Because You Valued Your Customers First
It amazes me how afraid business owners are of giving something of value away, that fear of loss prevents them from learning something special about themselves and their customers. Typically, if they aren’t afraid, they are trying to dump a loss leader item that is costing them money, not because it adds value to their customer base. It’s a way of justifying a bad buying decision, let’s just get rid of it, rather than invest in it and do something special for our customers. If that’s you, why not rethink how you can bundle that bad buying decision and turn it into something customers could use and actually want.
Maybe you’re not one of those businesses trying to dump a product that didn’t sell like you thought it would, maybe you’re just trying to figure out how to bring up the bottom line during a down cycle in sales. It doesn’t really matter what or when, it does matter how view and think about incorporating FREE into your business. The benefits of free are mind-boggling sometimes, there are examples of business, large and small, that took the risk and came out looking like the most amazing company ever!
From very large organizations, to individuals, people who saw the value in their customers, not their wallets. The by-product of the interaction and free, was in the end, customers opening their wallets…or they became your largest PR & Marketing machine. You know, the kind of advertising you could never buy or afford.
Most of you know who Gary Vaynerchuck is, he gave away his Wine Library TV content, most of you know who Seth Godin is, he opened up Squidoo, and you get to use it for free, they both practice the Open & Free Business Model, in their own unique way, but that’s the they’re selling advantage. They gave content away, good content, and or provided a service that didn’t force you to open your wallet. They also did it for a considerable length of time, they built credibility. WestJet over Christmas used FREE as a way to not only show they value customers, but they did something no one saw coming. The setup a kiosk where you scanned your boarding pass and Santa appeared asking what you wanted for Christmas, hours later when those who participated landed, Westjet presented each of them with the gift they asked for by sliding it down the baggage carousel for them to pickup. It was brilliant, it was dubbed a #WestjetChristmas, and it was risky too. It doesn’t matter how much they spent on the gifts, they got it back and then some with the PR that came from it.
Watch the video:
No, not everyone can do what WestJet did, but you can do something. And no, not everyone needs your product or service, but someone does, and they’re looking for you, online and off. Keep in mind, what you think should be given away for free, may not be of value to your customer base, it’s a double-edged sword if you get it wrong. You must know your client base, understand some of their basic needs. You must have some data to work with to get the strategy right, to make sure it succeeds. Don’t just give something away for the sake of giving it away, make sure you think it through, and build something around it that makes it engaging, people want to be a part of it. Hire the right people to help you, don’t rely on your own brain power, get outside help, they will see your business from a different paradigm.
The Future of Business is leading people on a journey, giving them something they didn’t really need but wanted, to be a part of what you are doing anyway. Plus, your product or service actually solved a problem, or helped them get to the next level. You provided value because you valued them first. The Open & Free Business Model is a way to make a difference in your business, to make a difference in your customers view of you and your business. Use your business to make the world a better place.
Christmas 2013
Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy New Year! This time of year is hard, stressful, and down right difficult, while others find great celebration and fun, which camp do you fall in? I fall into both, I’m sad because I lost my father December 11th, 1998, he wanted to stay alive long enough to celebrate one more Christmas, he just couldn’t hang in there, Cancer took him quickly. Christmas was his favorite time of year, he would decorate the house, and I mean you could see the house, it was all streamers, and lights, you name it….he would go over the top every year. My Dad made Christmas supper special. So sadness enters my heart at this time of year.
On the other side, I get pretty giddy at Christmas Time, it’s a time to celebrate a great many things. This year, we are doing a traditional Ukrainian meal, no meat….ya I know : ) I’m a meat-a-tarian! I don’t think that’s a word, but it’s mine. I eat meat, it’s what I do!
I decorate the house every year, but not like my Father did, I’m more on the conservative side, but each year I like to add something new to the mix. Most importantly, this is when my kids come home to visit, there is nothing else like it, I love my boys. I hope you get to be with those that matter most to you, in the end, they are the difference makers in your life.
This time of year we celebrate the birth of Jesus, although it’s meaning has changed, the world has moved away from the significance of the scriptures. But let me share some thoughts on a few verses that share a message of hope.
Taken from the NIV version of the Bible, appropriate for this time called Christmas.
Luke 2:8-15
This passage and all like them, is always about Jesus, it always was, it was never about us. Everything is about Jesus. The hope of Jesus, the hope of freedom, the hope that he will change the world and lead us to a better place.
Imagine an Angel coming before you, a lowly person in stature, one of the lowest in your day, a Sheppard, that you would be chosen to learn of what was about to happen before anyone else. Imagine your confusion, imagine your fear, can you imagine what it means to have the glory of the Lord shining around you, and then to be told not to be afraid. How would such an event test your faith, to me, this moment in time, shows us what faith looks like. The shepherds didn’t run, they didn’t say we don’t believe you, they said, ” let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened”, not knowing the significance of what was about to happen. The coming of Jesus, God’s only begotten son came to be with us, imagine.
These verses revealed a number of things to me, here are a couple:
1.) God uses us all (even the lowly shepherds of our world), regardless of stature and what others think about us.
2. This is an example of how we should live in fear of God, how we should respond when the Lord sends his messengers, and when the Lord shines on us, as he does each and every day we draw breath.
These verses are about the celebration of Jesus, and the hope he brought (brings) to his people.
We aren’t ready for his birth, we aren’t ready for his return, but we should be prepared to do as he commands, without faith you have nothing.
