by Bert Shlensky | Jul 31, 2017 | Marketing
Truthfully, your business logo — or even better, your image — is the crux, the starting point, the light bulb, of what your business is all about. Why? Because we’re visual creatures. We identify by what we see first before knowing. That’s why some of the best global brands out there are so recognizable, even by people who’ve never bought the product or service of the brand.
But you can’t just have any cool image as part of your logo. Do that, and you’ll have a disconnect. Potential customers will love the image, but won’t make the connection to your brand, and they’re still not won over. The idea of having the right business logo involves creating that bridge — you want them to identify with your business.
And These Are the 3 Aspects of a Business Logo You Should Always Keep in Mind:
- Your Vision — What is the idea of your company? Your brand? Your product? Your service? Focus on your goal. Your hope. What are you aiming for? Simply put, if your image doesn’t convey exactly what your vision is for the future of your company, your company won’t technically be seen at all by the masses.
- The Mission — This is the action. This takes the vision and puts action to it,
outlines exactly what you want to accomplish. You have your goals — now what do you need to do to accomplish it? Think about that, creatively brainstorm on what it’s going to take to get your success under your belt.
- Your Distinctiveness — And lastly, your image has to be unique. Something you don’t
see anywhere else. Because if a customers sees it anywhere else, it makes it that much harder to identify with your business. We’re getting into the whole trademark infringement, legal stuff, which is why there are so many cases in that field.
Seems easy — but only when you do it. Sit down, get a pad and paper. Start creating. Once you get down to it, you’re rollin’ (and just to put it in perspective, the three logos you see there are from three top small businesses ranked by Forbes.com — yes, that publication).
That’s how your business gets built, starting from the ground up.
It’s What People Will See Even Before “Getting in Your Door”
Your brand. Your image. It’s right there in a sign. A visual cue. You conjure these emotions, or other images in their head, and they start connecting the dots. This is who you are. If you can do that with just imagery, that’s half the battle of building the brand and making your a household name.
Dr. Bert Shlensky, President of The Startup Connection, directs all small business clients toward maximum sales and profit thanks to his 40 years of high-quality experience. He does this through technological, social, and online integration, supercharging your business success into the next level, so don’t hesitate to sign up for a free consultation RIGHT NOW.
by Bert Shlensky | Jul 11, 2017 | Operations
Small business shouldn’t follow a google template. Nor should owners endlessly research alternatives or try executing multiple efforts. Instead, business owners should identify priorities and focus. From there, test and adopt or change as opportunities present themselves. Learning to focus is an imperative skill for any small business person.
Most plans have wrong assumptions, are poorly executed, struggle to adapt to change and ultimately fail. For example, I was working with Meg, a client who was trying to execute over fifteen different educational programs and was stressed out over budget and not managing effectively. Meg and I reviewed her processes and business plan, and simply cut out the least effective programs. In doing this, she saved money and increased attention and resources, which she devoted to the most effective processes. Focusing may be just as effective for you and can be accomplished with a few simple efforts.
- Measure, Estimate, Prioritize and Adapt. Analysis of alternatives can yield some simple priorities. Even simple analysis can be useful to avoid missing your target population and price points. Research using Google Analytics and Amazon to discover easy competitive information. Last week we helped a client focus on key items and eliminate unproductive ones by simply analyzing clicks and real time google analytics.
- Follow the 80/20 AND 90/30 rule. 80% of sales and customers will come from 20% of your offerings. Networking and referrals from current customers are your best source of new business. Remember 90% of perceptions are developed in 30 seconds so prior approval can be critical and long arguments can be fatal.
- Make mistakes and learn to adapt. Mistakes mean you and your business are growing. Consistently exploring alternatives and evaluating your decisions and processes will help you figure out what’s best for you.
- Be open to measurement and feedback. Observing, understanding and sharing financials, operations reports, and sales reports are the first step. Don’t waste time on minor expenses. In meetings, rely on your team to provide specific feedback on how to improve.
