So here I was today in an incredibly unique lunch spot called in-gred-ients.  Fantastic concept where you can create a killer salad that could convert even a hard-core carnivore.  Talk about referrable!  Not only is the concept great, but it delivers.  The food is great, the price is great, the service is great….which made us comeback everyday for lunch.  But what makes a place like in-gred-ients even more impressive is when it does that extra something or two.   For instance…on their menu, they have a clause about tipping….this restaurant doesn’t allow it…instead it suggests you donate the money to charity or to doing a good deed for another.  Then I find out that their cupcakes are so good that people line up to get them when they first come into restaurant.

It made me think….what else can we all do to be more referrable in our businesses?  How can we provide an amazing product or experience and THEN can ”wow” people once and then when they experience it again wow them even more?

Attention choco-holics! I love vanilla – vanilla yogurt, vanilla ice cream – you name it. But there is one type of vanilla I can’t swallow, and that’s VANILLA Marketing. You can detect it a mile away. It’s that washed down attempt to attract a new customer by using the same terminology that all the competitors are using too. You know, terms like:

“Our experienced staff will exceed your expectations”
“Our product is wholesome, home grown and made with love”

Or how about my all time favourite:

“We pride ourselves on providing excellent customer service”.

Yuck!

Statements like this say nothing extraordinary and do nothing to help a potential new customer choose your product or service. If there is one area where you need to be Pistachio flavoured or Peanut Butter and Orange Gumdrops it’s in your marketing.

I saw a great example of this yesterday and lo and behold, it showed up in the form of a sales letter in my mailbox. In fact, I have received at least 3 pieces from this company over the last few months, and each time they have gotten my attention in one of the toughest mediums out there – junk mail. It’s a pizza company called Nick & Willy’s and their direct mail pieces are definitely NOT vanilla. In fact, it’s important to note that another pizza company also appeared in my junk mail yesterday in its beautiful glossy card stock form. That more expensive attempt remained unread and doesn’t deserve as much as name mention here!

But Nick & Willy’s does. This particular piece came enclosed in a brown envelope with no markings and inside was an old school sales letter with what looked like pen markings all over it. It was ugly and corny and different in it’s packaging and that’s why I opened it (curiousity) and read it (mostly the pen marks and underlined text). But finally after 3 such intriguing mailings, I’m sold! I have got to try this pizza!

Now if Nick & Willy’s can do this with a corny sales letter and a simple brown envelope….just imagine what you can do! Here’s some tips:

1. Break the rules. If everyone in your industry does park/bus benches with their picture on it, do the buses themselves and a line like “we don’t believe in sitting around”. In other words look at a different medium.
2. If everyone in your industry uses certain jargon and you think this is what the customer needs to hear, look outside your industry for a completely fresh perspective. In other words change the wording.
3. If everyone in your industry, uses green and orange and arial font then try purple and red and even old school Times New Roman. In other words look different!
4. Not sure where to start, ask your customers what frustrates them about your industry. That will definitely get the creative juices flowing.

Mixing up your messaging and making it stand out takes a certain level of bravery and confidence. It’s wise to know your market and what you can get away with before you go too crazy.

So remember to test, test, test before you bring out the Rocky Road or Banana Cream Pie in your next marketing initiative.

I’ll look forward to inhaling it!

This year, we had presentations from some amazing companies.  One was Hewlitt Packard.  They were introducing a new tool called MarketSplash.  Check it out.  This is by far one of the easiest and cost-effective tools I have come across for designing simple marketing pieces and printing them in smaller quantities.  You can create your business card for example and then print a 100 of them for around $10.

They have done a lot of research and I’m happy to say, they really have got it right when it comes to making it efficient in time and yet professional looking.  Bravo HP!