Warady's Riffs, Raves and Rants on Marketing

How difficult do you make it for people to do business with you?

Sometimes I sit in amazement and wonder what companies are thinking. They seem to do things that, if one didn't know better, one would think they are purposely setting up roadblocks to make it almost impossible to conduct business. I liken it to building walls around their rose gardens; they might have a beautiful company on the inside, but no one gets to see beyond the walls.

Let me share a quick story with you.

I am fortunate that as part of our consulting practice, I do a fair amount of corporate and association speaking. I am asked to present at annual meetings, sales meetings, industry events, etc. It is not my primary role, but it is a growing segment of the consulting work that we offer.

We are always looking for ways to grow our business, and therefore thought it might make sense to outsource some of the lead generation work in finding new speaking opportunities. While we do not have a desire to join a traditional speakers bureau, we did think it might make sense to hire an agency that helps market speakers directly to organizations.

One of the agencies that we found seemed to be a perfect fit. When I visited their website (boy, did it need a redesign), there was a web-form on the site that was called a Speakers Interview. If you can believe it, it asked 24 questions, and the questions were not yes/no; they were essay questions which required someone to type in the answers.

As if I have time for this!

So I sent the agency a nice email (I swear, I was sweet as honey), and suggested that I was a bit too busy to fill out all of their 24 questions, especially since I only type with two fingers, and one of my fingers is sore. I suggested that they call me and ask me the questions verbally over the phone, and I'd be happy to respond.

Keep in mind, they make their money off of speakers, like me. If I were to contract with them, I would be paying them.

So what do you think happened. They responded via email, saying that they only will speak to me when I have completely filled out the 24-question form, and if I did not want to fill out the form, I must not be a qualified speaker and therefore the form did the trick for them. It "weeded" me out!

Guess what. They lost me. For good. I will never do business with this company, and they will never receive a dime from me. What can they possibly have gained from this attitude? How can they think this is good business? Who has provided them with this marketing advice? Crazy!!!

What about you? Are you making it difficult for your prospects, your customers, your clients to do business with you? Is there a wall around your rose garden? What can you do within your own company to make it easier for people to contact you, to dialog with you, to do business with you?

In these days of Social Media, don't be confused with the true meaning of the word "friend".

I lost a friend this past week. Brian McMullen started out as a "work friend", but then over time, simply became a friend. Brian and I met when he took over the Managing Director position of a UK company with whom I had a partnership. He was 11 years my senior, and at the start of our relationship, there were a lot of contentious times. We both were stubborn, we had tense negotiations, we argued regularly, we were always disagreeing about money, and we each thought the other one was wrong more than right. But over time, our friendship grew, and it was based on two things; Trust and Respect. I always trusted Brian, and always respected him, and I like to think the same holds true for his feelings towards me.

Why do we have such an obsession with smelly things in America?

And that's just for our personal self. This doesn't even address the obsession that America has with Febreeze. This brand did not exist 12 years ago, and today it is one of P&G's billion dollar brands. We Febreeze our furniture, our clothes, our pets, our cars, our shoes, our rugs, the air, and anything else that might have a hint of odor. (If this product had existed when I lived in the fraternity, I'm sure we would have used it instead of showering. We could have sprayed ourselves on the way to class).

Do you ever wonder why certain retailers succeed and other similar businesses fail?

Think about it. In comparing the successful and non-successful retailers, they basically carry the same merchandise and same brands as one another. They are located in similar strip-center shopping locations. Their pricing is similar. So what is the difference?

I think it is this. It is all about executing the "Attention to Details."

Personally, I have been in business for quite some time, and I am known to have my really strange business idiosyncrasies. I only allow black ink in our office. Highlighters have to be available at all desks. We use 1/3-cut file folders, and all of the A's have to be left tab, B's have to be center tab, etc. We have dedicated envelopes for dedicated projects. And a simple document that is prepared for a client might go through six revisions. Some people might think we are wasting time thinking of these things. I simply think we are focused on the details.

