Woo Hoo! At the heart of the matter

A Virtual Assistant I know of recently blogged her recommendation that a business owner or GM should not publish their contact details to their website unless they get their mail re-directed automatically to a PA, assistant, junior manager.

The rationale was that from an administrative point of view the head of the business doesn't want to be too accessible because they will get swamped with communication.

And I get it from the point of view of time management.

But from a branding point of view having the head of the business hidden behind a gate-keeper may not be the message you want to send.

In particular in small business it is often seen as a big benefit to customers that in dealing with a small business they are dealing with the business owner direct.

And small business often wants to promote that accessibility - that the 'personality' of the business is not big, corporate, pompous, but flexible, friendly, down to earth.

I think a far better option is to set up Email Rules within your email host - publish the friendly, up front email address (such as Fred @ Domain) and have all emails to that address go immediately into a specific folder (with a copy to the assistant) so that the customer feels that they have direct communication to the head of the business - and the head of the business knows that the assistant will flag want needs to be actioned.

It may be that the way your Administration person wants things set up is what will work best for your business and for your brand.

Or not.

Beware the sweeping statements that claim one best way of doing things.

How do you handle how people can communication with you?

 

I have just finished reading a great post by Sarah Mitchell of  http://www.globalcopywriting.com that I felt compelled to respond (And as my response is so long I thought it would be better to put it here than take up space on the highly enjoyable Small Business Owner blog).


Sarah, in her summary of the current Border customer experience, has hit upon what I think is a problem with so many big businesses.

I know that there were many deep issues with Borders that have been analysed by clever folk in the media.  With a Marketing perspective I think what went wrong was simple - they didn’t know what business they were in.

From how Sarah has described  the original Borders (and from what I have witnessed in the smaller independent book stores) the business that Borders was in was:

“Being a brand that connected a broad and eclectic range of literature genres and authors with the heavy (and passionate) consumers of books” .  By a Broad Range I mean the populous NY Times List best sellers, the fly by night trends (including cooking),  together with the classics, the smaller imprints, the stuff that is too hard to find at Walmart/K Mart.

I think that is how Borders saw itself.

Once the internet – Amazon – came along they panicked.  “OMG – there will be a broader range of books available online....we better get even broader – find something else to sell these book lovers”.

With homage to Reis & Trout (I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy, genuflect and thank you to Leon for bringing their wisdom and downright common sense into the ongoing conversation over on Sarah’s post) WOOPS!

I can hear the thought process, can’t you?

“Geeze – all the books you can get here you can also get somewhere else.  Quick, order in a shipment of coffee mugs and novelty toilet seats”.

Their problem? They didn’t really know what business they were in.

I think they were focused. Just they were focused on the wrong thing – they were focused on how to make a sale.

They didn’t realise that rather than just selling a broad range of books they were about ‘connecting’ a broad range of literature to heavy consumers of same...

“connecting” meant choosing and endorsing.
“connecting” meant sharing insights and recommendations with their customers
“connecting” meant getting authors in front of real life readers
“connecting” meant continuing to own their position – despite competitors who could (in those days) only do a small part of what they could do.

Buying a book on Amazon, despite their huge inventory, and recent introductions of Purchasers' Reviews is NOT the same as experiencing the one-on-one advice, help, relationship, time spent in store browsing, connecting, with the original Borders or today’s independent book store.

Imagine what they could have done if they had realised that it was their job to connect?

“Wow – look at this internet thingy....We can emulate some of our customer experiences online too....we can email suggestions for authors, we can alert them to in-store functions...We can share interviews with our publishers....”
 
Imagine if they had embraced events? Taking the Borders experience into school fetes and community festivals?

Where are the Borders sponsorship of creative writing courses and awards?

Why couldn’t I post my book reviews or my writing or writing of my fave authors on the Borders site just like I can over at Canon EOS land?

Where is the Borders mobile/pop up book store taking it to the streets and the suburbs?

