Results Revolution - Getting Real Marketing Results for Small Business

Take Me Away to Tunica - Tunica Take Me Away

The last week in February, Andy, Trisha and I had the privilege of working with the Tunica Chamber of Commerce and Tunica Main Street on some strategic planning for the downtown district in the town of Tunica. We spent three days working on site where we got to know the wonderful people of Tunica - the leaders, the business owners, the customers. We got to experience the wonderful food of Cafe Marie, the Blue and White Restaurant and The Hollywood Cafe (where we attended a tourism familiarization tour event for tour bus operators and where Andy joined blues musicians on stage for a couple of songs - thank you Webster and Bill!). We got to tour homes at the new Tunica National development, and got to learn not just about the building and business inventory of their downtown - but the true heart and soul of the community.

The Town of Tunica has a tremendous asset in their downtown district. They have what many would only dream of having - they have millions a year visiting a major tourist destination located only a few miles away. We are so pleased to have had the opportunity to work in this tremendous community - made stronger by its citizens and the hearty dose of enthusiasm and energy that they all possess.

We made many friends - and we look forward to helping this downtown blossom by recruiting new businesses, working more closely with its partners to be a part of a total package both visually and literally, and seeing the customers flock to enjoy this true Mayberry in the Mississippi Delta.

Photos: (top) Trisha, Bill Cantor with the Tunica Convention and Visitor's Bureau, and Marianna enjoy the music and fried dill pickles at the Hollywood Cafe in Tunica. (middle) View of Tunica's Main Street. (bottom) Team HALO voted 1251 Place's Southern Pecan coffee the very best around. Be sure to stop in for a sip and take home some for yourself. We found this delightful interiors and gift market to be top notch.

The Historic Blue & White Restaurant - A Theme-Based Customer Experience That Works

Long before the Blues were cool, a roadside diner on Highway 61 in Tunica, opened its doors as a place where travelers could get some good food and "fill-er-up" at the adjoining Pure Filling Station.

Today, this restaurant stands the test of time by sticking to what it does best - soul food in a "blue and white" themed setting made complete with smiling faces, quick service and the best danged hand battered onion rings anywhere around.

Yes, this is a theme that's standing the test of time, and if you've thought about using a theme in your business, this restaurant is a great case study for you to admire. This is a case of great branding - established long before branding was a buzz word. And it just goes to show how taking something unique to an extreme can make a business.

They didn't just put in some blue bar stools (which they did) and some blue and white paint (which they did). They went the distance with blue Coca-Cola glasses, blue straws, blue and white branded coffee mugs, blue and white tables, chairs, signage, t-shirts, employee dress, plates that are white with a blue rim, and so much more. It's blue and white done well... And it works. It's a fun experience, a tasty experience, and best of all, a memorable experience.

 

Photos: (top left) The Blue & White Restaurant's historic sign standing high above Highway 61. (middle right) Our Assistant Marketing Coach and dining diva Trisha Switzer enjoying an ice cold Coca-Cola. (bottom left) Blue and white abounds inside the historic Blue & White Restaurant. Here, the blue bar stools and memorabilia shine.

Change is in the Air!

As our new email signatures all say, "Change is in the Air!" here at HALO Business Advisors. You'll notice the new look with the "Team HALO" logo is making its way in a transtional format onto our web site - and soon to come to our blog. We are currently working out some technical issues, but those should be resolved and our blog should be "good as new" soon.

In the meantime, please keep reading and watching for our new look to appear. There is lots going on - not just a new look, but a renewed focus on small business development and revitalization, new coaching packages are being developed, fall speaking schedules itinerated, and most importantly of all, a new customer experience mission and promise is being finalized.

We continue to welcome your feedback!

Congratulations Columbus, Mississippi

Congratulations to all of our friends at Columbus Main Street and Mississippi Main Street Association - this is such a high honor for our state to receive this praise. Jan Miller, Sam Kaye and so many others have worked tirelessly as community champions in this community as well as state and national champions for the Main Street program. If you want to see what Main Street can do for historical preservation and business development, visit Columbus. You'll see what downtown revitalization can really accomplish. Kudos everyone!!

