Business Record - Iowa Biz

What would your customers stand in line for?

At 12:01 am last night, I escorted a gaggle of teen-aged girls into the premiere showing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth installment of the Harry Potter movies.

We've had the tickets for at least a month and as a pre-cursor to the movie, I re-read the book to refresh my memory on all the details.  For the record....I would have been at that showing of the movie, with my daughter and her friends...or not!

Why?  Because I've been waiting to see the movie adaptation since the book's release in 2006.    No book or movie series in my recollection has done a better job of building anticipation for their product...and then over-delivering once the product is in your hands.

Apple is also brilliant at making their customers hungry for the next new phone, iPod or computer.  When Apple first released the iPhone, people literally waited in line for 2-3 days (and nights) to be sure they were able to buy one.

How does the Harry Potter franchise and Apple create that kind of pent up demand?  And more important -- how can we do the same thing for our business or product?

Give them a reason to keep coming back....before the big reveal:  There need to be updates, little teases and rewards (coupons, discounts, early adopter advantages) that keep bringing them back.

Don't give it away too soon (allow time for the anticipation to build):  The power of anticipation marketing is the word of mouth buzz.  As more and more people get caught up in the frenzy, it gets very contagious.  So don't let it end too soon.

Too much can be too much:  Don't let it drag out too long.  It's a fine art to making someone hungry for what you're teasing them with, but not frustrating them by too much time passed.  Apple's release of the original iPhone was over 6 months.  Only Apple could pull that off.

Make it shareable:  Again, remember that you want the anticipation to be contagious.  People wouldn't have hung out at their local bookstore for the latest Harry Potter book if they had to stand there alone.  Create ways for enthusiasts to infect their friends.

Be sure the show is worth the wait:  Remember, you've kept them waiting.  So when you finally reveal the goods...make sure there is plenty of sizzle in your show.   This is not the time to scrimp or be shy.  If you're going to use this marketing tactic...go big or go home!

Lighten up and get some new customers

We all take our work seriously, as we should.  After all, it's how we pay our mortgage.  But depending on what exactly it is your business does...sometimes it pays to take a more light-hearted approach to selling your wares.

Takes the good folks at PetButler.com.  Darron Kitterman, the Central Iowa franchise owner has a sense of humor and uses it to grow his business.  Pet Butler's work is for the dogs....literally.  They scoop poop.  They do provide some other services...but they're all related to dog waste of some sort.

Darron uses that sense of humor to make sure everyone knows what he does for a living and how he can make your life a little easier.  Darron dons a shirt like this and waves a passing cars.  He mails t-shirts (see photo) and candy bars that look like poop.

They use poop puns like "often imitated, never doo-plicated."

They have fun.  They make us smile.  And we remember them.

And when we're frustrated because your kids can't play in the back yard or mowing is a landmine avoidance game....who do you call?

Exactly....the people who gave you a chuckle and made dog poop amusing.

I'm not saying this tongue-in-cheek approach would work for every organization.  But, it's a great example and a worthy reminder to all of that that we don't always have to take ourselves quite so seriously.

Having some fun doesn't mean you aren't a poo-fessional!

The two sides of buying local

In the past two weeks, some interesting things have been happening around the discussion of buying locally. Let's look at both sides of the coin and then I'd love to hear what you think.

Iowa Department of Economic Development:

The Iowa Department of Economic Development recently awarded a big chunk of their $6 million dollar budget to international agency giant Burson-Marsteller. 

Many Iowa agencies (including this piece by Des Moines' agency Lessing Flynn) and the local Advertising Federation have called foul. 

It has been a pretty big news story locally.

Others, myself included, have written that while considering Iowa firms was important (which IDED did) they should choose the best firm for the job and not feel bound by the "buy local" sentiment.

You can also read IDED's official response and see what you think.

So the question here is....should the Iowa department, charged with spurring economic growth in the state of Iowa, be allowed/chastised for going outside the state to hire the expertise they need?

And on the flip side we have....

Heineken:

Heineken USA raised eyebrows in the agency world last week by throwing the creative account for its flagship lager brands into review and announcing it was only considering shops in Manhattan (New York, not Kansas), where it is launching a marketing headquarters for the business.

Heineken said that despite technology advances, they want to be able to have plenty of face time with their agency.

Read the whole story in AdAge here.

So, what do you think?

On one hand, we have Iowa agencies frustrated that an Iowa client went outside the state boundaries to get their work done and on the flip side...we have the world's agencies angry that Heineken has literally restricted its agency search to a 23 square mile island.

I'm not sure there is a right answer.  Maybe the right answer is....thank goodness we live in a country where we get to choose who we do business with.  Or maybe it is we owe our neighbors a shot.  Or maybe we owe them the business?

I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

All the world's a stage

Sure, Bill said it first and he probably didn’t mean it in marketing terms, but he was right.

Today’s consumers want more from the service industry than ever before.  They call it many different things – better customer service, being customer focused, etc. but what they are all hungering more than just getting good service. 

