Knock Your Competition … Knock Yourself

Admit it. We have all done it. Someone mentions our competition and we can’t help but throw in a jab. Why? Well why not? We don’t really like them and besides they’re not nice people. Isn’t it great when your competition is a real jerk? It’s a lot tougher when they are nice people.

Maybe it’s because of our natural competitive tendencies to win, to be the biggest, or the best. The shortcut to success is by putting your competition down, therefore making you look better. Why work harder to excel when you can win through the failures of your competition? Make no mistake--that approach is a shortcut. It is even worse than that because the customer with a thimbleful of intelligence and fair play resents it.

Customers don’t want to hear how bad the other people are. They just want to know what you can do for them, what makes you special. People generally like to be with positive upbeat people and avoid the negative “funsuckers” in life. Those folks can drain the life out of any situation. (I created the word “funsucker” in my book, Laugh and Get Rich, seven years ago. I never expected that it would become part of the common vocabulary of so many people, including myself!) So when you are knocking your competition you are being negative. Although it might make you feel good saying it, you are lowering your perceived value and you are turning off the prospect or customer.

A friend of mine recently shared this story that sums up the problem perfectly. She went shopping to buy three late model (2 to 3 years old) Volvos. She had two children graduating from college and the cars were their graduation gifts. She also needed one for herself. This is not a small sale. Granted they were not new cars, but you are still talking about a $60,000 or $70,000 sale.
She was only going to buy Volvos and was she was only going to purchase the cars from a Volvo dealership within a 100-mile radius. That is a very defined marketplace, not to mention the name Volvo does conjures up a level of quality and prestige. She visited all of the dealers in the area and was upfront with all of the dealerships that she wanted to compare prices and values before she made a decision. She also made it clear that she needed to wrap up the process in a day or two because she needed the cars as soon as possible.

My friend was appalled at the way various dealers were putting the other dealers down. There was no camaraderie, friendly competition, or any sense of team she expected from a company with the fine reputation that Volvo has. She heard comments about the owner’s character, management attitudes, poor service, accusations of misrepresentations, cheating, lying, and just about anything they could think of. She also heard some of the stupidest reasons why she should not shop at specific dealerships.

It almost made her second guess her choice of Volvo but her family all loved the brand so even a terrible dealership wouldn’t deter her mission. Then she walked into a dealership that didn’t look the prettiest and it wasn’t even the most convenient. She bought three cars from a man who refused to say one negative word about any other dealer. He referred to the other dealerships as fine places to do business or responded to my friend’s experience with negativity as probably a bad day for the salesperson. He could have easily thrown in a negative comment but he wouldn’t allow himself to follow that route. Needless to say he made the sale. Was it because he had the lowest price? Not really. Was it because he was different? Perhaps. Was it because he was a breath of fresh air? Perhaps. But it was definitely because my friend refused to do business with people who knocked the competition. She perceived that (as many other people do as well) as the most negative of personality traits that represent someone not to be trusted.

The bottom line is no matter how much you might hate your competition NEVER, NEVER, NEVER say anything bad about them because it will do the exact opposite of what you intended it to do. “Every knock is a boost” is an old expression that means when you are putting a competitor down you are really giving them a little boost up. In the eyes of the buyer you are the playground bully and we all like to root for the defenseless underdog.

So, if you Knock Your Competition, you will actually be knocking yourself.

I Read About That in the Paper

When was the last time your customers said that about your business? Why not? I’ll tell you why you haven’t heard that. The media doesn’t know who you are and you probably have never given them anything to write about. Conservatively, over 80% of the stories you read in the paper or see on TV are suggested by PR firms or interested parties. The term interested parties covers many different types of people including business owners and managers, from both big and/or small companies.

My experience with the media (we receive at least 10 plus media inquiries per week) is that they need resources for content. Every now and then you come across reporters looking for story ideas but generally that is done by an editor above them. Due to the massive increase in media outlets from Blogs, to weeklies, to local access programming, cable, and the doubling of specialty magazines, experts are needed like never before. So why aren’t you being quoted or called on by the media? Here is a list of ideas to help make this happen:

1. The first reason is you don’t look at yourself as an expert. If you spend any significant amount of time on a topic, on a weekly basis for multiple years, you would be considered an expert. If you own a small gift shop for more than 3 years, then you have expertise in running a business, buying, and industry trends among many other things. Don’t sell yourself short.
2. When you think about a story, you are only thinking about a puff piece about how wonderful you and your business are. Sorry, but that’s the same as watching someone’s home movies about their vacation to Yellowstone. Be a resource, not a self-centered life of the party.
3. There are many issues you have knowledge about. Example: I was speaking to a jeweler last week who said that there isn’t anything much of interest in his business to the media now. I just lost it! Jewelry has been mentioned in all of the media consistently during the last few weeks because of the price of gold which has risen by $200 in the last few months. How will that affect the price of the $50 pair of earnings? Will jewelers raise the price on all existing jewelry they now own? Gas stations automatically raised them yet most jewelers probably will not. This is literally a “golden” opportunity to become a resource for the media. They want your point of view here.
4. Look for relevance. You must look for the tie-in for which you might be an expert. What could you offer your expertise about that is now happening in the news? Every tack store or farrier should have a fact sheet going out to the media in relationship to Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro’s accident in the Preakness Stakes. Look for the interesting angles.
5. Write the story for the reporter. You will not believe how reporters love to have pre-written stories that they can use. Just remember to use your name or business’ name as much as possible in the article. If you choose not to write a story, at least create a fact sheet and your opinions about the facts.

However, if you insist that you want to write a piece about your business, then write it when you experience any of the following:

1. Expanding your business
2. Receiving an award
3. Introducing a new strategy or method
4. Announcing a new business partnership (that can mean buying a new line)
5. Something about a customer
6. Reaching a major milestone
7. Overcoming an obstacle
8. Announcing findings from a survey (it can be your own customer survey)

The bottom line is it is relatively easy to do. Let the media know you are a source by just telling them your area of expertise and showing useable material about relevant issues. Try it; you will be pleasantly surprised by the results. Just don’t tell how them how great you are. Let the content do the talking.

It’s All About Our People

A business can’t grow without good employees. We need people who look good, act appropriatelyand professionally, do what is good for the well being of the business, have the ablility to think on their feet, and make the right decisions. That’s not easy to find. That’s why we are always in a recruiting mode.
I believe there are 5 rules when it comes to personnel:

Rule #1. There is always an opening for someone good. The cream always rises to the top. Even if you are over staffed, never let the super star get away. Great employees will find things to do to become productive and weak employees will do nothing and make it very easy to let them go. Actually, they generally leave because they learn to hate the super star and they keep telling you how bad they are and how everyone is going to leave if they stay. (Whoever reports that to you is the problem and needs to find a new place to work. It’s like the movie The Godfather, the one that comes to you is the traitor.)

Rule #2. You are always recruiting. Never stop. Always be on the lookout for that super star. Always, everywhere you go.

Rule #3. All of your employees are aware of rules 1 and 2. It keeps them on their toes.

Rule #4. Super stars are rarely looking for other jobs. They are usually happy and appreciated. You want to hire the people other businesses can’t live without. Now we are talking about a very valuable asset.

Rule #5. Know how to steal ethically. Every time you go out shopping or deal with anyone who has contact with the public and they give you exceptional service, do the following: compliment them on the great service and tell them that your company is always looking for people just like you. Tell them, “If you ever think of changing jobs (then add, but I know your boss must REALLY appreciate you and the work you do), give me a call we find openings for people like you. If not keep up the good work, you did a great job.”

Now ask yourself what happens if that person’s boss comes back and he/she is in a bad mood and starts yelling at this person for no apparent reason. It happens. How long do you think it will take to receive a call? Or that person wonders if the boss really does appreciate the things they do. Many times they pass the name on to their friend who might be looking to change jobs. They call you to tell you they are as good as their friend and want to work at a place that appreciates their employees. It’s honest and ethical and it works.

There is only one problem and that is that those people are few and very hard to find. I got an email from a reader this week that was the inspiration for this article. She went to the mall to see how many of these super stars existed and try to tactfully and ethically share a compliment. She visited 22 stores and only encountered 2 people who were even worthy of any type of compliment.

Maybe the mall isn’t the place to go, but now she began to understand why her store got compliments on their service when she felt it could be even better. The state of service is at an all time low, or is it? No, service isn’t at an all time low. There are more services offered today than ever before but what’s missing is the customer connection. I’ll take bad service if the person is trying hard, and is likeable, friendly, and engaging. That’s making a connection with a person. That is what is at an all time low. Of course you might say isn’t that service? No, I believe that is the way the service is delivered, not the service.

So remember, you are always recruiting but recruit the people who know how to connect with people because that’s the hardest to teach. Again, thanks to the person who opened up this topic for discussion.

Give Me A Break

We decided to redo our kitchen with new appliances and countertops. We contacted a contractor we had used in the past to do the countertops. Then we asked the contractor for any recommendations as to where to shop for the sink and appliances. He suggested that we should check out a local chain which carried some unique and different styles. So a couple of days later we visited this absolutely beautiful store and saw some of the most interesting designs in sinks (I never knew how different sinks could be), faucets, and refrigerators. I could have stayed there for an hour just playing with the unusual faucets. (They were all hooked to water—it was a great display.) Again I was WOWed with the assortment of refrigerators. Of course they called them ice boxes the last time I shopped for a refrigerator. The prices were higher but the style designs certainly justified the prices.

