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introduction

Welcome to your What Big Brands Know® Business Blueprint

This workbook translates the strategies used by big brands into knowledge that any business can use. The techniques are used by billion dollar brands all over the world. This process will strengthen your business now and in the long-term.

The Business Blueprint is different from other business books in two important ways:

1. The What Big Brands Know Business Blueprint was written for action. Many business books give you knowledge, but the Blueprint is designed so you implement that knowledge to grow your business.

2. The Blueprint is written to help you build a winning plan as if I’m sitting right there with you. The workbook replicates the process that I use with my individual coaching clients. You will go through the same exercises that have changed the businesses of those who work with me one-on-one.

Completing the exercises in the Blueprint can:

• Clarify and enhance your marketing message.

• Make your marketing investment work harder.

• Have customers actively choose your product or service over other options.

• Increase your word-of-mouth referrals.

• Provide a proven framework for you to quickly and effectively complete a winning plan

• Differentiate your business from competition in a way that customers value.

• Identify the customers who matter most.

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• Focus your messages on the outcomes you deliver.

• Create a powerful “Because” that will make your message more believable and repeatable.

• Help you understand why customers make the choices they do.

• Create strategies to beat your competition.

• Help you create great advertising.

• Give you ideas to innovate and create new products or services.

Many business owners and managers spend a majority of their time running their company, and very little time thinking and planning for success. By using the process in this workbook you will craft a powerful plan for your business.

Businesses of any size can compete like the big guys; it just takes a little knowledge and some purposeful effort to build your plan. The techniques in the Business Blueprint are all easy to understand, but can be challenging to implement well. While the questions are straightforward, completing the exercises will open up your thinking to new ideas and approaches that will change the course of your business.

These exercises are the core underpinnings of all successful businesses. You can come back to these exercises over and over to improve your business. Big brands go through this process every year to hone their business and stay in front of the competition.

The exercises in the Business Blueprint will work for you regardless of the type of business you’re in. Whether you’re a start-up, a tiny business or a large business, these exercises will help you. Whether you’re a product business, a service business, or a non-profit, these techniques are valuable.

These strategies are not complex, but they only work if you use them. I’d love to hear about your company, and what you think of the Business Blueprint.

– Gerry O’Brion

These exercises are the core underpinnings of all successful businesses. You

can come back to these exercises over and over

to improve your business. Big brands go through this process every year to hone their business and stay in front of the

competition.

Gerry O’Brion’s Personal Contact Information:

Cell: 513-382-3152Office: [email protected]


about the author

gerry o’brion

Gerry O’Brion helps businesses grow. Gerry’s speaking, coaching, and Business Blueprint have reached thousands of businesses across the country.

He built his career growing big brands. Now he teaches all businesses how to use the same strategies used by the big guys, regardless of their budget.

After earning his MBA at the University of Michigan, he worked at Procter & Gamble with brands like Crisco, Tide, Mr. Clean, and Spic & Span.

Next, at Coors Brewing Company he managed the flagship Coors brand, and then Coors Light, a $2 billion business.

He was then VP of Marketing for Quiznos and most recently VP of Marketing for Red Robin Gourmet Burgers.

Please visit www.WhatBigBrandsKnow.com to learn more and find out if Gerry is the right person to speak to your organization.

“I accomplished more in 3 days with Gerry’s Business Blueprint than I did in the

previous 3 months.”

Dave Westlake

President, Print Command

Gerry O’Brion’s Personal Contact Information:

Cell: 513-382-3152Office: [email protected]


NoTeS


contents

CoNTeNTSGetting Started………………...............………………………………………………………………………….……… 9• The one Thing That Matters in Business………..………………............................……………… 11• Your Brand Isn’t What You Think It Is………………………...............................………………… 15• Five Ways To Make More Money………………………………................................………………… 25• Three Ways To Lose Less Business…………………………………………..............................……. 29• Don’t Waste Your Money…………………………………………………..……..................................…… 31

External Exercises – Competitors and Learning Plan………..……..…………………………… 35• Check out Your Competition……………………………...............................………………………..… 37• S.W.o.T………………………………………………………………….........................................……………………. 45• I Wish I Knew………………………………………………………......................................……………………… 49

Internal Exercises – Building Your Brand and Your Business………..……………………… 53• Vision, Mission, Values…………………………………………….……………………................................... 55• Who’s Your Target? ……………………………………….....................................………………………….. 59• What Are Their Needs?…………………………………..................................………………………….... 71• Create Your Hierarchy of Needs...…………………………...............................………………………. 77• What Are Your Benefits?………………………………………………..................................……….…… 83• Benefits Selection……………………………………………………………...................................……….…… 89• What’s Your Because?……………………………….................................................……………………. 93• Create Your Positioning…………………………………………….................................………………….. 99• Create Your Marketing Plan…………………………………………………........................................… 107

Innovation…………………………………………………………………....................………………………………..… 117

Market Research………………………………………………………….................……………………………...…… 125• Qualitative Research................................................................................................................ 129• Quantitative Research.............................................................................................................. 131• Two other Research Approaches...................................................................................... 133

Creating Great Advertising……………….……………………………...........…………………….…………… 135• Advertising Brief....................................................................................................................... 139• effective Print Advertising………….................................................................................……. 141• effective Billboard (out-of-Home) Advertising……..................................................... 143• effective Radio Advertising…….............................................................................…………… 145• effective TV Advertising ………………………........................................................................... 147

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………..................…………………… 150


NoTeS


The workbook is broken out into five primary sections:

1. Getting Started

2. external exercises – Competitors and Learning Plan

3. Building Your Brand and Your Business

4. Market Research

5. Great Advertising

The Getting Started section will introduce you to key concepts, warm up your brain, have you capture initial thoughts about your business – where you are, and where you want to go. It will get you thinking about the exercises.

The Exercises sections are where you should spend the majority of your time. This is where you go from understanding the concepts, to implementing them in your business. Section #2: External Exercises - Competitors and Learning Plan is focused on evaluating the competition and creating a learning plan for your business. Section #3: Internal Exercises - Building Your Brand and Your Business is internally focused, helping you create your unique message and positioning based on what you uncovered in the first set of exercises.

The Market Research section includes guidance about getting feedback from your customers. While you can complete the exercises on your own, customer feedback is a critical part of the process, and will make a huge difference in your success.

This Business Blueprint focuses on all the things you should be thinking about before you start investing in advertising. But when you’re ready to get out there and take your message to the streets, the Great Advertising section will help you be sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck with your advertising dollars.

GeTTING THe MoST FRoM YoUR WoRKBooK

workbook


1. Not getting started I always say that putting on the running shoes is the hardest part of the run. To make progress, you need to take action. These techniques will change your business, but only if you use them!

2. Making it Perfect This process is messy by its nature. That’s oK. There are no right or wrong answers. This process is easy to understand, but challenging to do well. It doesn’t matter if it’s pretty – just get started and refine from there.

3. Following the “Process” There is no singular, right way to do these exercises. These exercises will work best for you if you make them your own. Throughout, I list common barriers and best practices that have worked for others. However, these are just to give you a framework. Take the activities and make them your own. Color outside the lines. Then let me know what worked for you.

.

common barriers

To get the most out of your work, follow this process:

1. Read through each section and be sure you understand all the concepts.

2. Work quickly through each section and jot down the first answers that come to

mind.

3. Spend additional time in each section and capture everything you can think of

in detail.

4. Set it aside for a few days. Then go back and add, clarify and revise your

answers.

5. Involve others in the process. Take them through the exercises without

showing them your answers. You could get input from employees, people

familiar with your business, or anyone who’s insights you value.

6. Next, get input from your customers. The types of customer research you’ll

want to conduct are outlined in the Market Research section. Use the research

to validate or revise your initial thinking.

7. Finalize your positioning statement and share it with everyone in your business.

8. Finally, build your marketing plan.

Smiling Sally’sThroughout the section focused on creating your brand message, the exercises are illustrated by using a fictitious sandwich restaurant called Smiling Sally’s Sandwiches and Salads.


section 1

getting started

1


NoTeS


concept #1

Business isn’t as complex as we often make it. Big companies pay millions to external consultants, MBA students spend two years studying every part of business, companies generate hundred page annual plans, and countless books are written each year on what you actually need to do to make more money.

The reality is that much of business can be simplified into one short statement:

Be different from competitionin a way customers value

This applies to any business. Whether you’re a huge brand, an early-stage start-up, a product maker, or a service provider this applies to you. With all the work it takes to run a company, it’s easy to forget that this is the simple foundation of why your business exists. Big brands thrive by continually refining their understanding of what customers value, and delivering it in a way that stands out from competition.

Simple, right?Positioning your business distinctly from your competitors may seem obvious, but it’s amazing how many companies, even large ones, fail to do it. If you do this, and do it well, you your business will have the opportunity to succeed. If you fail to do this, it’s very hard to succeed regardless of how hard you work or how much you spend on marketing.

The idea of creating differentiation is very easy to understand, but extremely challenging to do well. Creating your differentiation is the overarching theme of the Business Blueprint. each of the exercises will help you solve the puzzle of how to create powerful differentiation in your business that will have customers choose you over the competition.

Be different from

competitionin a way

customers value

THe oNe THING THAT MATTeRS IN BUSINeSS


Customers Don’t Buy ThingsIt’s useful to think about it this way: Customers today don’t buy products, they choose between options. Consumers see between 500 and 3,000 advertising messages every day. They really don’t want to hear another message, even if it is for your awesome product or service.

our lives are packed with options for spending money, and many products seem the same. It’s more important than ever to create a unique space in the mind of a customer. If you try to take a space that’s already filled by another company, it’s very hard to get attention. If you create a new space that makes the customer’s life better, or their business stronger, you’ll attract customers.

Think SmallIn 1959 Volkswagen launched an ad called “Think Small.” It featured a little Volkswagen Beetle on a blank white page, with text below it describing the car. This is a great example of creating a new space in a customer’s mind. At a time when Americans were obsessed with big muscle cars, the ad showed that the Beetle was different, and how that was valuable to customers.

The ad pointed out that the car uses five pints of oil instead of five quarts, it can drive 40,000 miles on a set of tires, it doesn’t need antifreeze, that your insurance will cost less, and that you can actually fit into a parking space. These benefits were very different from other cars, and they were valuable to the customers.

While the ad hit on rational reasons that were valuable to customers, the shape of the car and the personality of the ads hit hard on the emotional reasons why a customer would want the car. It was a powerful one-two punch.

Lifetime GuaranteeSometimes business owners I work with are convinced that their business is mostly the same as their competitors. I have a friend, Marc, who used to sell TV media to business owners in Wisconsin where we grew up. one day the owner of a local muffler shop purchased a media plan from him and wanted the TV station to make him an ad. Marc wanted to start formulating ideas for the ad, so he asked the owner what set his shop apart from the other muffler shops. Marc got what he described as the “blank stare.” “What do you mean what makes me different? I put mufflers on cars just like everyone else.”

Many business owners get excited about the prospect of marketing and rush into creating an ad, but skip over the most important step - creating a message that’s different, and valuable to customers. Don’t start with marketing, start with thinking and planning your message.

Customers really don’t want to hear another ad, even

from you.


In 1956 Nate Sherman started a muffler shop called Macon Muffler. He needed to create differentiation so he offered a lifetime guarantee. Different, and valuable. He nailed it. He went on to franchise his concept as Midas Muffler. In the next 10 years, he franchised 426 muffler shops and then sold the company. Nate never had to install another muffler in his life. Creating differentiation that is valuable to customers is how small companies become big companies. This worked for Nate, and it can work for you. What’s your differentiation?

Start Up Your BrainThe exercises that come later in the book will walk you through the step-by-step process of creating differentiation that matters to your customers. You will create a plan to create differentiation in your business.

As you’re reading this, you’re probably already thinking about ways that your business is different and better than your competitors. What makes you special? Why do your customers come back to you again and again? If you’re a start-up, what is the idea that is going to make your business distinct?

Take a minute to list the things you’re thinking of. We’ll go deep into this later, but the best time to capture your ideas is while you’re having them!

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Don’t start with marketing, start

with thinking and planning your

message.


NavigationThe reality of business is that the landscape is always changing. New competitors show up with new ideas, the economy changes and government regulations change. The only constant in business is change.

Great businesses provide differentiation that customer’s value today, and always have an eye toward how they will stay relevant tomorrow. The most successful businesses don’t just have the best ideas, they have the best navigation. Navigating effectively can be harder than it seems, especially in today’s business environment where customer preferences are changing at an ever increasing rate.

Small companies get big, and big companies stay profitable by continually adjusting how they provide value to customers. Failing to change along with customer needs can bankrupt large companies just as well as small ones. For decades, Kodak stood for “Film I trust.” They built a strong brand around film, quality, family, and memories. However, they were slow to innovate as digital cameras were introduced. What customers wanted changed quickly, and competition leapfrogged Kodak by providing a product that met customers’ new needs. Between 2000 and 2010 Kodak’s stock dropped by over 90%. Then, in 2012 Kodak went bankrupt.

How have your customers’ needs and wants changed over the past few years? How can you leverage that change to attract more customers? How have your competitors changed and improved? What else has shifted in your industry?

You Can Do It For Free Not only is being different in a way customers value the foundation of any business, you can create this foundation for free. This is thinking part of being in business. Thinking and planning can ultimately be the most important work you do.

There is a lot to do in any business, but the time you spend understanding your customers, planning, and navigating is what sets you up for long-term success. Survey the landscape of your business. Who are your competitors? What do customers think about them? What do they think about you? Whose offering makes the customer’s life better? How you’re different in a way that customers value makes all the difference.

Great businesses are adept at navigation.

The only constant in business is

change.


2

concept #2

Branding

What is a brand? Why does it matter to your business? What’s the difference between branding and marketing? After reading this section, you’ll be an expert on branding and how it makes a difference in your business.

Building your brand can be one of the most important things you do for your business. Your brand is why new customers choose you, why current customers continue to do business with you, and why they recommend you. A true brand plan encompasses every part of your business, not just marketing. The decisions you make about how you want to go to market all send messages that either build or erode your brand and people’s desire to purchase from you. It’s not just your logo, it’s not just your marketing, it’s linked with everything you do.

Your brand isn’t something you can just create one day. You build your brand over time with purposeful effort. It’s not something you can outsource to a “branding expert” (although outside perspective can be very helpful). Your brand is created over time through every customer interaction and every customer touch point. So, if you’re already in business, you already have a brand. Some business owners are convinced that they’re not in the type of business where they need to build a “brand.” The reality is that you already have one. The question is what are you doing about your brand perceptions? Are you purposefully managing them, or just letting them get formed randomly?

So what is it?

When I teach the concept of brand in my keynote presentation, participants regularly throw out a long list of ideas about what a brand is. Some of the most common are: a feeling, a promise, an experience, a logo, a color, an expectation, your reputation, and consistency. All of these ideas are right in some measure.

Your brand is what your customers think it is.

YoUR BRAND ISN’T WHAT YoU THINK IT IS


In the simplest terms your brand is:

The culmination of all the experiences an individual has with your business.

Your brand resides in the mind of an individual. Ultimately, it’s why a customer chooses you vs. a competitor. It’s easy to think about the idea of your brand in broad strokes – in terms of “what people think” but it’s important to remember that perceptions are formed on the individual level. Thus, your brand isn’t what you think it is - it’s what your customers think it is.

How People ChoosePeople make a decision about what they think of your product the same way they decide about everything else in their life. They gather disparate pieces of information from different places, commingle all that information in their brain, and then form an opinion. It’s the same way we decide who to marry, where to live, what type of work to do, or where to go on vacation. The opinion they form determines if they’ll choose to do business with you.

