Unexpected Uniqueness

“Make a customer, not a sale.” – Katherine Barchetti

From the consumer’s perspective, most companies in any given industry all appear to be more or less the same.

When companies are perceived as having no discernable difference there is one basis for comparison.

PRICE

In order to stand above and not compete on price a business must do things competitors don’t.

Those things don’t have to be huge. But they must surprise and delight customers; make them say WOW.

This is a WOW idea!

Caricaturization: A Strategy to Differentiate

NOTE: Though this is idea is presented here for a car dealership, this same concept can be used by other industries as well.?

A car dealer has a professional color caricature art drawn of each customer with the car they are buying. The customer gets the original and a color copy is made to hang on the dealership wall. Naturally, the dealership sign is in each piece of art.

This artwork adds perceived value to the purchaser and greatly enhances their overall experience. Since most customers will hang the art up in their house or office, it becomes a topic of conversation and referrals.

Just as importantly, select copies go up on the wall of the dealership. Potential customers see those and, when they learn that every purchaser gets one, they want one. It helps to solidify the value of doing business with that dealership.

The final component of this concept is to provide the customer with a digital copy of the caricature art. This is crucial because, overwhelmingly, people share (brag) on social media when they get a new vehicle. This gives them a unique and cool way of doing that.

Though there is an investment for the dealer up front to provide the caricature art to customers, many benefits are reaped which produce astounding R.O.I.

1. The caricature art becomes an organic form of marketing for the dealer. How? These caricature art pieces are something cool and different. Customers will likely display these in their home or office, and it becomes a natural conversation piece which provides the owner with social currency each time it is discussed. Part of that conversation will be about the dealer that provided it.

2. The digital version will be shared by the customer on social media and can also be featured on the dealership social media page(s). This will drive awareness, spark conversations and generate referrals.

3. This adds perceived value at the time of purchase and, as a result, the dealer will sell most vehicles for more net profit than they otherwise would have without this ‘caricaturization’ program. Net result; Higher Margins.

4. Because of an increase in referral-based sales, less money can be spent on advertising. Net result: Higher Profitability.

The caricature art could be sent directly to the customer. But, it’s preferable to have it sent to the dealership. Once received, the customer is contacted to come in to pick it up.

At the dealership, the delivery of the caricature art to the customer should be conducted with great fanfare! Many people from the dealership should be present for the unveiling and presentation of the artwork. Those present should be employees from the sales, service and administration departments. And, all of them thank the customer for their business after the presentation. This additional surprise and delight gesture makes the customer feel genuinely appreciated and enhances the bond between them and the dealership.

As noted up front, though this is idea is presented here for a car dealership, this same concept can be used by other industries. For example, a residential real estate brokerage can gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace by doing this.

The caricature art here was drawn by the talented Mary Beth Gatliff and given to my Daughter and Son-in-Law upon the closing of their home purchase.

Need help implementing this idea at your business? Or other fresh ideas that will give you a competitive advantage? PM me.

Expert Tip

This week's expert tip is from my friend James Sanchez. It is the story of how he came to develop a product he licensed that is now for sale nationwide. It's a fabulous example of noticing a problem and developing a solution. And I believe you will find it to be inspirational!

My BIG Idea

I remember the moment like it was yesterday. It was Thanksgiving weekend a few years ago; the weekend when we’re supposed to be grateful for things, right? Well, something happened that I was definitely not grateful for at the time. I walked outside to see my family and I noticed something odd about my truck. My license plate was gone!

Someone had stolen it off my truck right in my driveway!?Immediately I knew why. They wanted my DMV Sticker.?I was stuck. I didn’t want to drive for fear of getting pulled over and maybe getting a ticket.

The following Monday morning I went to the DMV to buy new plates and a new sticker. That cost me $250! ?So, this thief cost me money and half a day of my time. But, at least I was back on the road legally.

I was determined that this was not going to happen to me again. I searched online for a “security license plate frame”. To my surprise,?I did not find one. Still determined to not let this happen again, ?I went out to my garage and made my own. After getting it made, I thought, ‘this will work’. As I stood there, I remembered the stories I had heard from other people about this happening to them, too.

That’s when the Big Idea occurred to me. Other people NEED this!

I had read Stephen Key’s book about making money licensing your product ideas called One Simple Idea. So, following that book’s advice, I made my first prototype and pitched the product to companies I thought might want to license it.

One of them, Bell Automotive, did license it! They launched the product I invented using the name Tag Defense. And, today it is available in over 3,500 Auto Zone stores, Pep Boys and on Amazon!

Remember how I said earlier that I was not grateful at the time? Now, I say, “Thank you Mr. Thief!”

By the way, I now have a personalized license plate now: TAGDFNS. ??

The book author I mentioned earlier, Stephen Key, is the Co-Founder of a company called inventRight and, after the product launched, I had the honor of being interviewed by him about its creation. You can watch the interview on the inventRightTV YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MekM4aP_nc&t=415s

Want to be considered to contribute an Expert Tip to a future edition??PM me.

Puzzle and Trivia

To add some fun to our reader's lives, the?Freaking Brilliant Ideas Newsletter?each week features a fun Puzzle and Trivia sheet.

To view or download a pdf version of this week's Puzzle and Trivia sheet, click on the image or go?here.

Can't solve the puzzle? Find the solution and the trivia question answer?here.

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See you next week?

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 margins. Additionally, Bob facilitates training on methods of thinking more creatively that organizations can practically apply to all aspects of their business so they can thrive in the modern?economy.?

Among other accomplishments, Bob is the?inventor?of the creative thinking game,?What's the BIG Idea?? and?author of the books,?Discovering Your Greatness?and?101 Freaking Brilliant Business Ideas.?He is also the creator of a budget friendly way to access his ideas, the?Freaking Brilliant Ideas Bank?and the NEW?Lite Version of the Freaking Brilliant Ideas Bank.