I realized that the spider was unconcerned about its web being disturbed. It had created a system and was patiently working it in anticipation of a meal.

That prompted me to think of the similarity between the spider and its web and a business and its marketing. Just as the spider anchors its web, a marketing plan is the anchor to a marketing system. Those businesses who have a marketing plan have a place to start in developing their marketing system which directs their focus toward their revenue goals. When they encounter tough economic times, they continue to work their system. Not only do they do much better during tough times than those without a system, but they come out much stronger afterwards, too.

A marketing system allows a business to build on what works rather than reinventing the wheel, or the web, periodically. It establishes historical documentation of marketing efforts, which, similar to historical accounting data, offers information that can be reviewed and adjusted as necessary. It sets up a continuity of marketing which reduces frustration and produces better results.

Businesses who have a marketing system and work that system are like the spider working its web. They are not subject to being disrupted. They are not worried about what to do next. They are not frustrated with their marketing. Instead, they are maximizing their revenue by staying focused on their system.

How do you develop a marketing system?

Start with a marketing plan.

Make Communication Powerful

2009-06-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

As I was enjoying a Pepperidge Farm cookie (or two) this morning, I read the side of the package. I liked the writing so much that I wanted to share it with you. Here is what it said:
The Art of the Cookie
by Pepperidge Farm
Begin with a baker’s soul. Seek the finest ingredients. Explore nature’s infinite variety of flavors and textures - sweet, crunchy, rich…oh, and chocolate.
Entertain inspirations. Embrace decadent cravings. Reward yourself.
Open…Taste…Delight.
Thank you for letting us share our creations with you. Gratification guaranteed.

Notice how each sentence opens with a verb. These are not just any verbs, but ones which have been carefully selected by an talented writer. Begin, seek, explore, entertain, embrace, reward, open, taste, and delight are verbs which intrigue, invite, and ignite the reader.

In addition, beginning the sentence with a verb sets “you” as the subject of the sentence. That pulls in the reader and personalizes what he or she is reading. Involving the reader delivers the message effectively.

Most importantly, the verbs tell the reader what to do. They start by explaining how Pepperidge Farm creates these cookies, “Begin with a baker’s soul….” They continue by getting lost in the experience of enjoying one of these cookies, which are scrumptious. They end with a “Thank you.” After reading this, I felt that the writer was sitting at the table indulging in one of these cookies along with me.

This was written from the customer’s point of view.

Writing from the customer’s point of view is an effective way to connect with your customer. These words share that Pepperidge Farm is giving the customer what the customer wants. They show how Pepperidge Farm begins with the customer’s wants in mind, creates what the customer wants, and appreciates the customer’s business. They tell the customer what the customer gets when he or she savors one of these cookies and that this experience was deliberate. They communicate that the customer’s enjoyment was Pepperidge Farm’s goal.

Are you doing this with your communications? Are you sharing why and how you do what you do? Are you telling your customer that you understand your customer’s point of view?

Take a look at your communications with your customer. If you are not doing this, adjust so that you do.

Remember, using the customer’s point of view makes your communications powerful.

Caught Up in Creativity

2009-06-01T10:27:00.001-07:00

As I was driving to an appointment the other day, I passed a billboard which caught my eye. The prominent scene on the billboard was a photo of kids jumping off a rock into water. In large, capital letters “Vacationville” spread across the top. A small logo was tucked in the lower right corner.

“Whose logo is that?” I wondered as I peered back at the billboard, almost driving off the road in the process.

At the last second I thought that I discerned “Johnsonville” on the logo.

“Wow,” I exclaimed out loud. “Why do businesses do that? I can’t believe that a business of Johnsonville’s size would make that mistake.”

What was that mistake? The biggest mistake made on that billboard was making the logo too small. I am always amazed when businesses and advertising agencies add the name of the business onto a billboard, a print ad, a radio spot, or a television commercial in an insignificant manner. The name appears to be an afterthought. It is displayed too small in print, said only once in radio, or shown only at the end of the television commercial.

Isn’t the name of the business the principal reason for the advertising? Isn’t the purpose of most ads to prompt customers to buy from that business? How does minimizing the business’s name promote the business?

It doesn’t. When the business’s name is prominently featured, customers get the message easily. In fact, they get the most important part of the message easily: the business’s name. I recommend that in any print piece, whether billboard, magazine, or newspaper, the business’s name is as large as the headline. The headline and the business’s name together give the message of a print piece. If that’s all a reader sees, you have communicated what you wanted to say.

In radio or any audio communication, say the business’s name at least three times in thirty seconds. Repetition is critical. Merely saying the business’s name at the beginning and/or the end of the spot is not enough. The listener needs to hear the name during the spot, too, in order to absorb the business’s name.

Television commercials are the biggest abusers of minimizing the business’s name. Often, the name of the business is only at the end for three to five seconds. When the business is paying for thirty seconds, why not have the business’s name on the screen for the entire length of time? Why not tell the viewer at every point in the commercial who the commercial is promoting? Why not make a big deal about the business’s name?

Having worked in radio and TV and having created print ads, I can answer those questions. Just like the agency who designed the Johnsonville billboard, copywriters and graphic designers get caught up in creativity. They are so into writing something different and thereby getting the viewer’s, listener’s, or reader’s attention that they forget to promote the business’s name. Pay attention to the national commercials; they are often the most flagrant abusers. Many of the commercials show the name of the product for such a brief time that the viewer must pay very close attention to find it.

Do you think that happens? I don’t, either.

I once read that many writers at large advertising agencies are “wanna be film makers.” If you pay attention to their output, you will see this. I also know from first-hand experience, however, that business people frequently encourage this creativity. As a radio and TV sales rep I often heard a business person say “get me a commercial that is creative and different from my competition.” The business person did not know the unique selling proposition for his or her business and, therefore, could not communicate that information to the copywriter or designer. Instead, the business person hoped that the writer or designer could make the business stand out with creativity.

