All You Need Is A Good Idea!

You want Feta with that?

There are some restaurant experiences we have all shared. The waiter tells you the daily specials, but omits the prices. Like the shrimp special that turns out to be ten dollars more than most of the listed entrees. (Forget about the problem of remembering what the first special was by the time the waiter gets to the fourth.)

Or, more subtly, when you order a salad, the server asks if you would like feta cheese with it. Now, here you probably assume that there is an additional cost, but you are not sure. And again, it is rarely pointed out.

One step in the right direction is what California Pizza kitchen does at their restaurants. Extras, such as avocado are listed, with prices, on the menu. So that even if the waiter doesn’t mention the cost, you have been made aware of the additional charge if you’ve looked at the menu before ordering. (On their website, they fall short. Order the Thai Crunch Salad, and the only mention at the end, after the description, is, add fresh avocado. Is there an extra cost? Not sure, because if you order the CPK Cobb Salad it tells you that fresh beets added upon request.

None of this is perhaps a big deal. But it is the total of all these small things that make a difference to the dining experience. The reservation person, the host desk, the waiter’s attitude, the unexpected costs, even the pace of the service.

And that’s my point to you. Whatever you are doing, do you get the details right? And are you transparent? Do you go out of your way to explain, in advance, the costs and timing associated with the customer’s purchase? Do you tell them you will be out of the office next Tuesday? That the Phufkel is way backordered? That a new model is coming out, and they really should wait.

Small details that make up the emotional experience will be remembered long after your customer has forgotten the main event.

What did you call me?

What name you give your business, your product or your service may make a bigger difference than you imagine. Some names have no inherent imagery. McDonalds or Starbucks could be the name for just about anything; they had to build a brand around the name to give it meaning.

Some names suggest what to expect, such as Bed, Bath and Beyond, or The Wickery.

Some names are so dreadful, there is a mad rush to change them as soon as possible. A classic recent example is the Patagonian toothfish, which looks as ugly as it sounds. But change the trade name to “Chilean sea bass” and you hook a lot more customers.

And “shampoo” is certainly better sounding than calling it what it actually is: hair soap.

And would you rush to a movie starring Allen Stewart Konigsberg, Thomas Mapother IV or Caryn Elaine Johnson as quickly as you would run to see Woody Allen, Tom Cruise or Whoopi Goldberg?

My latest favorite, which actually was the impetus for this blog, was a sign that I must have seen on various brass plaques in my neighborhood hundreds of times. For some reason, this time it caught my eye as I wondered what the heck it really was saying. It was sign for an office that offered “Plastic Surgery.” Think about it. Literally, does this mean they are offering to take nicks out of lucite? Or they will beautify old plastic tables? Hard to imagine that plastic surgery really means they will operate on your flesh and blood body.

So next time you have to name something…a new item you are featuring, a store, a blog…think about what you are really saying. And what your customers are really hearing.

Red Whine

“People fear the future, and now with the banking crisis, they are even more afraid.”

That cheerful thought came not from a small business owner here in Manhattan, or anywhere else in the States. It was from an article in the New York Times last Sunday, by Steven Erlanger. The subject was what’s going on in France’s bars and cafes, and it noted that bankruptcies filed by cafe bars in the first six months of 2008 rose by 56 percent over the prior year, hastened by the general financial crisis, a collapse in consumer confidence and the quick tightening of credit.

What are they going to do about it? For one thing, the Union representing the cafes has started a school for new cafe owners, “to try to teach them to find a niche.”  In other words, to discover a way to differentiate themselves, become more appealing even under difficult economic times, and in short, to find good ideas to entice customers to return.

It is somehow reassuring, as we go through our own business struggles, to realize that we are not globally alone in our efforts. And it is reassuring to me, as author of “All You Need Is A Good Idea!” to see the worldwide recognition of the importance of creative marketing ideas to build a business.

So as you cut your prices, drop more coupons, increase bargain specials… basically, doing everything your competition is doing…maybe increase your effort in looking for innovative ways to stand out. Be original, not me-too.

Me? I’m translating my book into French.

Watch Your Own Step

Saw a sign in the window of a small store near my office. It said, “Watch your step.” Okay, there must be a broken tread, a slippery spot or some other problem. Reasonable enough request. Then I noticed the sign they had put up next to that one. It said, “We check your purse before you leave the store.”

Suddenly “Watch your step” took on a whole other level of meaning. Though I am sure they did not mean it that way, when the two signs were read together, instead of being a polite notice of concern about a customer’s safety, “Watch your step” became a threatening warning concerning pilferage.

I am sure they have valid reasons for being concerned about disappearing inventory.  But I wonder how the majority of their customers, the honest ones, feel about seeing that sign, and if they want to have their purses inspected. I assume they would rather just go elsewhere.

Now, that is an extreme example, but are you doing things that are not customer friendly, perhaps without even realizing it? A curt phone manner, an attitude, a salesperson’s noticeable feeling that the customer is an interruption of a good conversation.

No matter what product you sell, no matter what business you are in, you are ultimately in the service business. So, watch your step.

It is not how big your budget is. It is how big your clever is.

