The Radial Group

Remember high school? I bet at some point you either copied someone else's test answer or discovered that your neighbor had copied yours.

Let's ignore the ethical issues for a minute. As a practical matter, if we're talking about a simple multiple-choice test where all you're being asked to do is regurgitate memorized information, the real-life impact of cheating is probably zero.

On the other hand, the odds are good that cheating won't work if the test question requires writing an essay based on reflection, analysis, and genuine understanding.

After all, teachers are likely to spot identical essays. And if they ask the writers a couple of simple questions, it'll be immediately obvious who's actually thinking and who's just copying.

It occurred to me recently that the same truth applies to business. I've held some senior positions at several businesses over the years, in both big and small companies. Almost all of them struggled with direction--what they were going to be when they grew up.

And without fail, every single one of them desperately looked at what other companies were doing to fill the void, as if by copying what everyone else did they could get an A on the test.

I see some wellness businesses do the same thing.

They see a marketing campaign that's working well for a completely different business, with a completely different target customer....so they copy it.

These businesses notice that Bob Greene's Total Body Makeover book sold like hotcakes after he pitched it on Oprah--so they devote all of their efforts to trying to get their new fitness book on Oprah. They see a pricing strategy that works for Wal-Mart...so they copy it. They offer weight management programs and copy the pricing and marketing from Curves, or Weight Watchers, or Jenny Craig. They copy the discount deals offered by national health club chains like Bally's or LA Fitness, even though they're going after completely different prospects with vastly different health and fitness concerns.

Never mind the fact that, unlike Wal-Mart, you don't have access to thousands of budget-conscious shoppers. Never mind the fact that the Curves financial model assumes most customers stick around for a year and your business is built on long-term relationships. Never mind the fact that for every author who appears on Oprah, thousands desperately want to...but never make it.

And yet these same businesses wonder why they never make progress--why it seems to hard to win the right customers, make a decent profit, expand with creative new products and services.

Making a business successful is hard work. It IS the final exam. And it requires actual thinking, not just copying everyone else's ideas.

Posted by Leslie Nolen at 09:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love hot and spicy food. One of the best things about living in Dallas-Fort Worth is going to ZestFest every year.

ZestFest is a trade show devoted to hot and spicy food products. It's got jalapeno salsas, habanero salsas, spicy BBQ sauces, hot-n-spicy pickles, peppery pralines, dessert sauces with Scoville ratings...you get the idea. These are not items you'll find in your local grocery store. Most of them are available only through the internet or mail order, unless you're lucky enough to live here and have something like Central Market.

We went last year and had a terrific time. The place was full of mostly small businesses...often families who had a great recipe that everyone loved. They had heard over and over again that it was so good they ought to sell it...so they finally put together a recipe, found a bottler, and were off to the races. And they had wonderful stories about their products. They really believed in them, and it shone through in every conversation you had.

You like a sweet and spicy but really hot salsa? Someone at ZestFest had it. You like a fruit-based BBQ sauce, but with some heat? A spicy Ethiopian sauce? Here it is. You love jalapenos, but you want a great-tasting pickle, not the nasty canned ones? Right over there.

So we went to ZestFest in Fort Worth a couple of weekends ago with great expectations...

...which were promptly dashed.

The place was full of bigger-name vendors. TGI Fridays. Budweiser. Hot sauces my mother can get at her grocery store in rural Mississippi. The specialty hot sauces that tasted incredible and were really new and different--where were they?

Where were all the little guys? Mostly not there. And the ones who WERE there seem to have forgotten about the need for a great recipe. Instead, they've skipped great product and gone straight to great marketing...you know, the wild and crazy name (say, Leslie's 007-Secret Spy Nuclear Hot Sauce...So Hot You'll Glow In The Dark) , the glitzy, cartoonish label, the people in the booth dressed like pirates or whatever.

We left with only two items, a great Asian-inspired BBQ sauce and an African sauce. Last year we found EIGHT sauces we couldn't live without.

As we drove, complaining, back to Dallas, it occurred to me that there are lessons to be learned here.

1) Some wellness businesses spend more time dreaming up the perfect name or logo than they do actually developing programs that will make a difference in customers' lives.

We bought Chef Dean Martin's Asian BBQ Sauce & Marinade this year. Cute and clever name? Ummm...no, not really. Glittery exotic label? Nope, pretty ordinary. But the sauce is amazing, and the people selling it took the time to actually engage with each customer, offer samples, and give you ideas about the best ways to use the sauce. No showmanship whatsoever--just great sauce and genuine conversations with customers.

2) Some wellness businesses spend big bucks on promotion--elaborate trade show booths, radio, TV, and newspaper ads, four-color full-page magazine spreads--only to be disappointed when nothing much happens. Yet, if they had focused on making their products and services great, word of mouth from happy and loyal customers would have added measurable new revenues and profits.

