Marketing

Where is your focus?

I would like to tell you a true story of a bit of wisdom I received from one of my Process Managers regarding a client we’ve been working with for about 16 months. It all began with our Uncovery process, which we used to uncover a lot of gold nuggets for this client. Uncovery is the process of interviewing a good cross-section of employees, management and owners as well as some clients and “uncovering” strengths that are taken for granted by the owners and management team. We take these “gold nuggets,” as we call them, and develop these strengths into a winning strategy for the future. In this case, the strategy was very different than what the owner had surmised going into this process.

We began developing all the tools needed and implemented the strategy. A couple of new clients were brought into their fold and then about a year and a couple of months later a very large client came knocking with a very large order that has since developed into a fruitful long-term partnership. I asked my Process Manager, “So, what was it that led to the sale? Was it the new website, the magazine ads, the trade shows… What?” He responded, “Their focus.”

He reminded me. There is no one thing that determines success. It’s the overall focus of the leadership team and associates who are focused on a particular strategy and doing small things everyday that led to the big hit. It’s so true. Have you ever had business come to you out of the blue that happened to be the perfect client? Almost always that is no accident. It’s because you focused on it.

Ah yes, the great power of focus!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: What’s your focus? Write it down and share it with others. Don’t have one? Open it up to your associates and get ready for an interesting discussion.

90% of Success Is Just Showing Up!

I’ve written on this topic before. Just showing up is often 90% of why a person is successful. When it comes to sales, successful sales people will tell you “never stop calling and reaching out.” That extra call often turns into sales. I was reminded of this fundamental truth while having lunch recently with a stranger at a Society of Animal Welfare Administrators conference, which I had been invited to speak at.

The gentleman I sat next to sold large operating systems for animal shelters. Products that cost a lot of money and last a long time … 20-30 years. They do not have the luxury of repeat business. So I asked him, “How do you market yourself? Booth space, hand shaking and walking around?” His response was, “Both.”

He admitted that it was very difficult but he found that continuing to show up can lead to unexpected connections that can result in sales. So why do we often get busy making excuses as to why we’re not reaching to meet our potential? Is it fear that holds us back? The fear of being wildly successful? I may sound a little sarcastic, but Nelson Mandela believes that what people truly fear is success.

You are a uniquely talented individual who has the right to be wildly successful. If you find you are limiting yourself or making excuses as to why you can’t, instead focus on making a plan as to how you can!

Joe Kiedinger

Advertising in a Recession

There’s a car dealer on the west side of the state. Yes, I said a car dealer. Ya know, that industry that has been slammed by this downturn in the economy. They have seven lines of new vehicles as well as used. They have the typical service and body shop you would see at any other dealership. Yet this dealership is special.

It’s special because the people who run this dealership have a drive and commitment that is rare in these turbulent times. Their commitment to service is top notch. I heard it myself when the president stood up in front of his leadership team in the beginning of 2009 and said, “We’re in for a rough road. We’re going to run leaner and better than ever before. I need you all to find ways to work leaner without sacrificing service. And though we’re looking for areas to cut, advertising will not be one of them.”

You see this company made a commitment to continue to tell customers about the savings they can expect with their tire program, the service they can expect from their technicians and the overall benefits of doing business with them. It’s true, sales were very tight the first half of the year. However, after three years of being 100% consistent with their message and media coverage, the bottom line began to rise and continues today.

If you’re ever in the La Crosse/Onalaska area, stop in at Dahl Automotive. They get it when it comes to focusing on the customer and their brand. By the way, they’ve recently added Mazda to their lineup and have expanded their downtown location. Perhaps nobody told them we’re in a recession!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Do you have vision and perseverance? Now is the perfect time to gain market share. Contact me and I’ll help you.

Are You a Poser?

My 13 year-old son, Alex, educated me on the new term for not being authentic—“poser”. He is an extremely talented skateboard dude! He’s only been skateboarding for a couple of years and his skills reflect that of a four year boarder. Early on, he would have me shoot video of him doing tricks—which he wouldn’t always land. So, he would edit two takes together to make it look like he did land them and then shared the video on YouTube. His simple cinematographic edits were obvious.

He would receive YouTube comments accusing him of being a poser (which he admits he was at the time). Now I am happy to report, Alex is no poser. His tricks are authentic and he’s quite good. This example, however, is exactly the essence of marketing. Today with the social media, people have access to authenticity like they never did before. With Twitter we can learn if our favorite celebrity likes fishing or shopping at Macy’s.

People don’t want smoke and mirrors. They want the brands they interact with to be authentic and definitely have no poser qualities. Is your brand authentic? Do you have a social networking strategy to allow you to connect with your customer? Do you see your brand through rose-colored glasses? Do you deliver on your marketing promise?

Authenticity and consistency can build any brand assuming you are delivering on your marketing promise. Now go out and be yourself!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: If you need help with your social networking plan, contact me for a free consultation with our social networking guru. You need to get in the game.

Tweets and Posts and Blogs, Oh My!