The other day, I walked into a Quizno's sandwich shop in Chicago. Honestly, it is going to be my last visit ever. The store had one employee, and he happened to be the owner. As I walked in, he was sitting out front at a table reading the newspaper. The floor had soiled napkins and crumbled straw wrappers under the tables. The tables were dirty. The glass in front of the preparation area has finger smudges. The potato chip area was not full. The cash register had food stuck to it. And the condiment area had horseradish sauce dripping off of the counter. It had to be one of the most unappetizing places that I have ever visited.

Now you have to know me. Most people would be disgusted, and either order their food and leave, or simply leave. But I'm more of a pain in the neck than that. Instead, I asked him how business was. When he mentioned that it was slow, I suggested that I was not surprised. I then pointed out all of the things that I thought were deficient in the store, as he stared at me incredulously. (I told you, I'm a pain in the neck).

Here is the good thing. Since they have to prepare the food in front of you at Quiznos, I watched carefully and made certain he didn't spit in my salad as retribution for my unsolicited advice. But he was definitely happy when I left.

Think about your business. How does your business look to your prospect and your customers? How does your business card look, your website, your Facebook page, your emails, your letterhead, your presentation materials? What do people see when they see your company materials? What do they see when they see you?

My suggestion is to take some time, and perform an "attention to detail" analysis. Companies that succeed, especially in today's environment, will succeed because they are paying attention to the details, and it is the details that make the difference!

It's the weekend. Grab a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy this video.

(Warning! This might be a bit risque, so no one under 18 should read this....)

In the UK, this same product is under the Wilkinson Sword brand. (Schick does not exist in the UK). Take a look at the television commercial that has been produced for the product in the UK (The company has named the advertisement "Mow the Lawn"). For a country made up of people that we Americans think are so reserved, when it comes to things like this, they are so much bolder than we are. They tend to simply tell it like it is without getting hung up on moral standards. (By the way, the video is worth playing twice; there is a lot going on in a short period of time, and quite a few "symbols" are used, as well as some VERY CLEVER lyrics). It also should be noted that this video (and therefore the brand) has gone viral. It is now in the current top 10 of YouTube videos.

Things are certainly different for kids today than they were when I was growing up. Today, kids have to decide if they want an X-box, a PlayStation3, or a Nintendo Wii to provide them with the  most realistic life experience. While they are playing their action game of choice, they tend to listen to an iPod, inevitably with a cell phone nearby just in case a text message comes through from a friend, and maybe a portable DVD player playing a movie in the background that they have seen at least ten previous times. 

Business is difficult.

I’m not necessarily speaking of business during a down economy; I am speaking of business in general. It is not easy to be successful in business, and this is true whether you own a business, or are an employee within a business, or are a freelancer promoting yourself as a business. It has never been easy to achieve success, and in my opinion it has recently become exponentially more difficult.

That is why it pains me when I meet people who are simply “going through the motions.”

Allow me to interject here to all of the people with whom I work, whether they are co-workers or clients. This is not directed to you. I promise! You get enough of my direct comments on a daily basis to know what I am thinking, so the last thing I need to do is to tell you in a blog.

But lately I have had the opportunity to observe people in business, whether they are CEOS of large companies (listen up GM, Macy’s, Starbucks, etc.), business owners of entrepreneurial start-ups, or company employees, who all seem to be just going through the motions. They aren’t lazy per se; they just seem to be doing the basics, and not trying to be overly exceptional. This lack of desire to be great, shows; it shows in their own business when their sales suffer, and if they are an employee, it shows in their personal advancement, or lack thereof.

Why, you might ask, am I taking the time to make this an issue?

The fact is, after having been in formalized business since I was 13 years old (it’s a long story, but trust me I was not part of any underage slave trade exploitation), I am finding that keeping up with everything, and staying on top of my personal game, has never been more difficult or more challenging.

I have to share with you, I find that it is not easy doing everything that is necessary to be able to reach and maintain certain levels of success. I remember when I thought it was hard to keep up with all the faxes that I received (I know, I know, I’m showing my age). And then it became difficult to stay on top of all of the emails in my in-box.

Today, in addition to my normal work as a consultant and a speaker, I attempt to keep up with the following on a regular basis:

  tr I try and post on my blog at least 3 days per week.

