Well, this will be the last post for today. I had to get caught up. As they say, the preacher is always the worst sinner in the congregation! And, the shoemaker's kids have no shoes. I hope I can stay on the straight and narrow.
But, although many people believe that Samuel Johnson said "The road to hell is paved with good intentions," he didn't! A twelfth century saint named Bernard of Clairvaux may have originated it since he was noted as saying, "Hell is full of good intentions or desires."
Let's see how I do...
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Mind Your P’s & Clues!
Five P’s
I’m constantly asked what a Marketing Engineer does. Well, since I’m the only one I know who is a Marketing Engineer because I created the title, I do Business Engineering and it’s based on five P’s; People, Product, Placement, Price and Promotion. Some of you are wracking your brains trying to remember something they learned from Marketing 101. Actually, the classic four P’s (marketing mix) are taught in college. People aren’t included and I’ve lumped classic Place with Placement What’s so important about this? Knowing your P’s will give you the right clues as to what’s going on with your business.
People...
We’re all people, whether we’re the business owner, the customer or the employees. Include your managers and your family if they are involved in your business. Making people happy is one thing. Keeping people satisfied is another. Someone said, “What we are never changes. Who we are is always changing.” Many businesses forget that each employee identifies the entire company. One bad apple will spoil a whole barrel of image!
Product...
Or, service if that’s what you provide. What is it – really? Can you simply define it? What consumer problem does it solve? Compared to other products or services, how good is it and what value does it represent to the consumer? Customers seek out products and services to solve problems. If you need or want something and you can’t find it – that’s a problem! Your salespeople are then problem solvers. I tell my students, when you help solve a customer’s problem, you are properly serving them. Service then is selling.
Place...
I’ve bundled a couple of place concepts in this one. Place traditionally is about distribution. Your "brick and mortar" place of business. Is it conducted at your street location, over the internet or the phone or does your sales go out to your customer’s place of business? I also ask you to consider that place in the consumer’s mind where your business or product resides. Are you positioned at the top of their mind or way in the back? Speaking of positioning, what’s you competitive position. Are you the largest, oldest, first, best…
Price...
Now he’s a subject worth at least an entire column! How does your pricing compare to that of your competition? Well, that’s not as important as the value it represents to your customers. Buying is a simple act of exchanging one value for another. A good buy is paying less for something you think is worth more. If you think your customers only buy on price it’s because they have no other way of differentiating your business from your competitions’. Fix this problem now!
Promotion...
Ok, call it advertising. Good advertising can do more harm than bad advertising. Good advertising can send customers to a business that does not meet their expectations. At least bad advertising doesn’t compound a bad situation. Before you go out and advertise make sure your People, Product, Placement and Price are doing a good job to promote you – then you can advertise to tell your story; a story that your customers can embrace.
Five More P’s of Another Persuasion
After all, Business Engineering is about:presenting solutions based on observation and analysis. So remember the...
- Proper
- Preparation
- Preventing
- Poor
- Performance!
Crossing the Frontline
Give Them an Inch...
The other day I was assisting a client with their new e-tail (that’s online retailing) venture. We were reviewing some of the still yet to be ironed out customer service kinks such as returns and exchanges. What had been revealed to me about my client’s past experiences with their customers was both shocking and a reminder of the foibles of human nature. The old saying of giving them an inch and they’ll take a mile holds true. In order to avoid further unpleasantness even in a totally cyber situation, we had to create a much defined service policy.
Last month’s article delved into the question of whether or not the business’s frontline (those directly selling to or servicing your customers) was robbing their bottom line. In the article, I reviewed how to find the best employees you could afford in order to service your customers in the manner they expect to be served. However, after my client meeting, I realized I could not end the fifth of my P series (Product, Price, Place & Promotion and People) without taking customers into account. Yeah, even people you can’t see!
Bricks and Mortar...
Sure, any of you who are traditional bricks and mortar retailers are already thinking about your inventory shrinkage due to theft, fraudulent returns or exchanges. Some customers, however, steal a lot more than your inventory but, I’ll get back to that later. I tell my students that the old axiom that the customer is always right is not one-hundred percent accurate. More correctly, it’s what the customer thinks is right that allows them to BELIEVE they ARE correct. Change the perception and you change the reality. Selling online? Same thing – define the parameters to assure no misperceptions and to keep a grip on reality. Spell it out!
