Author: jgehris

Are you well-positioned in your market?

Tariffs have not caused more inflation while resetting the relationship with our trading partners. New trade Agreements with the UK, the EU, Japan, South Korea, and others ensure that each country pays a tariff to trade with the United States.  

The US Treasury had a monthly surplus recently of $68 billion in tariff revenue. Tariff revenue is projected to be a high 9-fgure number within a year and ultimately a trillion dollars annually which will help pay down the national debt. 

Trading partners have dropped other barriers, too, providing American exporters with new opportunity.   

Apple and other American companies are moving their manufacturing home, investing in new plants. Trading partners have pledged over $10 trillion to build manufacturing plants here rather than pay a tariff.

This will drive unprecedented growth in American manufacturing and support industries with more good paying jobs.

Congress passed the one Big Beautiful Bil which will deliver no tax on overtime, no tax on tips, and no tax on social security for most seniors. Plus, the 2017 tax cuts set to expire in 2026 have been made permanent.

In addition, the bill eliminated EV mandates, relaxed automobile emission standards, and dropped mandates to eliminate natural gas burning stoves. 

It is an opportunity economy ….

The federal government is stimulating growth in Main Street America – Wall Street can take care of itself.

This means your customers and potential customers will have more disposable income. This especially benefits businesses that are well-positioned for success.

You know your customer demographic but wonder if there is more.

We’ll provide a complimentary Review of your market positioning. This reflects Customer Experience, market differentiators, and brand strength.

Each business has unique needs and a marketplace. Change never happens in a vacuum.

Our Review will include different ways to improve market positioning, leverage customer relationships, strengthen customer loyalty, and convert more prospects to satisfied customers. 

There is always more.  

We’re serial entrepreneurs, business owners, and problem-solvers.

See what Latham Wade can do for you!!

Is there more?

The economy is growing. The cost of goods is moderating, and it looks like inflation is in the rear-view mirror. It is all good moving forward if Congress makes the 2017 tax cuts permanent and delivers tax reform as promised.

Recent data shows that tariffs are having no impact on pricing as export companies and nations are eating the 10% tariff. Tariffs will be a net revenue-generator for America as it was for the Founders.  

We don’t sell cookie-cutter solutions but start by listening to business owners. You are an entrepreneur, the very best of America.

Launching a business and growing it is not easy. Each personal story has value. Stories help customers make an emotional connection which produces loyalty.

What’s your story?

Why did you go in-business for yourself? What do you like best about your business? What would you improve if you could?

How do you stay in contact with your customers? How do you convert potential customers to loyal customers?

How do you increase in-store and online traffic? Is SEO still relevant in the Age of Google and AI?

Are you considering launching a new product or service? Are you working on a new business plan for a potential expansion?

What is the biggest challenge in your business? Do you have an immediate need?

We believe in the “mentality of abundance” and the American entrepreneurial spirit. There is always more and now is an exciting time to be in business for yourself.

Whether you are a Main Street business, restaurant, service contractor, professional, or health care company, we are interested in your Great American story.

There is always more – let’s explore how we can help you get there.

We’re different. We are experienced serial entrepreneurs, conceptualizers, and problem-solvers.

See what Latham Wade can do for you!

Customer Experience is the currency of customer loyalty, sustainable growth, and brand strength in your market. It validates your success as a business owner and is a major market differentiator. 

You have products or services the consumer wants or needs. You regularly stock popular sellers, and you find new products that meet needs. Your business is established in the community, and you have a good reputation.

You thank your customers regularly and have trained your staff to be friendly, courteous, and engaging.  Your business is growing but is there more?

Managing customer relationships ensures your customers know that you appreciate their business whether it is a retail store on Main Street, a restaurant, professional service, or a home services contractor.   

The other part of Customer Experience is how you communicate with your customers, and it is one you can control.  How you choose to communicate with customers is key.

