I came across a rather interesting article in the June 30, 2010 edition of Marketing magazine that I wanted to share with you. The article talks about one of the more challenging tasks many established businesses face – whether or not to rebrand themselves, and if so, for what purpose (i.e. to go after existing clients in a different way or to target an entirely different client segment).

 Oftentimes businesses rebrand for the latter reason in order to go out after a more lucrative or attractive target market. In the case of East Side Mario’s (ESM), this was indeed the case. Having developed a strong brand as a “family friendly” restaurant with a gregarious New York City theme, it symbolized an affordable, convenient and comfortable place for families to eat out.

 However, ESM was eager to move its business model up-market by appealing to a more upscale client. As a result, it removed its Statue of Liberty logo and replaced it with a more traditional Italian symbol – the tomato. It also got rid of its infamous marketing jingle, “Badda Boom Badda Bing” due to its association with NYC.

 What happened next is an age-old problem that occurs when rebranding involves an attempt to enter a new market. By changing its target market through changes to its marketing messages, restaurant appearance and menu, ESM alienated its existing clientele while failing to make significant inroads with the upscale segment it was attempting to go after.

 So what can be learnt from this experience? First of all, rebranding should never be entered into by any business without considerable deliberation and analysis. And while going after a new and perhaps more lucrative client segment is always tempting, it may not necessarily be the best option, particularly when the new market you’re entering is as competitive as the restaurant industry.

 Indeed the competitive landscape should always be a primary consideration in any rebranding exercise. Always ask yourself this question – does the image I’m trying to portray or the market I’m trying to appeal to create any competitive challenges for my business (i.e. are there existing businesses with similar ‘brands’ going after similar or identical customers, and if so how successful are they?).

 The key to rebranding – and the key to developing a sound marketing strategy– is finding a niche in the market you can profitably compete in and exploit, one where your products and services effectively align with the needs and expectations of that particular target market. When you find that niche and are successful in exploiting it, you’ve latched onto the proverbial golden egg. And that’s why going after a new segment may not be the most sound business decision, and in fact can be highly risky. At the least, make sure your rebranding strategy is based on sound business fundamentals, and that these support the objectives of the firm.

Do you have a closet full of clothes but feel like you have nothing to wear?

Most of us only wear about 10% of the clothes in our wardrobe.  The other 90% fall into one of the following four categories: 

1. It doesn’t fit
2. It looks outdated or tired looking from wear
3. It’s not comfortable
4. It doesn’t match anything

The clothing that falls into these four categories should be purged as soon as possible.  These clothes are no longer serving you.  They are taking up valuable space and mislead you into thinking that you have more clothes than you really have.  If you do wear these items they will make you feel unhappy about how you look and reflect poorly on your personal image.  

Taking control of your wardrobe starts with closet control. This may sound painful to some, but it will alleviate the angst of opening your closet door in the morning and feeling overwhelmed. Plus, once it’s done, you’ll feel better and know what clothes you have to build your (new and improved) wardrobe around.

And you can make it fun! If you have a friend with a sense of style you admire, invite them over. Have food and drinks on hand. You’ll be surprised by how enjoyable it can be.

Going through and clearing out your closet is probably not something you are looking forward to; however it will be a job that you will be happy to have done.

How to Decide What to Keep

Step #1: Purge Then Splurge

Your first step is to pull everything out and separate it into two categories: what you wear and what you don’t by asking yourself the following questions:

• Does it fit well or is it too big or small?  Be honest about whether or not it will fit you within the next 12 months.  If you’ve been holding onto something for years in case you lose that extra weight, chances are it won’t look right when you do, as our bodies change and styles change. If it doesn’t fit and isn’t worth altering, give it away!
• Is it just too big or needs to be altered?  If it’s worth keeping, get it done.
• Is it your best style and colour?  If not, give it away.
• Is it comfortable?  If not, you’ll never wear it, so it’s just taking up space. Give it away.
• Is it outdated? You can try to pair the piece with something more current, but if it still feels unstylish, give it away.
• Am I waiting for it to come back into style?  The simple answer is it won’t so give it away.
• Have I worn it in the last year?  If the item is your style, fits, is the right color but have not worn in the last year, again give it away.
• Take a hard look at your accessories, scarves, jewelry, belts etc. and remove all that are broken or out of style.

If it doesn’t match anything you have in your closet, set it aside for now.

How to Effectively Organize Your Clothes Closet

Step #2: Group likes with likes

Once you eliminated these items, you will have a better idea of what you’re working with each morning.