Let’s look at consumer perceptions and market realities. Have you ever noticed that Starbucks shops are located in Target stores and not Wal-Marts? If we look at Starbucks customers a bit closer, we may also notice that they are quite different than Dunkin Donuts customers. Both groups are as equally passionate of the brand they prefer but that’s where any similarity ends. To simplify my illustration, let’s say that Starbucks customers have a need for interaction (affection). The Dunkin Donuts customers require a need for speed.
Character...
Why is that? And, how do these characteristics translate into something else? Customers everywhere are seeking solutions to their “problems” as it were. A cup of coffee is a solution to a perceived need (or want). They frequent the businesses and buy the brands they support because they’re offered an expected solution based on their previous experiences. But, what is the difference between a Starbucks coffee versus one from Dunkin Donuts? It’s obviously significant to both groups. How does any of this relate to customers undermining your bottom line? Please read on…
I’m going to offer up what I believe is a possible correct answer – personality. It encompasses character, behavior, qualities and individuality. If I may quote Henry James, “What is character but the determination of incident? What is incident but the illustration of character?” All any customer needs to be happy is a sense of control, a feeling belonging and a little affection for showing up. Each visit to your shop or business is an incident that should offer customers a pleasant expectation of some sort. Seems simple right? Give them what they want; offer them what they need. But, what about those, that regardless of your best intentions, reveal their, um, character?
Personalities...
There are many characteristic customer personalities. There are the fixers who seek to either find their own answer or solutions or, completely place their trust in those they believe have the answer or solution. Their crime is asking lots of questions and requiring detailed demonstrations. There are the grinders who can not articulate what it is they want yet expect you or your employees to define it; most oftentimes without a resulting decision or sale. Ah, the know-it-all whose sense of entitlement requires; no demands, your full and complete attention regardless of the reality of the situation. They will also, more then likely argue every point you make. And finally, there are the self-centered who fail to realize that there are other inhabitants of this planet or, other customers in your store. Perhaps it’s the universal social stresses that we all endure. Perhaps they are so overwhelmed by their modern existence as to lose their common sense or decency when they chose to cross your frontline. Hey, they don’t call it the frontline for nothing!
The other day I was assisting a client with their new e-tail (that’s online retailing) venture. We were reviewing some of the still yet to be ironed out customer service kinks such as returns and exchanges. What had been revealed to me about my client’s past experiences with their customers was both shocking and a reminder of the foibles of human nature. The old saying of giving them an inch and they’ll take a mile holds true. In order to avoid further unpleasantness even in a totally cyber situation, we had to create a much defined service policy.
Last month’s article delved into the question of whether or not the business’s frontline (those directly selling to or servicing your customers) was robbing their bottom line. In the article, I reviewed how to find the best employees you could afford in order to service your customers in the manner they expect to be served. However, after my client meeting, I realized I could not end the fifth of my P series (Product, Price, Place & Promotion and People) without taking customers into account. Yeah, even people you can’t see!
Bricks and Mortar...
Sure, any of you who are traditional bricks and mortar retailers are already thinking about your inventory shrinkage due to theft, fraudulent returns or exchanges. Some customers, however, steal a lot more than your inventory but, I’ll get back to that later. I tell my students that the old axiom that the customer is always right is not one-hundred percent accurate. More correctly, it’s what the customer thinks is right that allows them to BELIEVE they ARE correct. Change the perception and you change the reality. Selling online? Same thing – define the parameters to assure no misperceptions and to keep a grip on reality. Spell it out!
Let’s look at consumer perceptions and market realities. Have you ever noticed that Starbucks shops are located in Target stores and not Wal-Marts? If we look at Starbucks customers a bit closer, we may also notice that they are quite different than Dunkin Donuts customers. Both groups are as equally passionate of the brand they prefer but that’s where any similarity ends. To simplify my illustration, let’s say that Starbucks customers have a need for interaction (affection). The Dunkin Donuts customers require a need for speed.
Character...
