Marketing

A funny thing happened over Thanksgiving!

I hope you enjoy this story. 

 Background: Danica and I purchased a commercial building over a year ago and have our office on the second floor. The first floor has two tenants who lease from us: a restaurant and a hair salon.

 What happened: Over the Thanksgiving holiday, our salon tenant abandoned his lease obligations, took his computer, and sent a text to me saying he was done! There were two stylists still working at the salon. Danica and I immediately reached out to them, and we all met at the salon the Saturday evening of Thanksgiving weekend to discuss the situation.

 As you can imagine, these two individuals, Travis and Rossemary, were beside themselves. They were on the verge of panicking. First, their schedule was in the computer that the owner removed. Second, they didn’t know if they still had jobs! Danica and I told them we would take over the salon. We decided to rename it and create a Servant Leadership experience for all its current and future stylists as well as its current and future customers. So that’s what we’re doing. Thank goodness we own a marketing firm! In three days, we renamed it Salon Fifty Four (based partly on its address: 154 N. Broadway, Green Bay), changed the sign and got things moving.

 However, through the transition of trying to find existing clients and dealing with the phone change, we are still trying to reach out to let people know that Rossemary and Travis are still in business! I’m hoping you can help me. I would take it as a personal favor if you would be so kind as to schedule one hair cut, color and styling, keratin treatment, or eyebrow waxing or threading. You can call either Rossemary or Travis at 920-432-0601. Bring in this Wisdom and receive 20% off any treatment as a THANK YOU!

 I hope you don’t mind this plug. It literally happened so fast but I believe things happen for a reason. We’re excited about this new adventure, and I feel that we’ll be successful in our efforts at making Salon Fifty Four Green Bay’s premier location for talent and experience. Danica is loving it! What’s thrilling for me is that this is an opportunity to take our system and insert it into a hospitality business that we control. Lot’s of fun! 

Here’s to the many adventures you will experience in 2012. Remember, with every situation there is an opportunity. Seize them!

 Joe Kiedinger

 ACTION PLAN: Consider liking us on Facebook at facebook/salonfiftyfourgb

Where Have All the Sales People Gone?

Do you remember the good ol’ days when sales people would approach you as you shopped a store? You still see it in commissioned structures like car dealerships and some furniture stores. Do you remember when this commissioned structure was widely used, and how, at times, you would feel pressured by the sales force? I miss it. I mean it—I really miss it.

I was wanting to purchase a Mac Book Pro and a video camera yesterday at an unnamed retail store that thinks they’re the BEST… oopsy! In making my way through the store to the computer section, I spotted a sales associate who was working with a couple in the Mac area. The couple left for a moment, and seeing my opportunity I began asking the sales associate some simple questions to verify that this was the model I wanted. The couple then came back and the sales associate pushed me off to nobody. All I wanted was for him to get me the computer so I could leave. I knew what I wanted.

I looked around the store and all five sales people that I could see were with customers (this was probably a 70,000-square-foot store). I felt abandoned and alone. I finally cornered a guy who told me he knew nothing about cameras and a little about computers. “I’ll take it!” I thought. I grabbed what I thought I needed, and left!  I hated it.

Like most things, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. The great thing about commissioned sales people is that they’re motivated to cross-train themselves on multiple products and departments. The more they know, the more they sell, the more they make.

When Danica and I went to Sears about a year ago to buy a flat screen TV and a refrigerator, the sales team knew their stuff. It was refreshing to be treated like we were important. Yes, indeed, I miss commissioned sales people. From now on, I’m going where professional sales people are making money based on what they know and how they treat me.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: What messages are your associates sending that you may not be aware of?

Right Place at the Right Time

I get a kick out of the saying, “I was at the right place at the right time!” It’s spot on accurate, but I find that the people who make this claim tend to be at all places all the time. They are always making an effort to be in the right place at the right time. You see, 90% of success is just showing up. Do you realize only a small percentage of people have the guts to show up in the first place? Why the intimidation? Don’t get me wrong … I’ve had my moments of being intimidated by being in the presence of potential clients.

Are you tired of being intimidated? We are all human. Be yourself and make the call. Reach out to those people who could change your life forever and just be yourself. Share your beliefs and your product with them. Give them a chance to say no! The time is now to make new friends. Stop lollygagging!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Pick up that 100-pound phone and call your next best friend!

Did you notice that?

