(Time to read this Blog is about 3 1/2 minutes)

Before we get to the main topic, here are a few things to get you thinking or smiling:

1. Biz Quote of the week:
   “Many people say, ‘I’d be happy if I had a glamorous job.’  A glamorous job is when you love what you do, who you do it for and who you do it with.  Other than that, glamour is an illusion.”
   …Donald Cooper.

1. Quick Biz Tip:  
   You need video on your website:    
    
   Whatever business you’re in, you need a great website…and in today’s world, that includes video.  The bar keeps getting higher and higher for websites…but the good news is that keeping your website current is getting cheaper and cheaper.
    
   Video on your website does 3 things for you.  Here they are…
    
   1. Video boosts engagement dramatically: People love video!  They spend twice as much time on pages with video.  People are 85% more likely to make a purchase after watching a video.
   2. Video drives sharing: Videos are shared 12x more than links with text only.
   3. Search engines love video: Video content can make a page 53x more likely to appear on the first page of search engine results.
       
      So, what will you do to get some informative, engaging video on your website? By when will this be done?  Who will take ‘ownership’ of this project?
       
2. Half the planet’s food is lost or wasted. In many developing countries half the food crop is lost to vermin and insects after harvest, or spoils on the way to market.  In developed countries about half the food produced is simply wasted in the fields, in the supply chain, or in homes and restaurants.  In Canada, the number is about 46% of food lost or wasted.
    
   Some grocery stores sell fresh, slightly blemished ‘imperfect’ fruit and vegetables at a lower price.  This is nutritious produce that would otherwise rot in the fields.
    
   In 2017, Kroger’s Supermarkets in the USA committed to a ‘Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Plan’.  In the 1^st year they donated the equivalent of 325 million meals through a partnership with Feeding America.  Since then, they’ve donated the equivalent of 3.4 billion meals.  Waste food that’s not suitable for human consumption goes to livestock feed, or composting for soil improvement.
    
   You’re probably not in the food business, but what could you do, and with whom could you partner, to make a difference of some kind in your community?   This is a great topic for your next Team Meeting.
    
3. Fun fact. Scientists recently discovered a  5 million-year-old fossilized forest beneath a glacier in Canada’s Arctic region. It will provide a better understanding of Earth’s climate millions of years ago. 

Now, to this week’s important topic:

The incredible power of being the ‘Caring Coach’:

If you’re in an industry where there is customer confusion, shady practices and lack of trust, (and you probably are), one of the most powerful things you can do to differentiate yourself, create customer loyalty and grow your business is to coach customers on how to wisely choose and more effectively use what you sell.  Become their ‘Caring Coach’.

There are many ways to do this, from 1-on-1 interaction with customers to informative packaging, your website, helpful check-lists, help-lines, informative advertising, blogs, E-Newsletters, on-demand videos or webinars and, of course, Social Media.

One easy and effective way to be the ‘Caring Coach’ is to create quick tips for your customers. Something like…

1. 7 Questions to ask before choosing a renovator (or accountant, or website designer, financial advisor, dentist, etc). And then, for each question they should ask, give them the answer that they should get.
2. 10 helpful Tips for buying the right photocopier for your business (or power drill, or car, or insurance policy, etc).
3. 5 things you can do to drive more safely and improve tire wear (or reduce energy consumption, or the risk of a heart attack, etc).

Here are 7 specific examples of businesses that have prospered by becoming the ‘Caring Coach’:

1. Chip Loughead of Gravenhurst Plumbing and Heating in Muskoka, Ontario, runs regular ads in his local paper titled “Chip’s Tips”. He doesn’t advertise furnaces or hot water heaters.  Instead, he positions himself as the ‘Caring Coach’ by telling folks how to chose what’s best for them and then how to maintain it for maximum performance and longevity.  Very clever. Very effective.
2. Max Hitchins in Sydney, Australia is one of the world’s most respected hospitality industry gurus.  In fact, he promotes himself as ‘The Hospitality Doctor’. Every couple of weeks Max sends out a short E-Newsletter with one specific hospitality tip, secret, scam or remedy.  He has become famous and very busy in his niche market by being the ‘Caring Coach’.

