Mind boggling! The entire business landscape is going through a metamorphous of sorts…nothing is business as usual anymore! Really, nothing is!

I see business sector after sector old standby models falling apart everywhere. New approaches are being developed; existing business systems are being redefined and challenged while others are completely collapsing.

It’s as though someone took a giant stick and hit the business piñata and bam!!! We have an explosion of winners, losers, new kids on the block staking claim, giants falling, bewildered and confused executives and shareholders, fraud, fear, excitement, status quo and just as Elvis Presley said “A Whole Lotta Shaking Going On!”

The way I see it is we are in the midst of what I call ‘The Great Business Digital Divide.’ On one side of this gap we have two groups; the various companies, businesses, entrepreneurs, etc. who are not even aware of what is going on and/or they don’t realize we are in a brand new business era that looks and feels nothing like the past 100 years or so. Then there is those who know and sense things have changed but have no clue as to what they should be doing, what kind of people they need on their team and were to go to get the help they may need to successfully go through this transition.

On the other side of this gap are two more groups as well. One of these are those who have understood they needed to make some radical changes in the way they run their business because it is certain what they have relied on for years is no longer working. They have begun to institute some things that to an untrained eye give them the appearance they are plugged in and are 21st century business mavericks. Very much what Seth Godin described in his book Meatball Sundae.

The second group is those who have not only embraced the digital business revolution going on but they have had a hand in its birth and development. I’m not talking about techies here. I am referring to digital savvy, fresh thinking creative’s who have been on this journey for quite sometime…some longer than others. These are the ones who understand things like mission statements and status quo are DEAD and for those who hang on to this mentality, they are most likely on their last leg. This goes for the giants in business to the local auto repair shop. This is the group who are excelling and getting positioned for market share that will move them into dominance in their niche.

So what’s a business to do if they are not in the latter group?

I for one believe their doing should only happen after they have done the work of defining their unique and tactical strategy. Let me make myself perfectly clear here, this is not a one time activity I’m talking about, no; it must be an ongoing part of your marketing and business development!

One of the most frustrating things I see going on with many I come across in business today is they are in such a hurry to get out there they don’t invest the time, effort and money to develop killer strategy to ensure their success. The truth is, without well defined strategies in today’s new marketplace you are either going to fall into the category of a ‘me-too’er, a ‘clueless’ or a ‘that’s how it’s always been done in this business’ type. All of which will not cut it anymore.

Why? Mainly because the consumer is in charge not you…and today’s world is driven by technology. These have never really been factors of consideration most existing business models were designed around. Add to that, there is such competitor saturation in the marketplace many businesses are finding it very hard to stand out and get attention.

Clearly…if you want to be successful in this new marketplace one essential asset you must posses is you highly value and prioritize strategic thinking and planning when it comes to your business.

The dictionary defines strat⋅e⋅gy  as;
a plan, method, or series of maneuvers or stratagems for obtaining a specific goal or result: a strategy for getting ahead in the world.

Creating your strategy involves creative thinking, LOTS of research and feedback, planning, execution, experience, etc. to name a few. Marketing research is one of the fastest growing sectors in business today. Recently Inside Research recognized comScore as a leading market research industry publication and as the fastest-growing major global market research firm over the past five years. Why is that? Because understanding your target market and planning your strategic approach of action are more valuable and important than ever! Business is changing and evolving very, very fast and you do not have the luxury to lean on much trial and error or not being in the know. Knowledge is a key factor in creating strategy but so is creativity.

Maybe now is a good time to take a fresh look at who you have on your team? Any creative’s around? Any strategic thinking detailed people in your corner? Are you plugged in to research and feedback for your target market?

The New Business Era Currency…Got Strategy? If you don’t, I suggest you get busy to find those who can help you get it!

Their touch point, frame of reference, what gets their interest…is the ‘human experience’. Period.