They want an experience. 

Experiential marketing has been talked about for years and some savvy marketers have been delivering it. 

For example, women who are going to have their first baby don’t just want to have a baby.  They want to have their baby in a luxuriously appointed suite, with soft music playing in the background.  They want to be able to surround themselves with family and friends and have a comfortable place for Dad to rest. 

In addition, they want their nurse to be someone nurturing and as excited as they are about their new bundle of joy.  When they are ready to leave the hospital, they would like to be handed a high-end diaper bag filled with free goodies and a CD of the music they listened to during labor as a memento of the experience.

So, how do you build this experience for your clientele?  According to The Experience Economy by B. Joseph Pine II and James Gilmore, you can think about it as though you were staging a play. 

They believe that it’s the companies that provide carefully themed and choreographed experiences that will win, while those that don’t will become a commodity and devalued.

The caution about this is simple.  Don’t let your marketing materials get ahead of you.  Never promise what you’re not ready to deliver.

The stage is set….are you ready to step out into the light?

Add value and save time? Talk about win-win!

Image via Wikipedia

24 lousy hours.

That's all we get.  And yet, we are constantly pushing and being pushed to deliver more.  I've yet to meet a business person who wouldn't love to have more time. 

So when I discover a tool that helps me add more value AND save time -- that's worthy of some celebration. That's how I feel about Zemanta. 

Zemanta is a free tool that allows you to enhance your e-mails and blog posts by finding related images, Web and blog links, and tags. With the Zemanta Firefox extension (other browsers are available) incorporating these suggestions into your e-mail or post just requires a single click.

Basically, here's how it works. As you type in your compose window, along the right side are the images and article/blog post suggestions, updating and customizing as you compose.

   You can see in this screen shot, the photos as they're sorted and presented.  There are small arrows below the photos that allow you to flip through all of their suggestions.  Below that are the relevant blog post and article suggestions (click on the photo to enlarge it).

You can also search for a specific words or phrases and alter the results.

Below the composition window, technorati tag suggestions and links appear.  If you want to add either to your work, again you just click once.

What this plug in allows you to do, in a nanosecond, is add images that you know are safe to use and additional content for your readers (click on the image to see a larger version).

The other huge benefit from using Zemanta is that when you add any content (images, posts, tags or links) Zemanta does two things.  First, it puts a little text icon at the bottom of your post and two, it adds your content to their library so that others can link to you just as easily as you just linked to them!

Literally, in just 2-3 minutes, I've added the time-lapse photo of the sun rise, added the link to technorati and Zemanta, chose three articles/blog posts (see below) to add even more content to this post and used their tag suggestions.  

On the Zemanta site, they have a demo for you to watch and very simple instructions for downloading and getting started.  I swear...I can't believe I did all of this manually before.

Huge hat tip to Mike Sansone for introducing me to this time and value Godsend!

Related articles by Zemanta

• I blog with a little help from my Zemanta (tek-works.com)
• Review: Zemanta blog enrichment extension (pluginseo.com)
• Spice up your e-mails with Zemanta! (netwala.blogspot.com)

Would you spend $20 to be a better marketer?

"Today a reader, tomorrow a leader."
                                  ~ W. Fusselman

I believe that leaders read.  I believe that smart marketers read.  I believe that rich people read.

Don't believe me?  Try this stat on for size:

According to the U.S. Labor Department, business people who read at least 7 business books per year earn over 230 percent more than people reading just one book per year!

Add all of that up and I'm pretty excited to tell you about a new Business Book Club that is starting up here in Des Moines.  The Meyvn Group is launching an absolutely free business book club that's going to meet once a month.  All you have to do is buy the book, read it and show up.

If reading is good, reading and discussing with other smart business professionals....remarkable.  I can't imagine you wouldn't walk away from these gatherings with some new ideas to implement, being re-energized and ready to take on the world.

These are all worthy books...I've read them all and reviewed a few of them on my blog.

Here's the schedule of books to be discussed:

May 19:         Tribes by Seth Godin
June 16:        Made to Stick by the Heath brothers
July 21:         Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon MacKenzie
August 18:    The Carrot Principle by Adrian Gostick & Chester Elton
Sept 22:       The Art of Woo by G. Richard Shell & Mario Moussa
Oct 20:          The Go-Giver by Bob Burg & John David Mann

All the meetings will run from noon - 1 p.m.
Plymouth Congregational Church
42nd Street & Ingersoll Avenue, Des Moines
(bring your own lunch)

This is pure professional development and community building.  No sales pitch, no hidden agenda.  Just everyone getting a little smarter and a little better.

I've got the dates marked on my calendar.  How about you?

Dance with the one that brought you

Sure, we all want new clients/customers.  After all, that's why we are in business, right?  Somehow in the hustle and bustle of marketing, a very important group often gets forgotten.  The people you already serve.

Who is most likely to buy from you?  Someone who has already bought from you.  Who already knows a little about you and what you can do for them?  You know who.  So, what have you done for them lately?  How are you making sure you stay top of mind with them? 

