Inbound Marketing, Brian Halligan
The theme of this book explains how you can market your product / business and maximize the amount of followers you have. Followers doesn't exactly mean on social media such as Instagram and Facebook, but how many people actually like your service and keep up with anything new you might have come out with. With the immense amount of competition in today's businesses, this book describes different methods to reach out to consumers.
This book connects to what we currently learn in class because it helps mold the big picture of starting a business. With good content on how to do certain things like creating a blog, and creating great content for the online community. This book focuses mainly on just marketing which is a key factor in business. If the ENT3003 and some good marketing skills are combined, there may be success in the start of a business.
A good exercise for this class based on this book would be to create a website. This would take some time, so the exercise would be to add to a portion of the website each week and have a final website ready and complete by the end of the class. In today's world we are seeing much of the shopping done online and much of the research done online as well. People are definitely going to the internet to find what they need and it is vital that any business, big or small have some sort of website for consumers to see.
An 'aha' moment for me was the section about the Grateful Dead and how they used a different method than other rock bands at the time to attract the media and their fans. While other bands were trying to get people to their concerts to promote their albumbs, The Grateful Dead wanted their fans to just go to their concerts for an experience of a lifetime. Their music was like no other with styles of bluegrass and jazz incorporated and their concerts were described as some of the best in terms of music and the shows with effects and lights. This concert experience was what they wanted their fans to have and how to pull them into their fanbase. So even though some companies may advertise in only one way, it doesn't mean that other methods won't work and could surpass the original ways.
Friday, March 29, 2019
Friday, March 22, 2019
20A – Growing Your Social Capital
Jimbo Balaam
1. He is an auto detailer who has a podcast on how to wash and detail cars. He has a youtube channel as well as an Instagram account that he shows tips and techniques on detailing as well as does reviews on products and equipment.
2. Domain expert because he has been in the business for quite a while now and has a good amount of followers on his podcasts as well. Even though he is in a different state than I am, he has great knowledge and experience.
3. I used to youtube search for reviews on certain soaps and products for auto detailing when I stumbled upon his channel. On one of his videos I reached out by comment and asked him some questions about how to price my services.
4. He did me the favor and explained the pricing he has for memberships as well as single time washes and he told me what he thinks is the best price range to start off with. As an exchange I subscribed to his channel and helped him add to his follower count.
5. I think he has a vast amount of knowledge on products and techniques that have worked for him in the past. His videos are very helpful for when I am trying to learn a new skill in the auto detailing business such as headlight restoration.
Richard Silva
1. Richard has his own mobile car wash van that he uses to perform mobile washes and detailing. He is 32 years old and he goes to the country club where I work where he has his regular clientele.
2. He is a market expert because he is in the same area as I am. He goes to various country clubs around the area and mostly targets the older population. He also makes house visits to his regular clients if there is a day they are not at the club.
3. During my time working at the country club, I saw him and approached him about the business. It was during the time I was there when I saw him finish one of his washes so I asked him a little about how he finds customers.
4. He told me about his business but he doesn't want to expand and get more employees and vans. He explained that he is happy with his regular clientele and doesn't have to work such long days. He also explained that he focuses just on these kind of customers unless he gets referrals for others. In exchange I told him I would spread the word around the country club if any of the members would like to receive a car wash/ detail.
5. Richard is a great contact to have in case I ever need help in anything with the business. He made it clear that his regular customers are pretty loyal to him so he didn't mind sharing information with me. He also would be willing to show me some of his techniques if I need help such as wax and polishing.
Chemical Guys
1. This is a company which sells many car cleaning products from waxes to buffers and shampoos and even buckets. Pretty much anything you need for a car detail / wash they have.
2. Supplier because they supply products to many people over the United States and maybe even overseas for cleaning products to use on vehicles.
3. I made a search for cleaning products online and saw their website. I had also heard from a friend that their products are top quality so I decided to give them a try and check them out. I made an order and also called and talk to one of the representatives who was very helpful in letting me know which product was right for what I needed.
4. I asked for some samples to try out on my own vehicle and in exchange I tagged their account on social media after using their products and writing a good review for them.
5. They are a great company to know because they are always coming out with new products and they even just launched some "green" products which is where I want to start heading with my business. I hope they can make some new "green" products so I can market an environmentally clean detailing company.
I will now know that I can network anyone that is willing to help me out, but in exchange for something. It doesn't have to be anything quite hard but something as simple as writing a review can go a long way for a company. It's great to know different people as well that can help out even if they are in other parts of the country or world even.
1. He is an auto detailer who has a podcast on how to wash and detail cars. He has a youtube channel as well as an Instagram account that he shows tips and techniques on detailing as well as does reviews on products and equipment.
2. Domain expert because he has been in the business for quite a while now and has a good amount of followers on his podcasts as well. Even though he is in a different state than I am, he has great knowledge and experience.
