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Think Mayberry, Not Wall Street! 7 Steps to Beat Your Top Competition!
January 21st, 2008 | Posted by Paul Miser in Marketing,Paul Miser
For many years the ideal of business is to get as many customers as possible and retire a multi-zillionaire. But as a small business owner we can’t afford the time and resources to do so and many of us like to perform in the smaller scale. This is great for the most part but has a potential to become problematic. With our smaller focus and income we can’t afford to compete with the Wal-Mart’s and the McDonald’s because we can’t lower our prices to compete or we won’t make enough money to survive. I have heard many sob stories on how Wal-Mart ran me out of business. I think to myself, did they or did you not adapt to the situation? The fast-paced business world coupled with rising customer expectations has given us all a sense of urgency. We all, as consumers, have the mantra, “I want to be able to buy everything in one place at the lowest possible price to get back to my life.” But is this what we really want? I think, as people, what we really want is an excellent product, with personable, friendly customer service at a reasonable price. This is why we need to think Mayberry, Not Wall Street.You have a business that sells a product or service. You love your business. You’re passionate about it. You can‘t wait to wake up in the morning and help fill a need for your customer’s with your business. Everything is great, except one thing. The Big Box Store down the street is now offering your product or service at a price you can’t meet. Oh no! It’s time to give up. Or is it? You know your customer’s and what they want. You know your product or service, probably better than most people. You have all the information in front of you to stand and fight. I will let you in on a little secret, you can win! It will be tough, but you can do it. I have developed a set of 7 steps to increase your chances of victory. Following these steps will give you a better view of your company, customer, industry, and competition.
- Gather Information: Knowledge is power! You need to fully understand your business, customer, industry and competition. Where do you sit in the minds of these entities? Where is your business in the universe? To put up a victorious fight, you need to be able to leverage your message and operations in a way that will retain and grow your customer base.
- Tweak Your Image: Utilizing your information you will know what your market is looking for in a product or service. Your message should portray this ideal and lead to a purchase decision.
- Create a Culture of this Image: To increase effectiveness of your newfound image, you need to implement it in every aspect of your company from operations to customer service. To win this war, you need to be able to scream louder than the Big Box store.
- Don’t Skimp on Operations: Whether you produce widgets or provide eye exams, you need to provide your customer with a top-notch, five-star product or service. I guarantee the Big Box store will fall short in this arena.
- Increase Your Customer Service: The little things matter here. The courtesy calls, thanking them for their business, going above and beyond the call of duty, offering value-added information for free, building a relationship, etc. This shouldn’t be very time consuming if done correctly and the investment of time is well worth every second. The little things are what will help retain your current customers, who will then spread an ever-valuable viral campaign.
- Remind Your Customer’s of Your Added Value: Toot your own horn. Let your customer’s know how great of a company you have and how much better your service is than the Big Box down the street. This has to be subtle but effective. Don’t brag, just remind.
- Think Mayberry: Sit down and watch a few episodes of the Andy Griffith Show. Watch for how people are treated, what the reaction is, what the lifestyle is. How can you implement these values into your business? Doing it will provide something that the Big Box will never be able to meet; Personable, Appreciated relationships.
By performing theses steps you create an even greater company. After all, marketing is, as Ted Levitt defined, is a company’s ability to “create, keep, and enhance a customer.” Thanks Teddy for your great knowledge! To compete with the big boys, you need to find a way to differentiate yourself from these small business parasites. You have your business because of passion, let that shine through and the customer’s will stay loyal.
Paul Miser is the President of Miser Advertising and Marketing
, an International Marketing Strategy and Branding Agency in San Diego County. Miser Advertising is a full-service marketing agency that acts as a complete marketing department for small businesses in the San Diego area and the World. You can reach Paul Miser by emailing him atpmiser@miserad.com.
