WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get, started off as an acronym in the IT world (they love them!), but is a great term that summarises one of the fundamentals of Marketing. It encapsulates more than just the vital first 7 seconds we have to make that all important first impression because it includes an assessment of the whole package that a purchaser reviews when they look to buy from a business. I’ll give you an example of how one business can get it right when another gets it wrong, even with the same starting point and a smaller budget.
Last weekend, we went to the coastal town of Hastings Point/Cabarita. We’ve been going here for a few years to enjoy the naturally beautiful beaches and the peace of a small coastal environment. This time, the town had more for lease signs than normal, but at the same time, there was also construction to spruce up shops in the main street. As we walked past a section of shops, there was a neatly presented café, with that lovely yeasty smell of freshly baked product wafting onto the street. Feeling a bit peckish, we headed straight to the glass counter. It was clean and tidy, had a good selection of nice product at reasonable prices. There was a pizza menu on the counter. We ordered some afternoon tea and sat down at a table outside. Tasted lovely. Noticed a constant stream of people, mostly locals, buying from the same counter, another good sign that this was a “recognised establishment”.
Then we noticed that we were sitting at a natural timber table, and it was a little bit difficult for the kids to draw on, so decided to move to one of the glass tables a bit further along where nobody was sitting. It was then that we noticed that this was actually another café. They had blocked off access to the street with partitions, and placed tables that formed a barrier to the Bakery we had visited. Even if you realised it was a different establishment, you couldn’t get in. The seating and “street cred” was actually better than that of the Bakery (and was what had helped attract us in the first place), but the café’s service counter area was also hidden around the back of a wall, so we thought it was all the one business. The counter section was quite basic and the café had a very limited menu selection.
So here were two competing businesses, one which played off the better presentation of the other and attracted all the business by providing a good product that was easy to use. The “upsell” with the pizza menu worked too, as we stayed on for dinner. $25 later and the tastebuds and tummies of the whole family were satisfied, cheaper than Domino’s, and there was more topping than crust.
Sometimes successfully marketing your business does not need to be expensive or indeed require a PHD in Marketing. Just taking a step back and viewing it from a customers’ perspective can make a world of difference.
Marketing business to business does have differences compared to the above consumer example. Business marketing often has less emotional attachment (the aroma of grease doesn’t hold universal appeal), and certainly our business relies on ensuring very high levels of customer service and providing a complete range of good quality products at value for money prices. We have to continually exceed expectations, as we don’t “automatically” get the repeat business that can come from being an OEM dealer. This fact has become one of our key strengths and points of difference, as we can offer the best product and unbiased advice. People who physically come to our business (the below photo shows our Parts warehouses with our equipment storage yard in the background) often comment about the large range of top product we have in stock. Maybe we should be banging on the drum that size does matter more often, however our philosophy has been more like the bakery than the “glitz with no follow through” of the café. I guess it’s whatever works for your business, and we do encourage you to try RD Williams whole menu of machinery, parts and service. Buying great product at the right price can be the difference that helps keep your business competitive.
As always, onwards and upwards!
Fred Carlsson
General Manager
Above: Aerial Photo of the RD Williams Warehouses & Workshop Facilities located at 29 Dunn Road ROCKLEA QLD 4106.
