A budding entrepreneur can learn from others' mistakes, indeed, but also from others' successes. I found myself this past weekend pondering the successes of a local cheesemonger as a means of learning and applying lessons for myself in the art of marketing. I came up with five lessons that could apply to almost all small businesses.
* Relationships. The cheese maker's marketing person has developed quite a following through relationship-building. He is personable and takes the trouble to get to know his customers. Those bonds have led to to enduring sales week over week even though there is cheaper cheese to be found at local markets.
* Samples. The cheese maker enthusiastically provides tastings of its products wherever they sell. This has an impact on bottom line because it leads to additional sales on the margin (i.e. people may buy an extra cheese product after discovering a new taste.)
* Reward Pricing. The cheese maker will add in a price discount for larger purchases. Buy one cheese and it will probably be as listed. Buy three or four and the price may be rounded down a dollar or two. Repeat customers may get a courtesy discount at whatever level of purchase. This encourages additional purchases and repeat visits.
* No hype. The cheese maker does not make wild claims (e.g. "extends your life", "reduces risk of cancer", "QUALITY", etc.) and sticks to the basics: locally made, locally obtained milks, etc. and properly differentiates from competitors (e.g. the master cheese maker trained in France).
* Passion. I have rarely experienced a salesman with more genuine passion for the product. Our marketing person knows each product, can speak to its advantages (and disadvantages), applications that make it shine, and how it's made. It is hard not to be swept up in the enthusiasm!
How does your small business build on its fundamental brand and marketing? Consider applying one or more of these techniques.
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