Hats off to Ratan N. Tata, Chairman of Tata Motors and a modern day Henry Ford.
By creating the Tata Nano, the worlds most inexpensive car he, like Henry Ford did originally,
will allow millions of people the opportunity to own a car. But it is more than that. Ultimately,
those people who can now drive will have access to new opportunities that were literally out
of reach before. Like better jobs beyond one's own neighborhood. Like better health care at
specialized facilities once too far to travel to.
Freedom. This is just the kind of thing America should be promoting and exporting. After all,
next to our country's founding documents, the automobile has directly contributed more to the freedom we enjoy that anything else I can imagine.
Who doesn't enjoy the freedom that comes from just getting in your car and going -anywhere-
any time you want to. Even if you use it very little, just knowing that you can creates an enormous sense of well being.
So bravo for Mr. Tata and all of those in developing countries who will benefit from his design.
Unfortunately, we will not see such a vehicle here. Safety concerns you know.
Such an automobile would not meet our country's strict standards for safety.
Listen, I'm thrilled that so many safety advancements have been created to protect myself and
my family. By choice, I drive a Volvo, one of the safest cars on the road. But I wasn't always
in a position to choose such a fine automobile. In fact, my first car cost $500- very used.
And I doubt it would pass our stringent safety requirements today.
But it let me get to my job. And then to get a better one.
Here in America, countless opportunities for economic and personal advancement have been
squashed in the name of some imagined "safety". We have become a nation of people expecting
security and safety. And if we cannot get it ourselves we demand our government legislate it
for us.
But we're choking on it!
New cars have become so expensive we go deeply in debt to purchase one. Manufacturing has become so choked with regulation that most our our stuff is produced overseas - costing
American workers millions of jobs - causing entrepreneurs to stifle their creative ambitions
rather than navigate the land mines of government regulations. Parents spend a fortune
buying safety equipment to protect their kids.
But the worst consequence I see is personal. This culture of safety and security keeps us
locked in our shell. Afraid of ridicule we don't speak up. Afraid of failure, we never try.
Hats off to Ratan N. Tata. He didn't buy into this culture. And neither should we.
No great success was ever obtained without trial and error, without failures that brought
improvement, without standing up and announcing to the world, "I have something great for you, won't you please give it a try."
Enough safety! Enough security! In the words of the great Oprah Winfrey,
"Dare to do something so great today even you can't believe you're doing it!"
Bravo to Ratan N. Tata and best wishes for success with the Tata Nano.
How can you re-create your business? Is there a starving crowd you've missed?
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Paris Hilton as Reproduction Industry Role Model?
Or...An important(critical)lesson on the benefits of getting publicity.
Like her or not, Paris Hilton is the undisputed queen of publicity. No one has
her face plastered over the media like the rich Hilton heiress does. All that publicity lets her earn a bundle of money ($6.5 million last year I believe) because other businesses and people want to be part of that action. The publicity frenzy.
Imagine what a smart business person who works hard like you could do -
given just a fraction of that publicity?
Celebrity status attracts attention and cash like nothing else. People (your customers) want to be a part of what's happening. If you're not promoting yourself (and it has to be about you as big personality, not a business persona)then you are leaving yourself open for a loss. You'll lose big to your competition. There is only room for one big celebrity per industry in each area. If you are not it, then look out.
You won't have to be a national celebrity, just local celebrity status should be all you'll need. Heck, look at how the TV newscasters,radio personalities, and sports players in your town attract a crowd. That's all the celebrity you'll need to boost profits outrageously.
Open your mind to the huge increase in personality driven advertising going on in your town and I think you'll begin to see the trend that you may not have noticed until now. You've got to decide to become "famous" in your town so that your name and your business become "THE PLACE" to be seen, to be cool and do business with.
If you just don't have the stomach to be famous yourself, at least hire someone famous to be the spokesperson for your business. Let his or her fame and celebrity status translate into dollars for you. It doesn't have to cost a bundle. Even someone who was once famous but not so anymore will work if people will still remember them.
Don't hide! Get out there and make some noise!
If you need great tips on the right way to get publicity, just contact me.
Like her or not, Paris Hilton is the undisputed queen of publicity. No one has
her face plastered over the media like the rich Hilton heiress does. All that publicity lets her earn a bundle of money ($6.5 million last year I believe) because other businesses and people want to be part of that action. The publicity frenzy.
Imagine what a smart business person who works hard like you could do -
given just a fraction of that publicity?
Celebrity status attracts attention and cash like nothing else. People (your customers) want to be a part of what's happening. If you're not promoting yourself (and it has to be about you as big personality, not a business persona)then you are leaving yourself open for a loss. You'll lose big to your competition. There is only room for one big celebrity per industry in each area. If you are not it, then look out.
