1. WE 11: Psssst … Growth
Strategies the Big Boxes
Don’t Want You To Know About
January 20, 2016
Brian E. Gracon

2. Learning Objectives
1. Refocus their marketing strategies and tactics with retail, brand-
oriented, technology-savvy and/or B2B customers
2. Improve selling practices across the complete sales cycle including
following up with customers
3. Better serve customers through advanced staff hiring, training
and coaching practices
4. Audit their business for the highest-return opportunities to apply
new marketing strategies and tactics
At the end of the this course, participants should be able to:

3. Is There a Blueprint?

4. Examples?
Restaurant
sales grew
4-6%/yr.
Starbucks
sales grew
10%/yr.
BMW and
Mercedes sales
grew 10%/yr.
Day spa and
nail salon sales
grew 6+%/yr.
Disney
revenues up
7-8%
During the
recession!

5. Three Strategies Form The Foundation

6. What do these marketing
campaigns have in common...
… and how does it concern you?

7. 7
http://www.ulta.com/salon
All brands are the property of their owners.
Sprint:
“I need, no, I have the
right to be unlimited.”
Sprint TV commercial, 2013
http://clubtattoo.comwww.dosequis.com
The most interesting
man in the world
http://www.hyundia.com/
https://turbotax.intuit.com/
“It’s amazing what
you’re capable of.”

8. All of these campaigns are designed
to appeal to the customer’s Self-Image

9. What do these marketing
campaigns have in common...
… and how does it concern you?

10. SPSU:
“I pledge to have the
time of my life.”
http://spsu.edu/
All brands are the property of their owners.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/
http://www.apple.com/itunes/?cid=OAS-US-
DOMAINS-itunes.com
http://www.pikeplace
fish.com/
http://www.benihana.com/
“Experience
Benihana”
http://www.throwedrolls.com/

11. All of these campaigns are designed to appeal
to the customer’s need for Entertainment

12. … and how does it concern you?
What do these marketing
campaigns have in common...

13. http://www.bmwusa.com
All brands are the property of their owners.
http://www.massageenvy.com/
L’Oreal:
“Because
we’re
worth it!”
http://www.loreal.com/
http://www.samsung.com/us/ http://www.keurig.com/

14. All of these campaigns are designed to appeal
to the customer’s need to be Pampered

15. Why Wouldn’t The Big Boxes Want
You To Know About These Strategies?
Who can best satisfy customer wants and needs:
Enhanced Self-Image?
Be Entertained?
Be Pampered?

16. Let’s Build Competitive Advantage…

17. Self-
Image
Entertain Pamper
Marketing
(Why?)
Selling
(What?)
Managing
(How?)
Let’s Build Competitive Advantage Skills!

18. Marketing
(Why?)
Selling
(What?)
Managing
(How?)

19. Marketing Creates…
• Interest
• Expectations
• Relationships
• Emotion!

20. Marketing and the Self-Image Strategy
• Marketing appeals to a
customer’s Self-Image … or
not!
• Knowing and targeting
customers’ Self-Images can
be critical to marketing
success

21. Self-Image Marketing Campaigns
My SXM:
“Empowers you to
personalize what
you hear”
Philosophy
cosmetics: “Hope
in a jar”
Hyundai Elantra:
“Classy. Sporty.
Sexy.”
L’Oreal: “Because
we’re worth it”
Tax Act software:
“You got this”
Kia Cadenza:
“Impossible to
ignore”

22. Typical Self-Image Types
Intriguing
Deserving
Be
Noticed
An
Individual
Have
Potential
Trend-
Setter
DIY

23. Self-Image Marketing Examples
• Individual:
o “We can meet all of your unique needs.”
• Deserving:
o “You deserve to get exactly the right …”
• Have Potential:
o “This … will help you achieve your decorating
goals.”

24. Intriguing
Deserving
Be
Noticed
An
Individual
Have
Potential
Trend-
Setter
DIY
Self-Image Marketing in Your Business
• What Self-Image
marketing do you
currently do?
• What Self-Image
marketing can you
add to your business?

