Jon-Don’s Post

If I build it, will they come? It's one thing to be excited about something and categorically know it will delight folks, and it's another thing to quit your job, invest a bunch of time and money, and make a bet on yourself. When I started Grey Duck Ice Cream, we started on my front porch. I’d post ice cream for pick up at 5pm on Fridays, and by 7pm, I’d be sold out of 100 pints.  There came a pivotal inflection point for me: I’m having fun doing this AND people will pay for it. Should I scale it? Obviously I decided to, but here’s what went into making that decision: 1. Customers were demanding it: multiple times per day, people said something along the lines of, “when are you going to get a real space? I want to be able to get this on more than just Friday nights.” 2. Demand consistently outpaced supply: if I made 20 pints, they’d sell out in 2 minutes. If I made 40, they’d sell out in 5 minutes. At my maximum production capacity, I could make 100 and they’d sell out in 10 minutes. Scarcity was on my side. 3. I physically could not make more product without a significant change in my production facility (aka my kitchen) or my equipment. However, the next logical leap would come with significantly more overhead and increase my production capacity by 6x. I was worried the increased complexity would tank my fun and passion, and the increased supply (lower scarcity) would tank my product’s demand. Spoiler alert: I took the leap. But how would you advise someone in my position trying to make a decision like this? pictured below: people venturing to my house on a Friday night to pick up ice cream on a 5 degree, snowy evening.

Did you catch our blog on helping customers with cost-of-living anxieties at the point of sale? Read it in full by following the 🔗👇🏻

It's amazing what we are willing to pay for... I used to have a salt service that would re-fill the salt in my water softener and we used the same company for over 18 years... pretty much since we got the water softener. It was something I never thought about and I was happy to pay the bill. I didn't even know how much the difference was between buying the salt myself or having them do it... I was happy. But then, they began having issues with consistency and I would begin to feel the hard water when showering. I could understand a few times but over and over again became upsetting. I called them several times and despite promises to get better, I still only got excuses about poor staffing, etc. That's when, for the first time, I looked up the price of doing the salt myself and it was nearly 25% off! So I called them, cancelled the service, and began doing it myself. I'm a value-based buyer and for years, I did not have to think about salt. It was handled and I was happy. But the moment that peace of mind was gone, a switch flipped and I went to price. Lowe's lets me order online and will bring the bags of salt to my car - 240lbs of them! So the convenience difference was marginal. This is what happens in any business. Price is never the primary buying criteria, it's mostly something emotional and in my case, it's peace of mind. We, as business leaders, must never lose touch with that #voiceofthecustomer that is telling us why they buy. If we do, and that reason goes away, the customer will go away, too. At DataCorps Technology Solutions, Inc. we value #feedback because it informs what we do and allows us to adapt to our clients' needs in real-time. We create #ravingfans because we #listen and deliver exactly what they're looking for. Thank you to our clients who have trusted us for over 20 years now to serve their technology needs, and to our team who delivers this service each and every day. The best is yet to come!

Did you catch our blog on helping customers with cost-of-living anxieties at the point of sale? Read it in full by following the 🔗👇🏻

Did you catch our blog on helping customers with cost-of-living anxieties at the point of sale? Read it in full by following the 🔗👇🏻

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🚨 This week, ‘On TAP’s Radar’ 🚨 🗞️First up is The Guardian's 'Not for Sale’ #campaign, which highlights the newspaper’s editorial freedom and independence. One TV #ad from it, illustrates the reactions its coverage can induce, depicting people agreeing, disagreeing, arguing, and even sleeping – all armed with a copy of The Guardian in hand. The core message: The Guardian tells stories how they see them, none of stories, or the reactions to them, are influenced by "special interests". It’s a great ad and humanises the many ways the news can make us feel. Love it or loathe it, The Guardian is spot on this time. https://lnkd.in/eKfJMiGU 🍕Next, an ingenious campaign from Aldi that sticks two fingers up to takeaway giant Dominos. The supermarket is launching a pizza delivery service for one day next month, marketing the offer as an 83% saving compared to its rival. Aldi is seeking to squash the stigma surrounding supermarket pizzas, all whilst maintaining its now-infamous #marketing exercise in taking significant “inspiration” from its branded counterparts. It’s authentic, playful, and a good read on public sentiment surrounding rising food costs. More info here: https://lnkd.in/eDNJxmya 🧀Last but by no means least, Doritos embarked upon one of the most ridiculous campaigns we’ve seen in a while. The brand set a world record for the highest-ever cheese pull, dipping a 4ft-wide nacho into a bowl of melted cheese, before being stretched by a helicopter to 49ft. The stunt needed 120 kg of cheddar and mozzarella and was fittingly conducted at Cheddar Gorge in Somerset. With the campaign backed by a plethora of playful research – Did you know one in three Brits dislikes soggy nachos at a party? – the stunt attracted #media attention worldwide, demonstrating that sometimes bigger really is better. https://lnkd.in/ejWiZVUN

Good tips!

Pay attention to what they do more than what they say! Actions speak louder than words... As a #salesperson, how many times have you heard something like... "Oh yes, I really want to meet with you about your services!" only to discover that weeks, months, years, go by and they've never done one thing to schedule time with you. And "NO!"... they are not too busy! It takes #commitment to do business with you, and the little baby steps of #commitment start long before the #cash appears. In your #salesprocess, have you identified every step of #commitment required to do business with you? Every step of #commitment from smallest to largest towards buying from you can be identified to help you measure their actions, match them with their words, and guard your time, energy, emotions, value, etc. Write out the steps. Create a visual. Do the #homework. #salesexcellence #salescoaching #salesgrowth #growthmindset #winning

❄️🍎💪PLEASE,READ BELOW!!🙏 I 100% guarantee, This will help you ALOT!!!!👇🏼❤️ New England will be getting 6-18 inches of snow Sunday 1/7/23 No biggie? Sure….but NOT IF YOU ARE RECEIVING OR DELIVERING PRODUCT!!! 🤔Want YOUR delivery on time and stay in business? Want to think about others so EVERYONE WINS? Ok, GREAT!! 1) Have your recieving areas clean and ready… SALTED, CLEAR & SAFE….ONE screwed up dock delays the next.. and do on!!! 2) Expect delays no matter what, one accident delay’s greatly. Why not order what you need for Monday Saturday, it will most likely be the same product!!! 3) Your drivers will be cold, wet and stressed, a cup of coffee goes a long way!!! 4) Be patient, your load is just as important as everyone else’s!!! 5) Take care of the people getting carts in your parking lot, make sure to communicate- boots, gloves, etc a must- stay on the clean up!! 6) IF YOU ARE CLOSING EARLY OR OPENING LATE OR…. Not opening AT ALL, SAY IT!!!! 7) Know you area school closings and delays!!! Single Moms & Dads ESPECIALLY with young children need extra understanding… family first!!! 8) CHANGE YOUR STORE SCHEDULES…. Load up help Today and Saturday…. Sales will make up labor- then give most the day off Sunday- sick calls will come regardless. 9) Have fans and mop buckets ready with clean dry rug back ups…. Yes safety, but also one slip and fall can cost you. 10) Finally- be kind, thoughtful and patient. People always have challenges & stress. As leaders we set the tone!! EMP “MORE, then just consulting, merchandising, and brokerage… we love our partners”