Bigger is Not Better – The Starbucks Fiasco

More than 15 years ago, long before they arrived here in Indy, I had a chance to sample Starbucks in its original form – in Portland, where coffee is serious business.  It was a a wonderful experience and I anxiously awaited the arrival of the first one here.

Then they came, slowly at first, then faster and faster, and faster… and suddenly they weren’t wonderful anymore, they were ordinary.    Starbucks has become the McDonald’s of coffee, consistent and predictable.

John Quell wrote this for the Harvard Business Review

Stores no longer have the soul of the past and reflect a chain of stores vs. the warm feeling of a neighborhood store.” Starbucks tried to add value through innovation, offering wi-fi service, creating and selling its own music.

More recently, Starbucks attempted to put the focus back on coffee, revitalizing the quality of its standard beverages. But none of these moves addressed the fundamental problem: Starbucks is a mass brand attempting to command a premium price for an experience that is no longer special.

There is a lesson here for any business owner. Be sure you know what makes you special and hold on to that as you grow!   In the very beginning it was the coffee.  But in Portland great coffee shops litter the street, so Starbucks created a brand around a coffee experience, but that can only be replicated so far and then it wears thin.

Today, I would much rather go to Hubbards and Craven in Broad Ripple.  What about you?

Bigger is Not Better – The Starbucks Fiasco

More than 15 years ago, long before they arrived here in Indy, I had a chance to sample Starbucks in its original form – in Portland, where coffee is serious business.  It was a a wonderful experience and I anxiously awaited the arrival of the first one here.

Then they came, slowly at first, then faster and faster, and faster… and suddenly they weren’t wonderful anymore, they were ordinary.    Starbucks has become the McDonald’s of coffee, consistent and predictable.

John Quell wrote this for the Harvard Business Review

Stores no longer have the soul of the past and reflect a chain of stores vs. the warm feeling of a neighborhood store.” Starbucks tried to add value through innovation, offering wi-fi service, creating and selling its own music.

More recently, Starbucks attempted to put the focus back on coffee, revitalizing the quality of its standard beverages. But none of these moves addressed the fundamental problem: Starbucks is a mass brand attempting to command a premium price for an experience that is no longer special.

There is a lesson here for any business owner. Be sure you know what makes you special and hold on to that as you grow!   In the very beginning it was the coffee.  But in Portland great coffee shops litter the street, so Starbucks created a brand around a coffee experience, but that can only be replicated so far and then it wears thin.

Today, I would much rather go to Hubbards and Craven in Broad Ripple.  What about you?

Don’t Make Naked Sales Calls!

Sales expert Jeff Gitomer has written a terrific post about what to “wear” to a sales call.   He is not referring to your suit or your tie, but what you take with you, how you prepare.    On his “fashion list”: information from their website which includes:

1. Things your product or service will impact
2. Identifies leaders and decision makers
3. Information you don’t understand, so you can ask good questions.

Read more

Don’t Make Naked Sales Calls!

Sales expert Jeff Gitomer has written a terrific post about what to “wear” to a sales call.   He is not referring to your suit or your tie, but what you take with you, how you prepare.    On his “fashion list”: information from their website which includes:

1. Things your product or service will impact
2. Identifies leaders and decision makers
3. Information you don’t understand, so you can ask good questions.

Read more

Better Blogging Made Easy

The internet is changing, rapidly.  It is not enough to have a pretty website, with lots of flash.  If you want visitors to come back again and again, you have to have content – fresh, interesting, informative, content!

And one of the easiest ways to create content is to add a blog to your site.  But if yoiu blog, you must blog frequently, preferabley daily, but at least several times a week.

And sometimes you just run out of steam!  I found this list of 5 Tips on How to Create Content Quickly

1. Share you favorite links
2. Create a top ten list
3. Interview someone
4. Ask your readers a question
5. Answer a reader question

I think the suggestions are really good. Especially for a small business owner, who is writing a blog as a sideline while he/she tries to focus on core business.  As long as your posts, even top ten lists releate to your core business, you are creating value for your readers, and your business.

Special thanks for this link to Patric Welch (alias MrNoobie), I found this post because he “dug” and I like to follow his content on FriendFeed!

In Search of Authenticity

I just finished reading a wonderful book: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Ann Barrows.  Not exactly a marketing text, so why write about it here?

Because the book, in combination with Seth Godin’s blog today made me stop and think about the type of communication I was sending.

The story of the people of Guernsey is told in a series of letters  – and it is the writing style I found so appealing.  Even though it is fiction, the writing style gives the book a feeling of authenticity.

In contrast, most of my recent marketing communication seems flat, and without personality. And so, this morning my challenge to myself, is to bring back the authentic feel to this blog.  Why? Because it will be more interesting, and because – if you believe Seth Godin, and I do, it is a great way to avoid the Dead Zone

Do’s and Don’ts of Rainmaking.

As president of Rainmakers, I see a lot of business owners making simple mistakes, missing opportunities by not paying attention to a few simple rules.

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Do’s and Don’ts of Rainmaking.

As president of Rainmakers, I see a lot of business owners making simple mistakes, missing opportunities by not paying attention to a few simple rules.

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Public Relations Opportunties.

Every day  there are hundreds of journalists working on stories for traditional media and on-line publications. How do they find sources for these stories? It is easy if they are one of the 20,000 members of HARO

Help a Reporter Out (HARO) is the brain-child of East Coast PR pro Peter Shankman.  It started out as Facebook group, but today has it’s own website, and a wish-list distribution sending story ideas to member up times a day.

I have been hooked up with HARO for about a month, and have already connected several clients with writers across the nation.   If you are a PR professional, or have an interesting story to tell, you should connect to HARO

Here are just some of the 33 topics requested in the Monday morning email.

Work and Pets

I love animals, and always thought it would be cool to have one of those offices with laid back pets roaming comfortably.  And now I do.

About six months ago, my assistant, Rebecca, here at roundpeg asked if she could bring her dog Bonnie to the office while they were remodeling.  This was no small request,  Bonnie is an 85 pound Bouvier des Flanders, (For those of you not familiar with the breed, she looks more like a bear, then a dog)

Well Bonnie came, made herself at home, and we are very glad she did.  Each day when she arrives with Rebbecca, she checks out each office to see who is in, then settles down for a nap in my office. She pops up when visitors arrive, says hello and goes back to sleep.

And now we have added a Kitty!   Her name is Clyde.  ( Get it Bonnie and Clyde)

At 2 pounds she already rules the roost, terrorizes the dog, and makes her home on desks and laps.   Although distracting, she certainly livens things up, makes people laugh and look forward to coming to the office.

Next, I think we need a bird!

Work and Pets

I love animals, and always thought it would be cool to have one of those offices with laid back pets roaming comfortably.  And now I do.

About six months ago, my assistant, Rebecca, here at roundpeg asked if she could bring her dog Bonnie to the office while they were remodeling.  This was no small request,  Bonnie is an 85 pound Bouvier des Flanders, (For those of you not familiar with the breed, she looks more like a bear, then a dog)

Well Bonnie came, made herself at home, and we are very glad she did.  Each day when she arrives with Rebbecca, she checks out each office to see who is in, then settles down for a nap in my office. She pops up when visitors arrive, says hello and goes back to sleep.

And now we have added a Kitty!   Her name is Clyde.  ( Get it Bonnie and Clyde)

At 2 pounds she already rules the roost, terrorizes the dog, and makes her home on desks and laps.   Although distracting, she certainly livens things up, makes people laugh and look forward to coming to the office.

Next, I think we need a bird!