TNG Blog

Googlize me! Using trends and buzzwords to get your small business on the front page of Google

“I feel like I need to make a fool of myself or do something outrageous and then somehow connect that to my business to get any hits on the Internet. This whole new era of digital marketing is going in a way that I just don’t like, but I know that I will have to catch up with the trend, one way or another.”

Keeping up with trends has never been easy. It tends to be a full-time job: trying to stay informed, processing collected information, predicting trends (with some luck) and implementing an action plan – be the first who sensed it – be a trendsetter! However, if you are not a Nostradamus-like business owner, then there is nothing wrong with being even an early follower – a successful follower who is not brave enough to predict and innovate – but surely is capable of spotting something that is becoming hot before the majority does. For a small business owner, this is just one more thing on the to-do list (unless your hobby really is reading all sorts of business-marketing-social media related articles). We small business owners do want to get on board with all the big guys and follow them – as much as our resources allow. They were predicting the social media boom – we Facebookalized and Twitterized to stay connected to our customers; they said give a voice to your business – we Blogolized; they said localize – we Yelpalized for reviews and Grouponized to get some coupons out there. Now we need to Mobilize or should I say Applicalize (although mobile marketing was mentioned in 2008 as an upcoming trend, a recent research report says that 40 percent of small businesses still don’t have a mobile ready website or application), or go viral and get out there on YouTube. By the way, do all of this while focusing on the key task – keeping your business up and running. And then even if we find time to do all of this (or we pay someone with our hard-earned money to do this for us), we are still not there – not getting enough ‘hits’ and ‘likes’ on the Internet, nor popping up on the first or second Google pages, nor getting a major bump in our revenue.

“The tragicomedy of today’s world is what people are interested in seeing and what they respond to.”

What should we do? Let’s take a look at the current situation.

If you are a small business owner that Blogolized or already YouTubechannellized, and you somehow found the context to mention Charlie Sheen in the last month, you likely realized some hits that you wouldn’t have otherwise. I mean, it’s all about passion, right? Did you have ‘Charlie Sheen’ specials? Come on, don’t disappoint me now, you want to be in the trend right, get some winning rolls? ( I guess it’s my cynical day, sorry guys, this is how I roll sometimes.)

Or, giving a kick on Friday to your community with Rebecca Black’s “Friday”? At least if you Facebookalize yourself, your followers would get a good laugh. Don’t you want to add some amusement to your marketing mix while your name pops up in front of your follower’s eyes?

If we keep looking around current trends, we see that you just need to do something totally outrageous or somehow only interject into your own context ‘the most interesting man in the world’; after all, that is exactly how you want you/your own business to be perceived. Outrageous marketing is definitely the ‘in thing’ – with the ‘most interesting man in the world’ in a head-to-head matchup with the outrageous Old Spice guy. Can you turn your customer’s world upside-down with a new marketing approach or, even better, with your service or product…sort of like both of these guys can? Aren’t trends weird? Is being weird and different today the only thing that triggers customers’ attention?

So what can we do about all these trends? Should we follow them, embrace all of the pros and cons that they bring? Get sucked into trivial and dull for more exposure?  How much is enough to stay current but not get lost? Can we Googlize ourselves painlessly to get those über-wanted hits?

So, how is big business coming to an end with these trends? They make a ‘virus’ and spread it! We can’t do it like Smart Water (money is just ‘a little’ obstacle), but at least we can learn from them and admire them for squishing all the current trends and top searchable words into one marketing gig:  Jennifer Aniston (ok, no link on J.A. we all know who she is), Keenan Cahill, G6, internet nerds, animals (puppies and parrots), babies (dancing babies), dirty dancing (uuuu), double rainbow, sex tape. Lots of hits, can you feel it?

Sweet, right? I don’t know if you heard, somewhere among all the buzz about Charlie Sheen and about Ms. Black’s Friday, but Japan was almost wiped off the face of the Earth. Maybe it’s time for you to get that flyer or e-banner out there to raise awareness and raise some funds to help Japan.

About political correctness, small business, marketing and a better humankind

Growing up in Europe, I must admit that I wasn’t very familiar with the term ‘political correctness’ (PC). Somehow, we just became numb to such things; the diversity of a relatively small continent with nearly 50 countries and more than 20 languages (plus hundreds of local and regional dialects), where after centuries of wars and animosity, we finally found a way to live together and become more accepting of one another and our differences. We joined our free spirits from the south…warm, spicy, and hot-blooded people, who hug and kiss and share their food unselfishly with new acquaintances over a glass of wine, where topless beaches are viewed not as ‘girls gone wild’ but as a normal alternative option that is not a big deal, whether you choose it or not…and the north…where brownies are made with love and another ‘special’ ingredient, where some adult shops do have windows and merchandise displayed to the public. Now that you have an idea regarding what I’m talking about, imagine some of us foreigners coming to a place where being PC is a must…a way of business and everyday life.

