Lesson from a one-legged stool
t age five, I was
enrolled in a boarding school in West Africa along with 350
other youngsters. That’s a lot of kids. Just imagine the
discipline challenge this situation presented. Because we far
outnumbered those in charge, it was necessary to impose very
strict rules just to maintain order.
The rules, of course, were there to be
obeyed… to the letter. And whenever they weren’t,
those in authority were duty-bound to demonstrate their clout.
Unfortunately, I happened to transgress
often. Quite often, as a matter of fact. But as I look back
over those years, I’m amazed at how creatively my
houseparents and teachers
administered correction. At least,
sometimes.
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For example, I remember being made to sit
on a one-legged stool. It was a punishment similar to standing
in the corner but it was far more challenging. You had to keep
your wits about you in order to maintain your balance because
if your mind wandered or if you happened to be on a slick spot
of concrete, the stool would slip out and you would crash to
the floor. The landing was always unpleasant, but it never hurt
as much as the ridicule of your fellow classmates. So the idea
was to stay atop the stool.
The idea behind the one-legged stool was
to let the mischief maker know that he or she was in a very
shaky position. Also, if a good lesson was not derived from the
one-legged stool... things would get more intense and the
punishment would become even more severe.
Actually, the one-legged stool of my
childhood very clearly illustrates the dangerous situation many
businesses happen to be in with regard to marketing.
It could be said that many businesses are
balanced unsteadily on a one-legged stool. They continue to
rely on only one marketing strategy in order to sustain their
business. And as long as that one method remains healthy, the
business keeps plugging along. But what happens if that method
fails and the only leg they have slips out from under the
business?
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• Have you ever run a promotional
program?
• Do you place regular ads in the
local paper or shopper?
• Have you ever used a direct mail
program?
• Have you ever used a premium?
• Do you have a referral system in
place?
• Are you promoting your business
through public relations?
• Do you use window signs?
• Have you tried telemarketing?
In fact, what we are really asking is...
“How many legs are there on your marketing
stool?”
It might surprise you to know that many
drycleaners are balanced dangerously on one leg. In fact, some
don’t promote their businesses at all. What’s even
more surprising is the fact that it really doesn’t seem
to bother them in the least that their marketing is at best
shakey or even non-existent.
There are those cleaners who do newspaper
ads on a regular basis. Others choose the yellow pages from
year to year. A few may even have a direct mail program in
place, but hardly any would think to use three or even more
means of promotion.
They don’t realize that adding
additional legs not only makes their situation more secure...
but also adds greatly to the profit picture.
In order to be safe and strong, your
marketing stool should have at least three legs Why? Because
there are three ways and only three ways to profitably grow
your business:
1. Increase
the number of customers you have.
2. Increase
the size of order each customer brings you three.
3. Increase
the number of visits each customer makes.
Just exactly how you choose to accomplish
these tasks will determine how creative you are.
There are many ways to get new
customers... many ways to increase the size of an order and
many ways to increase the frequency of customer visits.
In future articles, we will look at
concepts such as gaining credibility, forming joint ventures,
reversing risk, establishing referral systems, using host
endorsed mailings and more. Meanwhile, consider your own
situation. From a marketing standpoint, how stable is your
business?
Bill Bishop has been a consultant with the
Golomb Group for the past 12 years, designing marketing and
promotional programs for drycleaners. He can be reached at the
Golomb Group at (800) 679-5856 or by e-mail at billbishop@golombgroup.com.
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