And You Are?: The Misconception Behind Name Recognition in Buisness

Riding home from the sign shop today with my Partner in Crime, I was made aware of a fact that I must have known somewhere in the back of my mind--people like their names. My partner was telling me that a woman had wanted to buy a set of car magnets for her business and wanted a picture of her face on them. He had to politely decline because our shop doesn't do full color anything (vinyl only). As he was talking, I thought to myself, "Oh, the woman must be a Realtor or a Makeup Artist." I was wrong. She had a cleaning service. The novelty of the whole story is what inspired me to write this post.

People Like Their Names
And I don't mean that it has anything to do with the actual name. Whether they think their name is plain or ugly or whatever, they like their names because it is the one thing that is always 100% about them. A name is unbelievably personal, probably the most personal thing a person can have....that's probably why when you "personalize" something they normally just put your name on it in fancy letters and hand it back to you. Being attached to our names means that we want to attach it to something bigger, better, greater and that's why most people have the uncontrollable urge to "name brand" their business.While "name branding" has its proper place in the world, there are a couple of misconceptions I'd like to clear up.

Names Don't Always "Make You"
Unless you're a well respected professional, connoisseur, celebrity or celebrity train wreck, your name won't get you much of anywhere. The sad truth is, unless people already know your name they won't learn it just because you want them to. You have to make them. Sound tough? It is. Example: You decided to open a mechanic garage. After working for years at top repair facilities and even with pro racing teams, you make your first foray into the entrepreneurial realm. The name of your business? Johnson's Garage. You hand out fliers a week before you open then sit back and wait for the customers to flood in. But...nothing happens. You keep waiting, and the only things that fill the office are dust bunnies. You start to wonder what went wrong... I mean, you've gotta be the most qualified mechanic within 100 miles of your shop, so where's the line out the door? Still wondering who this "Johnson" character is.

It wasn't wrong to name your business after yourself, but to reap the benefits you have to cultivate the reputation first. As a fictional mechanic, you must consistently provide top quality service at a reasonable price and be honest. After a few years people will stop saying "oh, I took my car to that place on 3rd St, you know the one next to the Taco Bell" and start saying "yeah, I took my car to Johnson's." This is true for most businesses you might participate in. Excellent services or products sell the name, not the other way around--at least for newbies, business vets play by different rules.

The Name Game Reversal
There is a flip side to name recognition that could be very negative, even detrimental to the new/small business owner--"Too Much Me." "Too Much Me" is where customers identify with you more than your product. At first it doesn't sound all bad but let's look at an example shall we? You graduate from a top technology college and decide to open a company that supplies parts and kits for solar panels and wind turbines, for residential consumers. You name it Circy Agro-Energy, your fictitious last name being Circy. Your customers become familiar with your name because your stock has just gone public, you were recently featured in INC. Magazine and your new clean energy plan just opened in Detroit, employing 75,000 people. But no one knows what "Agro-Energy" is or that it's for homeowners like them. Is it a bio-fuel processing plant? Hydroponics? Alternative energy producer for city electric grids?? Nobody knows and they don't care to find out. Eventually you have to launch a public awareness campaign to associate your name with your product, otherwise, your name would be on everyone's lips as the latest big bankruptcy case.

The moral of the story: Never puff up your name so great that is overshadows your purpose

When Image Matters
In certain businesses, names mean EVERYTHING. Banking and Real Estate are a few examples, fashion is another...after all they are in the image business. The reason names resonate so greatly with us in these areas boils down to trust. We have to feel like we "know" the business to trust them with the big decisions--retirement planning, home buying and new hair colors--and the best way to get to know a person starts with their name. Remember, names are personal. That means 2 things
(1) We attach values, feelings and expectations to another person's name once we know it
(2) Names hold people accountable for their actions, we can recall who hurt us and avoid them later
And that brings us to another word of caution: if you tie your business to your name, they both must stay afloat, i.e. if the reputation of one sinks, so does the other. You can make people learn your name just as easily through lies and trickery as you could good works, maybe even easier since people love scandal.

