Panning for Gold in Your Database

By Jeff Bowman

A common question that we ask business owners and those in the not for profit world is “how do you utilize your database?” The answers range from “we use it for our newsletters and contacts regularly” to “database?”

The collection of customer information has become a hot topic with new privacy laws and spam legislation. Many customers have no reservations about providing an e-mail address for instance, while others would sooner poke themselves with sharp sticks than give that information.  And I can’t blame them, I attended a “trade show” a month ago, and I am still getting calls about winning all sorts of prizes and unsolicited e-mail galore! It is critical for any organization to maintain current contact information for primary and secondary contacts as well as warm and hot leads, however the real concern is how do you use the information.

E-newsletters sent to clients utilizing 3^rd party organizations are good for relating industry or market news, advising about sales or new products and to share quality information. The fact is that maybe 25% of those you send it to will ever open it.  You may have between 5% to 10% bounce backs and others who will outright ask you to remove them from your list. Sending newsletters to prospects is a little like panning for gold. You are hoping that you may find one shining prospect in the slurry of potentials. There is potentially gold in your client and prospect contacts, but you need to be diligent to find it.

Here are some tips to assist you in separating the pyrite from the gold.

1. Review e-bulletin results each time you send one.  Advise those who asked to be removed that regretfully you have done so, and perhaps in the future there may be a new opportunity to connect.
2. Call the bounced back addresses to see if the e-mail address has changed, if that person is gone and if so who might be a new contact for you to meet. (be sure to remove the address from your list)
3. Review and keep track of who reads the item.  Regular viewers will have good feedback on why they continue to read.  Don’t be shy about calling those who do not open the e-mail to ask them for feedback on why they don’t.  You may find it has somehow been re-directed to Junk mail or blocked.
4. Use news, polls and articles to link readers back to your website or social media pages.
5. Find out if more than one person in an organization should be on your list.
6. Utilize your contacts to ask for referrals at every opportunity.
7. Be brief and informative.  Today we get hundreds of e-mails daily, and time is always of the essence, it is a case of “grab my attention or lose me”

Your database is very important, and should be well maintained at all times. With the price of gold today, even gold dust is valuable!

The parking lot was full, but they missed this Target

By Jeff Bowman

The much ballyhooed opening of the latest American entry into the Canadian retail marketing space has arrived.  As a fairly loyal Zellers shopper I was extremely interested to see what had replaced them in the local malls. I have seen Target in the U.S. and I thought they may have a  chance to give Walmart a run for the loonie here.

It was only a week or so ago, their spin doctors announced to the Canadian public that their prices were not going to be as good as they were in the U.S.  For me that struck a chord, as it may have with other Canadian consumers who are tired of seeing U.S prices much lower on a large number of products despite our dollar being at close to par. Despite all this, I did venture in with an open mind.  There was not a parking spot to be found, so the interest factor was certainly at a fever pitch.

As I walked towards the doors, I noticed there were a large number of people leaving with no bags in their hands.  An even worse omen was the guy who said in a loud voice as he was leaving and I and others were entering, “Don’t waste your time”. Inside, the store looks bright and spacious as it should since it is 2 days old. There was a wide selection of products, a nice pharmacy section, a big wall of TVs at the back and well identified aisles. There were also yellow tags with the words “Temporary Discount” to identify the specials.

What was also noticeable was that the prices were higher than Walmart, and the old Zellers stores. So noticeable, in fact,  that shoppers were vocalizing it at every turn. I wonder (and it is just my thoughts) if a mid-range department store in this market will be fantastically successful? Does this represent an opportunity for the likes of Sears to alter their tactics to compete more directly with the newcomer? Is this a well thought out tactic by Target to allow them to become more discount oriented in the future if this mid-range plan falters? Either way, the next year will be interesting to see how the Canadian consumer reacts.

As for me, I too left the store empty-handed  (which for me is highly unusual). My wife commented that this could be a blessing in disguise if I leave empty-handed! The pre-marketing was good, the Target Loves Canada symbols were a little over the top, the parking lot was full, the store was busy, the buzz has been loud, but in my case, they missed the target.

Blackberry exceeds my expectations

By Stephen Rhodes

If you have read this blog in the past you know I have a thing about customer service. I believe you can charge virtually anything within common sense  if you deliver exemplary customer service.

I have a client who says he is the high cost producer, but he delivers where others can not on customer service, and has a robust business.

We all have heard of almost heroic customer services stories.

Zappos relates the story of a customer, while a guest  at the Mandalay Bay Hotel near Las Vegas realized she forgot her shoes.