3. I used to youtube search for reviews on certain soaps and products for auto detailing when I stumbled upon his channel. On one of his videos I reached out by comment and asked him some questions about how to price my services.
4. He did me the favor and explained the pricing he has for memberships as well as single time washes and he told me what he thinks is the best price range to start off with. As an exchange I subscribed to his channel and helped him add to his follower count.
5. I think he has a vast amount of knowledge on products and techniques that have worked for him in the past. His videos are very helpful for when I am trying to learn a new skill in the auto detailing business such as headlight restoration.
Richard Silva
1. Richard has his own mobile car wash van that he uses to perform mobile washes and detailing. He is 32 years old and he goes to the country club where I work where he has his regular clientele.
2. He is a market expert because he is in the same area as I am. He goes to various country clubs around the area and mostly targets the older population. He also makes house visits to his regular clients if there is a day they are not at the club.
3. During my time working at the country club, I saw him and approached him about the business. It was during the time I was there when I saw him finish one of his washes so I asked him a little about how he finds customers.
4. He told me about his business but he doesn't want to expand and get more employees and vans. He explained that he is happy with his regular clientele and doesn't have to work such long days. He also explained that he focuses just on these kind of customers unless he gets referrals for others. In exchange I told him I would spread the word around the country club if any of the members would like to receive a car wash/ detail.
5. Richard is a great contact to have in case I ever need help in anything with the business. He made it clear that his regular customers are pretty loyal to him so he didn't mind sharing information with me. He also would be willing to show me some of his techniques if I need help such as wax and polishing.
Chemical Guys
1. This is a company which sells many car cleaning products from waxes to buffers and shampoos and even buckets. Pretty much anything you need for a car detail / wash they have.
2. Supplier because they supply products to many people over the United States and maybe even overseas for cleaning products to use on vehicles.
3. I made a search for cleaning products online and saw their website. I had also heard from a friend that their products are top quality so I decided to give them a try and check them out. I made an order and also called and talk to one of the representatives who was very helpful in letting me know which product was right for what I needed.
4. I asked for some samples to try out on my own vehicle and in exchange I tagged their account on social media after using their products and writing a good review for them.
5. They are a great company to know because they are always coming out with new products and they even just launched some "green" products which is where I want to start heading with my business. I hope they can make some new "green" products so I can market an environmentally clean detailing company.
I will now know that I can network anyone that is willing to help me out, but in exchange for something. It doesn't have to be anything quite hard but something as simple as writing a review can go a long way for a company. It's great to know different people as well that can help out even if they are in other parts of the country or world even.
19A – Idea Napkin No. 2
I am 28 years old and I have great skills in speaking with customers.
I've always had jobs where I must speak to customers and more often than
not, customers leave feeling satisfied and happy. I've been asked to
speak with people in cases where they are unhappy with something or
upset, and I have resolved the situations numerous times. I enjoy playing team sports, which I feel like has helped me become a good team player in the workplace as well and has even given me some leadership skills. I'm also
bilingual, which is a big help living in South Florida as there is a
large hispanic population. I have always liked to keep my car clean and
running well. Since my first car to my current one, neighbors and
friends have always noticed that I tend to keep my vehicle in good
condition. My goal is to have my business take off eventually where I
can have a couple locations around the county and hire more people as
well for my car wash business. I would still work as well but have more
locations set up for some passive income. There is a lot to learn in this business but little by little I feel like I can pick up a new skill as weeks go by.
I'm offering customers a car wash / detail service. However, it's a service which they can use without having to wait. Whenever people spend their leisure time eating or watching a movie, or even shopping, they can come back to a clean car to drive. This will help people enjoy their days without wasting any time throughout their days. Many people feel as though they can do something more productive during this time like make money or spend time with family and friends.
My prospective customers would be the older population that cannot themselves clean their own cars. It would need to be people in the middle class at least, for the ones who earn less income probably wouldn't be willing to pay for such service. People who also live busy lives and just can't find time to wash it themselves or take it to a car wash would also be potential customers. So, business owners and other entrepreneurs as well and even parents with kids. I have a 5 year old myself and know that it can be hard to spend time with kids when having to do so many other errands. The prospective customer is quite larger than I expected, so long as they admire their cars.
Customers will pay me money to use my service because its convenient. Many people consider their time as a precious asset. Time wasted is time you can never get back. Whether it's people with children that want to spend as much time with them as possible or business owners that need more time to help their business grow. These people cannot afford to waste time waiting for a service if there is a better one that is more convenient for them. For this reason, I believe customers would be willing pay for a quality service in which they trust and feel like they are paying for a service as well as paying for time not lost while waiting for such service to be completed.
