I thought it would be fun to get some facts from a business that is all about being different and providing its customers with a great shopping experience…

lululemon athletica

You can read more about this company by visiting www.lululemon.com as I don’t want to take a long time to make an intro here.

I visited this store on my trip to Boston back in September.  I have to say it was quite the experience.  Everyone there was ALL ABOUT the clients.  If you are ever in a town where there is a retail store you should stop by.  Rumor has it, the Milwaukee “sstore front” will become a full fledged shop so you can visit it locally!

Here are 3 takeaways with some HUGE lessons:

1.  The company refers to its “store clerks” as Educators.  This is a big positioning shift.  These individuals are now valuable versus being a pain in the butt (“Can I help you find something?” – you know the typical drill).  How do you refer to yourself and your support team?

2.  Lululemon’s brand personality has tended to be a bit “cheeky.”  The company thumbed its nose at the Vancouver Olympic committee with a clothing line inspired by “A Cool Sporting Event That Takes Place in British Columbia Between 2009 & 2011.”

I love that!!!  Reminds me of the pompous, arrogance of the NFL saying advertisers cannot use the term Super Bowl.  Well, how about using it in your marketing the same way lululemon has…

In honor of the “Cool Sporting Event That Takes Place for the 46th (XLVI) Time in Indianapolis February 5th, 2012…” we are having a VIP Event (blah, blah, blah).

That’s fun, interesting and controversial.  My kind of marketing edge!

3.  Lululemon’s corporate manifesto it printed on its bags.  The company’s recent decision to include a reference to Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged, which advocates self-interest as the path to a better world, has raised eyebrows with some of its hard core, loyal customers.

Once again, I love it!  Who cares what the minority thinks.  Be confident you can express your own opinion when it comes to YOUR business.  Take a stand.  Be controversial.  My kind of company!!!

I love finding these examples.  Now, take this and take a look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Can I enhance my business by infusing more of MY personality?”  I think you already know the answer.

As per the usual the brain storming session resulted in more ideas than time would allow, but that shows the immense possibilities that lie within a business. The most important opportunity came after I asked her two questions…

What is your closing percentage and what is your closing script?

After watching her just one time I was able to fix the real problem, which wasn’t needing more leads, it was how to offer her services and the structure of her pricing.

After a number of months testing the pricing and the offer it is now completely rock solid. This also is a lesson in testing, written about here as bonus.

My point is, try to take a step back and see if there is another way of looking at a challenge you are facing. Get someone else to look at it and give you feedback.

It’s all about perspective. This one idea could change a big challenge in your business to a huge opportunity. Try it out. You may just like it!

I have been doing some updated research for a workshop I am doing on the topic of “Price,
Profit Power & Prosperity” and thought I would give you an example of the mentality that goes into carrying this
culture deep within the details and experience of what you are selling…

Audi (the car manufacturer) has teams to make sure its cars please the senses so it oozes PREMIUM in every corner of its automobiles.

Audi has several teams that are in place to stimulate all the senses we have as human beings.

The one I found most intriguing was Audi’s “Touch Team” for Button Activation

Audi and psychologists studied the depth that buttons must be pushed in
order to FEEL “premium.”

The answer…4 to 6 millimeters. Any more or less SEEMS “cheap.”

That is just one of the many details Audi pays attention to in order to sell its cars at a premium price.

I tell you this story because I think it is important to pay attention to these details to make sure your customers have an experience that upholds premium pricing.

Take a step back this month and think of some of the “small” details that could enhance the experience your customers have with you.  It will be well worth your time.

You may want to grab your favorite beverage here.  I promise it will be worth the moments you spend reading this…

*a forceful message and a long email – a wake-up call on your way to wealth*

After having a phone call about business and personal wealth philosophy with an individual that is outside of our group, the conversation led to me sharing my Piggy Bank Philosophy…

Realizing that I’ve never written about it before, I thought now’s as good a time as any.

Among other things, I have an overriding belief on the reason why Entrepreneurs work their businesses like ‘jobs’ instead of ‘investments’, accepting a ‘paycheck’ instead of a ‘return’, is not because they don’t want to get rich, but because they don’t know how.

Specifically, they don’t fully embrace the true goal of being an entrepreneur.

In a few seconds I will summarize this goal, in one very clear, simplified statement.

First, I want to make the point that, the reason we (and yes, that means me, I did for well over a decade) fall victim to this flawed thinking is because we have been conditioned by everything around us to think about business and money in a certain way.

Of course, this is our fault, responsibility can’t be pawned off to someone else.