Creativity is not a substitute for substance. Customers want to know what’s in it for them to do business with your business. Tell them. When you do so, be sure to let them know in a big way who is telling them.

Establishing Value by Contact

2009-05-26T07:40:00.001-07:00

Last week I talked with a CPA who related an interesting experience that a current client of his who I will call Bob had had with another firm. The first time that Bob walked into that firm’s office, he was greeted by the receptionist. As she greeted him, she stepped out from behind the desk and offered to hang up his coat. Turning to doing so, she asked him if he would like a cup of coffee and offered him his choice of four flavors. Along with the cup of coffee she brought several magazines. “You may find an article in one of these magazines interesting to read while you are waiting,” she suggested.

He was not finished with an article that he did indeed find interesting when the person he had come to see was ready to meet. As he rose from his comfortable seat, the receptionist once again came over to him. “I noticed that you were engrossed in the article that you were reading,” she began, “but that you were not finished reading it. Would you like me to make you a copy of it that you can take with you?”

Taken aback at her offer, he murmured, “Yes, thank you. I would like that.”

What particularly surprised the CPA was Bob’s admission at the end of the story. “That firm was expensive,” Bob confessed, “but it was worth it.”

After hearing this story, the CPA had been so impressed by this handling of a customer that he had had his office staff set up their own unique version.

While Bob cited that the firm saved him money and helped him, what stuck in his mind about the firm was his initial encounter with the receptionist. Her actions were focused on him and what she could do for him. She made him feel special. She went the extra mile by offering to copy the article for him. She laid the groundwork for his perception of the firm and the price that he was willing to pay for their services.

She established value for the firm by her contact with the customer.

The impact of initial customer contact on securing a customer’s business, getting a price, and setting the tone for future customer interactions is often overlooked by businesses. Since marketing is any communication that you have with a customer, this initial communication is critical to the success of your marketing system.

As I write this, I am reminded of a question that I received from an attendee to a workshop that I gave at a bed and breakfast association gathering. “How do you handle price resistance over the telephone?” he queried. “Should I not give out a price?

“Whether you are encountering price resistance over the telephone or in person the reason that you are doing so is the same,” I answered. “In your initial contact, you are not providing information about your bed and breakfast before you give the price. Price alone tells a customer nothing. Customers want to know what they are receiving for that price. Always tell what the customer is receiving before you quote a price. Tell them about the experience that they will have at your bed and breakfast. Make them understand what’s in it for them to stay with you. Understanding what they receive gives them a basis to justify the price.”

That is just what the receptionist had done for her firm. She had justified in Bob’s mind that the price the firm charged for services rendered was worthwhile. His attitude had been formed by the receptionist’s actions because she had established the value of the firm during her initial contact with him.

What is your customer’s initial contact with your business? Does that contact make your customer feel special? Does that contact establish the value of your business?

Teaching Respect by Example

2009-05-09T06:57:00.000-07:00

One of the most shocking examples of bad customer service happened in Eau Claire last week when a Radio Shack employee punched a customer who was attempting to return an item. While I don’t know the circumstances, these actions on the part of the employee were not warranted. Many jokes have been made of the incident, but treating a customer in such an angry fashion is not funny. This is cause for grave concern.

About the same time as this incident I had the privilege of accompanying one of Monarch Tree Publishing’s authors, Nancy Bjornson, to Colfax Elementary School. Our reason for visiting the school was for Nancy to talk to the students about the first three books in her Jesse and Cash series. We were welcomed at the office by the secretary who shared, “The students are very excited about your visit.”

Her statement was the beginning of a day in which Nancy was made to feel very special.

As we walked down the hall to the classroom, Nancy remarked, “Isn’t that great? I am always amazed when students are excited to see me.”

They were. Their teachers had thoroughly prepared the students for Nancy’s visit. First, they had read the books to the students. While doing so, the fifth grade students had summarized each chapter and then compiled their summaries into booklets with hand-drawn pictures for covers. The fourth grade had drawn a picture of their favorite part of the book. At the end of her talk, the teachers asked Nancy if she would sign each booklet and picture. Nancy was very complimented and took the booklets and pictures with her to look them over carefully as she signed them.

Then the teachers did more. They went off campus to buy Nancy and me a delicious lunch. While we were enjoying the lunch, they handed Nancy a gift which was a beautiful plaque that said “Let joy bring a smile to your face and let your smile bring joy to others. Thank you for bringing joy to our school. Colfax students and teachers.” They thanked us profusely for our visit, and, after Nancy had arrived home, she received a delivery of an arrangement of cut flowers which the teachers had forgotten to give her at the school.

Through their actions, the teachers showed their gratitude for our visit and made Nancy feel special. They taught their students respect by their treatment of us. They led by example.

Contrast the teachers’ treatment with that of the Radio Shack employee. The difference is night and day, isn’t it? Having been a manager, I know that you cannot always control how an employee will act, but you can set the tone for how customers are treated. The teachers set the tone for our treatment. Likewise, owners and managers set the tone for customer treatment.

Just like students, employees follow the example of those in authority.

In the day-to-day operation of a business, we can get caught up in a flurry of activity and become irritated with customers because they interrupt other work, ask “stupid” questions, or make unreasonable requests. Often the irritation is not caused by the customer but rather a result of our having too much on our schedules. Customers sometimes are that interruption that comes at the wrong time. Expressing frustration over a customer to employees sets a tone of disrespect. How this tone will be used by employees is unknown. Perhaps they will be less tolerant of customers. Perhaps they will treat customers with less respect. Perhaps they will act toward customers in ways that are unacceptable.

The next time that you are tempted to speak poorly about a customer to an employee, remember how the teachers treated Nancy. Follow their lead and teach respect by example.