Columbus, Mississippi named one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "2008 Dozen Distinctive Destination

COLUMBUS — The National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) has named the City of Columbus one of its "2008 Dozen Distinctive Destinations."

Since 2000, the NTHP has annually selected communities across the United States that offer cultural and recreational experiences different from the typical vacation destination.

The birthplace of playwright Tennessee Williams, Columbus is home to three National Register Historic Districts that encompasses 676 properties. Attractions include Waverley Plantation Mansion; Friendship Cemetery; and, the Mississippi University for Women, the oldest public college for women in the nation and home to 23 National Register properties.

"Columbus will undoubtedly surprise you with its diverse and abundant cultural resources," says Richard Moe, president of the NTHP. "As one of the best kept secrets in the State of Mississippi, it is an unrivalled destination for anyone who enjoys Southern architecture, savors down-home cooking and seeks an escape to the great outdoors."         

Do you make ASSUMPTIONS about your customers?

We're all guilty of making assumptions about our customers. It's a fact of life - we often jump headstrong into situation after situation with certain expectations and end results in mind - and we get disappointed time and time again. Why is that?

Is it unrealistic expectations? Is it wrong assumptions? Is it a wrong approach or jaded viewpoint?

Maybe.

I can't speak to your personal psychological perspective, but I can tell you a common dilemma that I see my clients face on a nearly daily basis. That is the assumption that customers know what to do or how to interact with what you're selling.

Tonight, for instance, my business partner and I worked well into the night working on a specific database project for a client. This project is going to change their world. It's going to bring them notoriety and convenience, efficiency and frankly save them time hand over fist. Problem was, we assumed that the client gave us the data in a format we could use - the correct format. We assumed the client understood what it was they were buying. We assumed a lot of things about the data, the client, the situation. In the end, few of them were correct. So, we spent the better part of the project breaking our own assumptions. Once we did that, the project wasn't really that difficult... it was just a matter of doing what we know how to do without the barrier of the assumptions.

Doesn't make sense? How about this. A high end interior fabric store buys the latest trends in fabric. They shop High Point and Atlanta and New York and they have in store the fabrics that will be shown in the top magazines in coming months. They stock the store, price it right and wait for the masses to buy. The people come. The people go. They don't buy as they should.

What's the problem? It's not a problem of customer volume or product or even in-store experience. All of those bases are covered. The problem is that the store owners assume that their customers will share their vision - that they will see how to use the product, they will be able to visualize it in their homes, they will have ideas and creative energy to know what exactly to do with the product this store is selling!

That's a bad assumption because... the customer does NOT know what to do. They never do.

You might as well start each and every day with a new assumption - ASSUME the customer NEVER knows what to do with your product, service and experience. When you start with that assumption, your business experience will thrive. Instead of buying fabric, you will soon be selling ideas and an idea based experience. You will educate, create, and imagine. Your job will become the giver of the vision. Assume that your customer is clueless. Assume they don't have any good sense. When you are wrong in your assumptions - it will be a pleasant surprise. But most of the time you'll be correct - and you'll win in business.

So try this tomorrow, change your small business strategy to a new assumption. And seek to educate and inspire - whether you are trying to deliver health food or home improvement products, gifts or baby clothes, shoes or wedding gowns, hardware or hotel nights. Assume the worst case and seek to remedy that situation with each and every customer interaction.

Your business will benefit - the results will be immediate.

Small Business Branding 101

Andy has me on a kick. I think I'm feeling competitive. He's really our Team HALO in-house branding guru, but I'm fascinated and frankly, enthralled, by the idea of small business branding from the perspective that not only does it produce bottom line results - in many cases it produces above the line results. In other words, creating a great, well designed logo for your business, can provide you with opportunity to create products and have your customers actually PAY YOU to market your business for you.

What do I mean exactly? Well, here are a few examples...