We bought Uncle Brutha's Gourmet Fire Sauce #10 last year. Absolutely delicious. Uncle Brutha's never advertises--I doubt they can afford it. But we were so happy with it that we recommended it to a couple of friends who bought it, and to a local store. We've reordered since then ourselves. And the cost to them of getting all these new customers--almost nothing. It doesn't hurt that their customer service is both personal and excellent.

3) Some wellness businesses "bolt on" a sales and marketing approach that doesn't really fit their style or their product. For example, they make cold calls when they hate doing it and don't get good results. Or they feel that they have to use a high-pressure sales pitch, even though they privately think it's sleazy.

Here's what I mean: Pirate themes were "in" at this year's ZestFest. No idea why, but people in pirate costumes staffed several booths. They were full of "ahoys" and "yo ho hos". Of course, that didn't leave much time to actually talk about how great their hot sauce was and what made it special. And they didn't actually have genuine conversations with anyone who stopped by. But the play's the thing, right? Right?

On the other hand, the guy pitching Ebesse Zozo Hot Sauce, an African-inspired sauce, is from Africa. He dresses in African clothing, plays African music at the booth. He's got a truly effervescent and happy personality. It works, and it's totally consistent with the product. There's nothing fake, nothing forced about it. He's not outgoing because someone said he should be. He's genuinely excited about the sauce. He really clicks with potential customers, describing the sauces and what they're good with.

We bought that one.

The pirates? Skipped right past 'em.

4) Some wellness businesses (think weight management, for example) have the classic sales pitch nailed...."You'll change your life" or "Take control of your future". But their programs don't deliver. In truth, they're just trying to jump on a bandwagon and make a buck. Or they mean well but haven't gotten past what worked for them to thinking more broadly. You can tout the benefits your weight loss plan offers all day long, but if the plan is ill-conceived and doesn't work, customers will eventually notice.

Several of the new hot sauce vendors we saw had the usually selling points nailed..."It has flavor, not just heat" or "Great on grilled meat". But the actual sauces--nothing to write home about. Nothing unique, nothing special. And simply mouthing the usual selling points doesn't mean it's true. Customers may believe you once, but if your product or service doesn't deliver, they won't be back and they won't refer others to you.

Food for thought.

PS Our hot sauce recommendations:

Uncle Brutha's Gourmet Fire Sauce #10
Ebesse Zozo Hot Sauce
Chef Dean Martin's Asian BBQ Sauce & Marinade
ToadSweat Dessert Hot Sauces
Dave's Insanity Sauce

Posted by Leslie Nolen at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You know, in our line of work noticing good--and bad--customer service is really an occupational hazard. Finding examples of bad service is like shooting fish in a barrel--it's so easy it almost seems unfair.

And yet providing good service is not that tough.

It's like that old joke about two guys trying to escape a grizzly. One guy says he hopes that they can outrun the bear. The other guy says, "I don't have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you." We're all so accustomed to lousy service that our standards for terrific service aren't necessarily that high. It's pretty easy to provide better service than almost everyone else.

Visited my local Life Time Fitness gym earlier this week. They usually do a good job of keeping their front desk staff focused on members...in fact, that's one reason I joined. My previous experience with the downtown Dallas YMCA was that their front desk people were inevitably too busy chatting on the phone and with each other to promptly respond to members. (I'll share the incredibly frustrating process of trying to renew my Y membership in a later posting).

But...one front desk employee at my Life Time is repeatedly on his cell phone. He can't even put it down long enough to greet customers personally and check them in smoothly.

In my book, that ranks right down there with a front desk employee who says "Yes?" without even looking up from her paperback when someone walks up to the desk.

No business manager should let this happen. While part of the cure is hiring people who are genuinely interested in other people, another part of the cure for any business is treating and paying staff like owners. This guy would have a much stronger reason for treating customers well, and his co-workers would have all the reason in the world to apply some pressure to him themselves.

And while we're on the topic, I've been in this particular Life Time location anywhere from 4-6 times/week since April. They took my picture when I joined, and if they're making good use of their database that same picture pops up when they check me in electronically.

So why doesn't anyone ever use my name or recognize me? They're clearly very well-trained to say "Enjoy your workout" and "Have a good evening". It sure would be nice if they seemed to recognize me from the last, say, FIFTY times I worked out there.

We in the wellness industry can learn a lot from other industries.

My husband and I visit (for those of you in the DFW area) the Coit location of a small but growing chain, Tin Star. We eat there several times a week, with about the same frequency as we visit Life Time.

The big difference: amazingly personal service. And folks, this is basically a fast food joint.

But the staff all recognize us, they know what we usually order, and they take the initiative. For example, they know I always order vegetarian items. When I tried a new item, the manager stopped by to make sure that I realized the recipe included meat.

See what I mean? It's not that hard to outrun the bear. Didn't cost the Tin Star folks a penny extra to do any of this. They're just paying attention to the details, and they understand that extremely happy customers are a very, very good thing.

Posted by Leslie Nolen at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)