Bigger Than I Thought

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Little By Little

Hey, first off, Happy Thursday. The week is flying here. I just want to say, when I wrote the LittleBigStuff post yesterday I knew I could relate to it, but apparently so can a lot of others. What I didn't expect to see were some of the stories about small things that had made an impact on you.  

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I even received comments via email and convos on etsy. And let me tell you, there were some really good things that came from the 'little' things and some not so good.

Celia from High Heeled Life & the Country (and if you haven't visited her blog, I highly recommend it - her story is inspiring) commented: When I was in corporate I would always send a handwritten thank you note both to clients when they made a purchase and also when we didn't get a contract (to say thank you for the opportunity, and though we were not able to be of help at this time, should they require anything in the future, I be happy to be of help.) - Our contracts ranged from thousands to million dollar ones. What I always found interesting, was at conferences, when I ran into many of the people they would mention the note they received and how they appreciated it. Also, some contracts we did not win, the clients ended up working with us on other projects (and noted that it made a difference to having had received my 'Thank you for the opportunity' ...noting that the supplier awarded the contract...... hadn't even bothered to thank them for the business)."

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Another story relayed to me yesterday was of a about-to-be-first-time grandmother who is throwing her daughter a shower this weekend and still hasn't heard from numerous invitees. The real problem being that this grandmother-to-be, a talented artist, is preparing special party favors for each guest and has no idea how many to make. Guess some people might just miss out.

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Mercantile Muse follower and etsy shop owner Leslie from 925Maille, shared this story: I recall stopping by a small, unique shop some years ago and was pleasantly surprised to see that the dishes I had been collecting were "on sale." I gathered my purchases and took them to the counter. When I questioned the amount that was rung up and pointed out the 'Sale' sign the owner turned quite rude. She did give me the sale price but it was such an uncomfortable situation that I never shopped there again. They're no longer in business...I try to take it to heart that people are spending their hard-earned money when they buy from me and they deserve to be treated well!"

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Suffice it to say, I think we all need to pay more attention to the little things. I'm going to work on something small that will have big impact to include in my packages. That way my customers will get two surprises, instead of one. I already have an idea of what I want to do....something my customers can pass on to make someone else's day. It's bound to have even more impact, don't you think?

I'll end with these words from Kate of StorytellersVintage:

"On the personal side, I think it's so important to:

stop and smell the flowers,
gaze up at the sky,
laugh and smile with friends,
and take a deep breath every once in a while..."

Since it's warmer than heck out today, I plan on doing just that before the end of the day. What little things are you doing today that will have big impact?

Peace out. See you on the flip side.

LittleBigStuff

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They DO Add Up

In this edition of Work It Wednesday, I'd like you to think about the little things and how they affect your business.  (Remember, I've said it before, a lot of the stuff from Work It Wednesday can be applied to life in general).

Do you pay attention to the little things? Or do you think 'little' things won't make a difference? Do you subscribe to the belief that you need to make a 'big' splash to get noticed and be successful?

Personally, I am a big proponent of 'little' things. I think it's the little things, that are often overlooked, that give us the biggest bang for our buck and make the most impact.

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What little things am I talking about? Well, these are just some of the little things that I do, that I believe make a difference and helps to set me apart from others:

• letting a customer know that you've received their order
• thanking a customer for visiting your store
• writing a personal note to go along with a product shipment 
• offering a 'thank you discount' to people who have purchased something from you
• including 'something' extra in a product shipment, that a customer is not expecting (think--- blue dinosaur) with their purchase
• sending a link along to another shop owner I know, that I think they'd be interested in
• saying thanks to those who take the time to include our shop in a treasury
• paying it forward by sponsoring giveaways, not just here on Mercantile Muse, but on other blogs to give them a helping hand
• package my product thoughtfully and include our logo on each thing that leaves my little office/studio

That's just for starters. What? You're not convinced that these things make a difference? Consider this:

"If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in the dark with a mosquito." -unknown

The little guy, that's you and me, can be effective,when we use our 'littleness' to our advantage and employ all the things we have at our command. Some of the easiest, and least expensive marketing tools you've got are your very own 'little things'.

Lessons To Be Learned From The 'Hangry' Pillow

Remember the 'hangry' pillow I featured last week, from the etsy shop mybeardedpigeon?

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As I do with any post where I feature a fellow etsy shop owner, I sent a message to each one that I had included in my favorite finds that day.  Most people usually respond with some kind of thanks, which is nice. On more than one occasion however, some shops who could probably do with some more sales, have not responded. Not at all. Not with 'I'll check it out', or 'thanks so much', or 'hey that made my day'. With nothing. Nada. Zippo.  What's interesting is, on more than one occasion, a successful shop owner that I've featured, one whose shop is rocking and rolling, has taken the time to say even more than thanks.