I hope this message brings some hope at this time of year, I know I am encouraged, and can’t wait for 2014, so Merry Christmas to you!
The Blur
It’s been awhile since I wrote here, April 14th to be more precise. Much has happened since I last shared with you, I went out played drums, traveled with my bride, and spent a lot of time reading and researching, but most of all, I took a break. I took a break to experience some new and different things. I highly recommend you take a timeout to learn, and to have new experiences other than what your regular routine and work might be. Otherwise, everything feels like a blur before your eyes.
Many of you should understand what I mean by “The Blur”, and how the blur might impact you and your world, mostly your business if you own or run one. I’ve been talking about it for years here on this blog. Two things probably make you feel like you are out of control, by trying to keep up, and not willing to change how you think about the future of your business.
The world moves at a faster pace than we can possibly keep up with, and much of what we see doesn’t well into our daily routines, it’s just not easy or comfortable, it means putting ourselves and possibly our businesses in a vulnerable place. If you frequent this blog, you’ll know this is not a new, I’ve said this for many years.
Most people are trying to build the next Microsoft, the next Twitter, the next Facebook, and even the next Amazon. The problem with that thinking is this, you’re looking into the past, you aren’t looking ahead, you aren’t paying attention to what people want! Do they want another Facebook, another Twitter, and are I say it…..another Microsoft. I think not.
Yes those giants are building and getting bigger, even expanding. In November 2012, Microsoft expanded to Vancouver with another sweat shop called, Black Tusk Studios, a game developer. In March 2013, Amazon opened a new development centre in Vancouver. Facebook opened an office in Coal Harbour downtown Vancouver, and in June 2013, Twitter announced plans to open a world-class Global Centre of Excellence in Vancouver as well. So, you’re already too late aren’t you?
Why are they moving to Vancouver? They are trying to find more talent and take them south, you can’t compete with Twitter & Facebook on the recruiting front, they often pay software developers in excess of $100,000 per year right out of the gate. They are scooping up developers, and they MUST have a degree from a top 100 University. Unless you have large amounts of funding, and lower your standards, you should stop and regroup before you spend another dime.
My advice is, and always has been, if you want to build the next best thing, drive down main street and ask yourself what’s missing. Start there, and then do your homework, even if you think a value added service should be built to an already existing success like Facebook or Twitter, if yes….then do your homework.
Mobile is a huge market, 40% of Facebook’s action comes from Mobile, that should be an obvious indicator to what’s happening.
All this movement is happening fast, it’s a blur. It’s like life it’s self, time keeps on ticking, it never stops, but we tend to.
The best way to slow it down is to take time to regroup, spend time with those you care about most, then regroup, re-strategize, surround yourself with smart people, and get to work. Life doesn’t have to be a blur, and neither does your business. Take the time to bring clarity to your work, build a clear vision, not a something moving so fast it’s a blur.
What People Said
- 40 years ago, people said car phones were a stupid idea. After all, who would want a phone in their car?
- 30 years ago, people said bag phones would never catch on. After all, it’s called a CAR PHONE! It goes in your CAR! Duh!
- 25 years ago, people said handheld phones were pointless. Why would anyone want to put a bag phone in their briefcase? Sheesh!
- 20 years ago, people said flip phones were ridiculous. Why would anyone buy a phone that “small”?
- 15 years ago, people said texting would never take off. Because HELLO, it’s a PHONE!
- 10 years ago, people said mobile Internet was a fad. NOBODY will EVER want to surf the net from their PHONE!
- 8 years ago, people said smartphones were just a gimmick. Why would anyone want to be bogged down with their email, contacts, and mobile Internet in one device?
- 5 years ago, people said Android was stupid. There’s already iOS, why try to beat the king?
- 3 years ago, people said 4G was a con. Who needs 30 megabit over-the-air connections? My 3-4 megabit 3G is just fine by me!
Were you one of those people? How do you think about things now?
The Status Quo Continues
Isn’t it interesting how much we hear marketing and advertising have changed, yet businesses continue to use old traditional methods to market their business. Why? because it still works! Direct Mail, Newspaper, Radio, and Television still get the lions share of marketing budgets around the world, amongst all this so called change.
Business owners do what they believe works, not what you think works. They want proven success stories and tangible results, not theory or the idea of better results, it needs to be hard copy. The problem isn’t that marketing and advertising isn’t changing, the change is really being driven by the consumers themselves. It is changing, the challenge is…consumers still respond to old methods, mostly because they have been conditioned to respond to the industrial age ways.
Until the shift from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age is fully complete, we will have to compete in those two worlds, our messages will have to be in both environments, because they make money. After all, making money is what it’s all about in business right? If money is your motivator, you will practice old methods and new, and you will invest more in the one that brings you the highest yield.
There is a thought process that no one opens direct mail anymore, no one reads newspapers, and no one watches TV ads, and yet, they still rake in huge revenues. In time, probably not in my time, this will become true, and the digital formats will be where the majority of budgets are spent.
If business owners had any foresight, they would be building infrastructure and systems to leverage the digital age, they will be ahead of their time. They will be the early adopter, and they will be prepared to receive the benefits at a time where everyone is trying to innovate and implement. It’s really not about checking off you to do list, it’s changing the way you see and think about business. Only then will your marketing will change.
Until then, The Status Quo Continues, is that you, or are you seeing something different?
Related articles
- The warning signs of defending the status quo (sethgodin.typepad.com)
- The Future Of Business – We’ve All Got The Industrial Age Disease (owengreaves.com)
