Do you have a ‘hot donuts’ sign?
I was driving down the freeway the other day when I noticed a massive line of cars around a restaurant. As I got closer, I saw it was a Krispy Kreme Donut Shop. Now anyone that knows me, knows I have a love affair with delectably delicious fried dough dunked in a super sweet glaze… However, why was there a line around the block? It was three in the afternoon after all. Even I have my limits! Then I saw it. Bright green and red neon letters spelling ‘Hot Donuts!’
It got me thinking, how many of us in our own businesses wish we had a ‘Hot Donuts’ sign that we could turn on and customers would line up around the corner? All we have to do is flip a switch and the customers would come out of the woodwork and even stand in line to get a chance to pay us for our product! I am not sure who came up with the idea of the neon sign for Krispy Kreme, but I hope they are sitting in a cushy corner office somewhere eating all the donuts they want. That sign has become as much a part of the company’s culture as the signature dough and glaze. What a luxury to be able to say, ‘Team, get ready, we are about to be swamped!’ And then know that the rising tide will be over at their control versus the will of the market. Again, what if we could do that in our businesses??? I believe you can.
The sign is nothing more than a component of a marketing program. Well designed, properly executed marketing programs can be the answer to controlling your flow of business. Replace the ‘Hot Donuts’ sign with a call campaign that is timed with higher inventory levels or an email campaign during the slower months or even a ‘sale’ during the days of the week that see the least amount of business and you could increase your volume in that time, month or day.
Examples of good programs could look like a specific number of calls to prospects that is targeted and tracked. These are not just random calls. The decision is made to make 50 calls in 2 days and results from those calls are then benchmarked versus the goal of the program. If more business came from it than expected, you may ratchet the calls back moving forward. If less, then you may up the number. The key is in the tracking. Set goals, decide what you think will get you there, then measure against it to prove or disprove the concept. Adjust your numbers accordingly and then repeat.
Marketing is a statistics game. People think of it as the creative portion of graphic design and layouts and verbiage, but without the statistics to back it up, you are simply throwing money around, hoping some of it will boomerang back to you as a sale. Too often I see companies that are spending money versus investing it. Most people wouldn’t invest in a stock and then never track it, hoping one day someone would send them a check. In fact most people agonize over the slightest change in the stock market, checking it every few minutes or hour. I know people that have stock tickers running in their office all day. What if you did that with your marketing investments! What if you tracked your returns off of that investment hourly. You might be surprised by the returns you start getting.
The message here is to make a plan and work the plan. Your ‘Hot Donuts’ sign is already in place, you just need to learn how to work the switch. Before long, you will have customers lined up to get your product or service as well. Just make sure your sweet goodness of a product is as good as that donut though so they keep coming back!!!
For help with your switch and lining up your customers, contact Burk at burk@rainmakerbuilders.com. The results you want are out there, let us help you find them.