Why is that? And, how do these characteristics translate into something else? Customers everywhere are seeking solutions to their “problems” as it were. A cup of coffee is a solution to a perceived need (or want). They frequent the businesses and buy the brands they support because they’re offered an expected solution based on their previous experiences. But, what is the difference between a Starbucks coffee versus one from Dunkin Donuts? It’s obviously significant to both groups. How does any of this relate to customers undermining your bottom line? Please read on…
I’m going to offer up what I believe is a possible correct answer – personality. It encompasses character, behavior, qualities and individuality. If I may quote Henry James, “What is character but the determination of incident? What is incident but the illustration of character?” All any customer needs to be happy is a sense of control, a feeling belonging and a little affection for showing up. Each visit to your shop or business is an incident that should offer customers a pleasant expectation of some sort. Seems simple right? Give them what they want; offer them what they need. But, what about those, that regardless of your best intentions, reveal their, um, character?
Personalities...
There are many characteristic customer personalities. There are the fixers who seek to either find their own answer or solutions or, completely place their trust in those they believe have the answer or solution. Their crime is asking lots of questions and requiring detailed demonstrations. There are the grinders who can not articulate what it is they want yet expect you or your employees to define it; most oftentimes without a resulting decision or sale. Ah, the know-it-all whose sense of entitlement requires; no demands, your full and complete attention regardless of the reality of the situation. They will also, more then likely argue every point you make. And finally, there are the self-centered who fail to realize that there are other inhabitants of this planet or, other customers in your store. Perhaps it’s the universal social stresses that we all endure. Perhaps they are so overwhelmed by their modern existence as to lose their common sense or decency when they chose to cross your frontline. Hey, they don’t call it the frontline for nothing!
It’s Time to Feed Your Head: And, Dance to the Music!
Ageless...
The Cover of 'Rolling Stone
Alter the perception and you change the reality! How do you perceive your business? Have you done a
How do you get your picture on the cover of the proverbial Rollin Stone? To paraphrase Dr. Hook – you may perceive your business as a big rock singer with golden fingers who’s loved everywhere. You may “sing” about beauty and truth
Change Your P.O.V.
But, the thrill you've never known is the thrill of getting your picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone. Why? What you perceive and believe may not equate with what your customers and potential customers perceive and therefore believe about you and what you represent to them. Look at your business with their eyes. I’ve been spouting this philosophy forever – feed your head! Walk a mile in their moccasins. Change your P.O.V. (Point of View). Hey, New Year, new tactics!
Another way to change your perception is also the best way in the world to feed your head – read! Here are some of the books I read last year:
- Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
- Why We Make Mistakes by Joe Hallinan
- Billion-Dollar Lessons: What You Can Learn from the Most Inexcusable Business Failures of the Last 25 Years by Paul B. Carroll
- The
- Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear by Frank I. Luntz
- The Culture Code: An Ingenious Way to Understand Why People Around the World Live and Buy as They Do by Clotaire Rapaille
- Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy by Martin Lindstrom and
- Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You by Sam Gosling
Check the Facts Too.
Remember: numbers don’t lie, people use numbers to lie. As for the real lyrics to White Rabbit, here’s another end version - When logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead, and the White Knight is talking backwards, and the Red Queen's "off with her head!" Remember what the dormouse said; "Keep your head. Keep your head. Keep your head.” Perception is also based on popularization and repetition. What is truth? Feed your head to keep your head. Tom Hopkins, sales guru, said, “The more you know, the more you know you need to know.”
Words are used to craft perceptions – obviously. But as the Bee Gees crooned: And you think that I don't even mean a single word I say. It's only words, and words are all I have to take your heart away.
Why the Whys Wizen Us
Sometimes we just all get distracted...
As you can see, I'm playing catch-up with my blogs. Why, do business traumas and dramas seem to prompt us to almost automatically ask ourselves, and perhaps, a higher power – why? Why me? Why us? Why Now? These market events interrupt our plans. They startle us. Sometimes, they’re gentle rebukes for our poor performance. The episodes that make us suffer the “slings and arrows” of fortune are not always expected. Clues are overlooked; insights forgotten. Smugness and arrogance is punishable. Yet, a three year old - out of the mouth of babes it is said - can upend the labor and ego of a dozen PHD’s with a one word question – why?
No More Donuts – Why?
The Krispy Kreme donut company never imagined that a fad diet (Atkins) could ever thwart their ambitious expansion plans and rock the organization to its very core. They’re just one example of companies who’ve experienced a wakeup call. Take a good hard look at your business. What uncontrollable external factors will cause you a great deal of pain? Do a P.E.S.T. analysis. What is going on in Politics – local, state or national – that could eventually affect your livelihood? Have you really looked at your business Environment? Remember the fear that Wal-Mart caused when it moved into the area?
