In a previous post, I mentioned a report regarding the incredible sameness of messages within a given industry. I just received an example, but fortunately I get to fix it.

Some website copy was just forwarded to me for editing. And there's going to be a lot of editing.

It all sounds nice, but there are so many generalities and fluffy claims, you could stick anyone's logo on it and it would probably still be true. Every player in the industry says the same things about themselves.

Companies check each other out, which of course is good intelligence gathering. But an unfortunate side effect is that they often go on and simply parrot each other. "My competitor said what? Well, we can do that too!" So all the companies make similar claims about their great pricing, their reliable service, their high standards of quality.

And no one stands out.

Don't be different just to be a nonconformist, do it to be more competitive. Just once, for practice, scrap everything you've ever said and craft your message again from scratch. Pretend you're talking to someone in casual conversation. Why should they do business with you?

This "blank canvas" approach might just open your eyes to something you can say that's truly different. And if not, look at each claim and see what you can add to your product or service that will allow you to say something unique. Then do it.

You don't want normal. Normal is blah. Normal is mediocrity. Ignore normal, and go find special.

Labels: advertising, customer centered, differentiation, marketing, messaging

I hope my dad doesn't see this. He'll think it sounds like a eulogy.

It is with some hesitation that I confess to a potential worldwide audience that I didn't know what my dad's birthday was until a few years ago. I always had it "ballparked," but was never certain of the exact date.

It always landed so close to Father's Day, I just combined cards and gave him both on the second Sunday in June. Surely he appreciated my efficiency.

Then (finally!) they were both on the same day. I've had it marked on my calendar ever since.

And today's the day. Happy Birthday, Dad! In addition to the tickets to the U.S. Senior Open next month, here's a short tribute to Steve Zirkle.

1. He is one of the hardest working men I've ever known. And yes, I mean that in the present tense. Even though he's retired after 40 years in the automotive components business (good timing), he still takes on projects as diverse as church finance and coaching girls' basketball.

2. He was loyal and patient. I inherited the loyalty part, but the patience is a gene I must have missed. But in those 40 years, he only changed companies once. Which is impressive alone, but also in light of the fact that he had many opportunities to job-hop along the way. He picked his spots very well.

3. When he finally switched companies, it was a former subordinate who hired him. I think that says something about respect.

4. He defended the customer. At his retirement party, a repeated theme throughout the evening was how he looked out for his customers first and foremost. If you know me at all, you know I dig that.

Before I launched Fox Marketing Group, he would occasionally suggest that I open some type of storefront business where he could come to work now and then. Nothing managerial, he'd say, just "sweep the floors or something."

Well, I don't have a shop but I do have a couple offices, and I'm pretty sure there's a broom around here someplace...

You're welcome here anytime. Thanks, Pops.

Labels: customer centered

You have 20 years' experience in the industry. Yay for you.

You have three locations. You have a well-trained staff. You have extended hours. You have done 700 similar projects. You have a wide selection.

Yay for you.

I can find what I want quickly at your store. I can ask questions and get helpful answers without initiating any arm-twisting from you. I can find guidance from you towards the best purchase for the specific purpose I'll be using the product for. I can schedule the next contractors because I have confidence you'll have your part done properly and on time. I can find you easily when I need you.

Yay for me . . . the customer.

Listen to any typical radio or TV ads, and focus on the claims. There's a lot of advertising that is little more than the business patting itself on the back. Yay for them.

Wouldn't it be better to translate all that fluff into something meaningful and motivating for the customer? Give the customer something that makes them say, "Yay for me!"

Labels: advertising, customer centered, marketing, messaging, strategy

When you're framing your pitch, pick your words with your customer in mind. It's often easy to just use the phrasing of an "insider," but to have the desired effect, you're wiser to speak the language of your audience.

I saw a recent press release regarding "virtual schools." This term isn't new. It's been used within the academic arena for quite a while. But the term virtual makes it sounds like almost a school, which is not the impression they really want to make.

Off the top of my head, I'd suggest they begin calling their model "remote education" instead. It communicates the what (education) and the how (remotely, with flexibility), without overused and poorly understood terms like "virtual."

Another example can be found in the coming debate over healthcare. President Obama's plans for healthcare are pretty easy to predict -- just today, in fact, he was working hard to keep the term "socialized medicine" out of the discussion. Also easy to predict is that the Republicans are crafting an alternative.

