Here are 4 things you can do at low-or-no-cost:

Clean off your counter and give room to maneuver.

It’s very tempting to load your counter space with point-of-purchase displays and impulse buying options. Are they hindering rather than helping your checkout process? Customers need room – space for purses, shopping bags, wallets, checkbooks, etc. Not to mention space around the checkout area to park strollers, umbrellas, etc. while mom checks out. A large, spacious counter area is inviting and most welcome.

Tell her what a great choice she’s made.

We’ve all gone to nice eating establishments where the waiter remarks on our “excellent choice” of meal from the menu. Why not do the same? I’ve had the checkout person at Lucy comment on the cuteness of my choice of yoga top, had someone at Sports Authority tell me how happy I’d be with my new heart rate monitor, and a cashier at Trader Joe’s rave about the peppermint soap I was trying for the first time. Take a cue from these leaders and give it a try. In the customer’s mind, it reinforces that she is a smart consumer and makes her feel that in your eyes, she really IS an important customer.

Let your packaging be a walking billboard.

This is the most costly of the 4 things, but the best investment as well. If you’re still using generic plastic bags for her purchases, stop it. RIGHT. NOW. Invest in bold, colorful, or elegant bags (and liners like tissue paper, etc.) that are unique to your retail store and make a statement that she’ll love to carry around for the next hour. Better yet, make it highly functional as well. For example: when you leave an Apple store, your purchase is placed inside vinyl drawstring bag that can be carried as a backpack or sling. It’s brilliant design and great function for customers who are trying to balance multiple bags and children.

Give a little lagniappe.

“Lagniappe” is that little something extra you give your customer just for being a customer. It’s NOT throwing in a coupon for a future discount; it IS something that has meaning at the moment of checkout. It’s the butcher who weighs the lunchmeat, prints out the price tag, and then throws an extra few slices into the bag. It’s the bank teller at the drive-thru who notices the puppy in the car and sends a dog treat back with the deposit slip. It’s the clothing store manager who notices a customer looking through a basket of clearance earrings and lets her pick a pair for free. It’s a small investment that brands your store directly into the reward behavior area of the customer’s brain.

Pretty easy things to do, right? Why not give them a try? They’re small improvements that will have powerful results.

That said, I realize and appreciate that Apple is a polarizing brand. So let me first begin by warning you …

I’m about to heap even more praise on Apple. So if you’re like PC guy — and you’re absolutely certain that reading one more glowing word about Apple’s “well-oiled” marketing machine will make you go bonkers — well, now’s probably a good time for you to bail.

So here we go …

Yesterday, I swung by my local Apple store to check out the new MacBook Pro (yes, the one with the cool Retina display). While spectacular, it wasn’t the vivid laptop display that blew me away. Nope. What I found most impressive was Apple’s product display.

In the past, Apple’s in-store displays typically included paper/plastic placards that were neatly placed beside each product. These information cards simply listed key product features.

Nothing special, right?

Well, as of last year, Apple smartly replaced all of its paper/plastic placards with an interactive iPad. Yes, an actual iPad.

Each iPad is programmed to list the features of the Apple product on display (the screen looks similar to the product section of the company’s website). Simply tap to compare models, view a detailed list of product features, or — best of all — send a request to have a nearby Apple representative assist you.

Why is this important to you?

Because Apple is walking the walk … and you should do the same.

See, Apple’s not about paper and plastic signage. Apple’s about technology. Specifically, leveraging exciting new technology that deepens your life in some meaningful way.

By replacing its one-dimensional placards with interactive iPads, Apple is demonstrating the value of the iPad, while simultaneously giving you a surprising yet practical application of its tablet. What’s more, the company deepens your understanding and appreciation for its products, thereby raising the company’s Personal Experience Factor.

Now, the fact that you don’t have a fraction of the marketing muscle and pizzazz of Apple shouldn’t prevent YOU from walking the walk.

Are you a kitchen and bath remodeler? Then how can you build a spectacular product showroom that’ll put Home Depot and Lowe’s to shame?

Maybe you’re a personal trainer. If so, do you take the same approach to health and fitness as you advise your clients?

Are you a clothing retailer? Tell me … do you wear the same brand and style of clothing that you sell in your store?

This one was big for me when I owned my retail workwear shop. Even though I wasn’t a tradesman, I still wore the same style of boots that I sold to customers. It sent a powerful message.

