Blair & Associates :: Making Business Come To You

March 11, 2008

Remarkable Branding

Which company gave us this, “We’ll deliver a hot, tasty pizza in 30 minutes or it’s free?”  Yes, Dominoes!  It got your attention did it not?  Who doesn’t want hot, tasty pizza or it’s free?  In the same way small businesses need to be noticed and remembered in an unforgettable way.

After you, the business owner determines your target market and the big benefits you provide customers, now you want to turn your attention to how you will become known in a compelling and powerful way. How will you distinguish yourself from everybody else?  How will you position your business head and shoulders above the crowd?  Developing an effective brand accomplishes this.  Branding illustrates your uniqueness. Branding makes you remarkable.

You are already familiar with successful branding.  Wal-Mart uses “Low Prices Always.”  Fed Ex tells us to use them “When it absolutely, positively has to be there.”  Nike’s brand is “Just do it.”  These brands powerfully point to the essence of the business.  The brand is carefully crafted to connect with the customer’s heartfelt need or desire.

Uniqueness is the Basis for Your Brand

A service based business should be known for one skill, talent or ability.  You may have more than one but you want to be known especially for one.  This special skill plus your passion to serve others makes your business unique.  This uniqueness is captured in your brand.  A good brand is bold and illustrates the fully self-expressed business owner. Your brand should be clear, consistent, authentic, memorable, meaningful and personal.

A successful brand defines your business.  But first, you must define it.  Well defined brands attract the right kind of customers.  Your brand allows your customer to “see” you.  Your customer connects with your brand because you “get” them and they “get” you.  Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Carey are famous comedians with unique styles or “brands.”  Jerry takes everyday events and turns them into funny stories.  Jim Carey uses his outrageous physical comedy to get laughs.  Both are successful but they have very different “brands.”

How to Create Your Brand

Two components make up a successful brand.  The first is who you work with and the services you provide.  For example a small business owner might serve home owners in Rockingham County who need home remodeling.  So, that is the “who and do what” portion of the brand.  A number your competitors will have the same.

Secondly, the “why” portion of the brand tells why you do what you do.  It explains your passion for serving.  It emotionally connects with your target market.  It explains why you serve your customers and the uniqueness you bring to your work. The home remodeler I mentioned crafted “Venture into Beauty” as the “why” of his brand. His special ability to design and build is motivated by his desire to create a beautiful home. This passion and uniqueness is what the customer “sees” and identifies with. Those in his target market who are ready will identify with his brand. The “why” portion is what sets him apart and describes the benefits of his business in a compelling way.

Remember, your target market is attracted to your business when they see your brand and determine that you can meet their heartfelt needs and desires.  Not everyone will be attracted to your brand.  Only certain ones.  We established that when determining our target market.  However, one thing is certain.  Without an effective brand, a business is left with competing head to head with everyone else.

So, connect with the customers you want to work with, show the unique solutions you offer and, most importantly, why you do it.  Don’t try to compete at the same level with everyone else.  You are unique.  Your business is remarkable.  Show your remarkable brand.

February 1, 2008

Why People Buy What You Are Selling

Isn’t it great to receive a beautiful invitation in the mail where you are invited to a grand opening of a new business and the guest list is limited to the new owner’s close friends, family and a few business associates – and you?  You walk in and are warmly greeted, the food is great, you are treated like someone special and have just a wonderful evening.

I’d like to try to convince you that you should invite, just like the grand opening, only those clients carefully chosen by you into your business family.  I’m suggesting that ideal clients allow you, the service provider, to be fully expressed – providing you the energy, enthusiasm and a sense that you really are providing a service that makes a difference.  As business owners we need not only to make a good profit from our efforts but to cultivate a life as well.  I want to provide you with the system that allows you to hire only ideal clients and refer the rest to others.