25. Marketing and the Entertain Strategy
• People value entertainment
o 87 celebrities make > $30
Million/yr.
o 72 college football coaches make
more than $1 Million/yr.
(9 university presidents)
o Judges on “The Voice” earn $6-10
Million/yr.

26. Entertain Marketing Campaigns
Pillsbury:
“Get to holiday fun
faster.”
Sport Clips: “It’s
good to be a guy”
TGI Friday’s:
“Create a party
now”
Pandora:
“Stations that
play only music
you like”
Lexus RC350:
“Let’s Play”

27. Entertain Marketing in Your Business
Materials Adjustments
1. Tagline 



2. Website and
social media
sites




3. Customer
shopping
experience




4. Customer
incentives





28. Marketing and the Pamper Strategy
• People like to be pampered:
o Dinner for two at Ruth’s Chris Steak
House costs 3-4X what it does at
Western Sizzlin (a buffet)
o A 2015 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
convertible costs 7X what a Mini
Coupe costs
o Coffee costs $1 at McDonalds, but a
bit more(!!!!) at Starbucks

29. Kia: “Impossible to
ignore”
Mary Kay:
“Create your own
Fairytales &
Fantasy”
Mercedes: “Set
your soul free”
AT&T Next: “Get
a new device
every year”
Bulova:
“Designed to be
noticed”
Pamper Marketing Campaigns

30. Pamper Marketing in Your Business
Materials Adjustments
1. Tagline 



2. Website and
social media
sites




3. Customer
shopping
experience




4. Customer
incentives





31. Marketing Campaign Strategy
Benihana restaurants implore you
to “Experience Benihana.”
( ) Self-Image
( ) Entertain
( ) Pamper
Ulta® Beauty asks “Why should
hair be one-dimensional when
you’re not?”
( ) Self-Image
( ) Entertain
( ) Pamper
Mercedes helps you “Set your soul
free.”
( ) Self-Image
( ) Entertain
( ) Pamper
Marketing Strategy Check

32. Selling
(What?)
Marketing
(Why?)
Managing
(How?)

33. Greet Learn Solve
Re-
Solve
Satisfy
Follow
Up
The Sales Process
Learn techniques for other steps in the sales process
in blog posts available through my LinkedIn profile/group
• First impressions
• Ways to identify
customer’s Self-Image
• Link to marketing
• Second impressions
• New questions
• “Open” for future business
• New techniques
• Formula
• New techniques

34. Greet Learn Solve
Re-
Solve
Satisfy
Follow
Up
• There’s no I in team…
… but there is a “me” in
customer!
• More than ever, benefits
are about wants and
needs
Self-Image
Entertain
Pamper
Self-
Image
Entertain Pamper

35. Self-Image, Entertain and Pamper
Benefits Practice
Statement Feature? Benefit? New Benefit Statement
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
( ) ( ) Strategy:
_________________________
Statement:
_________________________
___________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
( ) ( ) Strategy:
___________________
Statement:
___________________
___________________
Self-Image
Entertain
Pamper
Self-
Image
Entertain Pamper

36. Greet Learn Solve Re-Solve Satisfy
Follow
Up
• Solve again
• Not yet
• Which benefits have you
missed?
Self-Image
Entertain
Pamper
Self-
Image
Entertain Pamper

37. Self-Image
Entertain
Pamper
Self-
Image
Entertain Pamper
• Think about:
o Have I addressed each
strategy?
o Have I stated benefits
using the strategies?
o What else can I learn
about the customer’s
wants and needs?
Greet Learn Solve Re-Solve Satisfy
Follow
Up

38. Concern Strategy? New Solution
________________________
________________________
________________________
( ) Self-
Image
( ) Entertain
( ) Pamper
Question to Clarify:
__________________________________
Solution:
__________________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
( ) Self-
Image
( ) Entertain
( ) Pamper
Question to Clarify:
__________________________________
Solution:
__________________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
( ) Self-
Image
( ) Entertain
( ) Pamper
Question to Clarify:
__________________________________
Solution:
__________________________________
Self-Image, Entertain and Pamper
Re-Solve Practice
Self-Image
Entertain
Pamper
Self-
Image
Entertain Pamper

