Republicans buy sneakers, too

Before you delete this, I know that this is a business blog. I promise I am keeping it to business not politics.

Before we start, let's think back to when you started your business. Is it safe to say when you wrote your business plan, you looked at the entire population in your area to determine your market size? In marketing jargon, this is referred to as the total addressable market. Before you figured out who your target was, you didn't automatically cut it in half. Your goal should have been to serve as many people in the community as possible.

As always, if you would rather ‘listen’ to the podcast version CLICK HERE, or continue reading the blog below.

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What does this quote from Michael Jordan mean to your business?

"Republicans buy sneakers, too."

We live in contentious times. It seems that all issues are 50/50 regarding public sentiment. Whether or not Michael Jordan said this in jest, it doesn't take away the fact that approximately half of his customers sit on one side or the other of the political fence. However, they all have one thing in common. They want to buy his shoes.

The question of the day (two questions)

If you could do something deliberately today that would double your business, would you do it?

Let me take a wild guess. I am pretty sure the answer to that question is yes. Isn't your goal more customers, more business, more revenue, and higher growth? Aren't you in business to grow?

Part of the growth equation is that we must retain our current customers. Therefore, we constantly look for ways to improve our customer satisfaction score. Knowing that keeping customers is the best way to improve profits, we strive to improve in any way we can.

Now let's look at the opposite question.

Would you deliberately do something today to upset or remove 50% of your customers?

Another wild guess here, but I am sure that the answer is no. If 50% of your sales came from Product A, you wouldn't remove it from the menu or the store. If half of your business came from men, you wouldn't ban them from your building, would you?

These are the questions employers and leaders need to be thinking through. Yes, we live in a politically charged world. But when customers go out to the pub or walk into a local business, they are not looking for controversy. They are looking for a cold beer or a new comforter.

If your business is in a customer-facing industry, you need to know what your team is doing. Whether it is a hat with a political statement or a post on social media, your customers see this and make judgments. Consumers are human and will stop doing business with you if they feel threatened. Who knows? They may even agree with your point but simply want their salad, hold the opinion, and eat in peace.

You may have heard the small business person say, "I don't care what they think," but they can only say that so many times. We must remember this one thing when it comes to our patrons, "customers vote with their wallets." Unless you offer something nobody else does, your clients have a choice.

I flew Delta for years and I'm ashamed I can't quote this word for word. At the end of each flight, the pilot would thank the passengers and say, "we know you have a choice in where you spend your travel dollars." That is as meaningful as Michael Jordan's quote about sneakers. Customers have a choice. Why would you give them any reason not to spend their money with you?

Marketing is about creating demand, not reducing it

Everything a business does is visible one way or the other. You probably spend a good amount of money on developing those images to increase demand. The colors you choose to wear, the logo you created, the way you say hello to your guests, and your online presence are all marketing. Marketing extends outside your walls as well.

Many studies have shown increases in customer happiness when an employee simply smiles. What do you think happens when your employee frowns? Or when you are noticeably angry? Or a team member has an offensive slogan on a tee-shirt?

Passing these actions off, or tolerating them because it only happened once is like an ‘awe shucks’ moment. You may have heard the saying, "one awe shucks can wipe out ten atta-boys." The point of this article is to eliminate those moments. How do you do that?

Start with communicating clearly with your team. It is essential you convey your expectations. Be it at work, on social media, and everywhere they may run into your customers. Employees must understand that their freedom of speech is not protected when it harms your business.

Create a dress code to eliminate the tee-shirt that has a controversial saying. Have an employee handbook they agree to that defines what recourse the employer has if the employee crosses a line. Be consistent and make sure you apply the rules evenly. Even off-premise social media can be part of your handbook. You may want to discuss this with an HR professional. But be assured, political speech is not protected in a workplace.

Whatever the cause, there are costs and benefits that you must weigh

If this principle you are advocating fo is a hill that you are ready to die on, be prepared for the worst. Try to keep this in mind; there are few places in the world we do business with that cannot be easily replaced. Competition is everywhere.  

Ask yourself where you do business and what choices you have. How easily can you replace those vendors, stores, restaurants, and bars? What would they have to do to get you upset enough to make a new choice? If they took the opposite viewpoint and were radically loud and obnoxious, would you go somewhere else? Why shouldn’t you?

The more charged the environment gets, the easier it is for the clients to make new choices. If it means driving an extra five minutes to the next store, or ordering a product online, switching costs might not be an obstacle. When is the last time you saw John in the store anyway?

Your business should be an oasis from stress and controversy

A long time ago, a plant manager I worked with in Mexico made it very clear. He had managed facilities in China, Singapore, Europe, and Mexico. It didn’t matter what his team members did before they started working for him, what the countries culture was, what they were used to, or what was happening down the street. From day one, the new team member was introduced to the company culture. It was very clear to every new employee what was tolerated, and what wasn’t.

You can build that culture in your workplace. Your business can be free of the stress and controversy that surrounds us 24/7. It’s hard work today, but in the end you’ll have a better tomorrow! Give us a call at the Kole Performance Group if you are having difficulty in building this culture.