Clean Restrooms and Friendly Service — A recipe for mediocrity

Clean Restrooms and Friendly Service.

I saw a restaurant with that very sign, boldly displayed alongside an empty parking lot –- theirs.

And it’s no wonder.   That’s the reasons they’re offering us to walk inside, clean restrooms and friendly service.  It sounds nice, but it’s nothing special.

The problem I have with the restaurant’s sign is what they’re offering is something we expect, which means it’s not compelling.  Unless the majority of restaurants have dirty bathrooms and rude servers, saying you’re clean and friendly isn’t anything of interest.  We aren’t searching for clean and friendly, it’s a common expectation.

Especially in markets where there are countless consumer choices, you have to offer something compelling that’s outside the norm.  If what you offer is what we expect — and can get most everywhere — it’s not much of an offer.  Which means we ignore it.

We won’t drive out of our way to eat at a restaurant with clean restrooms and friendly service.  It better have both when we get there, but we won’t use that as criteria to decide where to go.

What do you think?

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We’re off and running!

We’re well into the second week of the B2B Revenue Now! program.  We’ve finished the fist step (Benefits) and have the second step (Difference) underway.

I have been away for a couple days — time away with family — and planned to write a quick update on the program when I returned last night.

This is that update, but it’s shorter than I planned.

Sifting through the virtual mound of email and voicemail accumulated in two short days away, I found a message from a member of the B2B Revenue Now! program that sums things better than I could.

Here’s a link to a member’s experience one week into the program.

In a week or so, I’ll update you again on how things are going.

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This coffee sucks. And so does your marketing.

This post is brought to you by one of the worst cups of coffee I have ever drank in my life. It sucked.

I have a right to complain, I brewed it.

It was weak and taste like it were made from water retrieved from a dirty toilet.

Why?

I decided another scoop was too much. I lacked the intestinal fortitude to make it stronger.

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Weak marketing is just that, weak — no real message, no commitment, no definitive position. Nothing to make a reader, prospect, or customer pause, get excited, and feel compelled to respond and speak to others about you. Nothing memorable. Just weak.

Strong marketing has its problems, but it’s far more effective – clear message, directive, clear call to action. Suspects, prospects, and customers know what you offer, they understand what they get from doing business with you, they know how and when to respond. You impress some, turn-off others, and most of all make people take notice. People talk, you create a buzz.

That might be too edgy. We might offend someone. Maybe we should tone-it-down a little.

Safe. Boring. Noting but another lame ad campaign in the making. Try to please everyone and you’ll end up exciting no one. You’re nothing but a duck – you can walk, run, fly and swim — none of them are done exceptionally well.

You don’t have to be rude, obnoxious, overbearing, or insulting – none of these things makes a business. What you have to do is take a chance, push the envelope, don’t be afraid to take a risk here or there. Be memorable. Give people something to talk about.

If you err by making coffee too strong, just add some water, sugar, or flavored creamer; it’s fine, you can drink it. Interestingly, there’s nothing you can do to make weak coffee taste like anything other than dirty water.

If you want to be like everybody else, keep doing what you’re doing, it isn’t working for them either. If you want to be remarkable, do something we can talk about.

What are your thoughts?  Agree or disagree?

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I just joined the B2B Revenue Now! program

This sounds a bit odd — I just joined my own program.

What happened is a member asked a great question about examples used to show how you personalize information in the program to your own business — the question was about examples I’ll use in the program.

The answer is there are many examples, but not a case study of how a particular company, product or service uses the entirety of the program to launch a product or service.

This was the point when an idea hit me

I could see the value of openly demonstrating each step of the program with an example of a product or service maturing through each action.  I just didn’t have a company in agreement to profile their business as a case study within the program.   So, I thought Why not me?

Here’s what I’m doing

I’ve had an idea for a while to launch a new service.  The service is a pretty big idea and has the potential to take my business in a different direction.  What I’m going to do is take the idea through the B2B Revenue Now! program and openly implement each step of the program for all members to see — it’s the example that goes through the process as a case study and is used to show how each step builds on the previous action.

It means I have to do the homework myself as well as review everyone else :)  And of course, examples from other companies won’t be removed, this just makes it better.  It’s a great idea inspired from the question of a member!

It should be fun!

If you want to join the B2B Revenue Now! program, there’s still one day open to register.  After Wednesday, June 24th, registration is closed.

Here is a Reader’s Digest version of what the program is all about.

Here is the link to register and join.

To give you a better feel for the program , here is a link to the welcome video I prepared for members, giving an overview of how the program is delivered inside.

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A deeper look inside

We’re off and running in the B2B Revenue Now! program!  Everything kicked-off yesterday, but today is the official start date.

Although we started, there’s still time to join this initial session.  Registration remains open through Wednesday, June 24th.  After that, you’ll have to wait until the next session — TBD.