Most businesses use social media, some use the website as a communication tool, and others use a monthly Newsletter or Announcements section of the website. Content quality and consistency of effort are important.

Customer Experience is how you grow loyal customers. It is easier to convert the occasional customer to a loyal customer if you can make an emotional connection with him that transcends price as value.

Each loyal customer is a potential business multiplier with family, friends and neighbors, producing powerful word-of-mouth advertising.

We are serial entrepreneurs, conceptualizers, and problem-solvers. We can get you more.

See what Latham Wade can do for you!

Google dominates Main Street America with its Reviews and listings for local businesses.

Make sure your Google page is current. Frame your business optimally. Post news about your business. Keep them informed of new product arrivals, Special values, services, and changed hours of operations. 

Pay attention to your Google Reviews. Respond to a negative Review directly. This shows you are committed to customer experience.

Google rewards websites that are optimized by keyword search terms with a higher page ranking. Post fresh quality content regularly on the website that is useful and interesting.

Stay in touch with your customers. Post News weekly. Build relationships. Find different ways to thank them for their patronage.

An analysis of your market will provide page ranking by keyword search term. Make sure your keywords are optimized by source code and reinforced by keyword rich content on the website.

Post authentic Testimonials on your website because they resonate more with potential customers and provide powerful free word-of-mouth advertising.

Leverage customer relationships – ask for Testimonials and Referrals.   Build a community of clients.

Social media is useful. Inform. Educate. Entertain. Build an audience. Strengthen relationships. Make an emotional connection with your posts. Grow a culture.

Main Street America converts challenge to opportunity with innovation and out-of-the-box critical thinking. You are part of this new entrepreneurial spirit.

See what Latham Wade can do for you!

Change always brings new opportunities, but this kind of change is unprecedented in its size and scope. It is a once in a lifetime kind of change for America.

It starts with eliminating duplicative government programs and agencies that no longer serve the people, and eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse to ensure the government is efficient and effective.

Unleashing the energy sector will make us an energy exporter again and bring down the cost of everything, including food.  

The development of our vast mineral resources will enable us to help pay down our national debt and ensure we are independent of hostile regimes.  

America is on the road to a new prosperity.

Congress will make the tax cuts permanent. The working class and middle class especially benefit from this.  Additionally, Congress will pass legislation that ensures there is no tax on tips, no overtime tax, and no tax on social security.

Consumers will have more disposable income and that benefits your business. Plus, there is a new positive spirit in America. Optimism drives consumer confidence and spending.

The use of tariffs will ensure fair trade with our partners and reduce our trade deficit, which is a hidden tax on all of us.

The threat of tariffs (also) has resulted in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea making huge investments in manufacturing facilities here. There will be more, plus Apple is investing $500 billion in a manufacturing facility in America rather than China.

Tariffs used as a lever in negotiations will ensure that more foreign countries make major investments in manufacturing here, thus creating more new jobs. Over 70 countries have contacted the White House signalling they are ready to negotiate fair trade.

Made in America will mean something once again.

A nation that stimulates its private sector rather than government incentivizes more private capital investment, producing a growth economy with the following:

• More higher paying jobs
• Lower unemployment
• Lower taxes for everyone
• Low inflation
• Lower interest rates for mortgages, car loans, and credit cards
• More innovation in all sectors of the economy

How else will this benefit your small business?

The administration will reform the banking industry with a renewed focus on community bank lending to small businesses for working capital, inventory financing, and expansion.

The reformed SBA has streamlined its loan process to ensure small businesses get the resources they need to expand.    

It is a return to our Founders who used mercantilism to fund the government rather than through taxes.  

This administration will leverage the economic power and vast wealth of the United States to make this happen. There is a lot to fix, but a transformative opportunity economy is headed our way.  

Are you ready?

Whether your need a strategic review, discussing the next step, a more effective social media campaign, new market differentiators, targeting a new demographic, or launching a new branding campaign to reach more potential customers, now is a good time to prepare for a transformative opportunity economy.   