Just a Sample

2009-05-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

After finishing a late lunch at Culver’s the other day, a client and I were sitting and discussing business when one of the staff came up to our table holding a tray. On the tray were small paper cups with a spoonful of frozen custard inside each one.

“Would you like to try a sample of our maple nut custard?” the tray-holder asked. “It’s our flavor of the day.”

“Sure,” we replied in unison, and the tray-holder promptly placed a small cup and spoon in front of each of us.

As we savored the frozen custard, I offered, “This is delicious.”

“I agree,” my client replied. “I think that I will have a dish. Would you like one, too?”

“I would. Thank you.”

While he went to get a dish for each of us, I mulled over what had just transpired. The management at Culver’s had taken the opportunity to increase the amount of money that customers already in the restaurant spent by offering a sample of frozen custard. This was an excellent example of one of the three ways to grow your business, which is to increase the amount that a customer spends each time the customer does business with you. By offering the sample of frozen custard, Culver’s had directly tickled our taste buds, thereby prompting us to buy more. Culver’s had increased the amount that we spent that visit, and we had enjoyed the frozen custard.

As I reflected on this, my mind skipped back to another recent example that I had experienced of sampling. I had received a sample of Grammy’s Pot Pie flavored dog food in a shipment of dog treats. After I dropped a handful of the Pot Pie into a dish, my border collie had dashed to the dish and growlingly had driven my shepherd away. You see, my German shepherd readily eats almost any food, but my border collie mix is a very picky eater. Therefore, I was amazed.

“Wow, she likes Grammy’s Pot Pie,” I commented.

Thinking her reaction may have been a one-time event, I offered her some Grammy’s Pot Pie kibbles at her next feeding. She hungrily devoured them.

At that point, I went to the company’s Web site and decided which size bag to order.

By inserting a sample into the shipment, the company increased how much I spent with them on my next purchase. Just like Culver’s, the company grew its business by increasing how much a customer spent on the next purchase by offering a sample.

Sampling is an effective marketing technique to employ but one many of us forget to use. Offering a sample is an easy, noncommittal way to get a customer to try a product or a service. Every business has ways to offer a sample. Even if you sell a big-ticket item, you can sample doing business with you by offering a customer advice or information on how the product can be used to the client’s benefit. That is a sample.

Do you offer samples to increase your customer’s purchase? What samples can you offer? How can you add them into your marketing plan to increase your customer’s purchase?

Remember, just a sample leads to an easy sale.

Wasted Words

2009-04-19T22:13:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night in his headlines segment, Jay Leno read a curious headline. "Dining Out? Try Somewhere Else. Johnson Family Restaurant."

I have no idea if this was good advice from those who know or if it was an attempt to catch attention. Either way, these were wasted words.

They reminded me of a billboard that I had seen a couple of months ago which read, "It swallowed a luxury vehicle." The billboard was for a 4 x 4 truck. I don't remember which brand because I immediately focused on the words. The imagery of a truck swallowing a luxury vehicle did not seem to have a purpose.

"Do truck owners want to drive a luxury vehicle?" I pondered. "I'm sure that the idea of a truck having the ability to swallow a luxury vehicle appeals to truck owners' perception of the truck's toughness, but I don't think that is the purpose of the statement."

In addition, beginning a statement with the word "it" was a very weak opening. Since "it" is a pronoun referring to a noun, the reader of this billboard was forced to decide what was "it." That decision took the reader's attention away from the message. I suspect that the reader's attention never returned. Consequently, the message was not received, all because of "it."

"It" was a wasted word.

What are wasted words? Words that do not clearly communicate your message are wasted. The Johnson Family Restaurant wasted words telling consumers not to come. A headline giving consumers a mouth-watering reason to dine at Johnson Family Restaurant would have been much more profitable. Those words would not have been wasted.

Like "it," some words are wasted because they are unclear. Other words are wasted because they have become abused through overuse. They have been used in meaningless ways by so many that these words no longer communicate a clear message. In fact, they may communicate no message at all. A few examples of abused words include: quality, selection, value, biggest, and best. Consumers have heard these words shouted at them with such frequency that they "tune out" these words.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," a consumer might react. "You have the biggest, the best quality, selection, and, of course, value. I've heard that before, many times. I know what these words mean to me. What do you mean by using them?"

Rather than repeating the words that others overuse, choose words that specifically tell your business's story. What makes you think that your business offers quality? What do you mean by value? How is what you offer the biggest or the best?

Answering these questions and then giving your answers to consumers employs your words profitably. We live in a time when consumers want information. Give them what they want. In doing so, communicate specifics. Don't grab words that communicate nothing or a vague generality. Tell consumers exactly what you want to say and what they want to hear.

This will require thinking on your part. To encourage you to think through your words, consider that each word you use costs $100. How many $100 bills do you want to waste?

A Question of Objectives

2009-04-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

This morning I stopped by the Girl Scout regional office to buy some cookies. Since I hadn’t been approached by any troop member this season, I had not had the opportunity to purchase cookies. I hadn’t been concerned about missing out on the cookies, however, because the past few years when I had wanted more cookies I had stopped by the regional office and had bought cookies there. I usually had stopped to buy lemon cookies, my favorite because their flavor is so intense.

After watching a recent story on Girl Scout cookie sales, I thought about those lemon cookies. My thoughts tickled my taste buds, and, today, when I was in vicinity of the Girl Scout office, I seized the chance to satisfy my craving and buy some cookies. As I entered the reception area where they have their store, my eyes scanned the room for boxes of cookies. I saw no cookies where they were displayed last year nor any where they were displayed the year before. Scouring the entire room with my eyes, I thought, “Where are the cookies?”

Desperate, I approached the receptionist and asked, “Where are the cookies?”

“We’re not selling them this year,” she replied. “The decision was made to credit the troops with the sale so the cookies are only being sold at the cookie booths around town. The nearest one is at the local grocery store, and the booth is open from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.”

