Use Newsletters to Get Your Word Out!

Some of the better real estate agents have the right idea. Some dentists and doctors also have more than just good bedside manners. A few CPAs I know do more than just work on figures. And I've seen some gardening and nursery supply stores growing their business in more ways than one.

What are they doing?

They send out newsletters to their prospects, clients, and former clients.

The newsletters are not just sell, sell, sell pieces either (although some businesses are sort of clueless and try this type of hype distribution, not realizing that they are only adding to landfill and recycling bins).

Good newsletters contain useful information--stuff you can cut out and stick on the refrigerator door. Stuff that will save you money, make you laugh, provide helpful suggestions, or give you some interesting tidbits of newsworthy items.

For instance, we have about four real estate agents who send us a newsletter regularly. Not month, not quarterly, but perhaps every month and a half. The newsletters range from glossy, four-color productions with photos and obvious chest-beating "self-advertising" to what looks like home-spun, typed and photocopied "holiday letters". But even the glossy, four-color production has good information in it and an interesting presentation. And the "home-spun" newsletter has recipes, house-cleaning tips, and neighborhood news.

My kids' orthodontist sends out a bimonthly newsletter to his patients' families. His newsletter is only one two-sided sheet of paper, printed in only two-colors. His newsletter includes commentary about the local high-school sports teams, news items about what his patients are doing in athletics, scholarship, community service, and other forms of achievement. He also has tips for orthodontic equipment care, oral health, and so on.

The newsletters I've received from two CPAs have information on recent changes in the tax laws (seems like this changes frequently enough that it gives them stuff to put in their newsletters), and tax-saving tips.

A local gardening store and nursery has a regular monthly newsletter that is a four-fold, newsprint, black-and-white publication. The newsletter has coupons for particular items at the nursery, tips for planting and maintaining various kinds of plants, soil preparation tips, pruning tips, and interesting facts about gardening, lawns, and trees.

The key point is: when we think of a dentist, or a real-estate agent, or a place to get gardening supplies--who might you assume we think of first? Those who keep in touch with us a lot. Those who help us to connect with the community. Those who help us laugh. Those who share interesting items with us.

When I was at the car lot, I managed to get out two newsletters before leaving the field for greener pastures. Newsletters--something that seems rare for car dealerships. I wrote the newsletters myself, laid them out myself (having a background in technical writing and editing helps with this chore), and ran the final copies off, double-sided in color, at a local print-shop. Of course, I let the owner of the print-shop keep a copy of each newsletter to post on his bulletin board (not only to provide an example of what can be done --for the benefit of his customers who want to do something similar... but also to gain a "little more exposure and advertising" *grin*). I mailed the newsletters out to folks who had visited me on the lot, folks who had bought cars from me, and folks I met in the service department. What did I have in the newsletter? How about tips for getting better gas milage? Ideas for keeping the kids entertained on long trips. One couple who I met on the lot were there only to get an "Owner's Manual" for a very old and rare limited-production model of a certain kind of car. I tried to help them locate the manual by doing an Internet search. Didn't find a manual, but I *did* find some pictures of the vehicle and some sites that had more information. This information on this car became an interesting "tidbit" article that I included in the newsletter. I also had a comparison table that listed the towing weights and capacities for various models of our trucks, vans, and cars--with tips on safe towing.

Almost any business could use the extra marketing power of a newsletter. Most business owners know their business inside and out... and perhaps assume that their customers are just as knowledgeable about their particular business. But sometimes, customers appreciate your newsletters telling them what *you* think is obvious, but what the customer finds as a fascinating, previously unknown information tidbit. The newsletters establish you as an authority--as the expert in your field.

Customers also like reading about themselves--or folks who have similar reasons to patronize your business. Newsletters are an excellent way to communicate with your valued customers... newsletters are cheap compared to other advertising methods, and, if prepared correctly, they will float around the household longer than just traditional flyers and other mailings. Sure, some will wind up as bird-cage liners or as something to wrap the leftovers in the fridge before getting tossed. But if you put enough good stuff in your newsletter, it may get displayed on someone's refrigerator or file cabinet for a nice long haul--which, in advertising, is the goal... keeping yourself in your clients' and potential clients' minds.