Today’s American consumers (whose ever changing life stages must be taken into consideration) start their relationship with your business by examining and experiencing your intent and motivation. Consumers interact with brands like they do with other humans.  Since they highly value authenticity and transparency in relationships, all the more this is true regarding brand communication.

This is why your story…your purpose, your heart should be at the core of your branding. Your brand needs to be able to ‘touch’ the human heart in order to even get consideration in the first place. That is why sales pitches, hype, fast talking and slick in-your-face intrusive advertising does NOT work any longer.

Show me your interesting story (your human touch point) and you can call it a branding or anything else you like.

Character shows up in those little things most take for granted like keeping your word especially when it’s inconvenient, taking personal responsibility even if it cost you, returning phone calls, looking out for others well being before your own.

Basically, the way I see it is business success in this new economy will depend largely on your intentions, your motives. That is the way it used to be and that is how it should be in my books.

Everyone gets it you are in business to make a profit but what are your intentions and motives towards your customer, your employees, your vendors, your competitors, your community, your country?

That is the question and observation on the minds of today’s new consumer. Gone are the days of “Sell, Sell, Sell!!” Consumers have so much choice when it comes to deciding who they will spend their money with. You can’t rest on ‘old model’ business thinking and processes any longer if you want to ensure they choose you to spend their hard earned money with.

The intent and motive of your heart (your business, corporation, whatever started in the heart of someone) is going to be a deciding factor on what side of the “Great Business Divide’ occurring now.

What I am talking about here as to having a ‘Good Heart’ should be the basics for anyone in business. If it’s not…the new consumer emerging today will demand it and if you don’t genuinely deliver, you will have a hard time with business success in the 21st century.

Just look at these recent numbers!

It doesn’t take a professor to see the immediate future is ripe for beginning to think about how you are going to connect with today’s incredibly connected mobile consumer.

Just looking at this snapshot of numbers you can see why you need to start adding mobile marketing to your strategy.

- 82% of all adults have a cell phone
- 58% of all adults send or receive text messages (7-in-10 of cell phone users)
- 27% of all adults have sent or read a text message while driving (1/3 of cell phone users)
- 14% of all adults bumped into something / someone while calling/texting (1-in-6 of cell phone users)

- Pew Research

65% of Americans’ Believe Business Should Lead in Social Good

Wow! What a sad situation our country is facing as we prepare to celebrate and enjoy the freedoms that have been purchased and ransomed for us today on the backs of many a fine American. I thought to myself, “Is this our story for 2010 and on?”

The article went on to say “even though we’ve gained about 600,000 private sector jobs back, we’ve got nearly 8 million jobs to go,” said Lakshman Achuthan, managing director of Economic Cycle Research Institute.

The article went on to point out; it would take the creation of 10.6 million jobs immediately for the same percentage of the population to be working as was the case three years ago. Many of the workers who have lost jobs were in industries that are not likely to recover their former strength. They are predicting that as many as half of the people who lost their jobs will have to find something else to do.

This is very disturbing news. Millions of folks who have lost their jobs are not going to be able to find jobs in their line of work so they better figure something else out, right?

Ok, well I ask myself… what can be done about this? Are we just going to throw up our hands and except this? How are we going to turn this mess around? Are we going to wait for the government or big business to “bail us out”…again? Whatever good that did!

I THINK NOT!!

While I don’t pretend to have all the answers I do know a thing or two about entrepreneurship, small business and this New Business Era we have been sucked into!

I know they are right when the Foreman says these” jobs are going boy and they ain’t coming back”.  Those dinosaur industries and companies are falling like flies and more are to come. Much more judging by the way they are not willing to enter in to this new digital age and 21^st century marketing!

I know the golden egg for economic recovery and stability in this country is in the rise and well being of entrepreneurs and small business.

I know there are incredible opportunities for ANYONE to be in business for themselves doing what they love doing like never before! The internet and social media has knocked the feet out from under the gatekeepers. You can go in there and get yours now!