“Oh,” I returned. “Thank you.”

As I walked out the door, I realized that I probably won’t get those lemon cookies this year because being at that store during those hours on a Saturday will take an exceptional effort on my part and is unlikely to happen. Mulling this incident over further, I was struck by what I had just experienced.

I encountered the result of objectives.

The Girl Scout’s objective was to “credit the troops with the sale.” Their objective was not to sell more cookies. Their objective was not to maximize cookie sales. Their objective was not to make it easy for the customer to buy cookies. No, their objective was to “credit the troops with the sale.”

With that objective in mind, the troops set up cookie booths at a time convenient to them in a location convenient to them. At that time and in that place they will get credit for every box of cookies that they sell. With certainty, they will achieve their objective.

When I talk to business people about setting objectives, I emphasize how important objectives are in achieving results. At times I get the impression that objectives are viewed as busywork, something that does not matter. This incident at the Girl Scout office proves otherwise. What you set out to achieve will determine your result.

While I am appalled that an objective would not include selling more cookies and maximizing cookie sales, this experience has reminded me that more sales are not everyone’s objective. My purpose in sharing this incident with you is not to judge whether the Girl Scouts’ objective was correct or not. My purpose is to point out that what you set out to do will determine what you accomplish. It will affect how you run your business. It will mold how you develop your customers. Objectives are very important.

What are your objectives? Are they in writing? Do you review them often?

Judging a Business

2009-04-11T06:59:00.000-07:00

"You can always tell how a business is run," my former boss was fond of saying, "by its restrooms. If they are clean, the business is well-run. If not, the business does not pay attention to what is important to the customer."

His wisdom came to mind the other day when I entered an impeccably-kept restroom. This room had been well-designed with windows just below the ceiling that allowed lots of natural light. Beyond clean, the room was beautifully painted in bright, attractive, organic colors. It was inviting to enter.

The next day, I entered another restroom that was very well-kept. In contrast to the earlier restroom which was in a new building, this restroom was in a very old building. That fact, however, did not prevent the business owner from presenting an attractive room. The room had warm lighting, featured a large, beautiful painting, and an overall appealing decor. Although the business, which was a restaurant, was not in a large space, the restroom was spacious, with plenty of area in which to move around.

A couple of days ago, the owner of a doggie day care which just expanded gave me a tour of the new facility and pointed out the effort that she had put into the restrooms painted in fun colors and graced with appropriate dog-world titles on the door fronts. "Are these too much?" she wondered.

"No, they are fun and fittingly-named," I encouraged.

Beyond Cleanliness All three of these businesses paid attention to their customers by establishing and maintaining impeccably clean restrooms. In addition, they both went beyond clean by offering attractive rooms which reflected the personality of the business. The doggie day care created a fun atmosphere which is what it offers dogs; the restaurant displayed art which tied into its theme; and the first business established a natural, organic feel which reflected its focus. These restrooms marketed these businesses to their customers. Their design communicated each business's unique selling proposition.

Every communication with customers markets your business. The condition of restrooms speaks volumes to your customers and has a direct bearing on their current and future transactions with your business. Customers judge your business by many factors, one of which is your business's facility. The design of your business's restrooms communicates or markets to your customer how much you pay attention to detail and how much you care about their comfort.

Take a fresh look at your restrooms. How can they look more than clean? How can they better reflect your business's personality? How can they market to your customer?

The People Difference

2009-03-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

While corporate excess, greed, and mismanagement are exposed on a daily basis, last night I saw a news piece on NBC called Making a Difference which showed the difference between some large corporations and many small businesses. The piece featured Joe Works, owner of B& W Trailer Hitches from Humboldt, Kansas. Although business had slowed, he didn’t feel right laying off his employees, many of whom had become friends. Instead, he kept them on the payroll and sent them out into the community to fix what needed fixing: a baseball diamond, children’s playground, a church, and more.

Joe hasn’t forgotten his roots. He and his partner started the business in a garage in 1987. His partner, Roger Baker, had been having difficulty in his classic car restoring business, and Joe had been having trouble keeping the family farm. They joined forces, initially, to make the best truck bed. They accomplished that goal, producing a durable bed that looked good. As their reputation spread, they branched out into headache racks, tool boxes, matched paint, and pin striping.

Then they designed a hitch which revolutionized the gooseneck hitch industry. At that time, the best way to get rid of a hitch when it was not in use was to install it on a large plate that folded down. The installation required cutting a hole in the truck bed. Joe and Roger addressed this problem and designed a ball hitch which could be pulled out, turned over, and stowed underneath the truck bed when not in use. They called this new hitch the turnover ball. Today, every manufacturer of gooseneck hitches uses a variation of Joe and Roger’s ball and storage system.

Joe and Roger designed a better truck bed, a better hitch, and a better business.

In 2006, B & W was chosen one of America’s top ten machine shops. The award was based on safety, quality, productivity, on-time delivery, employee training, employee retention, and continuous improvement. Joe’s commitment to these factors has not wavered. With slow sales, his focus is still on his employees. He views them as human beings, friends, and neighbors. He also sees them as an important part of B & W’s operation.

Therein lies a substantial difference between many small businesses and many large corporations. Most small business owners care about their employees. They see their employees as individuals. They understand how much their employees contribute to the operation of the business.

Many corporate managers view employees as only people occupying positions. They see their employees as nameless, faceless, meaningless parts of the organization which may be changed or discarded at will with no consequence to the business. They don’t care about the individual. They don’t understand how the individual makes or breaks a business.

That is one of the reasons why many large corporations are in trouble right now.

Valuing employees’ contributions to the business and respecting them as individuals contribute to the health of the operation. These are reflections of management’s attitude toward customers, too. Customers are handled with the same respect, or lack thereof, as are the employees. Management sets a culture as to how people are treated, and that culture permeates the entire organization. Whether it pertains to an employee or a customer, how a business treats people makes the difference in its success or failure.

