Atomic Penny

I am always quite stunned when I see the sweepers prevail. What is a sweeper? A sweeper is a person or company that so tightly controls the message they are trying to send, that it does not expand beyond a specific intended audience. A sweeper is afraid that the message will be misconstrued or reach the wrong audience. Imagine if Gatorade was never used outside of the University of Florida. Where would we be in the sports drink category? There is a high probability that some other company would be the nation’s most recognized sports drink. Imagine if Red Bull was not mixed with vodka – another opportunity lost.

When you become a sweeper, you lose the opportunity to expand. You lose the ability to respond, the ability to react and the ability to grow.

What do you have in your Confetti Project that is waiting to be spread? Put your broom away, throw away the dustpan, and forget about sweeping, you will be pleased with the results.

POWER ON–Mark

You know the one. The person who everyone remembers from an interaction. He may not be the richest, best looking or most interesting, but the one person wh makes you feel better about yourself and others after an interaction.

The Confetti Project can work the same way. Be “That Guy” to your customers, prospects and suspects. Hugh MacLeod is “That Guy”, author of “Ignore Everybody” leaves his mark with every interaction. His Daily Business Card is amazing artwork for everyman.

Pamela Slim is  ”That Woman”,  dedicated to helping other escape from the corporate abyss. Right now she has an entire series of posts on expanding markets. She is a true confetti spreader.

Be “That Guy” or “That Woman” to your customers. Make the interaction something to remember and give everyone a reason to come back again. It’s not about the budget, it’s about the interaction. Oh, and when you interact, give those you meet a reason to remember you, and not a business card (unless you have one done by Hugh Macleod).

POWER ON–Mark

I found this real cool font that reminded me of how marketing can be anything you want it to be. The font is based on a Volvo 240 wagon, and I have a strange love for that car. My grandparents owned one, as did a couple of my aunts. I remember the comfortable seats, the space and the nice drive. It’s funny how a font can bring back those warm, fuzzy memories.

That should be the ultimate goal of your marketing. Make it so it elicits a good memory. Sense-based memories should be your focus.  Jog your customers minds with sights, smells or sounds. Remind people of a positive experience that they can correlate to your business.

Every time you do this, you spread your Confetti and build your Confetti Project. It will continue to spread as you create more interactions and memories. Take a minute to think of your customer interactions, and what kind of memory they will create.

What are you doing today to make your customers remember you?

POWER ON–Mark

I had mice, I know because my cat caught one, I caught seven. Where there is one, there are more. Mice are like your marketing program. In the right environment they can thrive.  In the wrong environment they wither and leave. Mice are like your customers, willing to stay if the environment is right, willing to leave if there is a better opportunity elsewhere. What have you done to keep your business environment hospitable?

Look around, if your environment is lacking, so probably are your customers. Are you giving them a reason to come back and visit? While Starbucks has had a rough couple of years, it still has a welcoming environment. Free WI-FI, chairs, and even couches. Free food when you register your gift card, no questions if you stay and relax or work for a while. Why? Because they want you to come back.  And when you do, there is a good chance you will spend your time and money there.  While there is competition out there, Starbucks is working hard to keep business coming in the door, today and tomorrow.

Does your business welcome your customers back, or is it one and done?

POWER ON–Mark

It’s all about the little stuff.  Confetti is little stuff, but it goes a long way. Want to advertise, but don’t have the budget to create an ad? Find a graphics art class that will take your ad on as s project. Find a local paper instead of a city wide one. It’s the little things you do that will yield big results.

Are you afraid to try? What happens if you do nothing? NOTHING HAPPENS!

Do some marketing, anything, nothing doesn’t pay.

How long will you survive by doing nothing?

POWER ON–Mark

Facebook has over 162 Million users in the U.S. alone and Twitter has 75 million users, with 15 million of them currently listed as active. These are staggering numbers, and if you are using these platforms to get your message out, you need to apply the right way to reach your target users.

Honda recently used Facebook to launch it’s new vehicle, the Crosstour, and the response was less than pleasing.  If you look for followers on Twitter, the top company after celebrities and news organizations is the NBA  then Whole Foods at 1.8 MM and 1.75 MM followers respectivly.

My point is that Facebook and Twitter, as well as other social media sites have there place. You need to decide how you are going to best use them to your advantage.  Does your message resonate when posted? Rioja restaurant in Denver updates its fan page with new menus and special events. Uni-ball advertises its fan page in television commercials. Many companies are using twitter as a delivery system for coupons. Tony Hseih uses twitter to update employees and customers of his thoughts and goings on at Zappos.

I also use Facebook (Atomicpenny Fan Page)  as a means to deliver my blog and to send out announcements. I use Twitter (@atomicmark) also as a delivery system. Until I get the Confetti Project fully up and running, that will be my reach. Watch for more information soon!

What are your expectations of your social media program, and are you expecting more than you realize?

POWER ON–Mark

How tightly do you control your marketing message? Are you what I like to call a ”sweeper” who constantly makes sure the message is tight and controlled? If so…WHY?! The purpose of a message is to spread either virally or organically. If you are concerned about your efforts going in the wrong direction, maybe you have the wrong message.

This came up recently during the run to the Super Bowl by the New Orleans Saints. The NFL was so concerned that the phrase “Who Dat” was being used without license that they threatened to sue anyone profiting from the phrase. What a good way to taint a feel good story.