I know if we (the average everyday American) would support and commit ourselves to conduct the majority of our business transactions with entrepreneurs and small businesses across this country we would not only start money flowing into our communities again but we would see lots of jobs being created.

I know the internet and social media can and will facilitate the needed handshake where we tell one another about small businesses in our circle and community that are providing great products, services and customer appreciation and we recommend them to our friends and family to support them.

I know entrepreneurs and small business can beat out the big boys hands down, every time, on quality, price, creativity and service to make us want to transact with you…so Do It.

I know we all (both those of us in business and those of us the customer) care deeply about this and want to do our part.

I know we can and will support buying Local!

I know we are still the GREATEST country in the world and we have not lost who we are because we are innovators, creative, hard workers, good hearted, resilient, and we love to help each other out when we are in a jam. And folks, we are in a JAM!

I know when we make supporting our entrepreneurs and small businesses a priority like we have for causes like ‘Green living’, ‘Recycling’, Relief for Haiti, Tsunamis and countless other good things we do without a second thought…we can get behind entrepreneurs and small businesses who are committed to earning our business and support them so we can get back on the path to financial stability in this country.

I know this Fourth of July, 2010 we can also commemorate the adoption of…

BUY AND SUPPORT AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURS AND SMALL BUSINESSES.

I know anyone can make it in this great country and they don’t have to be left at the mercy of companies who care more about their bottom-line and shareholder than they ever will for you!

I know you can say loudly to those companies that sent our jobs abroad to increase their profitability, who managed poorly, who didn’t give a heck about the customer, our communities or our country, who over built, over indulged, and just passed their wows on to the employees…
Take this job and shove it! I ain’t working here no more”!!!! I’m starting my own business!

I know I am going to do my part and practice what I preach. Will you join me?

HAPPY FOURTH of JULY EVERYBODY!

Independence Day

During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the American colonies from Great Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia.^[4][5] After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. Congress debated and revised the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4. A day earlier, John Adams had written to his wife Abigail:

Adams’ prediction was off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress.

Wikipedia

Oh, also bookmark Jay’s website while your at it. He has a great forward thinking mind!

Also, while you are at it…check out the Facebook Era website where Clara Shih has wrote a new book explaining the psychological shift going on in minds and hearts of consumers!

88Q3X3N8X9BD

With so many things available through technology to market and reach your customer directly today…why don’t more business owners take on more of their own marketing efforts?

You would have to have been on another planet this past decade not to know we have entered into a new business era. This is so a direct-to-consumer market now. People want customization and personalization and a one-to-one experience.  The middle man and gatekeepers are dying off by the droves in every industry segment!

One thing I’ve discovered and relate to as a consumer over the past few years is people want more than a transaction! They want a meaningful connection.

That’s one reason the middle guy can’t deliver anymore. People want real. Who better can deliver ‘real’ connections than you…owner of the business?

The way I see it, you have a really huge edge over those who just hand off all their marketing to some agency or organization that probably cares more about you paying your invoice to them than if your customers really have a lasting emotional connection with you and your business. That edge you have is YOU know your products and services best and you know your customers and can interact with them on a personal level regularly. What gets me though is I see lots of business owners not take advantage of this huge opportunity either because of fear of the new digital frontier (although they don’t readily admit it) or because of what I call ‘Status Quo Mindset”.  You know…it’s the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” or “I don’t care about all that Internet stuff it’s not hurtin my business”. RIGHT!

Well, I’m convinced business has changed forever…not all are going to be successful in this new business era because there will be many who will not change. We hate change for some reason when that is what life is full of. But that is another story

Point is, if you are recognizing you gotta do something different to not only compete but transform your business…technology and Social Media has made it sooooooo possible for businesses to be more hands on with their marketing if used properly. Blogging, Social Networks, Twitter (your 24/7 broadcasting network), Share bookmarks, and more all provide you with direct customer interaction and get this… Most of the tools are Free!