How does your business treat people?

Consistency and Frequency Matter

2009-02-20T05:50:00.000-08:00

I was inputting new e-mails into my Insight list recently and was reminded how many business people do not have e-mails at their Web sites. If you are one of these people, I hope that this Insight will give you a reason to change your e-mail. If you do, please let me know. I want to keep sending you Insights.

Why does having your e-mail at your Web site matter?

In marketing, which is communicating with your customer, you are smart to take every opportunity to tell your story. You want to reinforce your message frequently. An important part of your message is your business's name. Your customer finds you, remembers you, and refers you by your business's name. Therefore, you want to repeat your business's name at every opportunity so that your customer has easy reference to it.

If you are marketing smart, your business Web site domain name is your business's name. Allow no shortcuts. Make your domain name your complete business name. Then, every time you give out your Web site, you are giving your business's name. If your e-mail is at your Web site, every time you give out your e-mail, your are giving out your business's name, too.

You are also giving out your Web site address. In so doing, you are making it easy to know your Web site address. When your e-mail is at your Web site, every time that you give out your e-mail, your are subtly promoting your Web site.

Think about it.

How many times do you give out your e-mail address? How many times does someone use your e-mail address? How much reinforcement of your Web site would you receive if every time someone e-mailed you they saw or typed your Web site? How easy would you make it for them to go to your Web site and learn more about your business?

E-mail has become the preferred business communication method. This presents a marketing opportunity similar to that presented with snail mail. When someone sends you a envelope via snail mail, that person writes out your business name and address, right? Every time your business name is written, that name is reinforced to the person writing. If you have your e-mail at someplace other than your Web site, every time your e-mail is written, you are reinforcing some other business. That is akin to having your snail mail sent to another business's address. Why would you want to promote Yahoo or Hotmail or some other business?

You don't. You want to promote your business.

In marketing your business, consistency and frequency matter. They solidify your business in your customer's mind. They promote and encourage your customer to do business with you more often. They remind your customer that your business exists. Having your e-mail at your Web site offers both. That is a little thing that makes a big difference in marketing your business. If you don't have your e-mail address at your Web site, change it. Do so today.

A "Super" Opportunity Missed

2009-02-03T14:29:00.000-08:00

During the past few days we have witnessed the one time each year that press and advertising meld. The topic which brings these two normally opposing teams together is the commercials aired during the Super Bowl. To many in marketing, including me, the action of press and advertising joining forces is amazing. However, this has become a cultural phenomenon. The "Super Bowl commercial watch" is as big as the game. To some, the commercials are more important than the game.

What's up with that?

When I sold television advertising, clients often commented to me about the cost of the Super Bowl commercials, which this year was three million for thirty seconds. Unable to grasp paying that much for that little a time, these clients were shocked. They thought that the dollar outlay was foolish. They couldn't believe that a business could reap enough from the ad to make spending three million worthwhile. "Why would someone do that?" they asked.

I replied, "Because they get more than the normal thirty seconds."

First of all, they get thirty seconds to sell to the largest audience of the year. Although some viewers may be taking a break during commercials, with that large an audience you have a good chance to reach more people than at any other time.

Second, before the game the press anticipates the commercials and gives them lots of buildup. Last Friday the Today Show had a significant segment previewing the commercials with two experts commenting on them. "In general," one noted, "this year's commercials are more pragmatic. Many are promoting Web sites, such as monster.com and carrerbuilder.com. Denny's has a surprise, which we cannot disclose, and Pedigree takes a different tack on adopting a dog by never showing one in the commercial."

Although they cannot show more than five seconds of any commercial in their sneak peeks, the attention drawn to the commercials by the news segments feeds the viewers’ desire to see them. No other commercials get this buildup. The buildup permeates all media: online, radio, and print. The commercials may air on one network, but all media cover them.

Third, after the game the talk about these commercials continues. Viewers are able to vote online for their favorite. Coworkers debate which one they liked best. The press spends much of Monday reviewing and discussing the fans' favorites, the critics' favorites, and the anchors' favorites. In fact, once a commercial has aired on the Super Bowl, it has the potential to be forever a part of the media's Super Bowl coverage. A television show, The Greatest Super Bowl Commercials, aired for one hour last Friday. This gives a company with a good commercial an opportunity to get that commercial aired again and again and again several times every year around the Super Bowl for no additional dollar outlay.

Think about it. Can you think of any other commercial which receives this amount of attention from all the press and all the country for that amount of time?

In light of this attention, why don't local businesses prepare special commercials for the Super Bowl and get local press coverage about their commercials? The "Super" opportunity is certainly there. Local press would love to pick up a story about a local business which took the extra effort to prepare a "Super Bowl" caliber commercial.

This doesn't happen because local businesses do not know how to use publicity, much to their detriment. Although this is the only "Super" opportunity, local businesses have many other press opportunities that they miss, too.

Which of them have you missed?

Marketing Differently

2009-01-23T10:23:00.000-08:00

I just read an article which began with this statement: "For years, retailers could afford to be sloppy about running their businesses because customers kept buying. No more." The article continued by noting how customers curtailed spending this past holiday season by the largest amount in 39 years. January spending appears to be down also, which is no surprise.

A few weeks ago I heard a report which stated that mall shopping was down 24% during the holidays. In that same report a shopper commented that "it doesn't matter how much they drop the price, if I don't need something, I'm not buying it."

What all this means to your business, whether you are a retailer or not, is that consumers are in such financial pain that they have pulled back from spending. The days of easy credit and seeming job security are no longer. Fear of having enough to pay their bills, stay in their homes, or just survive is running rampant through the consumers of this country. Realistically, this fear is not going away for a while.