Then it hit us that we had been in this magnificent showroom/store for about 15 minutes or so and no one had even approached us. No one welcomed us. No one said hello. No one asked what we were looking for or even offered any help. All of the employees were sitting at desks on the showroom floor working at their computers. We walked in front of them, beside them, in back of them, and no one stopped working. We were the only customers in the store.

We even started looking through catalogs, took out our tape measure and started measuring sinks. I then used my palm pilot as a calculator to total how much we might be spending. We were at a significant amount when we asked each other why you think no one is approaching us? Were we dressed too grubby? I must admit I had a small stain on my polo shirt and both of us were wearing jeans. But we did drive up to the store (which had big glass windows so you could see who was coming in) in a late model Lexus.

I started to get annoyed but why bother complaining? You only complain when you care and want things to change. I really don’t care if they survive or not. So we politely left the store and drove 26 miles to the closest Home Depot where we proceeded to buy the new appliances. Of course they also gave us an additional $800 in a combination of rebates (I hate rebates but I had no choice there) and Home Depot gift cards. Did I get the different and unusual? No. Did we compromise ourselves? Yes. But if I hadn’t shopped that other store I wouldn’t have known what I was missing.

There were three other items that need to be revealed. First, as we wandered through Home Depot, we had the nicest person help us through the options and possibilities. I didn’t expect it from Home Depot but I did expect it from the specialty store. Second, when I went to pay for everything and set up delivery, another person was patient, understanding, and even empathized with us about rebates and showed exactly what to do and even whom to call if we had any problems at all. She was wonderful. Again, I just didn’t expect the amount of extra time that she spent with us, her patience, and that level of service from any big box retailer. I would have expected it from a independent retailer.

The last interesting twist to this story was on the ride home. We had almost forgotten the bad service experience and were just focusing on what we had purchased. On the radio was an ad for the first store we had shopped. The ad was good, well written, and would have made me go to the store. It emphasized the uniqueness of the merchandise and the level of unmatched service. Then the ad closed with …. “and we are the store that cares.” We both burst out in laughter knowing the ad was just great copywriting. It didn’t reflect the store.

Do your ads reflect what really happens in your business? Are you just focused on design, layout, displays, and ads, while forgetting about the independent’s greatest asset, our ability to create an emotional attachment with our customers? The crazy thing about this entire experience is my core belief which insists that I got lucky at Home Depot by finding two people who really cared and that the specialty store must have just had an off day. The truth probably falls somewhere in the middle. But the bottom line is the specialty store lost a large sale to a person who lives 5 minutes away and had to go 26 miles away to buy what he wanted.

Remember one thing. It’s always SHOWTIME. I don’t care how tired or busy you are. The sale you lose might just be to a customer who writes a column that thousands of people read weekly, that is read in 15 countries and 50 states and is picked up by over 40 magazines. Good thing I never mentioned any names.

Give Me A Break

We decided to redo our kitchen with new appliances and countertops. We contacted a contractor we had used in the past to do the countertops. Then we asked the contractor for any recommendations as to where to shop for the sink and appliances. He suggested that we should check out a local chain which carried some unique and different styles. So a couple of days later we visited this absolutely beautiful store and saw some of the most interesting designs in sinks (I never knew how different sinks could be), faucets, and refrigerators. I could have stayed there for an hour just playing with the unusual faucets. (They were all hooked to water—it was a great display.) Again I was WOWed with the assortment of refrigerators. Of course they called them ice boxes the last time I shopped for a refrigerator. The prices were higher but the style designs certainly justified the prices.

Then it hit us that we had been in this magnificent showroom/store for about 15 minutes or so and no one had even approached us. No one welcomed us. No one said hello. No one asked what we were looking for or even offered any help. All of the employees were sitting at desks on the showroom floor working at their computers. We walked in front of them, beside them, in back of them, and no one stopped working. We were the only customers in the store.

We even started looking through catalogs, took out our tape measure and started measuring sinks. I then used my palm pilot as a calculator to total how much we might be spending. We were at a significant amount when we asked each other why you think no one is approaching us? Were we dressed too grubby? I must admit I had a small stain on my polo shirt and both of us were wearing jeans. But we did drive up to the store (which had big glass windows so you could see who was coming in) in a late model Lexus.