Putting your name on the line should never be an easy decision. You must weigh it carefully and never expect a no-fame name like your own to rocket to the top without work. Play the Name Game smartly and you'll win every time.

F-Word Marketing: The 10 Minute Summary

This post was inspired by one of my favorite authors on the subject of marketing, Jay Conrad Levinson. In one of his books he talks about the F-word. "F" meaning Free. He goes onto elaborate on all the free things a guerilla marketer can do to boost their business, several pages worth excellent advice, and well worth the read. However if you don't have the time, or the book, you can take a look at my little summary that should only take you 10 minutes to read, that is if you don't stop to take notes...

People
Let's stop to think for a moment. Seeing as how this post is coming out around the holiday season, I'm sure there have been a lot of school fund-raising catalogs floating around your office. Ever stop to think why? Because its easier to ask someone you know to buy stuff from you than someone you don't.

A parent helping their kid out with sales is going to start with their "inner circle"--friends, family and co-workers at they are on generally friendly terms with. Levinson reminds us that it doesn't cost a penny to market to these people, often a simple conversation is enough to turn them into a customer. And if they are a happy customer, guess what? The will tell other people. People who might give you a try because they are on generally good terms with the person who recommended you. The power of people is often underestimated or completely over looked but always remember, no people, no customers. No customers, no business.

Information
The Internet has spoiled and entire generation of people, myself included, into thinking that if you look hard enough, you can get pretty much anything for free. While that is true to a point, and the quality of said "anything" can be highly suspect at times--the real issue is people like information, free information. If you give out free information, people might like you too, or at least like your business.

But you can't just give out lists of the most common pet names of the last year or stories about your Aunt's bunions and expect people to want to hang around. Free information has to follow some guidelines:

1. It has to be useful
2. It has to be current (especially with facts and figures, anything over 5yrs old is considered out of date)
3. It has to be relevant to your customer's problem/situation
4. It has to be easy to get to, read and pass on

Basically, if you're going to give out free info--say on your website or in the form or a monthly newsletter--make it so good people will think they should be paying for it!

Keystrokes
Keystrokes are free! Well, they are after you buy the computer. So maximize your investment by:

• Starting a blog-its another great way to share information for free, like I'm doing right now
• Creating a newsletter-perfect solution for online retailers because it allows you to announce sales and specials without spending money for a direct mail campaign
• Being social--and by that I mean social media. Advertising on Twitter and Facebook may cost a few bucks here and there but user accounts are free so use them to stay in touch with customers, announce specials, or create a community around your product/service

I'm sure if challenged to, you could come up with more marketing tricks that are 100% free than I have listed here. Good. Think hard and write them down then do them. A good marketer doesn't always need money to spend, just a little time and elbow grease. Reading this post should have taken up only 10 minutes of your time (maybe less!) so there is plenty left over for you to get to work. Good Luck and may the F-word be with you.

How to Use Craigslist Right, in My Opinion

My first foray into guerilla marketing started a few months ago when I picked up an awesome little book by Jay Conrad Levinson. I read a lot about his thoughts and practices but never actually put his good advice to use until I started my sign shop. Mr. Levinson is a big cheerleader for classified ads and acknowledges the growing popularity of online classified ads as a money saving alternative. By far, Craigslist is the most popular online classified site, but navigating the spam laden beast to get any true value from it takes some doing. This post is to share some of what I've experienced in hopes of saving you some time and effort.

Intro to Craigslist
"Craigslist is a centralized network of online communities, featuring free online classified advertisements – with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums."--Wikipedia
Its very similar to the Sunday classifieds that run in your local paper, only there is no cost for most listings and the viewer ship of craigslist pages is in the hundreds of thousands--even millions in some cases. Check out the Factsheet for more about Craigslist.org.

Writing Your Ad
Classified ads are meant to be brief by nature so get to the point. If you are a dog groomer, make "dog groomer" your post title not something like "Time to Love Fido Back". When looking through listings, people scan for pre-determined keywords in their brain. Make your title 7 words or less and frank.