Not only does it sound easier to get additional business from a current customer but the cost of acquisition is also significantly less.  Easier.  More profitable.  All of a sudden that old customer is looking pretty good, isn't he?

By the way, in a recession the last thing you can afford to do is lose the business you already have.  Here's a startling statistic. Nearly 70 percent of business lost in America is lost due to post-sales apathy.

Don't get all goo-goo eyed over a potential client and forget about the ones that got you where you are today.   After all, they, not the new guy, are your best source of new business.

Want knock their socks off customer service?

One of the best ways to protect and grow your business is by consistently delivering remarkable customer service.  Everyone says they do it...but we know from our our consumer experiences that most fall short.

So how can you deliver "knock their socks off" customer service?  Beverly Koehn has the answer.

Beverly is the keynote speaker at a public event here in Central Iowa on Friday, April 24.  Her topic is “Touching Your Customers: Taking Your Service to the Next Level.”

In today’s high touch environment, customers are looking for companies that offer memorable touch points. Hear how to make every customer encounter an exciting and memorable experience.

Learn how to convert regular customers into loyal, raving fans. See for yourself how powerful customer-centered communication techniques can impress your customers and provide you the unlimited opportunities your competition is missing.

Beverly is also the author of a very smart and practical book, Loyalty is Love.

The event is actually being put on by the Iowa Tourism Office and the Travel Federation of Iowa but you don't have to be involved in tourism to attend or to talk customer service.  For $40, you can enjoy coffee and juice before Beverly hits the stage, learn from her 20+ years of experience and then network through the buffet lunch.

You'll be back at the office by noon -- charged up with some new ideas and ready to absolutely delight your customers.

Learn more about the event, Beverly and register online by clicking here!

Some line items should never be cut

Whether your business is down or not, it seems like everyone is being cautious these days.  Companies are watching the bottom line closely for signs of trouble and postponing major purchases.

But we're all still paying our utility bills, rent and repairing equipment when it goes down.  Some expenses are not optional.  If you don't keep investing in the infrastructure of your business, pretty soon your entire organization suffers.

I believe the same is true for our employees and ourselves.  No matter how tight the budget....we have to invest in continuing education and inspiration.  Human beings need stimulus to stay creative and productive. 

That doesn't mean you have to charter a jet to tour the Louvre or send your key execs to Harvard for a weekend symposium.  It simply means there are lots of benefits to keeping your team's saw sharp. 

• You will be telling them loud and clear that you value them
• You will be reassuring them that your business is sound, even if the numbers are off
• You're building their skills which leads to deeper client retention and happiness
• You need it too

Want some budget-friendly ideas?

Pick a book and read it/discuss it together.  Buy everyone on staff a copy and once every two weeks, do a brown bag lunch to discuss.  My suggestion:  Greater Thank Yourself by Steve Farber.  Check out my review.  It is an inspiring and perfectly timed read for our world at this very moment.

Go on a group field trip.  The zoo, the Art Center, the Science Center, a picnic at Gray's Lake.  The point is...get out of the office.  Brainstorm on a client's problem while strolling past the giraffes or plan your marketing campaign as you inhale the fragrance of the Botanical Garden. 

Learn more about leadership and character.  Sure, we all can know more about our field of expertise.  But why not work together to become the leaders you are all capable of being? 

Imagine taking your staff to hear Tony Blair and John C. Maxwell speak.  Crazy?  Not really.  For no more than $99 per person, you can do just that right here in Des Moines.  Have you heard about Maximum Impact on May 8?  Tony Blair, John C. Maxwell and others are primed to inspire you and your employees.

Volunteer together.    Want a team-building exercise that will stick?  Help build a Habitat house.  Paint a youth home.  Rake leaves for the elderly.   Invest in some sweat equity to serve others. 

Bottom line -- As you are looking for places to tighten the budget -- your employees are not the place to start.  Investing in your team doesn't have to be expensive.  But not investing in them could be the most expensive mistake of all.

Why might someone buy for the first time?

What makes people get off the dime and actually buy something? The Promotion Marketing Association conducted a national poll of consumers that shows some surprising results that we marketers should pay close attention to, as we plan our next campaign. (People could pick more than one influencer so the total is more than 100%.)

Free sample  87.2%
Coupons      71.3%
Referral from a friend   48.5%
Free premium     29.4%
Advertising      27.2%
Chance to win instant major prize    16.7%
Packaging        10.2%
Direct Mail      5.0%
Presence around town     4.6%
Collateral      2.4%

All of this feels pretty retail doesn't it?  So how do we translate it if we sell professional services (lawyer, accountant, marketing firm) or in the B-to-B arena?  

How do you sample?  Free consultations -- sure...but everyone does that.  How about offering a free lunch and learn or putting very relevant, helpful content on your site?  Teach an adult ed class in your area of expertise? 

A word of warning...be clear in defining what the prospect gets for free so you don't end up creating a "bait and switch" reaction from the person you're trying to woo.