8-10-17 Blue Sound Music has a great marketing strategy: Fill a much-needed niche

Many of the successful business on Whidbey are one-of-a-kind, selling products or services that are unique in the community.

When a business that filled a niche leaves and a new business comes in to fill that void, there is often a customer base eager to respond.

When Joe’s Music in Langley closed, many professional and amateur musicians were forced to travel off-island or up to Oak Harbor for their instruments and supplies.

In May, Keegan Harshman opened Blue Sound Music on First Street in Langley, and if his first months in business are any indication, word has gotten around quickly to those who want to purchase instruments or supplies. He reports that people are coming by frequently to thank him for what he has done.

Go to Whidbey Local to read the full story: Keegan Harshman brings a full service music store back to South Whidbey.

8-3-17 On Whidbey Island, Word-of-Mouth is the Most Effective Advertising

If the source of most of your business is coming from the Whidbey community, providing good, friendly customer service is likely to grow your business better than any paid advertising.

That’s why it is so important to do what you can to be sure that every customer, and potential customer, feels they have are noticed and have their questions and concerns addressed.

I remember reading that if someone has a good experience they will tell a few friends; if they have a bad experience, they will tell everyone they cross paths with for days after that experience.

The best form of promotion for your business is to be sure each customer will be singing your praises. Those songs will bring more people to you. Maybe even people from off-island.

7-27-17 Would you like me to tell your business story?

I am a story teller at heart. 

A few years ago I got into writing stories about Whidbey businesses.  My professional background was as a marketing research and public involvement consultant.  Then I moved to Whidbey and was asked to write a couple of stories about marketing research for a local business magazine (Northwest Business Monthly, which no longer exists).  I don’t even remember now what first created my connection with the magazine. Then, I was asked to write stories about local businesses for that publication.  

Somehow, the publisher of Whidbey Local, JoAnna Weeks, learned about my writing, and she asked me to do business stories for her on-line publication.  She encouraged me to write what I wanted, in my own style.  She has now branded me as the “Business Spotlight.”  Each week, she trusts me to choose a business, tell their story, and it is published without any editing (my husband is my “official” editor).

I feel very privileged because I am having the delight of making my own choices and telling stories in my own way.

I believe that what makes a business story appealing is knowing about the person or people who started the business.  I ask three basic questions: Why did they come to live on Whidbey? Why did they decide to create their business? What is special or unique about the product and/or services they provide?

For me, a business story is really about the people behind the business.  If you have a story you’d like to share, please contact me: carolyntamler@whidbey.net.

And, I invite you to check out a new story each week on The Business Spotlight on Whidbey Local: http://www.whidbeylocal.com/articles/1/5243

7-20-17 Creativity is often easier within a group

I understand that many artists find their creative expression on their own. They have a creative concept for a piece of artwork or music, and they execute the idea on their own.

However, it has been my experience that if you ask a single person to come up with a creative idea for a plan or a marketing concept, or simply a way to solve a problem, often there is a deer-in-the-headlights moment.

That’s why I love bringing people together and facilitating a discussion that will generate creative ideas and solutions to problems. The most productive group number is 10; not sure why (in Jewish tradition 10 is a “minion” or the amount needed to have a formal meeting process), but this does seem to be the magic number where everyone feels comfortable about speaking up and sharing opinions and ideas. Less than 10, and sometimes the discussion isn’t quite as lively; more than 10, and it becomes a bit more difficult to control.  This is the basic concept behind doing a "focus group discussion."

I do want to stress the need to have a good facilitator for a group process. It’s important that time is controlled, that the discussion stays focused and that everyone in the discussion feels comfortable speaking up.

It’s also interesting to me that some of the most creative ideas coming out of someone in a group have been preceded by the phrase, “I really don’t know much about this, but……”

To summarize: Bring people together in the group that have some kind of common interest (community, interests, knowledge, etc.); have an agenda that is followed as much as possible; create an atmosphere where everyone in the group feels comfortable speaking up; and make sure that no one individual dominates the conversation (I usually say something like, “I can see you feel strongly about this, now I’d like to hear what someone else has to say.”)

7-13-17 It’s tourist season, and a retail business owner’s most important job is making a person feel welcome coming into your store

My husband and I were recently in San Mateo, a charming small city in the Bay Area. We went into a store that was selling a variety of gift items.  We walked in and after a few minutes, we realized that no one greeted us, or even looked at us.

We waited for someone to notice us....and none of the staff looked up from what they were doing; no one made eye contact or said “Hello” or “We’ll be with you in just a minute.”  We waited.  Finally, my husband said, “Let’s go somewhere else.”  And, we did.

I can imagine the young staff had had a long day, or some cranky customers, or were just anxious to be done with their work day and head home.  

But, as the customer, my only concern was being waited on, or at least having someone greet me and say they would be helping me soon.  I wanted to feel welcome.

We are deep into the tourist season on Whidbey. Making a customer feel welcome is always important, but this is especially true when many strangers may be stopping by your business.

Anyone who is meeting the public in a business must always be aware of the power of that first moment when a potential customer walks through the door.  More than anything else, a customer must be noticed and made to feel welcomed.