You won't have to be a national celebrity, just local celebrity status should be all you'll need. Heck, look at how the TV newscasters,radio personalities, and sports players in your town attract a crowd. That's all the celebrity you'll need to boost profits outrageously.
Open your mind to the huge increase in personality driven advertising going on in your town and I think you'll begin to see the trend that you may not have noticed until now. You've got to decide to become "famous" in your town so that your name and your business become "THE PLACE" to be seen, to be cool and do business with.
If you just don't have the stomach to be famous yourself, at least hire someone famous to be the spokesperson for your business. Let his or her fame and celebrity status translate into dollars for you. It doesn't have to cost a bundle. Even someone who was once famous but not so anymore will work if people will still remember them.
Don't hide! Get out there and make some noise!
If you need great tips on the right way to get publicity, just contact me.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
1 Habit Worse Than Smoking...Quitting!
For the record, I think smoking is one of the most devastating human habits one could ever take up. It smells bad, infects others with the smell and puts both people at greater risk for some of the most serious and life threatening conditions known to man. Add to that the wasted expense of the smokes themselves and the waste of productive time to smoke them...plus the added health care burdens.
It's easy to see why I despise that nasty smoking habit so much.
Their sickening effects have touched my life personally through family members who have suffered after years of inhaling their toxic fumes. So for me to say there is a habit worse than smoking is no small ordeal. But I have seen the effects of this other habit, one practiced by far more participants than smokers.
Perhaps up to 90% of the population are afflicted by the ill effects of this other nasty habit. This 90% are the group that make the other 10% possible. The 10% I refer to are the wealthy. The top 10% of income earners in this country, and around the world.
You see, from all I have read and all I have observed personally, the ones who "Make It" in this world are the ones who never quit.
They have resigned themselves to the fact that success WILL be theirs.
Napoleon Hill wrote about it in "Think and Grow Rich". He called it Definiteness of Purpose". In other words the folks who get what they want in this life are the folks who KNOW WHAT THEY WANT and don't accept failure as an option. They just don't quit! Yes, they may suffer setbacks, frustration, and downright wipe-outs, but they just keep on keepin' on.
It became so clear to me last weekend. My daughter was attending a birthday party for a classmate. It was held at a nearby roller rink. Now my daughter, 8yrs old, had never really skated before, accept slowly on the cracked sidewalk near our home. She was so looking forward to getting out there and instantly taking on the graceful moves of the ice dancers she loves to watch on television. Needless to say, her images were quickly replaced when her roller skates came up from the floor as her butt went down.
As a parent it was painful to watch. I expected tears to be forthcoming. But they weren't. She got up quickly and with a look of determination I had seldom seen before. And off she went. Time and again she would try her move, and then go down. But she got back up every time, rubbed the sore spots a tad, and get back to her mission. I was so proud of her that day. And she was proud of her accomplishments too!
By days end, she could leap from the ground and stick her landing while remaining upright. She could twirl around and retain her balance. She had become a ballerina on wheels. And it reminded me of so many times in my own life when I had great dreams of doing something.
Getting the great job, car, house. It reminded me of a few home remodeling projects I had taken on. The ones that half way through became such nightmares of cost and labor commitments that I had so wanted to quit. But each time, somewhere from the depths of my brain came the voice that said "Finish what you start...don't quit now." And as I look back with 20/20 vision I can see clearly that NOT QUITTING is what made success possible.
But when I look around at the people I know who are down and out, miserable in their life and unsuccessful, I see quitters. Folks who may have tried and got knocked down, but never got back up.
Yet every successful person I have ever known or read about has had failure visit upon their life. But they did not quit. They just kept coming. They changed their course or tactics, learned from their mistakes and kept on coming.
This has been my personal formula for success as well. Many times I thought about quitting, but just kept moving on toward progress. And it came. It may have taken longer than I wanted, but it always came.
It's hard for me to quit. Not natural. NOT QUITTING is my habit and I think it's a good one.
NOT QUITTING makes it easier for me to NOT QUIT next time. That is the nature of a habit. However if you quit just this one time, it makes it easier to quit next time too. Next thing you know...you have become a quitter.
And that my friends bring me full circle to why QUITTING is the one habit worse than smoking.
Smoking will destroy your health, weaken your finances, and possible effect your relationships with others. But the habit of QUITTING will destroy your mind, your happiness and your will... in ADDITION to all the awful effects of smoking. "Winners never quit and quitters never win."
So if you've been guilty of quitting in the past and you can now see that it is keeping you from getting what you want...Quit one last time. Only this time you must QUIT QUITTING!