3. The Amazing Food & Wine Company of San Francisco offers a selection of five popular priced wines in bottles that feature a picture of the foods that they’re ‘designed’ to go with. This graphic ‘coaching’ is a real break with tradition, but it makes it easy for folks to choose an appropriate wine.  How could you use simple graphics to coach your customers to make good choices? 
4. A high-end home builder redefined the experience of buying and owning a custom home by becoming the ‘Caring Coach’.  As part of the planning and design process, their Consultant meets with buyers for in-depth discussions about the lifestyle they envision having in their new home.  The clients are then involved in every step of the process to make sure their wishes and vision are being executed wonderfully.
    
   The company has interior design packages and special arrangements with top furniture, linen and tableware manufacturers for unique merchandise at special prices.  Companies like FRETTE linens and Rosenthal china.   
    
   When the purchaser moves into their new home, the builder morphs into ‘Concierge & Property Management’ mode with its Home Services Program, including semi-annual inspections of all operational systems for as long as the home-owner remains in the home.  They will also organize and supervise outside seasonal maintenance, arrange for a painter, hire a party planner, or have someone keep an eye on the house while the owners are away.
    
   This is whole new definition of what a home builder can be.  It’s home ownership made special and ‘stress-free’.  Now, here’s the part that’s not at all surprising.  The visionary founder of this company did not come out of the home building industry.  He’s an outsider who brought a fresh, new, disruptive approach to an industry that traditionally has had an adversarial relationship with its customers and created relationships that are collaborative, customized and supportive.

5. A few years ago, I convinced our local butcher to ask customers if they want their roast to be rare, medium, or well done and then to write the weight, cooking temperature and cooking time right on the wrapper.  He tells me that customers love it…and it’s a personal touch that you won’t get at the big supermarkets.
    
   He also offers free kitchen knife sharpening on Mondays and Tuesdays, two days that they’re not very busy. This has increased sales considerably on both those days, and it got him written up in the local paper.  How might you coach customers to be more successful with what you sell and what simple acts of kindness could you offer that will build both relationships and sales?

6. A Garden Centre could write a weekly Gardening Column for the local paper reminding folks about the many things that every gardener wants or needs to know throughout the year. When is it time to plant or prune, or fertilize, or deal with insects…and which product is best?  As a gardener, I know that the list is endless…and I need reminders.
    
   The same ‘Gardening Tips’ column can be posted on their website, sent out as a Blog to their database and printed out as a take-away Tips Sheet at their Garden Center.  They could even become the gardening expert on their local radio or TV station appearing every few weeks to coach and take calls.  That makes them the ‘Caring Coach’ and a celebrity…and that’s marketing magic! 

7. Progressive Direct Auto Insurance is committed to helping folks pick the lowest cost insurer for them.  So, when Progressive gives a quote, they also include quotes for the same type of insurance from two or three of their competitors.   A gutsy move?  Sure it is.  But it has made them the third largest auto insurer in America.  What are you absolutely committed to…and how gutsy are you prepared to be in helping customers do what’s best for them?
     
   Being the ‘Caring Coach’ also includes warning folks about the shady practices in your industry, and promising that you simply don’t do those things.  A marble and granite contractor recently told me that he was losing business to unscrupulous competitors who promised to complete the job in just 4 days.  It’s impossible to measure, design, order, receive, cut, fabricate, polish, deliver and install stonework in 4 days…it can’t be done.  But they lie to get the order and a 50% deposit.  Then, they call in three days to say that there’s been a problem, and it will be 10 to 14 days.  It was always going to be 10 to 14 days.
    
   By exposing these shady practices and explaining why it takes 10 days to do the job right, my contractor friend usually gets the business.  Become the Mother Theresa of your industry.  Be the voice of reason and truth…and always do the right thing.  You’ll tick off the bad guys…but customers will love you. 
    
   All these Tips and warnings should be on your website and in your sales literature.  And, they can be a part of your regular Customer E-Newsletter.  You can also share this information by writing articles for your local paper or magazine.
    
   So, what are your customers confused or stressed about and how can you help them make the right decision for them?  How can you use Tips, warnings, insider secrets and helpful hints to inform and coach your customers while positioning yourself as the trusted and respected authority on what you sell?   What will you do to become the ‘Caring Coach’…and when will you start?

That’s it for this week…

Live brilliantly and be kind to each other!       

Donald Cooper 

Donald Cooper speaks and coaches internationally on management, marketing, and profitability.  He can be reached by email at donald@donaldcooper.com in Toronto, Canada.