Yep, it’s true. Many marketers don’t want you to realize this but Do-It-Yourself Marketing can work well to move your business in front of others because you are the one in the center of building relationships with your customer. And, you can do an excellent job to market your business YOURSELF.

Am I saying you just get online and jump in and see where you end up? No. Am I saying you should not seek out professionals in marketing to help your business? No again. Why that is what I do for a living!!J

What I am saying is YOU should learn about the DIY options available to help your business and enlighten yourself on the importance of the new landscape in marketing and relating to your customers in this digital economy.

I’m also saying you should seek out marketing professionals who want to empower YOU by teaching you how to do this yourself rather than them selling you a bunch of hype and programs to hold you hostage so you feel you have to have them to help you do this successfully.

Look friend, all I’m trying to relay is this is a brand new business era we are in. Don’t let technology or anything else keep you away from taking the reins of your business and guiding it into 21^st century marketplace. You have a lot to lose if you don’t DIY.

Recently I took a road trip from Nashville, TN to Little Rock, Arkansas twice within a two week period! Is there some sort of an award for that? (LOL)

Of course one of the activities that go hand-in-hand with a road trip is making food stops. Even though I knew this would be a fairly long drive, I really had no plans on where to eat on this double trek trip except I did plan on getting some killer BBQ in Memphis which turned out to be a HUGE disappointment! But that’s another story.

I really ended up relying on roadside billboards and state highway signs to help me choose my eating stops.

[Sidenote] Speaking of these important influencers, as a marketer, I believe so many of the eating and dining places that rely on highway traffic are missing out on an incredible opportunity to capture hungry travelers by not using exciting creativity and strategy to ensure those signs really reach out and grab travelers emotions and imaginations to make them WANT to slam on the brakes and come on in. Those billboards are like their own personal roadside theaters! If they would only spend the time and money on them this could bring them a great big fat return on their investment.

Back to my story…
Working with the guides (highway signs) I had to help me make my decision on where and what to eat I found I had to decide on either fast food; and you know that is not going to be very exciting and in most cases very unhealthy for you or I had the option of a ‘toss of the coin type of experience’ pulling into a roadside dive…or lastly a chain restaurant; which is a bit safer of all the choices but takes more time and can certainly be more expensive than my other choices.

I chose fast food most of time out of necessity and what I got was just that…it was the usual experience…nothing special…just some grub. However, I did opt to have a good hot breakfast every time I had the chance on those two trips. To me a good breakfast just adds that bit of excitement one needs to endure those long tedious hours you spend in the car trying to get from point A to point B ya know?

My choice for all four times I stopped to eat breakfast was the Cracker Barrel chain restaurants. I ate twice in Tennessee and twice in Arkansas. Oh, I also made one stop for dinner too to get a hot bowl of soup on a cold night!

I love their breakfasts and I feel no one on the road does it better than Cracker Barrel. Truth be told I really love the Cracker Barrel concept, good ole home style cooking, yum yum!

With all that said though, I was somewhat disappointed with all 5 of my visit experiences for several reasons which led me down the path to ponder while I continued driving down the road…what I would do if I were the one in charge of marketing for Cracker Barrel restaurants.

Let me state my disappointments came not from the food, although I did have two separate incidences with my food preparation. No, it came from what I call the ‘Ditto Effect’ and from the lack of vision to reach the ‘21^st century connected economy’.

So the first thing I would address would be the ‘Ditto Effect’.

Consistency and uniformity are important factors for chains of any size to ensure the customer gets that same ‘chain experience’ no matter what location they patronize.

The best darn example I have seen of this is the chain In-N-Out Burger (please come to Tennessee!) in California. They are the best chain experience hands down in that no matter what location you go to, you get everything exactly the same as the last place and it is always over the top in quality and service.

However, in some cases the Ditto Effect’ is not a good strategy. It really depends on your customer and your type of business model. When it comes to Cracker Barrel Restaurants …yes I like the fact I can get the same wild blueberry pancakes in Arkansas I got while in Tennessee and that goes for the rest of their menu.