According to the shoe store, the guest called Zappos, where she had originally purchased the shoes, looking for a replacement, but they didn’t have any in stock. So the company found a pair in the right size at a local mall, bought them and delivered them to the hotel – all for free.

And of course their is the Disney franchise and their world-class customer service. There are stories of trolls working the parking lots at Disney World fixing cars, repairing flat tires and retrieving keys locked inside amidst all the excitement … and all to ensure the visit exceeds customer expectations. It works.

Now, my tale is not so compelling  but I had an excellent customer service experience recently. I am a proud Blackberry user and for more than a year now I have also had a Blackberry Playbook. My Playbook has almost replaced my laptop as my traveling business companion.

I think Rim, oops Blackberry, has been unfairly maligned over the past few years. The negative press is a disproportionate representation of the quality of their products. I also own  Apple products, an iPad and iPhone, and I prefer BB for business. Anyway, enough cheerleading.

My Playbook developed a problem and would not display an image. After reading multiple support forums, trying a number of reboots, I plugged the PB into my HDTV and discovered the brain of the tablet was working but not the screen. I called BB support and within minutes had Dan, the tech support person, confirm my own diagnosis. He sent a courier package overnight, I packaged the device and off it went. Seven days later it returned as good as new. No charge.

Thanks Dan. There is still hope for excellent customer service.  Tell me your story.

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The Joy of Six – Creative Tips for Idea Generation

By Jeff Bowman

Without creativity, small businesses lose their competitive advantage in a tight marketplace.  The ability to review, quickly analyze, gather feedback and make creative decisions that impact the way you do business is critical for smaller businesses.

The problem is that those of us who consider ourselves creative are often stifled by others around us, or our managers, who feel that the only good idea is their own. In a previous blog, I wrote about Bad Bosses, and their tendency to limit the amount of free thinking that their employees can do, which in turn limits the potential growth and development of great business concepts.

In the Creativity workshops I facilitate, it is quite surprising that most people don’t think of themselves as creative at all.  In fact they believe they may possess an infertile mind when it comes to the weird and wonderful. It only takes one or two questions before they realize just how creative they can be, when they are “allowed” and in fact encouraged.

Here are 6 quick tips that will assist you in performing mental origami.

1. Do not accept a single answer to any problem, there are always alternatives.
2. Do not accept what has always been accepted as correct.  Sacred cows make great steaks!
3. Always ask yourself “What if” instead of “Why can’t …”
4. Don’t be afraid to play. Be silly. Bring out the child within.  Kids can play for hours with the simplest of toys because they make it up as they go along. Don’t you wish someone would tell you to “just go out and play”
5. If it ain’t broke …. You aren’t trying hard enough to break it!
6. Don’t take negative comments about your ideas to heart.  Those naysayers didn’t go through the same creative process you did, so they can’t possibly see all the great positive aspects.  I call it the “you’ll fall off the edge of the world” syndrome

All of us are creative in some way.  You can’t tell me that you don’t have a creative thought every single day! The true nature of the creative person is shown by what they do with the idea, not just letting it die on the vine. Using the six tips above every day will allow your fertile mind to be bountiful.  The most important tip is #6. The Joy of Six!  As I was once told “premature evaluation prevents conception”!

Business goals are like grocery lists

By Stephen Rhodes

Have you ever gone to the grocery store without shopping list? When it happens to me, I  spend more money than usual, and buy things I don’t need or already have. I am a sucker for the endcaps, those attractive displays at the end of the aisle, you know where something I don’t need is on sale.

With a list, I am less likely to make that impulsive buy because I have already pre-determined what I need or want. I am focused on the things I need, not the ones I don’t.

Think of your business goals as a grocery list. Write down the four things you want to accomplish this year, the actions required to make then happen and when you plan to have them done. Putting them on a list makes it real and it makes you accountable.

The alternative is to have ideas rattling around in your head, and that’s when you reach for the kumquats.

Survive, Revive and Thrive in 2013

By Jeff Bowman

It certainly has been a long haul over the past few years what with the economy shrinking, large companies announcing layoffs and consumers becoming far more educated and selective about who and what they chose to ‘invest” (formerly called spend) their money on. There are many factors that will affect performance this year, including leadership skills, training, ability to quickly adapt to an ever changing market and the culture that exists within the walls of your organization. With that in mind, here are 5 things you need to do address to survive, revive and thrive in 2013.

Strategize – you need to provide superior value to your client base, demonstrate differentiation in your products and services, and be one step ahead of the competition for success in 2013. What is your strategy for moving forward in your market and possibly beyond into new or emerging marketplaces?  Strategy is the route you will take, the tools you will employ and knowing the obstacles that lay ahead and having a plan to overcome them. By demonstrating sustainable competitive advantages over your competitors and any newcomers lining up to eat your market share, you will be creating the success model on which to build as the economy grows.

