Business Marketing

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Heading towards 10 o'clock and I'm ticking away on a list of overdue items. Gail is not all that pleased with me this morning because I have misplaced a list of daylilies I need to update our website. She is convinced she gave it to me and I am convinced my office needs a good cleaning. You don't find many people like Gail and despite my shortcomings, she is always there to bail me out of messes. Some friends would have given up on me by now but Gail is Gail and she accepts the good and the not so good in me................so far.

The snow continues here as the temperature rises. We are almost at 30° so my guess that rain would be here by noon is about on target. The birds are feeding as if it's a big storm coming. A lone red squirrel sits on the weather station post eating sunflower seeds and ignoring me as the anemometer turns at 4 mph. The trees and shrubs are dusted with a couple inches of the latest snow and life is still good. Life will be lots better when the snow slides off the roof.

Yesterday Gail and I traveled to Greensboro, Vermont to Highland Lodge for a marketing seminar. The lodge, pictured up top here, is now moving into its fourth generation of Smiths. The Smiths are a special family and the lodge is a fine piece of Vermont, sitting mid mountain and looking down on beautiful Caspian Lake. The accommodations are excellent and the Lodge's tag line is so very appropriate .......... "Unplug, Relax, Reconnect".

The seminar seemed like something any small business owner should attend. It was billed as "Marketing Your Business Without $pending a Fortune". Internationally known marketing expert Scott Vogel was on hand to help participants quantify their current marketing practices and then plan how to bring in more customers, sales, smiles. Scott has offered his marketing skills to businesses of all sizes including Marriott, Walt Disney, Pepsi and the US Military. He also has excellent experience in the food and beverage industry and he obviously knows people very well. Gail and I had the privilege to be accompanied by an owner of a restaurants/inn/motel, two non profits owners, a transportation company manager, a music producer, a farmer raising goats for cashmere and meat, an artist, a clothing store owner, a specialty cake producer, an agritourism farm owner, a Green certified sealant company manager, and two day care/children activity specialists. The mix was unplanned but excellent and in the end, the potential linkages we built were significant.

It was pleasant to hear Scott confirm some of the things Gail and I have been tossing around for a couple years. He also shared some stimulating suggestions for each business. Here are a few bullets for you to apply against your business or plans for a business.

• Know the difference between advertising and marketing.
• Test your advertising format. What is the return on your ad investment?
• What is a new customer worth over a lifetime?
• What are you willing to spend for a new customer?
• How big is your business community and how do you interact with its members?
• Consider and develop a distinct, recognizable business brand.
• Build video and recording into your marketing now!.
  
• Consider 1-2 minute YouTube videos. Could be tied to FAQ's rec'd from customers.
  
• Use direct mail with oversize post cards.
• Ask yourself, who are you? what's the benefit of your service/product to your customers?
• How do you communicate this succinctly to customers so they remember it?

Any business needs to get out and about once in a while and see what other people are doing, saying, learning, teaching. Scott did a great job reinforcing linkages and explaining how to use networking to be more productive. It's bigger than Facebook or Twitter or a blog or website. It involves business men and women looking into themselves and looking out to their competition. No matter what you think your skills are at the beginning, I'll guarantee your confidence will improve along with your business.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the first snow just slid off the house. 32°. When you build your house just like you build a business, figure out where the snow will slide. I did not. I'm going out to shovel the steps and get the mail.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!©
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Fresh Snow

30.8 degrees here on the hill. It is quiet now. The kids down the road had friends over, and there was enough new snow to make new sleds slide much faster than on yesterday's mud and leaves. The new snow, slight as it was, cleansed the landscape and gave folks the opportunity to feel differently about the winter solstice. For the kids, it was an opportunity to let voices and spirits run free.

I returned home from work today and Karl the wonder dog greeted me as always. His trot-trot-trot across the kitchen floor, eyes wide open and both ears layed back made obvious reminder to the fact that yesterday, amongst wrapping paper and ribbon, food and drink, friends and neighbors, Karl got lots of attention....and too many snacks. What he didn't get was a good walk out back through the fields and into the woods. His behavior begged "Let's go!" and I knew I was obligated.

We got in the truck and drove out into the woods as the light was fading quickly and a cold rain was falling. I wanted to get out to the white spring and park and then walk from there. Karl didn't care, walk or ride, as long as he was out with me and he could smell the smells of the forest.

The big buck's track came off Blake Hill and onto our log road. He carries a beautiful set of antlers. His front hooves, splayed widely in the snow, serve as reminder to how heavy this deer is. I was surprised to see how far he walked down the road, apparently feeling safe during the storm when he left the tracks behind.

Karl ran, stopped, sniffed, and then ran, stopped and sniffed the tracks again. Every once in a while he would blow air out his nose in a big blast, apparently bragging in dog talk about his tracking ability.

We went on for several hundred yards until we came to the old refrigerator. There was something strange about folks in the old days and out of sight meant out of mind. They often had a habit of dragging broken household items out into the woods and just discarding them. Over time, the old refrigerator has become a landmark among hunters on the Peacham property. Directions like "wait for me at the old refrigerator" or "I'll be between the refrigerator and the pulp pile" sound odd to some but in hunter speak these are clear and important directions. Fortunately the fir balsams have grown quickly in recent years and the landmark is mostly surrounded now. It still represents an animal crossing point and hopefully will forever.

Karl stopped and began sniffing a foot tall balsam. The snow was bare of footprints but it was obvious the tiny tree was recently well marked by fox or coyotes and Karl was interested. I respected his interest in the spot but a clump of snow dropping from above had hit my shoulder. It splattered inside my collar and down my neck, cold enough to want to make me move along.
Karl wouldn't budge save for his sniffer which was in overdrive.

My thoughts of feeling sorry that he didn't have a nice walk on Christmas were fading quickly. Just then a red squirrel, obviously late returning to his nest, chattered loudly from the balsam above. Karl spotted it quickly and began to yelp like a true hunter. Red squirrels are always saying something and they seem to want you to believe they own the woods and are always in charge. This one looked a little odd. It was so wet its tail looked hairless. Just the same it scolded Karl for even thinking he was important and it scurried higher and into a hole in a dead poplar tree. For Karl, that was a sign to head for home.

As we walked along the woods road, I noticed again the death within the forest. The balsams on this property have reached their age peak and they are declining. The white and red spruces appear to have some blight or insect as many do not look as healthy as I'd expect. The long needle pine are tall and wave nicely in the wind but I notice they have a blight beginning on the north side of the stand. All of the forest is in transition. Regardless, the snow lends a silence and a peace that is powerful and calming.

We got back to the truck and Karl jumped up and in. He had a nice walk. I did too, I really did!


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where the night is still and the storm has stopped. Soon the birds and animals of the night will shake off ice pellets and snow flakes and head out to meet friends and find some dinner.

With frosty winter thoughts....for just a day.....


George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com/
http://vermontgardens.blogspot.com/