Leverage Your Natural Resources

posted on August 8th, 2009 in Natural Abundance, Organic Marketing

Hot PeppersWhat does it mean when we talk about leveraging your natural resources?  No, it doesn’t mean turning your cash into an endangered species.  You have something a lot more valuable and completely natural at your disposal. 

It’s also the one advantage you bring to your business that no one else can duplicate.  That advantage is you. It is your passion, your talent, your creativity, even your sense of humor.  No one else has your life experience and your unique perspective. (more…)

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One Big Tribal Party

posted on August 4th, 2009 in Genuine Service, Organic Marketing, Profit Growth

Tribal PartyIn an earlier post, I talked about “Kate”, your ideal customer.  Today’s question is – how do you truly make Kate and her friends bona fide members of your tribe? 

By member of your tribe, we’re talking about customers who go beyond buying from you once, or even regularly, to being raving fans of your company.  We’re talking about the type of customers who will spread your message, give great testimonials and feedback, and really act as free promotion and advertising for your products and services.  How do you invite customers into that type of partnership with you? 

It really comes down to the emotional connection you create with the Kates of the world.  No, it doesn’t mean making them cry.  Please don’t show her pictures of lost puppies. (more…)

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Who Gives a Hoot?

posted on August 1st, 2009 in Genuine Service, Organic Marketing

Who Gives a HootI once had to do a presentation for my company to a representative from a major customer, who was planning a visit soon. 

It covered our operating philosophy, our values, the tools we had put into place to ensure a quality operation…really a dog and pony show designed with the implicit message that we could meet their needs and they could trust us, because we were obviously fabulous and brilliant and designed powerpoint slides that would have left both Michelango and Ross Perot feeling inadequate and slightly awed. 

Okay, that may be overstating things a bit, but the point was we were proud – proud of our journey, proud of our culture, proud of the systems we had built from scratch. (more…)

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My Fake Daughter Kate – your ideal customer

posted on July 24th, 2009 in Organic Marketing

Fake Daughter KateLet’s talk about your ideal customer. 

It’s important, whether you have a storefront or an online business to understand what qualities your ideal customer has.  It’s one thing to understand your demographic.  That’s the big pond where you ask yourself, in general, what are the stats of my typical customers and where do I find them. 

Let’s do an exercise that takes that concept much deeper.  I’d like you to really try to imagine a single individual who is your ideal customer, a fully fleshed out archetype for the type of person you had in mind when designing your brand.   Say you are the type of company who appeals to a very liberal, tree-hugging, techno-savvy creative type…  Some of my favorite people fall into this “demographic”. 

Now pick a face out of that crowd and give her a name – let’s go with Kate.  No particular reason, I just always thought I would someday have twins named Jack and Kate.  Maybe my fictitious son Jack will make an appearance in a later post. (more…)

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Can you Spare a Square?

posted on July 20th, 2009 in Genuine Service

Spare a SquareWhat constitutes great service? 

I am someone who is ridiculously passionate about great service.  I will go miles out of my way to frequent a business that, quite frankly, I feel good about giving my money to.  Especially if you are in a commodity business, it may be the one thing that can really differentiate you from the competition.  Often, it’s really the little things that can make a difference, such as the initial impression when people walk into your store or land on your website. 

You want it to be apparent from that first moment that you are happy they are there.  If that welcoming vibe isn’t obvious, make it obvious.  If you have a sixteen year old sales clerk working the counter, make sure they know when a customer walks in the door, they should stop talking to their friend and acknowledge the customer with a smile.  Not in a desperate “you’re the first person that’s come in here all day, please,  please buy something or my paycheck will bounce” kind of way, of course.  If they’re in the middle of laughing, share the joke, bring the customer into the fold.  Laughter abruptly stopping can make the most secure among us become convinced we have toilet paper hanging out the back of our pants. (more…)

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