Diversify your social media tactics – that is assuming you are utilizing any tactics now. What is critical to the delivery of any message you need to send is the  ability and willingness of your target to receive and understand it. The mediums for delivery have changed, viral can mean success, Facebook allows you generate followers, Pinterest is rapidly gaining a legion of users and your web tactics must take mobile applications into consideration.

Reward your employees – one truth about recovering markets is that companies begin to take back what they let go years before.  Opportunities for your employees to move elsewhere become more abundant. Will an employee that you had penciled in on the succession plan bolt for greener pastures?  They will if they have been overworked, under trained, under appreciated or underutilized in your organization.

Understand your Brand – review your brand. Is it still relevant, does it send the right message, has it stagnated? Look for ways to re-invigorate the brand. Lift its spirits, polish it up, put it on a pedestal and most importantly love it! When consumers feel the love that the company has for its own brand, it becomes contagious.

Sell to a need – I have said it a thousand times, consumers don’t want to be sold something they don’t want, in a way they don’t like by a company they don’t know. What basic need does your product or service address?  Have you determined if the prospect has this need either open or hidden?  Is it really a need or simply and opportunity? If you try to sell an opportunity you will often be rejected.

This year holds a great deal of promise to those organizations that plan now to capitalize on observed weaknesses in the market and their competitors.  Follow the five simple tips above and thrive this year!

Jeff Bowman is the “Attitude” in The Marketing Pad.  For a free consultation to determine how we can build success for you contact jeff@themarketingpad.com

Words and phrases we hope never to see again.

By Jeff Bowman

2012 certainly provided us with a great number of new words and phrases which we can use to pepper our vocabulary to show we are part of the “in crowd”, “with it” or from my generation “hip”

Words and phrases from the past that we all grew to hate such as “phat”, “say what”, “this is true” and “penultimate” will hopefully be joined by the new crop of vocational gobbledygook. I do not abhor all new “wordventions”, as some of them are used to describe things that have a real purpose or are a new process or product that require a moniker of some sort, such as a “blog” What I do have a distaste for is the words and phrases coined for fads, or those destined to have a limited “shelf life”. The “one-hit wonders” of the vocabulary world.

The 38th annual List of Words to be Banished from the Queen’s English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness has announced its honour roll for 2012. For the most part “they have hit the nail on the head” and have “aced” the compilation. Look for the dastardly dozen in the following paragraph.

Spoiler alert.  Before I kick the can down the road, and cross another thing off my bucket list, I need to ensure that my finances for 2013 don’t bring me to the edge of the fiscal cliff. I don’t pretend to be a guru on business,  however  I have a passion for following what’s trending! This year nutrition has ranked highly in the news, from Superfood to boneless wings (I thought a boneless wing was simply a piece of chicken), we are left wondering what really is good for us. Seems it is all really about job creation for someone! You can double down on that one. Oh well, YOLO!

As good a job as they have done in “growing the list”, I would like to add a couple more. As much as I despised the Macarena years ago, “Gangnam Style” has taken its place on the most irritating list in my book, certainly destined to replace “The Chicken Dance” at weddings over the next 10 years! Another phrase I hope disappears is “Disclaimer of Interest”. Perhaps because I am a hockey fan, but more likely just because we have other words and phrases that promote the same message, some with much greater intensity than others!

As 2013 begins I anxiously await the first new “outside the box” addition to the English language, until then I’ll just “sit tight” and “bide my time”.  What word or phrase from 2012 would you like to be rid of?

Is it still SMART after three martinis?

By Stephen Rhodes

Every business or organization sets goals, some adhere to a formal process of goal setting related to long-term strategic plans, others scratch out a few goals on a napkin after one too many drinks at the annual Christmas luncheon. Many fall somewhere in between.

Most of us want more business, more profit, market share or in the non-profit world more funding or social capital.

The answer to all things more rests on the how, and that’s why goals are so important. Most of us have heard the term Smart Goals, an acronym for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based goals.

A specific goal might be to grow widget sales by 5% over the next 12 months by increasing rates 2% and sourcing new clients. Growth can only come from one of three places. A rate increase of 5%, assuming no slippage, would achieve the goal. Leveraging existing business for more could get you there. Or you could go out and find new clients. Whatever path you choose, the specific goal provides a focus that should resonate throughout your organization.

So is our goal measurable?  A goal without a yardstick is no goal. With our goal you should be able to monitor progress throughout the year..