As example, during my first 8 years as an entrepreneur I learned how to close sales, lead people, and feel really good about myself, and I’m grateful for encountering people like Zig, Tommy Hopkins, and Brian Tracy, they all influenced me to get where I am today – but I never found the focus of marketing and money until I met Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer.

Forever more, I have a Siamese twin to Marketing and Money.

The reason people don’t get rich is because they are running the business like a job, not like an investment.  Let that sink in, because a job is a cycle, a static think, that at best, you hope for gradual growth, and you plan to do one thing, then do the same thing, all over again.

Month in and month out.  And that’s exactly what most people settle for.

If you are honest with yourself, at some point during your life, and probably right now, you are working to pay the bills and earn a living, not to get rich.

Here’s how to change all of this, once and for all.  Like finally finding the light switch and now seeing everything around you in the LIGHT instead in the dark…

Are you ready?

With your business, you must have one overriding goal above all else, that goal is to take as much money out of the business as possible and put into the piggy bank.

Now, certainly, at first instinct, someone might say that they don’t have enough consistent money to pay their bills let alone stash some in the piggybank.

And that could be true, and the reason is because they are working to pay the bills and not fill up the piggybank.

You see, a big change happened for me in my life, when I started working everyday, every waking moment, with focus, and intention, and dedicated discipline to making sure the pig was getting fed.

I want a very fat pig.  And you should too.

I’ll never forget Zig Ziglar saying, “If someone says they don’t want to have a lot of money, they will lie about other things too”

So, quit kidding yourself and man (or woman) up.

If you set out every month to pay your bills, pay your people, and hope for a little left over for a nice dinner and a good night’s sleep, then you will continue to stay in the cycle of self-employment and living a downtrodden break-even life-style.

If however, you wake up every day knowing what your goals are and knowing that if you go another month without feeding the piggy bank you are losing the game, wasting your life, and settling for less than is possible.

Think about it this way.  Paying the bills and making some money is like scoring baskets back and forth with your opponents on the basketball floor.  It feels great, until the last seconds and you realize you didn’t win…

In basketball there is always a winner and a loser.

At the end of your month, there is always a winner and a loser.

That’s determined by how much the piggybank gets fed.

The good news is, chances of winning every basketball game is basically zer

Chances of winning in your business – is 100% completely within your control.

And determined by where your focus is, what your are playing for.

To Score.

Or

To WIN!

One of the biggest reasons people flock to our group, members join the “Secret Society of the No BS Greater Milwaukee Chapter” and why other people from all over the country seek out my guidance is because I know how to make sure your pig gets fed.

Because it’s our focus.  It’s our goal.  It’s what we do.

And, to be quite blunt, most people don’t have the discipline on their own to run the business as it should be.

Most people are trying to please too many people, pulled too many directions.

When we step in through coaching, consulting, or control, we have two objectives, growth and profits – as fast as possible.

Last thing I want to say about this.  No one ever has any money left at the end of the month, anyway.  That’s why having the piggy bank is so important, all the money is going somewhere…if you don’t have a place to put it, it’s going out the door.

Now, in some cases, your piggy bank takes different shapes – when we launch and development new business for our clients it often takes 6-12 months, even longer, where constant reinvesting of profits and continuous adjusting to get ramped up is necessary.

That is simply what’s required if you want a million dollar business or bigger…most people can’t discipline themselves to build a business because they are too busy wasting money living, when they haven’t yet earned and don’t yet deserve to have the lifestyle.

Again, they live as if the business is a job, as if they have a paycheck, fine, if you want to be an employee…and get paid like one, retire like one, and have a life like one.

Don’t get me wrong, smart employees can still get rich, because they work their job as if they were an entrepreneur.  I know many like this, they know what their focus is.  The risk is when an entrepreneurs lives, works, spends like an employee – waking up 2, 5, 10 years later to realize no one was matching their retirement contributions and there was no pension plan, and oops, they forgot all about the piggy bank.

When you change your focus to investing in your business for growth and feeding the pig to get rich, your life will change, dramatically.  And you will find a new sense of urgency, power, and success in your business.

It’s like this, who is truly motivated to work hard and pay a bunch of bills – what a stupid reason…  no body.  You’ve got to have motivation, reasons to get rich, and you’ve got to have a place to put the money, else you’ll have none.

No pig, no profits.  That’s what I always say.

Kevin

P.S.  A harsh message for harsh times.  Don’t worry, I won’t leaving you hanging…in fact on April 14^th, I’m going to give you the 7 fastest, biggest, most lucrative ways to REINVENT your business and put truckloads of cash into your piggybank.  In fact, you’ll have to have a piggy barn by the time I’m done with you on Thursday…reply to this email if you haven’t registered yet.

