Forget Plan B, It’s Time for Plan C

Forget Plan B, It’s Time for Plan C

by | Apr 14, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

An Opportunity to Evolve…Create a Category

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

Right now, lemons are definitely being thrown at many businesses.  Are you open to making a different kind of lemonade?

Just a few short months ago, at the beginning of December 2019, I wrote and published an article and podcast with the title, What’s Your Plan B?

Not that I was foreseeing the future, I just knew that the spiraling success of economic growth and consumer confidence would one day have a flip-side and you better start getting prepared.

If you created a Plan B for your business operations, congratulations.

However now it’s time for Plan C. Yes, you may be working thru a Plan Coronavirus or Plan Covid-19 or whatever nickname you want to use for the here and now.  Also the Plan C I’m talking about has nothing to do with Medicare supplements or abortion pills.

But this Plan C is taking the past Plan A when everything was great, mixing in your Plan B which was designed for an economic slowdown, adding in the things we are learning each day in the middle of this pandemic and how we are adapting and creating a new recipe for success that we’ll call Plan C.  If you pretend we can just go back to Plan A when the stay at home restrictions are lifted, you are wrong.

If you simply put your Plan B into action, you are missing out on some of the great things that we are learning in the middle of this history lesson.  Here’s more timeless tips from my most recent Sound ADvice newsletter:

For many business owners, this is a perfect time to re-evaluate their business and potentially re-position their company.  What is it that you’re currently “known for”?  Are you known for having the lowest prices, best selection, highest quality, the fastest service? Or, are you not really known for anything specific.  Is there something different that you would like to be “known for”?

If you are looking to re-position your business, NOW is a perfect time to start planning and potentially implementing your NEW position. Many brands have been born during or immediately following a major crisis!

Do we really believe that a business can consistently offer the highest quality and the lowest price?

Many marketers make the mistake of trying to be all things to all people. Consumers’ minds won’t allow a business to own both the quality position and the discount position.

Very often the position you own is not that of a particular product or service, but rather it is an experience or demographic.

For example, Michelin doesn’t own the tire category, they own safety, while Pirelli owns the performance experience. Both come with a higher price tag and both have plenty of consumers who value their product.

GEICO doesn’t own the insurance category, they own “saving you time and money”.  They never speak to how well they pay claims.  On the other hand, if you want an insurance company that you are confident will pay your claims, even the crazy ones, you’re more inclined to lean toward Farmers Insurance. “They know a thing or two because they’ve seen a thing or two”.

In their groundbreaking book, The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, Al Reis and Jack Trout state law #2 as: “If you can’t be first in a category, create a category you can be first in”.

Through marketing and advertising, a business can create its own niche or demographic category.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending upon whether you want lemons or lemonade, now is a good time for many of us to re-evaluate the position your business holds in the minds of your customers, potential customers, and your community.

Former Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, said this about a crisis, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.”

Being known for something specific is far more profitable than trying to be all things to all people!

If you’re looking to create a category you can own, click here to see The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing.  If you’d like to further discuss creating a category for your business to own, contact me.  Also subscribe to my weekly Sound ADvice business tips and marketing email newsletter by filling out the form below.

Stay Safe – Stay Healthy – Stay Strong!

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Learn From The Best

Learn From The Best

by | Apr 7, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo Sales Tips, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, Uncategorized, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

It’s a weird and wacky world out there right now.

We are hearing stories about the record number of people who are filing for unemployment, the devastating stories of people dying from this mystery virus that we have yet to get a handle on because it is new to the medical and scientific community.

Some of us are working from home, other are at home trying to figure out how to occupy their time.

As business owners and managers, I understand you want some answers, but the answers to the questions you really want aren’t available yet.

We don’t know what the final tally will be healthwise or financially. We are living in the middle of a movie and this is not your typical romantic comedy or action flick where we know the good guys always win.  This is real life, your life, my life and the lives of the people we work with and live with.

You want answers, you want solutions, and while I wish I could give you a road map to follow exactly…

I can’t because each of you have different circumstances and variables that will determine the steps to take.

Instead I am going to take a moment and share with you some resources that I shared with my team.

Near the end of February, I was offered and accepted a promotion to become the General Sales Manager of WOWO Radio. WOWO is one of a dozen stations owned by Federated Media in Indiana  and the past few years the WOWO Local Sales Team has been the largest producer of revenue for our company.  I’ve been part of that team for nearly 7 years.

Less than 4 weeks after the promotion to lead, manage and coach our team, Black Friday hit.  It was my wife’s birthday March 13th and the orders to stay at home were causing businesses to scramble and try and figure out what to do next. 

One of the things I prepared for my team was a list of some resources that have helped me over the years. With the extra time you have and your desire to find some answers, this list of resources could spur your thinking and creativity.

