Making It Work with Bruce NewmanI was at McDonald’s of all places (note: I hate McDonald’s), but my daughter wanted to go there, when I had a revelation. My daughter ordered a McFlurry ice cream while I contemplated a much cheaper and lower caloric small cone. Because of the cost and size of the McFlurry, I decided to make that my only purchase. The cashier, however, took note of my interest in the cone and gave me a free small cone anyway. Think about this. McDonald’s did not make an extra sale and it cost them a few cents to give me the free cone. But in that one simple action, they altered my perception of them.
And this made me ask, what do we really need to do to stand out to our prospects and clients?
Companies spend many millions of dollars to brand themselves so we, as the customer (or client), perceive them in a certain manner and yet, by one simple action, a cashier had accomplished more than had McDonald’s entire advertising campaign.
My wife likes shopping at Stew Leonards, an extremely popular and successful chain of four large supermarkets in New York and Connecticut. One of the things she really likes are the free samples they give out while you walk through the store. Not only does it – very successfully - induce her to buy new products, but it also enhances the experience of shopping at their store. This is even more valuable for it is this feeling of goodwill and trust that enables Stew’s to be so successful. Have something to return? No problem. They’ll take it back and refund your money plus an extra dollar – no questions asked.
Stew’s stands out because of the way they treat their customers and the benefits they literally proffer.
A client of mine was recently having a problem with an expensive piece of software. We couldn’t solve the problem because of the software’s internal design and the company that developed it was uninterested in helping us. Instead, we found another company that was willing to modify their existing software to provide the functionality we required. We have since done additional work with that company.
A company that helped us meet our client’s needs – largely at their own expense - stood out and received additional business as a result.
The question: What do you need to do to stand out before your clients and prospects? (Think about this before you answer it.) If your answer is: better customer service, more knowledgeable personnel, or any generalization like that, then you need to rethink your value proposition about what makes you unique.
Here’s a final example. I make a non-technical product called PC Mirror and have sold tens of thousands of them to both small business and Fortune 500 companies. Simply put, it’s a well-engineered mirror with a hinge that attaches to any computer monitor. Each mirror is individually packaged in a 4mm polybag (i.e. thick plastic bag). The company where I had bought the bags went out of business so I contacted several other companies for samples. Only two of them followed after sending the samples. When I called back the first company, the salesperson I had dealt with was out and no one had any idea what they had sent me. When I called back the second company, a different salesperson also picked up the phone and said, “Hello, Mr. Newman. How did you like the polybag samples?” They got my business despite being slightly more expensive. (I received my order one day after making the purchase.) On a side note, if your company does not use a CRM (customer relationship management) system, you might want to consider it.
In all these examples, you can readily discern which action(s) makes these companies stand out. Think about your life every day. Focus on a few things that stand out and why they stand out. Make a list of the reasons. You’ll be amazed with what you come up with. Then, apply that thinking to your business – and your networking.
It’s much easier to be a successful networker if your product or service stands out in some noticeable manner that you can readily explain to your target audience. Knowing this will help ensure that your networking and support go hand-in-hand and that you have a happy and growing customer base.
Bruce Newman, an expert on consulting, is a columnist for The National Networker and the Vice President at The Productivity Institute, LLC. Speak to us about our nine years of success stories increasing clients’ productivity and profitability. Imagine how even a 1% improvement in your bottom line can aid your financial flexibility. How can we help you? Just contact us. P.S. We also bathe dogs. Subscribe to our informative and free newsletter (circ 7,500+) and read our blog. Bruce can be contacted at bnewman@prodinst.com.
For more information, please visit Bruce's TNNW Bio.
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