PS You may have noticed, if you were paying attention to the dates on these blogs,
that I had "quit" posting for some months. Well, I am happy to report that it was
because business had been very good...to almost overwhelming! Now, I have gotten
back to keeping on. We may be delayed...but never denied. The secret is to just
keep coming back for more! I hope you will come back here again...for more
inspiring news!
It's easy to see why I despise that nasty smoking habit so much.
Their sickening effects have touched my life personally through family members who have suffered after years of inhaling their toxic fumes. So for me to say there is a habit worse than smoking is no small ordeal. But I have seen the effects of this other habit, one practiced by far more participants than smokers.
Perhaps up to 90% of the population are afflicted by the ill effects of this other nasty habit. This 90% are the group that make the other 10% possible. The 10% I refer to are the wealthy. The top 10% of income earners in this country, and around the world.
You see, from all I have read and all I have observed personally, the ones who "Make It" in this world are the ones who never quit.
They have resigned themselves to the fact that success WILL be theirs.
Napoleon Hill wrote about it in "Think and Grow Rich". He called it Definiteness of Purpose". In other words the folks who get what they want in this life are the folks who KNOW WHAT THEY WANT and don't accept failure as an option. They just don't quit! Yes, they may suffer setbacks, frustration, and downright wipe-outs, but they just keep on keepin' on.
It became so clear to me last weekend. My daughter was attending a birthday party for a classmate. It was held at a nearby roller rink. Now my daughter, 8yrs old, had never really skated before, accept slowly on the cracked sidewalk near our home. She was so looking forward to getting out there and instantly taking on the graceful moves of the ice dancers she loves to watch on television. Needless to say, her images were quickly replaced when her roller skates came up from the floor as her butt went down.
As a parent it was painful to watch. I expected tears to be forthcoming. But they weren't. She got up quickly and with a look of determination I had seldom seen before. And off she went. Time and again she would try her move, and then go down. But she got back up every time, rubbed the sore spots a tad, and get back to her mission. I was so proud of her that day. And she was proud of her accomplishments too!
By days end, she could leap from the ground and stick her landing while remaining upright. She could twirl around and retain her balance. She had become a ballerina on wheels. And it reminded me of so many times in my own life when I had great dreams of doing something.
Getting the great job, car, house. It reminded me of a few home remodeling projects I had taken on. The ones that half way through became such nightmares of cost and labor commitments that I had so wanted to quit. But each time, somewhere from the depths of my brain came the voice that said "Finish what you start...don't quit now." And as I look back with 20/20 vision I can see clearly that NOT QUITTING is what made success possible.
But when I look around at the people I know who are down and out, miserable in their life and unsuccessful, I see quitters. Folks who may have tried and got knocked down, but never got back up.
Yet every successful person I have ever known or read about has had failure visit upon their life. But they did not quit. They just kept coming. They changed their course or tactics, learned from their mistakes and kept on coming.
This has been my personal formula for success as well. Many times I thought about quitting, but just kept moving on toward progress. And it came. It may have taken longer than I wanted, but it always came.
It's hard for me to quit. Not natural. NOT QUITTING is my habit and I think it's a good one.
NOT QUITTING makes it easier for me to NOT QUIT next time. That is the nature of a habit. However if you quit just this one time, it makes it easier to quit next time too. Next thing you know...you have become a quitter.
And that my friends bring me full circle to why QUITTING is the one habit worse than smoking.
Smoking will destroy your health, weaken your finances, and possible effect your relationships with others. But the habit of QUITTING will destroy your mind, your happiness and your will... in ADDITION to all the awful effects of smoking. "Winners never quit and quitters never win."
So if you've been guilty of quitting in the past and you can now see that it is keeping you from getting what you want...Quit one last time. Only this time you must QUIT QUITTING!
PS You may have noticed, if you were paying attention to the dates on these blogs,
that I had "quit" posting for some months. Well, I am happy to report that it was
because business had been very good...to almost overwhelming! Now, I have gotten
back to keeping on. We may be delayed...but never denied. The secret is to just
keep coming back for more! I hope you will come back here again...for more
inspiring news!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Simple System Attracts Only the Most Profitable and Loyal Customers
The Self-Perpetuating Money Magnet
While going through some of my old file folders, I happened upon one I had long since forgotten. That one simple oversight has probably cost me tens of thousands of dollars over the span of my career. That's a lot of money...so it got me thinking.
"What are we doing right now, if anything, that capitalizes and builds on the great work we have done already?" Or do we start each day as if from scratch?
Sometimes it seems that way.
After 20 years in the office equipment industry I have been fortunate to acquire, learn from, and befriend a good number of customers. When I think back on my successes (and profits) it is easy to see that a very small core of these "special" customers have been responsible for a disproportionate share of my growth. They all share one common attribute that causes this phenomenon...they refer their business associates, friends and family.