Flashy as Apple? No. But I promise you, my customers noticed. And this single approach to walking the walk helped me sell a ton of work boots over the years.

So, as you see, there’s every reason for you to do the same with your business.

Share your thoughts below on how you plan to “walk the walk.”

I go into the garage for a hammer.

On my way back into the house, I stop for a cold drink and remember that the kitchen trash needs to be taken out for tomorrow’s collection.

Dropping the can at the curb, I turn and notice that the landscaper forgot to turn on the drip irrigation system, so I trot over and flip the switch. I walk back into the house and realize that I forgot to put the cold bottle of water back into the fridge. I open the door and find my hammer, sitting on the top shelf, chilling next to a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

I’m glad I found the hammer. The only question is, “What did I need it for in the first place?”

Welcome to my world. Now in my fifties, I find myself staring down the barrel of menopause and I’m not thrilled about it. It’s not the age that bothers me (it’s only a number) but the havoc it wreaks on my thought process. With four times as many connections between the two sides of the brain, women already have a difficult time concentrating on one thing at a time. Throw in raging hormones and it’s virtually impossible to stay focused. Distraction rules the day.

All to say this: When shopping online, nothing drives a woman battier than putting items into a shopping cart and pushing the “continue shopping” button, only to be sent back to the homepage or a section she’s never visited. What if she wanted to buy the same item in another color? What if the original item page had listed complementary pieces that would go with the one she just ordered?

Imagine shopping in a home supply store. You pick up a light bulb, put it in your basket, and POOF! You suddenly find yourself back at the front entrance with the lighting department positioned all the way at the rear of the store. Do you feel like walking all the way back there just for your next item? Nah, I wouldn’t either. In fact, I can’t seem to remember why we came here in the first place, do you?

If you really want your customer to “continue shopping” on your site, make sure you guide her back to where she really wants to be. Otherwise, she might just might forget what she needed you for and abandon you altogether.

What’s on your business mind these days? Send us your questions!  Contact Us.

So let’s jump right in … here are five surefire techniques for uncovering the emotions that fuel your customer’s desire to buy from you:

1.) First up — and my all-time favorite technique — is to visit Internet forums in which your customers congregate. The anonymous nature of Internet forums allows you to get a truly unbiased opinion and uncover which benefits are most important to your prospect. You’ll also learn the “language” of your customer, and the emotions that reside within her heart. What’s more, once you assimilate the language of your customer, your ads will brim with authenticity.

2.) Next up, poll prospective customers, individually, and ask them questions such as: “If you were forced to choose between Benefit A and Benefit B, which would you choose?” Your goal here is to determine which benefit your prospect finds most appealing. Naturally, this will become your primary benefit of your marketing campaign … the benefit that you’ll want to lead with.

3.) Now it’s time to tap into the knowledge of your front line employees. Ask them to pinpoint which benefits are most important to your customer. I’d even go so far as to sit in on handful of sales calls. But remember … stay quiet. Just take notes and listen for clues.

4.) Visit Google’s free Keyword tool (https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal) and enter keywords related to your market (products, services, perceived benefits, etc.) Google will spit out a report listing related keywords and phrases. What’s more, Google will give you the approximate number of monthly searches — or popularity — for each keyword or phrase listed.

5.) Maybe you already know this, but Google Alerts is another crafty way to keep research your customer’s felt need. This free service allows you to monitor multiple keywords that are relevant to your market. Google will then scour the Internet and email you when any of these words have been mentioned. You’ll also receive a link to the article or website where the keyword was mentioned.

These are some of the very methods that Michele and I use when Main Street business owners hire us to craft a marketing message and grow their business. Make no mistake, any one of these techniques will help you determine the felt need of your customer. And although some may seem obvious, take satisfaction that 99% of Main Street business owners NEVER go this far to uncover the customer’s felt need.

As always, if YOU have a marketing question you’d like answered, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Are you still wondering exactly how to figure out what your ad budget should be?

Here’s an easy, three-step process for determining your ad budget:

1)  Budget between 10 and 12 percent of your total projected sales for the coming year. This is your Cost of Exposure.

2)  Multiply this figure by your business’ average markup. This is your Adjusted Cost of Exposure. In this example, we’ll use a 92% markup.

3)  Deduct your cost of occupancy (remember: location = advertising) from your adjusted cost of exposure. This will give you your Ad Budget. In this example, we’ll use $36,000 as your cost of occupancy.

Yes, it’s that easy. The perfect ad budget formula for every Main Street business.

