Tag Archives: Business and Economy

Abercrombie &Fitch CEO – Brilliant or Bastard?

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a&FIn recent news, outraged critics have been blasting Abercrombie &Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries’ comments about what the A&F brand stands for.  Here’s what he said:

“Candidly we go after the cool kids.  A lot of people don’t belong (in our clothes) and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.  Those companies that are trying to target everybody young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody either.”

The Good

1. Clear Brand Character

You really know what this brand looks like, sounds like and thinks.

2. Clarity Around Who The Brand DOESN’T Attract

Anyone that has issues with polarizing statements or can’t naturally fit the clothing need not apply.

3. Standing For 1 Thing

The CEO is very smart when he says that standing for ALL things makes brands “totally vanilla”. Amen to that.

4. Being Controversial

I’d never even heard of Mike Jeffries before. Now me and millions of others have and the A&F brand is big news as well as a viral sensation.

The Bad

1. Alienation

When you’re teeing off a percentage of the population just make sure that the remaining portion is big enough to keep your biz afloat.

2. The Inhumanity

Hey, I considered myself a “Fat Chick” in high school so need I say more about how hurtful just the words are?

3. Botched Positioning

One could argue that the same point could’ve been made with more tact and finesse by stating that the A&F brand embodied natural young leaders who attracted attention and liking based on their God given talents, abilities and personality. To me, that still describes ‘cool kids’ but in a much more empowering way.

So there just might be a few marketing lessons to be learned from this dude, even if said dude will never win any Nobel Peace Prizes.

As a small business coach, I ask you the small biz owner, what’s the lesson in this for YOU and your brand?

Need more chicken soup for your biz? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk

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Do Customers Love You? 5 Questions to Ask

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Your customers may ‘like’ your Facebook page but do they actually LOVE you? That’s such an overused word but I don’t mind. I use it for everything because like any consumer, I’m passionate about the products and services I spend my life with. How about you? Answer these questions to see if your customers are feeling the love too.

1. Does your company generate organic buzz?

What makes people want to share the word about your company?

2. Do you provide your consumers with a simple, compelling marketing message?

Make it easy to share your message by giving your customers the language to put to the experience.

3. How do you reward your customers?

Consumers want to feel special and valued.

4. Do you really, really know your target customer and where to reach them?

Where do your customers hang out online (and in person)? National organizations, community groups, high-profile blogs and online communities are important to your campaign.

5. Are you giving your customers a reason to keep coming back?

Your audience will naturally generate buzz if you give them a reason to talk about you, offer them a good laugh with a fun video, or touch their hearts through a program that gives back.

via Do Customers Love You? 5 Questions to Ask.

As a small business marketing consultant, I ask these questions of my clients every day. If you’re a small biz owner and you don’t know the answer, then it’s high time you started to hang out with your target peeps and get into their world to understand their perception of you and your competitors.

The real tell, of course is whether your business is growing or not. I still say ask the questions because no matter what, you should always know if somebody loves you.

Need more chicken soup for your biz? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk!

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Poking my eyes out

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Have you ever wanted to poke your own eyes out during someone’s speech?

Last night I attended a professional association meeting where I was asked to stay for the presentation since I’ll be speaking there myself this year. The talk was given by a sales rep for a hardware company. The speaker was a very friendly and warm guy trying to do the best that he could with what little he was given. I (being the only marketing coach in the room) on the other hand, was busy writing this blog in my head, trying to catalogue how I could make his speech more relevant to us, the audience. Here are some pointers I secretly wish had been handed to him about an hour before his speech:

Start talking about me and NOT your product

The first thing that the poor speaker launched into was a catalogue of the features and benefits of the machine he was selling. What about me, the audience member? What about talking about what I care about? Instead of the goods he was peddling, how about mentioning what pain it would solve?

Connect as a human

The one good thing about the speaker was the single slide of a guitar he showed to share the fact that he was a guitar player and that his nails weren’t long because of neglect. I could’ve used more stories about him and why he cared about what he was doing there that night.

Tell me stories

The big point of the sales pitch was to move the professionals in the room from their current system to this new one. Why not tell stories of other practices who did it and what results they’re enjoying? How about a few video testimonials with real life characters to add dimension to the pitch presentation?

Get some interaction going

The lecture style speaking is so over, it belongs in a museum. All research shows that true learning is interactive. I really wish that the speaker could’ve engaged the audience by asking them about their stories related to the product or their experiences with respect to their pain around the product. At least it would’ve woken up some of the audience.