Note: Wisdom on Wednesday has gotten a face-lift! Please visit our new site at www.wisdomonwednesday.com. There, you’ll find tons of new features like: mp3s of Joe’s radio shows, Joe’s Twitter and LinkedIn profiles, sources of related reading, and more!

Remember the Wizard of Oz? Dorothy and the gang had to head into the enchanted forest. They were holding each other close, frightened about the unexpected. I think a lot of you feel the same way when it comes to social networking. It’s not worth fighting–you’re going to lose if you ignore the power of social networking. Scott Grall, our resident expert in this area illustrates this point beautifully below:

I remember, when I was young, my grandpa would stop by with a thermos of coffee and some doughnuts. He would end up talking to my mom for hours about the gossip of the town. They would even talk about how they were treated at the local grocery store or my grandpa would talk coffee shop. Eventually, after a week or two, that word would spread throughout the family, then eventually to friends.

Scott Grall

ACTION PLAN: Start simple with just setting up a Facebook or Twitter account. Pick one or two platforms and experiment a bit!

The Social Networking Phenomenon! Are You in the Game?

Blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flicker, Facebook, YouTube… yikes! Are you paying attention? You can decide to throw up your arms and say, “What a bunch of hooey! Why would anyone want to be followed, friended, linked, or write a post once or twice a week? And that YouTube is a bunch of nonsense!” Let me tell you, ignorance will not be bliss in the world of social networking. I just heard of a company who made locks, ya know, the kind for bikes to be secured at school or other public places. Someone discovered that a simple ball point pen could pick their best selling lock. That person used a simple video camera and recorded themselves picking this high-end lock with a pen and posted it on YouTube. Views of the video skyrocketed and it became a viral hit on the internet. The lock company was made aware of this and decided to ignore the social media and remain ignorant to its power.  

In a few short months, their lock sales plummeted. When it comes to social networking ignorance can put you out of business. I understand that it can be very confusing, but you need to get educated and begin using this powerful tool to grow your business and build your brand. It’s not as difficult or confusing as you might think. There are people who can help you. If you need help or simply want to know more, please contact Scott Grall. Scott is guiding and fulfilling many wonderful internet solutions. Through an Uncovery, Scott can determine what makes sense for you. 

Please don’t be ignorant to this enormous monster that is social networking. Learn how to tame it and take control of your voice on the Internet. Joe Kiedinger 

ACTION PLAN: Make it a point to attend seminars on social networking. You’ll be glad you did. Another overall good business resource to visit is my new website Monday Mastermind website. We’re updating it constantly with small business resources.

Who are the number one decision makers?

KIDS! I was reminded earlier in the week how much our children influence the places we patron. If you have small children (or even big ones) you know what I’m talking about. I have three little girls, ages 2, 4, and 6, and one 13 year-old boy (yikes)! The kids ask to go to Festival Foods so they can hang out in the Tot Spot (thankfully they’re a client, whew). Restaurants that are frequented revolve around activities, child-friendly menus, and fun atmospheres: McDonalds, Applebee’s, Nicolet Restaurant, and Perkins. They drive us into making all sorts of buying decisions.

 

A colleague of mine recently shared an experience involving his little boy. His wife is a fan of saltwater fish and has two saltwater tanks at home. I’ve learned that it’s not cheap to set up a saltwater tank from the filtration systems to product… the fish!

 

He explained that there are only two locations in Green Bay to purchase these fish and their specialized products. The first has Mc Donald’s pricing and the second is priced more like Applebee’s. His wife always goes to the higher-priced store. It’s not because saving money isn’t important, it’s because her little boy likes Steve. Steve works at the store and makes Alex feel special and gives him attention. When mom says, “C’mon Alex, we’re going to the fish store!” His response is: “Are we going to see Steve?”

 

You may think your customer is a man or a woman or some certain demographic but I’m here to remind you that children drive a lot of decisions. In the words of Crosby, Stills and Nash: Treat Your Children Well.

 

No matter what the retail business you’re in, make it a point to focus on how you treat the children. Their experience will directly affect your bottom line. Besides, they’re your future customer.

 

Joe Kiedinger

 

ACTION PLAN: Talk to your associates about what you can do to serve your little guests. It will pay dividends!

Hong Kong found me in a Wisconsin convenience store!

You never know where opportunities may come from. One of mine recently came from a local convenience store. Many of you know that my book, The Brander-In-Chief, was released this past November. I had a big media launch in an old downtown theater. It was very exciting. One of the attendees had a small chain of gas station convenience stores and he offered to sell my book in his stores.

 

Hey, it’s my first book, you got to start somewhere (by the way you can now order at amazon.com)! So we created a display stand and placed my books in four of his stores. For a month nothing moved. We decided to re-brand the display stand with, “LOCAL AUTHOR!” all over it. The books started moving at a modest rate.

