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Wallop Walmart: The Small Guys' Guide

Learn how to beat giant companies like Walmart by focusing on niche markets, providing unique experiences, and creating emotional connections with customers.

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Wallop Walmart: The Small Guys' Guide

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  1. Summary:WallopWalmart16**Or: Why it’s so absurdly easy to beat a GIANT Company

  2. The “Small Guys” Guide: Wallop Walmart16 *Niche-aimed. (Never, ever “all things for all people,” a “mini-Walmart.) *Never attack the monsters head on! (Instead steal niche business and lukewarm customers.) *“Dramatically Different” (La Difference ... within our community, our industry regionally, etc … is as obvious as the end of one’s nose!) (THIS IS WHERE MOST MIDGETS COME UP SHORT.) *Compete on value/experience/intimacy, not price. (You ain’t gonna beat the behemoths on cost-price in 9.99 out of 10 cases.) *Emotional bond with Clients, Vendors. (BEAT THE BIGGIES ON EMOTION/CONNECTION!!)

  3. “This is an essay about what it takes to create and sell something remarkable. It is a plea for originality, passion, guts and daring. You can’t be remarkable by following someone else who’s remarkable. One way to figure out a theory is to look at what’s working in the real world and determine what the successes have in common. But what could the Four Seasons and Motel 6 possibly have in common? Or Neiman-Marcus and Walmart? Or Nokia (bringing out new hardware every 30 days or so) and Nintendo (marketing the same Game Boy 14 years in a row)? It’s like trying to drive looking in the rearview mirror.The thing that all these companies have in common is that they have nothing in common.They are outliers. They’re on the fringes. Superfast or superslow. Very exclusive or very cheap. Extremely big or extremely small. The reason it’s so hard to follow the leader is this: The leader is the leader precisely because he did something remarkable. And that remarkable thing is now taken—so it’s no longer remarkable when you decide to do it.” —Seth Godin, Fast Company/02.2003

  4. The “Small Guys” Guide: Wallop Walmart16 *Hands-on, emotional leadership. (“We are a great & cool & intimate & joyful & dramatically different team working to transform our Clients lives via Consistently Incredible Experiences!”) *A community star! (“Sell” local-ness per se. Sell the hell out of it!) *An incredible experience, from the first to last moment—and then in the follow-up! (“These guys are cool! They ‘get’ me! They love me!”) *DESIGN DRIVEN! (“Design” is a premier weapon-in-pursuit-of-the sublime for small-ish enterprises, including the professional services.)

  5. The “Small Guys” Guide: Wallop Walmart16 *Employer of choice. (A very cool, well-paid place to work/learning and growth experience in at least the short term … marked by notably progressive policies.) (THIS IS EMINENTLY DO-ABLE!!) *Sophisticated use of information technology. (Small-“ish” is no excuse for “small aims”/execution in IS/IT!) *Web-power! (The Web can make very small very big … if the product-service is super-cool and one purposefully masters buzz/viral marketing.) *Innovative! (Must keep renewing and expanding and revising and re-imagining “the promise” to employees, the customer, the community.)

  6. The “Small Guys” Guide: Wallop Walmart16 *Brand-Lovemark* (*Kevin Roberts) Maniacs! (“Branding” is not just for big folks with big budgets. And modest size is actually a Big Advantage in becoming a local-regional-niche “lovemark.”) *Focus on women-as-clients. (Most don’t. How stupid.) *Excellence! (A small player … per me … has no right or reason to exist unless they are in Relentless Pursuit of Excellence. One earns the right—one damn day and client experience at a time!—to beat the Big Guys in your chosen niche!)

  7. The Fab Five: What Every Small Biz Needs Success = DDMMPR/ "D-squared, M-squared, PR” = DramDiff +Money-Financial Acumen + Good “Marketing” Instincts + Stellar People +Resilience

  8. What I’ve Learned about “Small Business”Tom Peters26June2006

  9. Passion for PRODUCT.OBSESSION With Product.LOVE The Product.Aim To Be “ONLY ONES WHO DO WHAT WE DO.”Keep ADDIN’ Stuff.Invest “UNWISELY” in R&D.Reside Permanently In The DISCOMFORT Zone.“Unhealthy” PARANOIA Is A Good Thing.Add Clients That PUSH-PULL.SELL. SELL. SELL. SELL.Go For Broke: CUSTOMER CONTACT PEOPLE.PERFECTION: Customer Contact People.Hire for ATTITUDE.INVITE On An Adventure.GREAT CFO/Biz Guy-Gal. NASTY CFO/Biz Guy-Gal.QUADRANGULAR LEADERSHIP: Visionary-Talent Fanatic-Project Manager-I.P.M. (I.P.M. = Inspired Profit Mechanic)

  10. More @ Moore

  11. GREAT Logo.DESIGN!“OVERDO” Marketing Materials.WOMEN Roar. WOMEN Rule. WOMEN Buy.Diversity = $$$$$$Be RELENTLESS. Cut And RUN.Product Includes-Features the PACKAGING.Define Your DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE (R.P.O.V.8)Best STORY Wins.DRESS For Success.First Goal: AMUSE Yourself.Know YOURSELF.DON’T Do Stuff You Hate. “Over-invest” In RELATIONSHIPS.(R.O.I.R.: Return On Investment in Relationships)SYSTEMATICALLY “Manage” Relationships.“Work” The SUPPORT PEOPLE In Client Orgs.

  12. BLOG As If Your Life Depended On It.SOPHISTICATED Use Of Infotech.RESPONSE To Problems.Make ’Em PAY.CLOSE The Sale. Invest BIGTIME In PR.Media FRIENDLY.Live-To-SCHMOOZE.Fun/Laughter = $$$$MBWA: Stay In Touch.“You Must Be The Change You Wish To See In The World”/GANDHI5K For 5M.Your CALENDAR Never Lies.OUT:Pastels.IN:Technicolor

  13. JUST SAY “NO” TO C.E.O.:CIO/Chief Innovation Officer. CSO/Chief Sales Officer. CWO/Chief Wow OfficerEXCELLENCEIs Very Cool.“MICRO-MANAGE” Your Reputation.Wear Your Integrity On Your SLEEVE.KEEP Your Promises.EXECUTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!“A Man Without A Smiling FaceMUST NOT Open His Shop.”RECOGNITION! Work HARD, Not Smart.“Insanely Great.” THE STANDARD.

  14. Tom/2006/Q97-Q100Study more.Renew more.Tailor more.Offer more.Listen more.Market more.Practice more.Challenge more.Socialize more.Smile more.Follow-up more.Plan execution more.Cost control more.

  15. “A man without a smiling face must not open a shop.”—Chinese Proverb

  16. “It’s always showtime.”—David D’Alessandro, Career Warfare

  17. Small Giants: Companies That Choose To Be Great Instead Of Big—by Bo Burlingham

  18. The Small*Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses Are Beating Local Competition —Michael Shuman

  19. I HEREBY PLEDGE …When asked, “What are some examples of companies stepping up to today’s challenges?” … I will … NEVER AGAIN … offer an example of a Giant Company; instead I’ll refer to Cirque du Soleil, Donnelly’s Weatherstrip Service, 3K tanning salons, 10.6M women-owned businesses (or the typically female recipients of micro-lending) …**There is more to Biz Life than Giant Cos … LOTS MORE … that “hidden 99%”

  20. EXCELLENCE ALWAYS

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