A Losing Battle

"The reason it seems that price is all your customers care about is that you haven't given them anything else to care about." - Seth Godin

In order to tell you about this week's Freaking Brilliant Idea(s) I must first tell you a short story.

A few days ago I rented a car from Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

When picking up the car I was chatting with the Branch Manager, Joseph, at the counter.

He said, "I see you have left the company name blank on the reservation. Can I put a company name in for you?"

I told him it was SpearPoint Solutions.

Joseph asked, 'Okay. What is your position there?"

I am the Founder.

Really? What does your company do?

I proceeded to tell him about the training in Purposeful Creative Thinking that we do and how we use the same methods we teach to develop ideas and strategies that help companies position themselves as unique and more valuable - so they compete less on price and more on value.

Immediately intrigued, he said, "Tell me more."

I expanded on the behavioral science of human action and more that is integrated in our training. I also told him that I publish a weekly Newsletter on LinkedIn that he could read to learn more. And, naturally, I showed him how to find it. ??

Joseph asked if it would be okay if he shared my Newsletter and information with the person in H.R. who is in charge of arranging corporate training for their organization.

I said, "Sure. No problem."

Three days later when I dropped off the car, I told Joseph I was working on a few ideas for Enterprise Rent-A-Car & National Car Rental that I intended to share in my Newsletter.

The following ideas/strategies were developed using the Anchor Term method of Purposeful Creative Thinking that we teach.

As those who have experienced using it in our Purposeful Creative Thinking Training FUNshops will attest, this method of idea generation can lead to unexpected and powerful breakthroughs.

In developing ideas for Enterprise, I used the Anchor Term:

Rental Car Sales.

The ideas that follow show that combining a focused Anchor Term with random nouns drawn from the creative thinking game I invented, What's The BIG Idea?, help to activate our natural creativity and generate winning ideas we otherwise would never have dreamed of.

Note: Though these ideas were created with a car rental company in mind, they could be easily adapted and/or used for companies in other industries.

Now, on to the ideas!

Filter - Rental Car Sales

Have a fish tank in each location and have customers identify the types of fish that are in the tank. This will help to develop engaging conversation that is not centered on the business transaction taking place.

It will thus help to develop a better connection between customers and the company.

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Another idea from this noun/Anchor Term combination:

Or, have a single fish tank with many exotic fish. Shoot a video that is several hours long and post on YouTube. Have a subtle Enterprise Rent-A-Car logo float by periodically.

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The company could also have a dedicated streaming channel. This live stream could give companies something relaxing to display in their office. (people love watching an aquarium)

As above, have a subtle Enterprise Rent-A-Car logo float by periodically. But, challenge people to 'spot the logo'. They will, thus, look at the live stream more often.

Every time someone spots the Enterprise logo they could go onto X (formerly Twitter) and say when they saw it.

Develop a unique hashtag that must be shared with each time-I-saw-the-logo post and award prizes at random to those folks who spot the logo.

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Watching fish swim has a hypnotic and calming effect. Doing either of these would position Enterprise as unique and different.

Farmer - Rental Car Sales

Enterprise Gardens

Have a community garden that is sponsored by Enterprise. Enterprise would rent the garden space and provide the seeds and equipment to work the garden. Folks in each community could come and volunteer their time to help raise the vegetables.

When harvested, these vegetables would be donated to community food banks or homeless shelters.

Serve refreshments to the volunteers while and after the work is done. Be sure the disposable drink cups have the Enterprise logo.

While the refreshments are being served, shoot video of the volunteers talking about why they have dedicated their time and effort to the vegetable garden.

Share videos of the work being done and the volunteers discussing their reasons for helping on multiple social media outlets.

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Food/snack companies could be a co-sponsor. But, perhaps even better, local or regional companies would work better as co-sponsors because that will help to establish a more intimate connection with that community.

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Either way, this initiative positions Enterprise as a company that cares about the communities it serves.

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A possible additional activity could be to create meals using the crops raised. Those meals are then used to feed people.

Ball - Rental Car Sales

A Limited Time Promotion Idea

In each office, have a mini-basketball hoop. Give each customer the opportunity to make an ‘impossible shot’ (ala those half or ? court shots done at basketball games).

If they make the shot, they get a discount on their car rental, one day free on a week or more rental or a day of their insurance coverage (bought through Enterprise) at no charge.

Folks get their choice of cool prizes just for playing.

Lisa Riggs , maybe Spirit Sox could create Enterprise Rent-A-Car logo socks for this promotion?

Brake - Rental Car Sales

Or, maybe, Break

Sponsor a bank of massage chairs at each Airport location. Passengers can enjoy a massage after they get off their flight.

Note: The use of these massage chairs should not be exclusive to Enterprise customers but should be available to everyone.

Many business travelers fly into the same airports repeatedly. Having ingratiated the company to them through this sensual (and, hence, emotionally significant) experience, the next time they are travelling to that city and need a rental car they will likely choose Enterprise over a competitor.

Possible Slogan: When you choose Enterprise you can relax.

Breakfast - Rental Car Sales

Each morning share a success lesson/activity on social media accounts. Even a daily inspirational quote would garner attention.

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These would be posted on social media, YouTube and podcast platforms.

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There could be multiple areas of training. For example:

• How to get the most out of using A.I.
• Becoming more Emotionally Intelligent
• Unlocking the Leadership Code
• Ways You Can Become More Creative

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One approach would be to have these lessons be like a box of chocolates. What I mean is the lessons could be about any particular area of personal or professional improvement.

The mystery of not knowing what lesson is coming next would trigger the F.O.M.O. response in folks; thereby garnering more traffic.

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Another approach would be to do each training topic for a month at a time and label each month with an alliteration to make it memorable.

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Like:

Jump Into January: One Month of Leadership Lessons

Presented by Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Our client Adam Rosensweig 's S.M.A.L.L. Emotional Intelligence Training Program would be a wonderful fit for this strategy.

Smile - Rental Car Sales

Alter the 'E' in the Enterprise Logo to be a smiling face.

This change in branding would be a subtle psychographic that would indicate to customers the friendly nature of the company.

I bet my friend David Brier could design something for this.

Toaster - Rental Car Sales

?Have a tray of fresh snacks awaiting customers. Make these time-of-day appropriate: bagels in the morning, finger sandwiches mid-day and energy and/or cereal bars later in the afternoon.

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The sensual nature of food produces a strong emotional connection. This makes it far more likely one would choose Enterprise again as well as make referrals.

Any of these ideas/strategies would help Enterprise (or any company) avoid competing solely on price.

Which of these ideas is your favorite?

Can you use these ideas for your organization?

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Want to see how our training can help your organization stand out in an increasingly crowded world?

Want to explore the benefits and opportunities that come from working with us as a Certified Facilitator or Outreach Representative?

PM me?so we can discuss.

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About?Bob Sager

The founder of SpearPoint Solutions , Bob’s professional background includes over three decades of experience in sales, leadership and training. Combined with creative thinking, he uses that experience to develop business strategies that help organizations increase sales and reduce customer acquisition cost. Additionally, his team of Certified Facilitators train organizations on methods of purposeful creative thinking that are crucial to thriving in the modern?economy.

Among other accomplishments, Bob is the?inventor?of the creative thinking game, What's the BIG Idea??, author of the books, Discovering Your Greatness and 101 Freaking Brilliant Business Ideas.