Is our goal attainable? While I believe goals need some stretch, too often, we set goals beyond our reach. Look at your past performance, your competitors, the current market for reasonableness when setting goals.

Goals to be attainable have to be relevant. No one was predicting much growth following 2008`s collapse. Monitor the economic climate in your market area, the competitive landscape and historical buying trends to ensure your goal is relevant and achievable.

Set milestones throughout the year to ensure your goal is time-based, with a beginning and an end. A quarterly snapshot on progress may allow for adjustments for the unforeseen that might threaten success.

So while you are doodling with that napkin, write SMART at the top and as these brilliant ideas emerge on martini number three, ask yourself is it SMART?

With No Real Strategy, You’ll Be Herding Cats in 2013

By Jeff Bowman

 With less that 8 weeks left in 2012, it is time to reflect back on your year in business and think about new strategies that reflect changing trends and economic conditions. The economy has been slowing coming around for the last several months, and although your sales and revenue may not reflect it at this point, it will continue to get better in the months ahead. The real question is, what have the trends been in market and consumer behavior, has the decision-making process been altered, have preferences for the delivery of critical marketing messages been changed, and have your competitors enjoyed greater sales at your’s and other’s expense.

Tighter economic conditions lead the consumer to be more picky about what they buy and who they buy it from. Service and value have come to the forefront again, and customer service speaks volumes about a company’s success. I predict that this will continue and grow stronger over the next couple of years. You better be prepared to ask what the customer wants.

A recent report from The Bank of Montreal indicates that the number one challenge for Canadian businesses in 2013 will be “finding and retaining talented employees” Steve Murphy, Senior vice President Commercial Banking said, ” an increasing number of Canadian companies have made strategic investments to upgrade technology and processes, open up new markets and invest in people.” What does your strategic direction dictate for the coming year?

Finally, I just want to touch briefly on the delivery of a marketing program. Consumers are growing weary of intrusive marketing messages and the constant bombardment of ads. Businesses need to step back and re-evaluate the marketing and communication strategy including how it is delivered. There is a change happening, consumers are looking to simplified ads and messages. No crowded pallets and wordy text boxes. Simple and to the point.

  Success in the coming year depends on decisions you need to make today. Don’t spend 2013 trying to herd cats.

Newspapers still work because people still read them

By Stephen Rhodes

I am planning a series on media use, both old and new, because we seem to get a disproportionate number of clients coming to us looking to leap into Social Media. Not that social media is bad, but leaping is if you are unsure about what lies below.

The first is about traditional media and in particular newspapers. I have some experience in the area, spending about 30 years as a reporter editor and publisher. Newspapers have fallen on hard times as other media have emerged…magazines, radio, television, online and  social media.

Last year the Toronto Star reported “newspapers are proving so resilient that the term ‘dying newspaper industry’ will be retired in the next year or two.” Remember the predictions about radio’s demise in the 50s – more on that in a future post.

“Newspapers are still profitable, even in the midst of the most punishing ad drought in memory. Readership is at record levels, despite price hikes imposed by publishers. And web interlopers haven’t laid a glove on the industry’s status as society’s dominant news-gatherer.”

Canadian papers  survived “2009′s stomach-churning plunge in advertising revenues” and “appear poised for a bright future” despite anaemic ad revenue growth and the loss of classified.

Readership of Canada’s 95 dailies has increased, with people spending more time reading print editions than they do accessing online versions.

The report concludes that the growing flood of information available on the web “is a boon to traditional newspapers”. Why? Because “they alone have the expertise to quickly collect and verify staggering amounts of data and present it in reader-friendly formats.”

2010 Readership Highlights

47% of adults 18+ read a daily newspaper on the average weekday
73% of adults 18+ read a printed daily newspaper in the past week
22% of adults 18+ read a daily newspaper online in the past week
78% of adults 18+ read either a printed or online edition of a daily newspaper in the past week

Almost 8 out of 10 adults living in markets where daily newspapers are available read either a printed edition or visited a newspaper website each week. Migration to newspaper websites continues, but the printed edition remains the most popular way to read a newspaper. Across all markets 73% read a printed edition of a daily newspaper each week and 71% of readers read only the printed edition.

2010 Study readership results show that 15 million (78% reach) adults read a daily newspaper or visited a newspaper website each week up from 14.7 million in 2009. Newspapers continue to demonstrate their value to Canadians every day. The numbers are a couple of years old, but if you look at the four year trend, it’s positive.

So, newspapers still command readership and that’s good news for someone still trying to reach customers. Coming next – Radio.