As we all know, different people can view the same information, product or company in very different ways. This can be caused by different experiences, different backgrounds, having seen different messages, different social circles, finding value in different ways, or a litany of other factors. Some of these things you can control, others you cannot.

Building Your BrandYour job in building a brand for your company is to purposefully manage all the perceptions you can control. Since perceptions can be formed through any interaction that someone has with your business, you can see the importance of a plan. This plan should encompass every aspect of your business.

You’re probably already doing this kind of work. You’re serving customers with excellence, training your staff and creating advertising. If you’re a start-up, you’re planning for these things. The process in this workbook will help you methodically create a powerful plan that can impact every interaction, every investment, and act as a filter for every decision you make in your business.

The outcome of this process will be a guiding light that keeps everyone in your business focused on the few things that matter.

Your brand isn’t what you think it is - it’s what

your customers think it is.


It’s Rational and EmotionalSince your brand resides in individuals’ minds, it’s partly rational, and partly emotional. That’s just the way our minds work. It’s easy to focus on the rational reasons why someone would choose us. Rational points of difference are a critical part of your brand and can be very important to getting a new customer to choose you the first time. But the emotional reasons are what keep people coming back and paying premium prices. We’ll go deep into creating rational and emotional connections in exercise #7.

TouchpointsPeople’s perceptions could be made up of dozens of experiences, or just a few. Their opinion is solidified, adjusted, or changed based on their ongoing experiences. Depending on your business, they may have many touch points with your business. For example, they may see your advertising, your website, your store, your wait staff, your coupon, your competitor who talks about you, one of your customers, one of your suppliers, your packaging, an online rating of your business, your receptionist, or many other touch points.

each and every one of these leaves some sort of impression, developing an individual’s opinion of your brand in their mind. each is an opportunity for you to improve or deteriorate your brand perception. each is also an opportunity to give the customer a clear message about how you’re different in a way they value. Your objective is to build a positive relationship with potential customers through all of the points of interaction they have with your company.

Leveraging Your BrandThat is all fine and good, but why do I really care? The process of building your brand has ramifications in your business far beyond your advertising message. Using the process in this workbook, you will create value in every part of your business, and clarify every decision you make.

The outcome of this process

will be a guiding light that keeps everyone in your business focused on the few things

that matter.


There are several benefits you can get from having a strong, clear, compelling positioning statement about your company. This statement will be a guiding light for your company, and ultimately become your consumer’s perception of your business – your brand. A few of the biggest impacts you’ll get from this process are: retaining your current customers, earning new customers, protection from competitors and substitutes, pricing power, and clarity for you and your organization. These concepts are covered in depth in the next two sections.

Singular FocusThere are many things that make up the brand of a business, and it’s important for all of these components to work together to build the brand perception you want. The best brands have a singular focus. They know what they stand for, and stick to it. It’s very easy to dilute your message by trying to be everything to everyone. In the exercises we’ll go through a step-by-step process to create a singularly focused message for your business.

Some Brand ComponentsThink about the following components that help make up your brand perception. Which of these do you have in your company? What message does each send?

Your logoIt’s common for businesses to talk about their logo as their brand. The fancy term for this is actually “brandmark.” Your brandmark or logo is important, and it can sometimes help clarify what your company stands for to a customer. This could enhance a customer’s perception of your company, but it’s not your brand, it’s just one component of your brand.

What does your current logo communicate about your brand?

1.

2.

3.

Your product, packaging and designSometimes people think of the product design and packaging as the brand. It is true that the design is a component that helps form a customer’s opinion about a brand. Does the packaging have a distinctive shape? Does it make the product function better? Does the color make it easy to remember? If you’re a service provider what does your uniform look like? What about your vehicle? All of these can help mold a customer’s perception.

The best brands have a singular focus.


What does your current product design, packaging, uniform, etc. communicate about your brand?

1.

2.

3. Your Online PresenceIn today’s world, your online presence is a critical element of your business and your brand. It starts with your website and includes anywhere your customers can find information about you online such as review sites, or your social media presence.

Does your online presence enhance your brand?

1.

2.

3. Your ServiceGreat service can make the difference between getting a customer once, and creating a life-long fan. Great service makes your product seem higher quality and your prices lower. In short, it can enhance everything else you do.

Does your service enhance the brand you’re setting out to create?

1.

2.

3.


Your PricesYour price communicates a lot to customers. Too low and it will tell them you have low quality, too high and you might not have many customers. Your price has to be appropriate for the value that your customers get. one of the biggest trends in New York City is the $1 slice of pizza. Cheap? Yes. When you ask customers about the quality, they say “It’s pretty good for a buck.”

Is your price/value relationship in balance?

1.

2.

3.

Your Space & LocationFor businesses where customers visit your location, the space can make a big impact on the brand of the business. How is it laid out? How is it lit? What colors are used? Where is it located? What is my experience when I enter the space?

What does your current space communicate about your brand?

1.

2.

3.

Your Emotional Connection People have strong emotional connections to some brands. The choices you make can have a big impact on the emotional connection people feel towards your products, services and company. Creating a strong emotional connection to your brand helps take your customers’ focus off of price.

How are you purposefully creating an emotional connection with your customers?

1.

2.

3.

The Importance of customer experience

has been elevated dramatically in the

last 20 years.


Your ExperienceThe importance of customer experience has been elevated dramatically in the last 20 years. A great example is Starbucks. Howard Schultz built the company on the simple idea of giving consumers an amazing Italian coffee house experience. every detail was designed to create an experience worthy of a $4 cup of coffee.

If you feel like your business has few points of difference from your competitors, pay attention to this one. When all seems the same, differentiating based on your experience may make a big difference in your business. Zappos has built an enormous business on selling shoes based on the simple philosophy of providing better service. They committed to this, and now their reputation and their brand is one of delivering surprising service to their customers.

Good or bad, when customers have a particularly memorable experience, they’re likely to tell others.

How are you consistently giving your customers surprising experiences?

1.

2.

3.

Your consistency If I am your customer over time, do I have a consistent experience? Consistency is a very important component to customer satisfaction. It was the singular concept that Ray Kroc focused on when building McDonald’s. People like to know what they’re going to get, and they appreciate it. They’ll reward you with their loyalty if you give them a consistent experience.

How have you built consistency into your brand?

1.

2.

3.


Your expectations When you deliver consistently for your customers, it creates an expectation. over time, your satisfaction of these expectations becomes your brand. If you don’t meet them, your customers will simply choose someone else - there are plenty of other options out there.

What expectations do your customers have of your company, or of companies in your industry?

1.

2.

3.

Your promiseIt’s easy to make promises. The magic happens when you deliver on your promises. Getting clear on your brand promise can be one of the most important things you do to get everyone in your company on the same page. If everyone understands the promise, they know how to act and how to make choices in all situations. once you decide what you’d like to promise to your customers, be sure to let them know your commitment.

What commitment do you make to your customers? What will you commit to deliver each and every time, no matter what, no excuses? What does your company stand for?

1.

2.

3.

Your reputation Reputation matters, especially today with the increasing importance of social media. Word of mouth is critical for most businesses, especially smaller businesses. Companies build reputations based on what people say about them whether it’s word of mouth or on social media.

Like your brand perception, your reputation is earned over time based on your promises and your actions. If you asked your current or potential customers, what would they say your reputation is?


1.

2.

3.

Your personality Products and businesses have personalities. Some are masculine, some are funny, some are ritzy and some are delicate. Companies spend millions to communicate the personality of their brands. Think of the personality of brands like Marlboro, the Mini Cooper, and Rolex. They are all very different, and very specific. Does your business have a personality? What is it?

1.

2.

3.

Your business has a brand You can see that there are lots of factors that make up a brand. Your business has a brand whether you’ve planned for it or not.

The minute customers start forming opinions about your business, your brand has been launched. And when they start telling others what they think, it has started to spread.

Let’s get started by creating a list of the things that you stand for today and that you’d like to stand for in the future. What would you like your brand to be moving forward? If you asked your customers, what would they say your brand is today? Is there a gap between the way you think customers perceive you now, and how you would like them to see you?


Current:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Future:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Think about all the points where your business connects with customers or potential customers. Are you being purposeful about building a positive impression and enhancing your brand at each one of them? Do all of your employees understand the brand you’re developing and how they can do their part?

Your brand isn’t what you think it is, it’s what your customers think it is. But it’s your job to influence what they think, and build that relationship at every point along the way.


3

concept #3

Building a strong brand will help make you more money. By honing in on your valuable point of difference and communicating that difference in every customer touch point, you can build a strong business and a strong brand over time.

There are five ways that building your brand will help you make more money. There are also three ways that it will protect you from losing business - these are covered in the Concept #4.

Make More Money #1

Building a strong brand will help make more money from your current customers. Your current customers are the lifeblood of your business, and by actively managing every touch point, you can generate more revenue from them. There are two ways to accomplish this.

The first way to make more money is to get your current customers to purchase more often. The fancy term for this is frequency. If you are a restaurant and a customer visits one time per month, what could you do to get that customer to visit a second time every month?

If you solve that puzzle, you could double the revenue from that customer. What would your business be like if you doubled the revenue from all of your customers? How much would you be willing to pay to get customers back twice as often? Would you be willing to give a special deal if the customer comes back in the next week? How would this impact your brand and customer loyalty over time?

Five Ways To Make

More Money

FIVe WAYS To MAKe MoRe MoNeY

What could you do to get your customers to

purchase twice as often?


Make More Money #2Second, get your current customers to buy more on each visit. Building a strong brand will help accomplish this. If you have an auto repair shop and a customer comes in for an oil change, how many additional items can you sell? Would they like the air filter, wiper blades, and the upgraded oil? Maybe you can throw in a 100 point free safety inspection to see if there is anything else they need. In this example, you can quickly see the importance of having built a brand of trust. If I don’t trust you it might feel like you’re taking advantage of me. If I do trust you, this seems like great service and further builds the brand.

At Quiznos we found that if employees actively up-sell customers; “Would you like chips and drink with that?” Their satisfaction is higher even if they don’t want the chip and drink. This is because the experience, personal interaction, and attention can be as much as 70% of why people choose a particular restaurant. This interaction helps build a strong brand that keeps customers coming back.

Make More Money #3 Building a strong brand will help you get new customers. While it’s much cheaper to keep an existing customer than to get a new one, thriving businesses always need to be attracting new customers.

The obvious way to get more customers is to do whatever you’ve been doing and just do more of it (buy the same media or advertising vehicle, just buy more). This is actually a great strategy if what you’re doing is working well.

If every dollar that you invest in advertising is paying back more in bottom-line profit than you’re spending, it’s a good investment that’s growing your business, and helping build your brand. If your current marketing hasn’t met your expectations, it’s time for a more powerful message and better targeting. either way, it’s important to measure what you’re doing so you know if your money is being spent well.

Make More Money #4 The more interesting way to increase new customer acquisition is to spend the same dollars, but catch a higher percentage off the customers you reach. What if you could spend the same, but for every dollar you spend, you got more leads, more customers, and more bottom line profit? every business wants to do this, but how?

How can you expand the

value you’re providing so

purchase more?


Big brands do this by constantly improving their clarity about what value they can offer that is valued by their ideal customers. Why should someone choose you over your competitor? Get exceedingly clear on this point and all of your communications will be more effective. Also, is your message reaching the right target? We’ll cover your customer target extensively in the first exercise.

Put the right message in front of the right potential customers and your off to the races. The most important thing you’ll get from the Business Blueprint is a clear, compelling message that will increase the number of customers who choose you, become loyal customers, and then send referrals.

Clearly articulating the value you offer will impact every touch point of your business. Your advertising will be more effective. Your customers will refer you more often because they can finish the sentence: “You should go to XXX because…” Finally, your employees will be more effective because they will be clear about how to talk to customers about what makes your business special.

Make More Money #5Building a strong brand will allow you to raise your prices. If your customers love you and clearly understand the value you’re providing compared to competition, you will earn pricing leverage. Customers are willing to pay more money for a better product or service. If you provide one and they know it, you’ve got a strong brand. You’ll find more on pricing leverage in the targeting exercise.

NoTeS:

What if you could spend the same,

but for every dollar you spend, you got more leads, more customers, and more bottom

line profit?


NoTeS


4

concept #4

The Leaky BucketWhile your marketing is working hard to put new customers in your bucket, existing customers may be leaking out. The objective is to increase the rate of fill, and stop all the leaks.

Building a strong brand is the most powerful way to keep customers from leaving you. Are you solidifying why you’re the best choice in your customers’ minds? What is the single, easily repeatable reason they’ll stay with you? If you build the relationship by providing a product or service that has a greater value than your competitors, your brand will be strong. Remember that this relationship could be based on the rational value you provide, the emotional value, or both. A strong brand will help you keep customers in three ways.

Preventing Leaks #1Building a strong brand will help protect you from competitors. Just as you are focused on filling your bucket with new customers, so is your competition. Who better for them to target than your customers? Customers become loyal when you provide something different from your competition that they value. This could be a rational product or service benefit, or could be an emotional benefit like your relationship with them, or the way your product or service makes them feel. Ideally, it’s both.

Are you the first choice in your category? Do you provide something different or better than your competition? Do you clearly state this at every communication point? Is your difference valued by customers? Customers have many options to choose from, so what makes you the one that stands out from the pack?

Preventing Leaks #2Building a strong brand will help protect you from new businesses that open and become your competition. Let’s say that you own the local appliance dealership in a small but growing community. The appliance business has been in your family for decades, and you’re the third generation to run the business. You find out that The Home Depot is opening in a town just 30 minutes away.

Three Ways To

Lose Less Business

THRee WAYS To LoSe LeSS BUSINeSS


This is new competition that you’ve never had to contend with. You know that The Home Depot is going to have lower prices than you currently offer. Is your brand strong enough to protect you from this new competitor? Will your customers be loyal?

If you have built a powerful brand, it will help you defend against The Home Depot. In addition, you will need to actively position yourself against this new

competitor. Some of your customers probably value what you offer, even if the price is a little higher. You’ve given them good service, learned their names, been honest and treated them fairly so you’ve put some goodwill in the bank. This may not be enough. What about all those other potential customers that are likely to go for lower prices? If your brand is “honest, fair, good service, small, family run” then how can you use this to your advantage and provide something that The Home Depot just can’t copy?

Preventing Leaks #3Building a strong brand will protect your business from substitutes. What are substitutes? They’re competitors that you can’t even see. This is what happens when a customer decides not to purchase from either you or your competitor and fills their need a different way.

A simple example of this is the brown bag lunch. When the economy went downhill, many workers who used to eat out for lunch every day started to bring their lunch from home. Instead of spending $6 to $8 for a sandwich, they brought one in a bag, spending just $1 or $2.

If your product or service is a commodity, and isn’t really different from other options, it’s easy for customers to trade down to a cheaper substitute. If you’re a sandwich restaurant, does your sandwich really provide three to four times as much value as the brown bag lunch? Well, it depends on lots of factors such as taste, convenience,

the customer’s past experience, health, your customer relationships and many more.

Have you built your brand on the factors that your customers value the most? Is your price premium in line with the extra value you provide? If you lost customers during the downturn, it’s time to bring them back by reminding them of the unique value you provide.

Build your brand based on the

decision-making factors that your customers value

the most

Customers become loyal when you

provide something different from your competition that

they value


5

concept #5

You’ve probably heard the old quote: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted: The trouble is I don’t know which half.” from John Wanamaker a turn of the century merchant. This begs the question of why your advertising dollars might be wasted.

There are three primary reasons you might be wasting your ad dollars. By the end of your exercises, you will have eliminated all of these. The three reasons are:

1. You’re going after the wrong target.

2. You’re using the wrong message.

3. You’re advertising on the wrong medium.

If you get any of the three wrong, you’re going to be wasting your money. You can see why it’s easy to make mistakes in advertising.