Whether their jobs are threatened or not, consumers perceive that they are in financial peril. Perception is reality. Reality is the world in which business functions. Consequently, we as business people must deal with consumers' perception.

How do we do that?

We run our businesses differently. We run them tighter. We take the actions that make our businesses more profitable.

These actions include marketing differently. Gone are the days when running a sale to stimulate business will have the impact of the past. Today's consumer is not buying something unless that item is needed, as the shopper noted earlier. We must replace giving away items with selling consumers on what's in it for them to do business with us. We must get close to our customers. We must make sure that our customers are satisfied.

While all this may appear difficult and costly, actually it is not. As you market differently and tighten how you run your business, you will discover great efficiencies of scale. You will find that you can sell more to fewer customers and do so more profitably. You will save money by not marking down items and save time dickering on price. You will spend less on advertising and, yet, have profitable marketing.

I understand that consumers feeling fear, the news media proclaiming the business closing of the day, and your business's revenues being down do not appear to be positive. However, the bright spot in this atmosphere of fear is that you have an opportunity to change your business to run more profitably for today and for the future.

Take action now to make that happen

Whom Do You Control?

2009-01-15T21:14:00.000-08:00

The other day a sharp businessman who reads these weekly Insights showed me a quote and asked, "Did you give this to me?"

After reading the quote, I was complimented that he had attributed the quote as coming through me, but I replied, "No, I did not. This is wonderful, though."

"I have been reading this everyday," he explained, "to remind myself of what it says."

His explanation reminded me of Napoleon Hill's conclusions from his twenty-five years of research interviewing corporate giants such as J. P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, and J. D. Rockefeller. One of Napoleon's discoveries of the secret to success was to read goals aloud twice everyday. The businessman who handed me this quote was doing precisely that.

He read: "You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.

You cannot control the world. You cannot control people. You cannot control your environment.

But you can control how you react and respond to them all. You get to say how you feel. You get to say how you think. You get to say what you do.

Only you."

As I read this quote, I thought of you. I thought that you would like to know this quote. You may find it as helpful as the businessman who gave it to me. You may want to copy it and place it where you can read it daily.

I will.

I want to read it daily to remind myself that there is a great deal that I cannot control, including the weather, the economy, interest rates, and the actions of others. Some days I get "caught up" in the frustration that I feel as a result of uncontrollable things or people. I direct my focus toward them. Once I start doing this, I seem to continue doing it all too easily.

In reality, I can change my focus.

I can decide how I react and respond to happenings in my business and personal life. I don't have to feel a certain way just because others think that I should. I can feel the way that I want to feel. I can also take the actions that I want to take.

In other words, I can control myself. As Robert Kiyosaki says, "Mind your own business."

At this time of year when we are looking forward to what we want to accomplish, I recommend that you set goals which are within your control. Don't pin your hopes on anything or anyone outside of your control. Focus on what is within your control.

As the quote states, that is "only you."

Point It Out

2009-01-08T06:42:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago I received a used book that I had ordered from a seller on Amazon. On the enclosed packing slip, I noticed that the shipping service of standard had been crossed out and a notation of “free upgrade to first class” had been handwritten in large, easily-read script. Below that, next to the book’s title was written “Thank you.”

Glancing at the outside of the package, I checked out the price of the mailing. Since I regularly mail books, I know how much one book of this size costs to mail via media mail, which was the “standard” shipping to which the packing slip referred. The price on the front of the package was the same as the price of sending this book via media mail. In other words, the seller did not spend any more to send me the book. As the handwritten notation said, the seller gave me a free upgrade. This was free to me and also free to the seller.

What this told me is that the seller was looking out for my best interests. By upgrading to first class, the book moved through the system more quickly and arrived to me sooner. The seller took the time to compare the classes by which the book could be sent, and, since the cost was the same, the seller opted for the quicker class, which was a benefit to me. Although not required and certainly not asked by me to do so, the seller looked out for me, his customer.

Then, he pointed it out to me.

By handwriting the “free upgrade to first class” on the packing slip, the seller took an important step. He deliberately told me what he had done. While the average customer would not have the knowledge to analyze his actions as I just did, the communication of a “free upgrade” would be appreciated by any customer. Taking the time to tell me of this action was a very wise move on the seller’s part. This communication made me more inclined to offer positive feedback on the seller, something every seller loves to receive, but, due to the busyness of most buyers, is difficult to achieve.

In addition, the form in which the seller offered the communication, handwriting, is important. Handwritten notations are noticed simply because they are handwritten. Since most communications today are typed, a handwritten note stands out. Handwriting is also very personal. Handwriting gets attention because the recipent feels specially addressed. That is why direct mail experts advise hand addressing envelopes; their potential of being opened is greatly increased.

Doing the handwriting and deciding to upgrade to first class took time. While I realize that in the daily crush of doing business this time can be a struggle to find, successful business people find that time. They set up a system of dealing with customers which looks out for each customer’s best interest and communicates that action to the customer. Most businesses look out for the customer’s best interest. However, many neglect giving themselves credit for their actions so that customers notice.

How about you? Are you telling your customers how you looked out for their best interests? If you aren’t, who will? Don’t think that your customer will figure this out. Your customer will not take the time. You must do it.

To get credit for your actions on your customer’s behalf, you must point it out to your customer.

Marketing…the Ouija Board of Business

2008-12-29T22:39:00.000-08:00

When times get tough and more revenue is urgently needed, business owners and managers reach for marketing. They open up the closet door, grab the Ouija Board of business, marketing, and seek answers. Similar to laying their hands on the Ouija Board cursor and asking a question, they call in the marketing department or contact a marketing expert and ask, “What marketing can we do to get more sales immediately?” This initial question is followed closely by two more, “How much should we spend?” and “When can we expect results?”