Now go back, print this email out and read this e-newsletter again, get your head on straight, because on April 14th I’m going to challenge you to structure your business to get rich, fast, and now.  Can you handle that?

Why am I bringing up my childhood memories here?  I want you to remember what it was like to be a kid.  Remember what it was like to fight for what you wanted because you thought your life would be over if you couldn’t stay at your friend’s house for another 30 minutes or you didn’t get that pack of baseball cards because you knew it had the one card in it that you just had to have.  You fought for what you wanted.

Why should it be any different in business?  Your story sells.  People buy you just as much as they buy your product.  So, it is time to grab root from your childhood and remember what it was like to put your “pitch” in a way that was compelling for “Mom” to say “yes!”

There are some key components that you want to be aware of.

#1 – Your story cannot be boring and ramble on and on.  It has to relate to what you are offering and has to just the right length to stay compelling.

#2 – Your story needs to engage your audience.  When I speak in front of college students I make sure my story has components in it that they will be able to relate to.  I want to see them laugh and nod their heads so I know they are getting it.  The story I tell in that arena is a bit different than if I am in front of a roomful of business owners but with the same result.

#3 – You have to practice.  Tell your story to one and tell it to a crowd.  Pay attention to how people are reacting.  Make notes about the moments that really caught attention.

#4 – Have a purpose.  You need to know what you want out of the story you are telling.  Do you want someone to buy?  Do you want someone to just say they are interested in hearing more?  DO you want to develop a referral relationship?  What ever it is you want, you need to be sure you stay on course with the story you tell.

#5 – Get your audience to visualize.  The mind is very powerful and engaging it will make your sales effort that much more persuasive.  Get your audience to somehow relate to the story you are telling so they can see themselves in the moment.

#6 – Make sure your audience knows what is in it for them.  There is nothing worse than having to listen to someone’s story and never getting anything out of it.  Don’t just tell your story to tell your story.  Your listener needs to be the beneficiary of the time you spend together.

If all you want to do is talk about yourself, write a book.  If you want to sell something, tell a compelling and engaging story that leaves your audience wanting what you have for them.

Now, go out there and become a legendary storyteller.  I promise you will see better results the better you become at making personal connections through stories.  We grew up with stories, we still read stories and we crave them.  So, give your audience what they want, stories that entertain and engage.



I can remember when I was a kid (I’m not that old so isn’t wasn’t that long ago) they had penny candies and penny gumball machines.  Those times are long gone.  That is when a penny had some value.

Today, we should be looking for the “Five Hundred Dollar” idea.  There is a reason so many businesses fall by the wayside when we go through tough times like we have for the past few years.

People are too busy worried about the little things that have nothing to do with their bottom line.  Thoughts that make them feel good that they are “busy” and can’t make that next sales call to find the next great opportunity that lies waiting for them.

I say, “Let’s think BIG!  If you aren’t interested in that then step aside as there are opportunities to conquer for those of us who are deep in the battle.”  There is a lack of “big thinking” out there anymore.   We are in this race anyways, why not leave it all on the track.  Why not go home with your head held high instead of sulking about the opportunities that didn’t come your way.  Opportunities do not just show up.  They show up to those who put themselves out there risking life and limb to survive and thrive.

How do you think big you may be asking?  How do you take fate into your own hands?  The only answer for that, don’t leave your business to chance.  Take complete responsibility for your place in this shark infested business world.  Let me give you an example…

The trend right now is to tighten the reins on “spending” money on marketing.  Many businesses that were showing up in the mail to customers are now switching to email only.  Instead of sending out direct mail letters they are sending out postcards.  Important requested sales literature is being sent standard mail instead of Fed Ex.  Or even worse, marketing is being cut off completely.

To that I say, pfui!  You should go the exact opposite way.  Go as far in the opposite direction as your competition is so you stand out 500x’s more.

When you meet a “hot” prospect don’t just send them an email thank you.  Send them a handwritten note, followed up by a phone call, followed up by items of value to show your prospect why you deserve the business over the next guy.  Send them a white paper, a CD interview of you being touted as the unquestioned expert in your industry, tickets to the next educational-value added seminar you are putting on or a “shock-n-awe” package that shows up in a box that weighs 10 lbs.

Go big!  Show him you want it 500x’s more than your competition.  Show him you are willing to fight for it.  Call on the “big boys” that could land you bigger accounts and more revenue.  Be relentless.  Be fearless.  Leave it all on the table.  Make it happen.

