Marketing Done Modern

If You Think You're High and Mighty, Get Your Head Out of the Clouds

If you have been following the news recently, you will have read about how the Big 3 automakers are asking for a multi-billion dollar bailout.  One of the things that stood out in my mind was some members of Congress noted that the CEOs came begging for money on private jets.  This was interesting for several reasons.

1.) How much money do they need if they can afford a fleet of private planes?
2.) Why couldn't they fly first class on a commercial airline?
3.) Did they think that no one would notice?

The first two were mentioned a significant amount when the bailout was initially at the forefront.  But one thing that I paid particular attention to was the third.  Did they really think they could come asking for billions of dollars on private jets and have no one mention it?  It does seem a bit hypocritical.  I understand that a CEO of a giant company such as Ford or GM has a different role than a small business owner.  They may feel like they are above other people and they can take these fancy jets, but it did come back to bite them.  And you can tell me over and over it's for safety reasons, but until they went asking, I had no idea what these guys looked like or even cared.  As one congressman said, couldn't they have jet-pooled?  However, there are some things you should do to show that you actually "get it."

There is a small restaurant near my boyfriend's house that we like to go to called Francesco's Restorante Italiano.  He thinks the food is amazing and while I do agree with that, there is more to this place that makes me go back.  It's a small, family-owned restaurant.  The food, I will admit, is some of he best Italian that I've had since my Italian grandmother was alive.  Everything is cooked to order and you can change whatever you want.  Plus, the ingredients are fresh, the bread is homemade, and the cannoli is out of this world!  But the service and the atmosphere are really what stand out to me.  Both times that I've been, I have learned and remembered the names of my servers, and they've asked for our names.  Both times, they have personally recommended one of the specials (and let me tell you, they've always been right).  But here's what makes this place different to me.  Everyone does what is necessary.  This past Saturday I watched the owner do many different jobs.  Not only is he the chef, but he seated people when he wasn't cooking, he told them the specials, and even recommended a wine.  Now, there are other servers there, but since it was slow, the owner took it upon himself.  And I respect that.  To me, it means that he is willing to do jobs other than cooking.  He's invested in his business and he's doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done.  I may not be a great connoisseur of food, but I know dedication when I see it.

Happy Marketing!!!

  

Your Employees Are Your Biggest Asset

"Stereotypical."  "Cliche."  "Nothing new."  I bet that's what you're saying to yourself right now.  But it's true.  Whether your employees are the people who do all of the work or are who is interacting with the customer, they are your most valuable resource.  Especially in small businesses.  Look at restaurants.  Nobody wants to have a waiter or waitress that is rude, snippy, and doesn't care about the customer.  I feel that at times, employees are not hired for their personality or skills, but because the job needs to be filled and they have some experience.  And I'm not talking about companies that need highly skilled workers like statisticians because sometimes that can't be helped.  But you need employees that work well together and work well with the customer.  Plus, they need to be treated well.  You treat a good employee poorly, you're not going to have a good employee anymore.  They may quit, their attitude might, a lot of things could change the person you once hired.  Once again, it's story time.

In the town next to my hometown, there's a restaurant called Sophia's House of Pancakes.  My parents love going here.  So does half of my town.  And I'll admit, they have delicious food.  But one thing that keeps us going back is their service.  The gentleman who owns it mans the cash register, the waiters and waitress are super friendly, and you know that you're getting a great price for a great meal.  This place is no different than the other million pancake places, except that business is always booming.  Always.  I don't think I've ever been there where there hasn't been a parking lot full of cars. 

I digress.  Not only is the service great, but the waiters and waitresses remember their regulars.  There is one in particular that my parents always hope they get when they go there because she is super friendly and nice.  This isn't just a place for people to eat anymore, it's a place where they feel like a part of a community.

Normally I don't have more than one example, but today I'm doubling up.  In the same town, there is a very small credit union, United Federal Credit Union.  However, it has a lot of customers for being so small.  This bank has more foot traffic than any other bank that I've ever been in.  There's almost always a line.  I remember in high school, I would take my check from my summer job to the bank to have it deposited.   And there was Dottie.  I loved Dottie.  She was this cute little old lady who worked at one of the counters at the bank.  And she was just so friendly, efficient, and nice.  I would purposely try to get her counter because I liked her that much.  Now, if there were only more Dotties in this world, everyone would have great customer service.

Happy Marketing

Earn an Extra $25,000 a Year By Reading This Blog!!!

