SAY ANYTHING

This started as a comment for Chris Brogan’s latest blog, titled “Become the Buyer”, but it quickly got too wordy for the comment section. If you haven’t read his post yet, click here…it will give you the background for this post.

First, let me start by saying “I don’t know Chris personally.” I’ve read his books and subscribed to his blog(s). I’ve followed him on Twitter. I think I even “became a fan of” his Trust Agents Facebook page.

Chris has (indirectly) been a part of my business education for quite some time now. As a result, I have formed a mental image and profile based on everything he has publicly shared. My “view” of Chris may be skewed, and I acknowledge that fact. But, sometimes you just have to work with what you’ve been given.

Most of the time, I think Chris gives pretty sage advice. Social media marketing is Chris’ wheelhouse. He’s also pretty relevant when he talks about the human side of business. When Chris shares insight on those subjects, he does it superbly.

His latest post was focused on SELLING, and trying to get into the head of the transactional buyer. As a result, his post (while well written) may not be the best source of sales information or sales strategy.

In his post, Chris states, “my 'buyer' is a very diverse crowd, ranging from Fortune 10 companies to mom and pop companies.” He further goes on to say, “Unless you’re selling a simple transactional product or service, something that’s throwaway, then it’s vital that you become the buyer.”

First, Chris has established himself as a social media industry leader. He’s written best selling books on the subject. He’s been a featured speaker at events all over the world. He is a contributing writer to various nationally published magazines. And, he owns and operates several businesses within the social media industry.

His “buyer” already knows what Chris is selling…advice and services related to social media. His “success” isn’t from getting into the head of his buyer. His success is from continuously reminding buyers (potential and actual) of the “benefits” he offers.

I would challenge his argument that you have to “become the buyer” by offering that you have to “know who and what your company is from a fundamental standpoint” and you need to “sell your company on the benefits of your products and/or service.”

What makes you, your products, services, or company different from the competition? And why, as a consumer/buyer should I spend my money with you instead of XYZ company?

I have spent my career working on answers to those two questions. Not surprisingly, when we have developed a clear and concise message that allows potential consumers to know who (and what) we are, and how our products can benefit them, we have seen enormous success. When the message is confusing and complicated, usually the path to success is too.

Developing a clear, concise and simple message is no easy task. It takes continuous work, evaluating responses on a regular basis and making changes when necessary.

It’s good to try and put yourself into your buyer’s position, to try and think of how best to get your message across. But, you cannot fall into the trap of selling “you” on your own message.

Too often we become so familiar with our marketing messages that we make assumptions and overlook obvious errors…especially when the message we’ve developed isn’t a simple message.

Simple. Consistent. If you want to break down a successful marketing strategy into two words…those two would be my pick.

Chris, if you’re reading this, let me thank you for your original post. There is no “set” answer for a successful marketing campaign, and I am sure your ideas/strategy work for your set of circumstances. But, I would challenge you to try and approach it a little differently.

Instead of trying to figure out what is happening in your buyer’s mind, focus on the benefits your product/service offer. What makes “you” unique versus your competition? Then go out and sell that uniqueness. If your message is clear, you might notice something interesting…pricing will very quickly become a non-issue, or at the very least a minor issue.

Obviously, this is based on my personal experience over a number of years. Your results may vary, and you may completely disagree with me…regardless, thanks for reading this far.

Bonus Question:

The 1989 movie, “Say Anything”, had one of my ALL-TIME favorite lines…John Cusack’s character (Lloyd Dobler) offers up, “I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that.”

Who wrote and directed the movie?

Not sure? Click here for the answer.

THE ZERO EFFECT

The other day I got into a discussion with a good friend of mine about the difference between “making an effort” and the focus on “getting results”. While we weren’t talking about business, the conversation did get me thinking that way.

Personally, I am a results-driven individual. I set goals. I make the necessary effort to accomplish those goals. But, I measure success (business success) by results, not by simply "putting in my time".

I know you can’t achieve results if you don’t make an effort. And, I applaud effort. But effort, without quantifiable results, seems like…well, wasted effort.

For example, let’s say your job is to secure 10 new placements a week. You make the necessary efforts to secure those new placements. At the end of the week, regardless of your efforts, you only make 2 new placements. Can you consider yourself a success?

I think not.

My friend tried to convince me that the “effort” is the important part. I believe the exact words were, “if you focus on the efforts, the results will happen.”

I’m sorry, but I don’t buy this argument. Instead, I believe “effort" without the desired result is…well, hope.

If you focus solely on the effort, without any thought to the results, you are wasting your time. You need to show effort, but that effort has to achieve some result. If the efforts you make are not achieving the desired results, change your efforts.