If you stop for a minute to consider this, you will understand just how powerful this simple element can be.
It was quite telling to look at the dates on those papers in my folder. The majority of them were letters of recommendation that I had received very early (in the first 5 years of my career)...when I was just starting out as a field service technician. I was so eager to be a star that I created a system for rapid advancement. I must admit it was not so much for the company's good then, but for my own personal gain. Although, truth be told, both got the benefit.
What I would do is, whenever I found a customer who was friendly and pleased with the repairs I had done, I would say this to the customer: "You know, I'm very happy that you're so pleased with my service. Could I ask you for a small favor? Would you mind sending just a short note to my office letting them know how pleased you are- because I'm out on the road mostly and they can't really see the quality I put into my work.They sure would be happy if you did that, and it would help me out."
If they did it, I would hear about it from my boss. Then I'd thank the customer the next time I went there. If they didn't send the note, I would never say anything about it, I would never ask them again, but I would still deliver the same great quality service. Some would say they were too busy and ask me to write the short note, then they would be happy to sign it...of course I did!
As I look through that stack of 20 or so notes, all of those people are still my customers after 20 years...a few are good friends. Plus, I can absolutely name names of at least 5 people from each of the 20 who became my customers through their referrals. And who knows how many customers I gained through second generation referrals. And they told two friends, and so on, and so on.
When I look at how we do business today, and how other businesses do business, it is a very rare thing indeed to see anyone using a systematic approach to getting referral customers. And yet it is SO POWERFUL!
A referral-generated customer normally spends more money, buys more often, and is more loyal and profitable than any other category of business you could go after. And referrals are easy to get. Referrals beget referrals. They are self-perpetuating.
Technicians can generate referrals. Sales people MUST generate referrals. And actually everyone can do it! You can see the principle of compound interest at play here. You know this could be some of the easiest, and most long-term profitable money you could make this year.
Here's a great resource for anyone who isn't sure where to start.
Get a book by marketing legend Jay Abraham. Chapter 11 is a treasure map to the hidden gems they you can dig up by using his simple referral generating system. You can get it at Amazon.com for just a few bucks.Check it out... Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got: 21 Ways You Can Out-Think, Out-Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition
While going through some of my old file folders, I happened upon one I had long since forgotten. That one simple oversight has probably cost me tens of thousands of dollars over the span of my career. That's a lot of money...so it got me thinking.
"What are we doing right now, if anything, that capitalizes and builds on the great work we have done already?" Or do we start each day as if from scratch?
Sometimes it seems that way.
After 20 years in the office equipment industry I have been fortunate to acquire, learn from, and befriend a good number of customers. When I think back on my successes (and profits) it is easy to see that a very small core of these "special" customers have been responsible for a disproportionate share of my growth. They all share one common attribute that causes this phenomenon...they refer their business associates, friends and family.
If you stop for a minute to consider this, you will understand just how powerful this simple element can be.
It was quite telling to look at the dates on those papers in my folder. The majority of them were letters of recommendation that I had received very early (in the first 5 years of my career)...when I was just starting out as a field service technician. I was so eager to be a star that I created a system for rapid advancement. I must admit it was not so much for the company's good then, but for my own personal gain. Although, truth be told, both got the benefit.
What I would do is, whenever I found a customer who was friendly and pleased with the repairs I had done, I would say this to the customer: "You know, I'm very happy that you're so pleased with my service. Could I ask you for a small favor? Would you mind sending just a short note to my office letting them know how pleased you are- because I'm out on the road mostly and they can't really see the quality I put into my work.They sure would be happy if you did that, and it would help me out."
If they did it, I would hear about it from my boss. Then I'd thank the customer the next time I went there. If they didn't send the note, I would never say anything about it, I would never ask them again, but I would still deliver the same great quality service. Some would say they were too busy and ask me to write the short note, then they would be happy to sign it...of course I did!
As I look through that stack of 20 or so notes, all of those people are still my customers after 20 years...a few are good friends. Plus, I can absolutely name names of at least 5 people from each of the 20 who became my customers through their referrals. And who knows how many customers I gained through second generation referrals. And they told two friends, and so on, and so on.
When I look at how we do business today, and how other businesses do business, it is a very rare thing indeed to see anyone using a systematic approach to getting referral customers. And yet it is SO POWERFUL!
A referral-generated customer normally spends more money, buys more often, and is more loyal and profitable than any other category of business you could go after. And referrals are easy to get. Referrals beget referrals. They are self-perpetuating.
Technicians can generate referrals. Sales people MUST generate referrals. And actually everyone can do it! You can see the principle of compound interest at play here. You know this could be some of the easiest, and most long-term profitable money you could make this year.
Here's a great resource for anyone who isn't sure where to start.
