Well, maybe not smack around.  But it did involve shaking my finger and saying things like, “Stop it.”

It all had to do with what I’ve written posts about in the past: giving your employees the authority to grow your business.

I was in a meeting with the client, who owns three retail stores in a large city.  During our afternoon meeting with the management team, I inquired as to how the employee authority program we set up is going.

One of the managers brought up a situation in the store she manages, discussing a family who shops there regularly.  The family has a unique situation in that the father recently returned from service in Afghanistan, where he was injured and is now undergoing extensive rehabilitation.

“The family is really great,” the manager told me.  “I really admire the mom, keeping it all together.  Some days she looks so frazzled.  We thought maybe we could do something for them, so I came up with the idea of a gift certificate to a nice restaurant so that she wouldn’t have to cook for one night.”

“Great idea,” I replied.  “So, how did it go?”

“We didn’t do it.”

“You didn’t do it?  Why not?”

At this point, the manager innocently glanced over at the boss.  “Well, we talked about it and asked Mr. BossMan what he thought.  He didn’t really care for the idea, so we didn’t do it.”

Here is where the finger shaking started.

An employee authority program will NEVER work unless the employee has complete authority.

Have a great idea to make a customer feel good?  Does it fit within the monthly budget prescribed for customer feel-good marketing?  DO IT.

Don’t think it to death.  And above all, DON’T ASK THE BOSS FOR PERMISSION.

JUST. DO. IT.

It is the BossMan’s responsibility to “cut the cord” with management and staff on customer satisfaction marketing.  Any boss worth his/her weight has to constantly drill employees on how great they are, and how much trust there is to do the right thing for customers.

This is a marketing idea that costs little and can be budgeted using marketing dollars.  It requires little from BossMan other than reminding employees that they have the authority to solve problems or make a customer’s day a little happier.

You see employee authority programs in use all around you.  Starbucks.  Zappo’s.  Ritz Carlton Hotels. Yes, they’re big companies.  How do you think they got that way?

Seriously.  Think about it.  THEN DO IT.

They are a family owned-and-operated business, open since 1938.  At the time they came to see us, they’d hit a ceiling and needed help.

Today, they are known as Appelt’s Diamonds.  They have five stores in the province and experienced double-digit growth through a bad economy.  Now, revenues are quickly reaching stratospheric mode.

Some folks look at Appelt’s and see an overnight success story.

They would be wrong, of course.  It’s been a long but steady haul, combined with teamwork and a clear vision for the possibilities ahead.

Here are a few pieces of their marketing strategy that every business can modify and duplicate:

1. Appelt’s found its unleveraged asset and began exposing it. Appelt’s has the finest diamonds money can buy, but at the lowest prices in the region.  That’s possible because they travel to Antwerp twice a year to handpick each and every diamond they sell, eliminating the middle-man.  Appelt’s goes the extra mile to give the customer the best product at the lowest price.  Once they began telling this story to potential customers, it drew people in like moths to a flame.

2. Appelt’s stepped away from the competition. When Appelt’s became a client, all of their Winnipeg stores were located in area malls – along with dozens of other everyday, ordinary jewelry stores.  Taking our advice, they began closing their mall stores (on average, one per year) and moved to stand-alone locations that are positioned for traffic and are built out to luxurious specifications.  Advertising luxury with the lowest prices in Winnipeg is a wonderful example of particle conflict, and removed the intimidation factor for many shoppers.

3. Staff members are in constant training mode. As the stand-alone locations grew, Appelt’s agreed that the next best investment was in the training of the staff.  It wouldn’t be cheap, but they knew that bringing in the right expert was key.  Doing this means that the staff is in constant training mode with strategies that have helped them close a jaw-dropping number of sales.  Turnover of staff is almost non-existent, and sales numbers continue to rise under the supervision of an expert consultant.

4. Appelt’s had the guts to take the jump that would make them fly. After working for years to put all of these pieces into place, Appelt’s knew it needed one more spark to get the fuse to blow and see fireworks.  They took a risk that 99% of business owners won’t do – they decided to offer a guarantee that no competitor could match.

The “Rock Solid Diamond Warranty” eliminates any and all customer objections to buying a diamond.  If your diamond chips, cracks, or is lost during the lifetime of the piece, Appelt’s will replace it with a diamond of equal or greater value for FREE.  You have 90 days to return your diamond purchase, no questions asked, for a FULL CASH REFUND.  And it doesn’t just cover diamond rings – it also covers necklaces, earrings… anything with a diamond attached.