As someone much smarter than myself once told me, “Effort is the process. If the process is flawed, or if your industry is dynamic, requiring constantly changing processes, you need to focus on results. It’s the results that pay the bills, not the process.”

What do you think? Are the efforts made, more important than the results achieved?

Bonus Question:

I was not a big fan of Bill Pullman, until I saw him in the movie, Zero Effect. His character Darryl Zero, an eccentric (to say the least) investigator is hired by Gregory Stark (played by Ryan O’Neal) to find what object? And, where did he eventually find said object?

(Never saw the movie, or can’t remember? Don’t worry. Click here for the answers…)

IT'S A CLEANSING MOMENT OF CLARITY

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet with several chain restaurant operators recently. IFMA (International Foodservice Manufacturers Association) puts on an annual event called COEX (Chain Operators EXchange Forum).

COEX is a great way to meet and network with lots of industry personnel. Whether or not you successfully pitch a product, the chance to start a dialog and have a conversation with someone (not just a company), is worth the price of admission.

Of course there are the Keynote speakers, the white paper discussions, the industry panel discussions and an awards ceremony, but the real value of COEX (for me) was getting to talk with other manufacturers and operators about the industry.

The foodservice industry faces several large, looming obstacles. Ever increasing requirements under “Food Safety” have several manufacturers scrambling to hire new personnel just to handle the required paperwork.

On the operator side of the industry, new menu disclosure requirements, including caloric content and sodium levels, threaten to disrupt a chef’s creative ability in the kitchen. Instead of creating dishes based on overall taste, or flavor integration, chef’s stand to be limited to certain calorie ranges and sodium content. To me, this is just plain silly…anyone who’s ever cooked knows that salt (whether for good or bad) just makes stuff taste BETTER.

Another hot topic of discussion was the use of social media in our industry. If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you know that I could talk for HOURS about why the foodservice manufacturing industry should embrace social media more than it has to date.

Operators, for the most part, have figured out social media. Better said, operators have figured out that “investing” in a social media marketing campaign is a relatively inexpensive way to reach and connect with your customers. More than once, I heard one operator ask another about Groupon…was it a worthwhile campaign. Not being an operator, or someone who has used Groupon to try and “sell” anything, I can’t personally attest to the effectiveness of a Groupon campaign. What I can say is, after hearing some of the stories being told, I would never utilize them as part of my overall social media marketing strategy.

Over the course of a few days, I got to talk to some great restaurant operators. As my travels allow, I will be dining in their establishments. Why? Because thru the art of communication, I now feel connected to them on a personal level. It has nothing to do with a supplier/purchaser relationship. We talked; we shared stories; we started a “relationship.”

This industry, like most businesses, is about relationships. And relationships can only be formed if you take the time to talk to someone. In a recent post, Seth Godin talked about attending the TED conference and not remembering a single presentation. The reason why? He didn’t attend any. His most memorable moments were the one-on-one conversations with people. (Want to read his entire post, click here)

For me, COEX (like other industry trade events) is about the conversations that take place during the beverage breaks, at lunch, or even during the cocktail hour. These chats can foster new relationships and strengthen existing ones. They allow you to connect with other individuals without the 140-character limit of Twitter or text messages.

Unlike Seth, I am not suggesting you skip the speeches, seminars or break out sessions. The speakers and panelists are sharing some important information, and even if you only glean a few salient points, this “insider” information could help your organization save (or earn) money…usually far more money than the cost of the event.

The foodservice industry is not the social media industry.

There are several foodservice “experts” who can legitimately claim the title of expert. The information they share during their presentations may not change the face of my business, but I have learned from their insight.

For example, Jon Luther (Dunkin Brands), at an IFMA President’s Conference, shared personal insight on rebuilding a brand…taking Dunkin’ Donuts from “It’s time to make the donuts” to “America runs on Dunkin’”. We don’t have the budget he had, but we face a lot of the same issues. I took away some great ideas from his speech, but more importantly it gave me an opportunity to approach him and talk to him one-on-one afterwards.

Do I hold any aspirations that Mr. Luther remembers me? No. But not only do I remember him, I learned from his experience and knowledge. I can’t say I started a “relationship” with him, but I am inclined to frequent his stores more often.

I guess my point is, regardless of your industry, take advantage of the industry conferences and use the networking time to do just that…network.

BONUS QUESTION:

What 1976 movie featured Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Robert Duvall, and Ned Beatty? Hint: The blog title is taken from one of the movie's useless quotes. This should be a gimme, but if not…click here for the answer.