Re: Question for the home roasters

I think as long as things are clear in your mind, then your decision is a
solid, if changeable one.

If I decide not to sell A with B, as long as I have solid reasoning, most
customers will understand and support that. It's when you are muddling that
the damage probably happens (with the exception say where you have the new
fandangled machine and are still trying to make it go)

But some "natural fits" sometimes just don't work in reality for some
people...

Brent

I think people keep proposing false dichotomies - you can do A OR B - why
can't you do A AND B? Maybe it's not possible to walk and chew gum and
maybe the biker trade will drive out the ladies who lunch, but in many
cases co-existence is possible - you CAN run a gas filling station and sell
milk and bread too. You can run a grocery store and sell bedding plants and
bags of mulch. Not only will this not drive away your existing customers,
it will make them MORE happy, because now they can save a trip and kill two
birds with one stone. You're right that you can't do this randomly and
blindly, but it doesn't take an MBA or a rocket scientist to figure out
that if there are sacks of green beans at your feet that you can sell those
without disrupting your regular business or that if you sell razor blades
maybe you should sell shaving cream too. Bernie talked earlier about his
dad would make his customers his lifelong friends. I remember that when my
dad would go thru one of his marathon selling sessions when someone who had
just stopped in for a dozen eggs left loaded down with vegetables,
chickens, 5 different items that they hadn't really planned on buying ,
they left happy because these really WERE things that they could use and
enjoy. If you sell your coffee customers filters you haven't swindled them,
you're doing them a favor. I have the feeling that people are practically
looking for excuses NOT to sell people stuff because it's too much bother -
you have to re-program the cash register, you have to deal w. another
vendor, etc. This has nothing to do with pleasing the customer.


"Robert Harmon" <r_h_harmon@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:Xns9931738E6F0E9rhharmonZhotmailcom@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Espressopithecus (Java Man) <rickk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
news:MPG.20b377f92a8b920698989c@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:

sniped

Rather than being in the "making money business", I suggest being in
the "profitably winning and keeping customers" business. This may
sound like semantics, but it's really about how one thinks rather than
wordplay. Too often, business owners who think they're in the money
making business overlook who decides whether to fork over the cash,
how much, and how often.

Rick


Well put, Rick!

That's why any reputable lending institute will require a business plan
that clearly
defines what your *core* business is & who your *core* customers will be.
Sure, you'll have
customers who'll tempt you to get away from doing what you do, but those
customers may
drive away *core* customers, if by catering to them you short-change the
customers you
started the business for in the first place.

I'm not suggesting pig-headed obstinance by saying business should never
change it's line
of products/services. But it must be done in a cold & calculating manner
while weighing the
pros & cons, not from a belief that adding product/service 'Z' to your
*core*
product/service line of 'A', 'B', & 'C', will have no impact on your
business.

It's *B* school 101; define the product niche, identify the stake
holders, place your
product/service where it can take advantage of the first two. K.I.S.S.!

Robert (Please don't buy from folks that post advertisements in this
newsgroup!) Harmon
--
http://www.tinyurl.com/mb4uj - My coffee pages.
http://www.tinyurl.com/2tnv87 - My 'Guidelines For Newbies' page.
http://www.tinyurl.com/2cr3e2 - I have things for sale here.

Remove "ZED" from address if replying by email.




.

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