(Time to read this Blog is about 2.5 minutes)

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

1. My Quote of the week:

“We should all take what we do seriously.  People are counting on us!  We just shouldn’t take ourselves so seriously.  We all need to lighten up.  The world needs more ‘silly’.  Less ‘stupid’…but more ‘silly’!”  

…Donald Cooper.

2. Quick Biz Tip: In today’s hyper-competitive world, you have 4 clear competitive choices. Pick one:

1) Offer exclusive or extraordinary products, services or experiences that ‘grab’ your target customers and make it not all about price.

2) Make it all about price and then develop the business model and world-class operating efficiency required to win the ‘low-price’ war profitably.

3) Offer quality products and / or services, be competitively priced (but not necessarily the cheapest) and then out-serve, out-market and out-hustle your competition.

4) Be mediocre, struggle and fade away.

So, which of these 4 strategies   

3. ‘Live’ Conferences are back! After 2 years of Zoom Conferences, ‘LIVE IS BACK’!  We’re getting lots of bookings for Keynotes and interactive Workshops at live events! 

To chat about ‘possibilities’ for your next business or Industry Association Conference, call us at 416-252-3703 in Toronto, Canada, or email me at donald@donaldcooper.com.  

Our most requested topics are:

1. 1. “Accelerate Your Business…the ‘straight goods’ on how to sell more, manage smarter, grow your bottom line…and have a life.”
   2. “Create Your Compelling Service Advantage…how to amaze your customers, differentiate your business…and grow your bottom line!
   3. “Winning the Talent Wars…8 essential steps to attracting, developing, leading & engaging a top-performing team.”
   4. “Vision Critical…how to manage, innovate and thrive in a very different tomorrow!”
   5. “Succession Planning & Exit Strategies…preparing your business and yourself for the most important financial transaction of your life!

Note:   We have Info Sheets on each of these value-packed programs.

Now, to this week’s important topic:

Your internet rating matters…how many ‘stars’ does your business get?

A recent survey shows that 70% of people look for ‘Social Proof’ before doing business with a company.  For millennials the number is 84%.  So what exactly is ‘Social Proof’?  It’s simply the process of checking on the internet and social media for proof that your product, advertising and marketing claims are true.  In other words, people trust what others say about you much more than what you say about yourself. 

One of the most accessible and familiar forms of ‘Social Proof’ are the reviews and star rating of your business on Google.  The maximum number of stars is 5.  Any rating below 4 out of 5 is a killer.  How many stars does your business get on Google?  Have you ever looked?  Have you read the reviews?  How many stars do your competitors get?  Have you done anything to correct the negative things that folks have said about you? Your target customers are paying attention to this stuff…perhaps you should too.

While doing some online research on the lawn care and snow removal industry recently, I came across a company named ‘Five Star Landscaping and Snow Removal’ in Waterford, Michigan.  A great name…but on Yelp, they get only one star out of 5 and 21 scathing reviews.  You can’t screw people around anymore.  They’ll get back at you…and they’re more believable than you are.

To complicate matters, there’s another ‘Five Star Landscaping and Snow Removal’ company, just 30 miles away in New Haven, Michigan, owned by a different person, that gets 4.5 stars and mostly brilliant reviews. How two companies in the same line of work, just 30 miles apart, end up with the same name is a mystery to me.  It makes no sense.

So, what specific things will you do or fix to deserve and get at least a 4.5 star rating and many glowing reviews from your customers on the internet and social media?  When will you start this important project…and who will do the work?

That’s it for this week…

Stay safe…live brilliantly!       

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.