These same executives would never dream of delaying their accounting until a tough time when they desperately had to know how much money was available to them. They would not ignore making a deposit of revenue until they might need it. No, they give accounting and recording of revenues daily attention.

Which begs the question, “Why not give marketing daily attention?” After all, it is the sole function of business which generates revenue.

Why do business owners and managers often avoid marketing until pushed by circumstances?

Mostly, they don’t understand marketing and its revenue-generating function. Even though the SBA cites “a lack of effective marketing” right along with a undercapitalization as the major reason for business failure, most business people would give undercapitalization attention long before they would give marketing attention. That’s because they feel comfortable discussing capitalization. In reality, they might not be any more well-versed in capitalization than in marketing. However, capitalization seems concrete while marketing seems elusive. Discussing numbers is easy; figuring out how to achieve those numbers is difficult. They’ve thrown money at marketing and haven’t seen any results, or, at least, not the results they wanted, whatever those were.

Their frustration with marketing has lead them to put marketing in a category with other concepts whose understanding evades them, such as insurance. They rely on the insurance salesperson to get them the insurance that they need, and, likewise, they rely on the advertising salesperson to get them the marketing that they need. Unfortunately for them, marketing and insurance are not even remotely similar concepts and, therefore, are not wise to treat in the same manner. Insurance is a protection against loss while marketing generates revenue. Insurance may be purchased and reviewed annually. Marketing requires your direction and involvement on a daily basis. To pigeonhole both as something others can do for your business is a major mistake.

This is a mistake which is made every day by many business people. Executives find marketing easy to ignore, preferring to attend to those tasks which they find comfortable. This inattention to marketing on a daily basis loses businesses revenue every day, but, unfortunately, executives do not see what they are missing. Only when times get tough do they feel the necessity for marketing and acknowledge marketing‘s revenue-generating function. When revenues are down, executives turn to marketing to fix the problem and do so quickly.

That’s too late.

Marketing is not a Ouija Board or a magic wand that can be sought suddenly to fix sagging revenues. Marketing is a process. To run a business profitably, marketing must be given attention daily. Just like accounting, marketing must be set up and worked as a system. We are about to start a new year. With a challenging economy, there is no time like the present to fix your marketing now, whatever your revenues, and give daily attention to your business’s marketing.

Start with a written marketing plan.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T07:42:00.000-08:00

At this time of year that overflows with expectation and excitement, I was challenged to write a revised Christmas Eve plan for Santa to help him cope with these economic times. As a Christmas present to you, I have this available for you to read at your leisure. Go here and enjoy!

Happy Holidays to you and your family!

It's That Time of Year

2008-12-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

"The only thing that will make women take their clothes off this Christmas."

This opening to a PajamaGram TV ad caught my attention. Beyond being a fantastic promise, the statement is very intriguing, especially to men. That is a good thing because men are its target audience. It's that time of year when men buy their Christmas presents.

I know this firsthand from working in retail. Our store was a couple of doors down from a bar which was a popular after-work hangout. Every year, each day closer to Christmas brought more guys staggering directly from the bar into our store to buy their wives or girlfriends a nice gift for Christmas. These guys were fun to work with not because they were drunk and not because they were desperate but because when I had finished helping them I always felt that I had really helped someone. I had made it a Merry Christmas for him and his wife or girlfriend.

I could always tell when one of these guys was approaching. He walked hesitantly toward the women's clothing department, acting like he would get burned by being there. Hovering around the outer parimeter, he would call me over. "She's about your size," was a usual comment. Sometimes he would say that she was slightly shorter or taller, smaller or bigger. Never ever did one of them refer to her being heavier or lighter. These guys knew not to go into that minefield.

When we had found a gift that he thought might work, he would timidly ask, "Could you wrap that for me, too?"

I learned how to wrap different gifts of different sizes very, very well. As he accepted the wrapped package, he spilled thank you after thank you. Sometimes he passed me a tip. I have never experienced this depth of gratitude at any other time in my life.

That is why PajamaGram.com, many jewelers, and other companies targeting men who want gifts for their wives or girlfriends are advertising heavily now. Now is the time that many men buy their wives and girlfriends a present. These guys procrastinate on this task until the last minute, and good marketers such as PajamaGram know it. PajamaGram also knows that these guys do not want to shop. Consequently, PajamaGram is making it easy for them to get what they want. They want a sexy gift that they can easily select and don't have to wrap. They can order PajamaGram online without leaving home, and the gift arrives overnight. These guys don't have to take much time with this purchase. They can handle it during halftime of a football game.

That is where I saw the PajamaGram commercial.

PajamaGram placed its commercial at the right time and in the right place directed toward the right target market. When you know your target market and its habits, being right is easy. Remember this when you target your market. First, find out what your customers want. Next, find out how they want to buy. Then, time your message so that you talk to them when they are ready to buy.

By following these three steps, just like PajamaGram, you will reach your customer at that time of year which is important to them.

What's in It for Us?

2008-12-16T21:49:00.000-08:00

In the aftermath of Paul Newman's passing, a survey found that 86% of respondents would switch brands if a competing brand supported a good cause. How does this survey relate to Paul? In his later years, Paul became known for more than his acting. He and his daughter developed Newman's Own, a line of natural food products. All the profits from Newman's Own go to charities. At this point in time, that is a staggering $250 million since 1982. Paul Newman was willing to forgo profits from his company and give them to others who needed them more.

Along Paul's line of thinking, yesterday I heard that 64% of those in another survey said that they would take a 5% pay cut if it meant that others in their company would be able to keep their jobs. That figure amazed the talking heads who were delivering it. They were very surprised that workers in a company would be willing to sacrifice for their fellow workers.

In this season of sharing, these surveys indicate that, as a people, we seem to be more concerned about others than in recent years. Whether we show that concern through our purchases or in the workplace, there appears to be a shift in our attitudes toward "What's in it for us?" rather than just "What's in it for me?" While I think that we will always be concerned first about ourselves, these surveys indicate an expansion to a concern for those around us, too.