I p I post on Twitter at least 5 days per week.

I'I   I'm a contributor to RetailWire, and post at least 3 days per week.

 I I I maintain my status updates on Facebook, daily.

I I I maintain my relationships via Linked-In, daily.

Think about this. None of these things existed 5 years ago. And now they are a part of my daily routine, and the day is still only made up of 24 hours, and there are no more days in the week. It isn’t easy.

Add to this the fact that I read about 50 aggregated online newsletters on a daily basis, and am always reading a current book on business, marketing, or trends, and you get the picture. I have run out of time to sleep, and while I have always worked 6 days per week in my normal business, the 7^th day is now spent primarily on personal development.

So what’s my point? (I realize that I’m rambling a bit).

Business is hard. Personal branding is hard. Keeping up on all of the communication is hard. Staying on top of the changing technology is hard. Staying abreast of new trends is hard. Reading all of the necessary books is hard. Striving for excellence is hard.

But in today’s fast paced, ever-changing business environment, do we really have any other choice? I’m not suggesting that I have any right to tell you how to live your life. But I can tell you this; it is not going to get any easier to achieve success in business, and the time that we need to spend perfecting ourselves, and working our craft will continue to be significant. Achieving the proper balance will be even more challenging.

Yet, there is an alternative. We can strive to be mediocre.

End of diatribe…

This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to take a short road trip. My wife and I decided to visit a friend in Milwaukee, and living in a northern suburb of Chicago (Evanston), the drive to Milwaukee is only 90 minutes. Not much of a road trip, but enough of one to notice differences in buying habits.

As part of our visit, we stopped at a couple of different supermarkets (I’m a real joy to have around on these trips, as I am always looking to venture off for a  store visit). They couldn’t have been more different, yet they tell a great story.

I had the opportunity to visit the Whole Foods in Milwaukee. This is the only Whole Foods in greater Milwaukee, an area that boasts 1.7 million citizens. (They have another store in Madison, 77 miles west of Milwaukee). You would think on the Saturday before Easter, the store would be busy. It wasn’t. In fact, it was dead.

It’s a nice store, beautiful shelving, subdued lighting, soothing music, but it just doesn’t seem right for the market. I make no disparaging remarks about people who live in Milwaukee, but they simply don’t seem to be Whole Foods people. In fact, not only are there rumors that this store might close, but one of the areas where they prepare fresh cooked foods has been completely shuttered, and is being used as a storage area.

Now compare that with another store that I visited in Kenosha. There is an Employee-owned supermarket chain named Woodman’s Markets, based out of Janesville, WI. (You can’t get more middle-America than Janesville). They have 12 stores throughout Wisconsin and northwest Illinois, and if Whole Foods is pistachio almond gelato with a biscotti, Woodman’s is Vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup, and a ‘Nilla Wafer.

Woodman’s greets you with a lot of cakes and German kringles, when you walk through the front door, and the healthy eating goes downhill from there. The stores are massive, they’re cavernous, the lighting is fluorescent, the shelving is early warehouse, and the merchandise is stacked high at the end of every aisle (“Stack it high, Watch it fly”). And I swear they were playing a polka as background music, but I could be wrong.

Woodman’s has no loyalty card, no product demonstrations, no cooking classes, no nutritionist on staff, and they don’t take credit cards. Cash, Debit, or Food Stamps only.

But here’s my point. They know their market. The store was packed with people, purchasing large shopping carts of heart-clogging, carbohydrate-laden, staple items, and the aisles were completely full of Woodman’s employees restocking the shelves as quickly as people were putting the product in their carts. Recession? Maybe so. But people still have to eat, and Woodman’s knows that.

What’s the lesson?

If you have the right product, and the right service, at the right price, and you understand what your customer wants, you will have huge success. It honestly is as simple as this.

Woodman’s Markets are perfect for Wisconsin, and their 12 massive stores prove it. Whole Foods is struggling in Wisconsin, and their 2 stores are indicative of this.

Know your target market. Know where they live, where they shop, and what they want. And don’t sway off course. Simple business. Simple marketing.