The last 5 days have been a study in things that make you go HMMM. On Saturday I showed up to announce a game for a team that I have worked with for 10 years and was informed that I could announce that game but the other 3 they had to use the announcer that the city contracted with. I was a bit taken aback by this for I never heard of this before. The owner asked me about announcing the season without securing the fie field and then secured the field and signed a contract with a clause about using the city’s announcer. I thought don’t you read the contract and then when you see that clause mention you have your own announcer and want that clause removed from the contract and then proceed. The owner did try to get me as the announcer but the city insisted on the team using their announcer. I am now out the money that I had counted on because of a commitment made before final paperwork and details being worked out.
I went to get into my car today and found a warning sticker on my window. I thought my car was parked in my assigned spot at the condo isn’t there a schematic that could be checked and security knock on my door? I went to the office and was able to get a temporary permit so this doesn’t happen again. The person who handles the decals was supposed to call me to come to the office but never did so today after I received the warning I went tot he office and took care of it. Oh the joy of living in a condo!!!
So many times over the years I have had appointments with people only to have them not show up without any communication. I have come to realize that many people simply fly by the seat of their pants not thinking of consequences or how their actions affect others. I have always been one that when I need to cancel an appointment I call. I have had one woman saying oh I need to get together with you and each time I reach out to set the appointment she makes an appointment and then has an excuse for cancellation. She has since gone ghost. It is amazing to me how some people operate and then they wonder why they don’t have a profitable entity. The reason is that you are creating to many moments that make people go HMMM!
One of the best things you can do in business is to do you due diligence. In doing so you can avoid many issues where people will go HMMM. In many cases it is simply a matter of not making commitments that you can’t keep. In many cases it can be as simple as planning your strategy and having the strategy in place long before it is needed.
Another way to avoid creating things that make me go HMMM situations is to stop playing the blame game and claiming there is nothing you can do because as a business owner there is something that you can do. Remember on oh crap can ruin a thousand at a boys. The key to avoiding the things that make me go hmmm moments is to be authentic and transparent when dealing with people.
In business it all comes down to the bottom line of how much revenue are you producing and how much of that revenue is profit. In our society today it has become all about the Benjamins. It is important to know why you went into the business you went into. Once you find your why you can begin to generate a whole lot of Benjamins. Many people I come in contact who have a business do not understand that you need to invest in a solid advertising and marketing program so as to generate the Benjamins. I have walked into many a business and been the only shopper there and I thought how is this business surviving. The other day I stopped by a store that I used to work at and in the 1 hour I was there they had 0 traffic. The fact that they are located in a busy shopping plaza behind three sports oriented bars and due to the merchandise they have they should have been busy. I asked how sales have been they said a bit on the slow side. I did notice a buy 1 get 50% promotional sign at the entrance. I thought how are they letting people know they are open and making this great offer? In a matter of minutes I had formulated a plan of action that if the owner was receptive and willing to make a small investment could work in driving traffic and being on the top of the mind of the consumer. They have incredible merchandise however if no one knows they are there and no one is shopping in the store they will not be making many Benjamins. I thought they need brand awareness so I did a quick live video which is something they should be doing daily with a featured item of the day. They should create a tag line that is easily remembered and entices people to shop there. They could implement some type of cause marketing program as consumers like to support businesses that they perceive to be giving back to the community. They had an item that I really liked and I thought why are they not advertising is sports memorabilia publications and featuring this item. They recently placed an ad for a social media marketing intern for $10 an hour. If you are serious about creating a buzz on social media and acquiring customers and turning them into loyal customers it is going to take more than paying someone $10 an hour to do social media marketing. If you want to make Benjamins you have to invest Benjamins. Make sure that when you have a retail store that your associates working the floor have top notch customer service skills and that they are creating buyers not browsers. Ask questions get to know the people coming into your store. Treat every customer as though they are the most important person walking into your store.
If you are going to attract Benjamins to your business and create a nice profit margin you need to have a plan that is proactive. Sometimes it is necessary to go back to the old school way of doing things and hit the street talking to people that are with in 3 feet of you. For example you have an eyeglass store you should go out and everyone you see wearing glasses you should hand them your 4″ x 6″ card showing who you are and what you do and why they should do business with you. Make shure that when you planning that you include your unique selling proposition or point of difference so people know what sets you apart from everyone else. Look at who you are seeking to attract and where you might find your ideal customer and then formulate a plan to bring in those Benjamins.
If you want to learn more about strengthening your brand and increasing your revenue so you have a good flow of Benjamins please attend the OLD SCHOOL MEETS NEW SCHOOL MARKETING WORKSHOP in October. Look for more details coming soon. For a $50 investment you will receive a video interview, a promotional one sheeter, and a tailor made press release to help you in your quest to strengthen your brand while increasing your revenue.
Jonathan JDOGG Lederrman has been helping businesses to grow for over 20 years and has a proven track record of success as he possesses a keen ability to find the essence of a business and come up with easily and affordable marketing programs that will build brand awareness while also increasing revenue. Businesses that have listened to JDOGG have had success. STAY POSITIVE!!!