We are indebted to Roy H. Williams, the Wizard of Ads, for creating this system. You can find this and many other invaluable tools in his Wall Street Journal #1 bestseller, Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads. Click on the photo below for another ad budget example from Roy’s book, so that you can see how markup affects the ad budget.

Michele recently wrote about Appelt’s Diamonds and its “Rock Solid Diamond Warranty,” which eliminates any and all customer objections to buying a diamond.

Warranties and guarantees are unquestionably the most common examples of honest signals in marketing today.

Here’s how Appelt’s warranty works: 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.

So let’s take a closer look at the strength of Appelt’s signal:

1.) Relevancy … check! Any guy spending a substantial amount of moola on a diamond for the love of his life wants to make sure it will forever shine as bright as the day he bought it for her.

2.) Boldness … check! This is not some limp, conditional warranty. Not at all. Appelt’s will replace the whole enchilada — risking a ton with its unconditional warranty. In other words, Appelt’s signal reverberates with believability.

3.) Distinctiveness … check! No other competitor has the courage to match Appelt’s warranty.

4.) Affordability … check! Appelt’s BUDGETS for the signal. Meaning, the company is fully aware that it will occasionally need to replace a diamond. That said, Appelt’s builds this cost into its marketing budget.

How about another example?
Saddleback Leather Company brazenly dares you to compare the quality of its bags with those made by its closest competitors. Saddleback’s website even makes it easy for you to compare by providing links to 14 rival bag companies, including Coach, Swaine Adeney Brigg, and Louis Vuitton. By sending such a bold signal of confidence, Saddleback Leather’s power statement of manufacturing the world’s most durable bags brims with believability.

See how sending honest signals can help your business stand out from the crowd? Even better, see how these signals can help your message cut through the advertising clutter?

Now go send some honest signals to your customers, and listen to the cash register sing.

Want even more details on how to send honest signals?

Read my book, Currencies That Buy Credibility and get all the nitty-gritty details.

Type “marketing budget template” into a search engine and you’ll find several examples, from the most basic to impressively detailed.

But 99 percent of the time there’s one important line item missing – your Cost of Occupancy.

Cost of Occupancy = Yearly Rent or Mortgage

Your yearly cost of rent or mortgage payments should be treated as a marketing expenditure.

Why?

You sell a product or service that relies on foot traffic. The better your location, the more visible you are to potential customers.

The more visible your location is to potential customers, the less advertising you need.

Location = Advertising

Therefore, your Cost of Occupancy should be designated as a line item in your marketing budget.

This allows you to analyze your current location in terms of marketing investment:

• Am I in a location with the best possible return on investment?
• What kind of signage is allowed (both inside and outside of the building)?
• What is the drive-by traffic like? Is there enough visibility for daily commuters to notice my business?
• How convenient is my location for potential customers (easy access, parking)?

Ideally, your location will offer the best visibility and access for the least amount of rent or mortgage payments.

Again:

Location = Advertising

Thinking about your Cost of Occupancy from a marketing perspective will rein in over-enthusiasm for luxurious space with poor visibility; likewise, it can shine a new light on a location you may have previously rejected – a space that needs work, but the location is priceless.

Give some thought to your current Cost of Occupancy in terms of marketing – how wise is your investment?

Next time, we’ll look at an easy way for any business to create a spot-on marketing budget.

Have a question you’d like the WonderBranding team to tackle? Send it to us at ask@wonderbranding.com.

Velcro is a practical application of biomimicry – a new science which studies nature’s ingenious solutions and then copies these ‘recipes’ to solve human problems. (Rock your world. Watch the TED video that accompanies this blog post.)

See, nature has already solved many of the challenges we humans face. Now here’s the thing … as a Main Street business builder, you face countless challenges you must overcome, right?

So let’s apply biomimicry to YOUR business …

Main Street business builder’s problem:
How do you advertise your business and guarantee that your message will be heard given that we live in a noisy, over-communicated society? What’s more, how do you convince skeptical shoppers to BELIEVE every claim you make?

Nature’s solution:
Send an “honest” signal – one that’s difficult to fake due to the extreme cost required to send it.

Example of honest signaling in nature:

The Gazelle and the Cheetah:
Swift and darting, the gazelle can quickly change directions and run over long distances at a top speed of 50mph. But before we declare the gazelle a wonder of nature, you should know that its main predator – the cheetah – sprints at an eye-blazing 70mph.