See what Latham Wade can do for you!

Your Main Street business is one of the Great American stories. Stories make life interesting, give people hope, teach lessons, and in business make a connection on an emotional level that inherently strengthens customer loyalty.

What else can you do to convert more prospects to loyal customers?

1. Build geo-mapping of your customers
2. Ask for their zip code and use available software in the POS system to store this
3. Track individual customer visits and spending by zip code
4. Use this as a basis for your advertising, marketing, and media plan
5. Make available printed Gift Cards to in-store customers
6. You have a Great American story – provide a printed handout of your story
7. Have an email sign-up for a monthly newsletter, Special Events, new product arrivals, and close-outs
8. Feature new products with printed media for impulse sales and handouts to customers 
9. Launch an Anniversary campaign, a campaign to promote a new product or service, a campaign to launch a Special promotion, or as a thank you
10. Pick a theme, set the term and goals, and build it out
11. Power-partner with like-minded stores in your community and beyond
12. Which kind of stores are a good fit?  
13. Partner with a popular eatery, a sweet treats store, or a store that gets a lot of traffic
14. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box – is there a nearby town that also has a vibrant Main Street community?
15. Think of different ways to thank your customers for their loyalty
16. Celebrate being a Main Street business – find different ways to promote the community you represent

See what Latham Wade can do for you!!

Last year is in the can and the New Year holds promise. Attitude is a driver of consumer spending, and many expect the economy to takeoff like a rocket.

How can you take advantage of this for your business?

We start with a review of your business. This includes how you communicate with your customers, how frequently you do this, how you convert prospects to loyal customers, which demographics you serve, whether you seek a new demographic, what your key market differentiators are, and your unique market.    

A deeper dive usually provides insights that lead to actionable intel.

We believe in relationship selling. Consumers choose to buy from the same businesses because of value which we define as quality, a fair price, and excellent friendly customer service. In short, it is your value proposition that drives business.

How do we get there?

We nurture that relationship with effective customer relationship management strategies and different types of communication.

Social media builds a culture of community. Inform, educate, and entertain. Funny works. Build a campaign. Vary content. Make it interesting. Be authentic. Post frequently.

Email content marketing works. 59% of consumers bought a product after receiving information in an email about it. Build an email list with the promise you will only send one email a month with timely information.

Ask for the zip code of every customer. Build a customer map by zip code and tailor your marketing efforts to increase penetration by zip code and reach more potential new customers. This will confirm brand strength and reach. Your POS system should have this function.

Newsletters work if they have interesting and useful content. Stories about your business can make an emotional connection with customers that produces the strongest type of customer loyalty. This is the goal of every story-telling campaign.

Ask for referrals and testimonials. Post authentic testimonials on the website. What about Google Reviews and the other Review players?  

Keep your Google page up to date with fresh information. Contact any negative reviews to find out what happened.  A high Google rating is good, but remember, an authentic testimonial posted on your website is more powerful.

Is it time to do a campaign? What should your theme be? Celebrate an Anniversary, a product launch, or a new message. Pick the theme, build it out, and let it run. Have fun with this.

Keep the website fresh with frequent quality announcements or posts. Google rewards websites that post interesting and useful content with a higher page ranking by keyword.

There are several ways to reach more potential customers and then convert them to loyal customers who are the backbone of every successful business.

What about advertising or print media? Stay tuned for our take on different kinds of advertising and traditional print media.  

We are problem-solvers, conceptualizers, and serial entrepreneurs. We have a growth plan that meets your needs and fits any budget. 

See what Latham Wade can do for you!

The why

• Customer relationship builder
• Growth strategy
• Business multiplier
• Build website traffic
• Sets up additional growth strategies

An ideal social media campaign

• Engage customers and potential customers
• Inform, educate, entertain
• Build an audience
• Frequent quality organic posts
• Keep score of new followers
• Email outreach
• Adjust as needed

Qualifiers

• Analyze past social media posts
• Part of a campaign or free form?
• Determine your market differentiators
• Has your market changed? Has the industry changed?
• Use the data to define your campaign
• Has the customer frequency and spend changed?
• Trending?
• Which one has the most potential for immediate growth?

