Atomic Penny

Before you read this I want you to know I am a fan of Apple products, I have a Mac, 3 iPods, an iPhone (3G, not the 4), and I had an iPad for a while, hoping it would meet my needs. It did not, so I returned it. But I love the products, the design, and the ease of use, so I will continue to buy Apple products as I need them. With that said, did you see or read about the announcement by Steve Jobs regarding the iPhone 4 antenna issues? I saw and read them and was disappointed. You can watch it for yourself here: Steve Jobs on CNN Reports

On one of my very first posts, I briefly mentioned that marketing is the heart of your business, and I believe that even more now.  In looking at the presentation by Steve Jobs, I felt Apple forgot its heart. Why? There really wasn't an apology, there was an explanation. And worse, there was a comparison! Apple has never had to compare. Instead of saying "we want all our customers to be happy",  Apple should apologize, say they failed to meet their own high expectations, provide a fix and move on. Giving a free case was a needed gesture, but did not fix the bigger issue of the proud culture that has been established by Apple.

The comparison to the loss of signal while holding the phone a certain way was below the high standards of Apple. Apple needs to remember that they can and should turn a weakness into a strength. Go for the jugular. Don't compare your weakness, make it better. Show why I should buy, and why you are better, or the best. Regain your arrogance, and move on. Take your lumps, fix it, then power ahead. 

If you have a similar issue in your business, learn from Apple. Make your weakness a strength, move ahead, and rise to a higher level.

What power can you gain from a weakness?

POWER ON–Mark

Recently I contacted a businessman that I had done business with, commented on his blogs, tweeted his success and shared his writings with others. Because I knew he was busy, I used his personal email address, and did not want to interrupt him with a phone call. The response I received was not from the business owner, but from some unknown assistant. It read in part, “thanks for writing Bob (not his real name). If you wish to leave a message please go to his website and post a message.”

WOW!

Now I know what my support is worth. It must be that I didn’t attend all the seminars, workshops and consulting he tried to sell me. He will never understand my frustration, but I probably won’t go out of my way to use his services, which are quite good. I just wanted to support him when he started out, and hoped that I could learn something which I did.

By the way, I have emailed or twittered Seth Godin, Pamela Slim and Tony Hseih and received a personal response. I was no only surprised, but more importantly I was impressed. I am not a captain of industry, I am not a major player, and I am definitely not someone who can bolster his or her career. But to each of them I am important enough to respond to, and they have a fan for life.

If you put this in the context of your business, have you ignored your older customers because they didn’t buy everything that was offered? Do you consider the person with the biggest car or highest credit limit more important than the customer paying with cash?

Who stood by you when you started up and when times turned tough? What have you done for them lately?

POWER ON–Mark

John Jantsch has a new book, The Referral Engine, all about building referrals without begging. What is begging? Asking your customers for the names of their friends and family who may be interested in your product or services. The customer came in to buy your product or service, not to give you more prospective customers. At a retail store I was asked for my phone number and email address after paying for my product. I probably will get a survey or call on my “satisfaction” with my purchase. I really just wanted to buy the soap that my wife wanted, not to give a life history. I believe you do your customer a disservice by asking for more and more. At some point it becomes a dissatisfier.

If the customer is happy, they will tell others, if they are not, they won’t. It’s that simple.  Make your customers happy, and give them a reason to refer you.  Your measure will be when you ask your customer where they heard about you in a passing manner.

Your customer is not a checklist, she is a person who made the choice to interact with you. Don’t blow the opportunity by asking more than you need to know.  Begging will get you nowhere, but genuine thinking will get you everywhere.

POWER ON–Mark

You have many choices when marketing to customers. Imagine the scenario where you have $3 left in your marketing budget. You want to reach as many prospects as possible and want to grow your business. Sounds absurd, right or wrong. As a marketer or business owner you have that decision to make every time you begin a new marketing concept.

What can that $3 buy you? Printing, postcards, a couple of banner ads? How about some goodwill and respect? Instead of marketing to the masses, market to the ONE. Who is the ONE? It is the one person who can influence others to interact with your business.

Your $3 can buy a cup of coffee or a piece of pie. Make the interaction special, memorable and personal. A cup of coffee by itself is just a cup, but the conversation and interaction will make or break the deal. Discuss what is important to the ONE. Family, sports, cars, world peace. It is your money but her time. The whole idea is to gain the trust of the ONE. If you do, the ONE can be your gateway to your future. Not only in customers, but in VC, media, alliances.

$3 and an hour of your time. It’s worth the investment.