Where the Borders sponsored "Reading Desk" in appropriately branded and targeted food outlets?

So many ideas – IF you focus upon the right strategy.

All of these big businesses start with the ultimate goal in mind (to get someone to spend money – any money – on anything) instead of recognising that their goal is to connect their clearly identifiable brand with a clearly defined (and financially viable) customer basis....and then the money will come.

Long live the independent book stores who – purely because they are small businesses – can keep it real.

I met with a client recently who shared with me that she would rather turn away business than take on board a client who has unrealistic expectations or for whom she believes her service is not a good fit.

This reminded me of how my mother (above)  (still running her own business) has always approached things.

As the owner of an Estate Agency she would often have young families come to her with unrealistic expectations of whether they could service a mortgage for their first home.  When she met with potential purchasers she would really get to know them – not just find out what they thought they were after (e.g. four bedrooms, with a pool, near a bus stop).  Through getting into their heads and finding out about their lifestyle and ambitions she would often steer them away from buying, for a year or two.  This even extended to taking them to meet her friendly bank manager (remember when we had them?) and working out a saving plan to boost their deposit and what they could eventually afford.

In other words – she would walk away from that business.

My new client has a similar mind set.

And that takes real guts.

If you are a relatively new business the survival of the business depends on generating income. 

But if you take on board customers for whom you won’t enjoy the experience, or knowing it will not match their dreams, you can do more damage to your business in the long term.

Driving home from getting a brief from my new client I pondered:  Why is it that she, and my mum, and I, feel (though sometimes disappointed) quite comfortable saying no to a new customer and assured that turning business down is a positive thing?

I know in my mum’s case that most of those young couples would come back a year or so down the track and she would establish what has proven to be a lifelong relationship with her whenever it has come to buying and selling (some of the grandchildren have gone on to buy their first home through her).

But there is no guarantee that you will get the business or even the positive word of mouth.

I think it is because we have gone into our businesses absolutely believing in the long term.

Yes – we have to get through the next 6 months.   But if you look at every day in your business as being only 1 day forward in the next 10 years of its growth – you can make rational long term strategic decisions.

Can you share whether you make decisions based on now, or tomorrow, or both?

Have you walked away from business?

Nothing brings a bad product to its knees like a really good marketing campaign.

If your product or service is a little dated.

Or tired.

Or not up to scratch.

And you think that marketing is the answer?

Well - you are right AND wrong.

Firstly, let's look at what marketing really is.

"Doing marketing" is running ads, or tweeting, or sending a newsletter.

But Marketing is more than just promotional tactics or campaigns.  Marketing is satisfying customer needs in a financially sustainable way and then telling everyone (in your target market) about it.....

So, Good Marketing can obviously help a Bad Business.  It can help you get focused upon who are the customers you are likely to secure, how you are going to secure them, what messages you need to convey, and put you in places where you can engage to build a relationship.

But, "doing marketing" for a bad business is, frankly, a waste of time.

You will attract people to your business who will then be disastisfied and go away - move on - and never believe the marketing messages you send them in the future.

It happened to me recently. 

I was most excited to be going to a spa resort for a weekend.  All of the Venue's marketing spoke of 5 Stars, of lucsious service, of being treated like a celebrity...

The reality was that this place was OK. The staff were alright.  It was a bit dated and tired - but at least clean.

But it was not the fantasy that they had so successfully created by their marketing.

So - I won't be back.

They didn't just try and "position" their business as regional Victoria's leading spa resort and then deliver.

They 'spun' the message.  Which turned out to be not truthful.  Which broke my trust.  Which means I won't be back - despite the fact that is was clean, the massage was fine, the food was good.  If it has matched my expectation - fantastic. 

But it didn't.

For which I blame the Venue - because they had established my high expectation in the first place.

So.  Are there things in your business that you need to fix before you start "doing marketing"?  If so, you need to apply marketing strategy first.  Have it direct you as to how to package your products and services.