How does that affect your business?

First of all, if you have an inclination to tie your business to a good cause, more than ever your efforts will be noticed by consumers. More importantly to your business, consumers indicate a high likelihood of responding to your efforts by doing more business with you. In other words, good deeds will get rewarded in the marketplace.

Second, through these good deeds your business can give to those who desperately need the assistance, especially during a time when contributions have fallen due to the economy. Food pantries' stores are pitifully low. Charities that distribute warm winter clothing are pleading for help. Humane associations are bulging at the seams with surrendered pets that people cannot afford to keep. While supplies for all these charities has decreased, demand has increased. Your business can take a leadership role in adding to their coffers.

Your business can be a good citizen to your community.

As you focus on your business every day, remember that whatever product, service, or information your business offers, your most important function is serving the customer. In a broad sense, your community is your customer. Thus, serving your community is ultimately serving your customer.

That's "What's in it for All of Us."

Yes, Consumers Do Want More

2008-12-04T12:23:00.000-08:00

In anticipation of "Black Friday," last week there was a great deal of talk about retail sales. As a consequence of daily doses of dire economic commentary, consumers were curtailing spending. Bluntly put, they were worried about their incomes, their mortgages, and their financial stability.

One story on this subject that I watched reported retailers were "doing their best to lure customers into their stores with deep discounts." However, that promotional technique did not work in October. No matter how deep or ridiculous the discount, consumers were not prompted to purchase.

As a result, the story continued, some retail outlets were turning to other methods. A mall manager commented that they were focusing on "creating a festive environment and an enjoyable experience for shoppers." That mall was tapping into the spirit of the season and giving consumers a reason beyond price to shop there.

Another story about a couple of local businesses supported that approach. Owners from both of these businesses said that "personal attention worked very well." One noted that their store carried "one-of-a-kind pieces which made a more unique gift." The other stated that their customers kept coming back, and, because of that, the store's sales were even with last year. "If we can stay even with last year in this economy, we'll be fine," the owner said.

For years, the chain stores have based their sales on price and promoting the price of items. They have grown their revenues by opening new stores. They have masked the financial health of their businesses with this growth. They have not paid attention to developing their customers. They have not paid attention to what their customers want.

Customers want more than a cheaper price. Customers decide to buy a product, a service, or information because of what it will do for them, not because of its price. Once they have become interested in a product, service, or information, they may be lured into a store by a price. However, after making that purchase, they have no reason to return to the store unless the store offers another cheap price on something the customer decides to buy. This requires the store to get into a vicious cycle of offering the "cheapest" prices on the "hottest" items.

The underlying problem for these stores which base their sales on price is where they enter the picture in the customer's buying cycle. They are entering after the customer has decided to buy and before the customer has made the purchase, which is a very narrow window of time. This narrow window requires them to advertise special pricing heavily, especially during known buying times such as Christmas. If they stayed close to their customers as the two local businesses noted above did, they would be in the picture earlier in the decision, allowing them to sell the customer earlier in the cycle and make more profit doing so.

Yes, consumers do want more than the cheapest price. They want to be developed as customers and given personal attention. Are you doing this with your customers?

Using Your Marketing Tools Wisely

2008-11-24T10:10:00.000-08:00

Watching an expert who advises restaurants on how to profitably set up their menus prompted me to think of passing this information on to you. In the report, he shares six tips.

First, he points out a menu that merely lists the offerings. After each offering a series of dots leads the eye over to the price. "This is a huge mistake," he says. "A listing of this nature makes it very easy for the customer to glance down the list of prices and select the cheapest offering."

Second, he notes that dollar signs next to the prices are not wise. "When you eliminate the dollar signs," he advises, "the menu presentation becomes much softer and easier to read." This gives a menu more appeal and readability.

Third, he recommends a mouth-watering description by each offering. The description informs the customer about the offering and entices the customer to order it. As a customer, I sometimes feel quite frustrated that an offering is not described. If I am interested in the offering, I am forced to ask the wait staff for a description. That person's description may or may not be accurate, to say nothing of appealing.

Fourth, he tucks the price at the end of the description. This puts the emphasis on the offering, or what the customer is buying, first and the price second, which is profitable marketing. Contrary to what most business people seem to think, customers do not think of price first. They think first of what they want and if this offering satisfies that want.

Fifth, he adds an offering to the menu that is destined not to sell because of its ridiculous price. For example, an asparagus omelet for twenty dollars seems pricey until it is placed next to a freshly prepared, live lobster bisque for one thousand dollars. Comparatively speaking, next to the lobster bisque, the asparagus omelet seems quite inexpensive, right?

Sixth, he places the most profitable offerings on the upper right hand pages of the menu. As we read, our eyes naturally focus first on the upper right hand side of the page. Because we look there first, that placement has the best opportunity to get and hold our attention. Thus, placing the most profitable offerings there will get the most attention. More attention likely leads to more sales. In this case, that leads to more profitability.

After describing these six points, the reporter replies that these are "tricks" which get the customer to buy. "These are not tricks," the expert corrects. "These are tools to more profitability. These tools encourage the customer to buy certain offerings, but the customer still has the final choice in the matter."

I agree. Using marketing tools to present your offerings in the most appealing fashion and to sell your profitable offerings is wise. Presentation does make a difference. Any chef knows that the attractiveness of the dish contributes to the customer's perception of it. Similarly, the menu presentation makes a difference in the customer's decision of what to buy.

In fact, any materials that you present to your customer affect the buying decision. Whether you operate a restaurant or not, tips from this expert can be applied to any presentation. Go back and review these tips. Then, look at your presentations to your customers. How can you use these tips to make your presentations more appealing?

How can you sell more of your profitable offerings through improved presentations?