| OK, as Chief Marketer for your small business, you | | | | nobody listens at home. There may be good reason |
| recognize that understanding customers is one critical | | | | for this, but you must think they have something to |
| key to long-term profits. If you know what your | | | | add; else you wouldn't have invited them to the team. |
| customers want, then you can tailor both your product | | | | You will run a more effective Bloom Team meeting if |
| and your marketing message to the customer. | | | | you learn to use questions to your advantage. Plus, |
| One inexpensive way to uncover what customers | | | | you will more readily draw out needed information |
| want is to assemble a team of your best achievers. | | | | from the participants. Remember: the Bloom Team isn't |
| We like to call this the Bloom Team, and with it you | | | | just an exercise; it is the #1 well for a small business |
| can: | | | | marketer to draw out new ideas. Even if you have |
| - Uncover insights about your customers from | | | | sufficient funds to go outside and hire an ad agency, |
| individual experiences. | | | | there is still no substitute for listening to your staff |
| - Discover new ideas from team members' | | | | members as they bring their own front-line experience |
| interactions. | | | | to the table and then interact with other staff |
| Your Bloom Team members may be adept at their | | | | members in creating new ideas. |
| jobs; however they may not open up at a meeting. | | | | Learning how to use questions to steer the Bloom |
| Staff may be shy, or they may have been burned by | | | | Team meetings will help you immensely in uncovering |
| speaking at a meeting and later having their idea | | | | that new marketing magic you need to help your small |
| ridiculed in some subtle (or not-so-subtle) way. | | | | business grow. A great book to read on how to ask |
| Or, you may have the opposite problem. Perhaps | | | | the right questions is Tom Reilly's Value-Added Selling |
| you've a few members on the team who like to open | | | | Techniques. |
| up a bit too often; perhaps they enjoy hearing | | | | Remember: Brand (who you are) + Package (your |
| themselves talk. Perhaps your Bloom Team meetings | | | | Face to the Customer) + People (customers and |
| are the only time they get a chance to talk...possibly | | | | employees) = Marketing Success. |