You’re Ready For Marketing When...

once you’ve figured out how you’re providing value differently from competition, you’re ready create your message. In order to be sure your message will resonate, you need to know who you’re going after (your target). Then determine where those people will likely to look for your message. If you know where your target is looking for their information, it will help you decide on which media are right for you.

What you say in your marketing messages will be simple if you’ve done the work to position yourself well up-front. Communicate your point of difference and be sure it’s valued by your target today. Spending marketing dollars is like cutting a board. You should measure twice, and cut once. once you cut, its cut, and once you spend your dollars, they’re gone. Best to be sure your message matters before spending the money.

Right target.

Right message.

Right medium.

DoN’T WASTe YoUR MoNeY


NoTeS


The concepts you’ve learned in Section 1 are the foundational elements that can help your company succeed over the long-term. Some of them probably resonated with you more than others, but these concepts are important for all businesses, regardless of size or industry.

We’ve talked about your brand, and how it supports everything in your business, how it will help you make decisions, and how the choices you make about your brand eff orts can impact your company success. Now, let’s do something about it.

In the next section we’ll move from understanding the concepts to actually taking action against them. We’ll go through the process of constructing your brand and messaging from the ground up. The exercises are simple to understand, but challenging to do well. The work you do on these exercises will have an impact on your business success, but only if you spend the time to do them, and do them well.

SeCTIoN 1 –SUMMARY

summary

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In the next section we’ll move from understanding the concepts to actually taking action against them. We’ll go through the process of constructing your brand and messaging from the ground up. The exercises are simple to understand, but challenging to do well. The work you do on these exercises will have an impact on your business success, but only if you

www.WhatBigBrandsKnow.com © 2014. What Big Brands Know LLC. All Rights Reserved.

exercises will have an impact on your business success, but only if you exercises will have an impact on your business success, but only if you


1. Be different from competition in a way customers’ value. This is the simple foundation of why your business exists.

2. Don’t just start marketing. Before you make that investment, spend time planning and crafting your unique message.

3. Continually evaluate how you’re providing value to your customers so you change with their new needs. Businesses must provide the value that customers need today.

4. Your brand is the culmination of all the experiences an individual has with your business. It resides in their mind.

5. Your brand isn’t what you think it is, it’s what your customers think it is. But it’s your job to influence what they think at every point along the way.

6. Your brand is partly rational, and partly emotional, just like every decision we make.

7. The best brands have a singular focus.

8. A good brand plan will be a guiding light keeping everyone in your business focused on the few things that matter.

9. The ways to make more money are to: leverage your current customers, acquire new customers, or raise your prices. A strong brand helps you with each of these.

10. Lose less money by building protection from losing business to competitors, new businesses or from substitutes.

11. To maximize your marketing investment, you need to have the right

target, message and medium.

key concepts

SeCTIoN 1 – KeY CoNCePTS


section 2 – external exercises

competitors and learning plan

2


NoTeS


exercise #1

CHeCK oUT YoUR CoMPeTITIoN

The Competition Is A Good Place To StartCommerce is simply customers trading their money for a solution to some problem they’re trying to solve. It might be a drill bit, and it might be a vacation. Regardless of the product or service, customers today have lots and lots of options. As we discussed in Section 1, customers don’t buy things, they choose between options.

I went to the grocery store recently to buy barbecue sauce. I got to the aisle and was quickly confronted with choosing. There were 42 different kinds of barbecue sauce to choose from. There were 42 different brands, varieties and flavors. That doesn’t even count multiple sizes or multiple facings of the same sauce. Yikes!

The competition is the environment in which every business operates, and figuring out how to beat them is critical to your success.

Know Your Competition, I Mean ReallyIt’s surprising that many business owners know very little about the companies they’re competing with. If you’re not diving in deep to learn about your competition, you’re leaving dollars on the table. Learning about your competition is one of the cheapest, easiest ways to understand how to beat them. If you know about them, you’ll know their weaknesses, as well as their strengths. It will give you ideas about where they’re succeeding, and where their failing (opportunity for you).

Your competitors are the context in which your business operates. Knowing all about them is one of the easiest, most important, and most effective ways to devise business strategies for your company.

the big idea


The cheapest way to get new customers is to steal them from the competition. of course, this holds true for them as well. Competition is gunning for you, and it’s in your best interest to know what tools they’re using.

What To Learn?At the most basic level, it should be possible to be somewhat successful by looking at what your best competitors are doing, and just copy it. What you really want to do is learn from the best and then improve on what they’re doing.

There is a very long list of things you could learn about your competition, and the things you might want to know vary by industry, business type, size, and many other factors. Some

things you want to know are easily findable and available, while other things may be more difficult to ascertain.

The exercise below includes a good list of the things that any company would want to know about their competitors. As you complete your assessment, you will likely come up with of other things that would be useful to know for your specific industry or business. Take note of these things.

After you complete this exercise, we’ll be putting it to use in the later exercises.

The Cheapest way to get new customers is to steal them from the competition.

Repeat This Over TimeYou probably already know quite a bit about your competitors, and many of the questions will be fairly easy for you to answer. However, getting to know your competition is in ongoing processes that will never really be complete.

best practice

Not Doing The WorkSome business owners want to skip ahead to the exercises where we focus on your business. They feel like “If I create the best product or service out there, customers will come to me.” This might be true, but it’s rare. Competition is stiff, and unless you know what you’re up against, it’s easy to think your offering is better than customers think it is.

common barrier


exercise #1

CHeCK oUT YoUR CoMPeTITIoNCOMPETITOR ANALYSIS

1. Who is the competition?Create a list of the competitors you want to analyze. Who is your direct competition? Who can you think of that might not be direct competition, but could be a substitute? How else might your customers choose to spend the money you want them to spend with you?

2. WebsiteYour competitors’ websites can be a wealth of information for many of the things you’ll be researching. This is a great starting place for your competitive assessment. This is especially true if a lots of your customers come to you through the web. Do most of your customers visit your website before purchasing your product? If so, it’s critical to know what they’re seeing when they visit competitors’ sites.

3. Call ThemCall your competitors and ask questions as if you were a customer. You never know what they’ll tell you. Many times if you want to know something about them, all you have to do is pick up the phone and ask.


4. BackgroundWhat basics can you learn about your competitors’ businesses? How long have they been in business? Who is running the show? How many employees do they have? What are their annual sales? What is their company structure? What else? Some of this information may be on their website.

5. Product LineupWhat does your competition offer? How does it compare to what you offer? What are the specific features and benefits? How do they talk about their products and services? Do they frequently launch new products or services?

6. Buy Their ProductsYes, you read that right. Buy your competitors’ products. Use them. Understand them. Do you like them? How was their customer service? Put your competitors through their paces as if you were a customer. You’ll be surprised at the insights you will uncover.


7. QualityHow do you assess the overall quality of your competitors’ products or services?

8. Prices, Discounts, Price PromotionsAnalyze your competitors’ prices. Are they higher? Lower? What is their pricing strategy? Do they discount? When? How deep? How often? When do they run price promotions?

9. Advertising Message/PositioningWhat are your competitors’ saying in their advertising? Do they have a singularly focused message or are they all over the place? Is their message compelling? Is it different from the other competitors? Is it believable? Is it valuable to customers?


10. Advertising MediumWhere are your competitors advertising? This one might be challenging, but you probably have a pretty good sense of this or can come up with it by doing a little digging.

11. DesignWhat does your competitor’s design look like? What does it communicate to you? How does it compare to yours?

12. CustomersWhat do their customers think? How is their customer satisfaction? How would you find this out? There might be many ways. Their customers may also be your customers. Just ask them. For ideas on how, see the market research section. You may also find feedback online, depending on the type of business. This one might require some creativity, but can also be extraordinarily valuable.


13. Market Share and Growth RateCan you ascertain or guess at the market share of each competitor? Who’s the 800 pound gorilla and what are they doing? Who is growing rapidly and what are they doing?

14. Acquisition ChannelsWhere do your competitors get the products they sell?

15. Distribution ChannelsHow do they go to market? How do they get the product to customers?


16. SuccessesWhat is your competition succeeding at? What have they tried and been successful with? What are their strengths?

17. FailuresWhat is your competition failing at? What have they tried and not been successful with? What are their weaknesses?

Take A Step BackNow that you’ve taken a hard look at your competition, take a step back. What do you see? What are the themes? What stands out to you? What would you like to learn more about? How do you fit in?

Your job in positioning your business and purposefully crafting your brand is to find a place within the fray where you can thrive. What unique space can you claim that isn’t taken already? What space can you create that hasn’t even been created yet? What opportunities do you see for products or services that customers don’t even know that they want yet? Where can you deliver something better than or different from your competitors?

Competitor analysis is an ongoing process. You may have just completed a summary of your first thoughts or basic knowledge. What else would you like to know? What’s your plan for uncovering that information this year? We’ll cover this in exercise #3 – “I Wish I Knew List”.

It may be challenging to make sense out of the lists of things you’ve captured or uncovered. The next exercise is designed to do just that.


exercise #2

SWOT AnalysisSWoT is a useful tool to capture the meaning and importance behind all the competitive intelligence you gathered in exercise #1. SWoT is a popular business exercise because it is very useful to hone in on opportunities for your business.

What Is SWOT?SWoT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, opportunities, and Threats. You simply list the things you see as strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for your business. Generally, your strengths and weaknesses are internally focused and your opportunities and threats are externally focused. However, this is not a hard and fast rule. Like everything we do in the Business Blueprint, the exercise is for you, so do it in any way that works for you.

Strengths are the things that you do really well in comparison to competition. Weaknesses are where they beat you. opportunities are ways that you can take advantage of your strengths in your business. Threats are how competition might use their strengths or your weaknesses to beat you in the market.

A SWoT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, opportunities, and Threats) will help you craft business and marketing strategies from your competitor research work.

the big idea

SWoTSTReNGTHS WeAKNeSSeS oPPoRTUNITIeS THReATS


STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

THREATS

HELPFUL HARMFUL

EXTERN

AL

INTERN

AL

OPPORTUNITIES


Your TurnTake a look back through your competitive intelligence from the last section. Fill in the quadrants for your business relative to competition. Some businesses take the step of filling out a SWoT Analysis for each one of their competitors. If you want to dive deep, and be thorough, this can be a useful exercise.

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

THREATS

HELPFUL HARMFUL

EXTERN

AL

INTERN

AL

OPPORTUNITIES

strengths

opportunities threats

weaknesses


NoTeS


exercise #3

I Wish I Knew ListAs you go through the Business Blueprint, you’re going to come up with lots of questions you’d like to answer to help your business. This section will help you go beyond capturing your questions and will help you create a valuable ongoing learning plan. This plan will help you prioritize your learning efforts.

one of the first steps I always take when starting to work on a new brand, or with a new client is creating an “I Wish I Knew” list. The first step is capturing all the questions as they occur to you. “I wish I knew what percent of my customers are also purchasing from a competitor.” I wish I knew which products my customers are most satisfied and least satisfied with.”

Step two is the important part. If you knew the information, what specific action would you take from knowing it? How would it change what you do? How would it help you improve your business?

The third step in the process is to give the information and related action an importance rating. Is this critical for your business, or just nice to know? There are a lot of things out there to know, the question is which are worth doing the work to know?

The last step is capturing how you might find that information. If you don’t know it today, how might you get the information? Get creative. If you had to know it and thought it was critical for your business, how would you go get it?

It’s useful to jot down anything andeverything you think of. When I was at Red Robin, my “I Wish I Knew” list spanned over 60 items. Knowing what I wanted to know helped in the process of getting creative to find the information.

Capture EverythingYou never know when brilliant ideas or brilliant questions will hit you. It’s useful to keep some kind of notebook with you so when inspiration strikes, you capture the thought before you lose it. This is just a good idea in general beyond your “I Wish I Knew” list.

best practice

I WISH I KNeW LIST

Your “I Wish I Knew” list is a master plan including all of the questions you wish you had answers to, what you would do with the information, and how you plan to go get it.

the big idea


I wish I knew... What I’d do with the information

Importance(1 to 5 scale)

How I’ll get it

Capture all of the things you’ve already thought of that you wish you knew on the list now. As you come up with more through the upcoming exercises, capture them all here. This process will help you create an action plan that will make a difference in your business.


I wish I knew... What I’d do with the information

Importance(1 to 5 scale)

How I’ll get it


1. Commerce is simply customers trading their money for a solution to their problem. Customers today have lots of options.

2. Knowing your competitors is one of the easiest, most important, and most effective ways to devise business strategies for your company.

3. The cheapest way to get new customers is to steal them from the competition. of course, this holds true for them as well.

4. Learn from your most successful competitors and improve on what they’re doing.

5. A SWoT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) will help you craft business and marketing strategies from your competitor research work.

6. Your “I Wish I Knew” list is a master plan including all of the questions you wish you had answers to, what you would do with the information, and how

you plan to go get it.

key concepts


53www.WhatBigBrandsKnow.com © 2014. What Big Brands Know LLC. All Rights Reserved. www.WhatBigBrandsKnow.com © What Big Brands Know LLC 2012. All Rights Reserved.

section 3 – internal exercises

building your brand and your business

3


NoTeS


exercise #4

Vision, Mission and ValuesMany companies have a Vision, Mission and Values, but they never look at them or use them for anything. In conjunction with the other work we’re doing in the business blueprint, these statements can be very valuable for your business. But only if they mean something and employees actually know what they are.

Your Vision, Mission and Values should influence everything else you do in your business. What do you truly stand for as a business? What ideals are you not willing to give up on, no matter what? What are you fully committed to? What is non-negotiable for you or your company?

Answering these questions in your Vision, Mission and Values will help you tremendously in later exercises when we work on other parts of your brand. This work is foundational and will make the coming discussions much easier. If you haven’t written your mission, vision and values before, it’s helpful to have thought about your competition and your differentiation before starting.

What Are They?Your Vision is what you want to become as a company. It’s a long-term statement about where you’re going. Ideally, it should be a brief motivational, brief statement that inspires your team and gets people excited to contribute.

VISIoN MISSIoN VALUeS

Your Vision, Mission, and Values should be statements that inspire and are agreed to by your organization. They describe where you’re going, why you exist, and how you will operate as you do the work.

the big idea


Your Mission is why you exist as an organization. It’s what you do - the value you provide to those you serve. The actions you talk about in your mission are how you will achieve your Vision. You can also think of your Mission as your purpose.

Your Values state how you plan to do the work in your Mission to achieve your Vision. What are the shared operating principles that you agree on as an organization? How will you be with one another, customers, and the broader world?

I thought it might be useful to include the Vision, Mission and Values for my company as an example:

What Big Brands Know - Vision, Mission, Values

Vision Become a known expert who is consistently in demand to provide simple, actionable branding and business strategies that make a real difference for businesses.

Mission

Impact businesses of all sizes by generating action from simple, usefultools that any business can use and afford, delivered in an engaging,compelling package.

Values Stay focused a few simple guiding values:

• Service. Always be in service of others. • Simplicity. Be known for simplifying the complex. • Leadership. Provide leading thinking and content. • Gratitude. Appreciate all opportunities. • Freedom. Focus on creating a business that provides freedom.

Now create the Vision, Mission and Values for your company. If you already have them, write them here, evaluate them and decide if they’re still accurate. Are they motivational?

If you’re creating your Vision, Mission and Values for the first time, be sure to enroll others in your organization. employees are typically excited to work on this, especially if they believe that the statements will help the company be more successful. Also, they’ll be committed to them if they were involved with creating them.