I admire clever wherever I find it, and it has nothing to do with the size of the budget. It is just a fresh, different way of expressing a thought, that will help an organization stand out from the cliché crowd. It costs no more than being ordinary, and pays off much better. Three (little) examples:

1. H&M, a Swedish clothing chain new to America, had a sign in the window of their mid-town Fifth Avenue store: "No peeking. Our mannequins are getting dressed."
2. Sad, but clever. The homeless man on Seventh Avenue with the sign: "I'm like Obama. I  want change."
3. The small, minimal, scarcely big enough to be called a brochure group of pages listing some of the features of the new IPhone 3G (I am so happy!). As you know, it the new IPhone has a screen that you touch, pinch, and tap to utilize various features. What two words are on the cover? "Finger Tips."

If you smiled or nodded at any or all of the above-listed thoughts, then you know what you should be aiming for in your communications. Did Apple or H&M make one more sale because their message was a little different and unexpected? Probably not; after all it was just a sign in a window and the cover of a mini-brochure. I admit no one thing will do it. But the constant use of relevant and unexpected words, thoughts and graphics can add up to a big deal for your brand.
And I  am convinced that the street person with the sign did a lot better than he would have if his sign just said, "I am homeless."

I've Been Scalloped!

Very, very nice restaurant in New York. Three stars from the New York Times' Frank Bruni, the chief restaurant critic. Ambiance, service, food all way above average. Except...

When my wife ordered an appetizer and then the scallops, the waitress asked if she wanted the appetizer or entree portion. "What's the difference?" my wife asked. "Well, the appetizer portion only has two scallops,"  was the reply. So my wife opted for the entree portion. When it was served, I had to laugh. There on the plate, rather than the two scallops that would have rested there if it had been an appetizer, were three!

Granted, we did not ask how many were in the larger portion, nor did the server volunteer that information. And we made the old "assume"  mistake by assuming that if a smaller portion were two, then a larger portion would not just add one more of the item. And since, happily, I did not pay the check (thank you Jeff and Amanda) I do not know the price difference. But you know exactly how we felt.

Customer service, pricing, honesty. They're all part of your marketing. Honesty first, with no room for fudging or lack of full disclosure. If, in this very small example, you are going to inform me that you get two scallops as an appetizer, then be sure to tell me that as a main course you get three, and let me decide if one more is worth whatever per cent the additional cost is. Don't require me to inquire on my own; give me complete information.

Put a positive spin on anything you are selling, product or service. But don't  rely on asterisks, real or implied, to take away what your headline offers.

Double Take

There is a movie coming out July 25, called Step Brothers. It stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, and I have no idea if it is any good. But I do know they did something very clever with an Urban Panel. These are the advertisements you see in New York above the entrances to subway stations. The traditional ones were simply posters. The new-fangled ones add movement and look like short commercials.

Saw one for Step Brothers the other day, which looked very much like the print ad to the left. There were Will and John, blue shirts, sleeveless argyle sweaters, staring off into space. Will had his hands clasped together on John's shoulder. So far, so normal, looking like a typical static movie ad poster.

But after about four seconds, very, very slowly and casually, without changing his expression, Will moved his hand up and stuck a finger into John's ear. John reacted, and Will put his hand down again. They then held the original pose, again looking like a poster, and the cycle began again.

I loved it! It was subtle, unexpected, surprisIng, and took the risk that no one would even notice. And it told more about the brother's relationship in the movie than tons of copy would have accomplished.

There is a temptation, when you are paying for something, to use as much of it as possible. Paying for motion on an Urban Panel? Heck, keep it moving the whole time. Paying for orange ink on your brochure cover? Heck, make all the type orange, headline as well as the text.

Resist the temptation. When you use something everywhere, it is the same as using it nowhere.

Sign me Up

Saw a sign for a landscape design, installation and maintenance company:

Holly, Wood and Vine

If that doesn't make you smile, you are visiting the wrong blog.

Clichés Are

Saw a local steakhouse advertisement in Manhattan. Had the name of the restaurant, an image of a sliced steak, and the headline: A Cut Above The Rest.

You could have written that, right? Or,"Great, no matter how you slice it."  "Try a little tenderness." Or even, "Meat me at Name of Restaurant." And they would be serviceable. But you can — and should — do better. One of my favorites is Smith and Wollensky's "Horrifying Vegetarians Since 1997," usually accompanied by a shot of a serrated steak knife that looks like it is ready to do battle.

Spend some time looking for the combination of words and graphics that will make you stand out from your competition. If you can't find them, you have just lost a little time. But when you do find the good idea, you have gained a long term competitive edge. Not a bad incentive.

(Oh, and there  is no word missing in the title. It is invisible.)

Jonathan Made Me Smile

There is a furniture store on Madison Avenue and 83rd Street in Manhattan. It is named Jonathan Adler and has a wonderful assortment of unusual pillows, lighting, furniture, rugs and curiosities. What first caught my eye, though, was the sign in a window. It was labeled "Our Manifesto," and had such great thoughts as

• We believe that when it comes to decorating, the wife is always right. Unless the husband is gay.
• We believe colors can't clash.
• We believe celebrities should pay full price.
• We believe our lamps will make you look younger and thinner.

In fact, everything in the store and on their website seemed to be put together by an individual, not a corporation. And the individual seemed to have a very personal viewpoint, charmingly expressed.

Now, it is interesting that despite all this, I have never purchased anything from his store. But it is well worth noting that I keep wanting to. So consider me a loyal future customer.

Point is, you will not always make a sale the first time, or with the first phone call. But if you can get people to relish your message, you are more likely to sell them sooner or later.