Now hang the items that have passed the test in the following order:

• Hang like colours together going from light to dark
• Hang jackets together with the matching pant and/or skirt directly behind
• Hang miscellaneous skirts together and then miscellaneous pants
• Dresses should go together and have room to hang.

How to Build a Wardrobe That Reflects Your Personal Style and Brand

Step #3

Now that you have taken out all the items that are not needed, make a list of the items you will need to complete an outfit.

• Make a list of accessories you will need to complement the items you have left in your closet.
• Create two lists as now it is time to decide if which items on your list are number one in importance and those that are number two.
  • Your first list should include items that you are will to pay full price for such as jackets, skirts and pants. These are items that are classic and you will wear for a long time. Consider if you buy a jacket that costs $400 and you wear it 5 times a month it will cost (12 months x 5 = 60 divided into 400) $6.60 in the first year. If you pay the same amount for an evening dress that you wear twice it is $200 per wear. Don’t be afraid to spend on a suit because good quality will last a long time.
  • Your second list will include items that are of less importance such as trendy items, T-shirts, shorts, etc.

How much should you spend? A rule of thumb is 5% of your income.

Additional Tips

• Get the help of a trained Wardrobe Consultant like “Images That Suit” (it’s free) to help you wisely choose items that successfully integrate current style; best suit your personal image needs; body type; age and budget as mistakes are costly.
• Buy padded hangers for delicate items.
• Put belts over hangers.
• Invest in shoe trees to keep your shoes organized.

1. Keep your hair between your chin and your shoulders. Side-swept bangs and hair no longer than your shoulders will take off years.

2. Wrong lipstick shades can age you Another trick to looking younger is to steer clear of brown lipstick shades. Avoid matte lipstick as they tend to settle into your lip lines. Instead, try creamier lipsticks or glosses. (Glosses are especially youthful and make your lips appear bee-stung).

3. Try teeth whitening Over time, teeth may yellow from coffee, tea or red wine stains. You can whiten teeth quickly with over the counter products but the results are better and more permanent when completed by a dentist.

4. Stand up straight. Think about all the sexy women you know. They stand up straight and confidently. Not only will this make you look ten pounds thinner in seconds, it will make you look five years younger as well.

5. Get a good night’s sleep Few things age you overnight more than a poor night’s sleep. Your eyes are puffy, your skin sallow and dull and your face sags.

6. Highlight your eyes. Great eye makeup will make eyes “pop” and attract eyes away from the wrinkles on your face. Keep brows groomed and filled in.

In Reality You Have Two Business Cards:

When meeting others and well before you have an opportunity to offer that impressive pocket-sized work of graphic art we call a business card; they have already formed an opinion of you.  Yes, appearance and body language is assessed in our mind within seconds.  Your business card only acts to confirm or contradict this pre-established opinion.   If your image is inconsistent with who you say you are then dissonance is created in the minds of those you meet.  The result is that you have already lost credibility in their eyes diminishing the likehood of developing rapport and ultimately a worthwhile relationship.

Your Image Is A Powerful Marketing Tool:

To effectively build rapport one must communicate a clear and consistent message.  Confusion creates an obstacle to relationship building.  Be aware that your image is a powerful marketing tool. It directly helps or hinders success.  Make strategic decisions about how you dress to ensure that you communicate one consistent message. This enables others understand and trust that you are who you say you are; that you do have the potential to deliver on the business value proposition that you say you offer.  From there you can proceed to the next critical step; that of building rapport and trust.

Be Your Brand:

The most successful business people, in my experience, are literally an integral part of the brand they build.  Most importantly, they understand that their brand largely determines their personal “look”.  This may be easier said than done.  For us time-starved, harried executives, entrepreneurs and professionals, “looking the brand” may seem like another thing we have to do, among all the other things on our “to do” lists.  Yet representing your brand from the inside out can make all the difference.  It lends credibility and conveys passion and commitment around our venture.  At the end of the day, competence and credibility are key components of closing any sale or entering into any negotiation but it all starts with making a strong first impression.

You Are a Walking Business Card:

You represent a brand. Whether you’re detail oriented, creative, and artistic or a strong communicator, customers are only human and they will subconsciously judge your inside by what they see on the outside.  It’s worth it to spend a little extra time to look professional, clean, crisp and put-together.  Whether you choose cotton or cashmere, it’s all marketing material.  Getting valuable input from a Wardrobe Consultant, like that available at “Images That Suit” www.imagesthatsuit.com can make the process easy and fun.  Trained fashion specialists provide guidance on how to best build a winning wardrobe that is profession, age and style appropriate.  It will help ensure that each dollar spent on clothing is actually an investment in your success.