1. Vision

2. Mission

3. Values


NoTeS


Who are you going after? Your target is the specific subset of customers who you would like to buy from you. Who you’re targeting is a critical foundation of your business. Your target customers are the starting point for everything you do in your business. They should help shape everything from where you advertise, to what you offer, how you craft your message, how you price, how your sales force approaches selling and how you create new products or offers.

Many times business owners fall into the trap of wanting their target to be everybody. “everyone would want my stuff. I don’t’ want to eliminate anyone who might want to purchase from me – I need all the business I can get.” Being targeted can be a challenge but the most successful brands and companies have highly focused targets. Let’s briefly look at several ways your target can impact your business.

Where You Advertise Why is your target so important? As you remember from Concept #5 Don’t Waste Your Money, having the wrong target is one of the top three ways that businesses waste their advertising dollars. If you’ve got a great message, and the right medium, but you reach the wrong people, your work and investment will be wasted.

exercise #5

WHo’S YoUR TARGeT

Your target can help shape everything:

• Where you advertise• What you offer• How you craft your message• How you price• How your sales force approaches selling • How you create new products or offers

the big idea


Let’s say that you’re a local coffee shop, and you know that 90% of your revenue comes from customers who live within one mile of your shop. A media rep comes in pitching an ad in a city-wide magazine. (In my hometown, Columbus, WI this actually would be a one mile radius – but for the sake of example, let’s say it’s a bigger city.) The magazine would likely result in a lot of wasted spending for you. In this case you might be better off focusing on things like door hangers, a neighborhood magazine, neighborhood events, very targeted direct mailing, or things like that.

Beyond where you spend your ad dollars, understanding your target should influence many other things in your business.

What You Offer What is your lineup of products and services? How do you determine what to offer? What additions or deletions should you make to your product line? If you’re running the coffee shop, do your customers care greatly about the environment and their health? Do you offer organic coffee, what about a special coffee that gives back to the environment, or maybe the environment in the neighborhood? Do you get a lot of free lancers who would like to sit in your coffee shop and do some work? You’re going to need to have wireless Internet access, or none of these folks are going to choose your coffee shop.

How You Craft Your Message

Having a specific target can help you craft a more effective message. We’ll spend a lot of time in the coming exercises determining what message will maximize your business results. Picking a specific target and then learning insights about what they like and want is a critical step in crafting your message. When I worked on Coors Light, our target was 21 to 24 year old males. Why? Very simply, that’s who buys all the light beer. Males drink 75% of all the beer in the US, and 21 to 24 year old males drink eight times more beer than other men.

What these guys care about in light beer, or in anything for that matter, is different from what women or older customers

care about. And, the type of advertising that works for them is different from what might work on other people. You can see that if our target was “everyone” our ads would have looked much different and have been much less effective.

How You Price Different targets have different price sensitivities. Gaining insights from your target and understanding their pricing mindset is an important part of your business strategy. It’s easy to get into the mindset of competing on price. Understanding insights about your target customers can help you generate higher prices in many ways.

Picking a specific target

and then learning insights about what they want is a critical step in crafting your message.


You can create different services or offers than your competitors. For example, you can offer higher price options, features or functions based on what your ideal target customers value. If you add more value to your target customers than your competition you may be able to justify higher prices. In pricing, there’s always a balance between the value you provide, your customer’s willingness to pay for the outcome they get from your product or service, and, what competitors are offering.

When I worked on the Crisco brand at Procter & Gamble, we were able to leverage consumer insights and pricing strategy to add millions in revenue and profit. The Crisco brand has been around since 1911. It was first launched as the healthier alternative to Lard. over the past 35 years, the consumer demand for shortening has declined dramatically. Crisco has the highest share by far, and there are few direct competitors. The product is actually superior to competition, and consumers know and believe that Crisco is better.

As we dug into consumer insights, we found what you probably could guess – Crisco is mostly purchased around the holidays by mothers and grandmothers cooking for their families. They bake for their families during the holidays because they want that wonderful feeling of love and connectedness. Crisco is the best, and it’s worth the price because they want to provide the best baked goods for their family. And, since they buy it infrequently, they are not very sensitive to the price.

We did a pricing study and determined that we could raise the price of Crisco by 25% and only lose about 4% of sales. For a brand that had no ad budget, this was a huge win. We leveraged consumer insights, product superiority, and years of building goodwill with consumers to cash in on profits. No advertising needed in this case.

How You Sell As you probably know, the basics of selling are learning about your customer, and then showing how your product or service will best take care of their needs. Having deep insights about your target, and having a specific target will make your sales process much more efficient, and productive. Knowing who you’re perfect for and why helps make very clear and compelling selling messages for the sales force. Any fodder you can provide the sales force to help build a stronger relationship and close more sales is always appreciated, and good for business!

Understanding insights about

your target customers

can help you generate higher

prices.


one of my clients is the National Wildlife Control operators association. These are the folks that come over to your house when you have squirrels or bats in your attic, moles in your yard, or something crawled down your chimney. You pay them, and the animal problem goes away. What you might not know is that 75% to 85% of the phone calls to wildlife control operators come from women. Scared women. As you might expect, most people who own and operate these companies are men. Men who may not be naturally adept at having an emotional conversation with a scared female caller. Understanding their target is critical to knowing how to handle these phone calls, and converting callers into clients. Understanding and empathy can be as important as expertise in their industry.

Creating New Products or Services If you understand target insights – their desires, problems, fears, needs, wants, you have a platform for creating new products. New products or services can be a great way to justify higher prices, get your current customers to spend more, or to get more referrals. Many times, new product or service ideas come from a customer that wants your help solving a problem related to what you’re already

doing for them.

If you own the coffee shop, and have a customer who comes in every day at 10am, stays to work, but then leaves for lunch, you might be able to get him to buy additional products by offering some lunch options. You might be able to double his daily spend by understanding his needs.

When I worked on Coors Light, we found that cold beer is a critical desire for 21 to 24 year old males. This seemed crazy at first - how can a beer be colder? The insight spurred dozens of innovative ideas about how Coors Light could be a colder beer. This insight changed everything we did on Coors Light from new products to advertising.

Who Your Target IS When you get specific about your target, you’ll find that it changes the way you think about many of your business decisions. The more you know about their needs and the way they make choices, the more often they’ll choose you over a competitor. If you’re clear about who your perfect customer is, then they’ll also be clear that you’re perfect for them. And, they’ll be likely to recommend you to others like them. If they don’t see that you’re just for people just like them, they’ll be much less likely to recommend you.

The Smaller The Sandbox, The Bigger The Idea The tighter you are on your target, the bigger your ideas will be. Putting barriers around the problems we’re trying to solve helps our brain filter out extraneous information. It allows us to focus on more and better ideas for the specific people we want to serve.

Many times, new product or service ideas come from

customers.


If you’re trying to create something unique in beer, that’s pretty broad. If you’re trying to create something unique in light beer, a little more focused. If you’re trying to create something unique around light beer for 21 to 24 year old males, more focused still. If you’re trying to create something unique around light beer for 21 to 24 year old males in the realm of cold refreshment, now that’s a sandbox that is easier to play in. Your target is the foundation of your brand plan, and your business.

Target Description Your target description could be based on demographics, such as: “25 to 45 year old males” or it could be based on psychographics, such as: “moms in a hurry.”

Generally, a customer target is defined as the specific sub group that your product or service is ideal for. Think of all the ways you might define your target. of course, you want them to be likely to purchase, and profitable, but beyond that, some other things to think about are: most frequent, spend the most per transaction, most referral business, best opportunity for long-term business, easiest to work with, most enjoyable to work with, least well served by your competitors, best served by you, easiest to find/advertise to.

Who Your Target is NOT A powerful exercise for your business can be deciding on who your target is not. Turning the question around from who it is, to whom it is not can be a helpful way to hone your target. Have you ever had a customer you wish would just go away? Someone you’d just as soon not work with? Someone who you’d be better off referring to someone else? Someone who’s just not a good fit with what you’re best at?

It can be challenging to let a customer go – to let that revenue go. Is your focus on a customer who’s less than ideal stopping you from getting better customers that would be more profitable or more productive for your business long-term? How do you weed out the bad apples?

Honing in on a specific target customer is important for all businesses. You may be leery to focus only on specific customers for fear of missing out on others. In the process of targeting, you analyze which customers are ideal for what you’re offering and which will be the most profitable. Targeting everybody means that you’re not targeting anyone well. Honing down and really getting to know your target will give your business power.

best practice


You’ve probably seen the TV ads for Progressive Insurance. They tout that you can visit their website and get quotes from three other insurance companies.

When I talk about this in my presentation, people come up with many reasons that Progressive would do this - to show they have lower rates, so you trust them, because it’s a differentiated ad message. Yep, all true. But what they’re really doing is filtering you to see if you are an ideal customer for them. Are you going to be profitable for them? If not, they’d prefer to send you to a competitor.

What if you could be this smart about your customers? What if you could evaluate and filter prospects so that you only accepted the ideal customers?

Many times we have to deal with customers who are less than ideal, but being purposeful about evaluating your customers can pay dividends.

Smiling Sally’s Example The example on the following pages uses a fictitious sandwich shop, Smiling Sally’s, to illustrate the process for evaluating your target. Remember, your target cannot be everyone. It should be those specific customers who your product or service is ideal for and those who will be the most profitable.

Just as important as who your customer is, is who your customer is NoT.

Getting It PerfectThis process is messy by its nature. The first answers you write down don’t have to be perfect. The Business Blueprint is designed to clarify your thinking as you go through it.

common barriers


Ideal for your product or service

Most likely to purchase

Most profitable

Most frequent

Spends the most per transaction

Most referral business

Best opportunity for long-term business

easiest to work with

Most enjoyable to work with

Least well served by your competitors

Best served by you

easiest to find/advertise to

Things to Consider in Your Target


exercise #5

WHo’S YoUR TARGeT?SMILING SALLY’S SANDWICH EXAMPLE

1. Describe the customers who your product or service is ideal for:

Age: 25 to 45Male/Female: 60% MALE/40% FEMALEMindset/Activities: - CORPORATE OFFICE EMPLOYEES WHO WANT

A BREAK FOR LUNCH - THEY WANT HEALTHY FOOD - THEY ARE SALAD AND SANDWICH EATERS - LIKE GOURMET FOOD

Income: $40K T O $125K ANNUAL INCOME THEY ARE WILLING T O PAY FOR QUALITYTime of Day: 70% LUNCH BUSINESSTime of Year: HEAVIER IN THE SUMMERGeographic: WORK WITHIN THREE MILES other Insights: WE DO A GOOD CATERING BUSINESS THROUGH

ADMINS THAT SET UP LUNCH MEET INGS

NOTE: Other factors will be applicable if you sell to businesses instead of consumers. You will want to know things such as the type of business,size of the business, if there are certain times when they make decisions for the year, and especially what business problems they are trying to solve.

2. Describe the customers who buy from you the most frequently. Does your business get repeat customers? What insights do you have about your most frequent purchases?

MY REGULARS ARE A MIX OF YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN WHO COME IN T O ESCAPE FROM THE OFFICE. I GET A LOT OF FEMALES WHO COME IN OFTEN FOR THE SALAD SPECIAL.

3. Describe the customers who spend the most with you and who are the most profitable.

MY MOST PROFITABLE CUST OMERS ARE THE MEN WHO GET THE LARGE STEAK SANDWICH AND NEVER USE A COUPON.

ALTHOUGH I DO MAKE MORE ON A WOMAN WHO BUYS A SALAD 4X PER WEEK VS. A STEAK EATER THAT COMES IN ONCE A MONTH.


4. Have your best/most profitable customers changed over time? YES, WHEN I STARTED THE SALAD SPECIAL, I GOT A LOT MORE FEMALE CUST OMERS FOR LUNCH.

5. Describe the customers who are most likely to refer more business to you.

PEOPLE WHO WORK IN OFFICES ARE GREAT BECAUSE THEY BRING OTHER OFFICEMATES WHEN THEY COME BACK. THEY ALSO HAVE THE POTENT IAL T O ORDER IN OR DO CATERING BUSINESS WHEN THEY HAVE MEET INGS IN THE OFFICE.

6. How do your customers find you?

A. WORD OF MOUTH/RECOMMENDED OR BROUGHT IN BY A FRIEND B. SAW A COUPON WE HANDED OUT C. DRIVE/WALK BY AND SEE THE RESTAURANT

7. What does each category of customers think of you? THE MEN LOVE US BECAUSE WE’RE LOUD AND FUN, THE WOMEN LIKE THE SALAD SPECIAL, AND THE FUN T OO.

I THINK PEOPLE REALLY COME IN BECAUSE IT’S A HAPPY RESPITE FROM THEIR CORPORATE DAY

8. Which customers prefer a competitor, and why?

OLDER CUST OMERS PREFER T O GO T O THE RESTAURANT A FEW DOORS DOWN BECAUSE IT’S QUIETER DURING THE LUNCH RUSH AND THERE IS MORE SEAT ING.

9. Which customers do you like working with or are the least hassle?

MY FAVORITE CUST OMERS ARE THE 30-SOMETHING PROFESSIONAL WOMEN BECAUSE THEY COME IN GROUPS, THEY ARE HAPPY AND CLEAN.

TARGET: LUNCHING PROFESSIONALS


WHo’S YoUR TARGeT?YOUR COMPANY

exercise #5

Now try it for your company. Some of the questions are related to you and your business. others will require input from your customers for validation. Just write down what you think at first. Next you can validate your ideas with input from customers. The section on Market Research outlines methods for asking for customer input.

1. Describe the customers who buy the largest quantities of your product or service:

Age: Male/Female:

Mind set/Activities:

Time of Day:

Time of Year:

Geographic:

Income:

other Insights:

NOTE: Other factors will be applicable if you sell to businesses instead of consumers. You would want to know things such as the type of business, size of the business, if there are certain times when they make decisions for the year, and especially what business problems they are trying to solve.


2. Describe the customers who buy from you the most frequently. Does your business get repeat customers? What insights do you have about your most frequent purchases?

3. Describe the customers who spend the most with you and who are the most profitable.

4. Have your best/most profitable customers changed over time?

5. Describe the customers who are most likely to refer more business to you.

6. How do your customers find you?


7. What does each category of customers think of you?

8. Which customers prefer a competitor, and why?

9. Which customers do you like working with or are the least hassle?

TARGeT:

Remember, this process is messy by its nature. The first answers you write down don’t have to be perfect. The process is designed to clarify your thinking as you go through it.


Customer NeedsCustomers select things to purchase because they fill some sort of need or want. They are looking for the best solution to their problem. every product or service must fill a need. Sometimes the need it fills is rational, sometimes it’s emotional, and sometimes it’s both. An example of a rational need is “I need to fix the car”, while “I need to relax” is an emotional need. Some needs may be very basic, almost a “price of entry” for anyone who has a product in your category.

Some needs are important to certain customers, but not to others. The importance of each need will vary depending on who you’re targeting. If you were a photographer, “takes good pictures” would likely be a price of entry for all of your customers, while the importance of “lowest price” could vary.

In some cases, emotional needs can be very powerful. Slogans like “Choosy Moms Choose Jif.” are designed to fill a mother’s emotional need to be a good parent.

Rational needs are important when a customer is getting to know your company and evaluating options. emotional needs are powerful when you want them to spend more on each purchase and continue to be loyal over time.

exercise #6

WHAT ARe THeIR NeeDS?

everyone has needs. How are you filling a critical need for your customers in a unique way? Understanding what your customers need and want is the basis for creating:

• Benefits that are valued by customers• Messaging that sells• New products and services (sell more to your happy customers)

the big idea


Getting Emotional

Some business owners think that customers are always making rational decisions about their product. The reality is that all of our decisions are partly rational and partly emotional. Thinking about and understanding the emotional needs that are filled by your product can be very revealing, and can sometimes create the best ads, best benefits and result in the highest prices.

common barriers

The next page illustrates customer needs from a variety of industries. Then thefollowing page outlines a Smiling Sally’s example. You can see how easy it is to create a list of needs for almost any product or service. What are the needs that your customers are looking for solutions for?

