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Articles filed in: Marketing
Hiding Behind The Truth
I walked into the empty store clutching my receipt and the faulty garment. After one wear and one delicate wash several holes had appeared out of nowhere in the fabric. My ten-day-since-purchase window had expired so I couldn’t get a refund but I was happy to take store credit.
The manager examined the holes. She told me this had never happened before and explained that she’d have to send my shirt to head office over east (a five hour flight away), to confirm that the fault was ‘genuine’. She spent time carefully putting tape over the holes (so that head office could immediately see the problem). She filled out forms. Took my phone number and gave me a receipt. If my complaint was ‘genuine’ I would get a call within a week to confirm my store credit and I could go back and redeem it.
Here in Australia sales in department stores tumbled by 10% last month, one of the contributing factors is the rise in online shopping. Big retailers are scratching their heads wondering how to get shoppers back through their doors and giving deeper discounts every day. And yet they create senseless rules and company policies to squeeze all of the joy out of the shopping experience for the few remaining customers they have left.
Yes you can protect your profits by giving your employees rules and manuals and policies, the truth that they can hide behind. But before you do, think about how that truth makes the customers you have left feel.
If bricks and mortar retailers can’t delight customers by empowering great staff to deliver outstanding service, what advantage do they have left?
Image by Jason Pier.
Listen To Your Outliers
Not all women love to shop. I am one such woman. So when I fall in love with a product, they’ve got me for life. That’s just one more decision I don’t have to make in the store.
Glasshouse is a product I fell in love with years ago. Their fragrances are amazing, an indulgence. A while back they added a beautiful box to their packaging. It’s so beautiful that it’s impossible to throw away, so last week because the boxes are piling up I gave them a call. I wanted to know if they had a way for customers to send the boxes back so that they could recycle them. After a bit of flustering from the receptionist (they clearly don’t get raving fans calling every day), she took my number and promised to have the customer service person call me back.
I’m still waiting.
Whatever you produce or sell (even if that thing is you), please, please listen to your outliers. Treat the 1 in 10,000, who actually goes to the trouble of picking up the phone and calling you like gold dust. They are. Do whatever it takes to keep them talking. Listen to what they have to say. Watch what they do. Don’t ever let these opportunities pass you by. Because in a world where loyalty is precious and fleeting your outliers are a gift to be treasured.
Image by JB London.
The Best Brand Stories Are True
filed in Marketing, Storytelling
As I was overtaken by the van of a solar panel company on the freeway today, I noticed that they weren’t telling the whole truth.
If this is the story you’re telling on your website then your company had better be living it too.
“It only takes one person to make an eco-conscious difference in this world and now you can save money whilst doing it. ‘Greenwashed Company Name’ have married financial savings with environmental advocacy by becoming leading Energy Efficiency Specialists in green consulting and energy saving.”
Alas this company’s contractors drive diesel vans.
If you’re going to try to persuade me, persuade me with the whole truth.
Don’t just tell a story.
Live and breathe it too.
Image by James Whitesmith.
How Low Can You Go?
filed in Marketing, Storytelling, Strategy
There are over fifty yoga studios within striking distance of the affluent Eastern suburbs of Sydney and they’ve discovered a tactic to get bums on mats. Many of them now offer two weeks of unlimited Yoga for just $25, which works well…… for a little while anyway.
A savvy Yogi can take them up on their generous offer and then move on to the studio making a similar offer next week. She can do that for two years without penalty, if she chooses to.
There’s always someone who can go lower than you. If you’re prepared to compete on price to attract customers today, then be prepared to compete on price to keep them tomorrow.
Far better not to be the cheapest but to be to be ‘the most’ to your customers.
To deliver joy. To connect people. And to create a lasting impact on something that’s bigger than your customer’s wallet.
Image by Lisa Picard.
No Substitute
Late yesterday evening I jumped in my car and did a 35 minute round trip to buy a British made food product that isn’t stocked in most Australian supermarkets. We’ve tried the Aussie versions but there are no substitutes.