Social media experience

• Last campaign goals, theme, and narrative?
• Menu changes?
• Special value or promotion?
• Post frequency?
• Season of the year? Duration? Data?
• Takeaways?

Setting goals

• Fresh market analysis
• Takeaways from past social media campaigns
• Brand-driven goals
• Specific goals
• A multi-layered social media campaign

Design a social media campaign

• Pick a theme and the length of the campaign
• Build out the theme using market differentiators
• Create a narrative for each differentiator
• Create organic content for each narrative
• Use power verbs, short sentences, pictures
• You could brand each day
• Post organic content
• Pick frequency
• Vary the posts by subject
• Re-post a humorous post – funny works
• Quality, preparation, consistency, menu variety, Specials, value, customer service
• Keep score of new followers – email outreach

A family of clients and a culture

• Build a family of clients
• Grow more likes, follows, and re-posts
• Grow more testimonials and Google reviews
• Build a culture

Other

• Do you use database geo-mapping for a follow -up marketing campaign?
• Link the social media campaign to other growth strategies

See what Latham Wade can do for you!

Jonathan

Testimonials are word-of-mouth advertising that reaches potential customers who visit your website. Google Reviews are good, but the most powerful testimonial is like a referral.

A testimonial written by a long-time customer is a business multiplier if it speaks to consistency of effort, quality customer service, and a wide range of good products.

An authentic testimonial talks about an outstanding customer experience time after time.   

A one-of-a-kind testimonial written by a first-time customer who “stumbled” on your business and was blown away by your customer experience can be powerful and have great value. You took the time to help him solve a problem, explaining the pros and cons of different options.  

His testimonial could begin with, “I don’t usually write testimonials, but this experience was exceptional, and I just had to let others know about this business.”

Conversational writing is more effective for testimonials. There are 2 additional reasons why a good testimonial resonates with others and (thus) produces more word-of-mouth advertising:

1. It sounds authentic
2. It is compelling

You train your customer service staff in the art of dealing with the public. They get it. They smile easily and have good eye contact. They are respectful of the customer. They genuinely like people and have a good command of your products or services.

Think of a testimonial as a referral which is stronger than a Review. Do you have powerful testimonials on your website?

See what Latham Wade can do for you! 

Jonathan

You have considered writing a newsletter but wonder if it’s worth the time. Fair question.

A newsletter should be authentic. It should reflect your unique business.

Content should be informative and a quick read. Write conversationally. It’s not an essay, but a marketing tool. Tell a story.

Ask several customers if they would serve on your Advisory Board. You’re looking for customer input and feedback.

You have a niche gift shop with lots of imported gifts. It’s a natural to want to highlight each of your many manufactures or suppliers. Tell a story about each. Be authentic. Inform and educate.

Have a sign-up sheet in the shop and make sure customers can sign-up online for the digital version.  Also, have copies of the latest newsletter in the shop for new customers.

The second business is a family restaurant that does a brisk business in take-out and delivery. They have evolved over the last ten years to be the Italian restaurant in their area.

The basics are the same, but the stories are different. Be authentic. Keep it short but feature a different specialty for each edition. A monthly newsletter works best. You’re building a family of clients and a culture. Get customer feedback and change as needed.

The third business is a bridal salon. Again, be authentic. Define your process. Feature a different wedding gown manufacture each month. Inform. Explain your difference. You are a family-owned business, not a chain, and your byline is you make each gown or dress look like it is custom made.   

Provide interesting and useful information to enhance customer relationships. It’s a smart marketing tool that most ignore.

We do this for clients, including creative compelling content, format, and frequency.  

See what Latham Wade can do for you!    

Jonathan