NoTeS:


WHAT ARe THeIR NeeDS?EXAMPLES

exercise #6

These examples demonstrate simple lists of needs/wants for purchasers of a variety of goods and services.

Household Cleaner

• Works well• Convenient package• Good Price• Doesn’t damage surfaces• Made for the job I’m doing• Doesn’t scratch • I trust it will perform• Not bad for my skin• Smells good• Safe for family and pets• Works fast• Makes cleaning easy• Convenient size

Lawyer

• Fair hourly rate• Good track record• Nice to me• Straightforward• Conveniently located• Trustworthy• Integrity• Specialized in my need• Professional• Recommended to me• Responsive• explains things well• Licensed

Restaurant

• Food tastes good• Type of food/ethic food I like• Fair prices/good value for what I

paid• Convention location• Good customer service• Clean• Fast• Consistent food• Healthy for me• Quality food/ingredients • My friends/family like it too• I know where it is• They know me

Light Beer

• Tastes Good• Makes me look cool• Available where I shop• Makes me feel good• Refreshing• Priced right• Form (aluminum vs. bottle)• Cold• Pure• Right for occasion• Responsible• Promoted/specials• Relaxing/escape



exercise #6

SMILING SALLY’S EXAMPLE

example of the needs list importance ranking for Smiling Sally’s:

NeedRank

Importance1 to 5 scale

FOOD TASTES GOOD

ABUNDANT LUNCH

GOURMET FOOD

CONSISTENT FOOD

SPEED

CLEAN

GOOD CUST OMER SERVICE

CONVENIENT LOCAT ION

LOW PRICE

FUN

MADE FRESH

EASY T O CUST OMIZE MY ORDER

I FEEL IMPORTANT/THEY KNOW ME

I KNOW WHERE IT IS

FRIENDS LIKE IT

HEALTHY FOR ME

TYPE OF FOOD I LIKE

I NEED A BREAK FROM WORK

MAKES ME HAPPY

1

4

2

4

2

1

33

1

2

1

1

12

4

2

1

2

2


NeedRank


Fill in all of the needs and wants that you can think of for your customers. Remember to think about the basics. What problem do they need you to solve for them? What do they rationally need from your product or service, and what do they emotionally need? The needs of your customers will vary depending on who you’re targeting. For now, capture all of the needs you can think of, especially those of your most important customers.


exercise #6

YOUR COMPANY


NeedRank



Hierarchy of NeedsA hierarchy of needs helps evaluate the importance of your customers’ needs. The hierarchy both categorizes and ranks them. The categories are: price of entry needs, rational needs, and emotional needs. Within each category, the needs are ranked with the most important needs on the top.

exercise #7

CReATe YoUR HIeRARCHY oF NeeDS

Not all needs are of equal importance. Understanding which needs drive customers’ decisions to purchase is important. Be sure you’re solving problems that matter. Completing this exercise will:

• Help you start to make choices about what matters most to your customers.

• Help put you in your customers’ mind set.• Activate the creative side of your mind to start thinking

powerful messages.

the big idea


Not all needs are of equal importance. Understanding which needs drive customers’ decisions to purchase is important. Be sure you’re solving problems that matter.

Price of Entry NeedsSome of the needs on your list are probably just the price of entry for doing business. If you don’t meet the price of entry, customers won’t have you in their set of choices. For example, if your product is a grocery item, and is not available in a particular store, it may not be in the consideration set for customers who shop there.

Rational NeedsRational needs are important when customers are choosing solely based on logic. For example, “Should I buy the computer with the larger hard drive or not?”

Emotional NeedsAn example of an emotional need is the desire to feel important “I’m going to Smiling Sally’s restaurant because they always know my name and that makes me feel important.” Both rational and emotional needs are important. Filling both is ideal.

Rank OrderWhen you build your hierarchy of needs, put the most important needs for your target customers on the top of that category, and the needs that are not as important at the bottom.

Customer InputThis exercise is a great one to do with customers. It is the best way to figure out how they really make decisions. Have them order the needs by importance and add in the needs that you may not have thought of. See the Market Research section for more information.


Customer InputKnowing your business, you can probably create and rank a list of your customers’ needs pretty easily. However in my experience, asking your customers will almost always reveal many, many things you never considered. Big brands get bigger by having better customer insights than competition, and then leveraging those insights into new products, services and higher prices. Ask your customers what they think. Their answers might surprise you! Plus, you’ll be building great customer relationships along the way. These days the easiest way to get quick, easy and free customer feedback is through social media. You can find more on getting feedback in the research section.

best practice

Ranking PerfectionSometimes it won’t be obvious whether the needs are truly rational or emotional needs. Don’t get hung up on the process, rather focus on the overarching needs that rise to the top for your customers. This process is messy. It’s not about getting it perfect, it’s about you finding new insights and ideas that will move your business forward, and create value for your customers.

common barriers


exercise #7

SMILING SALLY’S EXAMPLECReATe YoUR HIeRARCHY oF NeeDS

- Fun- A nice break from work- It makes me happy- I feel important- My friends like it- Customer Service- Healthy for me

- Gourmet Food- Made Fresh- Consistent- Easy to Customize- Clean - Fast- Convenient- Low price

- Tastes Good- Type of food I like- I know where it is

Emotional

Rational

Price of Entry


- Gourmet Food- Made Fresh- Consistent- Easy to Customize- Clean - Fast- Convenient- Low price

exercise #7

YOUR COMPANY

Look at the list of needs you generated for your customers. Which of them are the price of entry vs. rational vs. emotional? Fill them in here, ranked by importance to your customers. If you don’t have anything in one of the categories, think about whether there is anything you should add. At fi rst, just fi ll in what you think, then do research with your customers.

Emotional

Rational

Price of Entry

CReATe YoUR HIeRARCHY oF NeeDS


NoTeS


What’s In It For Them?Many companies fall into the trap of talking about the description or features of their product. Your customers don’t care about your product, they care about themselves. They want to know what outcome you’ll deliver for them.

The outcome or benefi t you provide is the center-point of your marketing strategy. It is the hook that gets customers to buy from you vs. your competition. Your benefi ts are the value you provide for your customers by solving their needs and wants. If you understand the needs of your customers and you provide good solutions, then coming up with the list of your benefi ts should be straightforward.

A fun example of creating a valuable new outcome is Morton Salt. Salt is literally a commodity. You might remember this from high school chemistry class: it’s a chemical compound - NaCl. The problem with salt was that when it was humid it caked together and didn’t fl ow freely. In 1911, Morton’s devised a process to add an anti-caking agent to table salt, allowing it to fl ow freely. This ultimately led to the creation of their famous tagline, “When It Rains, It Pours” literally meaning when the salt gets humid, it still pours. This is the outcome of the anti-caking agent.

This was a big benefi t for salt at the time. They later introduced the well-known round blue container. This also had added benefi ts. The container is made with a moisture-resistant top and bottom; and a moisture-proof liner. Morton’s now has a 47% market share of all the salt sold in the world.

In the words of a former Morton’s Vice President of Marketing:

The answer turned out to be simple. We found that the successful process of marketing commodities requires value added benefi ts... and if you are the fi rst to add these benefi ts, and support them, your chances of success are far greater than if you follow someone else.

exercise #8

WHAT ARe YoUR BeNeFITS?

Customers don’t want to buy your product or service. They want to buy the outcome – the benefi t for them. What outcome do you provide? Why is your outcome better than competition?

the big idea


Make Your Customers’ Lives BetterTo create the most compelling benefits, it’s useful to go beyond just filling needs and solving problems. As you’re thinking about your benefits, which of them actually make a customer’s life or business better? Create advertising that talks in terms of what the customer will get from your product or service rather than simply what it is.

The Best Benefits While you may provide lots of benefits, which of them are different from what your competitors provide? Which are hard for your competitors to copy? Which of them do you provide better than your competitors? Which are rational benefits and which are emotional benefits?

After you’ve created your list of benefits, we’ll use several filters to evaluate your benefits and hone in on the one or two that matter.

It’s not likely that each of your benefits will be able to accomplish every point in the best practice box, (see the next page) and that’s oK. Use these filters to help clarify your thinking around which of your benefits is the best to help you build your business.

Now, You Do It First, just create a list of all the benefits you provide. Next, you’ll evaluate each of the benefits to see which are best. Look back at your hierarchy of needs. Do you have benefits that meet each need? Are the needs you solve best just the price of entry, or are they higher up on the pyramid?

Create benefits and advertising that shows

the customer’s outcome, rather than simply

stating what the product or service is.

NoTeS:


The Best Benefits

If your benefit could include all of the following it would be world-class. The reality is that it’s very hard to create a benefit that includes all of these elements. See how many your benefit includes. This list will give you a framework for continuing to challenge yourself to improve your thinking over time.

The Best Benefits Are:

• Valuable to the customer (makes their life better)• Motivational (get them to purchase)• Different from competition• Superior to what competition offers• ownable (hard for competitors to copy)• Simple to understand• Credible• Both rational and emotional

best practice

Benefit Selection

If you’re like many companies, you’ll come up with a long list of benefits that you deliver to your customers. It’s important to be honest with yourself in this exercise. Which benefits do you really deliver, and deliver well. Would your customers agree?

It will ultimately be important to narrow your list to one singularly focused benefit. Trying to stand for too many things, means you stand for nothing. Focus on your best benefits. This is so important that Section #9 is dedicated to benefit selection.

common barriers


exercise #8

SMILING SALLY’S EXAMPLEWHAT ARe YoUR BeNeFITS?

As you move through each exercise, it’s fine to change, adjust and improve your ideas and wording. This creation process is messy by nature. What counts is that you think through all the options and the final outcome is compelling. Sort your list based on the order of priority from your hierarchy of needs.

Need Benefit Offered by competition

We’re Best

FOOD TASTES GOOD

WE HAVE A LOUD, FUN PLACE FUN, HAPPY ENVIRONMENT GOURMET TASTE

SPEED LOW PRICES ABUNDANT LUNCH I KNOW WHERE IT IS

EASY T O CUST OMIZE MY ORDERS

HEALTHY FOR ME CONSISTENT FOOD MADE FRESH CLEAN FRIENDS LIKE IT CONVENIENT LOCAT ION FEEL IMPORTANT GOURMET FOOD FUN GOOD CUST. SERVICE

NOT FASTEST, FUN WHILE WAIT WE’RE REALLY NOT LOWEST NOT MOST ABUNDANT, MOST GOURMET EVERYONE AROUND HERE KNOWS WE MAKE IT HOW YOU WANT IT WE USE ALL NATURAL MEATS OUR FOOD IS GREAT EVERY DAY WE MAKE IT FRESH FOR YOU THE CLEANEST AROUND WE BRING PEOPLE T OGETHER FOR FUN

RIGHT ON THE CORNER OF X & X CALL YOU BY NAME WE HAVE GOURMET TASTE

SOMESOMENO

YESSOMEYES

SOME

SOMESOMEYESNONO

YESSOMESOME

SOME

X

XXXX


YOUR COMPANYWHAT ARe YoUR BeNeFITS?

Need Benefit Offered by Competition

We’re Best

Look back at your list of customer needs. Write in the needs, starting with the most important needs at the top. Fill in the benefits you provide that fill these needs. There may be some things you don’t deliver. That’s oK, as long as your customers want the things you do deliver. Does your competition also offer all the benefits you have listed? Where do you beat them?

exercise #8


NoTeS


exercise #9

All benefits are not created equal. The power of a benefit depends on many factors. After you’ve listed your benefits, it’s important to take a hard look to see which will really motivate customers and help you stand out from competition.

The next example shows how to evaluate your benefits based on the factors mentioned earlier:

The Best Benefits Are:• Different from competition -If all your competitors can say the same thing, it won’t give customers a reason to choose you vs. them.

• Valuable to the customer -How does it solve their need or want? Does it actively make their life better?

• Motivational -Will this benefit actually get customers to take action?

• Superior to what competition offers -If competitor offers the benefit too, but you can credibly provide it better, this can be great leverage.

• Ownable (hard for competitors to copy) -If you have a benefit that is unique to only you, this is really powerful. Do you use a system or technology that your competitors don’t have? At Coors, we could say that only Coors is brewed with Rocky Mountain water.

• Simple to understand -If your benefit is complicated to explain or understand, it can be problematic because it won’t be easy for customers to tell others and

also, may not translate well to advertising.

• Credible -If you’re going to say that you provide a benefit, you have to actually

deliver on it. Not delivering on what you promise is a fast way to lose customers.

• Both rational and emotional -If the benefit you provide has both a rational and emotional hook for your customers, it’ll be stronger than just having one or the other.

BeNeFITS SeLeCTIoN

If you try to stand for everything, you’ll end up standing for nothing. What is the singularly focused, repeatable message that you’d like your customers to tell their friends?

the big idea


evaluate the attributes based in your Target customers. In the Smiling Sally’s example on the next page, they don’t believe that their customers place a high value on speed when they choose to eat there. While speedy service is important, it’s not what’s motivating their customers. Also note that things like healthy options, made fresh, and customization, are important, however those things are also provided by competition. Look at the Smiling Sally’s evaluation on the following page. What if Smiling Sally’s tried to stand for all of those benefits? People wouldn’t know what to think or what makes Sally’s special. Narrowing your options is not easy, but it is important.

Be Selective

Narrow your list of benefits down to the one that will make the biggest difference. It’s tempting to keep a long list of benefits. After all, you do provide all of these things, right? While you may provide many benefits, the exercise is designed to narrow your focus. Choose the things that will make the biggest difference to your customers and grow your business. Make the hard choices. You can do it!

best practice


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90


exercise #10

Reason To BelieveSo, you have an outcome that’s perfect for your ideal customers. You should be set, right? Not quite so fast. Why will they believe what you’re telling them? Consumers have become increasingly skeptical. You need to be as believable and authentic as possible so that customers will not only listen to, but believe your message.

Also, what language will they use to tell others about your product or service? Making your unique benefits repeatable is the foundation of your word-of-mouth marketing.

What is a Because? Your Because is a simple statement that supports your benefit in two ways.

First, it makes your benefit believable – it validates your benefit with a supporting point. If you’re making a statement about how you’re different and special, your Because is the point that proves it.

Second, your Because will become the repeatable statement that your customers use to tell others about your business. It could also be something that you’re known for. What is the thing you’re known for? Your Because is what ignites your word-of-mouth marketing. You want to give your customers the words to finish the sentence: “You have to go to XXXXX because…”

As the Internet has increased skepticism and also increased customers’ ability to share instantly, your Because has increased in importance. In this section, you’ll apply this strategy to your business, making your benefits more believable and repeatable.

WHAT’S YoUR BeCAUSe?

Your Because is a simple statement that supports your unique benefit in two ways. It makes it:

1. Believable2. Repeatable

the big idea


The Power of BecauseThe power of a Because was documented in a well-known experiment by Harvard professor ellen Langer. In the experiment, Langer had a stranger approach the line at a copy machine and say: “excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?” 60% of the people let the stranger cut in line.

However, when the stranger added in because: “May I use the Xerox machine, because I’m in a rush?” 94% of the people let the stranger in.

even when the “because” made no sense, it worked almost as well. “May I use the Xerox machine, because I have to make copies?” had a hit rate of 93%.