In 1986 I made the switch from having fun and being creative as a radio personality in the programming side of the business, to needing to learn how to apply that creativity and fun to the money making side of the business, the advertising, marketing and sales side.

Roy H. Williams:  https://www.mondaymorningmemo.com/  I subscribe to this and have fun digging into the “rabbit hole” in each memo.

 

https://harveymackay.com/ Has a bunch of resources and I’ve read and recommend his first two books, Swim and Naked.

 

https://www.gitomer.com/ has free stuff you can sign up for.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Positioning-Battle-Your-Al-Ries/dp/0071373586  Is a book I bought when I first started in the advertising side of radio in Detroit.  Great stuff.

 

I subscribe to Art’s emails: https://businessbyphone.com/

 

And circling back to Roy Williams, some of his partners also write great stuff that you can subscribe to: https://wizardofads.org/articles/

 

I  also have over 1400 articles and over 150 podcast episodes that I’ve created at my own website: https://www.scotthoward.me/ and I update with fresh material every single week.

I have been learning for over 30 years and continue to soak up wisdom from others.

I also have a weekly newsletter called Sound ADvice that is free and delivered to your email Wednesday mornings if you sign up for it.

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Work From Home Tips

Work From Home Tips

by | Mar 31, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

Preparing for WFH

If you google search “WFH”, you will learn that there are approximately 16 different acronyms for WFH. But due to our recent events, the two most recognizable are “Work from Home” or “Working from Home”. 

Before COVID-19, it was estimated that 8-million US employees worked from home regularly.  Today, that number has multiplied many times, and some say that it may be the “new normal”.

WFH sounds simple.  However, if it were, wouldn’t everyone be doing it? The fact is, it’s not simple. It’s not convenient. It’s not always feasible or the best situation, and by most standards, it’s not as productive as working in a normal office or work environment.  

Because of our current circumstances, today many business owners have either chosen to or have been forced to take the office home.  Whether you have already made the transition or are considering it, it’s imperative that you keep the days as normal and as productive as possible.

WFH comes with many distractions. Getting the most out of every hour and every day is critical, even if it’s a short-term situation.  To help you get the most out of your employees, I have a list of 8 rules for working at home.  Applying these rules in some shape and form will not only help you be fair to your employees but at the same time, keep them productive.

Rule #1 is Hold them Accountable.  While you don’t want them feeling untrusted, it’s only fair that you expect a good day’s work for a good day’s pay. 

Rule #2 is having them Set a Schedule.  WFH comes with many easy distractions. Having a set schedule will keep them on task and give them daily goals.  

Today’s technology (Google Hangout, Zoom, GoToMeeting, YouTube videos and many others), many of which are free, allows us to have face to face meetings and conversations.  Rule #6 is Start each Day Off with a Video Conference. Make this a positive experience. You might consider starting every morning with a short online meeting.  They can be brief with an agenda that looks something like this:  

1) Good Morning with a positive quote

2) Good news from yesterday (positive comments about customers or work situations, celebrate positive things that happened)

3) Challenges that they are facing by working at home or with customers, etc. 

4) Share positive ideas and comments (ways to improve – what they are thankful for)

5) Motivational or training videos

Everyone hopes that our current situation will be short-lived. In the meantime, if you would like to see all 8 Rules for Working From Home click here. We hope you find them helpful.

Stay Safe – Stay Healthy – Stay Strong!

What I just shared with you is from my weekly Sound ADvice email newsletter that is sent every Wednesday morning to people like you who request it.  Each week there are either some marketing tips, business tips or often some of both along with a link to get more details.

I lead a sales team for one of Federated Media’s radio stations in Fort Wayne Indiana.  Because we already had a hybrid Work From Home business model for our sales teams, some of what the WOWO Radio sales staff has been doing hasn’t changed.  However we are also tasked with having regular face to face in-person meetings with our advertising partners and prospective clients.  That has changed and we are working to adjust.  No, I’m not doing daily video sales meetings with our team because that would be too disruptive since we weren’t meeting daily in person previously.  Your business environment and set-up could be different. 

Behind the scenes, those of us in management are having twice weekly Zoom meetings to brainstorm with each other ideas and how to implement them.  We are living in the middle of history right now, like being in the middle of a movie and not knowing how it will end.

I do know this however:  The term Short-Term Pain for Long-Term Gain seems appropriate as we all make adjustments.   On the programming side of our radio operations, my afternoon talk show host, Pat Miller and our anchor of Fort Wayne’s Morning News, Kayla Blakeslee are both broadcasting from make-shift home studios.  We have limited staff coming to the radio station and we are closed to the public so prize winners are being mailed their winnings.

But life goes on.  We are launching new advertising campaigns for new advertising partners.  We are updating and adjusting the messages from our long time advertising partners and if you or your business wants to be on WOWO Radio, contact me.  Scott@WOWO.com is my email and we’ll get it done.

