YOU ASKED FOR IT

“No comment" is a comment.

—George Carlin

February 20, 2013FEEL-GOOD BUYING AND SLURPEES

BRAND OBSERVATIONS OF THE DAYFrom my random collection of info sources, here are some highlights related to the brands of our times...

• Seems like EVERYONE is getting into the brand extension game. Just saw this 7-Eleven Slurpee Machine at Target last weekend. Pretty much a must-have for families with teenagers.

• A while back, I highlighted how a few brands are giving customers a social incentive to make a purchase. Tom’s Shoes—buy a pair and someone in need gets a free pair—was the example. Well, I ran across another one last week—Project 7. Every product they sell gives back in some way. Buy an iPhone case, and feed the hungry. Pick up some of their bottled spring water, and help educate the uneducated. When I bought their gum, I planted a tree somewhere. I’ll let you know if I find it.

• I read a Harvard Business Review article today that interviewed Martin Sorrell. He’s the leader of WPP, one of the largest ad agency conglomerates in the world. About Facebook versus Google advertising, he said this, “Depending on where you are in the purchase cycle, that number one ranking on Google seems more important than a Facebook ‘like’.” In other words—if you’re building a brand for the long term, Facebook works. But if you’re trying to close in on a sale, Google is the better investment. Great to keep in mind as you build your plan.

JIM HUEBNERj i m h @ h u e b n e r p e t e r s e n . c o m

C E L L U L A RT E L E P H O N E970-420-3382

Hmmm.

Brought to you by popular demand of a client, my mom, and some folks I met at a church potluck

From the remaining gray matter of Jim Huebner

Information that will make you smile, groan or think...

...complete withant-sized cattle andtiny cowboys with

high-pitched yodels...

© 2013 Hmmm by Jim Huebner

I have to believe that location plays a key role in the success of a dry cleaning business. The group that seems to “clean up” in our area is a small, family-owned company called Burke Cleaners. They have 9 locations in about a 15-20 mile radius. Basically, wherever you’re going, there’s a Burke Cleaners just around the corner.

While “Place”—WHERE your product or service is distributed—is certainly one of the “four P’s” of the marketing mix, it wasn’t this aspect of their business that recently impressed me. It was their interest in addressing customer points of pain as it relates to dropping off clothes for dry cleaning that really stood out. (Technically, this would be classified under “Product”—which is their service and the way they deliver it, although service businesses have their own set of “P’s”...but that’s another discussion.) Anyway, here’s what happened...

For nearly nine years, I have dropped off my dry cleaning at Burke Cleaners. Typically, I would wait to “drop off ” behind at least one other customer...sometimes more. When it was my turn to hand over my clothes, the clerk would painstakingly log each item of clothing into the computer, one-by-one, while I waited patiently (and sometimes not so patiently.) If you know me, I’m always on the go. So a quick pop-in and pop-out is what I really needed. But it never happened because of their arduous procedure of checking in garments. In fact, it would be nearly impossible for them to do it quickly because of the systems they had in place. It was very, very painful...and if someone else had a quicker system and just as many locations, I probably would have switched services. Fortunately, it wasn’t necessary.

On my last two visits, Karen (the friendly clerk who impressively learned my name after just a few visits) has simply asked when I wanted to pick them up. Once I told her, she said, “Great, see you then.”

That was it. In and out. No waiting. EXACTLY what I’ve always wanted.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who was wishing for speedier service. And the only change they made—as far as I can tell—is that instead of logging all of the info on every item into the computer while customers waited, they now log it in between customers as time allows. From my perspective, it’s a MUCH better use of both their time AND the customer’s time.

So how does my local dry cleaner and the way they do business relate to your company? Ask yourself this...

1) What things do we do that make it harder—not easier—for our customers to do business with us? What would it take to fix it?

2) What ways are we listening to our customers and evaluating how we can make the transaction process easier? Can we improve on this?

Jim Huebner is President of HuebnerPetersen Integrated Marketing.The firm was established in 1989 and specializes in making manufacturers heroes to their distribution channels through strategic brand positioning, integrated marketing, and front lines marketing services. You can each Jim at jimh@HuebnerPetersen.com or on LinkedIn.

Taking marketing to the cleaners

...and on its way to the HuebnerPetersen blog...! PAGE2

WORDS TOLIVE BY

Never pay backevil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right

in the sight of all men.

–Romans 12:17