The Power of Repeating Stuff

Who doesn't like repeat customers? Who doesn't like being told...a couple of times...that you've got a great logo or uniform or...heck a haircut? Just as much as we enjoy repeat customers and repeated complements so too should we learn that when we repeat something over and over it has real power.

In marketing and advertising it is what is called "Top of Mind Awareness". Making sure your product or service is at the top of mind when it comes to buying what you are selling. "One and DONE" doesn't cut it. It takes an effort to make sure you repeat your message over and over.

Here are a couple of examples and while they are for national brands we think you'll get the message:

" Winston Tastes Good Like a Cigarette Should" - Winston has been of television and radio for decades...yet we remember the tag line;

"The Campaign of Bottled Beer" - Miller used this slogan for years and years abandoned it and this year brought it back...for good reason;

"A Diamond is Forever" - DeBeers debuted this way back in 1948 and they are still using it because...it works;

"Breakfast of Champions" - Who doesn't know this 1930's Wheaties slogan;

"It's the Real Thing" - CocaCola hit it out of the park with this from 1970;

"Say it With Flowers" - This will surprise you, the slogan dates back to 1917!

You get the idea... True, each one of these slogans had real dollars behind them to push the idea and the brand. Maybe your business doesn't have that sort of advertising budget but maybe you don't need all that cash to accomplish much the same thing.

Think of your value proposition and what you bring to your customers and then put that in words. Not a bunch of words but short and sweet. We know of a law firm that has the tag line, "We get things done!" because the number one complaint complaint among legal clients is that far too often law firms don't get things done and clients have to wait...and wait. The firm went so far as to register the slogan and they use it...everywhere.

Find your value proposition and then repeat it...often and everywhere. The goal is to have your customers hear or see those words and identify you and your unique value. 

It very well could bring you...repeat customers.

American Workers and Hostile Workplaces

Last week we saw a national news story that shocked us. In a recent study of over 3,000 U.S. workers by the Rand Corporation, Harvard Medical School and the University of California, Los Angeles one fifth of these American workers say they face a hostile or threatening environment at work. This can include sexual harassment, bullying and co-worker abuse.

That is a shocking number.

Some additional findings:

• Nearly 55 percent say they face "unpleasant and potentially hazardous" conditions;
• Nearly three-fourths say they spend at least a fourth of their time on the job in "intense or repetitive physical" labor;
• Only 38 percent say their jobs offer good prospects for advancement and the older they get the less optimistic they become.

Why do we share this with you? Because we often hear from members that it is difficult to find workers to fill jobs even while the unemployment rate is at a 16-year low.  Could it be that working conditions matter?

How are things at your shop? If you are having issues in hiring and retention? Perhaps it's time to do a self assessment. Some thoughts on that:

• The "Stay Interview" - Why do some of your employees stay with you and other leave? There is much you can learn from an interview with some long-term employees;
• Your Employment Brand - While every business has a brand not all business know what their employment brand is. What do current and past employees say about your company? (In this age of social media it's important to know.) What can you learn from them by asking and then making changes;
• Job and Performance Reviews - Do you do them fairly and do you offer employees an opportunity for feedback?

To be fair, not everything about the American workplace is grim. Workers enjoy considerable autonomy with more than 80 percent saying they get to solve problems and try out their own ideas. Moreover, 58 percent say their bosses are supportive and 56 percent say they have good friends at work.

The goal is to take the time and find out what you can do...better... to retain your employees and hire well qualified staff. Everybody knows that turn-over is costly and when your "employment brand" isn't positive it impacts hiring, productivity and profits.

If you would like to read the study we referenced, click here.

 

 

 

Scholarships - Giving Back

Each year the National Tractor Parts Dealer Association (NTPDA) awards college scholarships to a group of deserving young people. Each recipient was vetted by our Scholarship Committee made up of Carol Russell (Abilene Machine), Brian Kitch (Bates Corporation), Linda Benton (Southeast Tractor Parts, Inc.) and Paul Dyke (All States Ag Parts). Allow us to introduce you to our Scholarship Award Winners for the 2017-2018 Academic Year:

Andrea Blankespoor - Andrea is pursuing a degree in nursing at St. Luke's College and was sponsored by member corporation A & I Products;

Connor Brinton - Connor is seeking a degree in business at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and was sponsored by member corporation Hoober, Inc.;

Alexis Fabian - Alexis is at the University of Northern Iowa seeking a degree in education and was sponsored by Worthington Ag Parts;

Angela Good - Angela is working toward a degree in business administration and management at Millersville Univerity and was sponsored by Hoober, Inc.;

Matthew Kennedy - Matthew is at Indiana Purdue - Fort Wayne studying civil engineering and was sponsored by TTP-Diesel Power & Machine;

Dorea Lauer - Dorea is at Fox Valley Technical College working toward an Associates Degree and was sponsored by All States Ag Parts;

Lexee Lemler - Lexee is working toward a Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Manchester University and was sponsored by Bates Corporation;

Jamin Manus - Jamin is at Hawkeye Community College where he is working toward a degree in agriculture. Jamin was sponsored by A & I Products.

Once again, thank you to our Board the Selection Committee and congratulations to our scholarship winners!