Less than ideal clients are difficult, frustrating and drain you of energy.  For each business owner it’s different but basically you walk away wondering why you ever wanted a business in the first place.  Therefore, I am going to ask you to get rid of your difficult clients.  “What’s that?” you say.  “I thought marketing was supposed to gain business not lose it.”  Exactly, by identifying your dud clients and letting them go, in the proper way, you will be gaining business in the long run.  I know it sounds illogical but hang in there with me.  I wouldn’t tell you this unless it was true.

First, take an inventory of your current clients and list the ones you most enjoy doing business with.  Then list the personal qualities of your contacts. I’m not referring to what “things” they have but what qualities they possess.  It might be their willingness to act on a good opportunity or stay optimistic in the face of pressure. It might be they are willing to make alliances or work well with others.  It might be their perseverance.  After you have finished with the ideal clients list your difficult clients and their characteristics.  They may pay slowly, become argumentative, act selfishly, communicate inconsistently, being closed-minded etc.

From this information you want to develop a “filter” from which you assess prospects and customers.  For example, one consultant I know has the following for a filter: his clients must be resilient, courageous (facing fears), big thinkers, value-oriented, naturally collaborative, rapid responders and positive.  You will have a different list but you get the idea.  From now on this will be the benchmark for your clients and I urge you to keep as close to this as possible.  If you stay within 75% of your filter list you will be doing well.

Difficult clients are not necessarily “wrong” but they are not the right fit for you.  Provide value for your difficult clients by referring them to others who can serve their needs better.  Keep your reputation strong by referring not dropping.

So, without your dud clients you will have fewer customers.  But you will now have more energy to “hire” ideal ones.  Also, you will do your best work which means more sales and profits. In time, you will be far better off.  I realize some of us feel the pressure to persuade anyone with a pulse to become a customer.  That, however, is short-sighted and will not help you long term.

Let’s review.  First, know that the service provider should work only with ideal clients where the maximum energy, joy and fulfillment from your business reside.  Next, know the personal qualities of your ideal clients and replicate those qualities by using a filter to “hire” the right ones.  Finally, no longer accept difficult clients into your clientele and refer your existing ones away.  Remember, when the prospective client is interviewing you, you are also interviewing him.

November 27, 2007

Working only with Ideal Clients

Isn’t it great to receive a beautiful invitation in the mail where you are invited to a grand opening of a new business and the guest list is limited to the new owner’s close friends, family and a few business associates – and you?  You walk in and are warmly greeted, the food is great, you are treated like someone special and have just a wonderful evening.

I’d like to try to convince you that you should invite, just like the grand opening, only those clients carefully chosen by you into your business family.  I’m suggesting that ideal clients allow you, the service provider, to be fully expressed – providing you the energy, enthusiasm and a sense that you really are providing a service that makes a difference.  As business owners we need not only to make a good profit from our efforts but to cultivate a life as well.  I want to provide you with the system that allows you to hire only ideal clients and refer the rest to others.

Less than ideal clients are difficult, frustrating and drain you of energy.  For each business owner it’s different but basically you walk away wondering why you ever wanted a business in the first place.  Therefore, I am going to ask you to get rid of your difficult clients.  “What’s that?” you say.  “I thought marketing was supposed to gain business not lose it.”  Exactly, by identifying your dud clients and letting them go, in the proper way, you will be gaining business in the long run.  I know it sounds illogical but hang in there with me.  I wouldn’t tell you this unless it was true.

First, take an inventory of your current clients and list the ones you most enjoy doing business with.  Then list the personal qualities of your contacts. I’m not referring to what “things” they have but what qualities they possess.  It might be their willingness to act on a good opportunity or stay optimistic in the face of pressure. It might be they are willing to make alliances or work well with others.  It might be their perseverance.  After you have finished with the ideal clients list your difficult clients and their characteristics.  They may pay slowly, become argumentative, act selfishly, communicate inconsistently, being closed-minded etc.

From this information you want to develop a “filter” from which you assess prospects and customers.  For example, one consultant I know has the following for a filter: his clients must be resilient, courageous (facing fears), big thinkers, value-oriented, naturally collaborative, rapid responders and positive.  You will have a different list but you get the idea.  From now on this will be the benchmark for your clients and I urge you to keep as close to this as possible.  If you stay within 75% of your filter list you will be doing well.