The table below provides an analytic matrix of your company’s products or services and your competition. Filling out a competitive comparison such as this forces you to evaluate 1) what is important, 2) how you rate, 3) who are your competitors and 4) how you compare with them in the eyes, minds, hearts and pocketbooks of customers.
See: https://startupconnection.net///business-templates/competitive-analysis-template/ for the complete template and other simple guides
In short, keep it simple stupid. Operating a successful business doesn’t have to be brain surgery. Instead, create a few simple principles to help you stay on track. If you love what you do, focus on what is working and drop what’s not. You now have the foundation for a simply wonderful business.
Dr. Bert Shlensky, president of www.startupconnection.net, offers experience and skills and a team devoted to developing and executing winning strategies. His books for the business entrepreneur: Marketing Plan for Startups & Small Business and Passion & Reality for Small Business Success, are available at www.startupconnection.net.
by Bert Shlensky | Jun 30, 2017 | Operations
Business success tips usually focus on issues like having a great idea, goals, strategy, financial plans, branding, customer service, measurement, operations, excellent people, etc. What is occasionally left behind are simple tips or rules for executing programs. This article describes both the issues and remedies to improve execution and thus, excellence.
“Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.” -Walt Disney
Detail and excellence are really a culture in an organization and, not necessarily prescribed rules. For example, we sometimes ignore that marketing, excellence and effectiveness are all integrated. Airlines have done a great job automating operations like reservations and customer service to make service more efficient, reduce staff and provide quicker, better service. However, when something goes wrong like 120 degrees weather in Phoenix, they now lack the people to solve problems and literally destroy all the good intent they tried to create.
Your Culture and Perceptions Can Affect Execution
Don’t be afraid to fail. Instead, celebrate failure. Never be complacent. Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technologies says, “If you are only succeeding than you are not taking enough risks. See adversity as a challenge and look for the opportunity. Stretch yourself.”
In today’s world, you need to exceed, not just meet, the needs of your customers. You only have one chance to make a first impression. 90% of most impressions are made in the first 30 seconds of contact, and thus, less is more. Confidence, attention to details, flexibility, listening and always challenging how you can do better are the foundation of creating great execution.
How Do You Balance Establishing Procedures with the Need for Flexibility and Responsiveness?
Empower your staff and management to fix problems whether you are right or wrong. Knowing the individual “genius” of each member of your team will help ensure that their true gifts are being intelligently deployed and not squandered. And as a result, guarantees your business runs efficiently.
The greatest benefit of forecasting comes from prioritizing the 80-20 rule: 80 percent of sales come from 20 percent of a company’s products or services. Consider that the “chain is only as strong as the weakest link. Great ideas or products don’t offset bad pricing, marketing programs, forecasting or customer service.
There are some simple communications tools that we sometimes forget especially in stressful situations. Learn to say, “How are you?”, “Please” and “Thank you”. Listen and Be polite! These simple gestures reduce tension in situations and create more open discussion of issues.
“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. “-George Bernard Shaw
Understanding Change and Trends Can Greatly Improve focus
Internet retailing is growing 15-20% per year while brick and mortar retail is only growing 1-3%. Therefore, the opportunities on the internet are simply far greater than traditional retailers. Execution does not just involve internal staff and management. There are many reasons to consider engaging outside experts and managing them productively, as well as, managing in-house staff. For example, internet marketing, web design, social media, paid search, etc. require lots of different skills. You can’t do it alone.
In summary, maximizing details and execution are critical components of success. Great ideas are critical to provide differentiation. However, you do need the skills, experience and commitment to succeed. Don’t forget Execution!
Dr. Bert Shlensky, president of www.startupconnection.net, offers experience and skills and a team devoted to developing and executing winning strategies for businesses of all kinds. His books for the business entrepreneur: Marketing Plan for Startups & Small Business and Passion & Reality for Small Business Success, are available at www.startupconnection.net.
by Bert Shlensky | May 22, 2017 | Marketing
Most of us understand basic marketing concepts and the importance of differentiating ourselves from commodities. This differentiation is generally accomplished by various actions including creating brands, quality, packaging, social and web marketing. This article argues there are other strategies and operations that can be more effective, less expensive, and simpler methods of differentiation for you and your company.
