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Imagine receiving a visit from a local sheriff with a handful of your mail that he retrieved from a ditch. Consider how it would feel to get a welcome call from an account representative at a store in a city 1,000 miles away verifying that you have opened a charge account. The Federal Trade Commission…
If you are entering the workforce today, how many times do you think you will change jobs before you retire? A dozen? In fact, Penelope Trunk, a columnist on careers for the Boston Globe, estimates that today’s new employee will change jobs every two years. Because it is an important investment, most people spend hours…
Charles Tandy of Radio Shack fame once said, “Your most likely customer is the customer who just bought something from you.” With that in mind, I held weekend events twice a year where customers could come in and retrieve their own auto parts. Twenty dollars would provide my customer with all he could carry. Some…
In 1993, a good friend of mine and fellow auto salvage business owner DL Fitz opened a new location about 60 miles south of his family’s existing locations, near Tacoma, WA. Traffic in the Tacoma area made delivering parts on time very difficult. In response, a new facility at Graham was added to speed deliveries.…
In the mid-eighties, I thought things were moving along pretty well for my business. One of my competitors was a former employee. He was a low-price provider. He bought cheap cars from individuals and sold parts for very low prices. I bought cars at auctions where I had to pay more for them in most…
Last month we talked about marketing vs. advertising. This month, I would like to share a personal example. Here is how my marketing team applied the principles we have been discussing to help make my first book for entrepreneurs a success. We applied the same basic principles of marketing that can work in your business…
How do you promote your company? There is so much noise out there in the form of advertising that you must have a good answer to this question, or you won’t climb above your competitors. If people don’t know about you and your business, you won’t be in a position to be considered when they…
Branding serves to influence a customer’s perception. Doesn’t Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup just taste buttery and gooood? If you bought a Betty Crocker cake mix, wouldn’t you expect it to be moist and pleasing to the palate? That’s branding. Your company name is your brand. It is also your intellectual property. It’s good to understand the…
How you present your image is important to the subliminal imprint on your customers’ memories. Have you got a logo for your firm? How about a standard color theme? If not, it’s time to think about your business image and its overall symbol in the public mind. Say you have a floral shop. Over time,…
I’ve just returned from speaking at the Saskatchewan Recycler Conference, where it was cold! It was four below zero. (OK, it was Centigrade!) They were gracious hosts, and most of the Canadian recyclers who attended the conference are doing very well. After my remarks, usually one or more of attendees will come up and want…