Get a book by marketing legend Jay Abraham. Chapter 11 is a treasure map to the hidden gems they you can dig up by using his simple referral generating system. You can get it at Amazon.com for just a few bucks.Check it out... Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got: 21 Ways You Can Out-Think, Out-Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition
Monday, April 30, 2007
Customers For Sale, High Volume...$5 Each!
How Many Known, High Volume Customers Would You Buy
...at Just $5 each?
Imagine for a second that you could get all the people that pay the highest cost per copy to tell you how many copies they make, how much they pay, and how often they make copies?
What would that information be worth to you?
It sure would save you an great deal of time prospecting. Hitting the phones making call after call, listening to "No", "No thank you", "Stop calling here!"
Imagine you now live in a world where you could ethically bribe your prospects to tell you all they know. They would tell you where they go for copying services, how much volume they do, how many times each week, month, year, they use that company's service. They will also show you their exact cost per copy.
You understand what a great benefit, what a great cost saver that would be for you.
When you consider the phone bills for outbound telemarketing, the huge volumes of people you have to hear say "No" before you get to the one "Maybe",when you consider the man hours and mileage expense of driving to see prospects, you can really see the dollar savings and the profit potential of instead...
Having the customers come to you and say, "Help me man...I need you!"
Try this: Begin offering (advertising that you have) an exchange program. Get the word out in your community that you will offer a $5 gift card to any customer who brings in the register receipts from (you pick the store or stores ...I'm thinking of Kinko's, Office Max, Office Depot, Staples). Offer to give them a $5 gift card from that store when they bring in $100 in total spending receipts from their favorite copy making place. Make it $10 if you're generous!
In order to get the card, they must of course give you their name, address, telephone number, email address, etc.. Wham... Once you have that, you can track, analyze, market, email, newsletter them to death until they are literally dead, move, tell you to stop, or they buy!
With a $5 gift card bribe you got them to raise their hand, admit that they are paying the highest costs/copy anywhere, and then give you a reason to help them out.
Surely any salesman worth his salt can find a way for this needy customer to buy something from your place now... right? Once you get their info you can even sweeten the deal by switching. Offer to let him trade that $5 gift card to Kinko's for a $100 credit at your store.
At a cost of just $5 per really great prospect...
How many customers would you like to buy?
...at Just $5 each?
Imagine for a second that you could get all the people that pay the highest cost per copy to tell you how many copies they make, how much they pay, and how often they make copies?
What would that information be worth to you?
It sure would save you an great deal of time prospecting. Hitting the phones making call after call, listening to "No", "No thank you", "Stop calling here!"
Imagine you now live in a world where you could ethically bribe your prospects to tell you all they know. They would tell you where they go for copying services, how much volume they do, how many times each week, month, year, they use that company's service. They will also show you their exact cost per copy.
You understand what a great benefit, what a great cost saver that would be for you.
When you consider the phone bills for outbound telemarketing, the huge volumes of people you have to hear say "No" before you get to the one "Maybe",when you consider the man hours and mileage expense of driving to see prospects, you can really see the dollar savings and the profit potential of instead...
Having the customers come to you and say, "Help me man...I need you!"
Try this: Begin offering (advertising that you have) an exchange program. Get the word out in your community that you will offer a $5 gift card to any customer who brings in the register receipts from (you pick the store or stores ...I'm thinking of Kinko's, Office Max, Office Depot, Staples). Offer to give them a $5 gift card from that store when they bring in $100 in total spending receipts from their favorite copy making place. Make it $10 if you're generous!
In order to get the card, they must of course give you their name, address, telephone number, email address, etc.. Wham... Once you have that, you can track, analyze, market, email, newsletter them to death until they are literally dead, move, tell you to stop, or they buy!
With a $5 gift card bribe you got them to raise their hand, admit that they are paying the highest costs/copy anywhere, and then give you a reason to help them out.
Surely any salesman worth his salt can find a way for this needy customer to buy something from your place now... right? Once you get their info you can even sweeten the deal by switching. Offer to let him trade that $5 gift card to Kinko's for a $100 credit at your store.
At a cost of just $5 per really great prospect...
How many customers would you like to buy?
Friday, April 27, 2007
Let's Party... Balloons For Everyone!
Makes buying from you so much fun...
they want to do it again and again!
Remember in my last post how I recommended you think of the new machine delivery as not just an imposition, but rather a fantastic opportunity? An opportunity to construct in your buyers mind a positive impression of you and your company. An opportunity to make buying from you fun...something he or she wants to do again and again. You can actually condition your customer to associate buying from you with a pleasurable experience.
Every time he rings the buying bell, he gets a treat!