My barber has retired

(Of course, since I've lost a lot of hair since I started with him, this isn't that much of a problem.) But I still wish that my barber was still available. He is, sort of, because he's now taking customers on an "appointment only" basis. He is also in a town 20 miles over the hill from me (we moved to this new area before he retired--and I'd still go out of my way to get my hair cut at his shop rather than try out new ones in my own town). And I know others who wish that he hadn't retired. What does this barber do that's different from others that would make us such loyal customers?

First of all, his shop was always friendly. With lots of comfortable sitting room. With plenty of reading materials (magazines, newspapers). Well lit. A large television was mounted on the wall in one corner over the magazine rack. A large picture window faced the busiest street in town. He swept the floor after each customer so that it wouldn't be hairy to walk on. He had a sterilizer where he kept his shaving equipment--he would alternate the equipment for each customer. He had a steamer in which he'd keep clean, hot, moist towels. He had a large bulletin board on one wall of the shop. On the bulletin board were thousands of business cards from various customers and businesses. It was always interesting to see who and what businesses were represented on the board. He had a stack of business cards with the shop's address and phone number so appointments could be made--the cards were kept next to the cash register. There was always lively banter and talk when the barber shop was busy.

As for the haircuts? Not excellent, but not bad, either. One of the nicest touches that he offered with each haircut was using a vibrating strap-on hand massager on your scalp and upper shoulders. In fact, this was the main reason why I wanted to continue going to this shop. Even if the haircut got totally messed up, at least you'd feel good about getting it for quite a while afterwards (until you looked in a mirror). The massage added only an additional minute or two to each haircut, but for me it was what drew me back time after time. And yes, at first, it was somewhat strange and uncomfortable having some guy running his hand through my hair, scalp, neck, and shoulders.

This was a rare barbershop. Have never found another barber shop here in the US mainland that provides those same massage services without an extra charge. Now, because it's such a hassle making an appointment to show up 20 miles away from my home (and I only have weekends available for my own time), I go to a barber in town (just down the street from where I live). But his haircuts aren't that good. They get the job done, but just barely. I tried another barber in town, but his haircuts were even worse and he charged more.

However, the best of the best haircuts I ever managed to get were those on Guam at the Julale Shopping Center in downtown Agana (now called "Hagatnya"). There was this "Hair Stylist Salon" in the shopping center that gave the best haircuts for the best prices. And one gal who worked there became my favorite haircutter--you guessed it--after each haircut, they provided a head, neck, and shoulder massage. This hair salon wasn't fashioned after the small-town America barbershops with the TV in the corner, the magazine rack bristling with fishing and hunting and car magazines, and the bulletin board loaded with business cards--this was a "more fashionable" place... frequented by tourists as much as the locals. I would go to this shop and I'd purposely wait for a particular stylist to do my hair. She was relatively attractive, always friendly, and would hold a conversation in broken Chinese-English. Her haircuts were excellent--razor/scissor cuts, and the massages were definitely a major plus. I managed to continue to get haircuts here for 5 years before having to leave the island.

Why am I writing about haircuts? I guess I realize that it's time to get a haircut. Haven't decided which hair yet. *GRIN* And, I was wondering about what some places do to gain and retain customers, and how others don't seem to care one way or another if they ever see you again. And, after sitting at this damn computer for the past few hours, I could sure use a good head, neck, and shoulder massage!

Job Scheduling--a rant on things I've seen recently

Starter jobs. Just like "starter homes"? What does one do right out of high school if you haven't figured out what you want to do in life? Or, perhaps you've recently been laid off and you still want to keep some kind of cash coming in rather than being unemployed. Okay, so you apply for a "minimum-wage" starter job. That's about all a high-school education will train you for, if that. But does that also mean that an employer can treat you like crap? I don't think so. However, many employers will try to get away with all sorts of strange behavior with their minimum-wage employees--and then they'll wonder why their business suffers because of it. (Of course, perhaps they are a bit on the dense side and don't realize that their business suffers from the way they treat their employees.)

Scheduling? Some businesses put their minimum-wage employees on an "on-call" basis. The businesses can't seem to think coherently enough to create at least a week's schedule at least a week ahead of time for employees to be more aware of when they should be at work.

What generally happens is that the employee assumes that they aren't needed at a particular time (because they are not "scheduled")--and they plan to do something else during that time. Then, at the last minute, the business calls the employee and asks them to come in to work. No matter what happens, bad feelings are created.