The first line of your ad is where you engage. If some one is reading your ad, that means they clicked the link. If they clicked the link, you can be fairly sure that they are interested in what you're selling. Now you can talk to them:

• Briefly explain your business or service
• Pick three or fewer points to highlight (i.e. no minimum order, same day delivery, etc.)
• Provide contact information and business hours
• Make a call to action (i.e. call now for a free quote)

Choosing Your Category
Craigslist has 11 main categories. The ones you will be most likely to post in are "service offered" and "for sale." You have to choose your sub-categories wisely as Craigslist reminds its users to "Please post to a single geographic area and category only -- cross-posting to multiple cities or categories is not allowed." The categories are pretty self explanatory, but you can always use Craigslist Help if you have questions. However, the easiest way to determine if your ad belongs is to read some of the others in the category you're thinking about posting in. It will also help you to determine what makes a good ad and what makes a bad one.

Measuring Results
I post in 7 different categories on Craigslist. Since I've only been at this a month, I'm still in the process of collecting accurate measurements on which categories bring me the most real traffic (as opposed to SPAM). One of the most accurate ways to find out where you're ad is doing the most good is variation. I only post ads about banners in the "skilled trade services" category. Ads about coroplast yard signs are listed in "general", ect. When I check my messages I look at what the person is asking for. So far, my banner ad in "skilled trade services" is working the best. You can adapt this approach to fit your situation even if you don't have varying products to sell. If you offer a different incentive in each ad (i.e. free consultation, 5% first order, ect.) you can track the successfulness of your ad just as easily.

Beware... SPAM!
SPAM is still a big part of the internet and, unfortunately, a big part of Craigslist. While the site does take precautions to help cut down on fake posts and web bot solicitations of posters it does still happen. I get around 5-7 SPAM emails per post. The most common are people emailing me links to other sites where I can "post my item for sale" or scammers trying to get me to agree to bad money order transactions. I never click any link sent in a Craigslist email, it could be a Pandora's box. I also spot scammers with a few easy flags:

1. Misspellings
2. Poor grammar like the writer is not a native English speaker
3. False greetings like "hello ma'am/sir"
4. Short messages saying they are "interested in my item" but give no other detail or information

The good news is you won't get a lot of these messages. They normally only message you once and when you don't respond, they go looking for another patsy. I only post 3 ads a day once a week. That's 15-21 fake messages and most of them are caught by my junk mail folder before I even get them. For around every 5 fakes, I get 1real inquiry. That inquiry is worth it.

Making Your Winners Work
Now that you've written a great ad and measured the results from your posting schedule, you need to ramp it up. Right now I post once a week. Once I weed out less successful categories I can post more often in the categories that work for me. Be aware though, that a once a day post is the most you can do for a single ad, so have two or three versions written up. It will keep your message fresh and help cut down on redundancy on Craigslist.

Client Databases: Your Support Network

Its been a while since my last post. Starting a small business venture while juggling clients is hard work, so my blog has been on the back burner. I couldn't for the life of me think of an appropriate topic. It came to me today while doing some client follow ups--Client Database=Good.

Back in the good old days of paper and ink, a client database was nothing more than the big Rolodex on a businessman's desk. It held every name, phone number, address, and note about each contact that its owner would need to conduct business effectively.

Fast forward to 2010 and the age of the "2.0" everything. Most small business owners don't own a Rolodex, or even believe in their power. Quickbooks holds client info. That's just as good right? Microsoft Outlook keeps track of my contacts, what more do I need? Both very valid statements, now let me take the time to prove you wrong.

What's So Wrong with Quickbooks?
Short answer: nothing. Quickbooks is a great way to keep track of orders, invoicing, income and expenditures. It is accounting software for the everyman, and everywoman, in business for themselves. But its just that, accounting software. While it may keep track of basic contact information and orders, it is not set up to relate non-accounting information in a useful way. When you construct a client database, specifically for the purpose of housing client information, you have control over the way your information is displayed. Control is good. Example: You run a sign shop. You want to promote plastic yard signs as your monthly special with a direct mailing campaign and personal phone call to all clients who have purchased signs in the last year. Using Quickbooks, you can look up the orders of each business by their name only. With a client database, you can sort by date and type of purchase, then just print a list of names and contact info. The information is available to you electronically in both scenarios, but which uses less time?


