Archive for August 2010
A Lesson From Disney: When a Customer Doesn’t Like a Rule, Turn It Around
Posted August 17, 2010
on:When you live in SoCal, have a Disneyland season pass, and go to Disneyland as often as I do, you begin to notice things. You might have just read that book about all the hidden Mickeys, or you might just be an observant person. Either way, you notice things. For example, you might notice that Disney does not sell gum at its parks.
I’d imagine Disney’s customers would not be too happy if Disney made a no bubble gum rule, a rule that would likely be impossible to enforce. So, instead of making its customers irritated, Disneyland Resort turned it around into an implied rule instead of a stated rule. Disney does not sell gum in its parks, but it doesn’t make it illegal either. This keeps customers happy. It keeps the park clean, but allows customers, hopefully the more responsible customers, to bring their own gum.
How do you keep your customers happy? What do you do to sweeten the seemingly negative things?
Intro: 4 Types of Business Stars
Posted August 13, 2010
on:Star light, star bright
First star I see tonight
I wish I may
I wish I might…
Make my business the brightest tonight!
I’ve been trying to think of a blog title for a while now. Last night, I went star gazing with my dad. I always do my best thinking when I’m in a relaxed state, and as I lay there looking at the stars, waiting for meteors to fly across the sky, it hit me that the marketing business is much like the Universe. There are so many stars out there, so many businesses to compete for the customer’s attention.
There are 4 types of businesses/stars in this analogy:
- The little-known business that ignores trends, stays boring, and refuses to make itself known is like a star in the Universe that can’t be seen from Earth.
- Some businesses are like the meteors in the sky. They come extremely bright, but go by extremely fast. The excitement doesn’t last long, and in reality, the meteor is a small grain of sand.
- Other businesses are like one of the smaller stars in the sky, shining brightly, clearly visible, but not attracting much attention.
- You want your business to be the brightest star of all. Even better, you want your star to either stand out like the North Star or to be a part of a constellation that makes it more recognizable.
If you want your star business to stand out, you need to pick up on the latest marketing/PR trends and use them to your advantage. Connect to other people, network with other businesses, and create a constellation of resources that will make you last longer than any other business.
It’s my hope that this blog will help you make your business into the brightest star. I know it’s something I constantly aspire to. Let’s learn together. Let’s go stargazing!
Looking forward to getting to know you,
Harmony Wheeler