I wouldn’t even have written about this topic had I not observed a couple of bothersome PC / non-PC situations in recent professional matters. As business owners, our biggest dream is to attract as many prospects as possible and to convert them into customers, that is, into profit. Right? For a small business, this process of evolving from “have you heard about the new neighborhood business” to “OMG, they were part of the 4th of July parade” to “they donated money for making a new basketball court in an underprivileged part of town” to “they have environmentally friendly uniforms” to “I will shop there regularly because I like who they are, what they stand for, and how they do business” is challenging; I’ve found that we’ve become over-sensitive and that, for every politically correct action, someone is likely to find a politically incorrect perspective.

However, it is generally very simple. A business owner wants to send the world a positive message about his or her business; a message that will motivate interest and ensure favorable standing; a message that will not leave a stain on the business, business name, or brand; a message that the business is not prejudiced and is open for everyone; a message that everyone’s money is more than welcome. Or maybe not that simple???

The Holiday Season

The time right around the holidays is always key for political correctness. Yes, you know that time of sending out greeting cards to your current and prospective clients and vendors. When I was first exposed to this, I just didn’t understand the drama about colors! “No, we can’t use red. No, not green, that’s also a Christmas color. No, not blue, that’s only for Hanukkah.” I still remember one of my former employers forcing that one big snowflake on the card. That seemed safe. A few years later, with a different employer, I remember the same color issue around the end of the year; we ended up using purple and avoiding any potential PC issues.

Should I even mention Happy Christ-Hanu-Wanza being replaced by ‘Season’s Greetings’ (of course)? I guess that humans just want to complicate things. We are afraid of simple, because simple has to mean losing something. Could we proclaim one color as the official holiday season color and just simply use it during the season? Aren’t you sometimes tired of being PC from late November through early January; people seem to lose sight of what’s important, that someone has thought of them and wished them a greeting of joy, luck, and happiness? Isn’t that actually what’s most important?

Pictures and Illustrations

I mean, the picture (e.g., advertisement, brochure) has to have a Caucasian, an African American, a Hispanic/Latino, an Asian, a homosexual, a female and a male representative, right? Else, someone will feel forgotten. Overseen? Unimportant? Untargeted? I mean, seriously. I am ok if a female is not represented in the commercial of a product that I’m considering. I don’t care if they use a Martian as a spokesperson for McDonald’s, I will still indulge in eating junk food…sometimes. Why do people find themselves called out or forgotten so easily and so often nowadays? Why is the sensitivity level so high and self-awareness so low that it has to be proven all the time?

So, what advice can I give to a small business owner concerning this whole PC / non-PC debacle? I guess that shifting attention to Valentine’s Day and welcoming Spring seem like good ‘neutral’ ideas and safe ground. You don’t want to get on the bad side of the community that you work in; you don’t want to be the rooster that crows before time and gets his head guillotined…to set an example for the other roosters. Or, to lose your customers because you wished them a happy ‘wrong’ holiday – you can’t afford that financially. But! PC was brought about by people in a moment when society felt the need for it. Many people feel that it’s time to overcome this forced ‘respect’ and censoring of free speech. Many business owners would act more freely if PC weren’t directly or indirectly enforced. The fact is that marketers continue to point out that PC kills good marketing and restricts creativity. However, PC continues to remain in our society. Yet, who wants to be the lone rooster that crows before the break of dawn?

This is one of those ideologies that begs for a relatively mature society, which has already overcome trivial issues; unfortunately, at this time, it seems possible only if we as humankind are threatened by aliens, or robots, or who knows what else; only then will be united and not feel threatened or disrespected by one another. Until our society grows to the level of self awareness and mutual self-respect that doesn’t need to be ‘regulated’ by PC guidelines, we can all try to make small improvements by talking about what bothers us, trying to explain ourselves, accepting and respecting one another.

Or we can keep making commercials like this. No one insulted, right?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cEFrVdyV9w&feature=related

P.S. Kudos for creativity! The ‘pipe’ people really reinforce the message of the product while not being politically incorrect.

Today I’m the prey. Yes, this perverted and somewhat experienced socio-econo-marketing mind fell into a trap that was set by a business that promotes a ‘make your money now and run as if there is no tomorrow’ policy.

A logical question is raised – ‘How?’ I would say through the typical so-called ‘friend’ trap. You know those! Your ‘friend’ is involved in some kind of business and you want to be ‘friendly’ towards his or her business. ‘Why?’ is a second logical question that is raised. Because you are a supportive, caring person, a great friend, as I am obviously.