I started to get annoyed but why bother complaining? You only complain when you care and want things to change. I really don’t care if they survive or not. So we politely left the store and drove 26 miles to the closest Home Depot where we proceeded to buy the new appliances. Of course they also gave us an additional $800 in a combination of rebates (I hate rebates but I had no choice there) and Home Depot gift cards. Did I get the different and unusual? No. Did we compromise ourselves? Yes. But if I hadn’t shopped that other store I wouldn’t have known what I was missing.

There were three other items that need to be revealed. First, as we wandered through Home Depot, we had the nicest person help us through the options and possibilities. I didn’t expect it from Home Depot but I did expect it from the specialty store. Second, when I went to pay for everything and set up delivery, another person was patient, understanding, and even empathized with us about rebates and showed exactly what to do and even whom to call if we had any problems at all. She was wonderful. Again, I just didn’t expect the amount of extra time that she spent with us, her patience, and that level of service from any big box retailer. I would have expected it from a independent retailer.

The last interesting twist to this story was on the ride home. We had almost forgotten the bad service experience and were just focusing on what we had purchased. On the radio was an ad for the first store we had shopped. The ad was good, well written, and would have made me go to the store. It emphasized the uniqueness of the merchandise and the level of unmatched service. Then the ad closed with …. “and we are the store that cares.” We both burst out in laughter knowing the ad was just great copywriting. It didn’t reflect the store.

Do your ads reflect what really happens in your business? Are you just focused on design, layout, displays, and ads, while forgetting about the independent’s greatest asset, our ability to create an emotional attachment with our customers? The crazy thing about this entire experience is my core belief which insists that I got lucky at Home Depot by finding two people who really cared and that the specialty store must have just had an off day. The truth probably falls somewhere in the middle. But the bottom line is the specialty store lost a large sale to a person who lives 5 minutes away and had to go 26 miles away to buy what he wanted.

Remember one thing. It’s always SHOWTIME. I don’t care how tired or busy you are. The sale you lose might just be to a customer who writes a column that thousands of people read weekly, that is read in 15 countries and 50 states and is picked up by over 40 magazines. Good thing I never mentioned any names.

Let’s Do What We Know...or what prevents us from doing the things we should do?

I always state my goals for the presentation in every speech I deliver. My first goal is to share a couple of ideas that can be implemented immediately. I offer many more than that, but I am thrilled if I can provide even one idea from a program that the attendees will actually use. BUT the other goal I have is a bit unusual. I tell my audience that I want them to say to themselves while I am speaking, “I know that or I do that.” Why would I want someone to say that? Simple, we know many of the things we need to do but somehow we just don’t do them. Maybe we forget them and just need a reminder or maybe we need to hire an outside person to reinforce the idea. It’s similar to the decision we make on going to a movie. We see the promotional pieces and think it sounds good but then someone mentions or recommends a movie and we decide to go.

There are many things we know but why don’t we do them? I learned that loud and clear with last week’s column. I talked about finding new niches or profit centers and that we should ask our customers and clients for feedback about them. Maybe even survey our customers. I then concluded my article by asking opinions on my articles (I did promise to send our Top Ten List which is going out today). I wrote it because I felt I had better practice what I preach. After all, we all know that the best feedback we can get is from our customers. WOW, I can’t believe the response! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to all of the people who wrote in and for some of the nicest comments from readers. Talk about positive reinforcement--it motivated me more than anything else I can think of. Plus, I was taken off guard with the sheer number of people who wrote in.

I know we should ask for our customers’ opinion but why don’t we do it? I suppose we get busy or something more important gets in the way. Well, STOP! There is nothing else more important than asking or surveying your customers. I learned more about my business, its purpose, and the direction it should take in a quick question than the best of consultants could ever have told me.

Create your own survey--questions you would like to ask your customers. Title it, HOW ARE WE DOING? Ask what your business means to them? Ask why they shop there? Then ask how they would best describe your business to their friends. Create a form and leave it on the counter, mail it, email it, or fax it. Then look for trends, your mission statement, and great copy lines. After all, customers speak in benefits not features, the what’s in it for me approach. That’s the stuff that builds businesses.

Every business that does this comes out with some real gems that can be used for years. Many times we just don’t see what our customers see. A jewelry store that specialized in low-end jewelry that was sold on credit tried this approach. They expected nothing but were blown away with some of the heart-wrenching stories and some of the best ad copy anyone could ever think of, not to mention the best testimonials that they didn’t have to ask for.

As to why we don’t get things done and why many of you won’t take the time to ask your customers’ questions. Simple, we don’t rank this high enough on our list of priorities. We always have time for the things we want to do. This bit of advice is that important. For all of those people who will ask your customers’ opinion, let me know what you learned that you didn’t know before about your business and please share some of the best lines your customers use to describe you and your business. Also, let me know if I can pass them onto other readers as well. Have fun with it. I am looking forward to the responses.