I enjoy asking people what their number one piece of advice is for their area of specialty. I always touch a spark in the person I ask and I ALWAYS get invaluable advice.
Q- What’s the one thing you’ve learned being a supermarket butcher a smart customer should know?
A- Never buy ground beef. Find a good looking chuck roast and ask the butcher to double grind it for you. You’ll get the better ground beef for less.
Q- What’s the one thing you’ve learned being a landscape contractor for 20 years a smart homeowner should know?
A- Miracle Grow every two weeks during the growing season. This makes up for most of the mistakes you’ll make.
Q- What’s the one thing you’ve learned being a pool service guy a smart pool owner should know?
A- Drain and replace about a third of your pool water every year. This keeps the dissolved solids low, lets the chemicals work better and is easier on your equipment.
Q- What’s the one thing you’ve learned being a small business marketing consultant a smart business owner should know?
A- Ask your customers. The big, fundamental marketing questions can best be answered by asking your customers.
Q- What’s the one thing you’ve learned being an African bush guide a smart tourist should know?
A- Don’t go into the bush alone at night. And don’t go into the bush alone during the day.
Miracle Grow every two weeks. Don’t go into the bush alone. Ask your customers. There’s a certain magic to these simple truths. They distill decades of experience into a few words, that, if followed, solve so many related problems.
Don’t go into the bush alone and you don’t have to worry about how not to get lost/eaten/bitten/stung/stranded questions. Miracle Grow every two weeks solves the how-do-I-care/prune/water/feed issues you may have.
I’m the first to admit, “ask your customers” is a bit trickier advice than “don’t go into the bush alone.” Should we add a salesperson? When should we drop the mailing? Customers aren’t likely to help with these specifics.
However, ask your customers and you’ll get great advice regarding:
Do people understand why we’re different?
Why do people buy from us?
Is our message resonating with people?
Is how we sell what we sell still the best way to sell?
What’s the one thing you’ve learned being what you are that smart people like us should know?
