I recently overheard someone reply, when asked about her holiday weekend, ?It was successful. My New Year?s resolution is to overeat on every major holiday. I figure I?m going to do it anyway; why not make it a goal I can actually keep?? I had to laugh. It made me think about the goals we create in our lives and in our businesses.
Lots of organizations come to our company, Advertising for Humanity, asking for ?a new brand.? They typically mean a new name, or icon, or a new look and feel for their existing name. Lots of people think that brand begins and ends there ? that once we shine up the name they can stick it below their email signature, pop it on their website, and, voila, they have a new brand. Much of our work consists of disabusing people of this notion.
Lots of organizations come to our company, Advertising for Humanity, asking for ?a new brand.? They typically mean a new name, or icon, or a new look and feel for their existing name. Lots of people think that brand begins and ends there ? that once we shine up the name they can stick it below their email signature, pop it on their website, and, voila, they have a new brand. Much of our work consists of disabusing people of this notion.
I recently overheard someone reply, when asked about her holiday weekend, “It was successful. My New Year’s resolution is to overeat on every major holiday. I figure I’m going to do it anyway; why not make it a goal I can actually keep?” I had to laugh. It made me think about the goals we create in our lives and in our businesses. Many fall into one of two major categories. The first category is goals we set that we have a 95 percent chance of accomplishing–mostly because we have done it before, so the likelihood is high that we’ll succeed. (Our overeater above almost didn’t pig out because she was feeling poorly. But she pulled herself together and gorged.) The other category is goals where there is a 95 percent degree of uncertainty that we’ll accomplish them, and we have never done it before, but we would like to. There are benefits to both kinds of goals. You might think the first kind of goal is for slackers, but there is some value in setting goals that you’re confident you’ll achieve. Using that confidence as a springboard for trying new things can be a useful thing–kind of like doing the perfect swan dive as a warm-up for an Olympic-caliber diver. The problem is if you stop at those, you don’t get to really compete with the big dogs. Let’s dive into the second kind of goal–the uncertain one. Goal-setting has been written about every which way. This article is a little bit about setting, but more about accomplishing the goal. The kind of goals you set is certainly important, but for the sake of brevity, I’m going to assume you’re setting an uncertain goal that has some reasonable chance of success. The human brain is set up to help you achieve goals that you sincerely believe are achievable. If you want to stretch yourself or your business to new heights, here are my thoughts on goal-setting and goal-getting. Dream, but be motivated. It’s OK to dream and have big goals. But if you’re actually going to accomplish them, you have to DO something about them, and that takes motivation. The very first thing you need to achieve a goal is a reason and deep desire to achieve it. The path to achieving goals is fraught with boredom, excuses and difficulty. You will have a lot of opportunities to talk yourself out of the goal. But if you can keep going back to the reason and your desire for the goal, those will help you stay on track. Break it down into 24-hour bites. The brain has a built in B.S. monitor that rings out when all you do is set an enormous goal but then don’t manage it to 24-hour cycles–daily mini goals. If your goal is to shed 50 pounds, your brain doesn’t see you 50 pounds lighter in 24 hours, but it can see you five ounces lighter in that time. Set your goals so that your [...]
Thoughts on Brand Value Most businesses have seen a slow down since the recession. Slow weeks and months can become the bane of any small business owners life. So, what is the best solution? Many business owners would tell you, “Have a sale”, but, is that going to do harm, as opposed to good? The problem with sales is the perception they bring to a brand. Either the brand was overpriced to begin with or the quality is too low to sell at the original price. It can become a lose-lose for businesses. The key to discounting without devaluing is strategy. Here’s how: Identify “why”: Are you overstocked? Low on sales? Looking for new customers? By determining the logic behind your desire to discount, you may be able to find a strategy that fits it appropriately. Strategize: What is the best way to solve your problem both quickly and without profit loss? Evaluate the numbers and determine what will work for your organization. There are two main options when developing a strategy. Deals: Offer lower prices for pre-orders. This keeps your books flush while still providing quality products/services to customers and highlights the value, not the discount. Feature a free gift with purchase. Everyone loves free stuff! Gifts are a great way to entice first time customers to try your product/service. Again, emphasizing the gift with the service draws attention away from discounting and highlights your organization’s generosity and great customer service. Free shipping. Many people prefer to shop in stores to avoid large shipping fees. Feature free shipping for online orders to maximize customer satisfaction and good will. Combine your services. By offering package deals, you can help your customers get the products and services they need while offering a discount. For example, The NetMen Corp provides combination packages where we are able to offer a discount for customers that purchase multiple services. The problem with discounts, especially those used long term, is the perception they give to current and potential customers. It can reflect negatively on your business and devalue the products or services you are offering. By finding an alternative to discounting you have a better opportunity to highlight the great aspects of your company without worrying about devaluation. Notice, none of these “discounts” actually lower the perceived value of a good or service. Price integrity is an asset to any organization so by finding other ways to provide value to customers besides discounting you do not risk losing it. Everyone loves a gift so by giving customers free shipping or a gift with purchase you have the opportunity to gain the goodwill of your customers into future purchases. True Discounts: Should you decide that a true discount is the right way to go there are a few strategies to help maintain price integrity and perceptions. Specific product group discounts. Seasonal slumps are a part of business. By discounting specific types of products that align with a slower time of year you can avoid the stigma of [...]
The Netmen Corp © Copyright 2002 / 2025 – 465 Brickell Ave, Miami, FL 33131, USA
The Netmen Corp © Copyright 2002 / 2024 – 465 Brickell Ave, Miami, FL 33131, USA
