One size NEVER fits all

Clothing manufacturers sometimes resort to offering their wares in “one size fits all”. While this approach does reduce inventory challenges, it is a disservice to the customers. What are the chances that a woman who is 5’1” and 110 lbs will fit into the same size as a woman who is 5’8” and 155 lbs? Even if they were both willing to wear it, odds are that neither would be truly satisfied.

The same concept applies to marketing. Your chances for success are much higher if you segment your audience and focus your marketing on specific targets with messages that are tailored to address their interests and concerns. Simply consider the following different audiences:

• the youth market vs. the boomers
• single people vs. families
• French-speaking Canadians vs. people living in Paris, France

Even if the same product was targeting each of these groups, the way in which you approach them — through message, language, channel, etc. — should be different in order to achieve the best response to your marketing efforts.

Recently, I received unaddressed admail from Reno Depot. For those of you who don’t know, Reno Depot operates home renovation stores in 16 cities in Quebec. So what is wrong with this picture? While their store is less than 10 miles from where I live, it is in another province. Another problem — the DM piece was entirely in French.

Now, it could be that they were trying to build their customer base in Ontario. Ottawa is a fairly bilingual city, but the majority of residents speak English, so it is likely that many people who received the piece would not be able to read it.

What they did get right? As a home owner, I am part of their target market. I live in an area of older homes without many rental units. But with limited French, I was unable to take away anything from the copy that would pique my interest.

Sadly, this is mostly an example of what not to do. What should they have done?

• Some sort of enticement to visit the store — there is a Home Depot only a few miles away from me and crossing the river is a bit of a psychological barrier.
• Map to store location — it’s not in my neighbourhood so I might not know how to get there.
• Bilingual copy — I will need to understand what you’re saying in order to respond to it.

It’s hard to say what Reno Depot was trying to accomplish, perhaps it was just shotgun approach to the entire Ottawa-Gatineau area. With the availability of targeting DM down to a postal carrier route, it is a shame that Reno Depot didn’t take a more direct approach by segmenting their market and using more specific messaging and language to reach their audience.

Talking WITH customers

There is a key difference between talking to customers and talking with customers. When you talk TO someone, you may find you are having a one-way conversation and you are not necessarily connecting WITH them.

Connecting WITH customers is a key component of business success. Build a relationship with your customers and prospects — by engaging in relevant and personal two-way conversation — and you will increase your chances for an ongoing business relationship.

How to begin
The conversation starts with a common interest. From there, build the relationship with relevant and personal two-way interaction. It is important you there is give and take on both sides; the conversation can’t simply be about selling product.

For example, if your company sells hiking boots, start by talking about hiking. Then ask about their favorite hiking trails. Build the conversation further by soliciting for their input, such as asking their feedback on boot features that they like or don’t like. The key to the interaction is to build trust by talking about a subject they care about.

The goal is to get them to know who you are, but at the same time, you want to learn more about them. With a better understanding of your customers, you will be able to serve them better.

Know your product; know your customer
In addition to understanding how and why your product fits your customers’ needs and/or wants, it is important to know how to connect with customers. The language you use is as important as is how you deliver your message.

Finding the right words does not just mean using the latest buzzwords, but using them in a way that catches the eye or ear of your audience. Key words are important, but context can make or break the effectiveness of the communication. Your success will be influenced by how well you understand the culture of who you are doing business with — whether they are in a different demographic or different country than you.

It has been a decade since Seth Godin’s ground-breaking book Permission Marketing was published. So much of what he said then is still relevant today, particularly the simple concept offered in the book’s sub-title: “Turning strangers into friends and friends into customers”.

Creating a mutually beneficial relationship with your target market with help you connect WITH customers —to the benefit of your business.

A different way of doing business

As I reflect on my time in Egypt, I have been thinking about how people do business in different countries. Two years ago, I traveled to India with a client. Our goal was to gain a better understanding of the market opportunity there in preparation for targeting one of the world’s largest markets.

Before we left, we spent some time learning about business customs and getting an understanding of the people we planned to meet. Even with our preparation, it was not until we were in the country actually meeting with potential clients that we truly started to understand the market. Talking to people first hand provided more insight and data than we ever could have accomplished remotely. And the trip built relationships that led to significant business for my client.

Even though I was in Egypt to travel, rather than do business, I found it interesting to see get a glimpse of how business was being conducted. Most of what I witnessed focused on the tourist trade, but I believe some of it would translate to typical business situations.

Conducting business in Egypt seems quite different from how we do it in North America. The pace is generally slower, there is a great deal of haggling over price and a key component is the concept of hospitality. While it is unlikely we will adopt the Egyptian style of doing business, there are lessons to be learned from their approach.

The concept of hospitality is one that is worth exploring. In Egypt, it is common — even in the smallest retail shops — to offer visitors a beverage such as tea or soft drinks. This is typically a prelude to a conversation about the items you are interested in buying. A casual browser should keep moving, but if you are interested in buying something, it can signal the start of the deal. Often, concluding the deal can take some time as significant price negotiation usually takes place.

The key to business successful is having a solid understanding your customer — regardless of their language, culture or location. When you are doing business in a country or culture that is different from your own, it pays to know their style of conducting business. Being able to adapt will help you build a relationship that could increase your chances for success.

