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5 Sweet Business Lessons from the Cake Boss

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The Cake Boss is a US Reality Television Show which follows family owned Carlo’s Bakery in New Jersey, as they create amazing cakes. The cakes are unbelievable – a NASCAR race car cake (pictured to the right) built to scale, a cake that looked exactly like a paintball field and even a dog cake for dogs at a shelter. It would be hard not to love a show that’s all about cake. However, there are also some great business lessons beneath the frosting and fondant.

  1. Show your ingredients. The Cake Boss shows us the ingredients that go into making great cakes. We see the process from client consultation to delivery and all of the details in between. Knowing what goes into a great cake (or business process) helps clients to understand what you are really doing for them. It can facilitate discussions about timing, value and the complexity of specialized requests.
  2. Tell your story. Buddy Jr. (The Cake Boss) heads up the design and baking, and frequently talks about learning the business from his now deceased Dad, Buddy Sr.  The company history is so much more than words on a brochure or web page; it is a living piece of all that the team does today. Yes, family owned businesses have a unique position but all businesses have a story.
  3. Share your mistakes. We have seen cakes fall apart, incorrect dimensions and disaster deliveries. So often we are afraid to share what went wrong for fear that it will dampen our credibility. At Carlo’s mistakes are taken in stride, things happen and you fix them.  The team learns from their mistakes and it increases our confidence in them because we know that they can bounce back from mishaps and keep the client happy.
  4. Eat your own cake. Buddy is never ho-hum about his creations. He thinks every cake is “awesome” and his enthusiasm is infectious. The large, extended family also has Buddy and the team bake for every occasion and they put as much love into these cakes as they do for customers. If you won’t eat your own cake, what does that say to your customers?
  5. Buttercream frosted king of the world. Buddy is transparent about his vision for the business. I love knowing that he is always working to improve and grow his business. Don’t be afraid to share your goals with customers. Your desire to be better lets them know that you are still passionate about your business and invested in its continued success.

You don’t need a reality TV show to give your customers a peek behind the curtain. Invite them in and let them see more of your process and your passion. The rewards could be sweet for both of you.

Do you have any sweet lessons to add to the list? Feel free to share them in the comments.

Aging, Relevancy and Branding Tales

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via online.wsj.com

Once upon a time there was brand that defined a generation of professional women. However, after only 34 years, is this brand ready for retirement? It is a question examined in the Wall Street Journal story, “After Targeting Younger Consumers, Liz Claiborne Hits Snag” (read full article at online.wsj.com). It is a fascinating look at a once iconic brand and its failure to age gracefully.

The article details a series of factors that have contributed to the brand’s now shaky position in the market, It is a cautionary tale for up and coming and established brands. When I first read the article, I was struck by how much I had forgotten about Liz Claiborne. Before reading this today, if asked to name clothing lines, this one would never have come to mind.

Liz Claiborne fell out of favor with their market but also with their biggest customer, Macy’s. Couple this with questionable management decisions and you have a brand marching to the graveyard of “used to be big.” The latest move will make it difficult if impossible for the brand to return to its glory days. JC Penney who has aggressively tried to revitalize their brand in recent years may not attract the same audience that once loved Liz.

We can all learn from the Liz story, don’t allow your customers to become bored with your brand. Listen to your market even as you expand to to add new customers and keep it fresh in the marketplace. And if the person leading your company has 11 straight quarters of losses, it may be time to keep the brand but retire the leader.

Posted via email from Marketing, Musings and More from Karen Swim

Exploring the Heart of Writing

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happy valentines day - pink gerbera with a hea...
Image by Vanessa Pike-Russell via Flickr

Last week, I read a post by Joanna Paterson at MidLife Journal on Facebook in which she distinguished writing with a capital “W “from writing. The phrase resonated with me and I found myself thinking of it, turning it over, and journaling about it.

Joanna wrote:

“…writing doesn’t need to start with a capital W. There’s a role and a place for that kind of writing, of course there is, and I know many of us dream of getting our work ‘out there’, published, and read.

But there’s a whole lot of other writing that isn’t ever going to end up on someone’s bookshelf.” (Writing and Pathways of the Heart)

We all have our capital W writing – business communications, proposals, presentations, white papers, emails and more. It is the writing that is defined by the intended reader. We craft it with carefully chosen words and phrases with the knowledge that it will be read and in essence will be a reflection of our knowledge and talent.

While the capital W writing certainly has its place the professionalism of it can actually get in the way of the words.

Small w writing for me most often happens with a pen. It is “soul writing,” that comes from a place deep within where raw honesty supersedes style and content. My pen functions as a pipeline to my inner being where thoughts, ideas and feelings drain freely onto the page. In this haven of uncensored thought, the inner critic does not exist. There are no rules and thoughts are allowed to shove their way in uninvited even if the result is a page of seemingly fragmented nonsense.

If you have ever written a letter with no intention of sending it, or poured your heart out in a journal then you know the intensity and satisfaction of small w writing.

Some small w writing should remain private, a safe haven where you can work through the inner complexities without over analyzing the content of your message. Yet, I can’t help but wonder how much better we would communicate if we allowed at least a little of this into our public writing. Would we see posts and articles that were passionate and pure? Would we forgive less polished writing for writing that was heart felt and intense? Would we move past convention as we focus on communication?

I am convinced that writing from the soul always has a place whether is it done with a capital W or small w. How about you?

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It’s Complicated!