POWER ON–Mark

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

Creating a marketing program can be amazingly tough. Do you base it on media, social media, referrals, or inside actions? Do you spend a massive amount of money using a ‘push’ strategy, hoping for the best? Or do you create an ‘pull’ strategy with your customer’s assistance? The possibilities are infinite, as are the frustrations. When starting your Confetti Project, the countdown is an essential step to determining what will work best for you in your situation. The countdown starts with a blank sheet and an open mind. Being proactive instead of reactive can lead to ideas that really fly.

There are resources also that will help stimulate your process. Here are four that can help you out:

Seth Godin-Author, Marketing Expert, All-Around Good Guy

John Jantsch-Duct Tape Marketing

Dave Crenshaw-Author, Time Management Whiz

Pamela Slim-Coach, Speaker, Small Business Expert

These are just a few experts, use them, or find your own. Just don’t carry the burden alone.

POWER ON–Mark

Yesterday, I heard a father say to his son, “Dude, if you just listen to me, your life will be so much easier”.  I found this statement to be interesting as it applies to business and marketing.

On one hand if you listen and act, you tend to do the same thing over and over and fail to learn or explore beyond what you know. This perpetuates the status quo and locks you into a life of following instructions. This can lead to comfort but not much innovation. While everyone is happy that the “norm” is kept in check, what is learned?

On the other hand, if nothing changes, what is the point? Can we learn by listening and following? While it may lead others to be uncomfortable, you may discard wisom to find a new path. This can lead to amazing discoveries and innovation. Letting discovery happen, whether by a child or an employee, lets you become the tipping point to a new adventure.

The hardest thing is to let something different happen. Let your followers fail, learn and possibly fail again. Failure by itself can be frustrating, but failure coupled with effort can lead to amazing things.

Are you willing to let that happen, or are you afraid of allowing others to grow? Your choice.

POWER ON–Mark

Shift your weight, look at the ball, keep your left arm straight. Don’t let your club go too far out, don’t let it go too far in. Concentrate. Breathe. Relax. Now–SWING! If you are a golfer, you know what it’s like to hit a little round ball hard, but with precision. One little mistake can cost you some strokes, maybe the match, or can cause you to play poorly for the rest of your golf round.

Marketing is a lot like golf, lots to do, while aiming for a market. Sometimes you miss the market completely, other times a new market will find you. Here are a few suggestions to help you find your “groove” in your marketing plan:

• Determine what your core target market will be.
• Investigate ALL complimentary markets.
• Listen to feedback from your customers. They will give you clues to current and future opportunities.
• Don’t follow the pack, do your own thing.
• Allow feedback, and allow it to be available to all. Comments from customers and the associated follow-up by others is invaluable.

These suggestions can lead you to build your own Confetti Project, worthy of mention in future case studies.

I was reading this blog by Seth Godin the other day and am amazed that this is still the way many of us do business. I wanted to share my experience with two businesses I visited last week. The first was Barnes and Noble Booksellers to look for a video and a book for Mother’s Day. I found the video, and was going to look for the book. I was not allowed to take the video into the book area until it was paid for at that location. While I waited to be checked out, the cashier chose to answer the ringing phone instead of assist me. Then the cashier was upset my gift card did not cover the entire purchase and had to accept cash for the balance due. The cashier was neither friendly nor professional, just doing his job as it was outlined in the manual. By the time I found the book I wanted, the next cashier line was long, and I decided I could get the book elsewhere, and my mother would love a nice plant. She did!

The second business is the bicycle shop, Trek of American Fork. I have developed a relationship with the owners, Jeff and Kris, because they listen to my needs and help me get what I need. Recently Jeff helped a friend buy a bike and accessories. The friend was ecstatic with the service and help she received. Trek of American Fork is also involved in many community events such as a Ride for Haiti, Breast Cancer Awareness Ride, and the ever popular Tour de Donut. While these activities support the shop, they also create awareness and support the community at large.

While one company works to keep the employees in a box, another seeks to spread the influence. Which one is the best company? Which one are you? Are you the Sweeper? or the Spreader?

POWER ON–Mark

The Amish are known for their lifestyle rooted in the past, from their mode of transport to the quilts and furniture. The Amish stick to what they know and do it as well as anyone. CNN reviewed the business practices of the Amish as set forth in an upcoming book by Eric Wesner and discovered a few things that can help every business and marketer in the market today. A few simple but vital important principles came out of the article for me.  They were:

Culture

Cooperation

Traditional Values

Stick to what you know

The most amazing information in the article was the 95% success rate of the Amish business community. A number almost unheard of in today’s competitive  business environment.

There are all sorts of metrics, measures and reports available to see how your business is doing. Maybe keeping it simple, using your skills, and producing a quality experience that spreads the confetti of your marketing is the real answer. People, not pages.