Notes for Participants of Marketing Talk (050708)

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Today I had the opportunity to meet some budding sister entrepreneurs who have started / are thinking of starting their own business. I am heartened at their spirit of learning and wish them well.

The session was on marketing for household businesses. I shared 2 key ways to position their new businesses against their larger competitors. Here is a complete list which complements the 2 strategies mentioned during the talk:

1. Provide superior service
2. Personalize communication with buyers
3. Build on personal branding
4. Build strong links with fellow small businesses and networks

How To Be The Top Ramly Burger Seller In A Pasar Malam

For the global reader, here’s a definition list:

1. Ramly Burger: The Southeast Asian (Mostly Malaysia and Singapore) equivalent of Wendy’s Burger in the US. Commonly cooked on the spot and sold in Pasar Malams….
2. Pasar Malam: Night Market in Malay Language. These night markets are set up in neighbourhoods and heartlands (imagine a moving circus) and last from 3 days to 3 weeks.

This article is about becoming the top Ramly Burger seller in a Pasar Malam. Of course, that would be easy, if you didn’t have another stall selling the same stuff that you are selling less than 10 steps away (typical Pasar Malam, maybe about 400m length, would have about 5 such stalls.) With so much competition selling seemingly the same thing, how do you attract customers?

I was at a Pasar Malam recently (this article inspired by the events) and caught a curious sight of a Ramly Burger stall whose queue can be compared to a 4D sweepstakes/lucky draw/gambling queue. What made this interesting was that to my left and right I saw a few other Ramly Burger stalls with little or hardly any customers. How do we explain?

Herein lies the beauty of marketing, and some primary observational research, while drinking my sugar cane drink of course….

How To Be The Top Ramly Burger Seller In A Pasar Malam

1. Branding. This winning stall not only had the big banners which everyone else had. The dude selling  and cooking the burger was this muscular abang (guy) wearing a Ramly Burger yellowish bandana, with an apron. Not sure if he’s gone to any business course, but he certainly knew the power and methods of making a seemingly common product uncommon. Another case study would be starbucks, managing to sell coffee at about 8 times the price you’d normally pay for almost the same thing at the nearby coffeeshop. Anyhow, he was like the perfect Burger Ramly icon, if Burger Ramly needed its own Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, and was dressed to kill.
2. Prime Location. Real estate experts know this one. This stall was located at a few focal points which optimised its location. There was the traffic junction, the train station, and the carprak behind it. Oh, and it had a gap from the next stall which made that long queue possible in the first place.
3. No Hard Selling. Targeted promotions. The stall was selling like hotcakes and occassionally made the “Burger Ramly Burger Ramly Mari Mari” yell. It had a cool image to it, and did not seem desperate. The stall knew when to advertise and when to smile at persons passing by. In other words, it wasn’t a machine gun. It was a Ramly sniper.
   

As for the taste, because the Pasar Malam lasted about 3 weeks, I savoured about 5 stalls in total. Lo and behold, the above winning stall wasn’t exactly the most delicious. In fact, in terms of taste, it scored 3rd in my rankings. However the experience it marketed to customers upselled its product offering.

As a sidenote, because it cannot compete with the other stalls in terms of price (prices are rather fixed), it innovated its product and its product layers. I’ll elaborate more on product layers in my next article. Meantime, if you enjoyed this article, then hey, you enjoy marketing too!

Final words though… do you think Ramly Burger should open proper eating chains and outlets?

The Official “One-Day-BBA” Course by Hafihz

I’ve noticed alot of books which have titles like “One-Day-MBA” and “How To Get A Business Degree In One Day”. Yesterday I decided to browse through such a book. Not bad.

Now, obviously you can’t get the same juice from years of learning in a business school in just one book. But the nature of such books is that they reduce the theory aspects and give more weight towards the tactics and tools deployed. A handy guide I think for managers out there who’ve never had any formal training.

Not to be outdone, I’ve decided to come up with my own course, and give it away free! Okay, it’s not exactly a book or anything downloadable. Rather it’s a collection of material which I’ve come across back in my university days in business school or in my own readings, which I think are solid compact guides and have impacted me somewhat. Some of the titles are common, others are the hidden gems. I hope readers like you who are looking for such reads enjoy this list, segmented into some key business acumens. Here we go:

MANAGEMENT: 12 Angry Men (Movie): A superb 96min gem on the art of persuasion. Rent it out at your video local stores.

MARKETING: Kotler On Marketing (Book): Forget those bogus marketeers. This is the renowned scholar of marketing himself, Professor Philip Kotler. This book is good first read if you want to get a clear picture of what exactly is marketing, and how to apply.