What is going on in Society that will affect your business negatively? If everyone is online; maybe you should be as well. And, then there’s Technology. Will it make you, or what you do obsolete? Polaroid never imagined a world that didn’t need instant photography. And worse, never thought digital photography would ever amount to anything! Even the (once) mighty founder, fall and fail - why? Because the obviousness of the situation will only reveal itself after the (sad) fact; after the deed is done.
The Business Life Cycle
Perhaps the Business Life Cycle ordains it. The New Business Stage is governed and guided by a combination of fear, ignorance and exhilaration. If it survives that first stage, it gets to move on to the Growth Stage. Growth brings its own challenges. Perhaps a Goldilocks philosophy is a good example at this stage. Not too much. Not too little; just right. Finding the right balance is what it’s all about at most of the stages.
Ah, maturity! When a business reaches the Mature Stage of the business cycle, they do have a lot to be proud of. However, as far as I’m concerned, it’s perhaps the most dangerous stage of the cycle since we can all be lulled by our success. Fat and happy says it all. We grow fat because we become sedentary. We become sedentary because the fear, ignorance and exhilaration that once motivated us were relegated to the basement or the attic of our minds where all once useful things end up. Finally, no pun intended, there is the Decline Stage. Decline doesn’t need to be final. In German kline means small. The business is becoming less than what it once was.
For those of you old enough to remember, here are some of our favorite local businesses. No – they were more than that – institutions. They left us with fond memories. Let’s see what twinges of pain or pleasure they yet instill in you by the mere mention of their names. Have we really forgotten Cheap John’s Joke Shop? How about Corvettes, Jack & Harry’s, Maxi’s Deli, Dahlia’s (gift shop) and so many more? Each of these places offered something to some and to all. The products they carried. The service they offered. The experience that remains unforgettable. Why are they no longer more than a memory and why do they occupy our individual and collective memories still? Of what use is this nostalgia? Each of these businesses offers us lessons that can only make us all the wiser.
Are You Ready to Sell When You Buy?
I was once told by a wise man that on the day we buy a home, a car or a business; we should also be ready to sell it. With that in mind, how much is your business worth to a potential buyer and why would they even consider buying it? People! Your business is nothing without them. Customers sustain you. Employees serve. Managers guide it through the stages of its life cycle. Before I wrap this up, remember that why we do what we do is just as important as what we do. So, try explaining what you do to a three year old today and be totally prepared to answer their whys with answers that you can understand, too.
As you can see, I'm playing catch-up with my blogs. Why, do business traumas and dramas seem to prompt us to almost automatically ask ourselves, and perhaps, a higher power – why? Why me? Why us? Why Now? These market events interrupt our plans. They startle us. Sometimes, they’re gentle rebukes for our poor performance. The episodes that make us suffer the “slings and arrows” of fortune are not always expected. Clues are overlooked; insights forgotten. Smugness and arrogance is punishable. Yet, a three year old - out of the mouth of babes it is said - can upend the labor and ego of a dozen PHD’s with a one word question – why?
No More Donuts – Why?
The Krispy Kreme donut company never imagined that a fad diet (Atkins) could ever thwart their ambitious expansion plans and rock the organization to its very core. They’re just one example of companies who’ve experienced a wakeup call. Take a good hard look at your business. What uncontrollable external factors will cause you a great deal of pain? Do a P.E.S.T. analysis. What is going on in Politics – local, state or national – that could eventually affect your livelihood? Have you really looked at your business Environment? Remember the fear that Wal-Mart caused when it moved into the area?
What is going on in Society that will affect your business negatively? If everyone is online; maybe you should be as well. And, then there’s Technology. Will it make you, or what you do obsolete? Polaroid never imagined a world that didn’t need instant photography. And worse, never thought digital photography would ever amount to anything! Even the (once) mighty founder, fall and fail - why? Because the obviousness of the situation will only reveal itself after the (sad) fact; after the deed is done.
The Business Life Cycle
Perhaps the Business Life Cycle ordains it. The New Business Stage is governed and guided by a combination of fear, ignorance and exhilaration. If it survives that first stage, it gets to move on to the Growth Stage. Growth brings its own challenges. Perhaps a Goldilocks philosophy is a good example at this stage. Not too much. Not too little; just right. Finding the right balance is what it’s all about at most of the stages.