And - then run the campaign.

What do you think?

Do you have examples of companies who think marketing is spin rather than solid positioning?

Really. Check out these Schools of Marketing.

The Magic Pudding School of Marketing

“If I do just one thing, once, the marketing will just keep giving and giving”. I come across a lot of proponents of the Magic Pudding School within small business; folk who run one ad, once, and then sit back and wait for that ad to give and give.  Or try Twitter for a day.  And then wait for all the enquiries to come in. Or set up Facebook – and then wait for the magic.

No one single thing in marketing is likely to keep bringing your results – it has to be massaged and tended to – and repeated over and over again.


The Pinyada School of Marketing

Thank you to David at Cubiq for this wonderful analogy.  The Pinyada School of Marketing describes those folk who are basically blind folded, with a big stick, hitting madly and wildly at everything they can hoping that just one more go will release the sweet stuff.

Imagine that the Pinyada itself is the market place.  Inside are all the luscious customers.  And your big stick is twitter, or facebook, or advertising, or sponsorship....

And – if you have a lot of time and resources to keep throwing out there – this can work for you. Really.  If you just keep bashing away long enough eventually you will strike gold.

But do you have a lot of time and endless resources?


The Field of Dreams

If we build it – they will come.  Supporters of this type of marketing believe that there concept/brand/business is so strong that as soon as they launch word of mouth will spread like wild-fire and that will be enough to carry the business forward.

One of the inherent problems of The Field of Dreams School of Marketing is that the minute there is a new team in the league; the minute you drop the ball; as soon as someone out in the market places changes the line-marking; without anything to flame the Word Of Mouth and ensure that your crowd screams the loudest, it’s not enough to keep you at the top of the table (or – the top of mind for your customers).

The Little Red Engine that Could

You have to admire the persistence of the Little Red Engine that Could marketers.  In fact the repetition of the same marketing tactics over and over again SHOULD be rewarded – as long as you are repeating the same right tactic, an activity that sends the right message direct to your customers.

But at some point when you continue doing the same thing over and over – and it isn’t getting any traction, when it is just as tough to chug up that hill – you need to look at getting a new caboose!

 

So – what School of Marketing do I believe in?

The Sara Lee School of Marketing

You put together a great recipe (Define your strategy).  You find the best ingredients – mixed together in the right order and given the right amount of time to cook (Select your tactics) And then you serve it up, beautifully presented, to your guests (Your promotion).

Marketing is “layer upon layer upon layer” (And at Sara Lee that is 95 layers for every danish, nom, nom, nom).


Got any other ‘schools of marketing’ that you have come across? Come play....

Whatever happened to K-Tel?  Remember the K-Tel Record Holder? (I am presuming that there is still just a couple of you out there who remember Records).  I can remember the excitement when it turned up at my place and I could just flick through all of my David Cassidy and Donny Osmond records.  Bliss.  I think it was around the same time as the Recycled Paper Open Fire log maker.  I can't remember what it was called but it was basically an oblong shaped plastic contain that you filled with torn up old newspaper, slopped in some water, pressed down hard, and then pushed out a newspaper briquette.

Not sure if K-Tel is around - but the new K-Tel is Danoz Direct, home of  all of those wonderful direct-sales campaigns on daytime and Pay TV.

You may have heard the expression - But Wait, There's More?

The original in this space was Tim Shaw who would demonstrate the product and constantly prompt you to "Wait" for "More".

These ads are still hugely popular for a certain style of product - such as the Aero Garden, Sham Wow, and hair removal.  The technique is to keep adding more and more stuff onto the initial offer with the aim of making it seem such a great deal at the end of the 90second commercial that it is Irresistible.

I am very comfortable getting a Magic Bullet for less than $40 via one of these tacky, screaming, formula ads.  The ad works - it is a numbers game - and most of the time the product works (At least it works long enough to make you feel that you got a bargain).