STRATEGY: Sun Zi Art of War (Book): Sun Zi’s Art of War has been recommended by many business professionals, including Donald Trump himself. It’s certainly a powerful read on strategy and tactics. This version by Professor Wee, a Professor of Strategy, Management and Organization at The Nanyang Business School, is very well written with clear tafsiran and explanation. It has been one of my primary strategic guides.

HUMAN RELATIONS: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Book): This book is a communications leverage, and is one of my favourite’s on my bookshelf. A very poweful read.

STATISTICS: Discovering Statistics Using SPSS (Book): This book is a statiscal gem, explaining concepts with ease. Rather thick though, only because it goes through each topic step by step, and salted with the author’s witty humour… making statistics fun (really!). One of the best books on statistics in the market, and a good reference on your bookshelves.

FINANCE: Measuring Marketing: 103 Key Metrics Every Marketer Needs (Book): Finance and me don’t gel. Hence this book has been that companion that I need each time I have to look through ratios and such. Since marketing activities have to be substantiated with financial stuffs  (especially when pitching to the finance guys), this is my own personal “marketing lawyer”.

With a bit of coffee and some super duper speed reading, you could go through these materials in one day.

Have your own favourites? Let me know!

Da’wah and Design: The Need for Marriage

The landscape for da’wah and spreading the beauty of Islam has changed with the advent of the Internet. Today, more are adapting online and setting up websites which either communicate Islam directly from its offering or may have a brand association with all things Islam (site name, site author’s name, etc).

It’s important thus to ensure that such sites have design value and are not a sore to the eye. Sites with brand associations to the religion but are designed poorly (navigation, skin, functions) may hurt the brand image, the brand in this case being Islam. Asatizahs and online dai’s who may not have the eye for design should read up on design or get help to deliver their content online with more finesse.

Prophet Muhammad (Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, “Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty.” [Muslim]

One fine example of e-beauty and Islam in almost perfect harmony is this site: www.quranflash.com.

Oh, and just in case you think asatizahs don’t have much design saviness in them, check out Ustaz Shahib Amin’s portfolio here. A graduate from Al-Azhar, he’s also done up a neat tutorial on design. Sit back and enjoy.

The 10 Commandments of Branding [Donald Trump]

I received this complimentary report a few years back after purchasing one of Trump University’s books on marketing. It’s a good read.

Too Cool for ie: I Recommend Firefox 3

Some of the background work that goes behind www.hafihz.com includes ensuring that each page and content appears correct in the 3 most commonly used web browsers that visitors and friends like you are using to access the site:

Hence from the above google analytics of www.hafihz.com, that would mean Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari, with Firefox trumping the rest. That means that I have installed in my com all three web browsers, and after each article or page modification would refresh the site and check to see how the content displays itself. (This is Internet Marketing on the issue of quality controlling your product (site) packaging.)

This is what I would see on my screen:

In ie:

In Safari:

In Firefox:

It might not seem too obvious from the above screenshots, but Firefox displays content that is most complete, appropriate as how they should be, overall satisfactory compatibility and the fastest among all 3 browsers. ie somehow often has some issue with the little stuffs like the flip page located on the top right corner. If you are using ie, you won’t be able to see it. It’s an ie thing. Safari does display the content the most beautiful though, but has some compatibility issues on other sites.

Looking at the stats above, I’m glad visitors are using Firefox, and would encourage you to switch to Firefox too and enjoy its performance. The good news is that Firefox just got juicier with the launch of Firefox 3. Give it a go.

New Internet Domain Names Plus Non-English Web Addresses

NEW YORK - The Internet’s key oversight agency, The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), has allowed the introduction of new Internet domain names to join “.com,”. This paves the way for “.pepsi”, “.islam” and yes, even “.hafihz”. In addition, ICANN has also permitted addresses entirely in non-English languages.

Before you start purchasing one, wait just yet… the doors won’t be opened at least till next year. Also, it would cost alittle though… 6 digits is the estimated figure.

My analysis is that large companies would want to jump on the bandwagon immediately, as this represents a huge branding opportunity in terms of extending your brand associations. Studies would have to be done on how perceptions differ, for example, when looking at “www.hafihz.com/tv” versus “www.tv.hafihz”. The “.com” extension also enjoys a certain brand leverage from its massive use (first mover advantage), and is an icon in itself amongst our generation. However if the new domain extensions kick in and rich critical masses in the future, the “.com” might just turn into a classic domain extension, and prices might start to increase for the humble “.com” then.

As for the non-English web addresses, this represents an opportunity for brands to adapt their sites to suit local cultures through language. Companies that could stand to benefit include the software language converting ones and perhaps those developing special keyboards which can switch languages at the press of certain keys.