Case in point, Cath, from mybeardedpigeon who sent this nice note:

"Thank you so much for the lovely feature on your blog. My daughter says to me mum you need to eat something... you are HANGRY. Before I made this a cushion I didn't know anyone else who got HANGRY, seems to be a lot of us.

Now off you go and eat something!

Kindly
Cath"

See, the thing about this note is that it made me stop and think. Here's this woman over in New South Wales, Australia, a world away from me and who has had close to 1700 sales since March of 2010, who still managed to take to time to say thanks and make a personal connection.

Then I thought to myself, hhhhmmmm, I may have read something by Cath before and if I remember what she wrote correctly, she is doing exactly what she advised others to do. 

A few messages back and forth between us and we figured out that I had read some of her thoughts on Epheriell Designs, Jess Van Diem's blog. I think you should read it (btw, if you don't subscribe to Jess's blog, you should do that too).  It's all about doing the little things and how doing those things made a difference to her etsy business. (Don't miss what Cath has to say about marketing your product. She is really tuned into what makes her product unique and how that helps her market her product, something we've been discussing on Work It Wednesdays).

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Now, before you dismiss the little things and decide they aren't what will make a difference to your business, think long and hard. When was the last time you did business with someone who went above and beyond what you expected and how did that make you feel? Pet Peeve Alert: What about the last time you walked into a store and the clerk, who may have even been the owner, didn't even acknowledge you? How that made you feel? Personally, I choose to spend my hard earned money when and where I feel appreciated, not when I am made to feel like I don't matter.   

To hit the point home about little things, check out this great story about LaCoste on Jim Joseph's blog The Experience Effect, which also addresses how little things make a difference. Please note the name of Jim's blog......because whether you're selling and product or a service, it's all about the 'experience you create' for your customers.

What little things do you do to set your business apart? What experiences have you had as a customer that proved to you that little things make a difference? What new 'little things' do you think you can employ to make your business stand out from the crowd?

I encourage you to share in the comments so we can all help each other learn and grow. That's what it's all about here on Work it Wednesday.

See you on the flip side,



A Proposition For You

It’s time for another round of Work It Wednesday. It’s the business side of Mercantile Muse where I share 18+ years of experience as the owner of Speakeasy, an advertising/PR/marketing firm that specializes in working with small businesses.

Marketing 101: Part 3/Your Unique Selling Proposition

Hi guys. Last week I talked about your Unique Product Benefit and how to define your UPB.  I stressed that this was an important step in the process of marketing and growing your business because it lays the foundation for establishing your Unique Selling Proposition. If you missed it, you can read it here.

What’s so important about your Unique Product Benefit and your Unique Selling Proposition? These two things will help you determine your ‘edge’. They will help you convince people to buy from you.  They will help you zero in on your uniqueness and what that means to your customers and potential customers.

Let’s consider some basics and we’ll use pizza as an example.

You make pizza. 

So what? There is a pizza shop on every corner.

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What’s your unique product benefit? You make pizza with all natural ingredients that are sourced within a 50 mile radius, making it the freshest pizza you can get.

How do you translate that to your Unique Selling Proposition? First and foremost, don’t try to sell yourself based on your competition’s benefits (I.e. we’ll have a pizza to your door in 15 minutes or it’s free).  Worry about your own benefits.

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Consider the top benefits that your product/service offers to your customers.

·        Locally sourced, fresh ingredients

·        Natural ingredients without chemicals you can’t pronounce

·        Full flavor that comes from using fresh ingredients

·        Just about everyone loves pizza

·        They don’t have to cook to feed their families a fresh meal

Then write down why the benefits you offer are important to your target market (customer and potential customers).

• They care about where their food comes from.
• They care about what their family’s health and what they’re putting into family’s bellies.
• They’re busy, but still want to feed their family a meal that tastes good and is good for them.

Now, think about how your Unique Selling Proposition can shine a light on your Unique Product Benefit and communicate it in such a way that it makes it obvious why someone should by from you. Remember, you’re trying to boil  all those benefits down to one sentence the really reflects what your business is all about; what makes you unique; and why someone should buy from you instead of your competition.

The Unique Product Benefit of the pizza being made with natural, organic locally sourced ingredients may translate into a Unique Selling Proposition like this:

“Farm-fresh, wholesome flavor is our customers’ favorite topping.”