39. Managing
(How?)
Marketing
(Why?)
Selling
(What?)

40. Manage Customer Interactions
Hire
Train
Coach
Self-Image
Entertain
Pamper
Self-
Image
Entertain Pamper

41. Interview Questions: Self-Image Strategy
• What’s your self-image?
• How do you feel about customers who
are yyyyy or zzzzz?
• How would you determine a customer’s
self-image?
• Which products and styles would you
show to a customer with each of the
following self-images: xxxxx, and yyyyy?
Self-Image
Entertain
Pamper
Self-
Image
Entertain Pamper

42. Interview Questions: Entertain Strategy
• What have you done in the past to make
shopping enjoyable for your customers?
• What would you recommend we do here
to make shopping more fun?
• What promotions do you think our
customers would enjoy?
Self-Image
Entertain
Pamper
Self-
Image
Entertain Pamper

43. Interview Questions: Pamper Strategy
• How do you feel about customers who
want to be pampered?
• Please give me an example of when you
made a customer feel very special.
• Please give me examples when
customers complimented your service.
What did you do to deserve the
compliment?
Self-Image
Entertain
Pamper
Self-
Image
Entertain Pamper

44. It’s All About Serving the Customer
Customers Staff Composition Where We Should Look
for Candidates
______ % Self-Image
______ % Entertain
______ % Pamper
______ % Self-Image
______ % Entertain
______ % Pamper
Therefore, we need to
hire more:
______ % Self-Image
______ % Entertain
______ % Pamper
Self-Image
__________________
__________________
Entertain
__________________
_________________
Pamper
__________________
__________________
Self-Image
Entertain
Pamper
Self-
Image
Entertain Pamper

45. Hire
Train*
Coach
Self-Image
Entertain
Pamper
Self-
Image
Entertain Pamper
* Available via my LinkedIn Profile/Group
Manage Customer Interactions

46. Coaching Using the Self-Image Strategy
• What is the self-image of each member
of your staff?
• How does each member of your staff like
to be treated?
• What kind of coaching does each
member of your staff prefer?
• Give rewards publicly and development
ideas in private.
Self-Image
Entertain
Pamper
Self-
Image
Entertain Pamper

47. Coaching Using the Entertain Strategy
• Are you glad you have the staff you do or
are they a lot of work and drudgery?
• Celebrate success with your staff and
share its rewards.
• Provide enjoyable facilities and working
conditions (desks, food, etc.).
• Provide entertainment incentives to your
staff (concerts, music downloads, etc.).
Self-Image
Entertain
Pamper
Self-
Image
Entertain Pamper

48. Coaching Using the Pamper Strategy
• Do you treat your staff respectfully or do
you complain and punish them?
• Does your staff know how you expect
them to pamper customers?
• Do you provide an environment and
tools so they can pamper customers?
Self-Image
Entertain
Pamper
Self-
Image
Entertain Pamper

49. Self-Image, Entertain and
Pamper Coaching Guide
Strategy Skill Observed? Corrective Action
Self-Image State the Self-
Image benefits
of the proposed
solution to the
customer’s
wants and
needs.
( ) Yes
( ) No
Ask the salesperson
to review your
training about the
Self-Image strategy
and benefit
statements. Then
ask her/him to
practice telling you
the Self-Image
benefits of your top
sellers.
Entertain ( ) Yes
( ) No
Pamper ( ) Yes
( ) No
Self-Image
Entertain
Pamper
Self-
Image
Entertain Pamper

50. Self-
Image
Entertain Pamper
Marketing
(Why?)
Selling
(What?)
Managing
(How?)
Strategies and Skills

51. • Marketing
o Brands
o Tech-Savvy Customers
• Selling
o Greeting
o Learning
o Satisfying
o Following-up
• Managing
o Audits
o Training
o B2B
See my blog
posts via my
LinkedIn
profile/group
or contact me
Other Key Business Practices?

52. Thank You!
This concludes The American Institute of Architects
Continuing Education Systems Course
Questions?
Speaker Contact Information:
Brian Gracon
Brian Gracon & Associates, Inc.
www.traininggetsresults.com
Linkedin.com/in/hirebriangracon
graconassociates@etcmail.com
(404) 771-3405