Ah, maturity! When a business reaches the Mature Stage of the business cycle, they do have a lot to be proud of. However, as far as I’m concerned, it’s perhaps the most dangerous stage of the cycle since we can all be lulled by our success. Fat and happy says it all. We grow fat because we become sedentary. We become sedentary because the fear, ignorance and exhilaration that once motivated us were relegated to the basement or the attic of our minds where all once useful things end up. Finally, no pun intended, there is the Decline Stage. Decline doesn’t need to be final. In German kline means small. The business is becoming less than what it once was.
For those of you old enough to remember, here are some of our favorite local businesses. No – they were more than that – institutions. They left us with fond memories. Let’s see what twinges of pain or pleasure they yet instill in you by the mere mention of their names. Have we really forgotten Cheap John’s Joke Shop? How about Corvettes, Jack & Harry’s, Maxi’s Deli, Dahlia’s (gift shop) and so many more? Each of these places offered something to some and to all. The products they carried. The service they offered. The experience that remains unforgettable. Why are they no longer more than a memory and why do they occupy our individual and collective memories still? Of what use is this nostalgia? Each of these businesses offers us lessons that can only make us all the wiser.
Are You Ready to Sell When You Buy?
I was once told by a wise man that on the day we buy a home, a car or a business; we should also be ready to sell it. With that in mind, how much is your business worth to a potential buyer and why would they even consider buying it? People! Your business is nothing without them. Customers sustain you. Employees serve. Managers guide it through the stages of its life cycle. Before I wrap this up, remember that why we do what we do is just as important as what we do. So, try explaining what you do to a three year old today and be totally prepared to answer their whys with answers that you can understand, too.
The Guerrilla is in the Details!
Mea culpa.
It happens! Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa. There is a big difference between blame and responsibility. If you’re confused as to what I’m referring to, it’s because you didn’t read The Guerilla, Pig and Corpse post. It would have been one of my better installations if only. Let me first backtrack a bit. The difference between blame and responsibility is this; we are all responsible for what we do and for what we have committed ourselves to. It’s either odd or ironic that last month’s column began by saying that if the road to hell was paved with good intentions… Oh, well. As for blame, it can become a game. In this case, I am both responsible for not being aware that gorilla and guerilla were interchanged. Spelled correctly – yes! Used correctly – No! Why? I could blame it on being in a rush to make my deadline or say I was distracted by something or another. I could, since I’m creative enough, come up with a bunch of excuses but not one good reason. I relied on Spell Check to check my work and in retrospect selected the wrong guerilla to fix a typo and compounded the error by selecting – Change All.
Dastardly Computers!
It’s those dastardly computers! as a local news anchor chides. True, they have assisted us to make bigger and better mistakes faster than we have ever done before. Truthfully, they are just tools; complicated tools, but tools none the less. The craftsman masters the tool not the other way around. Perhaps the theme for this month’s column is as old as the ages – never assume anything! In a way, I’m very glad that my faux pas occurred because it will help me to point out a very important aspect of doing business. There is no substitute for quality! Yet, we allow it to be compromised because of a lack of attention (mea culpa), a lack of care or a disregard for the people who will consume what we produce or offer as a solution to their problems.
My Business Engineering mantra of the 5-P’s is all balance on the most important P of all. Price Product, Place and Promotion all balance on People. People are who set, regulate, accept or reject a Price. It’s People who make, sell, buy and use the Product. The Place where you make or buy the Product is occupied, staffed and visited by – People! Promotion requires one group of People to understand what another group of People want and how much they’re willing to access it and pay for it.
Ask Mom...
Here’s a way to look at what happened in last month’s column – it’s nobody’s fault. Ask Mom, she’ll agree. When she asked you who broke the glass or didn’t close the front door or put an empty milk container in the fridge, she was always told – Nobody! Does your organization depend on People who endeavor to act in an as ethical way as possible on your behalf? Do you or can you live up to the standard you expect others to follow? I don’t know where I first heard it but I read or was told that in order to lie, you must lie twice; once to yourself and once to the person you want to deceive. Sometimes you lie to yourself twice or, as well all like to occasionally believe convince ourselves that there are no gorillas in our midst and therefore ignore them or, the technology, the business environment and our government is rife with guerillas that would sabotage our every move.