However, I find clients are frequently excellent at describing their perceptions of how they are different. Phrases like “better people,” “expertise,” “higher quality,” “better service,” etc. My suggestion is to eliminate these words as much as possible and consider new approaches to differentiation.
Product or Service
The weakest aspect of many client programs comes in the form of competitive analysis, market research, marketing plans, and distribution plans. These general business tools do little to determine your customers’ attitude. There are, however, three areas you can focus on differentiation to achieve greater success:
- How are you different?
- Do enough customers care about your difference?
- How can you communicate your difference?
Analyze prices and costs and develop new ways to package your offerings to provide better value and more profits. Topics like free shipping, providing great customer service, buying in volume, and catering to consistent customers are great places to start. A more specific example is how Costco compares to Neiman Marcus is a way to provide less traditional customer service but more value. One retailer bases their marketing on selection and quality, while the other on value and price; both have satisfied customers.
Risk and Probabilities
Individuals and companies often get caught up in the probability of failure and are too afraid to take more risks, even with reasonable probabilities of success. The economy is growing, unemployment is down, both, capital and the stock market is up which means there are lots of opportunities. Some famous quotes on this issue:
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” -Wayne Gretzky
“Because the People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” -Steve jobs
“What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” — addressing the self-doubt that still holds many women back. Sheryl Sandberg, “If you limit yourself to what’s comfortable, you’ll deny yourself of what’s possible.”
Probability and research can greatly reduce risk. Considering these issues can greatly improve our comfort in taking some risks. For example, there is a huge difference in predicting results where there is significant and consistent historical data. However, predicting results for new programs or with little or inconsistent data becomes much more difficult. This uncertainty can be reduced by a number of tools like more research, focus groups, or examining alternative models and their probabilities.
Consider, more attention to the process of decision making… How good is our information? What are the consequences of mistakes and how much risk can we afford? I frankly believe, with the exception of issues like safety, we can afford more risk. We generally are overly concerned with the consequences of mistakes than the potential opportunity.
Process
Empower your staff and management. Empowerment requires that you trust your employees and staff. This requires hiring and training good people, giving them the authority they need to do their jobs well, and understanding that they will make mistakes at times. Remember the United Air Lines fiasco earlier this year was largely a result of antiquated rules and little flexibility.
Create a more open and honest culture which encourages open communication and collaboration. Informal communication and social interaction can be great ways to foster a better environment and evaluate more alternative solutions.
Develop reliable resources outside your company. Don’t go to Uncle Buck, or Auntie Mae. They love you too much to tell you the truth, nor will they truly understand your business’ needs. Visit websites like Shopify, publications like Entrepreneur, social media groups that target your niche, your library, and incubators for networking opportunities.
Get to know your business and customers inside and out, make friends with financial statements and the Internet. (Visit places like www.startupconnection .net , BPplans.com and Score for lots of information and free tools.
Finally, be as personal as possible. Saying “please, thank you, and, how are you?” are free and can be the most effective tools possible. Understand and relate to your customers and their needs rather than using some universal sales pitch. This is where lifetime customers are found.
In summary, I refer you back to the beginning of this blog and encourage you to consider more about how to differentiate yourself more in our changing environment. However, I also suggest improving the tools and culture to encourage better success and considering more risk. My best observation is “if you aren’t making mistakes you aren’t trying hard enough “
About Bert Shlensky
Bert has over 30 years of executive experience as a results-driven executive leader, along with, a strong track record of achieving growth and operating successful businesses.
