In this last episode, there’s a series of scenes revolving around a focus group of about 6 women to discuss Ponds Cold Cream; scenes unfold around this central event revealing characters and motivations and drama of course. But what really stuck with me was the resultant argument later in the show– a philosophical argument between Don Draper, lead creative at the agency, and the woman running the focus group.

Don, in a nutshell, states that the focus group is ridiculous, none of it matters.  That women gave the responses about life (and cold cream) that they gave because that’s all they know.  He contends that he can change their minds, make them think new things, want new things, things they’ve never dreamed– all with his powers of persuasion and marketing. All he has to do is build the campaign, and the women will change how they think. And, buy the product.

She (the focus group leader whose character name I don’t recall) states that the data collected in casual conversation with the focus group is in fact important, because its who you are that shapes what you buy. She contends that the data collected about the women gave the marketing team a better picture of the women to whom they’re selling. At the end of the day, the creative agency can make a better, more informed pitch to the consumer, and get them to buy the product.

The characters agree to disagree and the scene is over.

However in my mind, the debate continues, and will continue until the next episode.  For me, it’s a chicken-or-the-egg question;  Do we buy things because we’re told we want them?  Or do we buy things because we want, and the product speaks to us?  Or, is it both? is it neither?

I had the opportunity to participate in some training at Cooper University in San Francisco in 2006. In a classroom setting, we learned techniques to mine the experiences and minds of consumers. Our goal was to gather data to create (hypothetical) products that would actually sell– presumably because the products would be designed to respond directly to the consumers’ problems, wants and needs. It was a class of exercises, meant to build our ability to question correctly, and apply methods of research. I am oversimplifying, but the method revolves around a very open-ended interview style. Imagine a conversation with co-workers about their life and habits, as opposed to an attorney’s cross-examination. This is how we were taught to gather data. I found it absolutely fascinating that there was a method for designing a product that could be defended– with data– when the CEO or other stakeholder says ‘but I want to do it my way’ and derails the project.

So many times in product design we just create something that makes us, the developers feel good, or makes our bosses happy, yet it doesn’t sell.  But learning techniques to delve into the mind of someone else, and learn what they’d like to have and use taught me that we don’t hold all the answers. We do need to know what our audience is thinking, wanting.  Sometimes we are correct, and we stumble upon the right solution and it’s a magical experience that the product is successful. Sometimes the client or the boss is correct too, and that is also magical.  But ultimately, it’s the audience, the consumer, the end-user who we really want to talk to, if we want to consistently make magic.

But, then again, there’s Apple.  Who, like Don Draper, seems to get out in front of everyone and says “you want this” and then magically, we all do want that shiny thing. over and over and over.

Thus, the chicken-and-the-egg.

The Yes Man

Most commonly, I encounter telephone professionals who are overly polite, and want me to be as well. Rather than fixing the situation or accommodating my requests, they seemed bent on making sure I don’t get angry. As long as I don’t yell, I think, they succeeded. Perhaps this is how they are rated or paid? Who knows. But it’s frustrating and counter productive. I don’t want polite experiences. I want efficiently fixed problems.

Service Professionals

The best and most helpful customer service reps are neither overly polite nor expect me to be. They are business people. They realize I am calling with a legitimate concern, or at least, a concern that concerns me, and I want an action. These business people take some time to assess my situation, and check to see if they understand the problem. Then, they look to see if they have the capacity and authorization to fix my concern.

If they fix it, awesome. mission complete. if they do not, then they offer solutions: other places I can go to get a solution, other people to speak with, other avenues to explore.

Countless hours of frustrated waiting on telephone lines have served me with a wealth of ways to improve my own customer service. But it comes down to this: We don’t want to be a yes-men. It’s our duty to legitimately solve our customers’ concerns.

Panic

It’s hard to recognize the opportunity to provide excellent customer service when faced with a massive problem out of the blue. usually at 4:45 on a friday. In my small business, more than likely, I caused the problem (panic !). When the upset client calls to say their website is down, their analytics aren’t working or their business cards are misprinted, I don’t usually think of it as an opportunity to provide a service. I usually think, “Did I do this?” And my first instinct is to make sure they’re not upset with me.

The better solution is to admit that the situation sucks, I screwed up, and fix the problem. Tell the client what I’ll be doing to fix this issue. And, If I can’t fix it, what I will do to maintain our good relationship.

I still have those bursts of panic when I get those calls. But I am trying my best not to subject my clients to the same don’t-worry-be-happy attitude I’ve received time and time again. Perhaps you too have had poor customer service in the past. But when life give you lemons…. Maybe you can think of a way to turn that negative experience into a positive for your own clientele.

Chances are, you’re going to go with the traditional, letterhead (name at top or lefthand corner) , and non-shocking business card. Is it because you want to look respectable? Or because nobody else uses non-traditional media for these things and… you might look weird? or are you just a scaredy cat?