But let’s take one step back and go into the mindset of a ‘friend’. Today’s economy is very slow and ‘friend’ is trying to pay all the bills and get those latest Stuart Weizmann shoes for summer. Can’t blame a ‘friend’! Since you are friends, it means that your ‘friend’ may also know your income, spending habits and details about your business. Good Lord, it seems like the worst kind of perpetrator. ‘Friend’ knows that you are there for him or her; even with a friendly ‘semi-passive sales pitch’, you would probably go with the flow and accept the terms and conditions, without reading the small print. Remember, ‘friend’ knows that he or she is a ‘friend’ . ‘Friend’ is making a deal without working his or her butt off and is raking in his or her 30% commission, which goes into the Stuart Weizmann shoe fund.

Let’s step into the victim’s shoes now. You really try to be there for your friends and you want them to know that. You know that your ‘friend’ is working with some ‘cool stuff’, since he or she is always talking about it. One day, your friend becomes extremely enthusiastic about his or her ‘cool stuff’, so you decide to decrease your shoe fund and buy his or her product. You KNOW that you friend is not going to swindle you. However, very quickly you notice that your ‘friend’ no longer has time for you and declines going to the movies or grabbing a beer after work. Three weeks later, after receiving a few phone calls, you realize that your ‘friend’ has scammed you.

Now! There is a day after tomorrow, which I realized during the middle of my #@!?&*% rant! You will never again buy ‘cool stuff’ from this ‘friend’ – so, he or she has lost a valuable customer and future sales. You will use word of mouth marketing to make sure that none of your friends or relatives purchase ‘cool stuff’ from this ‘friend’ – so, he or she loses more potential customers and more future sales. In turn, they will also talk to their friends and relatives and bar them from purchasing anything from this ‘friend’. You will conquer your loss of new spring shoes, two days after tomorrow, believe me – it is based on experience. However, three days from tomorrow, your ‘friend’ will realize that he or she has not only lost a customer, but also lost a caring and supportive friend.

Idiot’s Advice for Small Business Owners: Always act as if there is a day after tomorrow! With your customers, clients, friends, and relatives, the world does not pause at your convenience. You will have to look into their eyes and deal with them once again. Don’t close the door for insignificant gains. Think BIG! Think about a circle – where if you give ‘good’ you will receive ‘good’. Yet be careful, this is still a world where some idiots will think that there is no day after tomorrow!!!

Preventing small business heartburn caused by a New Years Resolution!

February is in full swing and while some bloggers wrote about their small business’ New Year Resolutions (NYR) during December and January, I decided to skip the topic. In my case, writing about my NYR would have been like an attempt to aim and shoot blindly. You see, I have already felt all of the effects of today’s turbulent economy on my own skin, and didn’t want to betray and test myself and my business, but rather give us a full freedom to do whatever is needed to ‘survive’ 2010. However the fact that I did not publish my own NYR did not preclude me from reading and enjoying those issued by others. To be honest, sometimes I felt as though I was reading fiction or perhaps a public relations article aimed at potential clients. At other times, it felt more like statements from do-gooders like Mother Teresa about changing the world and depreciating one’s own existence, money, and profit. Interestingly, when you really take a good look, all you really see is a list of clichéd NYR that, when googled, could be seen repeating for years and years back.

So, if we consider those NYR, it doesn’t take a lot to realize that most small business owners will not be able to digest everything that they put on their plate. When setting their NYR, most people really excel at overestimating their own abilities, as well as the capabilities of their business, while at the same time misinterpreting the economy in which they are living and doing business. The reassuring part about this tragedy is that it doesn’t take a long time for most people to a) realize that their resolutions are not going the way they planned and b) begin simplifying and compromising their original decisions. After finalizing some research on the internet, I have made a list of 5 typical NYR (in no particular order) that small business owners chose to put on their ‘plate’…as well as some ‘probiotic’ to help you digest them.

Typical NYR #1…Develop a Business / Marketing Plan

Everyone is talking about it and you are aware of its importance, so that is exactly why this is your NYR. Fact #1: every small business has to have a long-term business plan, with special emphasis on financial projections and the marketing strategy. Fact #2: plans need to be flexible and regularly updated to showcase the most realistic situation and to achieve maximal responsiveness of the market and clients. This is where reality starts to set in…and panic starts to take over. You’ve spent all of your free time in December and January to write that ‘Business Plan’ and, while according to your plans should have not only completed most of the plan for 2010 but also financial projections and a marketing strategy for the next few years, you’re not even halfway through. Your tasks are piling up and you see that this NYR is slipping away from your control.

The best way to digest this huge meal is to make a very simple plan without too many details: a) chart your activities for one year, b) determine how much money should flow in and out of your business to stay profitable, and c) tackle one quarter at a time to determine what is feasible to ‘swallow’ that particular quarter. You already know one important fact for 2010 – it is not a good time to splurge – so, cut down your costs and switch your mindset to a more cost-effective gear. Whatever you promised yourself, keep in mind that you are the one who fills the plate, both what goes on the plate and how much. It is important to keep your business healthy and capable of digesting your choices.