Here's a great inexpensive way to do it. But I must warn you...it's bold, it's not for wall flowers. If you're going to really make it work you've got to embrace the technique whole-heartedly. Really play it up. Are you ready...
5 helium balloons (on strings of course) must be delivered with the machine. Ideally they will say, "CONGRATUALTIONS!" It's simple and it arouses curiosity among all who see them. You can put your company name on them if you insist, but it really is all about them today. Plus, it is so much easier (and cheaper) to buy stock balloons than to have them specially printed just for you.
"CONGRATULATIONS!" On what?
Exactly! We want to open a dialog. Now just look how much attention you've brought. "Did they win a new copier?"
Everyone will smile (because we have all been pre-conditioned by balloons...they always mean something special is happening...and it's good!)
If you are delivering through an office complex take the long way...be sure to get maximum exposure. If you took my previous advice, have company cars and delivery vehicles trumpeting your name, and delivery men or technicians in uniform, everyone will know and associate your name with something good.
3 BONUS POINTS:
1. You will leave the balloons with the new equipment, thus getting you up to a week of added smiles (good feelings...conditioning!).
2. The customer may take the balloons out of the office, maybe take them home to their kids. This of course will spark more dialog with other offices, friends or spouses...who tell two friends, etc.
3. You've just created the machine's birthday party!
Look what Build-A-Bear did.
They took a one time buying decision and turned it into an event to be shared with all your friends. The stuffed bear that you once bought for $9.95 has now become the bear that you give life to, clothe and name - complete with birth certificate - to the tune of nearly $30.00! Then, you'll need to come back to buy more clothes and accessories that will bring the real cost of that bear to $50+ dollars.
But they made it fun! And that's what you've got to do.
Now that you have created the copier's birthday, you have a reason to come back into that office every single year until its dead. Celebrate once more the passing of another year..with more balloons of course and maybe a special promotional gift!
Well there you have it. A very simple way to get tons of attention and dialog, create a Pavlovian response mechanism, and set yourself apart from all the rest of the boring providers of the exact same service in your town.
Don't go overboard and turn the event into a circus. Don't be a clown and this technique is just right for any business to business transaction.
Make doing business with you a pleasureable experience and you'll score big points with office workers whose lives are pretty boring and uneventful most days, weeks, months.
You will be remembered...positively!
Need ideas for promotional products?
Check out http://www.impactpromotions.com
Lot's of good stuff, plus tips and sample packages.
P.S. I have no affiliation with them, get no benefit if you go there. I recommend you check it out because I have used them in the past and been very pleased.
P.P.S. Wahoo! I made it! 5 straight days of posting.
I'll post new information every business day, then I'll be taking a break on Saturday to spend all day with my family. On Sundays I will be posting a review of the most inspiring or relevant books I have read, or perhaps the most beneficial websites. I have read (and continue to read) on average two books per month (non-fiction, mostly business and marketing) over the past year. So, I should have no trouble filling that post. Plus, it will get me to re-read several books that I know I should...but have put off for one reason or another.
Thanks for Staying With Me...Now go Get Some Balloons!
they want to do it again and again!
Remember in my last post how I recommended you think of the new machine delivery as not just an imposition, but rather a fantastic opportunity? An opportunity to construct in your buyers mind a positive impression of you and your company. An opportunity to make buying from you fun...something he or she wants to do again and again. You can actually condition your customer to associate buying from you with a pleasurable experience.
Every time he rings the buying bell, he gets a treat!
Here's a great inexpensive way to do it. But I must warn you...it's bold, it's not for wall flowers. If you're going to really make it work you've got to embrace the technique whole-heartedly. Really play it up. Are you ready...
5 helium balloons (on strings of course) must be delivered with the machine. Ideally they will say, "CONGRATUALTIONS!" It's simple and it arouses curiosity among all who see them. You can put your company name on them if you insist, but it really is all about them today. Plus, it is so much easier (and cheaper) to buy stock balloons than to have them specially printed just for you.
"CONGRATULATIONS!" On what?
Exactly! We want to open a dialog. Now just look how much attention you've brought. "Did they win a new copier?"
Everyone will smile (because we have all been pre-conditioned by balloons...they always mean something special is happening...and it's good!)
If you are delivering through an office complex take the long way...be sure to get maximum exposure. If you took my previous advice, have company cars and delivery vehicles trumpeting your name, and delivery men or technicians in uniform, everyone will know and associate your name with something good.
3 BONUS POINTS:
1. You will leave the balloons with the new equipment, thus getting you up to a week of added smiles (good feelings...conditioning!).
2. The customer may take the balloons out of the office, maybe take them home to their kids. This of course will spark more dialog with other offices, friends or spouses...who tell two friends, etc.
3. You've just created the machine's birthday party!
Look what Build-A-Bear did.
