Miller's Monday Morning Message
presented by ACM Consulting Inc.

Andrew Miller on strategy, operations, life balance and everything in between

Toronto - August 15, 2011 – Last week I was walking through the town of Hunstville, Ontario with my family and noticed a brilliant marketing idea by a local shop owner. He owned a bike store and obviously wanted to not only attract customers for his bikes, but also his other products. He had bike racks mounted to the outside of his store to display his bikes to people who walked by on the sidewalk. On the surface, this seemed like a creative way to showcase the bikes. However, upon further reflection, I realized that this was a brilliant way to showcase the bike racks! So I mentioned to the owner that I thought this was a great idea and he replied "I have sold about three times more bike racks than before I had them mounted outside." What? A low-cost marketing idea that has more than tripled sales? What an amazing accomplishment. And these racks were no small potatoes, the two models mounted to the front of the store cost in the range of $400 each and were top-on-the-line brand names. It shows us that no marketing idea is too simple and even the most basic ideas can yield results. This story also shows us that we should always be on the lookout for new ideas and new ways to market our products and services. Package things a little differently, shows complimentary products together, or find other creative ways to attract attention. Think of the small bike shop owner and displaying his bike racks outside for everyone to see. People now walk by the store and think, "I need a new bike rack for the car and here are two right in front of me, I should go in and take a look." Sometimes the best ideas come from the most unlikely places.
 
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I was at the U2 concert the other night and what an amazing show they put on. What struck me was not only how they have been at the top of their game for more than 20 years, but the amount of influence they have over the crowd. At one point, the entire band stopped singing, lowered the volume of their instruments and let the crowd take over. The crowd started reluctantly singing, and then got louder and louder as they realized what was happening and become more in the moment. The crowd sang more than half the song without any intervention from the band. What a remarkable thing to be a part of.

It made me realize the power of a brand and the power of the crowd. In business, what are you doing to build your brand? What are you doing to ensure that people talk about you or your product when you are not around? What are you doing to ensure that people are singing your songs without your help?

Think seriously about the power of the answers to these questions because they hold the key to continuing success and business growth, no matter what business you are in.

In every story we hear or every event we are a part of, there is a lesson that we can draw out.

I played in a golf tournament yesterday where the money raised was going to a charity. After the round of golf, we all gathered in the clubhouse for the requisite lunch and thank you speeches. A representative from the charity was also there to tell us about how the money raised would be used. This is a critical way to let us know about the charity and how the money will help people and tie everything back to a great cause. The only problem was, the sound was terrible and the video she brought to show us could only be seen by about 1/3 of the people in the room. Sure enough, two minutes into the video, most people lost interest and started talking, which is unfortunate, but to be expected. So what can we learn from this:

• Know your audience - after a beautiful day of golf, the last thing people wanted to do was sit still and listen to speeches for extended periods - have short, pithy and provocative points when presenting to an audience with a short attention span
• Know your location - scope out the location to ensure maximum ability for people to see and hear what you are presenting
• Make a connection - think of what would be in the self-interest of the audience and appeal to it
• Be interesting - if people sense you are giving the same generic speech you have given 50 times prior, they will tune out. Speak with energy and passion and make the audience believe this is the first time you have ever delivered your speech