I’m just asking you to challenge your own perceptions. Ask yourself, WHY am I hung up on this idea of respectable and classic? What does that even mean, if you don’t stand out from the competition? Come, think outside of the box with me. It’s ok, we’re just thinking.

form factor

maybe your card could be a comb if you’re a hairstylist. A coaster if you are a restauranteur or sommelier. A picture if you are a photographer. A usb drive if you’re a computer nerd.

traditional printing techniques, seldom used

What if you had a business-card had a hole in it (on purpose)? Die cuts are a very fancy way of making your card or letterhead non-rectangular. think of all that you could do with just a little something missing from your card or letterhead. it could be cool. Or maybe just your name is shiny, and the rest of the card isn’t. Or perhaps we go old school, and get some embossing done! yummmm. Expensive, but very worth it.

super cheap and avant garde

How about your favorite quotes, each one different, on the back of a card? or pictures of your work or inventory? Think in color for the paper or cardstock, and just use a typical old photocopier. Why not, if the effect is eye-catching?

Just Say No to .jpgs

So many business owners are using a jpg of their logo in a word doc as their letterhead. it’s sad. Presentation is everything. If you stand out from the other guys, you’ll probably get the gig. If you don’t believe me, go watch one of those shows where they redo a house in two days with some paint and cool lighting fixtures, and sell it for a huge profit. They don’t spend a bundle, but they do make some creative choices. Time and time again, it’s all about impressions and grabbing someone’s attention. Your identity package is the place to do that.

Apparently, I had no idea what I wanted. And no clue how to really present my own company. And, still, the site is evolving like any work of art. But as it turns out, I think that’s what I wanted. And I didn’t know then, but now I do.

I wonder what I’ve learned here that can help smooth out the design and decision-making processes with clients?

Recently I’ve dealt with a few people (like myself) who were not trusting of the design process. Instead they were looking for that magical spark. They seemed to want to fall in love with the art or the mark. Perhaps be transported. Maybe realize something. Or maybe, like me, there was an unformed thought in their head, and they were looking for the perfect symbol that would say ‘this is real”.

Instead of following the design path to a logical conclusion, the process leapt all over the place; comps flying and research everywhere, later a fatigued designer and muddled, less-than-awesome designs.

Still, I don’t know how to stop this process. Do you walk away? Or, attempt to find the origin of the confusion? I think my job (as a self-proclaimed Design Therapist) is to find the origin of the confusion.

Trust is a big factor

You need to trust your designer, or at least be willing to take a leap of faith that their art and ingenuity is going to come up with something that suits you, but surpasses your expectations. That’s a tall order for oneself, maybe it’s easier to put your faith in someone else. Maybe, one should trust the business itself, before entrusting it to a designer.

Baby Steps

Another way to develop trust in any process, design or otherwise, is to ease into it. Through sketches and wireframes and research and planning and sitemaps ad comps, you start to trust the design process, or so I believe. But this is always the long road, if we don’t know what our business is, what image it should project. Time and time again, we get stuck at the sketches and wireframe phase when we don’t know what the heck our goals are.

My New Years Resolution

I guess I am glad The Logo took so long to figure out, so that I could learn this lesson. My New Years Resolution will now be to make sure my clients know who they are, and have defined their goals before we begin a costly and exhausting design process that could be shortened with proper planning and a whole lot of soul-searching at the outset.

…I learned while waiting tables.

I was a terrible waitress. The kind that gets complaint letters sent to the restaurant.

It wasn’t because I was mean to the customers, I just didn’t have the sort of brain that could handle the job. Or so I thought. And when it got busy, really busy, I was dropping orders and forgetting stuff all over the place. But, I learned a few things.

lesson 1: it’s all about customer service. Every single action is about customer service. Every drink or salad that you forget says “you’re not important” to a customer. Every smile, or unrequested drink refill says “you matter to us”. This is a fundamental of customer service.

lesson 2: the customer is always right. No matter what the issue, no matter how much of the steak got eaten before they complain, offer a way to make it right, and get creative. Chances are, you won’t get hate mail, and you could probably get them to come back again if you wanted.

lesson 3: Take care of the people who take care of you, whether co-workers or bosses or clients. it’s a win-win for all. Plus if you don’t you’ll probably get fired.

lesson 4: When you don’t have tables, go do your sidework. If you don’t, you’ll be doing it at 2 am when you’d rather be sleeping. Sigh. If only I could remember this one more regularly….

lesson 5: Memorize the menu. learn the computer system. know your facts. If you don’t you might promise something that isn’t on the menu. conversely if you do know your menu, those extra requests can turn out to be lucrative up-selling opportunities.

lesson 6: A customer’s experience should feel effortless: never tell them that the chef just yelled at you, so you’re afraid to go into the kitchen. They don’t care what the problem is, or how it happened. They just want to know that you’re going to fix it.

I’ve been in many conversations these days about social media, and using online communities to create buzz for a product or a company or a brand. These talks all seem to go the same way: We sit around and brainstorm about it, although we’re not really brainstorming. We’re talking about all the ways in which we don’t know how to make it work. Then, we start sharing anecdotes and surfing Youtube and Facebook, showing each other success stories, viral content, and other social network ad campaigns that “just worked”. But we never define what makes them work. And if we do manage to define some features that work, then we don’t know how we could parlay that success into a success for ourselves. We give up, saying my brain hurts, let’s go get lunch.