Typical NYR #2…Be Active in Social Media

Lots of small business owners announced yet another popular NYR – become an active user of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. You spent your entire January making friends on Facebook and Twitter, trying to establish a fan club/group (while acknowledging that no one beyond your friends and family is a fan of your business!), and updating your status several times a day. But all of that time consuming effort doesn’t seem to make any difference in your business, yet. The advice that you read online about tweeting often enough to ensure that your name stays top of mind with your audience (which in your dictionary meant tweeting every 30-60 minutes) just postponed other tasks or even put some clients on hold or waiting. You are asking yourself if this was a smart NYR. Yes, it was a good choice…you just have to be smart about how to digest it.

For starters, every small business owner needs to take advice from my ‘one at the time, starter kit’ (don’t start with being active on 5 social platforms rather one), understand that he or she has to build trust among an audience (it is only a social media, so make it your ‘friend media’ – you want them to believe you, don’t you), and redefine ‘active’ for their own situation.

There are two key items that you need to address – a) how often do you actually have time to manage social media marketing efforts and b) how do you author the most effective messages via this channel. Start with a once daily portion and build from there. This is one of those business related items that I truly support and that I know (and you will see) will not overload your company’s digestive system, if you eat intelligently.

Typical NYR #3…Join new Professional Organization / Networking Group

So you ended up joining another professional organization or networking group. I particularly have issues with this NYR, which is confusing and at odds with another common resolution… that is ‘More Family Time’ or ‘Improved Work-Life Balance’. For those of you that are willing to sacrifice your ‘free time’ networking or volunteering in a professional organization, then you should first ask yourself if you are a) exchanging your free time for a definitive increase in your revenue or are you b) giving up you free time to activities which, although suggest that you are still working, for you are actually entertaining? I guess every small business owner needs to answer that question for him/herself and to figure out whether a life outside of work or more business opportunities are more important. And if you do decide to sacrifice your personal life to an organization or networking group, don’t forget to ask yourself two key questions – a) what are the benefits to my business if I am a member of this group and b) is it worth my time to come to these meetings /events?

I guess some of us will say that the bottom line is – what kind of people are you going to meet and do they have a similar interest as you, because maybe your next best friend is somewhere there. Remember, whatever you decide to do regarding this NYR, you will still have to digest it whether it is to your benefit or demise.

Typical NYR #4…Invest in Yourself, Learn More, Read More

You spent January looking for training opportunities, seminars, and classes in your neighborhood and you still didn’t bring your decision because evenings are so valuable for your family and you are still not sure which opportunity would be the most valuable for you. You also searched for books, but weren’t sure which would be the best since the market is overfilled with so many books targeting small business owners. Sometimes googling and receiving too much information could be overwhelming and make finding great choices difficult.

While some people are skeptics about the value of online courses, they are a great option for home-based and flexible education (a great starting point is the Small Business Administration). You can learn something new, join a forum that the course offers and probably even see what would be recommended literature for certain fields of interest. Alternatively, if you decided against an online course and are more of a self study person, simply talk to some of your friends, vendors, or other resources in your community (e.g., business incubator) – they might recommend some great reading material. Be open to finding your own path to knowledge and you will be able to finish your ‘serving’ without dangerous consequences.

Typical NYR #5…Improve your Business’ Cash Flow

The last one of small business owners’ favorite NYR (#5) is ‘Improving your Cash Flow’. Yes, you promised this to yourself and to your business. However, you didn’t know that improving your cash flow would be so hard to implement with your current clients and vendors in place. Each of them has their own business methodology, so throughout January you were rethinking how to ask each of them to change.

Don’t panic if you don’t change them immediately. There is a lot that you can first change on your own to have a positive impact on your cash flow. Rethink your own salary and make a sacrifice to decrease your expenses this year, all with the goal of driving better cash flow for future periods. Do you really need that latest generation laptop that you intended to buy for your business? Do you really have to pay somebody to clean your business space for you or could you do it yourself? What I want to say is don’t spend money unwisely and don’t splurge. One more thing that you can do is to think about doing business the Japanese way – try implementing a ‘just in time inventory’ approach and don’t lock up all your money on your shelves or in the warehouse. Part of being able to do this lies in your management of supply chain, but another very important part is forecasting and being able to estimate needs.

Now that you have changed your own processes, you can begin to change the methodologies of people around you. Spend some time and create a standard reminder email that you will send out to your clients on a regular basis to avoid becoming their creditor. Perhaps offer a discount for up-front or timely payments.

On the flip-side, feel free to negotiate longer-term repayment plans with your vendors. It is a tough economy so a vendor should not be discouraged if you are still providing him or her with steady monthly payments. Alternatively, there has been a recent upsurge in ‘barter’ or exchange of goods and services, so think about ways that you can partner with your vendors. All of these actions, implemented one by one should help you improve your business’ cash flow and fulfill you NYR.

When is enough, enough?