Faced with an overwhelming disadvantage in speed, it becomes obvious why most gazelles twitch and run at the slightest hint of danger. But hold on a second. Not all gazelles bolt for safety upon noticing a stalking cheetah. Occasionally, a small number of emboldened gazelles actually begin stotting when standing face-to-face with the deadly cheetah. Stotting is the act of leaping up and down repeatedly while stiffening all four legs. That’s right. Lock. Leap. Repeat.

So why would a gazelle stot? What would prompt such unthinkable, energy-zapping, risky behavior … instead of spending its resources to escape the cheetah’s lightning-fast attack?

Stotting – a display of athleticism and endurance – sends a distinct, direct message that the gazelle can outrun and outlast the cheetah. Because the gazelle squanders precious time and energy, the signal reverberates with a high degree of believability.

But what about the cheetah?

Knowing several weeks could pass before it finds another opportunity to wrangle some grub, the cheetah will ignore the stotting gazelle, instead turning its attention to those gazelles that immediately ran for safety. Here’s why: The cheetah is hunting for the biggest meal it can find, while spending as little of its limited energy as possible. And, above all else, the cheetah seeks to avoid a pointless and exhausting chase.

But here’s one important question that demands an answer: If stotting is so convincing – equating to a “Get Out of Jail Free” card – then why don’t all gazelles stot?
 
Because stotting demands an investment not all gazelles can afford. For the vast majority of gazelles, the cost of stotting outweighs the benefit. And survival doesn’t require one to be the herd’s fastest. It simply requires being faster than the herd’s slowest. Most gazelles don’t stot because they’re instinctively aware that any display of inferior athleticism would be painfully obvious next to superior stotters. That’s not a healthy position to be in when you’ve just depleted all the resources needed to outrun the cheetah. 

Here’s another way to look at it: For gazelles of inferior athletic ability, the cost of signaling is too high. Why waste time and energy stotting – attempting to fool the cheetah while appearing weak among the herd? If you can’t support what you’re signaling, then don’t send that particular signal. Redirect your resources.

Strong, believable signals have the following defining characteristics:

1.) Relevancy. Your signal must be relevant to the message you’re communicating.

2.) Boldness. The more you risk or spend, the more believable your message becomes. In other words, some actions speak more loudly than others.

3.) Distinctiveness. Your signal must help you stand out. Remember, all signals … all messages are frequency dependent. That is, the value of your message declines as it becomes more common in the marketplace. Once all competitors signal the same message, no one owns the edge. The arms race continues.

4.) Affordability. If you cannot afford the signal that you’re sending, then don’t send that particular signal. Redirect your resources. You should also “budget” for the signal that you send. That’s right. Build the signal cost right into your marketing budget.

Next week, we’ll take a look at practical applications of honest signals in marketing. Stay tuned!

The brand has grown exponentially, with no advertising.  People are addicted.

CrossFit is the perfect example of a stripped-to-the-bone strategy for cult branding.

It’s for every single person on the planet.

Show up at a CrossFit box and you’re automatically a member of the family.  Much like a yoga practice, the culture reflects that everyone works at their own pace, wherever they may be in the journey.  A typical CrossFit class can easily include individuals aiming for competition, three-hundred pound beginners, and men/women who are wheelchair-bound.  The vibe is one of inclusion and pride that you chose the group to hone your fitness skills.  Chants and cheers for each other are an ordinary part of every class.

It’s authentic… and generous.

When I joined my CrossFit box last winter, I was a terrible runner.  As in, I couldn’t. One day, the warm-up was for the group to do a short “shuttle run,” where the back person in line sprints to the front as the group jogs.  I sent them on their way, telling there was no way I would be able to keep up.  As I jogged around the corner by myself on the return trip, there was the group, jogging in place, cheering me on to sprint to the front and take them on home.  How can you not get addicted to authentic generosity like that?

Employees are experts at transferring confidence.

The atmosphere for every CrossFit box starts with the owners and coaches.  Good owners constantly remind coaches what a great job they are doing, and give them bits of advice on how they can make the experience even better.  They tell coaches, “I believe in you.”

Great coaches do the same for members.  A CrossFit coach really does believe in you, and will balance giving you advice with reminding you of how great you’re doing.  It not only transfers confidence to members to work a little harder, it also gives members the confidence to cheer each other on.  It’s viral, and spreads beyond CrossFit’s doors.  Have four or five hours to spare?  Ask a CrossFitter about what the experience is like.  Tom Wanek and I (both CrossFitters) have been known to jabber on to each other for a whole evening.

