EVALUATE

As appeared on December 23th, 2009:

• Instant !dea (The fourth of our 20.20 for 20.10)

As we wind down a fun year of Instant !deas, we’re sharing ideas that will take slightly more than an instant to engage, but represent our vision (20.20) for what the coming year (20.10) will demand.

20.20.04 — our final Instant !dea for 2009: It’s not wise...to ignore the smart phones

If we were celebrating the first Christmas this weekend, the “wise men” would be bearing gifts of an iPhone, a Blackberry and a ‘Droid, in a reflection of recently reported statistics showing smart phone purchases were up 24 percent this year...yes 24%.

What does this mean for your enterprise here in Eastern Connecticut? Everything.

From personnel/privacy policies to website compatibility, the saturation of the smart phone among consumers will impact every aspect of your business — much like the saturation of DVD players impacted VHS movies. Either update...or become badly dated.

What’s an entrepreneur to do?
1. If you don’t already have one — get a smart phone. Make it a New Year’s resolution to better understand smart phone use, by using one yourself. This includes...no surprise...adding Facebook and twitter as applications to your device.

2. Update your website to be smart phone compatible. The debate is underway, but comes down to two arguments — revamp your site for viewing on a smart phone (no flash, no video) or create a mirror site that is designed for smart phone limits. Each side of the debate has merit — either way, be sure the site is programmed to recognize the device (phone/computer) being used.

3. Consider application development. Want to know the color of the paint on your walls? There’s an app for that...as well as countless others. A custom application for your business (track orders, make appointments) is within reach and worth researching. For example, there is an application that will convert a smart phone into an instant credit card machine — a handy option for those on the road.

4. Pay attention to QR (quick reference) codes. Recently Google issued 100,000 QR codes (black and white window decals as shown on the attached art), to a sampling of businesses. Visitors will be able to scan the QR code with a smart phone to quickly download reviews and other details that will influence the buying decision. There are QR code generators available and while it’s early to pursue this technology just yet, it’s a wise move to plan ahead.

Speaking of planning ahead. In the year ahead we anticipate that the pace of new marketing ideas will be occurring faster than a weekly posting can accommodate and we invite followers of our “Instant !deas” to fan us at facebook.com/mirandacreative.

We sincerely thank our friends at the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut for encouraging and supporting our weekly efforts. We learned as much as we shared and appreciate the many kind emails rec’d over the course of the year.

If you have a question about any Instant !dea, contact us at engage@mirandacreative.com. BFN...TTYL! M2:)

As appeared on December 18th, 2009:

• Instant !dea (The third of our 20.20 for 20.10)
  

  As we wind down a fun year of Instant !deas, we’re dedicating the four Fridays of December to ideas that will take slightly more than an instant to engage, but represent our vision (20.20) for what the coming year (20.10) will demand.
  
  20.20.03: The death of a salesman....has been greatly exaggerated.
   
  This vision for the year ahead is actually a vision from years past — a friendly handshake, a smiling face and a sincere interest to do business. We suggest that if you’re dedicated to seeing your enterprise thrive in the coming year, then having a member (or members) of your team dedicated to sales will be a necessity.
  
  You might be surprised to read a recommendation for developing human resources among weeks of Instant !deas dedicated to marketing with new technology — however, we advise that it’s the changing aspects of marketing/advertising that will make the art of “the close” all the more important.
  
  Before you paint a picture of a man in a fedora driving around a dark sedan, let’s clarify that salespeople can indeed be knocking on doors, but they can also be attending networking events, answering the phones, or responding to live chat boxes via your website. Whatever the method of selling, old school or new school, the skills required to thrive in the coming year will be the same — active listening, relationship building, and the ability to ask for a sale.
  
  Options for developing a sales force are as diverse as the Chamber Members reading this post. You can choose to recruit for this specific task (an employee or contract representative) or to identify members of your current team who are interested in enhancing their value to the company and appropriate for training by coaches specifically skilled in the art of sales development (The Chamber has quite a few great local resources).
  
  Bottom line —  if your goal is to regain market share, or to go from “flat” to “fantastic” —  then now is the time to sell.
  

Questions regarding Instant Ideas? Send an email to engage@mirandacreative.com

Please visit our Instant Idea Archive for more ideas.