To give you a better feel for the program , here is a link to the welcome video I prepared for members, giving an overview of how the program is delivered inside.

Here is a Reader’s Digest version of what the program is all about.

Here is the link to register and join.

Please note the pre-purchase period has expired.  Regardless, the program is a tremendous value at the regular price of $495.  A steal really when you factor in I’m personally leading the initial group through the program and offering direct involvement in helping personalize the program information for your business.

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The Reader’s Digest version of the B2B Revenue Now! program

I’ve had a few really good questions about the B2B Revenue Program Now! program.  Thanks for your interest.  And special thanks to those who have joined!

Most of the questions are simple to answer — that’s not to say the questions themselves are simple.  I’ve answered the questions privately, as that’s how they’ve been asked and mostly because the questions are more specific to a particular interest and not of value for general consumption.

But there was one question in particular I’d like to answer for all to hear:

What’s the Reader’s Digest version of the program?

Good question.

Here’s the Reader’s Digest version of what the B2B Revenue Now! program is all about:

The B2B Revenue Now! program is about growing your revenue by attracting and engaging with sales-ready leads — connecting with target audiences and communicating with them in ways they value.

Let’s break that down, in reverse order.

Value — It’s so obvious, but often overlooked.  I think we get too close our work to see what’s going on.

We confuse features and functionality with advantages, advantages with benefits, and benefits with marketing-speak.  In turn, we leave the customer guessing  what it is we do for them and force them to translate the things we say into the things they want to buy.

Sales opportunity cannot exist until a prospective customer recognizes a value worth purchasing.  B2B Revenue Now! tackles this issue up front and refines it throughout the program.  At the end, you’ll be clear on what it is you really do for your customers and as a result they’ll get it faster — recognizing what it is you do for them, why they should care, and why you’re the one they should spend money on instead of your competition.

Communicating — How you say things is as critically important as what you say.  Maybe more so.

How we tell our story goes a log way toward whether or not it’s heard.  What we say, how we say it, and what we ask for in return — all are fundamental elements of good customer communication.

And why is this important?

It’s important because if we fail to communicate — leave out critical messages or offer too much — prospects and customers get confused.  What happens as a result is decisions get delayed and competition is introduced.  Worse, decisions can happen too soon.  (Yes, I know I identified both decisions happening too fast and too soon as a problem — both are.  Fast decisions are worse than slow decisions.)

By the time the B2B Revenue Now! program ends, your communication will be sharp, consistent, and compelling.  As a result, prospects will be easier to speak with and more sales-ready leads will come your way.

Connecting –  No matter what we sell, there is a human on the other end.  Even in complex sales :)  We can’t forget this.

The value and communication we offer needs to be targeted to the people involved in the purchase — tuned to their needs, desires, interests, biases, and opinions.  Their worldview.

The worldview of our target audience is important because it’s the built-in filter they use to listen to our story.  We can’t ignore the fact that the people we sell to have interests we need to satisfy to make the sale.

We have to get into the head and environment of the people we sell to and tell our story in such a way their worldview can receive it.  When this happens, action follows.

The B2B Revenue Now! program tunes your message to the people you need to attract to open and close more sales opportunities.

Sales-Ready Leads –  There are a few ideas on what makes a lead sales-ready.  Here’s what it means in the context of the B2B Revenue Now! program:

Sales-ready leads are prospects who welcome a conversation with you about the products and services you offer.

The better you communicate the value of what you offer — from the perspective of the people you target — the more they are open to receive your message and the more they are attracted to what you have to say.  This leads to the welcoming of the opportunity to speak with you…which leads to more sales opportunities and ultimately, revenue increases.

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So, that’s what the B2B Revenue Now! program is about.  Here’s where you can learn a bit more.  And here’s where you can take advantage of the pre-launch promotional price — time is running out.

All questions are welcome!

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I bet you don’t know I have a newsletter

Actually, I’m 100% positive you don’t know I have a newsletter — I’ve never mentioned it before this post and I’ve never published a single issue.

But I have one.  At least I have the tools and intention to have one.

It doesn’t cost anything.  And it’s not a mere reproduction of the stuff on this site.

It’s its own animal.

My newsletter doesn’t have a name, but it likely will when I give some time to thinking about it — the name will probably have B2B something in it.

The newsletter is published once every two weeks.  It contains information supplemental to this site, as well as a some offers and announcements you won’t find elsewhere.

To subscribe to my newsletter, all you have to do is fill-out the one field form on this page.  As a bonus, I’ll send you the special report on how I used direct mail to generate sales-ready leads in large public and private sector accounts.

You probably already have the report, but it doesn’t matter — if you haven’t read it in some time, read it again…I’m sure there are fresh ideas you can pick-up on you might have missed the first time around.

Thanks!

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