Misplaced Expectations & Outlook
Outlook is awesome, but it can't do everything. Yes it makes managing contact information easy and because its a Microsoft product, things like mail merge are a breeze. But its functionality stops there. Outlook manages mail. Conversations. Not products. Not orders. Not your client relationships. A client database can hold more detailed information than an Outlook contact page--information that may come in handy. Example: You own an upscale full service beauty salon. You offer specials for holidays and clients' birthdays. One of the employees suggests a mother daughter manicure pedicure deal for the month of May, because of graduations. With a client database, you could gather and store information tailored to your marketing needs because it is constructed by you for your own use. In this situation, you could search your client list for Women >with daughters 17-18 and prepare a nice mailer explaining your offer. Alternatively, with Outlook as your contact manager, the best you could do is mail merge all the addresses on to address labels and direct mail everyone on your list.

The 5 Truths about Client Databases
The title of this post talks about a "support network." Your clients are your support network. They support your business. You should support them and a database will help you do that. Its all about After Care, a practice that isn't just for hospitals anymore.

1. Not every database is a useful database. Databases that are poorly maintained, missing information, out of date and/or have too much or too little information, are all just a big waste of time.
2. Planning and maintenance are a must. Before you start on your database adventure, sit down with a blank piece of paper and think. You need to decide (1) what the database will be used for and (2) who will use it. Plan out your fields of data and how you will collect them (i.e. will the clerk ask the customer, or will the customer be given a form, ect.). Create your database and set a schedule for updates, in addition to making changes as they occur. The scheduled review will allow you to identify problems or trends within your database, that you might not notice when popping in to make an address change.
3. Databases can enhance relationships. Small businesses have the advantage of "face-to-face loyalty"--you see your customers regularly, you know their buying habits and may even be on a first name basis with them. You've built a relationship. Because of that relationship, any communication you have with them will not be seen as spam or unwanted solicitation (as long as you don't get crazy with it). So look them up once in a while and call them, or write them--handwritten letters are best--and say something like "Hey Sue, it's Margret over at the Tea Cup cafe. I wanted to send you some early birthday wishes and let you know about the great menu the restaurant will be having the weekend of your special day..."
4. Databases can help you provide better service. A properly constructed database will give you the tools you need to understand your clients, their wants and needs. It can also help you identify habits so you can anticipate requests.
5. One database may not be enough.  Databases with too much information are useless because you can never find what you need. If you run a very detail oriented business or have thousands of clients, you may need several databases that cross-reference each other for enhanced functionality.

I'm writing this on the verge of starting my own customer database. I'm sure going through that process will afford me some valuable information to share with all of you. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

A Note About Staff: The Cashier Salesman

It was time to change my oil again. Not too long ago, I would have pulled into a Super Lube and waited for a little more than half an hour to get my car serviced--but not anymore. I change my own oil now and had to go in for supplies. While standing at the register waiting for my friend to bring over a better oil filter than the brand I usually purchase, the cashier struck up a conversation with me.

Apparently, not to many young ladies my age are willing to crawl under their car and get dirty just to safe a little extra cash. I thanked him for the compliment, thinking that would be the end of it. Nope. He seamlessly turned the conversation to sales. "You know" he said "If you're changing your oil today why not check the other fluids in your car. We have a special on windshield wiper fluid. Only 4 dollars." I had only intended to purchase what I needed for the oil change and this guy was trying to up sell me on something I didn't even want. I was going to have to turn him down, but before I could even open my mouth to politely refuse he followed up with "Its really high quality, if you haven't replaced your windshield wipers in a while, they probably squeak when they rub across the glass. With this stuff you won't get that noise anymore." Shock! How did he know that I hadn't replaced my wipers in a while? It doesn't matter. I added the Rain-X to my tab. Why? Because he made the purchase relevant to me. Though I was only changing my oil that day, he convinced me that 1) I could kill two birds with one stone and freshen up my windshield fluid while I was at it and 2) That it would solve a problem I was having.