Yesterday (8/22/2017) I encountered a situation that got me to asking why the hate? Here I was reaching out to a business owner, Mike Artz of Collectables in Hobart, Indiana and this was his response via a Facebook. Wouldn’t it have made more sense for him to simply write thank you for reaching out to me I wish you much luck in your effort however at this time I am unable to support your project. Think about how you are responding to people and it will tell you why you may be struggling in your business. If this is how he responded to me how many other people has he responded to in this manner and how many of them have not done business with him and share their negative experience with others. In today’s marketplace it is imperative to be nice in all encounters so that people are moved to do business with you. At the end of the day the only thing that endures is your character.
He obviously forgot the first adage of business that Kindness Counts. I simply did what I have been doing for over 40 years and asked a business owner for support of a charitable cause. I never expected this type of response. This only goes to show us that our marketplace needs to be taught compassion.
Now think about it the next time someone approaches you for support because you never know the reach that person has and how they can impact your business. In this case all the accolades that Mike Artz may have built up are gone because he will never see my business and those that read this article may think twice about doing business with him.
As an experienced marketing and public relations consultant the 1st thing I teach my clients is to be kind in all that they do as you never know how that kindness will be returned. Imagine if Mike Artz had been kind in saying no I may have still recommended that my colleagues who collect sports and pop culture memorabilia contact him to see what he is selling. The lesson to take from today is that all it takes is one oh crap to ruin a thousand accolades.
In the time I worked with The Liberty I saw the importance of marketing, public relations, media relations, and all aspects necessary to have a successful sports franchise. We went from averaging 300 fans a game to over 500 by the end of the season. I was asked how we did this and the answer was that we had a proactive manifesto. The 1st rule of this manifesto was that we all agreed that we would share The N.Y. Liberty with everyone we came in contact with. We began to do extensive outreach to every media outlet, school, church group, synagogue group, volleyball organization. If there were people to talk volleyball to we were talking volleyball. We came up with a plan and worked proactively to implement that plan making adjustments along the way. We even had a TV contract to show the games on ESPN. 
As I sat down and read my Facebook Feed all I could think of was Kathy Griffin what were you thinking. Did you actually think this was funny. Did you think you would gain more fans and get more gigs? Obviously not. This got me to thinking how many times has a a business owner done something only to regret it in the end. It is a good thing that Kathy amassed a large amount of money over the years and doesn’t have to worry about much because she just dropped from The D List to The F list. I am sure there will be many who still go to her concerts and there will be those who support this as an expression of freedom of expression. It might as well be just that but it will definitely impact her future financial earnings as shows have been cancelled and she has been replaced as a host for CNN’s New Years’s Eve. Think of the actions you take and the potential consequences because every action you take will affect you either positively or negatively. In this case Kathy’s actions have had an adverse affect on her career.
If you are a frequent reader of this blog you know how deep my passion runs for helping those touched by cancer through my involvement with Relay For Life. I do my best to share Relay with as many people as I can especially businesses that can use cause marketing as a strategy to acquire customers and retain customers. I have partnered with many business like The Tijuana Flats in Tamarac, FL, The Chuck E. Cheese’s in Sunrise, and Skyline Chili in Sunrise, FL to do fundraisers and I have been very successful in bringing people to these establishments who normally would not have gone. As a result several of those involved in Relay have become regular customers at these establishments. I have had mush success with those who understand the importance of cause marketing. The key is to partner with a cause that you are passionate about and then leverage your involvement by mentioning it in advertising, through your social media, and in your media releases. The idea is that you never know who may come into your business because of your support of a cause.
I went to a McDonald’s located Nob Hill Road and Sunset Strip yesterday (4/1/2017) to seek support of Relay For Life and the manager told me you have to call the owner but didn’t have the owner’s number. I thought here is someone who is supposed to be looking out for the best interest of The McDonald’s franchise and should be astute enough to understand the importance of cause marketing. The interesting part of the interaction was that I was going to place and order but because of the manager’s attitude and lack of information to give me to contact the owner I left and went to SUBWAY and bought my meal there as they have supported Relay For Life. Think about it and do the math I would have sent about $8- $10 at McDonald’s but because of the manager’s lack of understanding of the importance of cause marketing another business received my business. The reason I share this with you is to show you that you must empower your managers to make some decisions when it comes to cause marketing because you may be leaving money on the table because of their lack of understanding the importance of cause marketing. $8-10 may not seek like a lot of money to be walking out the door but think about it how many people will see this story and not go to that McDonald’s and do you think I will be going back to patronize that location? 
Today’s entry is inspired by Walk Out On Cancer Day. I went to The Starbucks on University Drive North of Oakland Park Boulevard at 12 PM expecting many of my fellow Relay For Life Participants to join me in walking out on cancer, however it turned out I was the only one who showed up. I decided to walk out and collect donations. As a result I stopped into Hooters and The GM said I could collect in the restaurant so I did. This small change really got me to thinking about how many times you have to make changes and adapt to the situation at hand in you business life and personal life. In business things happen that we can not control thus we must be able to think outside the box and change on the fly. In every situation there is a positive solution if you think creatively as was the case was today. I wanted people to join me but they didn’t so I simply went an walked out on cancer on my own and found people to put donations into the collection canister. As I walked I stopped at local businesses along the way and gave them brochures some fundraising fliers. I began to implement my 3 foot rule where if someone was within 3 feet of me I spoke to them about what I was doing. This type of advertising and marketing led to many people making a $1 or $5 donation. It also led me to making a contact with a photographer and videographer that could utilize my talents as an emcee, voice over talent, or business coach. In aligning yourself with a charity you can open many doors to help your business. In being willing to change on the fly and adapt and overcome you will see that you have more success.