This last step is what put Appelt’s on the “big boy” map, and it’s thanks to careful planning, balancing, and focused implementation.  Could they have done it in less than seven years? Maybe, but they had to be ready for each step and willing to invest not only money, but total commitment to each part of the plan.

You can achieve this level of success, too. In the next few posts, I promise to give you some advice on how to do it.

We remain committed to using real women in our advertising and not models. We continue to show beauty of all ages, ethnicities, shapes and sizes, and are actively working toward raising self-esteem in women and young girls globally. We have used a wide variety of women in our images.  We have shown women as young as 20 and as old as 95, women with blond hair, red hair, short hair, long hair and no hair; with freckles, without freckles; with wrinkles, with tattoos and real curves.

Our commitment to real beauty continues to grow and evolve. In partnership with experts in the field, we continue to build self-esteem in the next generation by educating and encouraging girls to build a positive relationship with beauty. To date, we have reached more than 7 million girls with self-esteem programming and are committed to reaching 15 million by 2015.”

- Stacie Bright, Unilever Global Communications

I want to believe this is true.  I withhold judgment until “Project Darwin” is revealed.  There’s enormous pressure on Ogilivy to create another campaign that sails out of the ballpark.  Will it truly be “evolution,” or will it pale in comparison to the original?

Rumor has it that the new campaign, still under wraps with the code name “Darwin,” is aimed away from body image and more toward helping women feel more confident in their appearance through “fun” messaging.  Real women will no longer be the focus, it seems, since the new campaign will return to featuring models.

It’s hard to believe that the “Real Beauty” campaign has been running for nearly seven years.  I still believe it’s one of the finest examples of stunning messaging, building community, and marketing that skyrocketed sales.

I also feel that the company could have made better use of social media to extend the brand for several more years, if not indefinitely.  This was a long-term marketing strategy that, with a vision toward capturing the hearts of young girls who would eventually become loyal adult customers, could have gone on indefinitely.

Now, it seems we’re heading back to the same-old, same-old.  We’ve lost another champion of reality in marketing.  And it’s a shame.  Given that just this week, we watched as Abercrombie Kids first promoted its Ashley Push-Up Bikini Top for girls ages 7-14, then pulled it as mothers across the country headed for the company with pitchforks and torches, we need more of what Dove had to say, not less.

Because the release of my newest book, “Unzipped,” has been a big success (reaching #2 on the e-book bestseller list on Amazon), I’m celebrating with a limited-time offer, just for you.

I’m offering a FREE presentation, half-day, or full-day workshop.

It can be given at a conference, association meeting, or for the staff of your company. It can even be a public event in which you invite anyone you wish.

Here are the guidelines:

Buy 200 books (at $10 each), pay my coach travel expenses, and I’ll give a 90-minute “Unzipped” presentation.

Buy 250 books (at $10 each), pay my coach travel expenses, and I’ll present a half-day “Unzipped” workshop.

Buy 300 books (at $10 each), pay my coach travel expenses, and I’ll present a full-day “Unzipped” workshop.

This offer is valid within the United States. You must book by April 15, 2011 and use the offer by April 15, 2012.

My normal fees range from $5,000 to $20,000, so I’m limiting the number of offers to SIX.

Anyone who’s attended my presentations or workshops knows that you walk away with a whole new perspective on the female customer, along with fantastic tools that anyone can use to grow their business.

Interested? Send an email to me at michelemiller@wonderbranding.com

First come, first served.



[Brilliant photography by Malin Jones]

She is always at my side (or in the backseat of the car), protecting me from smarmy marketing schemes.  And from time to time, with the raise of a front paw and a tail pointed straight out, she makes known those businesses and marketers who are doing remarkable things to capture the heart of the female customer.

Since WonderDog has had to carry the burden lo these many years, we have brought in a new member of the WonderBranding team to train as her able assistant.  To be the Robin to WonderDog’s Batman, if you will.

Introducing Biscuit – our spunky firecracker of a Labradoodle who is already deep in training for her mission.  Penny is making sure of it.

Watch and enjoy – happy weekend, everyone!

Biscuit Training Video from Michele Miller on Vimeo.

That’s right.  It’s Girl Scout Cookie Time.

Now, who can resist the coconutty yumminess of Samoas, or the refreshing, chocolately goodness of Thin Mints, not to mention the rest of the flavorful bunch?

As it turns out, more and more people are trying to, because of dietary concerns or health issues.

