Friday, May 27, 2011

Cowboy Wisdom Radio Interview Highlights

I was recently asked to do an interview for a fun radio show called Cowboy Wisdom. Here are a few thoughts and some of the information that I shared with their listeners...
While I was thinking about this interview and the prior conversation I had with the host, Bob, I thought of the name of the show and what the meaning behind Cowboy Wisdom is. When we think of a Cowboy/Cowgirl, we think of a rugged, can-do, gets stuff done, fall off the saddle and get right back up again and ride hard till you get the job done kind of person, right?
When I thought about this, I thought I might need to rebrand myself to be, “The Cowgirl’s Common Sense Approach to Marketing and Business”!
The Main Question I Always Get Asked Is: What is it that I do?
·         I give advice, consultation and planning strategy based upon experience having spent 1/3 of my career in marketing, 1/3 in operations and 1/3 in general/executive management – I’ve seen a lot work well and a lot fail – but what I know beyond a doubt is that most “best practice” can be applied across all industries and types of businesses. Utilizing what I know, I help leaders start, transform and turn-around their businesses.
 What are the Common Things that I See Across Various Businesses?
·         One thing I see too little of is the understanding that there are no new ideas – just new ways of accomplishing them! – Examples: Word Of Mouth Marketing (WOM) has been around since BC. Now, we use it with different tools and applications and call it Social Media Marketing – The amazing thing to me is that people are now stumbling upon the realization that there could be negative ramifications to utilizing Social Media – “someone may say something bad about me” – well, let me remind you'all (see there is that cowgirl coming out already!) that the age old adage for Word Of Mouth marketing was that a happy customer would tell 1-3 people about their experience and to the contrary, an unhappy customer would tell 10 or more ---- The same rules apply in Social Media and it should not be a surprise to anyone. Utilizing this technique (WOM or SM) is under-valued and under-appreciated for its power – Good or Bad. It requires careful thought before launching into it. And, it definitely requires a seasoned professional
·         Common Sense Isn’t Common Enough! When developing a marketing plan or a business plan – do your homework! Who really buys/needs what you are selling? What problem does it solve? Many businesses get stuck in the mindset of who they want to sell to vs. who will and does buy what they are selling. When I walk them through the dollars and cents of selling to who they want to sell to—often the numbers won’t sustain their business – when we look at who NEEDS and BUYS their product, the numbers add up and if they adjust to the new reality -  they succeed.

What One Thing Every Business Can Do To Improve Their Business Today?
·         Customer Retention  Management or CRM – It is as simple as providing your customer(s) and prospects with products and services, emphasis on service, above and beyond how anyone else provides them.
What Is the Most Overlooked and Under-Utilized Tool by Businesses Across the Board?
·         They don’t pay attention to trends and data. We all know, that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. (If you don’t know that, turn on Dr. Phil – he says it almost every day! LOL.) I cannot tell you how many clients I ask the primary question: “Who is your customer?” and they give me an answer that does not match what the tends and data history of who their real customer is. Another of the easiest ways to increase sales is to identify prospective customers who look like, behave like and spend like your current customers. Makes sense, right? It is so logical. But, you’d be surprised that so many businesses don’t do it because they think they know who their customer is and they don’t. I’ve disproven people over and over again. And, once we identify the real customer, we can turn the business around and grow it.
Hope some of these things can help you. I’ll write more about what I shared with the Cowboy Wisdom audience later…. Enjoy the long weekend!

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