This is a story about a friend of mine whom I will refer to as Bob (to maintain privacy); a very dear, talented, and smart person, and one of those people that many of you would say is not bound to this ruthless and unforgiving world but dwells in his own, better world. No, it’s not a story about me, to set the record straight. The fact that I have chosen to write about him is not mere coincidence, for I ran into him recently; we had one of those long evenings with wine & cheese, where he finally closed the final chapter of a story that I had been listening to for years. I am sure that many readers will recognize themselves or someone that they know in this story, since this is a story about exceptional people with amazing capabilities, a system and environment that doesn’t nurture them, and the courage and determination that they need to make changes and overcome mediocrity. I dedicate my first blog of 2010 to those ‘revolutionary’ people and to my friend Bob.

Bob was born to hard working parents, both of them highly educated with successful careers, social status that such careers bring, and money (of course!). I know that many people will say that he was born privileged. Maybe. In my observation of society, I concluded that if one has everything growing up and learns to respect hard work and dedication, then they would not usually display characteristics such as envy, malice, and spite, as they would not have lived on the edge of survival. That is what my friend Bob is like; he grew up studying hard, working hard, ensuring that he believed in his choices (e.g., career, friends), which he knew were right, not because money dictated them.

But now the story has a twist. As he became a young man, Bob started to carry the burden of having well-known parents (at least locally). Different people asked for ‘favors’, and to ‘motivate’ Bob’s parents to show interest, Bob’s grades, reviews, and detentions were used as the primary ammunition. But Bob was not distracted by these actions, nor as much as I know did his parents ever intervene. Bob continued to do his best in school, after-school clubs, and sports (especially basketball). While he did change schools a few times, the brand that he carried would quickly become known. I have to admit that he was able to persevere; the person that I used to know as a child didn’t change a lot – he was still that same humble, hard-working person that was only becoming more admirable each year.

After college, Bob started looking for a job. On a few occasions, his potential future managers would ask him about his influential father, immediately after discussing his education, capabilities, and the quintessential “where do you see yourself in 10 years” question. As expected, he received a few offers. I remember how excited he was when he told me about his first job – he was describing his responsibilities, coworkers, and path to management. But that initial luck quickly changed. As soon as his coworkers heard about his pedigree, they stopped collaborating with him. Soon, all the ‘bitch work’ finished up on his desk. He continued to give his best and complete everything professionally and effectively. He even went so far as to show initiative and develop a model for the improvement of a particular project.

“Why are you the only one who thinks that there is something wrong with the current model?” his boss asked him.

Following that conversation, his boss even recommended that Bob visit the corporate psychiatrist, citing him as having communication difficulties, lack of respect for regulations, and lack of respect for coworkers(sounds familiar?). Bob even agreed to take on this burden. During one particular session, the psychiatrist started to discuss Bob’s parents and somehow ended up suggesting collaboration between Bob’s employer and his father’s company. Soon thereafter, Bob decided to quit.

I remember a couple of other jobs that Bob also held, however none of them was like the first one in that well known company. In my own words, I would say that people used him – some for connections and networking, others for the high caliber of work that he delivered. I would even venture to say that he never asked to be fairly compensated for his knowledge and qualifications.

Somewhere down the line, we started talking about starting a business. I remember once him telling me that his father offered to help him start a business, but he declined. I also remember asking him why he hadn’t been working in his father’s company – but he almost killed me for even bringing it up, so I realized that it was not an option. Bob was full of business ideas, but he delayed starting one. Maybe it was fear of failure, fear that he wasn’t good enough, fear of the changing market, fear that he was going to be judged again because of his pedigree. I saw plenty of fear and questions in him, but also lots of entrepreneurial potential, vision, planning, and courage. There was a point in time when I really felt angry at his waiting. You know that feeling when you see an amazing person that is meant to be an entrepreneur, but is not doing anything. One day after talking with Bob for two hours, I said “you are just another lazy bastard” and hung up. We didn’t talk for a few months after that episode and I kept thinking about how I overreacted.

A few months ago, he finally sent me an email. He said that he quit yet another job because he was accused of being ‘too creative’ and again (as with a prior job) not ‘following regulations’. At the end of his email, he said that he was “working on something” and that we should get together during my next visit.

When we finally met, this most recent time…the wine and cheese night from the start of this article…he told me what I had expected, that he finally started his own business. It was an idea that we spoke about years ago. He finally felt the strength, courage, and right timing to see it through. He talked openly about how he started the business with little capital and a conservative approach, about all the challenges that he faced every day, about the decisions that he has to bring, and about his responsibilities to his two employees. He was my Bob, my childhood friend, who had finally become something that I had known long before he did, and become that something without losing himself.

I couldn’t resist asking him “how did you finally overcome all those problems from your past and find the strength to make the move?”

“Everything that happened to me gave me the strength to start this business.”

It sounded like a cliché, but Bob definitely didn’t fall into a cliché that had pulled on him since his birth. Not this time and certainly not anytime before! He had long felt that there was no place for people like him in big corporations. It appears that such rare gifted people, whose qualities are never truly valued as much as they should, in fact always end up finding their luck and themselves while being an entrepreneur and small business owner.

