Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

What If…

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A couple of weeks ago I got an email that a service provider I use left his company and I was being referred to someone else in the firm. Bummer. I liked this guy, I know his leaving is good for him, but it’s a long term relationship kind of thing, I hate finding new people when I have a good one. And it got me thinking…
What if something happens and I needed to refer my clients or prospects to someone else? Who would that person be? Would they take good care of my clients? Would they honor my rates or jack up the prices? Would they treat them like I do? They HAVE to be dog friendly, obviously.

There’s a lot to think about as a small business owner. When someone you do business with leaves, do they have a great team in place that you’re comfortable with, or would you take your business elsewhere? What if you need to take some time off for health or family? Your clients businesses aren’t stopping because yours needs to. Do you have a back up plan? Is it realistic? Do those people involved know?

Something to think about on your dog walk today…

A Good Speaker Intro

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WOW meLast week I attended a networking event and one of the sponsors (as usual) introduced the speaker. Now-I know that not everyone enjoys a microphone and speaking in front of people. However, lets stop reading the bio already provided to me and tell me something interesting.

I’ve been known to make up stuff just to see if the audience is listening (your 2012 Sprint Nextel Cup Champion ladies and gentlemen). While this may not always be the right solution, make sure to put something interesting in there. Spend 30 seconds with the person you’re introducing and ask them for something interesting that’s not in their bio. Family, hobbies, recent travels, weird party trick, etc.

If I can read the bio myself what do I need you for? And what do I want to listen to this speaker for if there’s nothing else interesting about them? The introducer is the “hey this person deserves you putting your iPad away and listening for the next 20 minutes or hour.”

Please, tell me why I need to pay attention.

Did Your Super Bowl Ad Fail?

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This years Super Bowl ads gave us a lot to talk, laugh and be disgusted about. From Clydesdale’s to Farmers to Amy Poehler, I was a happy camper on Sunday. But the ad that made me go to their web site and BUY the product was the Duluth Trading Company.

Yes, Buck Naked Underwear was my favorite ad of the day. The one that made me laugh, and go to their web site to find out just how much these no pinch, no stink, no sweat underwear would cost. So with my iPad in hand, I went to their web site. And waited, and waited. The thing is, if you’re going to spend $3.7 million dollars on a TV ad, you may want to make sure your website has the bandwidth to support the increased traffic.

During the power outage, I searched for their Twitter account. Which doesn’t exist. HOWEVER, a couple of their executives have  twitter accounts so I was able to back track into the web site, and placed my order. I know I’m among the few that would go to such length, so the real question is: how much money did they LOSE by not thinking through all the logistics? And when the web site asked if I had a discount code to use, I realized their ad SHOULD have included that. (use code SUPERBOWL for free shipping, valid until the end of the game).

The next time you place an ad or speak at an event or have an opportunity to drive people to make a purchase on your web site, make sure you’ve thought through all the logistics. No one wants to wait.