It’s got an inside lingo.

With CrossFit, there’s just enough “inside lingo” to set itself apart from other programs.  The beauty of the lingo lies in its simplicity; the more you use it, the more curious others become.  Here are some of the questions my Facebook friends have asked me when I’ve posted a status update on my CrossFit training:

“What in heck is a WOD? Sounds kinda kinky.”  (Workout of the Day!)

“AMRAPS? What do you do, knock someone on the head or something?” (No, it means ‘As Many Rounds As Possible’)

“POOD – haha.  How do you do 1 ½ POODS?  Did you eat a lot of broccoli last night?” (What a comedian – POOD is a Russian measure for kettlebell weights)

Members pick up the lingo and use it like a secret code to discover other CrossFitters wherever they go.  It automatically creates a common bond, provoking discussion and deepening the connection with CrossFit.

How does your brand stack up to CrossFit?  With the right strategy and direction, you can do it, too.  Work to:

Discover a common thread about your product or service that others in your industry are not exploiting.

Make every customer understand that no matter where they are on their journey, they are welcome.

Transfer confidence to your employees first… the rest will take care of itself.

Come up with a lingo phrase or two that customers can use to “talk the secret code.”

Take a visit to a CrossFit near you.  It’s fantastic marketing research, and good for you as well!

Do you have a burning question for the WonderBranding team? Send it our way at ask@wonderbranding.com

To my surprise, I came away impressed with the retailer’s customer experience.

Shortly after walking into the store, my wife and I were cheerfully greeted by two J.C. Penney employees. What’s more, the store featured wide, inviting aisles … neatly presented merchandise … and warm, friendly lighting.

Best of all, we were introduced to the retailer’s new pricing strategy which gives shoppers everyday low pricing. For example, I bought a pair of name-brand shorts for just 12 bucks! No coupon clipping. No “Memorial Day Sale.” No hassles.

But here’s what’s most revealing: While checking out, I asked the sales associate for feedback on what other shoppers thought of J.C. Penney’s new pricing.

Her reply?

A little of love … and a little bit of hate.

See, about half of the retailer’s customers respond positively to the new, best-foot-forward pricing, while the other half long for coupon-clipping days gone by.

Long story short, J.C. Penney’s pricing transition has been painful for the company. Overcoming its sales addiction is gonna take faith, patience and staying power. And it sounds like some investors are already getting twitchy.

While I applaud J.C. Penney’s recent in-store improvements and new pricing strategy (although I’m disappointed the retailer is STILL competing primarily on price) … my focus isn’t on helping corporate America. My focus is on helping YOU — the Main Street business builder.

So here’s what you can learn from J.C. Penney’s difficult pricing transition:

Overcoming your addiction to sales events — switching from event-driven marketing to a long-term branding campaign (winning your customer’s heart long before she needs your product) — can be incredibly painful. Like J.C. Penney, you’re gonna need quite a bit of faith, patience and staying power.

“Good advertising is painful at first because you don’t see immediate results.” — Roy H. Williams

To smooth out this transitionary period, I recommend that you ween yourself from sales events by temporarily straddling BOTH advertising campaigns.

Here’s what I mean: Use a passive medium like newspaper to advertise your sales events while you continue to leverage your broadcast ads to build long-term brand awareness. Roy H. Williams, my partner, even recommends that you “anonymously” advertise your newspaper-advertised sale by burying your company’s name in the fine print.

Similarly, avoid changing your “religion” all at once when moving from one advertising medium to another — especially when transitioning from a passive medium like newspaper to an intrusive media like radio.

Although I would typically encourage you to concentrate your forces and place every penny of your advertising budget into a single medium, I realize that transitioning from one medium to another can sometimes be as painful as transitioning from event-driven marketing to a branding campaign.

To lessen your discomfort, it’s often a good idea to maintain a small presence in the medium your moving FROM — at least until you begin harvesting the seeds planted in your new advertising medium.

Yes, I realize that straddling strategies such as these require that you maintain two separate ad campaigns, which means your advertising costs will be higher.

But remember, this is only temporary and your company will be much healthier in the long-term if you stand firm and refuse to chicken out during this difficult transition.

Best of luck!

Do you have a burning question for the WonderBranding team? Send it our way at ask@wonderbranding.com