It Is All In How You Package It- Part 1

The best things do, indeed, come in small packages. With his little pink cheeks all aglow, he was a living, breathing, expression of Christmas. He pulled a small, bumpy red package from behind his back. It was covered on all sides with excessive amounts of tape but wrapped in the very best way that a small five-year-old boy could wrap it. It was perfect–to him, and to me–and he was as proud to give it as I was to receive it. I unwrapped it as if it were priceless. Inside was one of his favorite toy cars. He believed I would love it because he loves it. Though the gift was small, the amount of generosity contained in that tiny package could fill an entire house. His toy cars were his investments, the protection of which had been the frequent source of sibling feuds. I, his Mother, on the other hand, was the privileged recipient of one of his favorites. We moms adore these priceless gifts of sacrifice, whether they be cars, fistfuls of dandelions, or small pieces of candy melted inside dirty fists. We love them because we cannot help but love the one who gives them to us. 

Entrepreneurs are not so lucky. We pour out our gifts into the marketplace, expecting our customers will love what we bring ever as much as we do. We discover the marketplace responds very much unlike our Moms. We believe others, like our Mom, will like what we give by virtue of the fact that it is we, ourselves, who have made it. Anyone can see how hard we have worked to create it! But though we give from our hearts, we forget to ask what they, our customer, would like to receive. Surely our customers will sing our praises and forgive our shortcomings. Instead, they tell us straight up when they do not like it, and in no uncertain terms.

It seems a bit babyish to begin business thinking in this way. But I cannot tell you how many times I have heard entrepreneurs say, “The community just does not support me”, or, “They should be buying that from me.” How about asking yourself instead how you can better support your community? Or how about giving someone a real bona fide reason to buy from you? Because of this rickety belief system, some entrepreneurs become disillusioned with business altogether, because they do not feel the love. We are too close to our products. Take a step back. We need to give the love first. At least our Mom is still a built-in fan, even if our motives are not what they should be.

Sure, it would be strange to start a business making a product you did not love to make, or to sell something you were not proud to sell. You will never sustain a business if you do not like what you do. But it is also impossible to sustain a business if you are only giving what you want to give without a deep understanding of what the market wants, expects, likes, and even demands. 

You may protest. “But what if my product is something innovative? The market cannot love or imagine a product they have never seen before.”  Henry Ford said in his famous quote,

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

We make the false assumption that Henry told us what we need. He did not. Even Henry Ford created the Model T with the understanding of what his customers ultimately wanted and needed. He knew their lives, their problems, and their desires. He knew they wanted mobility, dependability, affordability, and speed. He just packaged all those things in a funny way–in a Model T Ford. That metal hunk of horsepower held the hopes and dreams and desires of a nation, and responding to these desires put Ford Motor Company on the crest of the Industrial Age. Henry began his journey with the dreams of a nation and built his Big Idea on top. 

It is vital for entrepreneurs to begin business, not with the product, but with your Customer. Small business is no longer only about creating a product, not even about creating it in an excellent way. It is not about features, benefits, or what your product can do that will sustain your business. It is about creating an Idea that transforms and empowers your customer, and it is about how you decide to share that story.   

Want to know more? Join us all this month as discuss the strategies in “It Is All In How You Package It.” 

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Why do we at etc!graphics inc, a graphic design company, care about your business strategies? Because your business graphics will never make more sense than the clarity of your vision, no matter the talent of your designer. The clearer your vision, the more lucid your marketing will be, and the better connection you will make with your customer. We want to help you find the gold in your business. Join us all this month as we share ways to help your small business sustain and grow in a crowded marketplace. Etc!Graphics is devoted to helping you, the small business owner, think like a marketer. 

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