It's better to create work schedules a month ahead of time (even longer if possible). Talk to employees and find out if they have certain life events anticipated, planned, and scheduled then create your schedules around those timeframes--this way, you won't get caught short of help, and you won't create unnecessary friction with your employees.

Many businesses also create problems by hiring the bare minimum number of employees necessary to run the business. If one of the employees gets sick, has an accident, or is otherwise rendered unavailable, the business finds itself coming up short--and resorting to calling in employees who are not scheduled to work that day.

Again, if the employees are aware that they haven't been scheduled, there's a good chance they will have made other plans that they most likely do not want to cancel. The business will be in luck if the employee decides to come in to work on that "non-scheduled" day. But the business should also understand that if the employee did not know in advance of the potential call-in, the business has no right to a temper-tantrum if the employee is not available on this non-scheduled day.

Behavior such as this on the part of businesses is not limited to the mom-and-pop enterprises. Even the big franchises sometimes seem to be totally stupid on scheduling their employees. And then acting totally assinine when the employees are hard to find or convince to come in when the employees were under the assumption they were "unscheduled" for that day.

For minimum wage, the business does not own the employee. If you don't schedule them, and then you want them to come in to work anyway, you will find that you will be having higher than average turnover with your staff.

An additional problem is that sometimes these businesses also do not schedule their minimum-wage employees for anything near what could be deemed a "full-time" job of at least 30 to 40 hours a week. They give them a few hours here and a few hours there during the week, sometimes not on the same days or same hours (before noon, after noon, evening) and they shuffle them around so that the employee does not have a "regular time" to work. It's always different. This makes scheduling even more impossible for both the employee and the business. And is why sometimes it's just better to be "unemployed" or perhaps "own your own home-based business"--because at least then you would have *some* control of your life's schedule.

Are You Losing Your Customers?

Some businesses are in out-of-the-way places. Others are in relatively accessible, but crowded areas. Many are in places that, although known to the locals, are obscure to those who have to travel a bit to get there. So, a good tactic to help folks find your business is to put a map on every piece of advertising. Don't waste the back of a business card--put a map there.

But... if you are going to put a map on your advertising materials--be sure to do it correctly. Otherwise, you'll only confuse many customers who will just resign themselves to going someplace easier to find.

What do I mean when I say "correctly"? Follow some standards used by all mapmakers. North should ALWAYS be toward the top of the map. And, it's helpful to position an arrow on the map with north at the point of the arrow (of course, you make sure that the arrow is pointing to the north!). Put at least one labelled "cross-street" on the map along with the labelled street you are on. If there are distinguishing landmarks or if your business is in a shopping center with a well-known, billboarded name, indicate the location of these on the map. If there's a major thoroughfare or freeway near your street and cross-street, indicate that also on the map.

There are other considerations to map-making--but the above mentioned items are the most important.

Then.. always get a *proof* from the printer before getting a whole run of the printed advertising materials. Reason? Sometimes, mistakes can happen. I recently received an advertising flyer from one of our local car dealerships--and it had a map on it. One problem. No one proofed it. Although it had the "arrow" with North at the top of it, somehow the map itself had flipped and reversed... such that what was supposed to be north was now south, and east and west had also flipped. The printing was still correct in that it wasn't an upside-down, mirror image; but the mess of streets in the wrong locations, and the location of the dealership was on the wrong corner. Whoever cooked up the final version of the map for printing obviously had no sense of spatial dimensions or navigation at all. Just wonder about those new to the area, who are trying to find the place.

Try driving to your business establishment by using your own map. You'll find new ways of helping to guide folks to your business. If in doubt--ask a Boy Scout or a Pilot--they know how to read and create maps.

Is Literacy Important? Who cares?

