mmmBot (formerly Dhaval in a Box) is marketing management & consulting for small businesses. Our goal is to provide you a better way to showcase your services and products to the audience.
mmmBot analyzes your goals and aligns the appropriate marketing plan thereafter. Sound good?
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I went into Starbucks recently with a Dunkin’ Donuts cup. I went to purchase their oatmeal which I only will eat if I’ve forgotten to bring my own freshly prepared steel cut oats at home.
The woman behind the counter presented me with a brown paper bag of Starbucks and urged me to hide my Dunkin’ Donuts coffee inside. I said “Why? I’m proud of having this coffee. I’m a coffee drinker and can appreciate the subtle differences between every brand and type of brew.”
She did not comprehend this and continued to try and convince me of the superiority of the Starbucks size, price and quality. While this effort was great on her part, I knew that this is the difference between national brands and locals.
Joe the Art of Coffee is a mini-chain with a lot of mainstream locations in NYC. However, whenever a new mom & pop coffee shop opens up, JOE makes it a point to urge their readers to try out the new joint.
Is this over-confidence in their own roast and ways? Absolutely not. It is quite likely that one of their regulars will prefer the new coffee, but guess what? By providing this information; they will ensure the loyalty of their regulars. They know that espresso drinkers enjoy the taste of espresso and the finer points of different blends and the masterful hands of different baristas. By embracing the competition; they create a culture of supporting local businesses, being open to new experiences, and overall building a trust with their customer base.
Never try to oversell the concept. Allow the customer to experience your products & services and try out others. Let them enjoy everything and guess what? If they like yours better, or gain your trust, they will continue coming back to you and spread the wealth to your competition on occasion.
Is that really that bad? I think not.
I’m giving away ideas at this point. Why not have an essence/perfume/cologne for children and adults alike that smells like fresh popcorn being popped.
The packaging and co-marketing opportunities are endless.
Think about it. It’s brilliant!
Seth Godin’s post about “confusion” nails it on the head. People buy because they think the product or service will bring them happiness or as he puts it, peace of mind.
But in reality, it’s what’s inside individuals that’s causing them to root for your product.
I’ll take it even further. Twitter is a perfectly good example of this notion. What does Twitter do? It gives each person their chance at 15 minutes of fame. The more followers you have, the better you’re doing. Then you have those “indie” minded Tweeters (?) who want only a small following.
And lastly you have the journalists who love to report on everything others do and they do to whomever is ready to listen.
Really, Twitter is solving issues that are caused by the lack of love, attention and nurturing…and also fulfilling large egos worldwide.
That’s my take. What do you think?
July 4th weekend is one of those where you don’t know whether or not you should close your business.
If you’re a motel owner the clear answer is do not close. You will have tons of tourists coming your way, no matter where you’re located. Everyone gets away for the weekend.
But what if you run a niche retail shop such as a vegan ice cream shop in the hip part of town in NYC. Well, if it’s your first year in business, my suggestion would be to stay open and feel it out.
Stay open this year and if business isn’t unusually high, then next year, take this time to relax and enjoy the holiday.
They stopped selling food items, they aspired to something greater, they were threatened to evacuate the building in which they conduct business by the corrupt mayor. But their perseverence has helped these “chicas bravas” (tough girls) to earn a decent living and continue breaking barriers.
Listen to the full story (download and scrub to 9:55)
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What if I wrote a book with a single thought, a single paragraph on a single page. Would you buy it?