Your Next Biggest Client Might Be At Sobey’s:

Remember that it is important to “be your brand” both at work and play.  You never know when and where you might meet your next biggest client.  Not only should your business wardrobe reflect your brand but also your business casual and weekend wear.  Think of each dollar spent on clothing as a dollar spent on advertising.  As you keep clarifying and evolving your business brand, the nuances of how to best represent it on the outside will continue to become clearer and your image a powerful asset in building a successful business.

Give your image a performance review.  I invite you to a free wardrobe consultation.  To book a convenient time please contact me at 647-680-4536 or hjewer@cogeco.ca

Are you a sales professional or business owner, who wants to maximize your business development and triple the prospects in your sales funnel?

Every business I have ever worked with wanted to generate more prospect leads for their sales pipeline. My clients tell me this all the time. The disconnect occurs when I investigate the process used to process new prospect leads gathered at trade shows, networking events etc.

As a Sales Support Specialist, many times I find marketing is generating so many prospect leads that sales is cherry picking and choosing to follow up only the hot leads. Hot is defined by sales as leads they believe will close within the near future and contribute to this month’s target. Sales does this because they have monthly and quarterly targets to hit. Does this practice sound like what is going on at your business?

The question I asked is “What happened to the remaining cold and warm prospect leads?” Usually I find they are stacked on a desk or lost in a folder somewhere. No one is following up and talking to them. You have to wonder about lost potential.

When sales prioritizes the hot leads they are harvesting only the low hanging fruit to reach short term goals for this month’s or next quarter’s sales target. Continuing this practice plays only your A team and does not develop your farm team. How much money are you leaving on the table for the competition who offers a similar product or service and is communicating with every prospect?

To develop hot prospects for tomorrow when today’s hot prospects are gone, you need to implement a follow up strategy today. That way, you can leverage the numbers, triple the prospects in your funnel and maximize the potential business development brings to your doorstep. A follow up strategy puts in place a system to not only organize, build and manage a prospect database but also communicate and educate to build future sales. Implementing a long term follow up strategy gets those cold and warm prospects, currently lost to follow up, into the sales funnel and a chance to bake from cold through warm to hot. Hot and ready for you to close that deal tomorrow.

The result? Minimization of the feast and famine cycle you may have been experiencing in your business. By adding cold and warm prospects to your sales funnel you triple your prospects. Following up with EVERY prospect allows you to mine incremental growth and revenue that can be added on top of your current business.

Here are 5 simple things you can do today to start building your follow up strategy and a system to leverage your time and information.

• Put every business card you currently have into a database.
• Start marketing and educating about what you offer and how your solution can help solve problems.
• Insert hyperlinks directing prospects back to your website where they can find more information.
• Commit to communicating on a regular basis and ask for feedback.
• Utilize drip marketing to communicate over time.

Once you get going you can optimize your time and money by expanding your system and utilizing automation and email marketing to reach even more prospect leads.

Let’s review how your prospects are processed with a sales funnel optimization consultation. Discover the hidden road blocks that are preventing you from cashing in on the opportunities already on your doorstep.

Contact me at Cheryl [at] Executive Sales Support.com.

If you have a substantial number of clients, suppliers and contacts, one of the best ways to stay in touch with them is by publishing a regular email newsletter. A newsletter will educate them, entertain them and establish you as the expert in your field, and by using this free on line service called MadMimi it’s really easy — so you have no more excuses!

1. MadMimi allows you to import your contacts without forcing you to “confirm” each and every subscriber. This means if you import 100 contacts, you can send email to 100 contacts.
2. MadMimi’s simple-yet-sophisticated email editor is so easy to use, you don’t have to hire an email marketing expert like me to manage it for you
3. The best feature of all: it’s free, for lists of up to 100 email addresses. Once you out grow this, paid  plans starts at a very reasonable US$8 for up to 500 contacts, no long-term contracts.

Sign up with MadMimi today even if you’re not ready to start using email for marketing — their free account offer may not last for long.

Boris Mahovac – Email Marketing Coach

Remember, as a member of Oakville Networking I can set up your MadMimi account for you free of charge – this is a value of US$125! Takes 2 minutes to sign up, so do it now!