Normally I write about small business marketing, systems, finances, goal-setting, etc. but today I’m particularly inspired to write about life changes and the need to prepare. Allow me to explain.

This past January, my kids informed my wife and I that they are going to move out of our house.

They assured us their decision had nothing to do with the dictatorial rules that my wife and I have instilled upon them such as picking up after themselves, washing the dishes from time to time, vacuuming a couple of times a week when it’s their turn.. you know – stuff only evil dictators burden upon their subjects.

Remember when you first moved out? I did. I was 17 and knew I could take the world by storm. I joined the US Air Force right out of high school and I reported to Boot Camp exactly 2 weeks to the day after high school graduation.{++++}

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“If the Phone Ain’t Ringing in…It Better Be Ringing Out!”

Scott – Big Banana

Scott – Big Banana

PS – might as well be known for something GREAT!

Last month John Braun from Hitman Advertising did a teleseminar interview with me about surviving and even thriving in a down economy. As you may know, my cleaning and restoration business is located just outside of the Detroit area. This past December, Detroit recorded an incredible 21% unemployment rate! That’s depression-era numbers there, folks.

Despite the bad economic news here locally, we’re holding in there and some of our company service categories are even growing. How? It’s all in the free interview below.

I’ve also included an extensive “mindmap” which shows how to overcome the financial problems and thrive. It’s all organized and easy on the eyes. Please let me know what you think!

John Braun interviews Scott Rendall about thriving in a down economy (.mp3 file)

Thriving in a Down Economy Mindmap (.pdf file)

*Important Note: The attached .PDF requires Acrobat Reader 9.x (or newer). If the file says “buffering” for an extended amount of time, you need a newer version of Acrobat Reader. It’s free and can be downloaded here: Acrobat Reader Update

Enjoy!

Scott – Big Banana

Scott – Big Banana

I stumbled across an intriguing article about the brain the other day.

Scientists have found that when the brain is inactive (not engaged in thought) that it’s actually doing at least as much work as it does when it’s thinking. Furthermore the study found that daydreaming is an important event for the brain to “connect the dots” of experience.

“Daydreaming may sound like a mental luxury, but its purpose is deadly serious: Buckner and his Harvard colleague Daniel Gilbert see it as the ultimate tool for incorporating lessons learned in the past into our plans for the future. So important is this exercise, it seems, that the brain engages in it whenever possible, breaking off only when it has to divert its limited supply of blood, oxygen and glucose to a more urgent task.”

Read the whole article here The Secret Life of the Brain by New Scientist Magazine

This is great news for we daydreaming cleaners and restorers!

Scott

Scott  – Big Banana

The following came from Frank’s blog and he gave me written permission to share it:

——————–
Grounds for Divorce
by Frank Lane

What will Starbuck’s do next to weaken one of the truly great Killer Brands to emerge in recent years?

First, they established the brand with strong, full bodied, European styled coffee for a different and more compelling expectation. That lured enough coffee drinkers to make them a big time brand.

Then because they didn’t appeal to everyone, they introduced lite-note coffees virtually indistinguishable from ordinary coffee. (I do not know for sure this fact, but I have been told by Starbuck’s managers that lite-note coffees which have been pushed in units for over five years have never reached 10% of beverage sales). Lesson, weaken the brand for very little gain.

Then they licensed the brand to others in other categories, e.g., ice cream. Then they franchised the brand to airports and such where people ordered Starbuck’s not from trained baristas but from fast food grade employees.

Then last week they hinted at the introduction of cheaper coffee. Today they confirm that they are introducing “instant” coffee at $1.00 per cup.

I admit they have taken a hammering from the economic situation and news shows everywhere showing people how to save money in tough times by foregoing their $5 coffee drinks. BUT STARBUCK’S SHOULD BE STRENGTHENING THEIR BRAND RIGHT NOW, NOT WEAKENING IT (NO PUN INTENDED).

Frank Lane’s Website

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While it’s true that Starbucks is a very different product than carpet cleaning, there are several parallels. Off the top of my head it is definitely time to explore and re-explore the value we provide to customers to ensure they fully understand our competitive differences and that their perception of our value is extreme.

The Starbucks parallel also gives us an idea of what happens when the customer starts to view our services as a commodity.

Yes, the economy is on everyone’s mind and it is affecting “convenience” more than “necessity” products and services as evidenced by the recent stock highs of value brands like Wal-Mart and McDonalds and lows of high-end brands like Nordstrom and Ruths Chris.

There is definitely a clear but fine line between “affordable” and “cheap”. Customers don’t like cheap but they also have to view the product or service as affordable, now more than ever.

A $5 cup of coffee may not appeal to the overwhelming majority of consumers, just as .75/sqft carpet cleaning doesn’t apply to most people. However, the majority will spring a few more bucks for what they perceive as extremely high quality vs low or avg quality.

Coffee drinkers still drink coffee just as we can’t overlook that no matter the economy our services still appeal to those who cannot fathom living with dirt. The new trick is that we have to accept that now more than ever customers are looking for higher quality at what they perceive as an affordable cost.

Scott

Branding Blahs

We chit-chatted about some of the brand basics like the logo design and company colors and he told me that he thought his brand was well created and memorable. I looked at his logo and sure enough, it was legible and somewhat easy to remember. The company name was ok (his company name is his last name) and the colors were bright and bold. But it had a few serious defects. The brand had no “life” in it. No expectation. No character. No promise. No differentiation.

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That’s my life partner – Sunny. I met her when I was a 19 yr old Cavepunk. I hit her over the head with my cavepunk club and dragged her back to my hole in the wall in 1985. For some reason she hasn’t hightailed it out of here yet, but I keep my club handy just in case.

In all seriousness, she is the most amazing, caring and wonderful girl a guy could have ever hoped to marry.

Sunny is the:

avocado to my guacamole

yin to my yang

banana to my peel

You get the point – she’s a cool chick!

In addition to assisting me with brainstorming and putting ideas into action, she also takes care of the massive amounts of paperwork and filing here at Banana Profits, LLC. Oh, and we have 2 kids too that I have plenty of stores to share, but I think I’ll save that for life and times outside of Banana Profits for the most part.

PS We go to many events together so don’t be afraid to say hi to her. If she starts telling you stories about me, don’t believe a word unless they’re good ones.

Scott