This is the reason shops selling imported food and drink (at premium prices) exist in Australia. Not because people are picky, but because sometimes there really are no substitutes.
There’s only one Banksy.
Nothing like LEGO.
No substitute for Guinness.
That’s exactly where you want to be.
Image by Digital Paradox.
Go All The Way
A local cafe is trying to tap into the ‘ladies who lunch’ market with a three course ‘ladies lunch special’ on Thursdays. Recently I noticed they’d stuck a handwritten note over the top of their sign which read, “men welcome”.
Halfway to the edge is just average poorly disguised. Neither this nor that.
If you’re only willing to go halfway to the edge what’s the point?
The edge might not be as scary as you think.
Image by Tom Parnell.
How To Sell An Idea With A Better Story
filed in Marketing, Storytelling
This is the story of Brick Maier who sold a cardboard box and a poster for $49 and got his Kickstarter Project backed within a week all because he knew how to tell a better story.
Brick didn’t just tell us about dimensions and weight or specifications and functionality. He framed an ideal and painted a picture of children itching to tell their own stories.
He made us connect emotionally with something in our past.
Showed us what might be possible.
He called on us to imagine.
Then sold a vision which the people who cared could buy into.
And we did.
Image by J. Mark Dodds.
What Does It Take To Be In The 1%?
filed in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Strategy
”99% of ”brands” are about as inspiring, interesting, and enlightening as a cup of lukewarm tea. Which is exactly why you shouldn’t be.”
-Umair Haque
So the good news then is that it’s not that hard to be the 1%!
I asked Umair what he thought it took to be in the 1 %. He said;
”It takes thinking hard about creating authentic, enduring, ’meaningful value’ and doing stuff that matters.”
Creating meaningful value goes beyond focusing on the material transaction. It’s about building ‘intangible worth’ into everything you do because that’s what people care about now. Not, ”why do I need this thing?” but, ”is this something I care about?” or, “does this make a difference to me enough to deserve my time, attention or money?”
Meaningful value is Seth helping people to solve problems every day on his blog for over a decade. Innocent delivering joy alongside drinks. Lululemon creating a community and connections for yoga lovers. Chris showing people how they can live the life they want.
This is what the 1% looks like.
How could you be in the 1% for your readers, clients and customers?
Image by Eric Magnuson.
How Do Your Customers Feel?
When was the last time you stepped into your customers shoes?
Sat in your packed restaurant, queued at check in, ordered from your website, read your label, stopped to digest an email you sent, analysed your design brief, slept in your rooms and really experienced what it feels like to do business with you?
Every decision you make should be prefaced with the question, ”how will this make her feel?”.
It’s a question your competition hardly ever asks. There’s your opportunity.
Image by SnaPsi.
Go Where The Others Won’t Go
filed in Marketing, Storytelling, Strategy
Have you ever watched someone learning to ice skate? Perhaps you’ve been there too?
When people are starting out, hopelessly uncoordinated and a bit scared they do what all the other fearful learners do, they cling to the sides for dear life. It feels a little safer there in amongst the pack. Not standing out, but blending in.
The thing is it’s probably the worst place to be. The spot where there is no room to maneuver. The place that feels safer but actually isn’t, where there is every chance that someone will skate over fingers, or take the others down with them when they fall.
No, the best place to start is more likely away from the pack where the more confident skaters are. There’s just more room to move there. Perhaps more room for error too, and that’s what scares everyone. But there’s also more room for growth. More room to spread your wings and fly.
Most SEO company websites look and feel the same. Most florists sell exactly the same flowers, wrapped in slightly different paper. Most gyms have the similar training schedules. And most real estate agents run the same adverts.
If there’s a formula that looks like it’s working we’re happy to follow it.
Most people don’t take the risk of going where everyone else isn’t. That’s why it’s the best place to be.
Image by Marcovdz.