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Welcome to the November issue of Imagine Success Newsletter. In this Issue In Other News This months "Successful People You Should Know" is Shirley Tan. AMP a Successful Mortgage Agent that really does have your best interests at heart. How can I say that, you may be asking? Well, because I am one of Shirley's clients. I have had the pleasure in my business to meet many people along the way, of which I am grateful for, Shirley Tan being one of them, and one that I will never forget. I met Shirley in a time in my life where I needed guidance to put my life back on track. I remember when I first spoke to Shirley and immediately noticed how she really listened to what I was saying and warmly suggested some critical steps that I should take to head in the right direction. Her professionalism, commitment to helping me reach my goals and wonderful kind smile was something that I would look forward to whenever we would meet to discuss the next steps towards a solution. Since this time, Shirley has not only become my #1 Mortgage Agent, but she has also become one of my #1 Friends. Wow, did I luck out on both! You can contact Shirley through email or visit her at The Mortgage Centre located at 7-75 First Street in Orangeville, 519-942-3333 ext. 104. Nancy Sova Senior Consultant Imagine Success Consulting
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Upcoming Programs and Workshops! November 2008 is the month that the Go Venture II, Small Business Program your first, best, business investment will begin featuring Mr. Bob Cassels on Tuesday November 11th, who will provide an insightful and engaging presentation on Infomercials. You don't want to miss this because your first introduction to someone new needs to be powerful, so that they know who you are, what your business provides and where they can contact you. For our second session on Tuesday November 25th we will provide you with all the critical information that you will need when Insuring Your Business. Our own local Roy Chopp from the Co-operators in Orangeville will be there to guide you and offer his exceptional expertise. Visit our website for More Information or to Register Today! Sign Up for the Same Page, Exceptional Client Service Workshop on November 22nd 2008. Learn what your preferred style is for delivering Client Service, but more important Learn what your Clients Really Want and Need! We offered the Personality Dimensions Introductory Workshop in September and the Positive response was so overwhelming that we have decided to offer it again! Register Today for this dynamic workshop on December 7th 2008! A Great Way to Say Thanks to Your Staff this Holiday Season! Are you thinking about planning something Special and Unique for your staff this Holiday Season? Why not surprise them with a Teambuilding Workshop and a Fantastic Lunch or Dinner? What a Great Way to say Thanks and to Celebrate the Success of 2008! Contact Us Today to arrange a Personality Dimensions Teambuilding Workshop - It's Holiday Treat that they will never expect!
Welcome to Our November Issue of the Imagine Success Newsletter Imagine Success Consulting offers Personal, Business and Professional Success Programs and Workshops that are cutting edge and research based. We have world class consultants with many years of experience that inspire, empower and educate to put you on the path to Success. We offer success programs and workshops to diverse participants including the general public, small business owners, large businesses and not for profit organizations. We are experts at providing Customized Teambuilding, Leadership and Professional programs for any group with outcomes targeted to improve performance that align with business or organizational goals and objectives.Imagine Success Consulting combines rigorous program design standards with unparalleled adult education delivery methods to create borderless opportunities. Please visit our website today to learn more! Imagine Success Consulting was profiled in the New Business Section of the Snap Dufferin Newspaper. A huge thank you to Tammy Schneider, GM/Publisher for the Snap Dufferin Newspaper! Click on this link snapdufferin.com/display/64734/1386/ to read all about it! Would you like to see your name and your business "In Other News - Successful People You Should Know" section of our newsletter just to your left? If you register for the Go Venture II, Small Business Program you will be seen by literally 100's of people. What an Opportunity! Register Today! Each month we will be sending out our newsletter where we will share an "article of choice" that we have found inspiring, empowering or educating and we will highlight a story of someone that we have met along the way in our "in other news - successful people you should know" section. And finally we will provide you with upcoming programs and workshops that are available to put you on the path to Success! Happy Reading, The Imagine Success Consulting Team This Months Article of Choice "Being Successful by Your Customers Standards" Don’t Cut Corners With Your Customers There's a movement afoot, and it can be seen in any number of areas. Companies everywhere are under considerable financial stress in this ever more turbulent global marketplace, struggling to meet the profit-performance expectations of analysts and shareholders.
