"You think your company is different because 'We care about our customers.' OK. Call 10 competitors and ask them what they do that's different, and they'll all say, 'We care about our customers.' You'll say, 'Yes, but we really mean it.' Which is exactly what they'll say, too."
- Michael Manes, New Iberia, La.
Last week we snuck in the back door of one of the Big Topics of business - branding - arguing that the way to think about being a brand was to make sure you are NOT a commodity. Here's the IBP (Important Business Principle): "You are a commodity till you prove otherwise." (You can find that column at Dauten.com if you've fallen behind.)
What got me thinking about branding was speaking to a group in Tampa, Fla., explaining how they could get customers to care about their products. After my speech, I was chatting with one of the attendees, Paul Overn of Little Falls, Minn., who told me that he's a radio-controlled-helicopter hobbyist and that a company called Ready Heli had made itself the darling of hobbyists like himself.
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"They did it with mints," he said, and went on to explain that with every order, you get a mint or two, with a wrapper that has the company name and logo. Skeptical, I asked about the nature of these magic mints. He insisted they were similar to those you get in better restaurants, then added: "People collect them. People post pictures of how many mints they have. It's a status symbol, because it shows how much you buy and for how long."
Naturally, I was less than convinced. So I went to the company's website, and there I found a five-point list of what makes the company different, starting with excellent customer service and great product selection. (Snooze.) But there were three more:
3. Sponsoring many fun fly events. The website has contests, including a "best crash video."
4. The "Ready Heli Mints."
5. Feeding the helicopter addiction fast, by shipping our customers' orders out the same day.
I then spoke with John Greco, founder of Ready Heli, who explained that he started the company out of his own copter addiction and his frustration at getting repair parts quickly and easily. In other words, he fits nicely the non-commodity characteristic "Care about your customer so much that they care back." And the contests were a natural extension of a fellow hobbyist/addict creating an isn't-this-cool business for peers.
But what about those mints? Important? Really? Greco laughed and said: "God forbid we forget to include a mint with the order. We get calls that say: 'I didn't get a mint. Did I do something wrong? Did I not order enough?' "
But why mints? Turns out that Greco came from the vending business, and when he started the helicopter company, he still had pallets of candy around. So when the new company filled an order, they'd put in a Toblerone bar or a bag of Jelly Bellies, as a little thank-you gift. Later, as he was running out of leftover candy, he came across a buttermint that he loved, one that came in a white wrapper that could carry the company logo. He placed an order, with this result: "We've given away hundreds of thousands of mints."
So, was it the mints that made the brand? No. Better and faster made the brand, and the mints became a symbol. It was caring enough to be different that made the customers care about the company, and caring about the company made them care about those mints.
Dale Dauten is co-founder of AgreementHouse.com, a company that resolves business disputes. Contact him at daledauten.com