If you have the guts to take it to a level unsurpassed by your competition and you want me to critique your ideas on how to do it, send me an email at Kevin@TheKowalkeGroup.com and I will give you my feedback.  Let me help you think big so you be one my secret society that wants to make big things happen when the majority thinks nothing can happen but try and survive.  Here’s to those of us that want to be true champions.

I will now get off my soapbox and get back to my next big thing!  I need to work on my next $500 idea.  I’ve gotta get back at it!

To summarize the article, middle schoolers were asked how they would redesign elements of the school experience like lockers, chairs, desks, etc.  The results were staggering.

The kids made comments about how the chairs were uncomfortable making them fidget around more often, their lockers were their “bedrooms” for the year so they wanted them to be more functional and personal, as well as, having a place on their chairs for their backpacks so they wouldn’t clutter the aisles.

When was the last time you were in eighth grade to know these challenges?  When was the last time you bought and used your own product or service?  Do you think it could be enhanced to meet the needs of today’s consumers?

One volunteer for this project did.  Jerry Helling, President of North Carolina based furniture company Bernhardt Design, found some amazing ways to enhance the design of school furniture and will be displaying prototypes of the middle schoolers’ concepts at an upcoming international expo.

Rinat Aruh, of New York industrial design studio Arulidan, said, “The kids had come up with some mind-blowing ideas.”

I am writing about this topic here because it is a reminder that sometimes you are too close to your own business to understand the fundamental flaws that exist without you even knowing.  A fresh set of eyes is vital to keep up with the changing times, specifically to understand how consumers are making decisions to spend their money.

I challenge you find a group of consumers you target or peers from outside your industry to have them “redesign” your business from a completely fresh set of eyes.

Once I understood how important this concept was, I immediately sought out my group for ideas and then decided to start my own mastermind group for Milwaukee entrepreneurs so I could lead the charge for them getting a fresh perspective each and every month.  The results have been outstanding.

Don’t get caught doing the “same-‘ol-same-‘ol” in your business without getting some unbiased, real, raw opinions from individuals or groups that could give you that idea that could lead to a breakthrough in your business.

Who would have thought it would be good to go back to eight grade?

A breakthrough in business can be as simple as figuring out what your can provide your clients that they will buy from you over and over again.  There is nothing better than having continuity in your business to have revenues you can count on while you are growing and expanding your customer base.

Let’s take the razor as an example.  We all know there is no way you can buy one razor and make it last for an extended period of time, unless of course you want to have razor burns everywhere.  That’s not something I am interested in.

So, whether you buy disposable razors or replacement razor heads a lot of people are buying one or the other.  This isn’t an item you buy once a year of once every five years.  The amount of disposable razor products bought each and every year is staggering.  I am sure the hardcore environmentalists cringe at the word razor.

To get to my point, this is a product that is used over and over on a regular basis creating ongoing sales and revenue for the companies that sell in this arena.

How can you add the “razor” component to your business?  Or, if you already have the ongoing revenue model in your business, how can you add another?

Finding new clients is far more costly than maintaining a relationship with your current clients and having them buy more from you and refer their trusted circle to your company.

Let’s use an updated example of a company that is trying to change an industry.  SodaStream International is taking on the big, powerful and extremely competitive companies in the beverage market.  The product is an in-home soda maker that touts natural syrups and the eco-friendliness of not having cans and bottles to be thrown away after every soft drink consumed.

SodaStream is a unit (the razor) that sits on someone’s counter top waiting for the next bottle of water to be transformed into a soft drink by adding in CO2 and flavor syrups (the razor blade).

The recurring revenue comes from orders of CO2 refills, more flavor syrups and bottles that fit the mechanism.  This has really taken off creating quite the buzz with units and accessories flying off the shelves.  Brilliant!

Now, grab or make your favorite beverage and start writing down ideas you have to create a “razor” and “razor blade” strategy in your business.  I bet you will feel refreshed when you see it show up on the proverbial napkin you are writing your ideas on.

But why?

I’ll tell you right now, and I’m going to share with you some kick ass lessons I have learned over the years from my trips to this crazy city, just for you.

I was just talking to a friend of mine yesterday about his recent trip to Vegas for a “conference.”  (Don’t you just love how no one misses a conference when it is held in Vegas!)  We talked very little about the conference but talked about the gambling, 5 star restaurants and cool clubs that he found time in his busy “conference” schedule to be able to enjoy.  The stories were hilarious and brought me back to my last trip there.

While I was there, for the first time, I really enjoyed walking up and down the strip not doing any gambling or drinking, no big party time (I experienced those indulgences many times before) just highly focused attention to the “money grabbing” that goes on in that city.

Anyhow, I took in the sights and really had a great time.