There is something unusual about this Wisdom wouldn’t you say? What is it? How many of you took notice? It’s Thursday! Today you are receiving Wisdom on Thursday. No, this is not a publicity stunt—I simply goofed up. However, this does have a lesson involved regarding consistency. Some of you (perhaps most) knew right away that there was an inconsistency with the timing of this message. There is a double-edged sword here when it comes to consistency. There is the rule of thumb that says, “If you’re going to serve a bad cup of coffee, always serve a bad cup of coffee. Because as soon as you serve a good cup, people will notice a difference.” Then there is the camp that says, “It’s OK to surprise them once in awhile.” Which camp do you prefer? Perhaps it all depends on the situation.

I’ve heard of the Four Seasons hotels switching it up for their customers. The first time you visit, they ask what you prefer to drink after a day of travel: water, soda, diet soda, what brand, and so on. Then, a few minutes after you arrive, they deliver your beverage to your room on ice. They keep your choice on record so the drink will be waiting for you in your room the next time you visit.

For frequent visitors, the Four Seasons has a system where it intentionally leaves the wrong soda behind. Ten minutes after arriving, these frequent guests hear a knock on the door. Each guest opens the door to find a staff member holding a bucket of ice with that guest’s preferred soda . The staff member then apologizes for the “error” and leaves.

The Four Seasons’ strategy is to make sure the guest doesn’t take the soda for granted. What do you think? Is this smart or is it insincere? Regardless, one thing is for sure: Consistency is king with everything from marketing to relationships to raising kids.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Where do you need more consistency in your life?

The Growing Bamboo

Someone told me about the Bamboo Tree and how it grows, and I felt it was a great metaphor for business. Apparently, the Bamboo Tree when first planted takes a long time to start growing. What happens are the roots are the first to grow into the soil. They grow to establish a healthy foundation to support this slim tall plant. When the roots are ready, the Bamboo Tree begins to grow at an alarming rate. I did some online research and this is what I found:

“Bamboo has an amazing growth rate. It is much like a telescope in its growth habit as it emerges. Its growth has been measured at almost four feet in a 24-hour period during the spring shooting period.”

If you’re in business for yourself or if you’re an innovator where you work, hang in there! When it comes to announcing a new brand within a brand, I tell my clients that all campaigns go through three phases. The first phase is creating overall awareness. The second phase is people starting to talk about it. The third is action. Hang in there. Not everyone is going to embrace or accept your idea. You must prove yourself. You will have early adopters who will get it and see your vision. Spend your time with these people. They will help spread the word to others. Go where the water is flowing. When you hit a rock (a “no” person), flow around it.

Be patient and you‘ll find your roots holding fast—and your Bamboo Tree beginning to grow at an alarming rate. I’m still growing my roots, but my plant is starting to sprout!

Joe

ACTION PLAN: Find three people of support this week!

Thinking from the Inside Out!

Wow, it is very difficult to market from the inside out. Being a marketing firm, our job is to look at a client from a customer’s point of view and present the uniqueness and magic of that business so the prospect understands it and engages. This is so much easier than creating marketing materials and messages for our own company. A quote from early in my career sums it up well, “It’s hard to read your label from inside the bottle.” This is why it’s hard for businesses to create their own marketing materials.

However, our most recently invented and founded enterprise, the About Me Card program, is quite a different matter. Even though this is an internal brand, because it is a physical product with attributes it is much easier for us to market than our own marketing company, Prophit Marketing.

We recently moved into our fourth location: A beautiful building on North Broadway in downtown Green Bay located in a vibrant business area that is rich in history with many renovated structures. With this opportunity, we have a chance to make tweaks to our image and how we present ourselves. It is very difficult. We are figuring it out, but marketing yourself is a very challenging undertaking. The main reason is you tend to take for granted what you’re good at because you live it every day. What is mundane and normal for you could be the difference maker to an outside prospect. This is why marketing is such a struggle for most businesses with internal marketing departments. Bring people in to evaluate your brand and message. It will really shed light on how to communicate your brand.

When you work with internal marketers, you really need to learn how to look from the inside out. Out to what your customer sees. The only way to do that is to seek outside short-term counseling. I’m not talking about so-called “experts.” I’m talking about a group of people who you feel will give you honest feedback.

Before I leave, for my friends on the west side of the state please mark down June 24th. Viterbo University along with Festival Foods is bringing The About Me Card roadshow to your area. Learn about the most powerful Servant Leadership tool ever created! Click here for details!

JOE

ACTION PLAN: Reach higher by reaching out to others for perspectives on your business!

Where is your focus?

I would like to tell you a true story of a bit of wisdom I received from one of my Process Managers regarding a client we’ve been working with for about 16 months. It all began with our Uncovery process, which we used to uncover a lot of gold nuggets for this client. Uncovery is the process of interviewing a good cross-section of employees, management and owners as well as some clients and “uncovering” strengths that are taken for granted by the owners and management team. We take these “gold nuggets,” as we call them, and develop these strengths into a winning strategy for the future. In this case, the strategy was very different than what the owner had surmised going into this process.

