Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

Is it FINE?

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im-fine-really-we-all-know-the-acronym-fuked-up-insecure-neurotic-emotional-so-yeah-im-fine-Last night I was driving to meet a friend. I drove past a company I’ve passed many times before, but noticed the name of the company “Absolutely Fine X” (X is what the company does- pretending you won’t Google it if interested…)
Holy CRAP! Who would call their company fine? If anyone ever said working with me was FINE I’d be mortified! Really? If it wasn’t amazing or a great experience, hopefully we can talk about it and make it a GREAT experience. Or the very least part ways so you aren’t saying it’s “fine”.
That date is fine for a doctor appointment, the tap water is fine, your company should not be FINE. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t get into business for myself to just be average. I did it because I believe I can make a difference for small business owners. And I do that by providing personal service and amazing help to companies.

Maybe it’s just me, maybe you like to be fine, but when I’m searching for X some day down the road, I probably won’t go with someone who’s absolutely fine. I’ll look for Freakin’ Fantastic.

Your Sports Team: a Marketing Golden Ticket

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photoThe Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl baby! It’s a big day here in Seattle for sports fans young and old, fair weather or die hard. For the next two weeks EVERY conversation in this town will revolve around the Super Bowl. The Team, the players, how horrible San Francisco is. You name it, we’ll be talking about it.

And here’s a secret: I HATE football. Yes I love the Seahawks and am so glad they’re going to the Super Bowl, but I think the reason they did so well is that I didn’t watch a SINGLE game this year. Yes I’ll watch the Super Bowl, but for the same reason I always do: the commercials.

The smart companies in Seattle have been using the Hawks winning streak to their advantage for weeks or months now- and will continue to do so. Here’s the secret- use the power of the 12th Man to your advantage! Here’s a few ideas I’ve already seen or heard of for how you can use the Seahawks to your marketing advantage:

  • People wearing Seahawks clothing can board first on Alaska Air flights
  • Free coffee for the 12th man at Top Pot Donuts
  • Free shipping with Code 12thFAN
  • People wearing Seahawks gear can skip the line, or get a free X (appetizer, extra espresso shot, 20% off, etc.)
  • 50% off at Papa John’s the day after a Seahawks Win

If you live in the Puget Sound (or Colorado I guess…) in the next few weeks use the power of the Super Bowl to your advantage. Any discount code or promotion you were planning to offer can be tweaked to show your local team pride. You may be surprised who takes advantage of it!

Send 2 Business Cards

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imagesThe other day a client sent me a check (always a good thing) and included 2 business cards. I didn’t ask for cards or really need them, BUT it reminded me, why don’t we send out our business card more consistently? This client has a service based business and the business card also has a $25 off coupon, so I’m more likely to use it myself and share it.

Sure I may have all your info, but it doesn’t mean I won’t need a copy of your card to give someone else. Especially if you have a business with a product that I use, make sure I have your card. I’ve talked about this before with my husband’s headphones. Make it easy for me to refer to you. And as it’s appropriate, make sure your products are branded. A friend of mine is an AMAZING pastry chef, so I sent some of her treats to a couple of clients over the holiday’s. I didn’t realize my clients would think I was the amazing baker, and realized I should have had her include a card with the goodies so they knew it wasn’t me!

If you have business cards, especially with a discount on them, make sure that the people who know, like & trust you, have a couple on hand to pass it forward. It can only help your business grow!