That is why this story about Bob should inspire all of you out there who have at some point thought about starting your own business. He did it, and that is what I also wish for you. Let 2010 be the year for brave, relentless, and enduring entrepreneurs! Geronimo!

Recently, I was touched by a potential business partner who flew an extra 400 miles, incurred an additional $1,000 in expenses, and went through the hassle, which is priceless…all this, for a business deal that was was neither 100% guaranteed nor necessarily profitable. A bad move, some of you would say. I was enlightened by his simple explanation – “I don’t want to be just a number, among hundreds of other accounts. I wanted to meet the people who would represent and sell my product in this market. I wanted to see if they would have the same passion and attitude to promote my products here the same way that I would.” Wow! Such a simple statement and so unconventional nowadays in a business world where more and more communication is through email, where websites do entire audio/video presentations, where blogs serve to provide evidence that the company has a live person who communicates and cares for website visitors.

Did we forget the ‘human’ touch in doing business? Because business is business and it is not supposed to be a personal thing. We all wanted to separate those two things for such a long time and now it has finally happened. But! Interestingly, it seems that trends are repeating. When a market becomes oversaturated with one business model, it craves for a new one. In the past, business was often very personal, relying on honor, trust, and references. At one point, doing business shifted towards a new model of standardization and hiding behind a corporate wall that seemed so cold and afraid of the word ‘personal’. Now this impersonal business model is succumbing to a new/old trend and once again business is getting personal. Is the human touch becoming a powerful weapon in the hands of small businesses that are fighting back against ‘the big guys’? Could we simply revert back to our ‘mom & pop’ roots? Here are three easy ways to start making your business more personal:

1. Believe in what you are selling by carefully choosing your product offering
2. Educate yourself about what you are selling so that you can educate others
3. Show yourself, both to your manufacturers and your customers

Believe. Let’s get something straight – you DO NOT have to offer a huge selection of products. You DO, however, need to execute initial research and discover the needs and buying preferences of your potential customers, while simultaneously researching products that are being offered to the market. Such research should help you limit your exposure to products that you believe in and those that will best represent your business and philosophy.

Barilla (Italian pasta manufacturer) is a perfect example of this philosophy. Barilla is a family owned business that primarily targets families, especially working families with small children. Barilla knows that the best promise it could make to this target segment is that their products are good for children. Because Barilla knows that every parent wants only the best for their children, it promotes products as being nutritious for children. The number one tenet of Barilla’s strategy is that Barilla believes in what it sells. Barilla communicates this philosophy through a compelling television commercial and conveys a promise… that they only sell products that they would serve to their own children.

Let that be your guide as well. Do not offer something to your customers that you do not believe in and that you might not ‘serve to your children’. You are the master of what you order and carry and you have to believe in every single product that stands on your shelves. Don’t just fill them.

Educate. After you decide on certain products, I would recommend that you educate yourself about them. How do you plan to sell any of your products if you do not know what you are selling?

Godiva is the gold standard for good Belgian chocolate. In many if not all Macy’s department stores, you can buy prepackaged Godiva chocolates, while in some stores you can also pick and choose individual chocolates at a counter. This season, Godiva is offering a new winter collection filled with fancy names that end up confusing consumers to the point that they can’t tell what’s in each chocolate truffle. On a recent occasion, I was curious and asked the ‘chocolate expert’ at the counter about what was inside one of those fancy named truffles. The ‘expert’ and his colleague, both of which couldn’t have been more than 20, were not educated about their selection. They grabbed a brochure and started searching both for the name and the filling. Too late! I was already headed out.

Next on my path for good Belgian chocolates was a small neighborhood store that exclusively carries chocolates by Leonidas, a Belgian chocolate manufacturer similar to Godiva. The ‘chocolate expert’, perhaps the owner, was already educated about every chocolate that he was selling. In contrast to the Macy’s ‘expert’, he was able to describe not only every product, but also the process of making those tiny Leonidas truffles, as well as all the spices and fillings they had inside. Bingo! I’m sure that every person who walks into that small chocolate store will buy even the chocolates that they were not planning on buying – just because they learned so much about Belgian chocolates and heard so much about the great taste and phenomenal ingredients.

Wouldn’t you rather be more like the Leonidas expert?

Show. Your name is MI09576. Really?

We want to simplify business, so reality nowadays is that we all have, and we all are, account numbers. But nobody said that you have to stop there. Are you afraid of getting personal with your manufacturers? Do you fear that your customers would think that you were weird if you asked them about their preferences? Is that getting too personal?

There are many ways to become more acquainted with manufacturers and to encourage them to partner with you, helping both your business (and at the same time theirs) in generating success. Show yourself to some of your most important manufacturers by participating in tours of their facilities, learning more about their production processes, and learning more about their key ingredients or raw materials. On the flipside, you could invite a key manufacturer into your business for a presentation on their products or for interaction with customers and offering of samples.