They took a one time buying decision and turned it into an event to be shared with all your friends. The stuffed bear that you once bought for $9.95 has now become the bear that you give life to, clothe and name - complete with birth certificate - to the tune of nearly $30.00! Then, you'll need to come back to buy more clothes and accessories that will bring the real cost of that bear to $50+ dollars.
But they made it fun! And that's what you've got to do.
Now that you have created the copier's birthday, you have a reason to come back into that office every single year until its dead. Celebrate once more the passing of another year..with more balloons of course and maybe a special promotional gift!
Well there you have it. A very simple way to get tons of attention and dialog, create a Pavlovian response mechanism, and set yourself apart from all the rest of the boring providers of the exact same service in your town.
Don't go overboard and turn the event into a circus. Don't be a clown and this technique is just right for any business to business transaction.
Make doing business with you a pleasureable experience and you'll score big points with office workers whose lives are pretty boring and uneventful most days, weeks, months.
You will be remembered...positively!
Need ideas for promotional products?
Check out http://www.impactpromotions.com
Lot's of good stuff, plus tips and sample packages.
P.S. I have no affiliation with them, get no benefit if you go there. I recommend you check it out because I have used them in the past and been very pleased.
P.P.S. Wahoo! I made it! 5 straight days of posting.
I'll post new information every business day, then I'll be taking a break on Saturday to spend all day with my family. On Sundays I will be posting a review of the most inspiring or relevant books I have read, or perhaps the most beneficial websites. I have read (and continue to read) on average two books per month (non-fiction, mostly business and marketing) over the past year. So, I should have no trouble filling that post. Plus, it will get me to re-read several books that I know I should...but have put off for one reason or another.
Thanks for Staying With Me...Now go Get Some Balloons!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Part 3: Making A Case For Recognition
How Can I Find You When I Need You?
If there is someone in your town who is in business and they don't know your company's name or what you do...I guarantee you are working 3 times harder than you have to. I can also be pretty darned certain you are not making anywhere near the money you should be. You know this is true.
Often times, we're so busy chasing after new prospects we forget it is far more profitable if we let them come to us. Sure we cannot just sit and wait for them to show up, but we've got to make it super easy for the ones who need us...to find us.
When their equipment is broken, and needs repair or replacement, there is but a small window of opportunity. And when that window opens up we better be the voice they hear shouting in their heads.
That has been the major point of this 3 part series. Getting yourself noticed.
But more than that. Just as every child knows he should go to a policeman when he is lost or needs help, every person in your town should know that he must come to you for help with his office equipment. There should be no question in his mind whatsoever.
You understand that. When I recommend technicians should be serving as ambassadors and not just fixers. Your head nods "yes" when I show you how important it is to copy the successful folks at UPS and FedEx by making your vehicles stand out.
Today you can get you company's name etched into the brains of your community by
adding these additional strategies:
I'm going back to the technicians for just a moment- because they are out there doing good deeds. People (customers) view them as non-threatening- they will open up and talk more easily with technicians. (With obvious salespeople, their guard tends to go up.) However, technicians are often shy to spread the good word. So to maximize their exposure and minimize their participation there are 2 simple strategies you can implement.
1. Uniforms. Just as UPS and FedEx drivers wear clothes that let the world know exactly who they represent, your company should be doing the same. Pants, shirt, and jackets for all seasons.
2. Case. This is where I make my case for recognition...literally! Every tech carries a toolcase, but I can never recall seeing a company name on one. Why the heck not?
What are we trying to hide? You can wrap them just like you could wrap a car or city bus. You could have them painted or you could have stickers made. In the case of the newer black nylon bags, you could have cloth patches sown on or have them custom embroidered. Now your tech's gonna stand out. Get noticed. In fact you could do the same for your salesperson's laptop bag. The more outrageously noticeable the better.
Well there you have it. If you don't like these ideas, hopefully I've jump-started your brain into thinking of how to get noticed. How to be on the mind of your community so that when an emergency or any relevant buying opportunity arises, you
are the one they call. When they need you...and they call you...now you're in the drivers seat on the road to maximum profits.
O'k...I teased you on the balloon thing. I'd really like to get feedback on this from those of you who are bold enough to try it. It goes like this:
Most of the time when you show up at a customer's office, you're fixing something that's broken or else your trying to take their money, ie. sell them something.
Both of these activities let a cloud of negativity float in the customer's mind.
It makes them not want to call you. Not want to see you there in their place.
However the one, most purely positive experience, comes when you deliver a brand- spank'n new piece of equipment. Everyone is happy! They have purchased that new machine with not only cold hard cash, but with the countless hours of frustration they invested in trying to get the old piece of junk to work.
Now, their relief has arrived!
It is the single best opportunity to play on their good feeling about you and your company.