T-shirts, whiskey glasses and packaging for Kaffie-Frederick General Merchantile in Natchitoches, LA.

Aprons, gourmet food packaging and catalogs for Taste of Gourmet in Indianola, Miss.

What have you done to build your reputation, your brand, and add power to your marketing program? Want to learn more - check out our presentation at the National Main Street Conference in Philadelphia, Penn. on March 31, 2008 where we'll talk about "The Look that Sells" - a look at the image of your small business from curb appeal to business branding - including the in's and out's of proprietary products.

If you have great stories you'd like to share - we'd love to hear them and share your story with others via this blog.

Branding... Does your business need one?

So, I promised that HALO Business Advisors - aka Team HALO - was getting a new logo this year - and so I make the grand reveal here this evening - just a sneak peak more than anything. There are new business cards floating around already. New presentation folders, stickers, magnets, flyers and more are on their way from the printer any day now. And yes, even the web site and this blog will have a facelift soon. I would be remiss if I didn't thank community branding expert extraordinaire Ben Muldrow for his design prowess and dedication to our business' success (he's such a tremendous alliance partner for our business - thank you, thank you Ben!).

But really more than just a pretty new face on an old familiar face, what is all this branding business about? I've already gotten good and bad feedback (ok, one "iffy" feedback) on the new HALO logo. I agree, it's a big departure from our conservative roots. But thankfully, most everyone loves it - but more than that, they get it. They like the energy and the passion that it conveys. Our speaking clients love the energy, the "plays", the "play books", and the other fouls and scores and wins that come with playing with a winning team (yes, we're that team...).

What does your business' logo say about your business? Is it really possible that something as simple as a great professionally graphic designed logo can really get real bottom line results for your business?

For our business, we seek to encourage and equip small businesses and the community organizations that serve them. Did our logo say that we were encouraging - did it promise to equip, to make learning fun, to coach and direct and guide. Did it promise a winning outcome and the discipline of a well-trained athlete? We didn't think so. We didn't think it shared our real business - one that is a team approach with different areas of expertise - that focuses on the coaching of small businesses. Old fashioned ethics and integrity - winning tactics. Hopefully it does now.

And yes, it's paying off already - big dividends. And it will for your business, too. It's definitely a strategy worthy of your time and effort - and one that will unify all of your small business marketing efforts - keeping you on track and more successful in all of your business and marketing efforts.

And what about your logo - can it say that much about you? We're not saying our logo is going to win awards, but we hope it says something. And we want your logo to say something, too. We want you to know what you're selling. What emotion, feeling, experience are you selling your customers? Who are your customers and what will motivate them to do more business with you? What emotions do you need them to feel? Make your logo memorable, make it mean something - and put it in front of your customers at every opportunity. Look for places to shamelessly promote your brand (yes, that's step ten in our 12-step marketing system).

We're doing that on telephone stickers and filing cabinet magnets. We're doing t-shirt giveaways at seminars, business cards, presentation folders, web site marketing, links and alliances. We're looking for places to put our new image, our familiar reputation and a link to our web site for more information.

What creative places can you put your logo - how can you market your business better?

Main Streets are Big Business in West Virginia

Last week, Andy and I had the privilege of speaking and touring two terrific Main Street communities in West Virginia.

In Morgantown, WV, we stayed in a terrific boutique hotel in downtown called the Hotel Morgan - we experienced service with a smile, knowledgeable downtown directions and recommendations, and one of America's best kept dining secrets on the top floor in a very cosmopolitan restaurant and bar area.
A terrific crowd mucked through the snowy and cold weather to attend our seminar - providing great interactivity and questions. The rest of our day was filled with ice dodging (a game we didn't like very much which involved walking on the side of the street where the sun was shining to avoid very unflattering slips and stumbles on the slick icy patches). Oh, and yes, we did about seven small business consults, too - fabulous consults. Everything from health food to children's toys to Barney Fife memorabilia. High fashion and bridal couture to comfortable shoes (I took a black pair home - a brand called Naot - get in touch with Marlene at Below the Knees - she'll fit you like you're foot has never been fit before.) We were sorry to have to leave so soon - we wanted more of Morgantown's food, views and friendly retail experiences. This hometown to West Virginia University is definitely worth the downtown destination if ever you find yourself here cheering for your team or just need a beautiful getaway with plenty to do.