The cashier salesman is a rare breed. Most of us encounter the type of cashier who gives us a company required greeting and proceeds to scan all our bar codes without making eye contact. When there is a personable body behind the register its disarming. A real person with thoughts and opinions on the products they are selling can do a few different things:

• Make the rest of the staff seem more knowlageable by extension
• Open up the customer suggestions
• Create a better customer experience
• Promote a better corporate image
• Increase sales

Going back to my example. When dealing with an auto parts store, customers expect a certain level of understanding to begin with, but personal use and knowledge of the products makes conversations sound more like testimonials and not sales speeches. When customers open up to suggestions, you are guaranteed a sale. They may not buy the product that day, but you can be sure that if they ever need that item, they will remember what you suggested and come back to you to get it. Everyone loves a good experience when they shop, it encourages word of mouth referrals and sales by extension.

A Cashier Salesmen does four things well:

1. Identify
2. Associate
3. Suggest
4. Explain

Back to my example. The cashier in the store identified me as a novice level do-it-yourselfer. Once he made the association between my car care interest and aptitude, he was able to suggest other things I could do for my car that were just as simple if not easier than an oil change. He also went so far as to explain his suggestion and why it would matter to me.

Cashier Salesmen are great but hard to come by. If you're a retail business owner, these are the people you can't afford to pass over. Even though I only added $4 bucks to my tab, the interaction with my cashier will be much more valuable to the company in the long run. I continue to buy from them because of all the useful suggestions and advice I receive on how to keep my car healthy--which is very important to me.

Cost Versus Value

I've been working with a client for a couple months on a print project. Assembling a book for sale is a big deal--especially when you choose to self publish. There are a lot of options out there that will offer new authors on a budget a helping hand, but my guy decided to go to a local print shop. Fair enough, choosing someone local gives you more control over the project. A print agent you can talk to and get real time advice from is an excellent choice for the first time self publisher who has no experience with book assembly. However, the subject of this post is not about the pros and cons of online versus local self publishing (although it might be an interesting topic to entertain at a later date) its about the dynamics of Cost and Value.

Low Cost=Low Value?
We've all heard the old adage "You get what you pay for." I agree. For instance, the offerings at Dollar Tree stores across the nation have expanded drastically in the recent years. Shelves that used to be filled with ceramic knic-knacks and cheap fake flowers now hold some really useful things, like umbrellas when the rain catches you off guard. When you buy an umbrella for a dollar, you don't expect it to be high quality, you don't expect it to last, you just expect it to be a "momentary item"--good for a few uses and completely disposable. After all, you got your money's worth.

Let's go back to my client. He chose a local print shop because of their price--their cheap price. The product he received from that shop looked, well, cheap and he was dissatisfied. In hoping to save money on the production process, my client has actually cost himself more in the long run--he now has to pay to have the book printed over again, and he's stuck with money invested a pile of product he's too displeased with to sell.  When making decisions about your product, or image, or business, remember that it should never be considered a "momentary item." Invest the time and money in yourself and your venture knowing that the value you receive in return makes it worthwhile.

High Cost=High Value?
Times are tight for everyone, and people in my line of work are feeling the crunch just as much as anyone else. Businesses usually cut marketing,and design by extension, to save money in their budgets. There are a million reasons why you shouldn't, and only one reason I can think of that you should--Cost>Value.

There's a particular clothing store that specializes in young female 20-somethings. I really liked their clothes. Yep, past tense. The price tags prohibited me from buying most things, but it was just my luck to catch a sale. I'd purchased a short sleeved casual jacket to dress up my sleeveless tops when meeting clients. I was able to get three wears out of it before the buttons, the nice buttons, came off in the wash--all of them. Granted, they are just buttons. I could go to any fabric store and pick up some plain replacements, but its the principle of the matter. I paid extra for that jacket perceiving it to be of higher quality than a Wal-Mart knock off. I was under the impression that I was making an investment and that the jacket would last until I had gotten my money's worth--the value equaled the cost. It didn't. I learned that just because something is expensive, that doesn't make it better; a very different lesson from the above paragraph but one to be taken to heart.