We began developing all the tools needed and implemented the strategy. A couple of new clients were brought into their fold and then about a year and a couple of months later a very large client came knocking with a very large order that has since developed into a fruitful long-term partnership. I asked my Process Manager, “So, what was it that led to the sale? Was it the new website, the magazine ads, the trade shows… What?” He responded, “Their focus.”

He reminded me. There is no one thing that determines success. It’s the overall focus of the leadership team and associates who are focused on a particular strategy and doing small things everyday that led to the big hit. It’s so true. Have you ever had business come to you out of the blue that happened to be the perfect client? Almost always that is no accident. It’s because you focused on it.

Ah yes, the great power of focus!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: What’s your focus? Write it down and share it with others. Don’t have one? Open it up to your associates and get ready for an interesting discussion.

90% of Success Is Just Showing Up!

I’ve written on this topic before. Just showing up is often 90% of why a person is successful. When it comes to sales, successful sales people will tell you “never stop calling and reaching out.” That extra call often turns into sales. I was reminded of this fundamental truth while having lunch recently with a stranger at a Society of Animal Welfare Administrators conference, which I had been invited to speak at.

The gentleman I sat next to sold large operating systems for animal shelters. Products that cost a lot of money and last a long time … 20-30 years. They do not have the luxury of repeat business. So I asked him, “How do you market yourself? Booth space, hand shaking and walking around?” His response was, “Both.”

He admitted that it was very difficult but he found that continuing to show up can lead to unexpected connections that can result in sales. So why do we often get busy making excuses as to why we’re not reaching to meet our potential? Is it fear that holds us back? The fear of being wildly successful? I may sound a little sarcastic, but Nelson Mandela believes that what people truly fear is success.

You are a uniquely talented individual who has the right to be wildly successful. If you find you are limiting yourself or making excuses as to why you can’t, instead focus on making a plan as to how you can!

Joe Kiedinger

Advertising in a Recession

There’s a car dealer on the west side of the state. Yes, I said a car dealer. Ya know, that industry that has been slammed by this downturn in the economy. They have seven lines of new vehicles as well as used. They have the typical service and body shop you would see at any other dealership. Yet this dealership is special.

It’s special because the people who run this dealership have a drive and commitment that is rare in these turbulent times. Their commitment to service is top notch. I heard it myself when the president stood up in front of his leadership team in the beginning of 2009 and said, “We’re in for a rough road. We’re going to run leaner and better than ever before. I need you all to find ways to work leaner without sacrificing service. And though we’re looking for areas to cut, advertising will not be one of them.”

You see this company made a commitment to continue to tell customers about the savings they can expect with their tire program, the service they can expect from their technicians and the overall benefits of doing business with them. It’s true, sales were very tight the first half of the year. However, after three years of being 100% consistent with their message and media coverage, the bottom line began to rise and continues today.

If you’re ever in the La Crosse/Onalaska area, stop in at Dahl Automotive. They get it when it comes to focusing on the customer and their brand. By the way, they’ve recently added Mazda to their lineup and have expanded their downtown location. Perhaps nobody told them we’re in a recession!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Do you have vision and perseverance? Now is the perfect time to gain market share. Contact me and I’ll help you.

Are You a Poser?

My 13 year-old son, Alex, educated me on the new term for not being authentic—“poser”. He is an extremely talented skateboard dude! He’s only been skateboarding for a couple of years and his skills reflect that of a four year boarder. Early on, he would have me shoot video of him doing tricks—which he wouldn’t always land. So, he would edit two takes together to make it look like he did land them and then shared the video on YouTube. His simple cinematographic edits were obvious.

He would receive YouTube comments accusing him of being a poser (which he admits he was at the time). Now I am happy to report, Alex is no poser. His tricks are authentic and he’s quite good. This example, however, is exactly the essence of marketing. Today with the social media, people have access to authenticity like they never did before. With Twitter we can learn if our favorite celebrity likes fishing or shopping at Macy’s.

People don’t want smoke and mirrors. They want the brands they interact with to be authentic and definitely have no poser qualities. Is your brand authentic? Do you have a social networking strategy to allow you to connect with your customer? Do you see your brand through rose-colored glasses? Do you deliver on your marketing promise?

Authenticity and consistency can build any brand assuming you are delivering on your marketing promise. Now go out and be yourself!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: If you need help with your social networking plan, contact me for a free consultation with our social networking guru. You need to get in the game.