Is literacy important to your business? Who cares? Perhaps you've made it this far without having to do much writing, editing, or reading. And now you have a business establishment. Why should you hire a professional editor or writer to help you with tasks you may not be well-suited for? What business tasks do you have that might require the polish that a professional editor or writer could provide? Do you have a business policies and procedures manual to keep you and your employees consistent with their practices? This document might be helped with the expertise provided by a professional documentation specialist. Is your business regulated by Federal, State, or City ordinances and inspectors? You may need to have documentation prepared for these regulators' inspections. A professional documentation specialist may help you in avoiding additional pain resulting from these inspections. How about your advertising and marketing materials? I've seen advertisements where a price was incorrectly listed--and the car dealership had to scramble to correct the $10,000 difference in price on the ad. If they had asked a professional editor/writer to look at the ad before it went to press, they might have saved themselves a lot of scrambling. Sometimes the illiteracy is only somewhat embarrassing. When a 15-foot long banner has the word "Management" misspelled, it may be only an annoyance when it's announcing the change of ownership of a pizza parlor. However, if it is on a sign for a company specializing in "Quality Management", it may be more of a concern. (I've seen this at a Biotech Tradefair--a company specializing in "Quality Management" had a huge banner in which they misspelled the word "Management".) Sort of makes you wonder about how they manage *other* quality.

Likewise, it's amusing to find spelling and grammatical errors in menus at Chinese restaurants or in the hand-made flyers for a car-wash and detailing center. Yet, it's annoying to find these same gaffs in a computer installation and configuration manual, or in a manual for a piece of medical equipment or chemistry-laboratory analytic equipment. Certain types of documentation are more critical than others, and grammatical and spelling and usage errors in the critical documents can cause a lot of trouble if in the wrong place.

You may find an inexpensive "proofreader" at your local college, but you may be better off with a professional and experienced editor and writer. It may not be necessary for the pizza parlors or restaurants, but for businesses involving high-tech or complicated products--in particular, those regulated and inspected by various authorities--having a well-written, error-free documentation (manuals, advertising, marketing, and so on), could be the difference in remaining in business and seeing it go down the tubes. Consider this also, you will generally "get what you pay for"--if you go to the *cheap* side--you may not be getting the best you could get in regards to the professional techniques and services.

If you have employees, be sure to show appreciation for their contribution to your enterprise!

If you have employees, they can be critical to whether your business is perceived favorably by your customers and business associates. Therefore, be sure to train your employees in the methods your business requires them to perform. It does not matter if they have or do not have experience in your industry--since your business is unique to you, you still must invest some time to ensure that each employee conforms to your specific needs for your particular business. Even if they have experience gained elsewhere, they may have also gained bad habits--if you start them with proper training and expectations and respect at the beginning of the employment, you will have fewer problems later. So many businesses do training at the very start of their business, but then get so busy that they don't attend to training the newer employees who have replaced those original employees who have moved on. After a while, there are no employees at the establishment who have gone through the original intensive training. Quality starts to go down, and customers move on to other establishments for their business. Allowing employees paid time off to attend training not only helps YOUR bottom line, but also shows an appreciation and respect for your employees that can pay dividends later with more happy customers.

Miniature Billboards--Business Cards

It's amazing how many new start-up, single-owner, sole-proprietor businesses get going without properly designed and ready-for-distribution business cards. Business cards are such an inexpensive, yet powerfully effective advertising medium that they should be a part of any business's arsenal of techniques to drive customers to the enterprise.

I recently visited a brand-new ethnic market in an upscale community. The proprietor was friendly and quite pleasant and eager to please. I bought some items, and because I knew others would be interested in discovering this new establishment, I asked the fellow if he had business cards that I could hand out to my friends. No, he hadn't gotten business cards. To his credit, he had placed a stack of hand-written (with markers) 8-1/2 by 11" flyers on the counter by the cash register. I took two of those.. but again, business cards would have been more convenient. The flyers had a map on them. His market is nestled in an out-of-the-way corner of a strip mall that's off the main traffic flow through town. So, in order to find this place, one has to drive slowly through the strip-mall parking lot to find a parking spot nearby. If he does eventually get business cards, it would be good if he could pay the extra fee to get them double-side printed--and have a map printed on the back.

I've been back to his market a few more times since that first visit... each time buying some good stuff. But he still does not have business cards. Those cards could be strategically placed in other establishments nearby, on bulletin boards in places where folks of that ethnicity or fondness for that culture gather, and other locations. He's making a noble attempt at having his market. But each time I've been there, there are no other customers around. I sometimes wonder if I'm his only customer (I hope not).

And this is not an isolated incident--another ethnic-oriented market (even more obscure ethnicity than the one previously mentioned), just opened in my hometown. As with the other one, this one's proprietor has not seen a need for getting business cards.