But there are certain products and services that I am not comfortable being "sold" to in this way.  Such as anything to do with my business.  And anything to do with a purchase over $100 or so.

If you are a consultant or a business trainer I would suggest that a lot of the time the Sham Wow style of marketing is not going to position your brand as one that I can trust in the long term.

And if you are charging a good few thousand dollars, I will raise my expectations even higher than those I had for the Swirly Duster.  I better be damn convinced that you can deliver before I risk my business to your advice.

The "Steak Knives" style of marketing works fine for....steak knives, or $29.95 record holders, or even a blanket with sleeves.  But I am to be convinced that it can ever work for business services and professional development.

But - hey - you may have another experience?

Last week I caught up with an ex-employer. I worked for him about 20 years ago and we have had very little contact in the years between – I would occasionally hear news of him, and once or twice emailed him to get some advice or source a contact.

But it had been some 20 years since we had last seen each other.

Wendy Harmer and Angela Catterns, in their podcast “Is It Just Me”, described the phenomenon of seeing the veneer of age fall away from the face of an old mate you haven’t seen in a while – after the initial shock of seeing them 20 years older (and knowing that they are gazing back on a 20 year older you).

In this case the 40 year old very stylish always well Suited-and-Tied CEO slowly started to appear through the veil of the 60 year old semi-retired be-jeaned gent (both Sean Connery – just that one was the early years as James Bond - and the other the more recent version as Indiana Jones’ father).

With each minute another line or grey hair vanished (Mine too I hope!) until all I could see was the guy that I had always been a little in awe of... For young readers you need to know that back in those days however friendly and personable the Boss was, he was still The Boss and on another far superior planet from mere 20 something whipper-snappers.

So we chatted about what we had been doing since, in that disjointed non-lineal way, throwing out the facts of your life in no particular order, interspersed with gossip and admissions about ex-co-workers. As he said in his email before we met up, we had the opportunity to: “...tell glorious fibs about our successes”. But as he had cancer too (his now 6 years ago, so officially in remission, and mine with another 4 years to go until ‘cured’) we did a lot of comparing treatment and hospitals and how we had faced it all.

Yet the visual transformation from a relative stranger to colleague wasn’t complete until, while discussing how he had approached a business challenge back in the old days, he said: “I always started with Yes – and then worked it out from there”.

I thought: “Is that where I learnt that? Is this who I learnt that from?” And in that instance he was My Boss again.

Starting with Yes is something that I have felt that I had always believed. It has been a guiding principle of how I have approached my roles. It has been an expectation that I have had of employers and colleagues and staff – a basic tenant of the business culture that I expected. And it forms the basis of my own business.

And I had forgotten that I learnt it from him.

How many of our suppliers do we wish would Start with Yes? How often do you Start with Yes – and then work it out from there? And do you remember the folk from your past who taught you your guiding principles?

I will be 50 in what feels like a few minutes. I spend most of my time teaching people things I know. As well as Gareth who taught me to Start with Yes (and my mother who was a little miffed recently that I had forgotten that SHE taught me to put the salad dressing in the bowl before the salad, not a TV chef) I wander what other lessons I consider to be a part of me....but for whom I have forgotten to thank the teacher?

So, just in case: Thanks for the lessons – All of you.

How many hundreds of thousands of words have been written about the value of networking?  Go on – Google ‘How to Network’ – I know you want to. See, that is an awful big number. I don’t do maths but I know that, in official mathematical terminology, it is heaps:

Stacks of screens taken up with little gems like ‘Make sure you introduce yourself and can explain your business is 7 words ‘;

Reams of Reflex covered with quality tips, like ‘Don’t just talk about yourself’

Millions of key strokes to tell you to ‘Ask opened ended questions’.

Really? Is there nothing new or interesting to add to the conversation about how to go about networking...?

Because let’s face it. The stuff being published is, frankly, rubbish.

