<p><strong>June 18, 2009</strong></p> <p>As one of those cup-half-full sorts, the times have me focused on the opportunities. When we were in abundant times, not so long ago, it was all about having and doing more. These days, it’s all about doing more with less.</p> <p>With scarcity on the mind, we sweat the small stuff. And this is our opportunity: To be discriminating, resourceful and appreciative with what we have. Discriminating because we only have so much and we want the biggest bang for our buck. Resourceful because we want to spend our buck wisely. Appreciative because we want to enjoy every minute of what we get with our buck.</p> <p>This approach works in life, and it works in the world of marketing. Let’s apply our bucks there:</p> <p><strong>Be discriminating.</strong> Are you investing in the right places? Examine your strategies and tactics and see if they really impact your business in any meaningful way. Where could you better deploy these efforts? We’re working with a global medical products client that, for years, has talked about optimizing its marketing mix by putting less of its efforts and messages toward the consumer and more toward the practitioner or influencer. Until now, it has been difficult for the company to break industry practice and take the plunge. Now, the times have forced the company’s executives to rethink their approach. They may finally get the biggest bang for their buck by figuring out how to put the influencer in the mix in a way that both the practitioner and the consumer would find relevant and appealing.</p> <p><strong>Be resourceful.</strong> How can your investments work harder for you? Ensure that every step you take really makes the business better. Where could you apply a little insight and ingenuity? We have a regional pizza chain that offers fresh, unbaked gourmet pizzas to go. Every pizza is made to order, shrink-wrapped in airtight clear plastic, and placed in a clear bag for carry-out. Why a clear bag and not the typical cardboard box? So potential users walking past the current customer notice the yummy pizza and are spurred to ask about its virtues. And previous users who pass the current customer are reminded—without exchanging a word—that they might want to enjoy one of these delicious pizzas again sometime soon. Not only did the chain improve the marketing effectiveness of its container, but I bet it improved cost-efficiency and reduced waste as well.</p> <p><strong>Be appreciative.</strong> Have you thanked your stakeholders lately? Take the time to covet your consumers, trade customers, employees and all the other people that matter in your business. Where could you improve loyalty or morale for the common good? There’s nothing like the power of appreciation. My local dessert café offers coffee with a taste and price on par with Starbucks. They give me a beverage card and punch it with my purchase every visit. If I forget my card, they give me a new one and will apply it to my running one later. After nine visits, I get a free cup of coffee. The savings amounts to a mere 10%, but I feel good about saving even that small amount, not to mention supporting a local entrepreneur who is showing its appreciation of my patronage. As Walt Disney so eloquently stated, “People spend money when and where they feel good.”</p> <p>Whether you are marketing a product, service or person, be discriminating, resourceful and appreciative. In the future, sweat the small stuff that you may have taken for granted in the past. In the long run—and in both good times and bad—it could benefit not only your business, but also your psyche.</p> <p><!-- Begin TwitThis (http://twitthis.com/) --> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ajax.twitthis.com/chuug.twitthis.scripts/twitthis.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> <!-- document.write('<a href="javascript:;" onclick="TwitThis.pop();">TwitThis!</a>'); //--> </script> <!-- /End --></p> <p><em>The information contained herein may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the express consent of The Morgan Network, Inc.</em></p>
Home
|
About Us
|
Choose Us
|
Articles
|
Contact Us
|
Site Map
Designed and powered by
Norton Agency
.
© 2001-2011 The Morgan Network, Inc. All rights reserved.