But in the preview I just heard, they're already making an error of verbage. If Congressional Democrats are the target audience for their proposal, referring to it as the "Republican alternative" is not a good way to encourage defections.

Small changes in wording are hardly irrelevant. When you're naming something or pitching something, the words you use truly matter. So watch your language, and make sure your point will make sense to your customer, not just you and your staff.

Labels: branding, marketing, messaging

My last post was about how getting too comfortable will hold you back. This is a spinoff point, namely, your customers' discomfort is your opportunity.

If your prospects are comfortable, they don't need you. If they're comfortable with the status quo or their current suppliers or their current results, there's not much room for you.

But that's where the current climate can be your friend. Lots of folks are uncomfortable right now, which gives you the chance to ride in on the white horse and solve their problems, allay their fears, give them peace, reduce their risk.

Here's a great chance to make them comfortable again -- with you.

Labels: customer centered, customers, management, marketing, strategy

"You are exactly where you want to be. If you really wanted to be somewhere else, you would do the things it takes to get you there."

Those are the words of Michael Crisci, sales and management expert (and one of the most influential people in my career to date). In those two sentences, he nails the one thing that holds back so many people across all types of businesses: comfort.

People may say they want something different, but in the end they are too comfortable where they are to pursue any type of meaningful change.

Comfort is the enemy of innovation. Comfort is the enemy of problem-solving. Comfort is the enemy of the next great thing. Comfort steals more profit from you than any thief or corporate espionage. I hate comfort.

This recession is going to spawn some really great things in the near future, because it's making a lot of people uncomfortable for the first time. It's my personal mission in the next 18 months to help business owners translate their discomfort into entirely new prosperity.

Uncomfortable yet? Good. Call me.

Labels: creativity, differentiation, management, marketing, planning, strategy

I just received another telemarketing call from our newspaper publisher. It will probably be the last, but not for the reasons they think.

Since we've gotten quite a few of these benign but bothersome calls, I politely declined as usual and then expressed to the caller my desire to, um, never get one of these calls again. The caller was considerate and responsive, and replied, "OK, sir, we'll take you off the list for five years."

I figure that's just about perfect, because most newspapers won't be around at all in five years.

I'm not the first to say this, and I won't be the last: newspapers are dying. Barring a government bailout (and don't put it past them), newspapers will soon be history. The lesson is in the why.

To this day, even making solid advances in online content, most publishers view themselves as newspaper companies with an online version. What they're wasting is the tremendous advantage they could have if they would only view themselves as the premier local information portal.

That way they could reduce their print publishing and retool their selling proposition without feeling like that's suicide. In truth, it's their only hope for survival.

The question is, how many will get it before a savvy startup plunders the market and takes that position? If you were starting up today, would you make massive investments in office space and printing presses? Or would you find a more streamlined way of gathering, packaging and distributing local news and information?

The need for local businesses to target local customers is not going away, but the newspaper is.

If a company wants to be the cornerstone of local advertising, it will have to provide those customers. And the best way is to be the first resort of local folks seeking local news and information. Just not predominantly in print.

Labels: media, planning, strategy

With GM's bankruptcy soon to be sorted out, I was glad to hear the Saturn division will be sold off and already has 16 bidders. Glad for Saturn, that is.

I was in business school when Saturn was launched. As a result, I did several papers and projects revolving around this new entry into the automotive marketplace. And I couldn't help but root for them.

It was a sharp departure from the rest of General Motors. In fact, the startup was reminiscent of the way Steve Jobs launched Macintosh from Apple. He gave them completely separate facilities, flew a pirate flag over the building, and proudly gave the division great independence and resources for innovation.

Saturn was created in the same spirit. They would be manufactured in Spring Hill, Tennessee, as far from Detroit (culturally) as a car company could get. They would have more independence of design, not having different chassis molds placed on the same frames as other GM brands. Theirs would be consumer-friendly dealerships, staffed by regular folks. And they pioneered no-haggle pricing.

Even back then, we (students and automotive media alike) predicted that Saturn would perform in time if only GM would leave it alone. They didn't.

Now, by being sold off, Saturn has a fighting chance to regain its original spirit and find a profitable place in the newly defined automotive market. And I wish them all the best.

Labels: marketing