But recently, I have realized two truths that connnect these success stories:

1. social media is peers serving peers, because they want to.

2. An online service or company must offer value to its audience.

That’s really all that I have found so far. You can create something for people to interact with or look at, but unless there is some aspect of the promotion that provides a value to their lives or work, they will not use it. They will not invite their friends. They will not interact.

Generating value seems tough enough by itself, if you’re comparing your own efforts to big-time marketers like McDonalds or Mercedes. But think of value in terms of your own sphere of influence: What do you, business owner, have that is of value to your customers? Obviously, there is something. You are in business after all. Then, what can you create, that shows the value points of your product, in such a way that people want to learn more?

I make art. I also dispense advice, and help people come up with creative strategies that solve business problems. So, I could offer any one of those things for free on my website. By doing this, I can create a group of people who look to me for free stuff that is of value to them.

I could do something similar on my facebook page, or through twitter. I know for a fact that design sites get lots and lots of hits when they give away quality, free art. As those sites continue to provide value, their audiences grow, and many visitors will become return visitors.

Will any of those people ask for a logo, or a web page? Well, the laws of probability state that if you have more chances to sell to people, you’re going to get more sales. So, it turns out that yes, they will. But those people who just take the freebies and run away? Well they are walking advertisements for your services. Any one of those people can spread the word about how cool your offerings are.

Finally, when thinking of strategy for integrating social media into your marketing arsenal, remember that social media is just people. You can sell to them as you normally do out in the analog world. However, you can make more sales if you work to increase your audience in online media, because a larger audience means more opportunity to make sales.

Some things I have learned this week:

Don’t send expensive bourbon as a “thank you ” via the US post office.

Do back up your files on a remote server. Thanks i Disk!

Don’t let any invoices go out without a stamp of approval

Always get a signed estimate or quote or doc of some kind before beginning a project

For small business owners, it often feels like there’s a very thin line between fitting in, and looking different. In some ways, it’s a lot like High School; Standing out is the ultimate act of bravery. In business, it seems right to ‘fit in’ with the giants in your industry. After all, they are successful, and you want to be successful, so….. copying their marketing, their look, their methods, their service models, their advertising makes sense. right? Like kids in High School, we look to our peers to define what’s normal, trendy, and the right thing to do– even if it’s really the wrong thing.

I was recently talking to a small business owner about his website design and marketing strategy. He was adamant that he needed to look different from his competition, but not TOO different. He told me TOO different would be scary and misleading to his customers. TOO different would even turn customers away, he said. As we discussed his competition and their marketing techniques, I began to see that his vision for his own business identity was based on the identities of his competitors, and not on his own business goals.

While it’s tempting to find the common themes in our competition’s marketing collateral and take those themes as our own, it’s actually a waste of time. Powerful branding is about differentiating your business, not assimilating. Copy-cat marketing happens most often when a business isn’t sure how to tell the world what its business goals are. Take some time to define your business goals, and follow that lead, not your competition’s.

Market your Differences

An effective marketing plan or brand takes introspection and brainstorming and research. You must find out who your customer is, and what they want from you or your product. And then you have to tell them that you – and only you – have just what they need. Couple that with what makes you different, and viola! you have a valuable message.

Why be different?

When you define your own niche, you reduce your direct competitors. You or your product is truly unique. If you are not viewed as unique, you inevitably deal with greater competition, and lower margins.

Embrace what makes your business or product different, and market those differences. Use words, art, audio, your customer service, and any other way you can imagine to reinforce to your customers how your company is the right alternative. Resist the urge to take a survey of your competitors’ web sites and do just what they do. Have confidence that your choices, however different from the rest, are good ones, if they support your business objectives.

A business card is the one piece of marketing collateral that customers and associates regularly request from us. With a few tweaks, this tiny piece of cardstock can become a tool to sell your business, not just let people know your vital statistics.

A card should certainly state your name and contact info, and the name of your business. But once that’s on there, there’s a whole lot of real estate left over. And what will you do with it to sell your business?

here are a few ideas.

The back of your card is a blank canvas.

Advertise your wares or services there, and there’s a 50% chance that your customer will see that whenever he looks at your card. Don’t just settle for a blank reverse, when you could use it as promotional space.

ideas for that blank canvas:

• tag line
• a special offer
• great testimonial from a credible and well-known client
• your blog address
• your web address
• a picture of your star product
• a picture of yourself (if you’re the product)

Your Tag Line.
Think: what is your biggest benefit to your customer? Just say that as simply as possible, and that’s your tag line. The point is to boil down the essence of your best qualities into a simple phrase. Then, add the tag to your card.

Your Web Address
Never forget to cross-reference your marketing efforts. A customer could go looking for your website at any time of day or night, and you want to make sure they know what it is. Having your URL on your card will help them find it.

Unique Design
this is perhaps the biggest challenge. How do you look ‘unique’? there are as many card designs out there as there are businesses, so standing out from the crowd is important, but difficult. This is where some good design help comes in. Make sure your card design supports your business goals. Although a ‘cool design’ looks cool, it might not be supportive or relevant to your business. You want a design that is all those things, and a designer who knows how to make that happen for you.