Or

“Farm-fresh, wholesome goodness everyone loves, from our pizza oven to your table.”

Don’t try to sell yourself based on your competition’s benefits (i.e. we’ll have a pizza to your door in 15 minutes or it’s free).  Every business is different and that’s what you need to focus on. Sure, you can consider your competition, but simply to recognize what you aren’t.

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In the end, your customers and potential customers are going to buy from you because of your benefits. Succcinctly stating this in your Unique Selling Proposition will make the reasons to buy from you apparent and hard to ignore.

One last thing, be truthful to yourself in the assessment of your Unique Product Benefit and in the creation of your Unique Selling Proposition. If you can't deliver what you promise, what's the point?

If you'd like to share your Unique Selling Proposition, and how you arrived at it, please feel free to do so in the comments. I'd love to see how you're all working this out for yourselves.

(If you would like to share this information in any way, other than a link back to this original post, please be sure you contact me for permission. Thank you. ©Pamela J. Bates)

Sunset Meadows

I was lucky enough to skeedattle away from my desk a few minutes early yesterday. Lucan and I were off to the field for a walk.  We both needed it and the sunset was nice enough to to acknowledge us with wink and a smile as we headed home.



Work It Wednesday & The Snow Moon

Knowing that a lot of Mercantile Muse followers are also small business owners, Work it Wednesday is a way for me to share my experience as the owner and operator of my own Advertising/Public Relations/Marketing firm, Speakeasy, for nearly 18 years.  Those of you who aren’t business owners will find that a lot of Work It Wednesday information can be applied to you as an individual whether you’re trying to get a new job, negotiate a raise, pitch your project at work, trying to land a big contract. I’m sure a lot could be applied to situations on the home front as well, it’s just in the way you look at it.

Marketing 101, Part 2: Your Unique Product Benefit

Let’s be clear. Really clear. This is about you being able to understand and effectively communicate about what you sell and why people should buy from you; buy specifically from YOU.

It’s easy to say: “I sell romantic jewelry that I create with my own hands" or "I sell vintage housewares".  Here's an important point to let percolate........so do a lot of other people.

As you work at marketing your business, you need to consider what sets your product or service apart; what makes it stand out from the crowd.

The result of establishing ‘that special thing that you offer and no one else does in quite-the-same-way’, is referred to as a Unique Selling Proposition. However, that might be putting the cart before the horse. Before you can create a Unique Selling Proposition, you need to determine what the unique benefit that your product/service provides to your customers.

Let’s start at square one so you can figure out your Unique Product Benefit. Ask yourself a few questions:

*What is your product or service?

*What background do you have that adds value to your product?

*What does your product do for your customers?

*What is your product’s Unique Product Benefit?

Still not sure how to answer the above questions? Think about this example:

*What is your product or service?

Example: TUMS©, an antacid.

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*What does your product do for your customers?

Example: It stops acid indigestion.

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*What background (credentials, experience, awards, schooling, etc.) do you have that adds value to your product?

Example: TUMS© is formulated by scientists and doctors ( I don’t really know this, I’m just using as an example- though I hope it’s true.)

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*What is your product’s Unique Product Benefit?

Example: It relieves discomfort making people feel better…. fast.

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Does that make it clearer? 

Once you establish your Unique Product Benefit, you can move onto creating a Unique Selling Proposition which I’ll discuss next week. The Unique Selling Proposition is important to the marketing of your product or service because most of us aren’t in this ‘just for the fun of it’ (though that’s a nice bonus), but rather because we’re business owners who want to succeed and turn a profit. 

You are more than welcome to share your work on your Unique Product Benefit in the comments section. I think it would help everyone fine tune their UPB, as well as learn from each other.

(If you'd like to share this information in anyway, you may do so with proper credit to me and a link back to this post. Thank you. ©Pamela J. Bates)

The Beautiful Snow Moon

I did get away from my desk yesterday afternoon for another walk with the dog. I admit it, I had hopes that the Snow Moon would rise the way it had the day before. It just wasn't to be, but when I got up this morning and looked out my West window, there it was as big, bright and as orange as the sun.

Pajama girl scurried for her camera, slapped a coat and mittens on and went across to the field. I'll just tell you, I couldn't get the shot I wanted. Settings were off, need a tripod, it was freezing.......obviously there were numerous reasons. Regardless, it was awesome and these pictures don't even come close to capturing it. 

I'm including this really blurry one, just to give you a better idea of what it really looked like. Huge and amazing. 

Did anyone else see it this morning?

All for now.

See you on the flip side,