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Fruit stall in a market in Barcelona, Spain.
Image via Wikipedia

On Facebook, “It’s complicated” is one of the choices for describing your relationship status. It’s complicated is a fall back choice when none of the other check boxes quite work.  Your situation may be a mixture of choices, without clear descriptions and labels. It’s complicated sounds messy but in reality check boxes don’t always work and we are forced to select the least wrong box.

In marketing we often force our customers into these same murky choices. Do we want toothpaste that whitens our teeth, gives us fresh breath, prevents cavities or improves the health of our gums?  Do you want body lotion that softens skin, defies aging, or reduces the appearance of imperfections? Customers with multiple needs may be forced to prioritize and pick a product that excels at solving their highest priority need.

As a consumer I have had the frustrating experience of choosing when in fact I wanted everything.  Why couldn’t everything be miracle in a bottle or at the least focus on one thing, eliminating the myriad of confusing choices?

When you present multiple benefits and features, you run the risk of confusing or irritating your potential customer.  You may believe that by offering choices – multiple payment options, plans, benefits – that you are doing your customer a favor but your plan can backfire.

Too many choices can lead customers to:

Walk away because they are overwhelmed by the options

Your customer may go in search of a solution to a specific need. When presented with lots of options they may also realize they have more than one problem.  Overwhelmed by options and problems they did not know they had, they walk away.

Reassess their need and decide they can live with the pain

Last week I was in the mood for a snack food. I had a clear choice in mind but when I arrived at the store I was assaulted with options. After calorie counting and label reading, I decided it wasn’t worth it and simply walked away. Are your customers doing the same thing?

This does not mean that we should eliminate choice but we need to be more strategic about when and how they are offered. Offer the customer with a specific need, a clear choice right up front. If you need “x” click here. Other customers may need help deciding their priority, make it easy for them to choose, divide them into a manageable category with a limited menu of choices that does not overwhelm.

Presenting your customers with easy to make choices is equivalent to giving them their own “miracle in a bottle.”  The last thing you want is to have your potential customers declaring “it’s too complicated” and walking away.

Have you ever been ready to buy and then changed your mind because the options were overwhelming? Do you have any examples of companies that do a great job of offering just the right amount of choice?

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Think Small to Go Big

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Sales for the Small Business Professional

Self-promotion and networking can be overwhelming for small practice professionals. Most would rather focus on delivery of their services than developing business.  Many do well developing and executing marketing strategies but when it comes time to “sell” they feel out of their element. In my work with clients, particularly service and creative professionals selling is a common barrier. They would rather send an email, or find a technological shortcut than to interact with a prospect in a “sales” situation.

Last week a client and friend confessed her tortured feelings about self-promotion. “I feel like I am walking into a room of 1500 people and it’s overwhelming to figure out what to do,” she remarked.  “Great!” I said. “You don’t need 1500 people you just need to make your way through the crowd to the intimate table of 10.”

Any process can be intimidating and overwhelming if you look at it in its entirety. Whether you are a business owner, a job seeker or someone returning to dating, you only need to take it one step at a time. The mental image of a small intimate table helped my client to ditch the willies and focus on a smaller, more manageable task. Giving her the visual of ignoring the larger crowd for the small tribe made the process much more friendly.

The job seeker who is overwhelmed by the unemployment numbers need only focus on their need for one job. They only need an offer from one company. The small practice professional does not need to reach 100,000 people, many would in fact be overwhelmed if their regular client list was more than 50.

If you find yourself getting overwhelmed, do the math. I am sure that like my client you will discover that the way to go big is to think small.

How about you? Does self-promotion freak you out? What tips have helped you overcome the fear?

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Intimacy and Business

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Don't Chain Me Down
Image by …-Wink-… via Flickr

In today’s culture many are comfortable with simply “hooking up.” A hook up bypasses the niceties that build intimacy over time and instead fast tracks to the end result without a commitment for a repeat performance. The motto seems to be “try, no need to buy.” Willing participants consent to mutual sampling and seemingly avoid the risk of effort without reward that comes from the pursuit of commitment. Hook-ups however are not without their own risks and messy complications.

Old fashioned relationships have a different rhythm and pacing. Seduction is slow and deliberate like a smooth jazz tune on a hot summer night. Romance ignites the embers of desire that are gently stoked until they become a rousing fire whose hot flames lick at the boundaries of reason. But unlike a hook up commitment quenches the flame while carefully preserving the fire. It is the dance of just enough until you have weaved a cord of trust that pulls you into an embrace.

In business the hook up is the drive by marketing attempt – a message that is sprayed upon thousands, an open invitation for anyone with interest. There is no first date, barely an introduction as your pursuer leads you from “hello” to the Garden of Eden. The pursuer has an itch – to make money – and will get it scratched by any willing participant. There is no small talk and no attempt to create even the façade of a relationship.

The business that is interested in commitment is willing to romance you. They want to get to know you because they are as picky as you are about giving away their intimacy. In this pursuit you are the object of interest. The committed business will engage you in conversation and will share details so that you get to know them too. They understand that building a relationship takes effort, and that effort is worth it to win customers that will be more than a one night stand.

In your business marketing are you hooking up or pursuing commitment? Hook-ups can be costly as you will constantly have to pursue new customers. While the effort of commitment can appear daunting in the end it is not only more effective but cost efficient. There is overwhelming quantifiable validation that it costs far less to keep an existing customer than to win a new one.

Hook-ups may win you some business but commitment will help you to build a sustainable business with long term customers. What choice are you making in your own business?

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