Archive for May 2010

The No Name Strategy

When you purchase a generic, grocery store brand product that is all you’re buying, no fancy name, no advertising campaign, just the product.  No Name is usually the cheapest compared to other brands, but there are exceptions.  Here are some conclusions I’ve come to on No Name products:

  • They have found the most inexpensive way to make and distribute their own products.
  • They compete on price and price alone.
  • People don’t buy No Name products because of the amazing quality
  • The perception is that the quality is below average.
  • Because of the lower expectations, it is much more difficult to under-deliver
  • Quality to consumers is a flashy label that catches your eye and a more expensive price point
  • When your product doesn’t need a large advertising campaign, you can price it lower.
  • When no extra effort goes into making the packaging of the product “pop” whatsoever, you can price it lower.

If there is no expectation of the standard of quality of a No Name product, you are rarely dissatisfied with it because the value (benefits/price) is quite high.  Why is the value high?  Because the benefits remain close to the same but the price is less, thus increasing the
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What Inspires You?

What gets you up in the morning?  What makes you go to a job day after day hating it, is it a means to an end?  What is that end?  What do you do on the REALLY bad days?  You know, the ones where you feel like quitting, like the world is against you, like you just want to get out.

Something must inspire you to keep going.

For me its coaching. I love volleyball and I love teaching kids about the game.  Last year my Senior Boys team from Winston Knoll won the city championship, the gold medal that was presented to me that day hangs around my rearview mirror in my car as a constant reminder when things get tough.

I’ve had some pretty bad days, days where I’m not sure what to do, days when I look into my future and for some reason it is a dark and negative picture (though nothing compared to Gabrielle).  That all goes away when I get in my car and see that medal.  It’s a constant reminder that I’m here in this world for a different reason than just having a job and getting by.  It tells me that there
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It Worked…

The speed networking session worked.  We brought strangers together, from a lawyer to hand-full of entrepreneurs, learned about them and increased our networks reach all within a span of 3 hours.  Want someone else’s opinion on how it went, ask Ryan.

We considered it a success because everyone offered their contact info and wanted to be a part of the next one we host.  Yes there will be a next time and we’re looking at increasing our numbers.  The thought was possibly for everyone who attended bring one friend that wouldn’t know the group that well and let them share their story.  The ideas that come from a group of strangers talking over beers are fascinating.

So my advice this week is to get out and meet someone new, once you leave that comfort zone and your left armpit begins sweating, that is when you will learn the most.

If you would like more info on what happened or to be a part of the next one, you can contact me here, here or here.

Photo credit

13 Reasons Why Letter-Board Advertising Sucks

If you’ve ever driven around Regina you’ve seen these ghastly sites many times.  They pull and prod your attention for a split second until you realize what you have found and quickly jerk your neck away, hopefully never laying eyes on one ever again.

Ok, they aren’t that bad but these fluorescent letter board signs are growing in numbers at an alarming rate.  Why?

Obviously it is cheap, and businesses are trying to get their message out to a local market but do they ever wonder if this hurts their brand?  Besides the signs not being on the “cutting edge” of artistic design, don’t you think you’d want to at least standout a bit?  I mean, the thirteen (13) photos posted here were all taken within a three block section of Rochdale Boulevard.  In less than one Kilometer you are shown thirteen different messages, what are the chances that you remember one?

They are not all terrible, I don’t mind giving away something free, just too much text on this one:

Subway’s not doing too bad either, that’s a pretty good deal for a sub.

The average driver has less than three seconds to get your message, how easy is
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