Whether a business increases prices or is able to lower the cost of goods, the ultimate impact of any decision is more likely to be felt by customers than by the company. In the end, customers keep companies in operation and provide a return on the shareholders' investments. Their thoughts, feelings, and reactions therefore should be paramount. But when a business considers cost increases, are customers truly its main priority? Are they given serious consideration in the day-to-day actions and initiatives that the company undertakes? Or are their needs and wishes overlooked like a tattered poster that claims "Our Customers Are #1 With Us"? Cutting Costs, Cutting Corners Companies have been exploring cost containment from many different angles. Some have sought to lower their production costs by substituting cheaper ingredients and adjusting their product recipes accordingly. For example, Hershey has reportedly substituted vegetable oil for a portion of the cocoa butter it uses in making some of its chocolates. General Mills has cut manufacturing costs for its Hamburger Helper brand by reducing the number of ingredient and spice pouches it provides to consumers and has replaced costlier pecans with less expensive walnuts in its Pillsbury Turtle cookies. Some companies have maintained their traditional recipes but have been decreasing the volume contained in their standard packages. In the U.K., Tesco has begun selling non-standard bread loaves, substituting a 25% smaller loaf for the long-established 400-gram standard. Procter & Gamble has reportedly reduced the number of Pringles in a can and the number of diapers in a package, and Cadbury's family-size chocolate bars are now 20 grams lighter. Some McDonald's restaurants are now selling their double cheeseburgers with one slice of cheese instead of two. Marketers can avoid calling attention to price increases by maintaining the total package price and simply reducing its volume and/or size. Perhaps this merely reflects what consumers want and are willing to pay for. Perhaps the consumer is concerned only about the total price of the package and cares little about the amount it contains or its particular ingredients. Or perhaps not. In the 1990s, Campbell reduced the amount of chicken in its chicken noodle soup but found that its sales suffered and so vowed never to make that mistake again. The demise of Schlitz beer, a top-selling U.S. beer for the first half of the 20th century, is typically attributed to changes in the recipe and a reported (or rumored) substitution of cheaper ingredients. Product recipe or ingredient changes can have a negative impact on customer relationships, and as with Schlitz, the impact can be enduring. Maybe what matters to consumers isn't the fact that changes happen, but rather their awareness of a change -- and the reasons for it. Some marketers, though, appear to be operating under the assumption that "what customers don't know won't hurt them." So they've set about making a sequence of minimal changes, although the result may be akin to the old story about the frog in the pot of water: The temperature is raised in tiny increments until, of course, the frog ultimately boils. Maybe these sorts of recipe changes make no difference to consumers until they're pointed out. That's when alterations that seemed insignificant can take on disproportionate importance. The risk is that customers will feel shortchanged by a company and become suspicious of its unexplained motives. In the age of the ubiquitous consumer blog, it's a risky strategy to assume that changes won't be noticed and they won't really matter. There is another route, of course -- one that involves raising the total price charged rather than changing the recipe or reducing the amount provided. When engaged customers have come to count on a consistent brand experience, it may be safer for marketers to raise prices than to chance generating a backlash by altering a recipe that passionate customers think of as sacrosanct. New Coke, anyone? Prices on the Rise Raising prices may be unavoidable. The key to a successful price increase is when and how prices are raised -- and how those increases are communicated to customers. Consider the case of United Airlines. Its advertising lauds the quality of its brand experience, reinforcing the company's contention that "It's time to fly." Its Web site features United's commitment to "keep our customers feeling relaxed, respected, and rewarded." Meanwhile, the company has doubled the price charged for a second checked bag, announced flight attendant furloughs, and thanks to customer criticism, had to rescind its plans to begin charging for coach-class meals on European flights.
But United must pay close attention to its competition. After all, fliers typically have choices, and United's competitors also claim to be committed to providing customers with a positive travel experience. How are United's competitors, struggling with the same price-focused marketplace forces, evidencing their concern for the customer? In fairness, United seems about on par with any number of other airlines. Along with the other legacy airlines, its ability to engage -- or not disengage -- its fliers likely hasn't changed much since 2001, when Gallup examined the degree to which fliers are emotionally bonded to the airlines competing for their business. (See "The Constant Customer" in the "See Also" area on this page.) The real battle for airlines isn't to win customers for the next week or the next flight. The goal for an airline shouldn't be a customer who takes a one-time flight. The real goal is a customer relationship -- more specifically, an engaged relationship. But this seemingly commoditized industry does have a few standouts -- airlines that differentiate not just by what they promise but by how they perform and even how they price. As one example, while United raises its checked-baggage charges, its no-frills competitor Southwest trumpets its policy of no fees for a first or second checked bag. Thus, the lower cost flight option remains lower cost, and the price gap between Southwest and United seems to have widened. Among the other competing airlines, Singapore and Qantas stand out by avoiding the appearance and reputation of charging more for the same -- or less. While United experiments with charging international fliers for meals, Singapore Airlines talks of offering amenity kits, in-seat power and Internet connections, 100 movies, 3-D games, and 180 TV shows -- in coach. Perhaps that's one reason Business Traveller Asia-Pacific readers have voted it "best airline" for 17 consecutive years. Qantas not only isn't charging coach passengers for meals, the airline has created snack and drink bars in the economy-class section and has designed extra leg space into its new A380 planes. In the words of the airline's interior designer, "It's a small detail, but it makes a difference." Singapore and Qantas may well have different operating and pricing constraints than United. But, in the eyes of a flier considering a trans-Pacific hop in coach, which airline seems committed to enriching the customer experience? United's challenge is not just to recover its costs and keep the airline aloft financially but also to convince customers that its actions are designed to benefit them -- not just the airline. If the customer doesn't benefit, the airline won't either. Two Lessons There are at least two lessons to be learned from the marketers who are endeavoring to cope with rising costs and increasingly cost-conscious consumers:
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