What I am disappointed in is the fact is there is so much ‘SAMENESS’ it really does not intrigue me to stop in as often as they should want me to or think about my local Barrel as an eating out option when I’m not traveling.

Their country store is in the same boat. I see almost ditto what I see in one store and the next. This makes for boring shopping in my books.

If I were in charge of the marketing for Cracker Barrel Restaurants one of the first things I would change is eliminate the ‘Ditto Effect’ by changing every store into a Cracker Barrel Presents production where each store is master story teller of their area, region and state it is located in. These could be stories of the history of early settlers and folks of the area, local legends, points of interests, the local famous from the area, local progress, challenges, and contributions, geography, the children and much more would be incorporated in creative entertaining ways as well as a special insert menu featuring local culinary delights. Special events would be scheduled throughout the year such as store tastings of products carried, live entertainment events in the back parking lot (which I have never seen full) guest appearances of entertainers, chefs, and so on.

Bottom-line I would seek to transform this chain into an organization that understood the value of creating customer experiences and emotional moments through story telling theater experiences and delivering dining entertainment and shopping. No longer just a chain where you can expect a good meal and a quaint country store to shop at.

Another major positioning move I would make if I were in charge of the marketing for Cracker Barrel restaurants would be to ensure Cracker Barrel will thrive within all generational cohorts instead of possibly being a long lost memory with the upcoming generations. If you visit any Cracker Barrel you will find the ‘mature’ crowd (baby boomer generations) are the main customer demographics… not many young people or young families are there. Nothing wrong with that except you need to insure you are getting your entire possible market share in this 21^st century economy and to me the younger crowd needs to be wooed into the Cracker Barrel experience so they will take their rightful place in enjoying a unique rural dining and shopping experience.

In order for this to happen I would…

• Start with creating marketing campaigns that would be geared directly to the younger crowd
• Update the Cracker Barrel logo to be more relevant and brand dominate in the minds of their customers
• Create mouth dropping, clever roadside signage that shows “FUN” at Cracker Barrel and delicious food photos and exciting shopping (not ads like ‘Fireside Dining’ BORING!)
• Add family portion meal options (enough for a family of four) and expand kids menu (you know, putting the FAMILY back in your tagline of being a Family Restaurant)
• Create a Cracker Barrel  kids character and entertain and market to the young patron
• Transform the restrooms for the ladies and make them more lounge and pampering friendly and ensure they are super clean at all times (and put the hand lotions BACK please)
• Add a ‘this week’s sale’ insert on all tables featuring a few specials and some clearance (don’t forget the kids) from the store so customers interest can be peaked while dining.
• Setup digital kiosk with hotspots so folks can recharge their cell or use their laptops. This just encourages them to linger and spend more money.
• Create a fenced pet friendly station area outside to let pets stretch their legs and get refreshed. Also sell some unique pet goodies and supplies because lots of folks take their pets with them.
• Take Cracker Barrel to the digital masses by incorporating social marketing and networking into their strategies, creating mobile and GPS widgets, develop a killer website where you can continue on with the Cracker Barrel experience and also shop online year round (their current website is just horrible), email marketing campaigns, and much more digital.
• Believe me…I could go on and on but I won’t

As I said before…I love Cracker Barrel Restaurants and want to see it flourish in the new digital business era we now live in. But they are like many of the ‘old model’ companies out there today that are responding to an entirely new marketplace and an entirely new type of consumer the way they have always done and/or the way their industry does it. That is just not going to get it anymore. Most of today’s upper management, leaders and shareholders don’t understand the new era we are in so they resist it or they feel threatened by it and threatened by those who do know how to transform old model to new models. What they need is to embrace fresh, creative, strategic entrepreneurial experienced (A degree in trench marketing which you can’t get in any of today’s schools, should be the prerequisite you look for) marketing professionals that know how to serve, lead, and appeal to today’s ‘connected society’ and yet still keep true to Dan Evins vision that started the Cracker Barrel Restaurants back in the 60′s.