People skills will definitely set me apart from competition. Many people like to get their services done and not speak to anyone but others love to speak to someone who can give a little feedback on their vehicles and how to keep them clean themselves. Car enthusiasts will want to know which products are being used and I intend to even offer green washes which use environmentally friendly soaps, cloths, and equipment. Such as shampoos and wax that won't hurt our environment as much as other chemicals. As well as, electric machines instead of gas, and even recyclable products such as microfiber towels. I've yet to see any car detailing or washes in my area that advertise the use of environmentally friendly products. I think this is a good way to attract even more people from a certain niche that can be a valuable thing for this business.
I think all my elements can fit together to form a great service for people. If there is any weakness, its with the experience. I've always kept my car clean but when it comes to scratches and dents on paint, I still need more practice with this. I've seen videos on how other professionals do this and it's something I need to try and learn so that I can offer add-on services to customers for even better profits. I could also reach out to other service professionals and see what they price their customers for such services. I do not want to under charge people and then cut my profits.
The feedback I received is that I actually have a bigger customer base than I thought. I've added more prospective customers to my idea which is really great to expand the business. Another thing is the positiveness on having people skills and how customer service really is something people like to be treated with as a paying customer. I got positive feedback on how people really see time as an asset so this is definitely I want to market to customers, and let them know that this service can be done without losing any of their valuable time.
I'm offering customers a car wash / detail service. However, it's a service which they can use without having to wait. Whenever people spend their leisure time eating or watching a movie, or even shopping, they can come back to a clean car to drive. This will help people enjoy their days without wasting any time throughout their days. Many people feel as though they can do something more productive during this time like make money or spend time with family and friends.
My prospective customers would be the older population that cannot themselves clean their own cars. It would need to be people in the middle class at least, for the ones who earn less income probably wouldn't be willing to pay for such service. People who also live busy lives and just can't find time to wash it themselves or take it to a car wash would also be potential customers. So, business owners and other entrepreneurs as well and even parents with kids. I have a 5 year old myself and know that it can be hard to spend time with kids when having to do so many other errands. The prospective customer is quite larger than I expected, so long as they admire their cars.
Customers will pay me money to use my service because its convenient. Many people consider their time as a precious asset. Time wasted is time you can never get back. Whether it's people with children that want to spend as much time with them as possible or business owners that need more time to help their business grow. These people cannot afford to waste time waiting for a service if there is a better one that is more convenient for them. For this reason, I believe customers would be willing pay for a quality service in which they trust and feel like they are paying for a service as well as paying for time not lost while waiting for such service to be completed.
People skills will definitely set me apart from competition. Many people like to get their services done and not speak to anyone but others love to speak to someone who can give a little feedback on their vehicles and how to keep them clean themselves. Car enthusiasts will want to know which products are being used and I intend to even offer green washes which use environmentally friendly soaps, cloths, and equipment. Such as shampoos and wax that won't hurt our environment as much as other chemicals. As well as, electric machines instead of gas, and even recyclable products such as microfiber towels. I've yet to see any car detailing or washes in my area that advertise the use of environmentally friendly products. I think this is a good way to attract even more people from a certain niche that can be a valuable thing for this business.
I think all my elements can fit together to form a great service for people. If there is any weakness, its with the experience. I've always kept my car clean but when it comes to scratches and dents on paint, I still need more practice with this. I've seen videos on how other professionals do this and it's something I need to try and learn so that I can offer add-on services to customers for even better profits. I could also reach out to other service professionals and see what they price their customers for such services. I do not want to under charge people and then cut my profits.
The feedback I received is that I actually have a bigger customer base than I thought. I've added more prospective customers to my idea which is really great to expand the business. Another thing is the positiveness on having people skills and how customer service really is something people like to be treated with as a paying customer. I got positive feedback on how people really see time as an asset so this is definitely I want to market to customers, and let them know that this service can be done without losing any of their valuable time.
Friday, March 15, 2019
18A – Create a Customer Avatar
My prototypical customer is an older woman by the name of Phyllis. She currently stays active by playing golf and tennis mornings at her country club, and also comes in the afternoon to play Mahjong with her friends from the country club. She has three kids, all of which have moved to different states and have kids of their own. He husband still lives with her and also plays golf with his buddies at the country club. They are both retired lawyers and although they stay active, they do not like to wash their own cars. Years ago, their children did it for them but they have since moved away and can no longer do it for them. Phyllis drives a silver Lexus SUV that is only about 4 years old and is well taken care of. She still enjoys grabbing a cocktail at the bar with some of her friends on Thursdays. Her favorite drink is a Martini.
Phyllis and I both have one thing in common. That is to keep our cars in good condition. She once scratched her car against a column in the parking lot, but she got it fixed within a week. I don't think this is a coincidence because if people tend to take care of their cars then they must want it to be clean as well. I personally do not like driving my car if it is dirty.
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