About Social Media Today
The challenge is simple for all companies large and small: can your company deliver consistent value across all your products and services in the new economy that meets the expectations of the lean consumer? More importantly, can you exceed your competition and gain competitive advantage and market share in the new economy?
These are major challenges facing business today. The Economist Intelligence Unit recently completed a series of surveys across six industries – financial services, technology, telecommunications, utilities, consumer goods and retail. The study revealed that most companies still fall short when trying to deliver value consistently in all the functions that interact with the customer. This research was sponsored by SAP, and although each sector has its own strengths and weaknesses, the surveys reveal that all are struggling to enable marketing, sales and customer service to work together and share knowledge, and to use this knowledge to engage and enhance the customer experience: www.eiu.com/sponsor/sap/beyondtransactions/
Engaging customers and delivering consistent value across all products and services enhances the customer experience and will be a major competitive factor in the days and years ahead for many businesses, large and small. For small businesses that don’t have the resources of large enterprise -- data warehouse, CRM tools, etc. -- this can be as simple as using a phrase that enhances your brand experience. I have recently encountered two small businesses that get it: Life is good and Mizu Salon.
The creation of a line of apparel and consumer goods company with products branded “Life Is good” is genius in itself! The psychology of these words builds brand and connection to the phrase and explains why one of my friends loves her “Life is Good” dog bowl. When you buy and use “Life is good” products your brand experience continues every day, because every time you look at the product you see the slogan and you are reminded that life is indeed good. Wearing clothing with this slogan reflects your positive attitude about life and their new tire covers are highlighted with the slogan “leave a trail of optimism wherever you travel.”
This simple slogan enables Bert and John Jacobs, founders of the company, to leverage their brand experience across the entire product line. This brand experience is of course dependent on consistently providing simple products with great value and maintaining consistent superior customer experience across all customer touchpoints. 
Carla is a very smart and savvy entrepreneur and has looked at every customer touch point in her salon’s business processes and taken extra effort to make them more pleasurable, efficient and customer focused, right down to calling you if she is running late. How many hair salons have called to inform you that your appointment will be delayed?
The lean consumer is here, how are you going deal with them in the new economy? They are looking for value and very differently at every product and service that you deliver. This can be the kiss of death for many small companies that don’t meet the lean customer’s expectations for knock it out of the park products, services and of course brand experience. What do your customers think when they see your brand and/or, hear your company’s name, have you ever asked them?
The Personality of Fish: Starfish
Starfish are one of my most favorite invertebrate creatures. Invertebrates make up over 76% of all animals on earth and are vital to the health of all ecosystems. Starfish have elaborate natural hydraulic systems that enable them to walk and use their suction to pull apart clams and mussels. They have a very unusual way of eating; they expel their stomach outside of their bodies to actually eat. I am sure that when you have been tide pooling you might have seen starfish with their legs wrapped around each side of a mussel shell. What the starfish does is slowly wear down the abductor muscle of the mussel, just enough so that they can exude their stomach into the mussels shell. Then they emit acid into the stomach and eat the mussel with their stomach out of their body. Bizarre but true.
In comparison to other fish that I have written about, starfish have a lot of personality. They are like the garbage men of our oceans and along with sea urchins, crabs and other benthic creatures they are some of the first to arrive after death of any creature. Starfish have a tremendous ability to smell and find food, in particular large colonies of mussels and other shell fish. They also live in one of the highest energy zones of the ocean, the tidal surf zone. This is an area that is pounded by waves continuously and is exposed to air and the elements at low tide. Starfish can live for hours and days out of water and can contort their bodies into crevices and cracks like no other invertebrate.
They are diecious, meaning that there are male and female starfish, but the greatest hallmark of the starfish is its ability to regenerate its limbs. This is characteristic of many invertebrates including crustaceans; however, the regenerative powers of these creatures have never been adequately studied, primarily because of politics and lack of funding. Today is the time for small business owners to take a close look at how to regenerate their customer oriented business processes to meet the demands of the lean consumer. Until next time; great selling and marketing in the millennium.