One thing I enjoy about travel is meeting people in other parts of the world and gaining a better understanding of how they live and work. With the globalization of business today, an appreciation for different ways of doing things will go a long way in closing the gap.

Home again!

I arrived home late last night from an amazing trip to Egypt. I am still a little jet lagged after our 24 hours of traveling home, but it was well worth it. My good friend Kim and I had a blast, and I expect to share some stories from our journey.

Please stay turned.

Customer service

Good customer service is something close to my heart. I think that most companies could probably do a better job if they thought a little more about what they say and do. A recent posting by Jackie Huba on “Church of the Customer” is a good illustration of how to connect with your customers by using key words.

Jackie makes a good point about creating an emotional connection by using less formal language. I would agree with her there. While it is important to speak the language of your customers, it is also important to communicate your passion and enthusiasm about your company and its products. If you don’t believe in them, who will?

Sometimes, the formal prose of business is too stilted to evoke any emotion from your customers. Translating your company’s passion in your products into the language you use to communicate with your customers can increase the emotional bond you make with your customer, which in turn could translate into increased sales.

How this applies to your company will depend on the business you are in, but almost any company will benefit from a sense of fun and enthusiasm mixed with a professional approach.

Customer communications

Only 8 more sleeps until I leave for a 3-week holiday to Egypt. I LOVE to travel so — as you can imagine — I am very excited about my trip. With travel on my mind, I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about customer communications, with a focus on some of the newsletters I receive from various adventure travel companies.

I must say that I am a big fan of “Intrepid Express” from Intrepid Travel (HQ in Sydney, Australia). I have been a subscriber since 2004 and I enjoy their weekly newsletters so much that I have kept almost everyone of them!

So what make Intrepid Express so good? They follow some “best practices” that help me get the most out of their email. For example:

• Subject line — each subject line starts with “Intrepid Express” which tells me that it is the newsletter and not some other correspondence from Intrepid.
• Topic — each week, there is a short intro from the editor (Sue Elliot) which is always interesting and well written. It gives me an idea about the content and helps me make the decision as to whether to read further.
• Quick links — at the top of the email, there is a section labeled “In this issue” with links to each section of the newsletter; a fast way to get to the sections that interest me the most.
• Sections — each issue has many articles, with several them on recurring themes such as: “Top Trip”, “Local Know How” and the latest contest.
• Side bar — Intrepid uses the sidebar promotes upcoming trips or deals with links to their website.
• Timely and relevant — the newsletter arrives every Monday, like clockwork and, even if I’m not planning a trip, the content is fresh and interesting.

The tone of the writing is interesting and informative, but never heavy with a sales pitch. That may be why I like the newsletter so much — it feeds my passion for travel, giving me ideas about where to go next, but doesn’t pressure me into buying.

Intrepid Express is not the only travel company e-newsletter that I receive, but it is my favourite. Long before I became an Intrepid customer, I developed a high affinity for the company, due in part to the “relationship” created through this single form of communication.

I’d also like to give a big shout out to Sue Elliot, who has been the editor of Intrepid Express for many years: thanks for keeping me hooked all these years.

Want to learn more about Intrepid and see what trips they have to offer? Start with their home page: www.intrepidtravel.com.
Ready to sign up to their weekly newsletter? Go to:
http://www.intrepidtravel.com/inspirations/expresssubs/

Goal setting for your career

Every month, I write a blog entry for the Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition blog, based on the monthly professional development topic. The focus for April is “Planning Your Career Path”, a relevant continuation of my own blog entries from January on Goal Setting.

Since access to the OIWC blog is considered a member benefit (so it is located on members-only pages of the website), I have included an edited version of the entry here.

I encourage you to learn more about this amazing professional development and networking organization for women at: www.oiwc.org. [Full disclosure: In addition to developing content for the site, I am on the Board of Directors and sit on the Professional Development and Marketing/Branding committees.]

Get started on planning your career path
You’ve thought long and hard. You know what you want to do. But now what? How do you make your dream a reality? As Stephen R. Covey says in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, "Begin with the end in mind."

With the end in mind, you can start planning how to get there. You would do this if you were driving somewhere, so why not do it for your career. Since a career goal is not on any map, you will need to do a couple of things. First, determine your destination and, second, set some milestone goals. To increase your chances for success, your goals should be SMART — Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.

SMART goals will help you develop a plan that is realistic and achievable. And, as you create these goals, be as detailed as you can. This will enable you to clearly understand how you are doing as you work towards your end goal.

Not only are SMART goals important, but so is timing. Make sure you check on your progress at regular intervals and consider: How close are you to achieving your goal? What is helping you be successful? What is getting in your way?

In addition, there is nothing that says you have to stay true to your original plan. As you evaluate your progress, consider making adjustments based on what you accomplish — or did not accomplish — so far. Did you set your goal too high? Will it be difficult or impossible to achieve? Did you learn something that changed your mind about what you thought you wanted? Is there now something else that you would rather do?

Don’t be afraid to change direction. Use your knowledge and experiences — as well as the knowledge and experience of others — to shape your goals and your career path.