Don’t leave me hanging

While admirably sticking to his alloted hour, the speaker left the audience hanging because he didn’t offer a next step to connect or to sign on for more interaction. He simply started putting his projector away.

Throughout the hour, I debated whether I should share my thoughts with him. After all, he was a very intelligent, experienced rep doing what he knew how to do best. In the end, I decided to educate you, my own audience instead. If you are ever in any type of sales or presentation situation, I beg you to keep these points in mind.

Need more chicken soup for your biz? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk!

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5 Secret Thoughts Of Entrepreneurs

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As a small business marketing coach, I know and live my entrepreneur clients’ thoughts intimately. If life were like a cartoon, we’d have thought bubbles over our heads where our secret thoughts reside. Luckily very few people I’ve met are mind readers because some of those secret thoughts are pretty bad.  Here’s a lighter look at those secret thoughts that keep us up at night.

1. Do I look/sound stupid?

Entrepreneurs are often their own employee and boss. (This is why you need a coach!) They have nobody objective and knowledgeable to bounce ideas off of on an ongoing basis. This leaves them constantly wondering about whether their proposal was off or their pitch was worded wrong. We don’t know what we don’t know and we don’t know what makes us look and sound stupid when we’re in our own head.

2. Will she become a client?

Every conversation entrepreneurs have, whether in the bathroom lineup (happened to me!) or with a new Facebook ‘like’ has the potential to turn into a client. So if you’re speaking to a business owner, you can bet they’ll be thinking of you as potential client material whether directly or through who you know.

3. Am I going to starve?

No matter whether an entrepreneur is making $10K a week or $1K, this is the secret thought that plagues all small business owners. When the entire business is dependent on getting new clients in the pipeline, this is a constant source of worry for entrepreneurs.

4. Is this a waste of money?

Every penny counts for a small business. As a marketing coach, I’ve seen my share of wasted money on bad marketing BEFORE I’ve taken my clients in hand. I know that entrepreneurs wonder each and every day if they’re wasting their money by spending it on campaigns or services that don’t bring in clients or change their business significantly.

5. Should I just go get a job?

At the darkest hour, many an entrepreneur has had this very secret thought. Having my own business is the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced in my professional life of 20 years. Everything starts and ends with you. Even on vacation or in bed, you’re constantly thinking about how to get more clients. A job is so much easier. You go in, you clock out and you get paid. In some jobs, you never need to go outside of your comfort zone. In a job, your pay cheque is guaranteed (for most people).

So if you’re an entrepreneur and you have these secret thoughts, rest easy-you are not alone and yes, you are normal. The real difference between those who think these thoughts and still succeed with those who don’t is that the successful entrepreneurs get help. They have a solid plan to get to their dreams. Don’t get a job. Get help.

Need more chicken soup for your biz? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk!

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Branding Lessons from the Oscars

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I’m a huge (and frustrated since I can’t see as many as I want) movie buff. So as a small business owner who helps entrepreneurs with their branding, I look for lessons in branding from the movies. What better place to look at than the Oscars? Here are some great lessons:

Branding Lessons from the Oscars

1. You’re never too old or young to be a hot brand. For the first time in Oscars history, the nominees for the Best Actress category span a range of ages.

Takeaway: Don’t write off the oldest products, services (or people) in your business as has-been. Instead find ways to draw on their strengths and put them in new contexts that take advantage of their brand longevity.

Branding Lessons from the Oscars

2. Relevance can span decades. Arkin was first nominated 46 years ago for The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming.

Takeaway:  A solid brand that changes with the times can be as popular now as it was in the beginning.

Branding Lessons from the Oscars

3. Small brands can shine bright even next to big ones. (Silver Linings Playbook) Weaver, wasn’t a household name in the U.S., and DeNiro is such a strong brand and presence that it’s hard to notice anyone else when he’s on screen.

Takeaway: Your opportunity to shine lies in your ability to show off what you uniquely do better than anyone else.

Branding Lessons from the Oscars

4. One moment can make a brand. A short moment in the overall film, instantly set Hathaway up as an acting force to be reckoned with, forever changing her brand.

Takeaway: No encounter, presentation, meeting or moment is to be wasted, and every one offers you the opportunity to establish the power of your brand.

via Branding Lessons from the Oscars.

If you’re as pumped about getting new clients through building a strong brand as I am about watching the Oscars, then learn from Hollywood and shine like a star in your industry.

Need more chicken soup for your biz? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk!

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