And for those of you who were paying attention: Guerilla is also spelled guerrilla. Guerrilla is the preferred American spelling of the two, which I didn't use except in the title. You can never take your eyes off those guerrillas or gorillas...
It happens! Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa. There is a big difference between blame and responsibility. If you’re confused as to what I’m referring to, it’s because you didn’t read The Guerilla, Pig and Corpse post. It would have been one of my better installations if only. Let me first backtrack a bit. The difference between blame and responsibility is this; we are all responsible for what we do and for what we have committed ourselves to. It’s either odd or ironic that last month’s column began by saying that if the road to hell was paved with good intentions… Oh, well. As for blame, it can become a game. In this case, I am both responsible for not being aware that gorilla and guerilla were interchanged. Spelled correctly – yes! Used correctly – No! Why? I could blame it on being in a rush to make my deadline or say I was distracted by something or another. I could, since I’m creative enough, come up with a bunch of excuses but not one good reason. I relied on Spell Check to check my work and in retrospect selected the wrong guerilla to fix a typo and compounded the error by selecting – Change All.
Dastardly Computers!
It’s those dastardly computers! as a local news anchor chides. True, they have assisted us to make bigger and better mistakes faster than we have ever done before. Truthfully, they are just tools; complicated tools, but tools none the less. The craftsman masters the tool not the other way around. Perhaps the theme for this month’s column is as old as the ages – never assume anything! In a way, I’m very glad that my faux pas occurred because it will help me to point out a very important aspect of doing business. There is no substitute for quality! Yet, we allow it to be compromised because of a lack of attention (mea culpa), a lack of care or a disregard for the people who will consume what we produce or offer as a solution to their problems.
My Business Engineering mantra of the 5-P’s is all balance on the most important P of all. Price Product, Place and Promotion all balance on People. People are who set, regulate, accept or reject a Price. It’s People who make, sell, buy and use the Product. The Place where you make or buy the Product is occupied, staffed and visited by – People! Promotion requires one group of People to understand what another group of People want and how much they’re willing to access it and pay for it.
Ask Mom...
Here’s a way to look at what happened in last month’s column – it’s nobody’s fault. Ask Mom, she’ll agree. When she asked you who broke the glass or didn’t close the front door or put an empty milk container in the fridge, she was always told – Nobody! Does your organization depend on People who endeavor to act in an as ethical way as possible on your behalf? Do you or can you live up to the standard you expect others to follow? I don’t know where I first heard it but I read or was told that in order to lie, you must lie twice; once to yourself and once to the person you want to deceive. Sometimes you lie to yourself twice or, as well all like to occasionally believe convince ourselves that there are no gorillas in our midst and therefore ignore them or, the technology, the business environment and our government is rife with guerillas that would sabotage our every move.
And for those of you who were paying attention: Guerilla is also spelled guerrilla. Guerrilla is the preferred American spelling of the two, which I didn't use except in the title. You can never take your eyes off those guerrillas or gorillas...
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
A Three-Legged Race
Business Engineering?
The other say I was asked why Business Engineering? Why would I name my business Fortier Business Engineered Marketing? And, what makes me a marketing engineer as it states on my business card? Here's how I responded. For quite some time, people in my profession have used the expression, when referring to marketing and advertising that it was "more art than science" to deflect client questions about either hoped-for results or the lack of recognizable results. So, with that in mind, you might say that what I do as a marketing and advertising professional is more of a craft than a professional practice. Engineering on the other hand is accepted as science. With a science, the results are less fuzzy. They’re either as expected or less than expected. Either outcome, however, can be traced to the specific cause and, usually, without much doubt.
Marketing and advertising, on the other hand, has long had to deal with the infamous statement presented by the founder of the legendary Wanamaker's Department Stores. John Wanamaker said, "Fifty percent of my ad budget is wasted, but I don’t know which fifty percent." It's been a very long time since those words were spoken. And, until recently, they were reflective of the best you could hope for as far as your advertising investment was concerned. No more! With the advent of the internet and social networking devices such as Facebook, My Space and Twitter, just to name a few, that is no longer true. Let’s go back to business engineering. Sure the basics of marketing mix and the analysis of variable and invariable market analysis such as SWOT (Strength-Weakness-Opportunities-Threats) are still proven methods. And, most surely, good advertising copy is just that, as well as, memorable. But, delivery system has changed dramatically from mass media to media with almost laser-like precision.