The lesson is that people want to know why. Consumers today are bombarded with between 500 and 3,000 advertising messages every day. Their natural instinct is to try to cut through the clutter, and to filter out ads that are not credible or authentic. A good Because can dramatically increase your word-of-mouth marketing. Why? When we make recommendations

to others we want to be credible. So we typically add in a Because. “You’ve got to eat there because…” By giving customers a simple, repeatable idea it’s easy for them to tell others. Your Because doesn’t even have to be that good to be a powerful tool. Let’s look at some examples.

Case StudiesYour Because provides support and credibility to your benefit.

TIDE

An age old example of this is Tide laundry detergent. When P&G launched Tide in the 1940s, detergent was a brand new alternative to laundry soap. The early ads touted that Tide would get your clothes cleaner and whiter than any soap (the benefit/outcome). That’s Because was that Tide is not soap – it’s a new and better replacement for soap. The ads went on to say that Tide would actually release the soap build up from clothes - further undermining soap, and showing the importance of Tide’s Because.

Benefit: Gets your clothes cleaner and whiter than soap.

Because: Tide is not soap, it is a new and better replacement for soap.

PAPA JOHN’S VS. PIzzA HUTPapa John’s slogan is “Better Ingredients, Better Pizza.” Better pizza is their Big Idea. Being made from better ingredients is their Because. This is an example where the Because makes the Big Idea both more believable and easily repeatable.

A good Because can dramatically

increase your word-of-mouth

marketing.


The claim “better ingredients” was supported by their use of fresh tomatoes and filtered water in their sauce. This message was working so well that Pizza Hut sued Papa John’s over the claim. Papa John’s prevailed and is now a billion dollar brand.

This Is MessyAs you get into this exercise, don’t worry about doing the process “right.” Sometimes creating things fits into nice boxes, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s all an attempt to create something new and innovative that will draw customers to your business.

For some businesses the benefits and the Because are interchangeable, for some the Because supports the benefit and gives it credibility. Your goal is to create a statement that is credibly different from competition, attractive to customers, and is easily repeatable. It doesn’t matter how you get there as long as you understand the destination.

Not every one of your benefits will have a Because, and that’s oK. Some brands advertise their benefits without ever stating a Because. It’s not required, but it is a very powerful tool to get customers to select you vs. competitors.

There is probably a long list of benefits that you provide for your customers. Your competitors may provide some of the same benefits. What supporting information can you give customers about why you can actually deliver those benefits better than anyone? The goal is to offer a unique benefit and Because that gets customers to choose you over your competition.

The Best Because

As you’re creating the Because to support your benefits, you may find that there are multiple options for some of your benefits. The following list will help you evaluate your Because.

• Factual/supportable• Compelling• Different• ownable • easy to communicate/repeat• Choose one

best practice


RESTAURANT EXAMPLESYoUR BeCAUSe

Can you name the restaurants that have used the Because statements listed below? Which are the most compelling? Which could a business stake its entire existence on?

exercise #10

The table below shows the answers to which restaurants use which Because statements. You’ll notice that these may not be what you currently see in the advertising for these brands. Some of them are used in advertising, others are used in the restaurant.

Benefit Because Offered by Competition

BeTTeR TASTe

FAIR PRICeS CoNVeNIeNT

BeTTeR TASTe

FAST

HeALTHY FoR Me

We BRING PeoPLe ToGeTHeR

CUSToMIZATIoN MADe FReSH CoNSISTeNT FooD

We HAVe BeTTeR INGReDIeNTS THAN CoMPeTITIoN $5 FooTLoNG

20,000 LoCATIoNS

No

eACH oF oUR ReSTAURANTS HAS A CHeF IN THe KITCHeN

IT’S MADe RIGHT IN FRoNT oF YoU

We MAKe IT YoUR WAY

BeCAUSe We SPeCIALIZe IN BIRTHDAY CeLeBRATIoNS

20 oPTIoNS UNDeR 500 CALoRIeS

oUR SANDWICHeS ARe ToASTeD

DeLIVeReD IN 30 MINUTeS oR IT’S FRee

No

No

No

MAYBe

MAYBe

MAYBe

MAYBe

MAYBe

MAYBe

Because Who?

We HAVe BeTTeR INGReDIeNTS THAN CoMPeTITIoN

$5 FooTLoNG

DeLIVeReD IN 30 MINUTeS oR IT’S FRee

PAPA JoHN’S

eACH oF oUR ReSTAURANTS HAS A CHeF IN THe KITCHeN

IT’S MADe RIGHT IN FRoNT oF YoU

We MAKe IT YoUR WAY

BeCAUSe We SPeCIALIZe IN BIRTHDAY CeLeBRATIoNS

20 oPTIoNS UNDeR 500 CALoRIeS

oUR SANDWICHeS ARe ToASTeD

20,000 LoCATIoNS SUBWAY

DoMINoS

BURGeR KING

KeNTUCKY FRIeD CHICKeN

QDoBA

QUIZNoS

SUBWAY

QUIZNoS

NITTY GRITTY


SMILING SALLY’SYoUR BeCAUSe

exercise #10


HAPPY CUST SVC

FUN BREAKFEEL IMPORTANTGOURMET FOOD

GOOD TASTE

HEALTHY

MADE FRESH

FRIENDS LIKE ITCLEANEASY CUST OMIZE

WE ONLY HIRE PEOPLE THAT PASS OUR SECRET SMILE TESTWE HAVE LOUD PEOPLE AND FUN MUSICWE CALL PEOPLE BY NAMEGOURMET INGREDIENT S, SPECIAL SAUCES, ALL NATURAL MEATS

ALL NATURAL MEATS, AND 30% OF OUR INGREDIENT S ARE ORGANICWE MAKE IT JUST THE WAY YOU WANT IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUYOUR FRIENDS ARE ALREADY HERE!

GOURMET INGREDIENT S, SPECIAL SAUCES, ALL NATURAL MEATS

WE’RE SPIC AND SPAN CERT IFIEDWE MAKE IT FOR YOU EVERY T IME YES

NO

YES

NONO

SOME

SOME

SOME

SOMEMAYBE

NoTeS:


YOUR COMPANY

Look back at your list of benefits. Write in the benefits, starting with the ones you think are the most important. Do you have proof that you can provide these better than competition? Some benefits may have multiple Becauses. Does your competition also have all of the Becauses that you have listed? Circle the most compelling ones.

YoUR BeCAUSe

exercise #10



exercise #11

Pulling It All TogetherYour Positioning Statement is the culmination of all of your work. Your positioning describes what business you’re in, who you’re targeting, with what benefit and which Because. The objective of your positioning statement is to describe a space that is uniquely owned by you. It should explain why customer will purchase from you vs. the competition. Your Positioning Statement should be a clear, succinct vision for exactly how you provide unique value for your customers. It’s a statement about what you stand for. It’s valuable to everyone who works with your business including your employees, consultants and advertising partners.

Your positioning is the foundation for how you communicate to customers. The best Positioning Statements contain a singular benefit, a believable and repeatable Because, clear differentiation from competition, and provide something that the target customers value.

Your Positioning Statement should be a nice summary of the “concept” of your business. What is the idea you’d like customers to know and remember about you? What’s the big idea that customers will latch on to?

Positioning Statement Structure The format below is a good starting point, but as you explore your positioning you may want to adjust it. You can use any format you like as long as it includes the key components. When you’re finished it should be a clear, inspirational statement about your business.

CReATe YoUR PoSITIoNING


Be SuccinctYou may find it very challenging to keep your positioning statement limited to one benefit and one Because. This is not easy, but it is important. If you try to stand for everything, you’ll end up standing for nothing. The process of positioning forces you to make tough choices about your business. Done well, it will make your business stronger, healthier and more successful over the long-term.

This Is For You, Make It Your OwnSome of my clients get caught up in doing the process “right.” What the Blueprint provides is a structured framework to help you create a stronger, more successful business. It’s your business. If an exercise doesn’t work for you, change it into one that does. I’m giving you best practices. That doesn’t mean they’re perfect for you. Take the concept and mold it into what you need.

This is especially true for the process of creating a positioning statement. The point of the exercise isn’t to write a positioning statement, it’s to create a clarified vision of how your different from competition in a way that customers will pay you for. However this looks for you is right for you.

This Isn’t Your AdvertisingIt’s important to note that your positioning statement is an internal tool that helps keep everyone in your business on the same page. The positioning statement is NoT your advertising message; rather it is the foundation your messaging is built upon. Any communication you develop should be grounded in, and consistent with, your positioning statement. Your advertising ideas and campaigns might change over time, but your positioning should be fairly stable.

POSITIONING STATEMENT

For [insert Target here],

[insert Business Name here] is the

[insert Category here] that provides

[insert Benefit here].

That’s because [insert Because here].


For example, when Nike created the “Just Do It” campaign, the positioning statement was probably something like:

For athlete inside all of us, Nike is the fitness apparel company that inspires everyday performance. That’s because we understand what it takes to compete.

This isn’t what the ads say, but it is the message that they deliver. You can see how Nike demonstrates this in everything they do. Their messages are always inspirational–making you feel like you’re an athlete, even if you’re a couch potato. “If I wear the shoes, I’ll be an athlete!” They invest in high-dollar athletes and sports properties because they want to show the everyday person that they understand and support what it takes to be a competitor. “everyday” is important because that’s where they make all of their profits, from everyday people.

Before you create your Positioning Statement, look at the Smiling Sally’s examples on the next pages, then start your creative work.

NoTeS:


You can see that there are lots of ways Smiling Sally’s could have positioned themselves. You may have been tipped off early on because the name of their business says a lot.

There are many benefits that are true about Sally’s. They have gourmet food, fresh ingredients, healthy options, a convenient location, and a clean environment, but what they’re really known for is being a happy, fun place for lunch with gourmet food, suited to corporate office workers.

This is the Smiling Sally’s Sandwiches and Salads positioning statement:

“HAPPY RESPITE”

FoR LUNCHING PROFESSIONALS SMILING SALLY’S IS THe GOURMET SANDWICH RESTAURANT THAT BRIGHTENS YOUR DAY THAT’S BeCAUSe OUR HAPPY AND FUN ATMOSPHERE IS A WELCOME RESPITE FROM THE PRESSURE OF CORPORATE AMERICA

Their positioning hits on many of the factors of great benefits and becauses. It fills a customer need, it’s credible, motivational, different from competition, ownable and simple. Also, it’s both rational and emotional which makes it stronger.

This very specific choice in their positioning helps with every part of the business from the marketing plan, to the design of the restaurant and the materials.

SMILING SALLY’S EXAMPLESCReATe YoUR PoSITIoNING

exercise #11


SMILING SALLY’S ALTERNATE EXAMPLESCReATe YoUR PoSITIoNING

These are examples of alternate positioning statements that could have been created by the restaurant before they landed on the “Happy Respite” positioning.

You can see that while each of them has some merit, they are not as differentiated as the one that Smiling Sally’s chose. Also note that positioning can have a big impact on your business model. If they had chosen a “speed” positioning, they’d be targeting different customers, likely with a different kind of sandwich, and certainly a different name.

“STEAK MEN”

FoR 25 T O 45 YEAR OLD MALES SMILING SALLY’S IS THe QUICK-SERVICE RESTAURANT THAT PRoVIDeS THE BEST STEAK SANDWICHES. THAT’S BeCAUSe WE USE REAL, ALL NATURAL PRIME RIB

“HEALTHY SALADS”

FoR 25 T O 45 YEAR OLD WOMEN SMILING SALLY’S IS THe FAST CASUAL RESTAURANT THAT PRoVIDeS THE HEALTHIEST LUNCH OPT IONS. THAT’S BeCAUSe WE HAVE 15 SALAD CHOICES, MADE FRESH WHILE YOU WAIT.

“SPEEDY SERVICE”

FoR PEOPLE IN A HURRYSMILING SALLY’S IS THe QUICK-SERVICE RESTAURANT THAT GETS YOU IN AND OUT THE FASTEST. THAT’S BeCAUSe WE GUARANTEE THAT YOU’LL HAVE YOUR MEAL IN YOUR HANDS WITHIN 10 MINUTES, OR YOUR MEAL IS FREE.

exercise #11


Now, try a few positioning statements of your own. Start by just writing a bunch of them off the top of your head. Don’t worry about them being perfect at first, there is plenty of time for that. Get creative. Write some that would be obvious, and then write some that are a little crazy. What if? What if the crazy one was the one you went for? What would it do to your business? What different decisions would you make if that’s what you stood for?

As you’re writing them, try to include a singular concept in each. Go after a focused benefit. You can combine, change, and re-write them later. Remember, that if you want to be remembered for something, it is much more powerful to be specific.

At the same time, don’t worry if your statements end up being really long. There’s nothing wrong with long as long as it’s clear. Typically short is easier for others to understand and more motivational. Remember, there are no rules here, just frameworks to get you moving in the right direction.

Where can you really beat the competition? What makes you different in a way that your customers are going to pay for? Big brands many times take months to nail down the exact language and words in their positioning statements.

After you write a bunch, put them down for a day or two. Come back to them. Which make some sense? What resonates with you, and what does not? What is believable and achievable? Start to tighten up your language. Choose each word carefully.

Your statement doesn’t have to look just like the one in the example. Move it around and make it your own. Sometimes it’s useful to write a bunch of different ones, then mix and match, eliminate and expand, and finally hone in on one that is concise, simple and differentiated. This will not be easy, but it will be worth it.

NoTeS:


YOUR COMPANYCReATe YoUR PoSITIoNING

exercise #11

For _____________________________________ ____________________________________ is the ______________________________that provides _________________________________________That’s because ____________________________.





exercise #12

Congratulations! Now that you’ve done the hard up-front work, you’re ready to think about your marketing. Many businesses, large and small, make the mistake of trying to build a plan for marketing before doing the work to figure out who they’re going after, how they’re filling a need better than competition, and why customers should believe them.

This up-front strategy work is will help maximize all the other work you do in your business. Done well, it should impact every touch point from your front-line employees to your sales force to your advertising messages. The work you’ve done so far has clarified who you’re going after, and what you’re going to say to them. Now it’s time to get into what you are actually going to do.

Your Touch PointsThe first step in the process is to capture every touch point you have with current or potential customers. You may be surprised to see how many places you’re reaching customers. each of these points is an opportunity to consistently deliver your chosen message.

Build Your PlanNext, it’s time to build your plan. The planning process goes beyond just your marketing plan. To be valuable, your marketing plans must exist within the broader context of what your business is trying to accomplish.

The marketing plan should directly link to the objectives and goals of the business.

CReATe YoUR MARKeTING PLAN


SMILING SALLY’S TOUCH POINTS

This example demonstrates a variety of possible touch points for Smiling Sally’s. As you think about all the points where you touch consumers, don’t forget things like your sales force, lead generation methods, a blog, your customer service line, your receptionist, your offi ce, public relations, or any other way that a consumer may have an experience with your business.


exercise #12


YOUR COMPANY

Fill in all the customer touch points that your business has. Capture every opportunity you have to communicate to your customers.


exercise #12


MARKETING PLANCReATe YoUR MARKeTING PLAN

exercise #12

Objectives, Goals, Strategies, MeasuresA simple way to think about your planning is in four parts:

1. objectives2. Goals3. Strategies4. Measures5. Tactics

Objectives These are the overarching things you’re trying to accomplish for the year.

Goals These are the specific targets for your objectives.

Strategies These are the plans you’ll use to accomplish your goals and objectives.

Tactics These are the actual activities you’ll undertake to execute your strategies.

Measures This is the information you’ll use to track your progress during the year. Are you hitting your goals?

As you think here about objectives and goals for the year, I challenge you to think beyond financial and business objectives. What else do you want the company to provide, to you or others, beyond profits? If you’re the owner of the business, what do you really want? More time? More freedom? Less stress? Fewer mistakes by employees? What’s your thing you wish you could have more or less of? Include that in your goal setting.