When examining your efforts, production, marketing, ect, be sure to evaluate what you're actually getting. Track where your business is coming from to make sure you aren't wasting marketing dollars. Shop around for manufactures to compare production costs. Re-evaluate your relationships with other businesses to make sure any partnerships really are mutually benificial. The list is endless. Just make sure that your cost doesn't out weight your value because in the end, you'll end up passing that cost along to customers and they may not be so willing to pay.

Give Your Customers Credit: Examining a Thin Line

I know that I've been talking about customer service a lot lately. So sue me. I'm a customer and I love it when I get good service. Today I'm going to talk about the tight rope business owners walk when courting their customers.

I'm just going to come right out and say it, convenience is important to customers--but you already knew that. Thinking about it logically, if you make it hard for your customers to patronize your business because of weird hours, a crazy location or any number of things, then they will take their business elsewhere. However, in an effort to make things easy for the customer, business owners end up mollycoddling them.

Give your customer some credit. (1)They can handle it if you aren't open every day. Case in point, boutique cafes are usually closed on Mondays. No big deal. If the service is good and the food is amazing, customers will make the extra effort to make time to eat there. Managing "open door" days can help you manage overhead and give your shop a more "exclusive" feel, just make sure you keep to a regular schedule. (2) They like you for you. Meaning, you don't have to reinvent yourself constantly to keep them interested. A little "tuck and tighten" to keep things fresh is always welcome but if you enjoy loyal clientele and make steady money then a radical change is dangerous. You risk alienating your regulars and potentially picking a direction that turns everyone off--including new customers. (3) They want to be on your side. Don't mess this up. I speak this from personal experience. When I patronize a place I want them to succeed--at least initially. If I receive good service and good product (or food if its a restaurant) I want to come back. I want to recommend it to friends. I want to host parties there. I want to be on their team. Some business owners approach every customer as a challenge to be overcome when they should be approached as a friend to be won.

With everyone holding on to their purse strings a little tighter these days, customer service is getting more attention even in big companies, but small companies still have the advantage. They can walk this thin line between customer respect and just being patronizing. Pop out that umbrella, take a deep breath and give it a try.

A Day in the Life: Be Accessible

I had another post planned for today, but as I worked along bouncing back and forth between planning a birthday party and working on marketing materials for a client I came up with today's little tidbit.

Planning parties is really fun for me. I don't think I would ever want to do it professionally but if I was a wealthy socialite I would probably throw parties more often than I would shop. Since I'm not yet to the point of hyper-expendable income I try to organize gatherings in bars or restaurants, that way, all I have to do is send out an invite and maybe pay for a round of drinks and viola! instant party. One of my favorite places to throw a budget-soiree is a local lounge. Why? My friends are bartenders, the atmosphere is upscale but inviting and most importantly the space is accessible. By "accessible space" I mean the owners are approachable, friendly and hungry for business which makes the space feel open to guests, their needs and suggestions.

We've all been there. The bar you never quite feel like a regular at. The pub you take a couple friends to but never to celebrate anything. The restaurant you may eat at because its convenient but you think to yourself as you leave "why do they have a banquet room? I've never seen anyone in there." These are all examples of inaccessible space.

An inaccessible space can be defined as a place that makes customers feel like customers--not guests. Business owners miss out on a lot of potential revenue by creating environments that are not multipurpose [i.e. providing a service/product and building relationships]. Its easy to see how a bar or restaurant might make themselves multipurpose and accessible by renting party space, but what about the hardware store owner? Or the kitchen supply guy? They should take the initiative and build an accessible space by offering classes, hosting "members only" shopping or sales events, even allowing regulars an exclusive trial of new high priced items.

People like to feel welcome, like they matter and like business owners appreciate the money they get from their customers. Chains don't have that luxury but small business owners do and they should take 100% advantage of it to watch their business grow.