October 13, 2008 by Kyle.

Some companies wait for business to walk through the door.

Others, the hunters, the hungry business owners, go out and get it.

I was recently a spectator at a senior softball tournament (all players over 70 years old; see Sep 27 post below).

I was surprised to see an attractive young woman walking toward me in her Waffle House uniform. Then I saw another one. Must be some kind of new street gang…

She handed me a coupon for 10% off my purchase at the local Waffle House, wished me well, and kept on moving to other potential customers.

Brilliant.

The owner or manager took advantage of the opportunity in several ways:

— Target market. Most of the people at the softball field were senior citizens - a good market for Waffle House.
— They wore their uniforms to promote the brand.
— The timing was mid-morning, after the morning rush at the restaurant. So instead of employees sitting around looking for something to do, they were generating business.

Are you sitting in the office wondering why more people don’t buy your products or services - or are you a hunter/gatherer, out there actively generating business?

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

October 2, 2008 by Kyle.

I waited like the other 150 people in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis.

Finally, the Duckmaster rolled out the red carpet, the music played, and the famous Peabody ducks marched from the ornate fountain to the elevator where they were whisked away to their Duck Mansion for the night.

It’s amazing that 5 plain old Mallard ducks can create such a buzz.

But they do.

Every day, morning and afternoon, people line up along the path to watch these 5 ordinary looking ducks walk 50 feet between the elevator and the fountain.

But the Peabody Hotel has cultivated that buzz and has perfected the performance.

So if you tell your friends you’re going to visit Memphis, it’s likely someone will enthusiastically say, “Memphis? Are you staying at the Peabody? You’ve got to go see the ducks!”

What are you doing in your business to build that kind of buzz? What do you do that sets you apart from your competition?

The Peabody is a fabulous hotel. Friendly staff, comfortable beds. They do the basics right. But they have the added advantage of the ducks.

What is your business’s Peabody duck?

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »