The author uses two short stories of bicycle repair and concrete pouring to propose a new marketing method for small and micro enterprises: they can boldly share their professional skills and knowledge, so that customers feel that they have more reasons to choose professional companies for their services.
Story 1: Bicycle Repair
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The front wheel of my bike leaked like a pancake yesterday, what would you do if your bike had a flat tire for 35 years? Eventually I decided to call a maven for help.
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Mike Walkkins and his small business, Island Bikes, a mobile bike repair business, had just been featured and publicized in the local paper earlier in the week. I told him I didn't believe I'd be able to replace a flat bicycle tire myself after thirty years. Mike came out with me, fixed the flat tire, and adjusted the bike.
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Mike said during my call that he would be happy to teach me how to fix my bike so I could fix similar problems myself in the future. "I don't mind teaching you how to fix a bike," he said.
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Did you hear it? "I don't mind teaching you how to fix a bicycle."
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What a sensible person, I thought. I was lied to, I didn't need to know anything unnecessary.
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Mike spent an hour in the garage yesterday changing the tire with me. He also taught me how to adjust the brakes, adjust the derailleur, and align the tires, and he even showed me how to loosen and tighten the spokes on the wheels. Frankly, I didn't even know the spokes on a bike could be loosened and tightened. When he got it right, I told him it was all fascinating and incredibly educational. He replied, "In the future, you can do these yourself." "I will still call you for help next time," I said.
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Story 2: Concrete pouring
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We're going to add some sills to the landscape at Casa McGee. I imagined and wished the bedrock would have a thin concrete trim. All the lawn trim at the Home Depot store is ugly and still plastic, not the kind I was looking for. It would be perfect with a nice thin concrete strip bedrock trim.
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I was thinking I could buy some quick drying concrete at the home depot store and dig out a space myself, pour the concrete and put the rocks in. It's not an easy task, but I can do it myself.
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So I went to a local garden center called Beaver Bark that sold different types of rocks. A rock at the very top of the display stand was just what I wanted, with a brochure saying "Raddy? Concrete Mixing". When I got home and opened it, it was indeed the rock I was looking for. But it wasn't just about making a concrete patio with no trim, and within 30 seconds I figured out that wasn't something I wanted to do on my own.
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Beaver Bark told me a truth, taught me how to do what I wanted to do, and convinced me not to do it myself.
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GiveSmall and micro enterprisesmarketing advice:
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If you can provide relevant skills and expertise, it will be more attractive to customers, I can guarantee that.
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I have preached this view for many years. Some small business owners always object: "If I tell people how to do it, they won't need me to do it again."
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In fact, in most cases, I bet once you tell someone how to do what you're going to do, they'll realize that it's better to have you do it for them than to do it themselves. Of course, there are some do-it-yourselfers who pick up the concrete-making brochure and decide to do the job themselves.
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guess what? Do-it-yourselfers will never want to hire you. But those of us who are not hands-on people care about your expertise and skills, and we think hiring you is a better investment than doing it yourself.
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The bike repairer Mike summed it up very well: "I don't mind teaching you how to fix a bike." He will get better and better in the future with this attitude.
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you can also! Share your knowledge: start a blog, write some white papers, make an online guide, explain to people how your work works from a professional perspective. As long as you're really professional and an expert in the field? - your phone will keep ringing. I promise.