The 3 C's of Business

Connections. We are all connected, whether it's where we live, where we work, and where we shop. Facebook, especially in this small town, has connected people in more ways than we know. The Klamath Falls Yard Sale site has brought together buyers and sellers in safe environments, and after a few repeat buyers, a few people have established weight loss groups and family play dates. All by just connecting on Facebook!

Connecting in our town is imperative to not only indiviuals, but also to businesses. According to Entrepreneur.com, online marketing is worth almost $3 billion dollars.Connecting with your customer via facebook, twitter, blogs, and other social media can be a huge benefit for your company. All of them allow you to talk about your product, post pictures, and all at little to no cost to you! 

(http://www.entrepreneur.com/marketing/onlinemarketing/index.html for more info!) 

Connecting isn't the only important concept, consistency is also something that needs to be considered. Recently, a few new businesses in town have not been open during their normal posted hours. This is one of the fastest ways to lose customers! When your business isn't open and there is no explanation (such as a post on Facebook, or a note on the door) customers think that you just don't care about them, and they will go somewhere else. Consistency also applies to  the quality of service and product. Although any business has its ups and downs, but if you strive towards consistent good service and excellent dishes or products, your business will strive.

Finally, remember to utilize concepts. Branding (such as logos), mottos, and a stellar product that stands out above the competitor makes all the difference between an "okay" business and one that truly Shines. For example, so you have an eggs and hashbrown special, but so does everyone else. Make it pop, makes it unique. Cover the hashbrowns in brown gravy and mushrooms, make the eggs benedict-style. So you have a computer store. What do you sell? What services do you offer? Encourage your customers to get discounts for mentioning your Facebook status or ad!

Just remember those 3 C's:

1. Connecting - reach out to your customers with the use of the internet or social media

2. Consistency - if you post hours you're going to be open, be open, or utilize social media to explain why you have to close. Also,  ensure that the logo, motto, service, and products always go above and beyond

3. Concepts - have that product that stands above the rest - that special dish, the unique product, or the social media connection with advertising

If you remember these 3 C's, your business will benefit from your hard work. The profits may not come rolling in, but you will be able to keep your doors open, and you will establish grateful repeat customers, which is the backbone of any business. 

Behind the Scenes

I was at a local establishment a few days ago, and while I preparing to leave, I overheard a waitress tell the kitchen, "The crisis center is here!" After some initial alarm, I watched three people arrive with large bowls and Tupperware containers, and leave laden with soup. Ah, I thought, this is one of those 'behind the scenes' type of things. 

Behind the scenes: it's like going to a theater, and seeing the actors perform, but not realizing there is an entire crew of people that rig the lights, prepare the costumes, and compose the music. It's a term I've often used for the circumstances that we, as humans, cannot see, but they are always there, waiting on the sidelines for us to notice them.

For example, have you seen a local buffet, and the "food they waste," but little did you know, they have donated racks of food to the mission every night? Did you know that local restaurant that never looks busy, donates it's soup to the crisis center for women and children? Did you know that the lady pushing her cart down the street, wearily looking for a bus, just got done volunteering at Head Start for 8 hours, and just wants to get home?

Did you see the mom at the grocery store, who looks so well put together, with freshly manicured nails and designer clothing? Her children are so well behaved, and she's only purchasing name brand items. But behind the scenes we find a different story. Her husband was just laid off, and their house will be foreclosed on. Her payments are late on her car, and she wakes up in a panic every morning wondering if it will still be in her driveway. 

We see her nails, her clothes, her perfect hair. But we don't see her heart ache, her anxiety, and her worry. We see her well behaved children, and we don't see that their time at private school is only going to be a memory. We see her get in her shiny car, but we don't see that in a few weeks or months, she will be driving a used and beat up SUV. 

There are many college students graduating this weekend. If you are watching any of the ceremonies, I encourage you to think "behind the scenes." That woman they just called, might have made it through college after 6 long years, as a single mom working 2 jobs and going to school. The man they just called, might have lost a loved one during college, and even though it was hard to continue, they still managed to graduate with honors. 

Everything passes us by in and instant and we never get time to think about it.  

It's like "don't judge a book by it's cover" only don't just look at the cover or the words of the book, like a theater, look at the key players that have brought them to where they are today. This week, I encourage you to think "behind the scenes."