Do you really think that Chris Brogan, the head guy at Zappos or this guy practiced their elevator speech and rehearsed open ended questions before they entered a networking room until they got good at it?

The time has come to lift the veil on all the ludicrously fundamental Networking 101 stuff that is out there; to get to the real nitty gritty on how to go about networking; to finally expose the little known techniques of the most successful business networkers.


Technique 1:

People are not in fact interested in your business at all.

They are interested in shoes.

So, wear fantastic shoes. The kind of shoes that will attract other shoe lovers (like tattooed pole-dancers attract Jesse James).

When those with a shoe fetish (which will be the majority of women in the room), make their way over to praise you on your shoes, be ready to grab their email address under the guise of sending them the details for the latest sale at your fave shoe shop.


Technique 2:

Every networking group has a boor. The big gruff egotistical self-promoter who through sheer arrogance and unfounded bravado manages to get a small group of shy timid and polite folk standing around nodding in quivering unison at their ramblings about, usually, themselves (The Boor’s favourite topic).

When you spot a Boor, don’t go with your deep founded instinct to run the other way to avoid them.

Get over there. Fast.

Stand on the edge of the group – each member of which is asking themselves “Is this guy brilliant and just coming across as a wanker? Or is he in fact a wanker?". Throw a life line to the poor folk trapped in his boorish grip by catching their eyes and asking them about a totally new and riveting topic....like....shoes.


Technique 3

The common school of thought is to make sure you have lots of business cards....

Fiddle sticks

Don’t take any. Not a one.

And for every person that you meet say: “I am so embarrassed....I have already run out of cards tonight....would you be so kind as to give me yours?”

That way you have their details to enter into your data-base. And you have left them with the impression that you have been extremely popular today. Ha.


Technique 4

Be up to date with Current Affairs. It is important that you can speak eloquently, fluently and informatively about the most important local and global news and affairs of state, which are:

In Melbourne - Aussie Rules and the impact of every other sport on Aussie Rules.

In Sydney - the price of property and whether the Gay Mardi Gras has managed to get funding next year.

In Adelaide - the latest reports on what the rest of Australia is thinking about Adelaide (which is, I’m sorry to say, nothing much at all)

In Perth have an opinion on the contentious issue of whether retailers should actually be allowed to open their stores so that they can....shock & awe....sell stuff.

In Canberra, be able to provide a list for the current road works being undertaken in the latest round of roundabouts.

In Brisbane, memorise the 5 day weather forecast for Queensland...and for NSW & Vic.

In Tassie, you may be able to chat about the concept of a democratic election....or not....

And in Darwin – Brands. Beer brands.

Wherever your Networking Function is being held, you must arrive armed with the names of the current MasterChef contestants OR your secret ingredients for a fail-safe Croquembouche

And our final technique. Don’t wear new underwear. Guys – you will end up adjusting. And gals, you will be squirming around trying to do the unobtrusive index finger rear flick. Not a good look.

Now that you have these new techniques I look forward to meeting up with you at a networking function (I will be the one blocking the door from the kitchen as the canapés come out), or Networking here via Comments :)

P.S. Those fabulous Alexander McQueen shoes were on this site

 

Namaste

I have recently started Yoga.

Stop laughing. It will happen to you when you get old...It seems to be a mandatory step towards settling into middle age along with enjoying ABC Radio, watching docos on Discovery and switching from white to red wine.

It’s only TV Yoga of course. It goes hand in hand with my other fitness addiction – the Wii Fit (the yoga and muscle moves) - exercise that can be done within a metre of the couch and doesn’t involve having to actually go outside.

Apparently the benefit of yoga is that it builds your inner core strength. And I have certainly learned over the last 12 months how important it is to have strong inners!

It got me thinking about the inner core of a business.

What is at the core?

Cash flow is important. But then so is profit.

Your customers are vital – but so is having a sales tunnel that has a stack of potential customers coming round the bend.

