Author and Public Speaker, Randy Clay's Super Quick Lessons for business building resources and small business information.
It's NOT Their Fault!
There is one thing that I can barely stand hearing new or potential customers say. It's the phrase, "We didn't even know you were here." Now, who's fault is that? I came to realize it wasn't their fault they didn't know I existed, it was mine. My simple definition for marketing is using the best way possible to figure out what people want and then using the best way possible to let them know you're on the planet.
The first book I ever read on marketing was given to me from a local university professor. The title was 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, with a subtitle that read Violate Them at Your Own Risk. It was my type of book, 140 pages that are short, sweet, and to the point. The first 2 laws basically reprogrammed my philosophy about marketing my business. The first law is, "The Law of Leadership - It's better to be first that it is to be better." The authors demonstrated the law of leadership by asking 2 questions: 1) "What's the name of the first person to fly the Atlantic Ocean Solo? Charles Lindbergh, Right?" 2) "What's the name of the second person to fly the Atlantic Ocean Solo?"
I had no idea. According to history his name is Bert Hinkler. They say that Hinkler was not only a better pilot than Lindbergh, but his flight took less time and consumed less fuel. The comparison to business was that most people go into business to compete, not to dominate. Unfortunately, the majority of small businesses are destined to the arena of competition. When I finally found my niche in 1988, I realized I wasn't the only manufacturer of safety signs in the world. I also came to the realization that the leaders of the safety sign race had a 100 year head start.
Getting into the market was really a stroke of divine intervention. I had originally started my screenprinting business to print radio station bumper stickers. Big quantities and advertising on the back that paid for the printing, what a deal! Unfortunately, I was late getting into that market, also. Every time I thought I had a customer, they started playing the "nickel game". Here's how it's played. Let's say I would submit a quote to print 20,000 bumper stickers at .075 cents each. The potential radio station would say, "Wow that sounds great! Give us a couple of days and we'll fax over a purchase order." Instead of receiving a purchase order I received a phone call that started out with, "We found a company that will do the order for .07 cents each, can you do them for .065 cents each?" After a couple of years of playing that game I was worn out and nearly broke.
One day, in the midst of market dreaming, a man with the title of Safety Director came in to my shop. He worked for a major oil drilling company and in his hand was a 10" by 14" metal sign.
He asked me if I could print him a few of the same design and layout on self-sticking vinyl, which is the technical name for bumper sticker material. I answered, "Sure how many do you need?" "Just a few dozen to start with", he said.
That day was the start, of not only a great friendship, but a love for an industry that has taken very good care of me.
Like most small businesses, I didn't have the financial resources to do major market research to find all the demographics of potential buyers and the other high tech information gathering.
I simply made the assumption that if one safety director was looking for a great company to make safety signs for their drilling operations, there had to be other companies that had the same needs but didn't know I was even in existence.
I still have that metal sign in my office to remind me that you never know where the next big opportunity is going to come from.