The next day, we spoke to a packed house in Fairmont, WV. I can't tell you how many people were in that room - but I'm sure not many more would have fit. We did consults all day long and well into the early evening and even had spillover in our schedule to the next morning. These businesses were equally varied and interesting. Coffee shops, craft and art gallery, the Friendly Furniture store, and a preciously branded toy store.

In our opinion, Fairmont is a hidden gem of a community that is stuck in an identity crisis in the "middle of it all." Home to a smaller university than Morgantown's and fewer big box growth than their northern and southern neighbors, this community is geographically poised in the center of it all - with a building inventory and downtown momentum (and vivacious executive director, Vera) that are worth watching.

Thank you to both Terri, Barbara, and Emily in Morgantown and Vera in Fairmont, for being such wonderful hostesses, tour guides and event planners. You made our trip worthwhile. Andy and I are in love with West Virginia - its people, its small businesses and its hilly vistas. We are looking forward to our next visit very soon.

West Virginia Bound

Next week, Andy and I travel to West Virginia for our first time to speak in two top Main Street destination cities - Morgantown and Fairmont, West Virginia. In a format familiar to our Main Street visits, we'll teach a retail business seminar, Finding Your Niche in the Gen Y Market, in each community, followed by one-on-one business owner/manager consultations.

Morgantown was named to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" list in 2007 commenting in their news release: "Nestled along the Monongahela River in northern West Virginia, Morgantown is home to one of the the nation's top research centers, West Virginia University, and some of the most magnificent mountain scenery imaginable."

For me, I immediately recognized Morgantown for being the home of "Chocolate Lover's Day" a promotional idea that is still going strong there - and has been featured, written about and copied by communities nationwide in some form or fashion - including my hometown of Lexington, Miss. - in the year's since its successful inception in Morgantown.

A special thanks to Jennifer Legge of the Times West Virginian for doing such an outstanding job promoting our event. Read all about our seminar, Finding Your Niche in the Gen Y Market, and our visit agenda in her great article.

Andy and I are looking forward to representing HALO Business Advisors and meeting business owners and helping them understand not only how to reach Generation Y, but also how to create an appropriate customer experience in their stores, how to work on their business not simply at their business, and how to dedicate time to pursue a Results Revolution in their businesses. A small number of consultations are still available (so says my contacts in West Virginia), so if you are located in those communities and still wish to spend some time privately with us, please contact your local Main Street office.

To Buy or To Learn - Retail Business

Last weekend retail business owners and buyers from across America converged on Atlanta for the year's largest gift and home interiors show - America's Mart January Gift & Home Furnishings Market. Buyers had many decisions to make - so many decisions that it'll make your head swim. However, one of the biggest decisions buyers had to make was the tricky choice to work at their businesses and buy, buy, buy - or take an hour off to work ON their business by attending one or more of the America's Mart University classes.

Andy and I had the privilege of teaching three of these classes - each attended by approximately 100 retailers each. We had a blast not only teaching but meeting so many of the retailers from across America - from up the road in North Georgia to Idaho and Philadelphia, we were thrilled to see the initiative taken by each of the attendees to learn and to pursue a Results Revolution - a continuous improvement - in each of their own businesses.

A highlight for us was speaking to AMU graduates on Friday night at their "graduation" dinner at the Capital City Club in downtown Atlanta. It was a privilege to challenge and encourage them in their business pursuits - and it was challenging and frankly really fun for us to answer their retail questions in an informal Q&A session.

We'd like to thank Julie Auton for making this possible as well as Jennifer, Antoinette, and Amanda for their amazing hospitality. We are looking forward to seeing you all again at the July market - and hopefully more retailers will make the commitment to learn to pursue a Results Revolution in their businesses, too.