Difficult clients are not necessarily “wrong” but they are not the right fit for you.  Provide value for your difficult clients by referring them to others who can serve their needs better.  Keep your reputation strong by referring not dropping.

So, without your dud clients you will have fewer customers.  But you will now have more energy to “hire” ideal ones.  Also, you will do your best work which means more sales and profits. In time, you will be far better off.  I realize some of us feel the pressure to persuade anyone with a pulse to become a customer.  That, however, is short-sighted and will not help you long term.

Let’s review.  First, know that the service provider should work only with ideal clients where the maximum energy, joy and fulfillment from your business reside.  Next, know the personal qualities of your ideal clients and replicate those qualities by using a filter to “hire” the right ones.  Finally, no longer accept difficult clients into your clientele and refer your existing ones away.  Remember, when the prospective client is interviewing you, you are also interviewing him.

August 30 , 2007

The Elusive Secret of Local Advertising

What is the purpose of advertising?  Is it to “bring people in” or “keep my business in front of the customer?”  Advertising has a very specific target.  It is to “gain an equity share in the target market and reach and motivate an adequate number of customers such that a business can gain its desired growth.”  The equity position occurs when a customer thinks of you when he needs your product or service.  The primary equity position in a market means customers think of you first when they have a need.

Advertising should gain equity mind share first and simultaneously motivate inquiries and sales. Most advertising in local markets is based on capturing immediate sales through price considerations. Gaining equity position is a distant second if considered at all.  I’m not saying you should never advertise a sale.  What I am saying is that advertising sales and selling price is not going to help you if your competitor is consistently offering his unique advantages and benefits.

The real secret in advertising is knowing and utilizing your business’s strengths as they compare to the competition.  This is called the Unique Selling Proposition or Pre-emptive Advantage.  The USP (Unique Selling Proposition) is a benefit or advantage that is yours and yours alone.  It’s something your business can become known for.  It might be the speed the product is delivered.  It might be your incredibly flexible return policy.  It could be always providing more value than you promised. To maximize business results a business must be continuously advertising its USP.  It is also true that the perception of a unique advantage is also just as effective.

Most of us have heard Andre Viette on the radio or TV.  He is an author, speaker and has been taking customers on cruises to beautiful garden spots.  I recently heard him speak at his Daylilly Festival. Basically, Andre came to Virginia as a grower of flowers.  But he has done so much more.  He is also an expert at marketing and advertising.  Since he knows the consumer needs and wants to know about flowers and gardens he has been willing to teach us, and do it with insight and humor.  I think his USP might have something to do with “giving more value than the customer expected.”  He is a very good example of a business that understands and uses the secret of advertising.

When planning your advertising make your first priority the capture of your customer’s mind as it relates to your type services.  You want him to think of you first and always.  Secondly, use your unique advantage to position your business.  You do offer something unique.  Now, go ahead and tell your story.

July 9, 2007

Knowing Your Target Market

A specialty contractor worked with homeowners of all kinds, but did not target anyone in particular.  His typical job was price sensitive even though he did the best work in town.  Most of his jobs earned only a small profit.  The contractor couldn’t make enough to hire a manger, take a vacation or basically have a life. 

After studying his situation we decided that he should be marketing to high-end homeowners because of his meticulous work.  These homeowners had the money to pay for his services.  Not only did we target a new market, we emphasized his superiour wormakship.  Then we did a targeted mailing to 1000 homeowners.  The result was booking that totaled 10 times the cost of the mailing – so far!  The customer typically did not haggle about the price.  The contractor is thrilled with the marketing effort. 