Show yourself to your customers and show that you care about them, product / service quality, and the fact that they are receiving the best possible value for their money. Building this bridge on both sides (manufacturers and customers) will give you more transparency and visibility, as well as place you one step in front of your competition, bringing more trust and loyalty to your business.

So, do you finally understand why a manufacturer would fly an extra 400 miles and spend an additional $1,000 to meet a potential partner? In his eyes, this extra effort went a long way in helping me believe in his business and become more educated about his products. In my eyes, our meeting helped me ensure him of my dedication and passion – that I do believe – and that I wish to become educated about his products. Along the way, a bridge is build between him (manufacturer) and me (small business). It is now easier for me to extend the bridge to my customers and help them believe in my business.

It’s time to say your name out loud. It’s time to get personal again.

Not so long ago, I saw ‘Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant.’ An irresistible urge pulled me into the movie theater to see what else remained to be said about vampires and what new products could be launched in this ‘year of the vampire’ (this is how I refer to the period of time following the release of ‘Twilight’), a year that has seen incorporation of the vampire trend in everything from nail polish (e.g., black, dark purple) to television series (e.g., The Vampire Diaries) to foods and drinks (e.g., Vamp Energy Drink). I would lie if I did not admit that I was attracted by the fact that the director of ‘Twilight’ (and the soon to be released ‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’) is brothers with the director of ‘The Vampire’s Assistant.’ Oops! Is this simply a family’s obsession with vampires or an insider’s tip about how profitable it is to make vampire movies; either way, there is a clear message – do it as soon as possible and as much as possible (that is why both brothers have left their respective movies open ended). An alternative concept is that the director of ‘The Vampire’s Assistant’ just wanted to follow the latest trend, one set by his own brother.

Whatever spurred on the brothers Weitz, it seems that an old family recipe was followed: start with a mix of good and evil vampires, add a few friendship issues, spice it up with a little romance, and top it off with a dash of teenager – put them on the screen and serve the movie to an audience that is guaranteed to chew it up (since they can’t go to clubs, bars, or other venues of entertainment). In this ‘year of the vampire’, making a movie about vampires or incorporating ‘vampire’ ideas into mass products and services is a sure profit, or at least some directors and companies appear to think so. But wait, there is enough money to go around for everybody; the mass market can consume the entire ‘vampire’ offer and leave room for seconds. Just one magic word: Twilight. Voilà…the trend of 2009! Should we consider ‘Twilight’ as a trendsetter? While ‘Twilight’ did not invent the ‘vampire’ flick, this reinvention was a nicely done piece of work that drove many industries to ‘vampirize’ their offer and suck in a little bit of extra money by exploiting this new trend. Why then would you just sit idle and let someone else ride the wave and steal your share of this ‘trendy-money.’

I am a complete supporter of leveraging popular trends for your company’s own benefit. Moreover, I urge my clients to always keep up with the current hype as well as ongoing and new trends. Why shouldn’t you extract the utmost benefit from the ‘year of the vampire’ if you have the opportunity to incorporate this trend into your company’s product or service, or perhaps simply into your marketing mix, to attract an entirely unexpected group of ‘bonus’ customers or clients? However, the current ‘vampire’ trend could be too bold of a move for some small businesses – I find that my dark purple nail polish is not viewed as trendy or professional and vampire images on my invoice definitely do not appear creative. If you also are not prepared to take such risks, I offer you an alternative approach inspired by the same logic as that used by the Weitz brothers…three words – Generation Y, Universal Themes, and Real People.

Generation Y. This generation is both casted for the movies described above and targeted as the audience for these same movies. They are teenagers – old enough to know what they want and yet immature enough not to think about the consequences (by the way, I am not encouraging you to take advantage of them). Do not ignore this age group. The brothers Weitz didn’t. Through your offer, brochures, promotions, and/or ambient music, try to get closer to this group and show them that you acknowledge their existence, their expectations, their taste. Show them that your business takes them seriously and that you are willing to reinvent yourself because you want their business. This generation can be quite demanding, because they are growing up ‘multitasking,’ they live on ‘Facebook’ and ‘Twitter,’ and they are the preamble for Generation Z, who will be even savvier customers. You and your business want to remain on the market and will do so only by immersing yourself in evolving trends. Don’t forget to make them loyal, because you will be flying sky-high as this segment of the market is just about to start earning and spending money (and you want to be in that circle).

Universal Themes. Your customers want to know that you are present in the moment, partaking in the same recession crisis as they are, looking forward to the first snow, and acknowledging October as ‘National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.’ While you and your business follow the trends and the hype, ensure that you play intelligently and adhere to the universal themes of love, friendship, spring, and harvest. Look up to both of the Weitz brothers who aim to create global hits – refrain from religious issues that can be misinterpreted, refrain from incorporating nationalistic pride, and refrain from discussion of politics or other sensitive topics. During a financial crisis, you want to attract as wide a range of customers as possible and not unnecessarily alienate customers or limit yourself to any one segment (as far as niche marketing goes, we will discuss that at another time).