 

A CEO, from a successful company, received the book from his in-laws who purchased the book (I later discovered) at one of these stores. This successful CEO asked his associates if anyone knew this Joe Kiedinger guy? One of his associates actually went to college with me and knew me quite well. The CEO wanted to meet with me because he liked the message of the book and the Brander-In-Chief philosophies and system held within.

 

I learned that one of his companies does leadership training in Hong Kong. Last night I had a Skype conversation with his office in China. After two hours I was informed that the Brander-In-Chief message would be quite well-received in Hong Kong and was asked if I would consider a two-week trip to Hong Kong to give speeches and run coaching sessions with their people. My, oh, my! I guess Disney had it right. It really is “a small world afterall.” This opportunity happened because one business owner allowed me to sell my books in his convenience stores.

 

This one powerful example illustrates how important it is to present your uniqueness to everyone you meet including people you may think can do nothing for your business: teachers, college students, vendors, even family members. You never realize the impact a meaningful conversation about your vision and unique selling proposition can have until you share those ideas with others. Sometimes these conversations can lead to opportunities years down the road, but it always pays dividends at some point.

 

As Brander-In-Chief of your life and the business you serve, you are an ambassador. You should always be talking to people and networking. You are a unique individual who brings value to others. Tell them how and show them if possible. Don’t underestimate anyone. Tell your story and live with passion!

 

Joe Kiedinger

 

ACTION PLAN: Be the ambassador!

There’s Nothing Like a Brander-in-Chief with CLASS!

Since my new book, The Brander-in-Chief, was released this past November, I have had the wonderful opportunity to speak to hundreds of business professionals about the BIC (Brander-in-Chief) philosophy. Many people are searching for the one thing that could get them started on their BIC journey. It’s funny because even before the days of Ponce D’ Leon searching for the fountain of youth, we Americans are always searching for the magic fairy dust that transforms average to great.

 

I’m excited to inform you that I’ve captured and discovered the fountain of BIC and it lies in two qualities of great leaders: Humility and Patience. Humility, in that BICs are open to new information and understand from the beginning that they don’t have all the answers. They are always searching for books, seminars, courses and knowledge to help them grow.

 

They practice patience because they know that all great things take time. They leave their impatience at the door, which provides clarity and vision for the future. Am I describing you? Are you the person who is always seeking out ways to improve? Are you patient in achieving your goals? Don’t mistake patience with inactivity. The BIC is always moving things forward, but they’re patient while figuring out the best way to accomplish great things.

 

If you have the desire to learn and the patience to experiment we need your help! We have invented a system called a Mantrix (pronounced MON-trix). It reveals your company’s “Mantra” and provides a blueprint for marketing your company. Every decision you make goes back to the Mantrix. We have successfully accomplished the Mantrix System with a variety of small business owners and they feel great having this easy to understand blueprint.

 

Here’s what we need help with. We need 10 volunteers who would like to participate via a Webex presentation on April 2^nd from 11:30p.m. – 1:00 p.m. with our own instructor and co-inventor, Bill Zienert. He calls it Lunch and Learn! Hey, I like. Grab a sub and a soda and follow along to create a marketing blueprint for your company. Let me know if you’re interested.  E-mail me!

 

Here’s to Patience and Humility leading the way to success!

 

Joe Kiedinger

 

ACTION PLAN: Be sure to sign up for our Lunch and Learn. The first 10 will be our guinea pigs!

“The Man Who Sold Hotdogs” (Author unknown)

There was a man who lived by the side of the road and sold hot dogs. He was hard of hearing so he had no radio. He had trouble with his eyes so he read no newspapers. But he sold good hot dogs. He put up signs on the highway telling how good they were. He stood on the side of the road and cried:  ‘Buy a hot dog, mister?’ and people bought.

He increased his meat and bun orders. He bought a bigger stove to take care of his trade. He finally got his son home from college to help him out during break. But then something happened. His son said, ‘Father, haven’t you been listening to the radio? Haven’t you been reading the newspapers? There’s a big recession. The European situation is terrible. The domestic situation is worse.’

 

Whereupon the father thought, ‘Well, my son’s been to college, he reads the papers and he listens to the radio, and he ought to know.’ So the father cut down on his meat and bun orders, took down his advertising signs, and no longer bothered to stand out on the highway to sell his hot dogs as often. And his hot dog sales fell almost overnight. ‘You’re right, son,’ the father said to the boy, ‘we certainly are in the middle of a great recession.’

The above story was sent to me via e-mail and I love it! If you’re like me thinking, ‘I’m not participating in the recession,’ the only way you can truly live recession-free is to focus on what you can control. Don’t open your 401K envelopes, stop reading about it, and stop listening to it. Invest in yourself. When I think stock market vs. Joe’s business, I’m choosing Joe’s business. My return is bound to be far greater than the stock market in a great year.

 

I’m choosing to focus on what I can control. Who’s joining me?

 

Joe Kiedinger

 

ACTION PLAN: Choose to avoid all newspapers and all news programming for one week. Focus only on what you can control and surround yourself with information and people who can help you achieve next week’s goals. Now March Forth and succeed!