How do we know our target market?  If you are already in business, who are the customers that give you the most dollar volume of business?  What is their demographic?  What type of customer is most profitable and easiest to do business with?  What kind of client are you most equipped to serve?  Who do you have the most in common with?  Who fits your style of doing business?  Ask these questions and evaluate the answers.  In many firms, 80% of their business comes from 20% of the customers.  We want to replicate those 20% over and over.  If they are ideal customers focus on them.  There is little reason to work with “dud” customers if “ideal” customers are available. 

June 11, 2007

Sales Doing Well? Re-energize Your Marketing

Recently I had the opportunity to work with a client who had been in business four years and experienced rapid growth.  He leased new equipment to meet the demands of increased business.  He hired more employees.  Sales were above expectations.

The owner started out working hard to make prospects aware of his offer.  He traveled to make personal sales calls. He telephoned hundreds of prospects. He was an effective marketer and salesperson.  As the orders increased he felt the pull to be in the office more to run the operation.  He was the customer service rep, plant superintendent and buyer all in one.  In the fourth year orders took a slow but steady downturn.  Some of his steady customers went elsewhere. When I met him he was almost in a full panic.

As I analyzed the situation, it became clear that one important aspect of the business had changed.  The owner was no longer initiating an aggressive sales and marketing campaign. He was not making customer retention calls. He was not seeing customers one-to-one.  He had a web site but it was not effective.  There was no direct mail, e-newsletters etc.  The only contact with the customer was when they placed an order. 

As our businesses grow deterioration of the marketing effort is a subtle but powerful temptation.  We can not allow our marketing efforts to stop even if sales are good.  Sales may not be good next year.  Marketing needs to be a mindset.  It is a battle to gain a share of the prospect’s mind.  Marketing has three foundational principles. It needs to be consistent, on-going and resonant.  Marketing must contain multiple layers of contacts with customers over time.  We must be in the forefront of the customer’s mind. 

Business owners work in their businesses every day.  They don’t ever forget the benefits of their product or service.  However, our customers do not see us every day.  They receive thousands of messages of different kinds every week that demand their attention.  They hear from our competition.  We don’t realize customers forget about us.  We must not allow them to forget. Marketing is our sales revenue insurance policy. We can never allow our marketing to stop.  Business owners need to work not only “in” the business but “on” it.

I understand marketing budgets may be small.  The effort needs to fit within your financial constraints. There are 45 ways to market a small business.  Choose the three or four tactics that fit your situation.  I would rather see you with a 1” ad in a small newspaper or an e-newsletter to 100 customers each month than nothing at all.  Make it regular and ongoing.  Don’t give up. The goal is developing equity mind share.  We want to keep our central slogan in the public eye consistently and continuously.  We need to keep the outbound marketing effort going – always.

Take a moment to evaluate your marketing effort.  List the ways you are currently marketing your business.  How long have you been using each tactic?  Is the effort consistent?  Which tactics have you stopped using?  Were you too busy or were they ineffective?  Do you need to reinstate some of your old marketing strategies?

Today, make a commitment to regular and ongoing marketing that fits your budget.

May 1, 2007

Taken from the new publication “Making Business Come to You”

1.  Alliances - I have found that making alliances with others in business and utilizing the strengths of other successful business people greatly increase positive results.  Isolation is the silent deadly business killer.

One way to join together for mutual gain is to form power groups or classification groups.  These are small groups of business people band together to either pass referrals or help each other in business.  One group might be in the same general classification such as marketing, finance or retail. Both work. There are several large referral businesses in the marketplace that have groups of 20 – 30 that break up into smaller groups.  

2.  Outside help - Consultants and coaches temporarily provide a highly prized business asset that the small business needs but can not afford to hire an employee.

3.  Vision - A vision states the future position or influence of the business in respect to its place in the market.  No matter what business you own, a service business, retail store, a manufacturer or construction company, management needs to transmit a clear vision to employees and customers as to the future position of the business.

4.  Consistent and continuous marketing -   As small business owners, we can not allow our marketing efforts to stop even if sales are good.  Sales may not be good next year.

The goal is developing equity mind share.  We want to keep our central slogan in the public eye consistently and continuously.  We need to keep the outbound marketing effort going – always.