Their mission is pleasing people and today’s customer really wants to experience that.  If I were in charge of the marketing for Cracker Barrel…

For many of us it conjures up memories and emotions of wholesomeness, family, fall colors, great food and of course, being thankful to God for all of the blessings we have.

Despite the fact Thanksgiving is just about being swept off the map and overshadowed as a major holiday these days…it will always be a significant holiday I will respect and honor in my lifetime.

I believe Thanksgiving 2009 offers up a special opportunity to those of us in business. No doubt it’s been a tough year for many of us here in the U.S. despite what the news says. I was just reading in my local paper that most folks say (that’s you and I not the talking heads) that the economy hasn’t hit bottom yet.  In fact, many were saying things like things like …

Don’t buy the bull! Anybody who thinks things are turning around is living in a dream world.

Worst yet to come. Hold on to your wallets folks. It’s only starting.

Something is very wrong in America. Have you ever known a federal government to do anything efficiently?

This one really hit home with me…

Stimulus didn’t work. No matter the media is reporting unemployment rose to 10.2 percent in October 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The economy shed 190,000 jobs in October for a total of 7.3 million jobs lost since the recession began in December 2007. That does not show any signs things are getting better. What are all those people doing to make a living now?

You can agree or disagree with these views but the point is the U.S. has had a tough year and many businesses have seriously felt the effects of those 7.3 million job losses and all the other things going on in the 2009 economy.

I point all this out to lead to what I call a “blessing in disguise for those of us in business”…and that blessing is wrapped up in this year’s Thanksgiving!

Why do I say this?

Well for starters, this holiday can be an extremely helpful milestone for us to look back over our should as to what the past 11 months held so we can learn from it. At the same it can be the pivotal point for looking forward to the new year and getting our bearings to make adjustments before the onslaught of the mad rush and stress the Christmas holidays and the New Year always bring no matter how hard we try to fight it off.

Think about it. If this is a part of your 2009 strategy, this alone could help transform your business for 2010!

But that’s not all. Thanksgiving also offers us the opportunity to reevaluate the heart of our business. What I mean is, in case you haven’t noticed, customers no longer will not accept lip service, status quo, missions statements, slick advertising or gimmicks and all that phony baloney stuff. What they want are businesses to walk their talk, demonstrate you deliver what you promise you will, be treated with respect and such. They want to be loved!

I know that may sound corny but it’s been said its one of the greatest need we humans have and we do some crazy things to try and get it. Why not sincerely give it to your customers… if it’s what they want? Thanksgiving can be the perfect time for you to fall in love with your customers again. It’s also a great time to redefine what kinds of customers you really enjoy working with too you know.

In addition, Thanksgiving is steeped in transition. Fall to winter, end to new beginning, and fast pace to slowing down. See the opportunities in transitions.

Every business that wants to succeed in the 21^st century needs to get very good at transitions. Business will never be the same as it was and as it continues to evolve and morph just like the seasons do, I believe anyone in business who does not embrace change in this new business era will likely not make it over the long haul. What transitions will you employ in your business for 2010? Keep in mind; transition without creative strategy is just busyness. Thanksgiving is a good time to seriously think about this and start planning.

Lastly, but not least…Thanksgiving 2009 holds incredible opportunity to transform your business because its very purpose is about being thankful and blessing others. Despite what has gone on with this lousy economy this year…anyone still in business, both large or small has many reasons to be thankful.

This has been one of the toughest times to be in business this country has seen in a long, long, time. Being thankful for our business, our employees (if we have them), or customers and vendors just does something magical to your outlook and purpose for being in business.

Business is people serving people. That’s why it even exists! People are at their best when they are thankful and that most certainly translates into their businesses.

Man, I love Thanksgiving and all the blessings God has bestowed upon me even though I have had one tough year in business. I also love I can have a business in the greatest country in the world, America.

Have a very ‘blessed’ Thanksgiving everyone.