But the Girl Scouts have come up with an absolutely beautiful methodology for overcoming objections to purchase.

This is what I overheard:

“Would you like to buy a box or two of Girl Scout cookies?”

“No.  My husband and I are on a diet.”

“Okay.  Well, guess what?  You can still buy a box and donate it to our troops overseas.  How would you like to buy a box for our soldiers?”

These Girl Scouts are smooooooooooth.

This is a terrific example of thinking beyond your organization in order to overcome objections and make the sale.

I bought two boxes of Thin Mints.  One box is headed overseas as I write.  The other?  I can’t tell you, because if my husband finds out where I hid them, they’ll be gone in five minutes.

By the way, these Girl Scouts are increasingly tech savvy. Check out this website for the NorCal Girl Scouts – they’ve created the “Free Cookie Mobile Locator App” for your Android or iPhone.  Cookies on demand, no pre-ordering necessary.

You, my friend, are doomed.

In fact, my latest book, Unzipped, was written from the premise that “The Rule of Resemblance” – creating marketing strategies and messaging based on age, income, or zip code – no longer works. Thanks in great part to the Internet, more people than ever are connecting based not on demographics, but shared interests and value systems.

I was delighted to see that there are others out there starting to spread the word as well. Watch this 8-minute excerpt from a recent TED conference, featuring Professor Johanna Blakley of USC. She explains how social media is blowing away not only gender myths but basic demographic myths, and how women control the platform.

I’m sorry we don’t have the entire talk here, but this is a good start. I’d love to know how the professor thinks this change in thinking will affect traditional marketers. I believe it’s a ways down the road for large corporations, but small business owners who start thinking in terms of “shared values” will have an upper hand against competitors.

Here are the results:

Top 20 Most Desired Brands in the World: Women

1. Johnson & Johnson
2. Sony
3. Kleenex
4. National Geographic
5. MasterCard
6. Google
7. Amazon
8. Visa
9. General Electric
10. Toshiba
11. Crest
12. Microsoft
13. Disney
14. Target
15. Tropicana
16. BMW
17. Febreze
18. Ford
19. Olay
20. Chase

Top 20 Most Desired Brands in the World: Men

1. Crest
2. BMW
3. National Geographic
4. Panasonic
5. Hyundai
6. Kleenex
7. Coca-Cola
8. Microsoft
9. Tide
10. Lexus
11. Apple
12. Bed Bath & Beyond
13. Ford
14. Animal Planet
15. Hitachi
16. Mercedes-Benz
17. FedEx
18. Procter & Gamble
19. Hallmark
20. Geico

You can read the entire article on the study, but some questions came to mind as I reviewed the results.

• Are these really the most desired brands in the world?  According the article, the survey was given to consumers in America and Japan.
• The survey was presented to 5,000 consumers.  Were they evenly divided among gender?  Among country?
• What were the qualifications for brand identity?  There seems to be a mixture of conglomerate brands and product brands – for example, Proctor & Gamble, which owns Tide.

Finally: How were survey questions posed to consumers?  Were questions worded differently for women than men?  Female consumers definitely speak a different language than male consumers.

The reason I ask this is because I was so surprised at the results in the men’s category.  Tide is a more “desired” brand than Lexus?  Bed Bath & Beyond?  And it beats Mercedes?

While I appreciate the time and effort put into this survey, I strongly question the methodology and results.  Not having had an opportunity to view the study’s platform or parameters, my marketing intuition tells me that it was either hastily put together or created without regard for posing questions in a language suitable for each gender.

What do you think?  How do these lists reflect with your own “desire?”  I’d particularly love to hear from the men out there.

For those of you who can’t make it, I’m about to recommend a blog post which will rev your brain and will probably take a week to absorb. (Wouldn’t want you feeling bored while I’m gone.)

Jeff Sexton, a partner in the Wizard of Ads consulting firm, is a phenomenal writer and one of those thinkers who makes you tilt your head like the family dog in trying to understand where all this genius comes from.

His newest post, New School Branding Lessons From An Old School Great, is a must-read.  He explores the evolution of advertising in a way that makes you aware that terms like “social media” and “brand touch points” are simply old wine in a new bottle.  Pulling from the experts and analyzing campaigns like Saturn, Got Milk, and Avis, Jeff gives his own unique take on what still makes us “tribal people.”

Give it a read. Watch the videos.  Then be sure to subscribe to Jeff’s blog to get the next latest and greatest.