Marketing with Moxie

This is the time of year that most people take to reflect and look back on the year gone by and resolve to do something better in the new year.  It's also a very slow time for business.

You're not likely to close any sales this week, so why not take a few minutes to take a close look at your customer list and see if you should fire any of them?

Take stock in your customer relationships over the past year.  Are there any that have turned out to be disappointing, annoying, or cause you to lose money? Do they always pay you late? Do you find that they don't appreciate you or your business - that you regularly have to work harder to please them? Unless you can identify something you've done to make them unhappy, pull a Donald Trump and say, "You're fired." Why? You want customers that know, like and trust you, right? The kind that will refer business to you and value your product or service. Unless their receivables are essential to keeping your doors open, you'll be better off in the long run to let them go. You might not be able to do this right away but you can work towards it by getting more "ideal customers." 

So, who's your ideal customer?  Go down your current list of customers and look for the ones that appreciate you and regularly refer you. Check out their demographics. Are they in a market segment that has a need you can fill? What do you know about their attitudes and values?  Importantly can you find more like them? Use this week to think about ways to narrow and focus your target market and make a plan to develop that market in 2010. As you think more about that ideal customer and that target market, you'll probably be more willing to fire those customers that don't fit the profile.

Now that you have a few ideal customers in mind, dig a little deeper and ask them why they like you. Get a testimonial you can use in your marketing materials and on your web site. Does that make you a little nervous? You should get over that. Most people feel honored when you ask them for a testimonial or recommendation. It makes them feel smart that they've chosen to work with a person or company that helps them grow their business. It doesn't have to be anything formal or well-written. You're not asking for a big case study. The next time you see them, ask them to do you a little favor and jot a few sentences on the back of their business card about why they like doing business with you.  It will help them keep their comments short and do it right away. I like to use Linked In to ask people for a testimonial. It can be done quickly and allows people some flexibility in finding a moment to recommend you.  Go to your LinkedIn profile page and find the "Get Recommended" section.  See this tutorial from LinkedIn.  If you're not on LinkedIn, you should be. You can get connected with more ideal clients and prospects there.

Oh, and if you find the client on LinkedIn that you need to fire, it'll be best to avoid asking them to "join your network." Duh.  

Hey Cupcake!With summer in full swing, I've been exploring some typically Austin businesses lately with my family. Places like "Hey Cupcake" and "Flip Happy Crepes." Interestingly, these establishments run their business out of sleek, aluminum-skinned Airstream trailers. I made a mental note to be sure to bring our next out-of-town guests to these places as perfect examples of what Keeps Austin Weird. These businesses truly are weird, and delightful, not only for their retro ambience, but also for their tasty treats.

What is it about an Airstream trailer that creates such a buzz? These business have websites, but I have not seen or heard any advertising about them. I learned about them by word of mouth. They just make you smile. That's something that even multi-million dollar ad campaigns rarely do. Curious about this phenomenon -- running a business out of a retro Airstream trailer-- I googled around to learn more about businesses in trailers in Austin.

Last January in Austin there was a "South Austin Airstream Trailer Tour." We like tours in Austin. Tours of homes. Tours of galleries. Why not a Tour of Trailers?  Brilliant.

So what's this got to do with marketing? Everything. I preach that every business owner must understand that everything is marketing -- especially in our current economic crisis. Assuming you've at least got a decent product (research shows that restaurants can be successful serving less than stellar food if they give their customers great service) and a fair price, customers will find you even in a recession if you delight them.  They in turn will brand you.

Our friends at Hey Cupcake and Flip Happy crepes found a way to be passionate about their product andFlip Happy Crepes delight their customers. You can probably think of other businesses that do the same -- Apple, Southwest Airlines, Disney World to name a few.

So, do you need to work out of a trailer, or hire Mickey Mouse to delight your customers? No, but can you think of something just as creative to make your customers smile? A smile on your customer's face today can make their mouths spread words of praise tomorrow. 

If you ask small business owners what they did to build their business via word of mouth, many may answer, "I don't know.  We just had an idea."  I suspect though, that if you drill down, you'll find a consistent passion for excellence, a clear vision and a unique understanding of what makes people tick.   Can this ability be taught?  Yes, but it usually sprouts from a founding entrepreneur with a vision. 

If you peel back the layers of what we now call "social media marketing" you'll find that word of mouth is the soft, chewy center.  Websites like Yelp and customer comments on popular business blogs like Nuts About Southwest are really an online variation of word of mouth marketing. 

But good old-fashioned over-the-fence word of mouth isn't dead yet.  To learn more about word of mouth marketing check out the Word of Mouth Marketing Association web site.

If you can ride out the rest of the recession with this proven and cheap marketing formula, your business will be even stronger when the economy bounces back.