Of course I know you expect me to come back with some “business lessons” where ever I go, and that’s exactly what I did.

For starters, let’s begin with the premise of Vegas, the “okay to party as Adults” place to be.

The key word there is “okay”.  Just like my buddy and his excuse to come because of his “conference.”

People get away with everything in Vegas because it’s been made “okay.”

Here’s a big big big lesson for you, if you want to make more money, take more money, and earn more money from your customers – You’ve got to make it “okay” for them to give it to you.

I’m going to make one broad generalizations here, to make my trip worth something to you, and if you pay attention, apply this to your business, you’ll find it will change the way you interact with your customers forever.

While I was in the airport and had a chance to really pay attention to it, I listened, listened, listened, and listened some more and you know what I heard.

NOTHING.

No, ding ding ding ding, or chaching chaching chaching.

Nope.  I heard nothing.

Not one time while I was leaving, sitting, waiting, entering, or watching at the airport did I ever hear anyone win after they dropped the money in, pulled the lever or hit the buttons.

Do you know why?  Because that is not the point.  Winning is not the point.

No No No

PLAYING – that’s the point.

It’s about “playing” or “gambling” – not winning.

It’s about the experience.

In fact everything thing about Vegas is about the Experience.

My business partner Tiffany and her husband Pedro were there with me as they were attending the highly anticipated SEMA Show that happens every year in Vegas for hard core car enthusiasts and businesses that sell in that industry.  The topic came up about why people buy on price.  And there is truly only one reason people buy on price, provided that you have chosen the right customers.

You ready for this.  Only one reason…

People buy on price when that’s the only thing they have to base their decision on.

If that’s all you give them, which is what so many business owners and sales professions do, then what else do they have to go off of.

Nothing.  So they default to basing their decision on price

Not so with Vegas.  In fact, nobody even asks, talks about, or looks at the price.  If you go to the show, you’re going.  For one, you can’t get to the show until you walk 5 miles, through the maze of the casino, and you’re lost by the time you get there, and you sure as heck didn’t check the price until you got to the ticket booth, so what are you going to do – BUY – that’s what.

Because it’s not about the money.

It’s about the Experience.  It’s about what you “DO” in Vegas.

Here’s some other quick lessons learned…4 of them for you to profit.

1.       Control the environment of the Prospect and of the sales process. We do this all the time with Seminars and in every way possible we try to control the environment.  In Vegas they keep the lights low so you don’t know what time of day it is.  They put the stores and casinos right in the way of the side walk forcing you to go in, out, and through, but never around.  They control the process.

2.      You’ve got to give your Customers something to talk about. Over the top Shows, fancy shops, stories to tell.  Everything is larger than life.  You can’t afford to be ordinary…Vegas is in the dessert for goodness sake.  No reason to go there other than it.  You’ve got to be that compelling to your customers.  No an afterthought, you’ve got to be it!

3.      Make it about something more than Price. Make it about the experience.  I’ve said enough on this one, but it’s perhaps the most important one.  And no matter how lame, ordinary, or online, offline, brick and mortar, or at home in your sweat pants.  You can’t afford to be basing your relationship with your customers on anything less than an amazing experience.

4.      Finally, Vegas is the king of Niching, and being FOR SOMEONE. Everything from the themes of the games, to the Shows and Comedies, and the shops and on and on.  It’s not one size fits all, they make sure they match the needs of people who are there.  Something for everybody, but specifically for SOMEONE.  Sadly, I noticed this to be oh so real when I say the big sign in front of the building with lights (yes, I know they all have lights) and it read “the place for men who like men who look like girls” and that’s when I knew two things, Vegas was all about niching to the market, and I was in the wrong damn place.  That is the moment I knew Vegas finally went over the top.  ;-)

Here’s one other thing you should know about Vegas, you run your business like the city, not like the customer.  If you apply these four strategies, you won’t be leaving the buying up to your prospect, you’ll be in control – and that’s exactly where you want to be.

The house is always in control.  Vegas doesn’t gamble on it’s business…and you shouldn’t be either.  That’s something that you can take to the bank.  Remember the message from the December Chapter meeting…Don’t Leave Your Business To Chance!

BAMM…gotta get back at it!

Kevin

PS – Hey, I’d love to hear your coolest Vegas story…lessons learned, things remember, or not, whatever – share away with your comments by emailing me back and maybe I will share it with the group or post it to my blog for the world to see.  I don’t know when I will get back to Vegas as I would much rather be in the mountains or go to Boston for a Red Sox game but I guarantee you I will continue to bring back business lessons wherever I go just for all of you.