Instead, become a spreader. Allow your message to be shared far and wide. Be like Red Bull who gives away free samples across the world. Use your name and message to promote your product. While you can’t control the entire message, it is better than bottling it up.

Spreading is also easier. Get your product or service in the hands of new customers, without disenfranchising current customers. Remember, as long as you treat your current customers well, they should be loyal. The issue is that current, satisfied customers have already told their friends and family about you. Allow your word to spread beyond those with direct awareness, like a virus.

What message do you want your potential customers to see?

POWER ON–Mark

I am not a fan of reality TV, but the new CBS show, “Undercover Boss,” has my attention for a variety of reasons.  I am intrigued by the fact that a CEO is not recognized by any of the people he works with. Does that mean that the communication from the top does not include information about the CEO? Or does it imply that there is a lack of communication? Also, if you watch the show, are you surprised that the majority of workers are either 1) Happy and go lucky in their position, or 2) Have overcome obstacles to maintain his or her job?

The one employee that really stuck out for my was Dolores from the episode that aired on February 21, 2010. Dolores had taken it upon herself to get to know her customers–all of them. She knew names and situations while serving the most coffee of any 7-11 store in the US. All this while living with a failing kidney. Dolores was clearly the driving force in retaining customers and achieving high sales. Seth Godin even calls her a Linchpin.

You can learn from her much more than you can learn from the CEO. It is not about margins, ROI, metrics or even advertising. It is about doing the right thing. It also affects employee and corporate morale. What a pleasure it must be for customers to be greeted with a smile and their name when they walk in the door! Spreading the word about one’s business through actions and interactions, as opposed to a big advertising budget, is what I call the Confetti Effect, part of my Confetti Project. More on that soon…

Learn from Dolores, take what she teaches and find a Dolores in your company, or better yet: become one.

POWER ON–Mark

I am a big HUGE fan of acronyms. It is not the acronym itself, but the puzzle of figuring out what it stands for and how the acronym applies to you and your situation. At a recent gathering I had been asked to present on a way to grow sales and improve individual customer relations. Not wanting to rehash the same old, same old, I decided to present it as a way to become a legend in your own company, a way to gain F.A.M.E.:

Find–Go out and find the people, situations and interactions that will not only help you be successful, but in which you can        reciprocate. There are millions of customers waiting for, almost begging for an interaction. If you don’t do it through a personal  interaction, the customer will find someone who will. Once you find her, accelerate to her to be of assistance. Now as a company with hundreds, thousands or even millions of customers, you personally cannot help every one. You can however, put in place a system that can be replicated and reinforce the customer interactions.

Accelerate–Move as fast as you can to help, assist or sell to the customer. Also accelerate away from those customers who will suck the life force out of you! You are in charge of the gas pedal, use it wisely. Once you accelerate to the customer, don’t be a stalker. Do what you need to do, do it well, keep in touch and find another person or company to build a relationship with. Then work to maintain that relationship

Maintain–Make the call, send a note, refer another client. Make sure the customer know you appreciate her business. Be sure to maintain that relationship. With a little time, you can do quite a bit. A customer only sale, a thank you note or a visit just to say hello goes a long way. Maintain the relationship in such a way that again, both of you gain from it. A word of warning, be sure to make the customer feel needed, but not in a desperate way. Desperation never looks or feels good. And remember to enjoy the interactions.

Enhance and Enjoy– Enjoy the reciprocal relationship you have created. Make an effort to include the customer in your company functions. Let the customer know that her success is your success. Depending on the customer,  include her in corporate events if possible. Brag about the customer and her accomplishments. Don’t brag about the size of the sale, but how both of you win in the interaction. Be genuinely please to see the customer and interact with her.  Make it a long lasting relationship based on mutual success and admiration. Enjoy the success both of you have. Besides her success can be your success.

Many times in sales and marketing it is easier to find a new customer than to help a current one. In the business climate we live in today, everyone is trying to win new customers, and some of them just may be yours. Make the extra effort and don’t give the customer a reason to leave, create a reason to stay. Not only will both of you be happier, you will claim the F.A.M.E. you so richly deserve.

POWER ON–Mark

I am not a humble person, I believe I am right almost every time I have an interaction. What I have also discovered, is that other people I interact with believe that they are also right almost all of the time.

If you are a paid consultant, you are paid to be right, but that does not always extend to other aspects of life and business. In business there is always an individual or group that knows either more or different information than you do. Pamela Slim, author, coach extraordinaire, mentor and blogger, has written about this subject. She is an expert in this area and really dedicated to getting aspiring entrepreneurs up and going. Her primary advice is to get a Council of Elders or a personal board of directors. I highly suggest checking it out.

Another marketing expert, Bryan Waldon Pope, wrote about resources available to assist in running your start-up. His information is part of his website at Marketing Success Institute. He provides a number of resources in his blog to help you start or grow your business.

So as you start running, growing or marketing your business. Take your blinders off, open your ears and above all ask questions.

I have found with some of my hiring and business practices it is best to ask those people who likely will give you the harshest criticism for advice. Friends and family will tell you what you want to hear, those who are are unaffiliated or more critical will tell you what our need to know. Be unconventional and ask for criticism, learn from it and grow your business to a higher level. Then make your critics your biggest cheerleaders by showing them you can listen and learn.

Bonus Sites:

www.escapefromcubiclenation.com

www.marketingsuccessinstitute.com

POWER ON–Mark