Bert has counseled over 1500 small businesses and currently serves as President of StartupConnection.net, (www.startupconnection.net) a consulting firm for entrepreneurs. Our focus is on understanding and analyzing the dilemmas and challenges to help entrepreneurs have better results. We empower clients to understand and balance the risks of failure and the rewards of success.
by Bert Shlensky | May 1, 2017 | Marketing
Experts frequently focus on their ideas and execution. However, understanding your market’s key concepts can be just as critical.
“If you don’t know where you are going any road will get you there. “ – Mark Twain
As a business owner, there’s just no getting around having clear definitions for both your market and segments. Many of my clients often hate the work necessary to understand their markets. Having the U.S. population, which is made up of about 300 million people, probably won’t get you’re the results you want. In most cases, using segmentation (selecting targets according to sex, geography, income, age, etc.,) can reduce your market to the 5-10 million level, which is a much sounder target to have. Taking the time to define and segment markets can both, save you time and money, and improve results.
Here are the key concepts to consider in evaluating your markets:
Changing Environment and Structures
We are in a state of constant change that requires new and flexible analysis. Labor force, baby boomers, technology, the Internet are all well-known factors affecting most markets. For example, I have been coaching potential high school entrepreneurs and their focus on cell phone opportunities is incredible compared to older consumer’s. A simple Google search of current market trends for your product will help you stay in the know.
Old Paradigms and Structures are Failing
Many of our largest and seemingly most powerful corporations have experienced no growth or minimal growth or, worse yet, failed over the last ten years. Traditional retailers, magazines and newspapers, coal, and lengthy hospital stays are dying. In contrast, the Internet, cell phones, e-retail, and cloud software are growing exponentially. This may happen even faster as automation and Artificial Intelligence become more accessible. To offset stagnation, when growth slows down, try switching your focus to profit.
Changing Demographics Call for Open Systems and Collaborative Models
The greatest need for change is a commitment to open systems and collaborative models; particularly, in an era of ever changing demographic trends. Open systems typically reject bureaucracy, authority, hierarchy, and closed decision making processes. Instead they encourage participation, diversity, new rules, and, to some extent, chaos. For example, social media has greatly expanded communication and equalized communication. United Airlines response to the recent events is a good example of ignoring viral messages online and their impact on a brand’s image.
One of the biggest outcomes from open systems is the collaborative decision model. As decisions become more complex, the need for diversity, internationalism, innovation, and expertise are expanded.
Defining Your Market is also Based on Understanding Operating Characteristics of your Effort
I frequently argue operations can be the most innovative and best marketing tool. These can include customer service, delivery, price, quality, packaging, costs, going green, distribution etc. Amazon, Uber and Airbnb are the best examples of operations creating new market segments. There are many great resources like Shopify for retail, Mailchimp for marketing, Freshbooks for accounting, and Ship Station for shipping are innovative resources to help manage your business. Researching and discovering which model best fits your business, is a great place to start.
You Need to Welcome Measurement and Feedback
Start by observing, understanding, sharing financials, operations report, and sales reports. Adopt a collaborative management style and incorporating more information, data and analysis into your decision making improves performance and reduces mistakes. Tools like Survey Monkey, Google Analytics, and Google search can facilitate the process.
Simple questions to help you understand your market
Start by answering the following question from your own perspective with a little research, rather than any extensive analysis and time consuming reports. Once you’ve completed your initial answers, conduct research, such as, surveys and revisit these questions for a more complete assessment:
- How are your company and its products or services truly different?
- Do enough customers care about these differences?
- How can you most effectively communicate your differences within budget?
Defining your market can identify significant opportunities and help reduce segments with little potential. In the end, you need to ensure that your offerings meet the needs of your consumer. Ignoring key concepts, such as demographics, market innovations, and operations, can put your business at peril. Similarly, understanding the opportunities in your market and needs of your customers can dramatically and positively affect results.
Dr. Bert Shlensky, president of www.startupconnection.net, offers experience and skills and a team devoted to developing and executing winning strategies for businesses of all kinds. This combination has been the key to client success. His book, “Passion & Reality for Small Business Success,” is available at www.startupconnection.net.