Your motivation, passion, drive is mandatory – but you can’t operate without a strong team of people around you.

So, what is at the absolute core of your business?

I think it is the one thing that you ‘mean’ to your customers (and those customers yet to come). It is that one thing that for your customers you deliver.

A way to identify your core is to try and sum it up with one key word that you own...or at least a very short phrase.

Think of Volvo. The one core thing they mean to their customers is....Safety.

My fave quote (oft used in my articles & presentations, so apologies if you have read this before) is from Charles Revson, CEO of Revlon: “In the factory we make creams, in the stores we sell hope”.

So what is at the core of your business?

And how can you exercise it, feed it, tone it, stretch it, to make it the very strong heart of your business – the central premise that the rest of the business is built around?

(And if you are interested in the gorgeous Yoga shows, check out Discovery Home & Health or the shows Canadian web-site)

 *

Are competitions the most mis-guided marketing tactic employed by small business...or just an indication of a lazy marketer?

Why do businesses run competitions? 

They usually say it is to build a data-base.  And though they don’t say so, they think that by running a competition they will build a data-base for the price of a bottle of wine....or a dvd....

So not only lazy, but also cheap.

And an absolute waste of resources.

You know the score.  They put up some prize.  People hand over their details to be in the draw. The biz gets a stack of email addresses.

But who ends up on the data-base?  People who want to win stuff.

Do they fit the profile of the most ideal potential customer for the business? Most likely not.

In fact it could be argued that the people who have entered are the ones who are least likely to have money to spend.

Some thoughts about competitions:

*             Around about 20% of people are compelled to take action to win something IF the prize is appealing enough. Do the math – that’s 80% of people who won’t enter

*             If you are going to run a competition choose a prize that reinforces your brand position.  For example, if you are an accountant who promotes that you take the stress out of your clients’ life, have a prize of a massage or a weekend at a spa.....So, for the 80% of people who see the competition and don’t enter, they have still got the message that is at the core of your marketing strategy.

*             Don’t theme your competition unless it is a direct match for the core message that you are trying to convey....Just because it is Valentines’ Day doesn’t mean you need to run a competition to win a romantic dinner for two.  Just watch out for all the Easter themed competitions that many businesses will launch next month.... 

One of the few times I have seen a holiday/season/date competition work really well was when 2MMM ran a competition for Mothers’ Day....The prize was a penile implant for dad.  It generated word of mouth and reinforced the, then, edgy brand of the Ems, whilst appealing to their core target market – whether they entered or not.

*             Try not to give away your own product/service.  You are telling people it is good value if it is free. If you have to run a competition approach relevant prize providers to enter into an in-kind arrangement where you cross-promote their product/service.

*             Don’t exaggerate what a prize is worth....Especially when it is hours of your time/service.  “Win $1000 of coaching” sends a message to potential clients that you are expensive or just deluded.

*             Do get a permit.  Unless you are running a competition that is a Game Of Skill, any form of Random Draw for prizes at most $ values in Australia require a Permit from the State or Territory that the competition is being run....and for online competitions that means every state and territory unless you preclude some within your terms & conditions.

*             Do have terms & conditions.  Can the prize be traded for something else?  Is the outcome open to discussion? When/where will the prize be drawn (which is part of your Permit application)? How will the winner and non-winners be notified (also a legal requirement)?

*             If you are going to have good old fashion entry forms distributed in multiple locations or through magazines/newspapers, put a code onto each different one so that you can evaluate the response from the various sources.

*             If you are going to have entries online, again, create various identical landing pages, so that you can evaluate where the hits came from.

*             If you are going to have people tell you their name and email address, at least take the opportunity to find out other key things about them – so that you can segment the data-base after the event into those who it may be worth following up with.

Any other suggestions for well run competitions?

Seen any really great – or better still really bad competitions lately?

Please comment.

* And has there ever been a decent photo taken of someone being given their prize?