Not that business cards are the solution to end all business problems, but because they are such a powerful advertising medium, they should not be the least thought about item in a business's marketing arsenal. Whenever the owners of these two locations are out and about, they should carry a stack of their cards with them. If, during the conversation with others in line at the coffee-shop or at the movie theater or Department of Motor Vehicles, the topic of what one does for a living comes up, those cards should be readily available for handing out to those curious enough to ask. Because otherwise these folks asking would never pass by the store or business establishment... so, if you have a curious onlooker in a different location, take advantage of the chance to introduce your business to a wider than-usual-traffic audience. If you have a website that also has instructions on how to get to your business or better descriptions of your business, be sure to have that on your business card--and let the website do some advertising and explaining for you.

An example? When I was working as a sales representative at an automotive dealership, on one of my rare days off I was browsing in the automotive section of a local large bookstore. A fellow was looking through a book on car repair... I asked if he was planning on fixing his car... he said, no, he was just trying to figure out what was wrong with his car. We visited a bit, and then, before leaving, I handed him my business card. About a month later, this same fellow came into the dealership, asked for me, and by the end of the day, had bought a new car. Two weeks later, he brought in his mother--her car had finally died--and she also bought a car from me. One business card--two cars sold. The commissions on both cars covered well more than the cost of printing 1000 3-color business cards. In other words, the investment in business cards paid for itself. Besides, if you are a sole proprietor (or any type of business, anyway), the cost of the business cards is tax deductible as a legitimate business expense.

Changes Driving the Economy

*Our community* has grown from a town of less than 10,000 people back in the early 1970s to a major city of more than 75,000 people. *Our community* households in the 1970s had incomes derived primarily from the agricultural and manufacturing base of the Central Valley--the sugar plant, the Heinz ketchup plant, the dairies, the cheese factory, the cardboard box facility, and then also the small, independent, family-run merchants of our downtown community. And then there were the immigrant and local farm workers who worked on the large farming areas around the town.

Now, to accomodate that 75,000 and growing population, new businesses and infrastructures have popped up in town. A large mall. An "automall" with all the city's dealerships clustered around the shopping mall. A Walmart, a CostCo, many new restaurants and service businesses to cater to the now largely well-educated and well-paid population. Real estate is booming. Lawn-care, day-care, and housekeeping services are also booming.

There's a unique facet to *our community*. Most of the citizens who live here, do not work in town. In order to afford the "American Dream" of a nice house (which in *our community* there are a lot of them) and a nice car, they must commute either by ACE train and bus, BART, or car to the Bay Area--namely Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Livermore, Pleasanton, San Ramon, and other areas. Working in *our community* at a retail establishment or on the farm commits one to darn-near a minimum-wage job. (Unless, of course, you own the joint.)

So... being that most of the population gets on the road before sunrise and doesn't get back into town until long after sunset... doesn't give much chance for merchants in town to get any business from these folks during the week. Weekends are very busy at all the shopping areas of town. And if a merchant or other business does not capitalize on this weekend traffic, they are ignoring the bulk of the economic traffic for their business.

Flintstone Car Sales Methodology--on the Road to Extinction?

It was so frustrating when I was working as a sales rep at a local car dealership (who shall remain unnamed--because this may apply to others out there). They have so many tools available to them, yet they are entrenched in the standard mode of selling cars that has been in existence seemingly since Henry Ford started the concept of dealerships back in 1903. They refuse to *see* the existence of customers with computer access, invoice access. They refuse to see how improved training and treatment of employees could help their own bottom line. They insist on being crude and stupid with the business of selling cars--in the same manner that cars have been sold for the past 100 years, seemingly.

They continue to *sit on their laurels*--in that they brag about "serving *our community* for more than 32 years*... yet they seem to think that *our community* hasn't changed in the past 32 years. Although *our community* may not have changed in the first 20 years from when they started their business, in the past 10 years, *our community* and the surrounding area has changed considerably. The economy has changed considerably.

Why do some businesses succeed, and others fail?

Why do some businesses succeed, and others fail? Sometimes, it's not the location. Sometimes, it's not the *type* of business. Sometimes, it's just the way the business owner/manager *runs* it.

Undercapitalized? Maybe.

Wrong place, wrong time? Maybe.

Wrong products/services? Maybe.

Poor service? Maybe.

Poor communication/half-butted advertising? Maybe.

Here's a place to exchange ideas--rant about things that could be better--to help *everyone* in this economy.