Leverage Your PositioningYou’ve already figured out who you’re going after and what your core message will be. Now leverage that work in your marketing plan. What are the most efficient and effective ways to get that message in front of your target? See the Smiling Sally’s plan on the next page. Notice how the plans incorporate their “Happy Respite” positioning in every part of the plan. The strategies are based on the best way to reach and deliver their message to their target. The catering and office sampling programs are designed to reach their target consumers where they are at the office.

The High School Sports program is a plan to reach these same office workers after work. Supporting their customer’s children helps build a strong brand for Smiling Sally’s in the community. even the dentist program is aligned with their positioning. They reach their customers when they’re thinking about smiling. What better way to reinforce what makes them different and special from competition?


SMILING SALLY’S EXAMPLECReATe YoUR MARKeTING PLAN

exercise #12

Smiling Sally’s Marketing Plan

Objectives

Goals

Strategies

Measures

1. Maintain customer satisfaction (customer smiles)2. Increase revenue, profit and customer count

1. Customer satisfaction rate stays at 98% of customers either “Satisfied” or “Very Satisfied”2. Increase a. Revenue to $800,000 b. Profit to $150,000 c. Daily (weekday) customer count to 200

1. Customer Satisfaction Strategies (The Smiles Plan) a. Continue to greet customer by name and ask their name if we don’t know them b. Make conversation with each customer as they go through the line c. Smile at every guest d. Give them something extra if they say they’ve never been here before

2. Marketing Strategies (revenue and customer count) a. Office Sampling i. Deliver smiling samples to offices in the area b. catering program for lunch businesses. Admins get free lunch with every order i. Free smiling magnets go in each box c. Smiling Sally’s Loyalty Card. One sandwich for every 10 sandwich purchases. That’ll make you smile d. High School Sports night on Tuesdays- 10% of all proceeds go to support the High School Teams i. Smiling Sally’s coupons in all team programs e. Facebook fans page. A monthly special offer for all fans i. Our fans post things that make them smile during the day f. Partner with local dentist. Two for one sandwich with Smiling Sally’s coupon available after your cleaning

1. Customer satisfaction 98% “Satisfied” or “Very Satisfied” with over 85% being “Very Satisfied” as measured by our customer satisfaction Survey.

a. One week each quarter hand out survey request cards to every guest - chance to win free lunch for you and a friend

2. Performance Tracking a. Tracking weekly sales and profit figures against annual plan b. Track Weekly customer count numbers c. 30 visits from office coupons a week d. 30% of customers carry loyalty card e. Increase catering orders to 10 per week f. 30 visits each Tue from High School Sports Program h. 10 visits per week from the dentist program


YOUR COMPANYCReATe YoUR MARKeTING PLAN

exercise #12

Now it’s your turn. Think about what you’d like to accomplish in your business this year. What are your specific objectives, goals, strategies and measures? What are the specific activities that go with each strategy? Who will be in charge of implementing each strategy? What resources will you need?

There is no “right” format for a marketing plan. It’s a tool that needs to work for you and those that work with you. Some billion dollar brands craft a plan that literally fits on one page. everyone in the company gets a laminated copy of the one page plan. each employee knows exactly how their role fits into the plan for the company and its success. I challenge you to put your plan on one page.

The most effective plans fit on one or two pages.

1. objectives

2. Goals


3. Strategies

4. Measures

5. Tactics


6. Responsibility

7. Cost

8. Timing


1. Your Vision is what you want to become as a company.

2. Your Mission is why you exist as an organization.

3. Your Values state how you plan to do the work in your Mission to achieve

your Vision.

4. Your target is the specific subset of customers who are ideal for your

product or service. Be specific. If you’re targeting everyone, you’re not

targeting anyone.

5. Customers purchase things because they fill a need. Some needs are more

important than others.

6. Your hierarchy of needs categorizes needs into emotional, rational, and

price of entry. It then ranks them by importance in each category.

7. Your benefit is the center-point of your marketing strategy. It is the hook

that gets customers to choose you over competition.

8. Your because provides support and credibility to your benefit. The power

of “because” is real and will make a difference in your marketing.

9. Your positioning statement is the culmination of your target, their needs,

your benefits and reason to believe. Your positioning is a clear, succinct

vision for exactly how you provide unique value for your customers.

10. Your marketing plan starts with an analysis of your touch points, and then

answers what objectives, goals, strategies and measures you’ll achieve, and

the tactics you’ll use to achieve them.

key concepts


117www.WhatBigBrandsKnow.com © 2014. What Big Brands Know LLC. All Rights Reserved. www.WhatBigBrandsKnow.com © What Big Brands Know LLC 2012. All Rights Reserved. www.WhatBigBrandsKnow.com © What Big Brands Know LLC 2012. All Rights Reserved.

section 4

4innovation


NoTeS


innovation

INNoVATIoN

Innovation is the process of creating or improving your product or service so that it provides more value to your customers.

The best companies, and the ones that thrive over time, are continually innovating. They are always listening to their customers, watching their competitors and adjusting what they’re doing to get better. The best companies are in a constant state of iterative learning where they try something, evaluate the results, keep it or kill it, and continue to improve.

Focus your innovation efforts on creating more differentiation from your competition. Any opportunity to positively distance yourself from them is a good one. Can you create things that are hard for your competition to copy?

What’s the Process?Generally, the innovation process follows the same process we used in the Business Blueprint for creating your positioning.

1. Insight Gathering Scan the market, study your competitors, and listen to your customers. What are your competitors up to? Can you zig when they zag? What are the pain points for your customers? What are they dissatisfied with? How can you solve their problems better, faster or cheaper?

2. Idea Creation As you get insights about things that could be better, get to work solving those problems. Use the customer insights as a challenge to your team. “What if we could...” Sometimes things that don’t seem possible become possible when you put them out into the world. How would your business change if you were able to leverage powerful customer insights?

3. Product Creation Get busy. Create a new product or service and get it out there. Today, innovation is happening in every industry at an ever increasing pace. It’s better to create something new, get feedback and navigate than waiting until you have it perfected. Creation is messy. There might be fits and starts. The process of creation can happen in lots of different ways - from team brainstorming to a brilliant idea in the shower. Capture anything and everything that occurs to you as a way to improve on your offering.


4. Testing I’ve worked on innovations at Procter & Gamble, Coors, Quiznos and Red Robin. The consistent thing about innovation is that you’re probably not going to get it right the first time. Testing is a critical part of the process that many independent business owners or startup companies skip. Don’t skip this step. Lots of money can be wasted doing a full-scale launch for things that aren’t ready for the big time yet. Trust me. You can make your product or service better with testing.

5. Evaluating As you’re testing, have a solid plan for evaluation before you start the test. Know the result you’re trying to achieve and if you don’t achieve it to your satisfaction, be sure you complete step #6. Customer input is critical in the evaluation stage. What are they saying about this new idea? Is it a new big deal, pretty good, or a total flop? If you’re going to fail, fail fast and inexpensively. even if you knock it out of the park, you have likely found room for improvement through your testing.

6. Improvement The evaluation stage should have given you an idea if you should keep improving and iterating on the idea or kill it altogether. The key is to iterate quickly based on what you’re learning from evaluation. Learn, make changes, and evaluate again.

7. Launch If you’ve done your innovation work well, and been successful - launch! Reap the rewards of your hard work. The critical parts of this phase are all the things we covered earlier in the workbook. Create a compelling, differentiated message for your target and get it in front of them. Give them a reason to choose you!

Your innovation doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s much more effective to get it out in the world, test it, and get feedback rather hoping it will be perfect the first time out of the gate. The reality of most innovations and most start-up companies is that 80% of what you do isn’t going to work. Stop doing that 80% as fast as possible and focus on the 20% that produces results. Great businesses are grown through navigating. Do more of what works and kill what doesn’t.

When you think about innovating, or changing something you’re doing, be sure it’s focused on making your product better for your customers. How will it make their life better, or their business stronger? How will it make them happier or service them more effectively? Make sure your innovation is important to your customers. Is it something they will pay for? Is it something that would keep them from moving to competitors?


Innovation Thought StartersHow you innovate varies greatly by your industry? Here is a simple list of thought starters that will help you challenge your team. Set up a brainstorming session and see where it takes you! Write down some ideas as you read through the following questions.

1. Concept How can you innovate on the core concept of your business? What’s the big idea? Why is it big? How are you providing value to your customers and how could you improve that value?

2. Ingredients/Inputs/Components Can you change one of your inputs so that it makes your whole offering more attractive or valuable?

3. Experience How can you improve the experience of using your product or the experience of working with your company. The value of experience has increased dramatically in the past decade.

4. Customization How can you customize your offering for your customers? Customization has been a big trend in the past decade as well. People want something “just for them.” The importance of this has increased even more with the advent of social media.

5. Price Is there some way for you to innovate on price? What if you doubled your price? What would happen? What if you cut your price in half? Can you find a different way to price your product altogether? Bundling, subscriptions, flat fee?


6. Guarantee Is there a way for you to innovate on your commitment to stand behind your product?

7. Listening Is there a way for you to innovate around how you listen to your customers? Customers want to be heard, what can you do to show them you’re there for them?

8. Advertising/Promotions What can you do that’s unique from the competition in how, where or when you deliver your message? How about unique trial offers? What’s an offer that’s just crazy enough to work and get attention?

9. Cost How can you get creative with your costs? What if you could dramatically decrease one of your costs? How would that change your business?

10. Occasion When do people use your product? Is there a way to introduce it for an additional occasion for use? Is there a way to change your product to make it good for another use?


11. Different Industry As you’re brainstorming ideas, sometimes it’s good to get way out of the box. How would Target sell your product, or Niemen Marcus? What would it look like if it was made by Harley Davidson?

12. Nothing What will happen if you do nothing? What’s the worst case scenario? What might competition do?

13. Better How can you make your product better for the world, healthier or more green?

14. Process How could you change a process in your company so that it changed your product or service?


1. Innovation is simply the process of creating or improving your product or service so that it provides more value to your customers.

2. The best companies are continually innovating. They are listening to their customers, watching their competitors and adjusting what they’re doing to get better.

3. Focus your innovation efforts on creating more differentiation from your competition.

4. Your innovation doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s much more important and effective to get it out in the world, and get feedback rather than making it perfect the first time out of the gate.

5. Testing is a critical part of the process that many independent business owners or startup companies skip. Don’t skip this step.

6. Customer input is critical in the evaluation stage.

7. Iterate quickly based on what you’re learning from customers. Learn, make changes, and evaluate again.

8. If you’re going to fail, fail fast and inexpensively.

key concepts



section 5

market research

5


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MARKeT ReSeARCH

The Importance of Customer InputUnderlying everything in this guide is the need for doing research directly with your customers. All your positioning and planning work should be built on insights that come from customer input.

Billion dollar brands invest an enormous amount of time and effort in customer research because they know that it’s the only way to ensure that customers will continue to value their offerings.

Competition is fierce, and customer research allows businesses to uncover competitive advantages that they can use to win business.

Research for Cheap or FreeCustomer research does not have to be expensive. Most of this research can be done for little or no cost.

Types of ResearchAll research is meant for uncovering insights from customers to help you provide an offering that customers will prefer vs. competition. There are several kinds of research that are used for different purposes. The two most common types are qualitative and quantitative.

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QUALITATIVe ReSeARCH

At the most basic level, Qualitative research is information you get from talking with people. It is used to gather general opinions, information and ideas. It helps understand how and why people make decisions through in-depth questioning.

examples of qualitative research include:

• Conversation. Talking to your individual customers in general conversation.

• Interviews. Ask some customers for more in-depth interviews.

• Informal Group. Get a group of customers together to chat.

• Advisory Committee. Create an “advisory committee” of customers you’d like to learn from.

• Social Media. The advent of social media has made it easier than ever for you to get ongoing and immediate feedback from your consumers.

• Focus Group. Conduct a more formal “focus group.” A focus group is a directed discussion with target customers that digs into specific topics to get feedback and help generate ideas.

• Online Qualitative. New companies now allow you to get qualitative feedback from consumers in the comfort and privacy of their own homes. They send a web-cam to the participant who videos their responses. This helps eliminate the bias that can occur in traditional focus groups.

• Online Collaboration/Innovation. New technology now exists that allow your consumers to come into an online collaboration space to help you learn and create for your business. This can be done for a very low cost.

In all these scenarios, it’s extremely valuable to have a well-defined set of questions that you’re trying to answer for your business. This allows you to gather many points of feedback on the questions you’re trying to answer.

one advantage of qualitative research is that it’s flexible. Ask questions and see where the conversation goes. You never know what you’ll uncover that you didn’t expect. Because of this, it’s important to really listen to the answers. It’s easy to come into a conversation with your opinions about what the answers will be, but the listening process is where the real value presents itself.

qualitative research


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QUANTITATIVe ReSeARCH

Quantitative research is the process of gathering statistically accurate answers to questions. Generally this is done through some sort of survey.

examples of how you might gather this information include:

•Questions on your email sign-up form•Survey on your website•Survey to your email database• Intercepts in your retail store•Customer satisfaction surveys• Information pulled from your point-of-sale System•Data from online sales of your products•Loyalty program

Quantitative research is particularly useful when you want to:

1. Validate what you’ve been hearing from your qualitative research.

2. Choose between options you may be considering.

3. Track key business measures, such as customer satisfaction, over time.

Validation ExampleAn example of validating your qualitative research would be as follows: Let’s say that Smiling Sally’s recently changed their chicken soup. The new soup costs less for customers to purchase, so they were hoping that more people would add soup to their order.

After the change, some customers have voiced a concern that they don’t like it as much as the old soup. There would be two parts to this quantitative analysis. First, are more people choosing to order soup, and is it adding more profit? This information comes from looking at internal data like Point-of-Sale transactions. Second, a survey with soup purchasers could determine if the dislike is widespread or with just a few customers. The survey could uncover that most of the customers actually prefer the new soup and price vs. the old, and that the complainers are a small but vocal group. You may find that most customers plan to visit more often as a result of the new soup. Alternately, it could show that nobody likes the new soup, and they should change it back.

qualitative research


Choose between options exampleSmiling Sally’s may wish to choose between promoting a special salad vs. a special sandwich during the month of May. They could accurately answer the question of which option would be better for business by completing quantitative research.

The survey could ask an obvious question such as which option is preferred, but there are many other factors to consider. For example, they could ask which option would make the customers visit more often. Also, by gathering information on who took the survey it would also be possible to determine which customers prefer one option vs. the other. If the salad was preferred by customers that spend a lot of money per visit and the sandwich by customers that spend little, that could also be a factor in the decision.

You can see that the questions you ask and the information you gather is critical, and that what you learn could be very useful.

Track business measures exampleAnother way to use quantitative research is to track key business measures over time. We could see from Smiling Sally’s annual plan that customer satisfaction is very important to their business.

In order to gather that information they could hand out survey cards to every guest for one week each quarter. The card would give a special offer for filling out an online survey. For example, they could offer a chance to win a $50 gift certificate. The card would direct them to the online survey which would ask the same satisfaction questions quarter after quarter. This would allow them to track their satisfaction levels. In addition, this would be a great opportunity to allow customers to opt-in to your email database so they could get special offers.

A little about statistical significanceWhenever you’re doing a survey, more responses will insure a more accurate answer to your question. Without getting too technical, if you get 200 responses to your survey, you can be about 95% certain that the answer you got is accurate plus or minus 7%. In other words, if 80% of the customers prefer the sandwich special vs. the salad, the real percentage of people that will prefer it will be somewhere between 73% and 87%. In this case, the sandwich is a good bet. If you can get 350 responses, your answer will be 95% certain plus or minus 5%.


