EM Superhero

Yesterday, just for a change, I went on the Independent Newspaper website to find a different source for my daily news update. Now I don’t know if any of you readers went on it yesterday but I thought I’d share with you what was so apparent from their home page – it’s all about consumerism. Everywhere I looked…

Right next to the core news story of the bomb that people narrowly escaped, was a headline on the results of a poll taken to decide which celebrity had the best body, hair and of course the worst…

I then flicked onto the next news story about political matter and once again, situated right beside this one was the headline entitled ’50 Best Coffee Shops.’

And so the page went on: Hardcore news vs. consumer polls.

They even have a results column so you can view the ‘most clicked on’ stories and interestingly enough out of the top ten, the first winning six were all of the consumer poll stories;  A coffee story is more popular than a newsworthy bomb story…

It’s very simple how this happens and it’s the same reason that I, myself drew the mouse over the page and clicked on the coffee story. Because I can relate to it; I like to pop into a coffee shop when I’m in town so I was drawn to the story wondering which came first, and more importantly had I been there and did I agree?

I clicked on the coffee article first, not because I don’t care about the other news stories, but in some little way it could benefit my own life. Maybe I’d make a better choice in the future about which coffee house to have my twenty minutes of caffeine fueled peace in before the kick sets in and I’m ready to keep on charging…

Readers are looking for affirmation that they are making the right decisions in life, even from small choices such as seeing who got voted to have the best hair (Jennifer Aniston) and then running out and buying whichever brand she happens to use feeling that if their hair is better, they will be better. Now there’s a whole wealth of discussion on that topic which maybe I’ll go into another time.

For now I’d just like to say that that’s all consumerism is – appealing to a new consumer about a product that may and hopefully will benefit their lives in some way. If you’re in business or are a sole trader you will have spent hours convincing yourself of the reasons that people should choose you when they need your product or services.

From this page it’s clear that there is so much choice on the market these days that people need help choosing. So get your brand out there into the consumer eyes and help them make the right choice!

I’m off to check the headlines today – perhaps I’ll see you in one of the top fifty coffee shops later…

All businesses, regardless of what product they sell or what service they offer, have one thing in common: customers.   In order to be successful – to generate a turnover, customers are essential – and yet so many businesses today still have not grasped the very important fact, that customers really are king.   Customer-centric businesses offering bespoke products or services are doing well in spite of the current economic trading conditions.  Consider Apple;  Consider Dell – they both ensure that their customers get exactly what they want, on time, and to the specified budget.

WHY? It’s simple – they have invested time in understanding and getting to know their customers inside out – back to front – there is no stone unturned.   In fact, they know their customers so well, that they are able to anticipate what they are going to want – and let’s face it, this is extremely powerful information.

OKAY – we are not large, global organisations with unlimited budgets – but there are lots of things we can do to ensure that we understand and get to know our customers.   It doesn’t matter how large or how small your business is.

We can talk to our customers.   One very simple question which can be asked is –“Why do you buy from us?”  Imagine the knowledge you will have with the answer to this simple question.  Decision-making in all areas of your business will be so much easier – your marketing planning – not simply the message, but also to whom.  For a start you will understand whether it is your products or services which are superior, perhaps your pricing is better, perhaps pricing is not even a factor – it is simply because they like doing business with you.   Whatever the answer to this simple question – you will have powerful information – peculiar to you and your business.

Of course, knowing something is all well and good – you need to take action and use the information you have to make a positive impact on your business.

If you are finding that you have to consistently find new customers for your business – you need to find out why you are not gaining repeat business.  If you don’t know whether your customers are new or not – you really ought to!   It is far more expensive to attract new customers than it is to sell to existing customers – so this information is vital for success.

I leave you with this final thought – Do you know the journey your customers need to take to do business with you?     You need to know whether working with your business is a walk in the park on a beautiful sunny day – where the sun is shining, not a cloud in the sky, the picnic is lovely and the children are not arguing (!) – or whether it is a hellish ride on the Northern Line tube in rush-hour.

Do you know?

If you don’t – you need to find out – and fast….