Review: Zaytuna Institute’s Distance Learning

Zaytuna Institute was founded in 1996 by Hamza Yusuf and Dr. Hesham Alalusi and based in California as a non-profit, educational institute. Zaytuna Institute has held several conferences bringing several leading scholars from various parts of the globe to participate. (source: official website)

One of it’s most recent offerings is its Distance Learning program. View its positioning in its promotions video here:

Most of its Distance Learning programs are offered in either MP3 format or in video format. The MP3 format averages about US40 and the video version about US60. Each format is delivered in about 1to 2hr duration courses weekly, for a total of about 10 courses depending on the lesson choice.

I’ve taken 2 of the courses so far, and here’s my review:

1. Quality of teachers: Exceptional.
2. Quality of MP3: Very clear.
3. Quality of Video: Not tested.
4. Clarity of classes and lessons: Clear as each lesson is recorded during an actual class at Zaytuna Institute in California. Hence there are students there who ask questions that you might want to ask.
5. Level of interactiveness: Low as you’re watching pre-recorded sessions as supposed to a live video-conferencing lecture. It’s supported by a forum though.
6. Document support: Low. Sometimes there is no material or notes (in PDF) on the content lesson thought.

My take: While slightly lacking in material support and maybe level of communication, the Zaytuna Institute’s Distance Learning offers scholarly lessons at very affordable prices. I’d recommend you to just give a go at one course and see if it suits your learning style. The new semester for Distance Learning starts soon.

Review: Socks Designed For Ablution (Wudu’ )الوضوء

Remember the article I had on the ablution socks? You can find it here.

Today I took the socks for a full day test. The test consists of putting the socks through ablutions for Zuhur and Asar Prayer at two mosques plus an ablution for the Maghrib Prayer at a home, all without taking off the socks.

Here are some pictures of the socks in action:

Very comfortable cotton material. Cooling too.

It works by having a flap elastic opening at the top, similar to some pillow casings. Note that some existing models by other companies having the flap located at the bottom. Having the flap at the top initially felt “funny” when you put on your shoes (the extra padding at the top). After awhile though it’s alright.

When pulled up. (I’ve never seen a picture of my own leg before btw…).

The height needed to take ablution completely and comfortably without the water touching the socks.

So after taking ablution, I would leave the socks up as my legs would be still wet. Only after prayers did I pull them down and cover my toes.

Verdict? Here’s the stats:

1. Does the leg dry in time to put socks back on after prayers? Yes.
2. Do the socks feel comfortable in the shoes? Surprisingly very.
3. Do the socks feel comfortable when pulled up during prayers? It’s alright.
   
4. Do the socks smell after the day? Pleasantly no.
5. Is it super duper complicated to learn how to put in on? Nope.
6. Does the elasticity hold? Unfortunately can’t answer this one yet. But I suspect yes.
7. Are the socks superior to normal ones? Yes, in terms of speed. The socks allow you to put on after you have finished your prayer where you’re praying at (for guys at least). This beats the time trying to put on your shoes outside. The thing is you can slip into your shoes but not so your normal conventional socks. This is tricky especially when at during occasions when everyone’s at the exit and putting on your socks comfortably is not a comfortable option. You can sort of put them on in the prayer area itself, but that would mean you had to store your socks in your pockets or somewhere near your prayer location. Long story short: the socks are advantage.

Conclusion? I’m going to get another pair.

Did you find this review useful? Tell me what you think.

Don’t Be a Prima Donna With Customers

A common catch phrase amongst businesses is that the “Customer is Number One”. While it is good that aspiring entrepreneurs start off their projects with this ideology in mind, it’s another thing altogether to put it into actual practice.

What exactly does it mean to place the customer in the central focus of your business? Among others, here are some key points:

1. You don’t answer phone calls late and keep customers waiting.
2. You don’t show benign neglect.
3. You track customer satisfaction levels.
4. You strategize and improve points of interaction with your customers.
5. You formulate contingency plans to handle PR boo boos.
6. You inculcate a strong training program to your organization on managing customers.

Once upon a time, it was the 4Ps of marketing, being the Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Now marketers zoom in each P with the equivalent perspective from the customers’ point of view: the 4 Cs.

• Product = Customer Value
• Price = Cost
• Place = Convenience
• Promotion = Communication

Looking at each P with respect to each C ensures that the business does not view itself in an ivory tower formulating it’s ideas based on a “me” mentality. Businesses which do so more often than not sing tunes such as:

• “These complaining customers don’t own me a living.”
• “They just complain and don’t offer solutions.”

It is important to realize that they are customers. The Need Finding and Need Driving is the skill of the marketeer.

In short, walk the talk and ask yourself if you truly value your customers, or are they just a means towards your ends. Don’t be a prima donna with your customers, because a competitor with superior customer care will sweep the share away from you.

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