The most interesting thing about Black Friday was...

The most interesting thing about Black Friday was that it was so darn nice.

Granted, we only went to a couple of stores, but the ones we did visit the staff was courteous and helpful, everything was well-stocked (as much as it could be on  the Biggest Shopping Day of the Year), and the customers were not pushy and cranky. I'm not sure the reason, but in the past it has been very different.

According to a National Retail Federation (NRF) survey, 212 million people shopped on Friday, that's more than half the country! USA! USA! Do we know how to spend or what? Better than any stimulus package, that's for sure.

And ahead of us is Cyber Monday, which is both the biggest day for online sales and the least productive day of the year for workers. Well, as long as they can pay their credit card bills, who's complaining? 
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Rob Wallis is The Marketing Outsider, a speaker, author, and consultant who helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their visibility. Contact him at The Wallis Group

What does it mean to be different?

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Rob Wallis is The Marketing Outsider, a speaker, author, and consultant who helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their visibility. Contact him at The Wallis Group

There's Got to Be a Better Way

Any time you can make a process easier for a customer, they are more likely to buy from you in the future. Take for example the episode of "Undercover Boss" about Great Wolf Lodge, the CEO of the company got to experience firsthand the checkin process, complete with long lines of cranky kids and parents.

Then she said those words that consultants (OK, at least me) love to hear:
"There's got to be a better way."

Oh yes there has. And that better way will definitely help the bottom line. For example, I'm sure that once a family gets to the check in desk, there are some upsell options, perhaps a dining plan if they didn't opt for one, extra activities, etc. Would you be willing to purchase an add-on that was offered to you if you just spent three hours in line with hot, hungry, tired kids? Probably not. The better your experience, the more likely you are to keep saying "yes."

What are you doing to keep your clients saying yes? Please comment and let me know.

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Rob Wallis is The Marketing Outsider, a speaker, author, and consultant who helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their visibility. Contact him at The Wallis Group

As Consumer Spend Less, They Expect More: http://bit.ly/9NdZd4

Can You Break the Tie?

Joe Calloway calls them Tiebreakers.

Say I am looking for a plumber. I leave message for two of them, and only one of them calls me back. It's sad, but it is a tiebreaker. Right there I've made my decision, or at least narrowed it down.

Now say that I call a third plumber, and he (or his office) answers right away. EVEN BETTER. He immediately goes to the top of the short list. If it's something I need done quickly, and he can come out right away, EVEN BETTER AGAIN.

Recap: Plumber #2 did something just a little bit better than Plumber #1, he called me back. shouldn't be a big deal, but it seems that's the way it is.

Plumber #3 did something just a little bit better than #1 or #2, he answered the phone. And then to top it off he could come out right away. All other things being equal, it would be an easy choice.

What are you doing to break the tie? Comment here please!

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Rob Wallis is The Marketing Outsider, a speaker, author, and consultant who helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their visibility. Contact him at The Wallis Group

Subway Breakfast: Just Not Distinctive Enough

Subway breakfast is going to fail. No, I have not had breakfast there yet, but the not-so-glowing reviews I've seen so far (pre-made egg disks?) lead me to believe they are not trying THAT hard.

There was a time when Subway was THE the sandwich shop chain: the first in my neck of the woods, anyway. It was quite the anomaly of fast food: your sandwich was made fresh, right in front of you, could have it any way you wanted (except hot), and, was pretty darn good. Not as good as the Mom & Pop's, but for the price, not bad.

Then, like so many good businesses, they felt the need to expand, to compete. The mad kind of copybranding that makes Wal-Mart start selling groceries. "hey, all of the other fast-food chains are selling breakfast! Can we do that?" well, of course you can, but can you do it well? More importantly, Can you do it better?

The thing is, maybe they are doing it better. What's interesting is that since the announcement in March, all Subway seems to be able to say, is that they serve breakfast, but they don't say much about why I should eat it. Are they just another breakfast sandwich? What's so special about it? Is there some reason I should eat at Subway rather than the place I go to now?

It's been kind of quiet after the debut. Maybe they don't tout it much because the reviews have not been all that hot. Of course, that hasn't prevented Quizno's from getting into the act, albeit only in their convenience store locations.

All in all, Subway breakfast is going to fail. They just aren't distinct enough. And that's what it takes to succeed, surrounded by competition.Agree? Disagree? Please comment!


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Rob Wallis is The Marketing Outsider, a speaker, author, and consultant who helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their visibility and helping them stand out in the marketplace. Contact him at The Wallis Group