TWo oTHeR ReSeARCH APPRoACHeS

There are two other types of research worth mentioning. These could probably be categorized under qualitative or quantitative, but the approaches are unique enough to warrant their own discussion.

Community ResearchWith the advent of social media, it’s easier than ever to gather a community of people with an interest in your business. Facebook fan pages are a great example of this. Many businesses have gathered hundreds or thousands of customers that are fans of their business. Access to this community is a great way to do research. You can pose questions to the community about things you’re thinking of doing, or ask them for ideas of things that can help your business better serve them. Also, just reading the posts placed there by your customers is a great way to uncover what is on their minds. Depending on how you use your community, this research can be either qualitative or quantitative.

Make a Little, Sell a Little ResearchMake a little, sell a little is just what it sounds like. Companies used to do loads of research and product testing before they would ever get a real product in front of real consumers. They spent lots of time and money trying to make the perfect offering and then launch it big. As you can imagine, that process has a high potential for big mistakes. The make a little, sell a little process uses iterations to get to greatness instead of loads of theoretical research. Smiling Sally’s ExampleFor example, Smiling Sally’s may be thinking of adding a lobster sandwich to the menu. The sandwich would cost more, but would be very unique. They can simply buy a case of the lobster, stick it on the menu and see what happens. They might find out that it needs more lobster, a different sauce, a different kind of bread, or whatever. They could then make some changes and try again. If it really wins people over it stays on the menu, if not they move on to the next thing.

market research


key concepts


1. Customer research is an important, ongoing component to business success.

2. Much research can be completed for little or no cost.

3. Qualitative and quantitative are the two most common types of research.

4. Qualitative research is best used to gather general opinions, information and ideas.

5. Quantitative research is best used to validate qualitative research, help choose between options, and track key business measures.

6. Two other types of research are community and make a little, sell a little.


section 6

creating great advertising

6


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CReATING GReAT ADVeRTISING

Be ClearA clearly defined Positioning Statement is the foundation for great advertising. It helps whoever is creating the ad stay focused on the benefit and Because that differentiates you from competition. Regardless of the type of advertising, you want your core message to come through.

There are countless ways to get your message out to potential customers, and they vary depending on the type of business you’re in. A clearly defined message is valuable because sometimes you don’t have very much space or time to get a message across. In other cases, such as in word-of mouth, you don’t have any real control over the message, so the more clear you are, the more likely that it will be passed along the way you want.

In general, good advertising will get the consumer to pay attention, draw them into the key message, and get them to either take action or remember the message for the future. This is how advertising builds your brand, and drives sales, and grows your profits.

Where Should I Advertise? Most business owners are bombarded with sales people trying to sell them advertising. You have limited dollars and lots of options. But which ones will work? There is no science to this and no easy, one-size-fits-all answers.

The first step to figuring out where to advertise is understanding your target. A tightly defined target is helpful when you start evaluating advertising options. Where are your customers looking for solutions to the problem you solve? Are they searching online? Are they looking through their weekly fliers? Are they reading specific magazines? Where are your potential customers physically located? Are they all within three miles of your business, or are they all over town, or all over the country?

Next, consider your advertising objective. Are you trying to drive awareness with new customers, or repeat purchases from existing customers? Are you trying to drive an immediate purchase or a purchase at some time in the future? As you consider advertising options, evaluate each against your target and your objectives. Then, when you try one, be sure to track and measure your results.

creating great advertising


Three Strategies For EveryoneThree of your most important advertising strategies are:

1. Word-of-Mouth

2. Customer email list

3. Website

Word of mouth from your current customers is critical for almost every business. You can increase your word-of-mouth by having a clear message which makes it easy for your customers to know what to say about you, and motivated to do it.

Your customer email list is also a very powerful tool. Satisfied customers want to be in a relationship with a business. email is a great an inexpensive way to maintain an ongoing relationship with your most satisfied customers.

The web is the first place people look to learn about your business. A good presence on the web can be critical not just for being found, but for telling prospective customers why they should choose you.

The Advertising BriefCreating advertising begins with writing an advertising brief. The brief is used to give guidance to whomever is creating the ad for you. Whether your radio or newspaper partner is creating the ad for you, or you’re using an agency, the brief should be your starting point. The brief outline on the following page shows information you should provide.

Advertising EvaluationThere are many, many kinds of advertising. This section outlines some of the common types of advertising including print, billboards (out-of-home), radio and TV. The guidance on the following pages has been compiled through research including: evaluations of dozens of big-brand campaigns, industry experts, and best practices of top marketing companies.


ADVeRTISING BRIeF

1. Assignment The assignment outlines the basics of the project. What kind of advertising are you developing? How many executions? Is it part of a campaign? What is the timing and budget?

2. Advertising Objective What are you trying to accomplish with the advertising? Is it awareness that you exist? Is it trial of your product or service by new customers? Is it repeat business from current customers? What action are you trying to get customers to take? Depending on your business situation, you may have other objectives such as: relevance, competitive insulation, deepening loyalty, creating buzz, or enhancing emotional connection. Be specific.

3. Target Who is your core target for the message? How can you describe them in a way that will help create an ad that is noticed by them? What insights do you have about the target in terms of demographics or psychographics? What is their lifestyle? What do you know about the consumer that will make them come alive for the creative? What are their most important needs? Focus on as tightly defined target as possible.

4. What does your target think of you now? What do you know about how the target views you now? Do you want to reinforce this, or change it?

5. What is your positioning statement? Be sure to include your positioning statement. This is a clear, succinct vision for exactly how you provide unique value for your customers. It’s a statement about what you stand for. everyone who works on your business should understand it. Providing additional information beyond what is captured in the statement is valuable. An expanded target section as outlined in #3 will help create better advertising. You may also want to outline your benefits and Because separately from the statement.

advertising brief


6. Communication hierarchy What is the priority of communication for the messages you want to include? Remember, you can’t say everything. If you have two benefits, will you include them both? Is the Because more compelling than the benefit itself? Should the offer be more prominent than the tagline?

7. Why is this message important to the target consumer? Why will they care? List any customer insights about why customers find your benefit Because valuable.

8. How will you measure success? You want to be up-front about how you’re going to measure success. This helps create advertising that gets at the heart of your objective.

9. What is the competitive situation? Who are your competitors, and what advertising and positioning are they using?

10. Executional considerations/legal mandatories. What must be included no matter what? What other things to you want the creative to consider as they’re developing the advertising?

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eFFeCTIVe PRINT ADVeRTISING

Print advertising can be very challenging because it’s easy for consumers to ignore. As a result, grabbing their attention is of the utmost importance.

Print advertising falls into two common types: magazine/newspaper ads, and weekly fliers (the fancy term for these is free standing inserts). You might get these in the mail or with your newspaper.

Magazine ads usually advertise brand benefits and sometimes include extensive text about the product. Weekly fliers, on the other hand, generally include a more immediate call to action with a specific offer or coupon.

Great print ads:• Attention getting: Able to break through the clutter and be worthy of the target consumer’s attention in an intriguing or compelling way.

• evoke emotion and Insightful: Connecting to a target consumer’s emotions in a way that strengthens their relationship with the core message of the brand. To be effective advertising, the emotional link must tie back to the main brand benefit.

• engaging: The consumer should come away from viewing each ad feeling as though they “discovered something” about the brand or were actively involved with the brand, not just passively advertised to.

• Compelling offer: Not all print advertising has an offer attached, but for many businesses such as retailers, customers expect to see offers in print ads. In this case, the ad must communicate both the overall brand benefit as well as the specific offer.

• Memorable Simple Message: The best executions include minimal copy and focus on simple visual elements to tell the story quickly and with impact. Additional copy can be included, but is only effective if the ad idea and drama draws the consumer into the ad to read more.

• Consistent: The look and feel of the campaign should share a unique and common thread with the broader brand advertising, giving the brand a larger than life appearance and an unmistakable identity at first glance.

It is not mandatory that each campaign or execution includes all of these characteristics. Some may be more or less important depending on the campaign.

effective print advertising


eFFeCTIVe BILLBoARD (oUT-oF-HoMe)ADVeRTISING

Billboard advertising is actually the hardest of all advertising to do well. This is because you have very little space, and a short amount of time to convey your message. Billboards have to grab your attention and deliver a meaningful message in a matter of seconds. The biggest mistake companies make with billboards is crowding them with too much information.

Billboards are also known as out-of-home advertising. The term out-of-home actually refers to a broader set of advertising that includes things like buses, bus shelters, posters, benches, and basically any advertising you see when you’re out and about.

Great out-of-home ads:• Attention getting: Able to break through the clutter and be worthy of the

target consumers’ attention in an intriguing or compelling way.

• Memorable Simple Message: The best executions include minimal copy and focus on simple visual elements to tell the story quickly and with impact.

• Brand is hero: The core consumer take-away from the ad has to directly relate back to uniquely own-able brand equities, and the core brand message.

• evoke emotion and Insightful: Connecting to a target consumer’s emotions in a way that strengthens their relationship with the core message of the brand. To be effective advertising, the emotional link must tie back to the main brand benefit.

• engaging: The consumer should come away from viewing each ad feeling as though they “discovered something” about the brand or were actively involved with the brand, not just passively advertised to.

• Consistent: The look and feel of the campaign should share a unique and common thread with the broader brand advertising, giving the brand a larger than life appearance and an unmistakable identity at first glance.

It is not mandatory that each campaign or execution includes all of these characteristics. Some may be more or less important depending on the campaign.

effective billboard advertising


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eFFeCTIVe RADIo ADVeRTISING

Radio is different from other kinds of advertising in that there is no visual element. The message must be great at creating pictures in the mind of the customer.

Great radio ads:• Theatre of the Mind/entertainment: Great radio is great entertainment

and keeps audiences wanting more. effective radio will draw the consumer into the spot in a compelling way, in the context of delivering the key message. Techniques to help the consumers visualize the situation can be impactful.

• Attention getting: Able to break through the clutter and be worthy of the target consumers’ attention in an intriguing or compelling way.

• evokes emotion / Insightful: Connecting to a target consumer’s emotions in a way that strengthens their relationship with the core message of the brand. To be effective advertising, the emotional link must tie back to the brand.

• Brand is Hero: The core consumer takeaway has to relate back to uniquely own-able brand equities and the core brand message.

• Simplicity of Message: Key message must be easy to recognize and stand out to consumer. Takeaway must be easy to interpret by consumer.

• Consistent: Collectively the spots should fit together to deliver against the brand’s marketing objectives, and be consistent with the broader brand campaign.

• Campaignable: You may explore a common, ongoing theme (music, common character, voice over, etc.). The campaign must execute against a single, coherent campaign strategy.

It is not mandatory that each execution include all of these characteristics. Some may be more or less important depending on the spot.

effective radio advertising


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eFFeCTIVe TV ADVeRTISING

TV advertising can be a very powerful way to get your message across to consumers. However, it can be very expensive to both purchase the air time as well as create the ads. You want to be sure that your message is going to work well if you’re investing in TV advertising.

Great TV ads:• Ad Structure. In TV, the flow of the ad must be designed to engage the

audience and deliver the message. How the ad unfolds is very important. each spot must include the following:

o A strong advertising idea related to the core benefit of the brand. • Idea must be mind-opening or strike emotion with target consumer. • Must be meaningful to the consumer. • Must be distinctive vs. competition.

o each spot incorporates some type of storyline or drama that is focused on the benefit. •It must engage consumers and hold their attention while it brings the benefit to life.

o each spot must have a benefit visualization. • Must be precisely about the benefit. • Must be substantive and provocative. • Must be meaningful to the target consumers.

o each spot must incorporate a call to action, or “reason to try” selling line in order to change consumer behavior. • Translates the strategic benefit into a provocative, consumer relevant set of words. • For some advertising, this could also be a specific offer.

• Benefit/Because. Clear and unique product benefits are supported by a consumer relevant and motivating reason to believe.

• Target Appeal. Copy and visuals in each spot should appeal to the target consumer. Does it alienate any of your consumers?

effective tv advertising


• Balance. each spot has an effective balance of entertaining and rational cues to hook the consumer and sell the brand.

o Spots are enjoyable to watch, but they also carry a meaningful message about the brand that consumers internalize.

• Campaign Strategy. every spot executes against a single coherent campaign strategy.

o Keeping within the campaign, each spot has the same look and feel, and communicates a consistent, motivating focus of sale. o The campaign should help maintain the brand’s voice and personality.

NoTeS:


key concepts


1. A clearly defined positioning statement is the foundation for great advertising. It helps whoever is creating the ad stay focused on the benefit and Because that differentiates you from competition.

2. Good advertising will get the consumer to pay attention, draw them into the key message, and get them to either take action or remember the message for the future.

3. For many businesses, word-of-mouth, their database/email list, and their online presence are very important touch points.

4. When determining where to spend your advertising dollars, evaluate where your target is finding information about your product/service, and evaluate your advertising objective.

5. Creating advertising begins with writing an advertising brief. The brief is used to give guidance to whomever is creating the ad for you.


conclusion

CoNGRATULATIoNS

Congratulations! If you’ve made it this far, you are a brand management champion. As you’ve learned, the concepts are not complicated, but the process takes some determination to do it well.

Used properly and consistently, the process you’ve learned can make your business stronger today and in the future. These tools should give you a new light with which to view all businesses, and the advertising they do.

Remember what you’ve learned and review it often.

Remember:

1. Be different from competition in a way customers value.

2. Your brand is the culmination of all the experiences an individual has with your business.

3. Your customers determine what your brand is, and it’s your job to influence them at every touch point.

4. Getting feedback from your customers is critical in every stage of this process.

5. If you’re targeting everyone, you’re targeting no one.

6. Deliver against the needs and wants that make a difference in your customers’ purchase decisions.

7. If you try to stand for every benefit, you’ll end up standing for nothing.

8. There is power in “because.” Tell people why they should believe you.

9. Your positioning is the foundation of all your messages. It is a clear, succinct vision for exactly how you provide unique value for your customers.

10. Build your plan, and then enroll everyone in your organization in the plan. Base the plan on your unique positioning.


SPeCIAL THANKS

special thanks

www.WhatBigBrandsKnow.com © 2014. What Big Brands Know LLC. All Rights Reserved.www.WhatBigBrandsKnow.com © 2014. What Big Brands Know LLC. All Rights Reserved.www.WhatBigBrandsKnow.com © 2014. What Big Brands Know LLC. All Rights Reserved.www.WhatBigBrandsKnow.com © 2014. What Big Brands Know LLC. All Rights Reserved.www.WhatBigBrandsKnow.com © 2014. What Big Brands Know LLC. All Rights Reserved.www.WhatBigBrandsKnow.com © 2014. What Big Brands Know LLC. All Rights Reserved.www.WhatBigBrandsKnow.com © 2014. What Big Brands Know LLC. All Rights Reserved.www.WhatBigBrandsKnow.com © 2014. What Big Brands Know LLC. All Rights Reserved.www.WhatBigBrandsKnow.com © 2014. What Big Brands Know LLC. All Rights Reserved.www.WhatBigBrandsKnow.com © 2014. What Big Brands Know LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Special thanks to these marketing champions who took the time to read my book and make it better. Your time and eff ort is refl ected in these pages and will make this book better for all those who read it. Kristin Neuharth, NEUdesign Companywww.neudesignco.com

Marc Rhode, Small Business Expert

Hillary Schubach, Shine Marketing Consulting www.shinemktg.com

Alecia Huck, Maverick & Co. www.maverickandcompany.com

• Identify the customers who matter most

• Get customers to choose you

• Create benefi ts that beat your competition

• Devise a winning plan

• Create great advertising

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