Real People. We are living in an era where power is presented to the ordinary, real person…also known as the ‘era of reality shows’. Did you ever think that one day an ordinary person from your neighborhood would be paid thousands of dollars just for allowing cameras to follow him through a mediocre day? Worse yet, did you ever think that someone (turned millions of people) would actually watch that mediocre person? No glamour. The power lies in real people. Both of our case-study movies follow lives of ordinary people (i.e., not an extremely wealthy heiress, not a celebrity) who face something extraordinary; both movies have some fresh faces in their main cast. The Weitz brothers glorify a regular person and separate them from the masses. You should do the same. You don’t need a Paris Hilton to come to your business to receive motivation to offer exceptional service – you should provide exceptional service to any customer who walks through the door. Do not waste your time daydreaming about what you would say to Oprah should she walk into your store, rather say something nice to each of your customers. That real, ordinary person (your beloved customer) has the power to research your business on the internet, write a good or bad review about your business, and stimulate or prevent their friends and family from being your new customers.

In summary, the ‘year of the vampire’ trend or the ‘baby boomers’ trend, or the ‘green’ trend are not the only ways that your business could earn an additional profit. There are so many ways to show your clients that you are present in the moment, aware of current problems and trends, living in the same world with the same idols and the same dangerous repercussions of global warming. Doing so and doing so consistently will ensure that you eventually become part of the trend and not only a follower.

When Customers Listen but Companies Don’t Send a Clear Message!

How many times has it happened to you that you see a commercial on television and immediately start thinking, “why did they spend money on this crap?” This situation seems to happen quite often to me. As a mutant consumer – one who has a background in business / marketing – it is very difficult for me to bite on the pure message that corporations want me to swallow…“buy this product because your life will be miserable without it”. Did they not plan on people like me or am I simply a standard deviation that has been forecasted in the business plan not to bite at the bait? If they had thoroughly planned their marketing campaigns and spent millions of dollars on advertising, shouldn’t I have been hooked on the bait as well…at least during my first encounter?

Unfortunately, it appears that some corporations have already begun to forget who it is that is supposed to hear / watch their messages and understand them (at this point I’m not even thinking about mutant consumers like me). Some corporations still think that it is enough to have a cute and memorable (or annoying yet recognizable) jingle – ala NuvaRing’s “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, everydayyyy” – that will drive sales or increase market awareness about a new product. I personally prefer the You Tube variation with Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’, but I am just a mutated mind and not mainstream. This first NuvaRing commercial is one of the examples that I always share with my small business clients, suggesting that they always ask themselves, “who are my listeners and am I ensuring that they are hearing what I want them to hear”.

My internal alarm sounded off the very moment I saw the second NuvaRing commercial and heard one of the actresses say “I’m not even sure what it is,” referring to NuvaRing. Boom! Mistake admitted. After a few months and millions of dollars spent, it seems that someone in marketing apparently realized (or perhaps heard from a well-intentioned friend that was confused about NuvaRing) that the response to the ‘thoroughly planned marketing campaign’ was not as expected and that the majority of targeted customers did not understand the product or how it functioned. Beep! One more emergency meeting. One more critical decision. One more costly commercial (I prefer referring to it as damage control). One additional minute on national television clarifying NuvaRing, who it is best suited for, and why YOU definitely have to buy it. Ta-da! Problem solved. Now company sales HAVE TO grow.

In my weird logic of understanding the corporate world (one which I have not had the fortune of working in), a poorly written scenario and a bad marketing campaign are not as disastrous for a large corporation as they would be for a small business. For big business, such ‘challenges’ feel like they are simply one more item on a balance sheet, under ‘Marketing Expenses’, category ‘Other’. God bless the flexibility of GAAP and unlimited resources in the corporate world.

But, many of us live in a completely different world. Small business owners are not as familiar with the ‘Other’ category in their balance sheets. We work on tight budgets, where our annual ski trip will be traded for our marketing budget. We want to know who is out there listening and seeing our product or service and what they need to understand about our offering. I always highlight to my clients the importance of well done research and stepping into the shoes of their customers before going out and spending their entire vacation budget. Even for minor marketing expenses, such as attending local networking events, small businesses should diligently do their homework and identify value before spending their tight resources…which, alternatively, could be the latest shoes of the season.

In my opinion, a wisely spent dollar has to have the power to communicate a clear message to an audience, without leaving any space to perverse marketing minds to twist it. For small businesses, to set aside funds for damage control is a luxury that we cannot afford. All available resources have to be laid out into the open and invested in the right projects – mistakes are not allowed. We have to know who is listening to us and what they need to hear.