Category Archives: strategy

Advertising Your Customers Will Notice!

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When talking with clients about what we are going to say in their ads, one of the first questions I ask them is, “Why should I shop here?” And then I tell them that they can’t say because they have the best prices, best selection of product, or best customer service. You would be amazed at how many cannot give me a good answer.  They go on and on about service, price, selection, 20 years in business and all the other things that all of competitors are saying too.

Then I give them a challenge. Before our next meeting, I ask them to put a note pad beside the phone, and write down what callers are asking for or about when they call or come through the door. What problems do they have? What kinds of things are you delivering, and which ones are you not currently offering or providing. Why did they contact you? And I ask them to do the same with website comments, and if they have field staff, have them do the same thing.  And this, by the way, is for both positive and negative comments and questions.

In those questions and comments, you can discover what your customers are REALLY looking for, and what is important to them. And it may not be what you think. Business owners often get so caught up in what they think is important to their customers, that they don’t take the time to find out what actually is important to them. Believe me, they will tell you. But, it may not be obvious at first, and it will take some practice to catch the nuggets of gold.

When I owned a service business, we made appointments with a two-hour arrival window.  But rather than leave customers afraid to go to the bathroom for two whole hours in case we showed up, we called our customers prior to the arrival window and told them when we would be there. And we kept them up to date if anything changed. Many could stay at work longer or spend more time doing what they wanted to do, rather than sitting at home waiting for us to arrive. On the very rare occasion that we were late, they got an instant discount, without having to ask for it. We did the job well too, but really, that is the price of admission. Customers expect you do be professional and do the job right. This shouldn’t be what you hang your marketing hat on. I can tell you that this approach went a long way in building a 97% customer satisfaction rating. You see, we knew that they wanted the job done right.  But we also listened and realized that they also wanted us to show up on time and respect their time. We did, and we won many, many loyal customers.

Listen to your customers. They will give you all the ideas you need for your marketing and advertising campaigns.

Just Because You Can……

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“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”.  I used these words many times over the years with myself, my son and my employees.  I had a wonderful sense of validity when Jeff Goldblum, playing Dr. Ian Malcolm in the original Jurassic Park movie, uttered “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”

I find myself thinking about these words more and more lately.

In business, these words stand for integrity and doing the right thing. However, as I read about connected cars being hacked and taken over as they speed down a highway, utter nonsense being passed off as truth on social media, and more and more technology designed to ensure we don’t have to leave the couch at all, I wonder where all this is headed. I feel this impending doom lurking just beyond the horizon.

Much of this doom is rooted in social media. On the surface, it seems like a wonderful way to stay in touch, re-connect and share your life with those with whom you want to. If that is all it was, it would be wonderful. However, it seems that it has exploded, much like how the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, into an uncontrollable catastrophe.  We humans seem to have a knack for taking a great thing and turning into a problem. Even things like autonomous cars and UAV’s have me wondering how wise we really are. As a pilot, the latter is very troublesome as I ponder the prospect of delivery drones flying around with no one looking out of a window.

Consider this – a person posted a lost child post on social media. In time, someone recognized the child and reported where they believed the child was. Normally, this would be wonderful news.  However, in reality, the child was in a protection program along with his mother from the child’s abusive father. Who posted the lost child post? You guessed it, the father.  Whether true or not, it takes little imagination to realize it could be.  Add to this scenario all the cyber-bulling, false accusations, public-shaming and videos that people take of unknowing innocent people, and suddenly social media becomes much darker than it is bright.  Businesses can be brought down by reckless use of social media. Even terrorism has adopted social media as a weapon of choice.  And sadly, we seem to have an insatiable appetite for it.

Where is this all going?  As we become more connected, we seem to be more disconnected with each other. We are vulnerable in ways we have never imagined. We seem to be losing our ability to truly socialize, be together and work together through what is ironically called social media – where one irresponsible post, tweet, or share could ruin your business, your life, or that of another, in the blink of an eye.

Friendly Knowledgeable Staff….Yawn!

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You’ve probably heard seen it in many radio, TV, and print ads.  A business boasts about “ample free parking” and “friendly knowledgeable staff”. You might have also heard that a business has the “best selection” or the “lowest prices”.

As an advertiser, if you really expect people to react to your advertising, you must do a lot better than this.  I’ve got some news for you – having good selection, friendly and knowledgeable staff, and competitive pricing is the price of admission.  People expect good service.  They expect knowledgeable staff.  They expect a good selection.    These are not things that make you different -they are things that make you the same as all the others.  If you can’t come up with more reasons and better reasons for people to come to your store, you’re doomed.

I always ask my new clients why I, as a consumer, should do business with them.  Almost invariably, they start spewing off about the things that I’ve just mentioned.  They almost never give me really good reasons to do business with them and why they are really different, and what they can do for me that perhaps their competitors cannot.  In many cases, I could ask the exact same question to their competitor, and get the exact same answers!  This, clearly, is not the foundation upon which to build a strong advertising or branding campaign.

This is when we’re really start drilling down and uncovering the unique aspects of their business.  It usually doesn’t happen quickly, and in fact, can take several meetings to accomplish. We are looking for something we can hang our hat on for the business.  The un-shakable thing that is non-negotiable about how they do business.  Sometimes, we don’t find one, and have to develop one.  But usually, it is there, hidden and buried behind all the clichés and mediocrity of their previous advertising.

Here’s a hint on how to do this effectively:  Start with the truth. What is your unique story?  Did you get into business in a different way or for a different reason than your competitors?  Do you carry products that your competitors don’t?  Do you have a guarantee that your competitors don’t?  Can you effectively solve the problems that your customers have – and how?

Too often businesses try to be creative for creative’s sake when building their advertising. While being creative can get attention, your customers are more interested in what you can truly do for them, right now, than the color of paint you use to illustrated it.

Very often when my clients and I get discussing their history, passions, and trials and tribulations of their business, some absolute gems are uncovered that we can build and advertising and branding campaign from.  Truth sells.  Fluff doesn’t

One other note, don’t be afraid to be bold. Take a stand. Establish a good staff, good pricing, and great selection – but then, put a cherry on top!  Make a promise that if you’re late for your service call, it is free, regardless of the reason.  If it breaks, fix it.

These things people remember.  These things bring people back.