INSPIRATIONBe an Idea Machine
Write down 10 ideas a day. “Do it for six straight months and see what happens. It actually turns into a super power,” says serial entrepreneur and author James Altucher. To collect his ideas, Altucher buys 1,000 waiter’s pads at a time from restaurant supplies websites (10 cents a pad). “They’re great for meetings because I have to keep concise lists, and they’re always good conversation starters.”
BRAINSTORMINGThe Power of OneNot making any headway with your brainstorming sessions? Go it alone, writes Seth Godin in Free Prize Inside, citing a study that found a team of four people, each brainstorming alone, came up with twice as many ideas as when they tried it together. Best approach? Assign team members to brainstorm alone, then bring everybody together to share — and critique — the ideas generated.
MERCHANDISINGA New Store, Every 3 MonthsIf a customer enters Urban Pooch Canine Life Center in Chicago, IL, after a three-month absence, he finds a completely new store. How? Owner Ed Kaczmarek told a panel at Global Pet Expo that he rearranges the floor every three months, “so customers have to re-experience it.” They also have to ask where items are, which encourages interaction with staff that can lead to more sales.
MESSAGINGYour Bud: RepetitionThere’s a reason infomercials drag on forever: our human weakness for pattern recognition. We’re programmed to think that something we’ve heard repeatedly is more important than something we’ve heard only once. Yet, as a blog at Entrepreneur.com points out, many business owners believe that if someone doesn’t immediately latch onto an idea when it’s said the first time, a different way needs to be found to say it. “If you have a well-honed idea, and you’re simply trying to market it better, get comfortable saying the same thing multiple times,” writes Martin Zwilling. Trust, care, professionalism. There aren’t too many messages you should stray from when it comes to marketing pet services.
SALESNo More Stone FaceNegotiating tip from Selling Power magazine: Forget the stone face. When a customer balks at your price or asks for a discount, go ahead and cringe. The flinch will put your opposition on the defensive and force him or her to try to justify the request or offer a concession. Don’t appear terrified, merely surprised.
EVENTSSell The SizzleA bank in Seattle, WA, lets prospects know about its “hot” loan rates and friendly service by holding a Friday barbecue in the parking lot. The manager cooks the hot dogs and hamburgers, folks come by to talk and eat, and all receive info on the bank’s services. Perhaps you might let your customers know about your “hot” summer deals in a similar manner?
ARITHMETICWhy Didn’t We Learn This in Fifth Grade?If quickly working out percentages, such as a 4 percent discount on a $75 item, trips you up, keep this hack in mind: It’s often easier to flip the sum. So, 75% of $4 — even we got this — is $3! 18% of $50 (50% of $18 = $9), 14% of $300 (300% of $14 = $42) Genius, right?
MARKETINGIn Ads, Paint with Narrow StrokesKeep your advertising focused. Take Coca-Cola, for instance, writes Luke Sullivan in Hey Whipple, Squeeze This. The company owns nearly 80 brands of drinks, but they’ve never run an ad for all of them at once. If you feel you have three important things that you absolutely have to say … well, then just buy three ads.
LEADERSHIPManage the MiddleDon’t concentrate too much on the top 10 percent of your performers. They can take care of themselves, says Susan Lucia Annuncio in Contagious Success. And the bottom 10 percent … they will be gone soon, or at least they should be. Instead, spend most of your time and attention on those in the middle, who are already doing some things right but need more instruction and support.