(they must love you right now...they said so with their checkbook!)You have an opportunity to turn this one placement into many if you play your cards right. But so often we just send out the delivery guys in blue jeans who roll the machine in, drag out the old one and say, "sign here." Delivering machines is seen as a necessary evil, a burden.
Turn it around!
Make buying from you so much fun they want to do it again and again.
After all, there are only three ways to grow a business. 1. Increase the number of transaction you do (get more customers), 2. Increase the average size of the transactions (get them to buy more), or 3.Increase the frequency of transactions (get them to buy more often).
Oh, no! It's getting late. I Thought I could finish this but I can't tonight.
Tomorrow...I'll tell you exactly how you can use balloons at the time of delivery to
insure that your customer will buy from you more often. Plus, how you'll create such a buzz that all his friends and neighbors will be looking for you too!
Now Get Out There and Be Like the Toucan...get noticed!
If there is someone in your town who is in business and they don't know your company's name or what you do...I guarantee you are working 3 times harder than you have to. I can also be pretty darned certain you are not making anywhere near the money you should be. You know this is true.
Often times, we're so busy chasing after new prospects we forget it is far more profitable if we let them come to us. Sure we cannot just sit and wait for them to show up, but we've got to make it super easy for the ones who need us...to find us.
When their equipment is broken, and needs repair or replacement, there is but a small window of opportunity. And when that window opens up we better be the voice they hear shouting in their heads.
That has been the major point of this 3 part series. Getting yourself noticed.
But more than that. Just as every child knows he should go to a policeman when he is lost or needs help, every person in your town should know that he must come to you for help with his office equipment. There should be no question in his mind whatsoever.
You understand that. When I recommend technicians should be serving as ambassadors and not just fixers. Your head nods "yes" when I show you how important it is to copy the successful folks at UPS and FedEx by making your vehicles stand out.
Today you can get you company's name etched into the brains of your community by
adding these additional strategies:
I'm going back to the technicians for just a moment- because they are out there doing good deeds. People (customers) view them as non-threatening- they will open up and talk more easily with technicians. (With obvious salespeople, their guard tends to go up.) However, technicians are often shy to spread the good word. So to maximize their exposure and minimize their participation there are 2 simple strategies you can implement.
1. Uniforms. Just as UPS and FedEx drivers wear clothes that let the world know exactly who they represent, your company should be doing the same. Pants, shirt, and jackets for all seasons.
2. Case. This is where I make my case for recognition...literally! Every tech carries a toolcase, but I can never recall seeing a company name on one. Why the heck not?
What are we trying to hide? You can wrap them just like you could wrap a car or city bus. You could have them painted or you could have stickers made. In the case of the newer black nylon bags, you could have cloth patches sown on or have them custom embroidered. Now your tech's gonna stand out. Get noticed. In fact you could do the same for your salesperson's laptop bag. The more outrageously noticeable the better.
Well there you have it. If you don't like these ideas, hopefully I've jump-started your brain into thinking of how to get noticed. How to be on the mind of your community so that when an emergency or any relevant buying opportunity arises, you
are the one they call. When they need you...and they call you...now you're in the drivers seat on the road to maximum profits.
O'k...I teased you on the balloon thing. I'd really like to get feedback on this from those of you who are bold enough to try it. It goes like this:
Most of the time when you show up at a customer's office, you're fixing something that's broken or else your trying to take their money, ie. sell them something.
Both of these activities let a cloud of negativity float in the customer's mind.
It makes them not want to call you. Not want to see you there in their place.
However the one, most purely positive experience, comes when you deliver a brand- spank'n new piece of equipment. Everyone is happy! They have purchased that new machine with not only cold hard cash, but with the countless hours of frustration they invested in trying to get the old piece of junk to work.
Now, their relief has arrived!
It is the single best opportunity to play on their good feeling about you and your company.
(they must love you right now...they said so with their checkbook!)You have an opportunity to turn this one placement into many if you play your cards right. But so often we just send out the delivery guys in blue jeans who roll the machine in, drag out the old one and say, "sign here." Delivering machines is seen as a necessary evil, a burden.
Turn it around!
Make buying from you so much fun they want to do it again and again.
After all, there are only three ways to grow a business. 1. Increase the number of transaction you do (get more customers), 2. Increase the average size of the transactions (get them to buy more), or 3.Increase the frequency of transactions (get them to buy more often).
Oh, no! It's getting late. I Thought I could finish this but I can't tonight.
Tomorrow...I'll tell you exactly how you can use balloons at the time of delivery to
insure that your customer will buy from you more often. Plus, how you'll create such a buzz that all his friends and neighbors will be looking for you too!
Now Get Out There and Be Like the Toucan...get noticed!
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