We'll Return After This Commercial Interruption...
Gone are the days of the classic “commercial interruption” and here to stay are the new ways to deliver your sales message such as Facebook, My Space and Twitter. Once (seems like just days ago) they seemed to be created just for the young or the young at heart. Today, they have evolved into bonafide business tools and the result is that the business world is no longer neatly divided into buyers and sellers. If you really think about it, it never really was. Today’s (web) world is divided into Followers, Fans and Friends. The consumer has a weapon greater than cash. Their voice and their right to make it heard. Consumer voices have a platform or pulpit, if you will, and it is the internet. Marketing and advertising professionals aren’t the only ones who need to be held accountable. Businesses are just as accountable to their customers.
If you own or operate a business, you must cultivate raving fans that will follow your every move, befriend your brand and praise you from mountaintops or, abuse them and watch as they slash and burn their way across social networks spewing their anger and pain about their less than acceptable experience with your company. Truth be told, this is the way it should have always been! In 1946, No Place to Hide was written by David J. Bradley in 1946 about the atomic testing in Bikini Atoll. Today, the danger to businesses is not, perhaps, of atomic proportion. However, business owners can no longer hide in today’s internet-fueled environment. Consumer culture demands transparency now more than ever. That transparency goes beyond the picture windows that were in nearly every Dunkin Donuts so their customers could see how clean the baking operation was.
The Proof is In the Pudding
Marketers and advertisers also cannot hide. The proof, as the old saying goes, is in the pudding. Pudding is or it is not pudding. It cannot be kind of a pudding. Results are obvious or they are not. That’s where the saying came from. Today's advertising copy has to be spot on in order to attract, inspire and create an insatiable desire within the reader, viewer or listener to call, click or visit you. If it directs consumers to your coded website page, you can immediately tell if it's working or not. Too many businesses are not integrating their old-fashioned, off-line traditional advertising with the new, emerging online digital media. That's where the business engineering comes in! All of your advertising has to work in harmony. Yet, people are funny. They know what a newspaper ad, a radio and television commercial is but still expect them to perform even though they know, at best, it's still a crap shoot compared to what they can and should do with today’s new media tools.
There are lots of reasons why your advertising fails. Sometimes it’s because you won’t let the marketing and advertising professional you hired do what they know needs to be done. Sometimes it’s because the marketing and advertising professional you hired doesn’t listen and thinks they can tell you what needs to be done. Business engineering requires listening and trust. No longer can uncaring advertising guys do what makes them feel good rather than do for their client what needs to be done. Today, the results, or lack of results of your advertising, whether you’re going it alone or are working with someone, are easily visible and traceable.
Traditional Off-Line v. New Digital Online Media
I tell both my students and clients that regardless of whether you’re using traditional off-line advertising media or the new digital online advertising media, it all starts with the message. There are basically two kinds of messages as far as I’m concerned; the message that’s intended to bring you new business and the message that’s directed towards your existing customers. The first has to answer the universal question: what’s in it for me? The second has to answer the question that’s always just below the surface: what have you done for me lately. Once you accomplish that, the rest is up to your front line (the folks who deal with customers directly).
Now, the basic, tried and true, formula for creating effective print, television or radio advertising is the same as creating a good web banner ad on a website that gets lots of click traffic. It’s called A. I. D. A – Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. Getting attention means catching the eye, the ear or the intellect. Keeping their interest requires “talking” about them, their problems and the solutions you have to offer. Desire, as Napoleon Hill said, “…is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.” What do you have to offer that will create a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything? Can you offer the answer to their vanity, impatience, greed, selfishness, laziness and fear?
They are the human faults we all wrestle with. Or, can you offer them happiness that can only come from a sense of control, a longing to belong or, a need for affection? If you can and if your message communicates directly to them and you ask them, tell them or show them how to get what they want in the quickest, most efficient manner for a value exchange they cannot ignore or pass instruct them on how to call, click or where to visit to claim their reward.
It’s a three-legged race between the buyer’s needs and wants, the seller’s promise or offer and the media that carries the message. Business engineering assesses how things are, determines objectives and builds a plan of action that delivers the attention, traffic and inquiries you need to turn into sales. So, when referring to business engineering, it is "more science than art" and, with that in mind, remember its goal is excellent business communication, which definitely requires skill.
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