Business Turnaround

Somewhere between Flint and Saginaw, Frances and I stopped at Bob’s Big Boy for one of those hard-to-find double-deck cheeseburgers from my youth. I had just finished speaking to a talented group of creatives and entrepreneurs at the kick-off meeting for their new AAF member club, Mid-Michigan Advertising and Marketing Association (MMAMA). I’d presented Roy H. Williams’ program, The Pendulum of Society. One of Roy’s key points is that this “Civic” generation is community minded and globally conscientious. (as witnessed by the public support for Katrina and tsunami survivors)

So… I shouldn’t have been surprised by the card promoting “America’s Thanksgiving Parade,” an annual event in Detroit. For a donation of one dollar you receive a red foam rubber nose like the one Big Boy is wearing in the photo. How could I pass it up? And of course, by serving as a sponsor for the fund-raising event, Big Boy is enhancing the customer experience by demonstrating their community support and by selling a piece of memorabilia – the red nose – that will remind me of my visit long after I’ve forgotten the cheeseburger.

Now, what’s the application for your business?

1. Find a cause in which you believe and support it publicly.

2. Have a sense of humor within your business.

3. Sell or give to customers something that will remind them of you after the business transaction. (No, not a business card or brochure.)

Although Big Boy scored extra points on the "customer experience index" for the whole “Noses on Parade” thing, they lost them all when I learned upon check-out that they didn’t accept American Express. More on that later…