Got your attention, didn't I?  How many of you saw the title and thought, "Yeah right?"  That's what I thought.  You're probably thinking that this will waste your time and is a false promise.  But this is a lesson.  Albeit a little tricky, but a lesson nonetheless. 

Under promise, over deliver.

This isn't a new concept by any means, but it should be applied more than it is.  Here's the thing, if a small business owner were to use some of my advice and work really hard at getting customers, it is possible that they could earn an extra $25k a year, but it's not a guarantee.  And it may be deflating to learn that it won't happen for everyone.  It's like when you go to a restaurant and it says "Free Cup Of Coffee" and in small print it follows up with "After a $7.50 purchase."  Here you are, going into a coffee shop, thinking you're getting a free cup of coffee, when actually, it's probably 7 times the cost of a regular cup.  Seems misleading doesn't it?   One thing that companies need to realize, is that customers are not only looking for a good product, a good experience, but a trustworthy provider.  If you're a bakery and you say you'll have baked goods ready for the high school bake sale on Friday and show up with two cupcake, technically you're delivering on your promise.  But was your statement misleading?  Absolutely.  That's why we need to under promise and over deliver.  Tell the customer what you plan to provide for them.  Then deliver better than expected if its possible.  Now, I'm not saying to under deliver to the point where someone questions your credibility because you're always delivering way better than you said you would, there is a fine line to walk.  But here is an example from my own personal experience working.

I work in marketing research and at times, we can have really tight turnaround deadlines.  I can't tell you my client, because that would breach confidentiality but I'll give you details to the best of my abilities.  This company is a fast food chain.  They were testing a new sandwich and wanted results quickly.  Based on the work that we have done for them in the past, it's usually five business days from receiving data to presenting a report to the client.  The clients that I was working with happened to want their data as quickly as possible, even though they knew what our "deliver by" date was.  We promised to have something on our deliver-by date and said we would try to get data to them earlier if possible.  I knew that they were on a time crunch so I made every effort to get them their data earlier than expected.  I received the data on a Monday.  The report was due on Friday.  I worked furiously all day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and was able to provide them a report two days early.  Just because I was able to deliver early on this particular project doesn't mean I will be able to do it every time.  But, we under promised and over delivered, satisfying our clients needs. 

So if you offer free coffee, make sure it's a free cup of coffee.  You don't want grumpy people walking away with a $7.50 cup of joe.

Happy Marketing!!!

Business is Like a Relationship, We Look For A Great Personality

Ok, so you've started your own business and you're pretty successful.  Business is good, your product is selling well, and you're making enough money.  But would you like more business?  If the answer is no, then just stop reading.

This may sound like common sense, but there is something really simple you can do to help your business.  It's simple when it's second nature, but getting there may be a little difficult.  But you must get personal with your clients.  And I'm not talking about creating a personalized product, although that is important.  But you need to get to know your clients.  Talk to them, get to know them.  Customer experience, at times, may be more important than the product itself.  People like returning to a store that has a staff that have good personalities.  This is important in any kind of business. 

For example, let's say you own a coffee shop and bakery.  You notice the same elderly couple comes in every day around 10 am for coffee and a bagel.  You could very easily say that you notice that they come in frequently and would like to introduce yourself.  This gives you a way of finding out their names so that when they come in, you can greet them personally.  There are other ways to personalize.  You may notice that the lady often orders different flavored lattes.  Let's say you're developing a special flavor, like an almond joy mocha.  It includes shots of almond and coconut flavorings as well as the regular mixings of a mocha.  The next time they come in, ask the lady if she would be interested in trying your drink, on the house.  The reason you are giving it on the house is because it isn't exactly what she was probably planning on ordering, plus, you're getting an opinion from an obviously loyal customer.  This is actually an example from my younger days of working in a bagel  shop. We were developing new coffee concoctions and one of our loyal customers that came in daily helped us to develop a really delcious mocha. 

I know everyone isn't the best at talking with people, but there are great ways to overcome this.  I am currently taking a Dale Carnegie course.  His book, How to Win Friends and Influence People is really great.  I was a skeptic at first, but have found it to be very useful, especially in my personal life for relating and working with other people.  If you really wanted, you could take a Dale Carnegie course, or even a public speaking course at a local community college.  But getting out there, getting to know your customers, and using their loyalty to your advantage can really be a win win situation.

Happy Marketing