 

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Leadership Lessons from Jack

Leadership Lessons from Jack

by | Mar 24, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Media, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

Lead Like Jack

Considered one of the greatest CEOs of all time, Jack Welch passed away on March 1st, 2020.  Jack was the CEO of General Electric (GE) from 1981-2001.  He is known for changing the way leaders lead.  His style was to hire the best people, let the people do the work, and get out of their way.  

During his tenure as CEO of GE, the value of the company grew from $14 billion to $400 billion in just 20 years. In 1999, Fortune Magazine named him “Manager of the Century”. 

While he did have his adversaries and not every deal he made was a winner, in the end, Jack Welch is most noted for his management style that turned GE into one of the largest companies in the world while under his guidance.

In his “8 Rules of Leadership”, Jack’s Rule #1 says, “Leaders relentlessly upgrade their team, using every encounter as an opportunity to evaluate, coach, and build self-confidence”.

The lessons taught and used in a mega-company like GE can and should relate to all businesses of all sizes.

If you would like to see the complete list of Jack Welch’s “8 Rules of Leadership” as published in Inc. Magazine’s November 13th, 2017 issue, click here.

Last year my company had the opportunity to upgrade their team. Federated Media is a privately owned company based in Indiana with radio stations and digital marketing divisions.  When an opening for a new leader for the Fort Wayne, Indiana division of Federated Media was announced, the search began nationwide to find the person most capable of not only leading our team for the next year, but also for the decades ahead. 

After multiple candidates went through the process, our CEO selected Ben Saurer to become the VP/General Manager of Federated Media’s Fort Wayne operations.  Ben is no stranger to the company, he has been the General Sales Manager of my station WOWO for years.  Ben was also responsible for leading the sales teams of our sister stations WKJG (ESPN) and WBYR (98.9 The Bear). Ben was also the local favorite for leading us, even though those of us who worked for him directly were a little nervous about who would and could replace him as General Sales Manager of those three stations.

One of Ben’s first roles as the Fort Wayne VP/GM was to hire his replacement General Sales Managers. Again a national search was conducted and within 8 weeks of Ben officially in his new position, he filled all three G.S.M. seats with two people.  Initially hired to become the Sales Manager of our ESPN station and our Classic Hits station (BIG 92.3) Kassie Taksey in January, it was announced that she would also take on the General Sales Manager role for 98.9 The Bear.  Kassie is a Federated Media veteran, having worked for us before and is an excellent choice to lead those sales teams.

The same thing happened with WOWO Radio. After a nationwide search and interviews, Ben Saurer announced that I would become the WOWO General Sales Manager to lead our team.  Over the next few months my role is changing as I divest myself of most of the advertising partners I was personally taking care of.  We also hired two brand new team members to replace me and to move forward in 2020. As Jack Welsh said, “Leaders relentlessly upgrade their team…” and that includes adding the right people to our teams.

If you would like to be considered to work for my team or any or the Fort Wayne Federated Media radio stations, start here: https://www.federatedmedia.com/fort-wayne-market/ 

And if you would like more business tips and insight, subscribe to my free weekly Sound ADvice email newsletter.

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3 Ways To Grow in 2020

3 Ways To Grow in 2020

by | Feb 25, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice

Three Ways to Grow a Business

As owners or managers of a business, it’s our responsibility to not only figure out how to keep our business functioning properly and effectively, but also how to GROW our business.  Staying level or going backward are not options.  Profit and growth are key!

So how do you grow a business?  It’s more complicated than just increasing sales.  If you’re trying to grow your business, start by understanding that there are only three ways to grow a business.

1.) Sell more of what you are currently selling.

2.) Sell what you are currently selling for more money.

3.) Add additional product(s) or service(s) to what you are currently selling.

Regardless of how you slice this, nearly everything you can come up with to grow a business will fall under one of these three headings.

While discounting and sales events can help grow a business, lowering your profits is not the fastest nor the most efficient way to grow.

And if you think you can just rest and coast and all will be fine, remember the words of my mentor Ron who told me years ago you can only coast downhill.

I have a list of Eight Critical Profit Factors, factor number two is, “Have an up-sell, cross-sell or add-on sales plan”.  Include a staff incentive with every promotion and train your staff to up-sell, but not hard-sell, every customer.

Attracting a customer and getting them to open their wallets can be a difficult and costly process.  But once they’re in your showroom and have their wallets open, an accompanying up-sell is relatively easy.  Once the customer has chosen a bed, selling the matching nightstands can make the difference between profits or break-even.

This was taken from my weekly newsletter that you can have delivered to your inbox Wednesday mornings. Just fill out the form below. SoundADvice is designed to offer you meaningful and helpful tips to help you run your business more smoothly.  The issue  this was based on will help you increase your sales at a profit.  Click here if you would like to see all 8 Critical Profit Factors to improve your bottom line.

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