LOW HANGING FRUIT

There is a saying that goes like this..."Aim small, get small. Aim big and get big." Not sure who said it but it has always been somewhat of a mantra for me and it makes absolutely perfect sense in business.

Too many organizations think small when it comes to focusing their marketing and sales efforts. Perhaps it is a confidence problem in their product or service in which case, it is understandable. In most cases however, I see it being more of a lack of gumption rather than confidence.

Mike, a printer friend of mine, had a wonderful turn-key operation that he and his son ran almost flawlessly. They grew their business through connections within the community. They had invested heavily in their operation. They were making money but weren't necessarily profitable. They in fact struggled to get by which always shocked me based on the volume of business the appeared to be doing. A problem many small to medium sized businesses have.

I asked my one day why they always appeared so busy but still barely seemed to be getting by. He scratched his head and said plainly, "I jut don't know." I suggested to him that perhaps he was aiming his business at the wrong level. He had no idea what I meant.

Mike and his team went for the low-end often easier sales; people needing 500 to 1000 business cards and then likely only once or twice a year. Their business was littered with these kinds of low-end, often times slow paying clients. They leveraged all of their assets to provide the most cutting edge print solutions only to be offering it to a target audience that could not accept nor afford such spectacular offerings. So they had this huge investment and resorted to scrapping for the stuff every other printer was focused on.

So you might be asking your self, why keep selling to these folks? When all was said and done, they believe a low end YES was certainly better than a high end NO. They were simply grabbing the low hanging fruit when and where they could grab it. The problem, low hanging fruit is not only the closest fruit to dropping off the tree and likely will spoil the quickest, it tends to be the drudge of a bumper crop.

I suggested Mike position his high end offerings to appeal to those that could most appreciate it, the high end customer. True, there are a lot of small opportunities that are likely much easier sales but the rewards just simply aren't there. When you compete at the level where everyone else is competing, your margins are compromised which affects profitability and long-term viability of the organization. In addition, when you aim low you get low. Low end clients tend to push their payables, tend to be more complain ready and are simply far more likely to jump ship for a "lower" price the next time around. Simply put, you can work your ass off to take extremely good care of these customers and they likely will end up leaving you anyway.

If your organization offers a product or service that has any appreciable value, don't spend your time focused on anyone but the highest, healthiest of fruit (opportunity). Those victories are ripe and filled with sweet, fulfilling and sustainable nectar...otherwise known as PROFIT!!!!

You may still have to work your ass off to earn and keep the opportunity but these customers are far more likely to respect and appreciate you for your efforts. In the long run, its with these kinds of relationships that profitable companies are able to sustain and grow. Aim High and go get so HIGH HANGING FRUIT TODAY!

Ripple On!!!!