Cutting Out The Middleman

Creative Business Ideas

Cutting Out Middleman
Photo by Paul Downey

The Internet has provided us all with a double-edged sword: the ability to purchase directly from a supplier instead of a local store. So, how does this affect your business?

If you’re a “middleman”, you need to provide a compelling message not only to choose you over your competition, but also to do business with you (instead of bypassing you entirely). Odds are, you can’t compete on price (nor do you really want to try this as a long-term business model). So, what’s left to focus on? Service. Quick support. Helping the community (if your company provides a local charity “give-back”, for example). Training. Special customization. A human voice and/or face (instead of a toll-free phone number to an automated system). Value-added services (not just focused on a single-vendor’s product, but being able to fix your customer’s entire “system”).

If you’re a “supplier”, it’s your chance to provide easier access to your products or services. Make it easy for people to read all your literature online (including service manuals, troubleshooting FAQs, parts catalog, and how-to guides). Make it easy to order online (using an e-Commerce system). If you’re worried about being deluged with calls from too many “little guys”, then provide a different access on your website for customers vs. dealers.

If you’re a “customer”, determine the true cost of buying direct. How much of the purchase is a commodity and how much is it hand-holding support? Is your purchase time-sensitive?

By understanding the “Internet Middleman” effect, you’ll ensure that your business will be more efficient in the online era.

Tagline For Staffing Company

Names + Taglines, Starting Out

We have formed a new company called FinTech LLC.  FinTech’s core business practice and principal goal is “BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS”. Our Delivery Team and Recruiting staff is the best in the business. I would like to get some taglines surrounding People, Opportunities, Relationships. We provide consulting services (staff augmentation) to our clients who are mostly financial services clients. they are located the tristate area. We are building relations with the clients as well as our recruiting team is building relations with the candidates. To be honest – we are a startup so we need them.

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Jay’s Answer: Since your business name doesn’t give an accurate clue of what you do for who, it’s up to your tagline to clarify. “People, Opportunities, Relationships” may mean something to you, but to a person who doesn’t know anything about your company, reading this won’t help them better understand your business.

I’d strongly suggest keeping the tagline simple, something like:

Providing Expert Financial Staff Augmentation -or-
Tristate’s Financial Staffing Experts

Tagline For a Community College

Names + Taglines

Can you help me think of a tagline for our community college (www.dcc.vccs.edu). For the last 25 or 30 years, it’s been “DCC-The place to be!”. Then a couple of years ago, we changed to “Still the place to be”. Not much better and I’m getting a lot of negative comments from the people I’ve talked with. I really think we need something less corny and more updated. Some of the admins think we don’t need to change, but the outside perception is something way different. Any suggestions?

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Jay’s Answer:

  • Think Globally. Learn Locally.
  • The Smarter Choice For Self-Improvement

15 Year Celebration Tagline?

Names + Taglines

15 years anniversary for a bakeshop/restaurant and I need a promotion tag line?

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Jay’s Answer: Being in business for 15 years is wonderful for you, but your customers don’t really care. In some cases longevity = trust, but in others longevity = boring. So rather than creating a tagline for celebrating 15 years of being in business, focus on why people would want to come to your business next year, and the year after that. Is it your family-friendly heart-healthy wallet-friendly cuisine? Is it the romantic atmosphere where everyone gets privacy and can hear themselves talk? Focus on why people keep coming back year after year, and soon you’ll be celebrating your 30th anniversary.

Business With Passion: San Francisco Fleet Week (Part 2)

Videos

Part 2 Trailer:

Part 1 can be seen here.

Episode theme: The people involved in making San Francisco’s Fleet Week 2010: Navy personnel from the USS Makin Island, organizers, and the heart-thumping airshow performers (including the U.S. Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron – the Blue Angels).

The Blue Angels’ mission is to enhance Navy and Marine Corps recruiting efforts and to represent the naval service to the United States, its elected leadership and foreign nations. The Blue Angels serve as positive role models and goodwill ambassadors for the U. S. Navy and Marine Corps. Team interviews: Major Brendan Burks (Fat Albert Lead Pilot) and Vincent Dunhill-Cooper (Blue Angels Crew Chief AO1 (AW/SW)) Website: Blue Angels Official Website

Donna Flynn started in aviation when she obtained her private license in the winter of 1987. She soon followed that with a commercial license in 1989. While working through her licenses she caught the airshow bug by volunteering at the Vanderhoof International Airshow. Along with another partner she started Showline Airshow Services Ltd which specializes in the air bossing and flight operations of an air event. Donna has completed over 280 show and media days at over 35 sites in Canada and the United States. She has worked with all the North American jet and skydiving teams. Some of her show sites include San Francisco’s Fleet Week, Saskatoon’s famous Veteran event, The Canada Remembers Air Show, Niagara Falls, ON, Fort St. John, BC, Peace River, AB, Vandenburg AFB, CA and Klamath Falls, OR.

Joe Sobczak has been a test pilot, instructor pilot, and fighter pilot in the United States Air Force, an experimental test pilot for NASA, and is now a Flight Test Captain for United Airlines. He has over 10,000 hours and forty years of flying experience and is a outspoken advocate for pro-active aviation safety.

Stephen Teatro (executive producer of San Francisco Fleet Week Air Show) is an employee of the Air Show Network – the leader in air show entertainment where air show fans can expect the finest in aerial entertainment, ground displays and consistently excellent guest services.

Want to see other Business With Passion episodes?

Business With Passion TV Show Logo

Seeking Endorsements For Clients

Publicity

I have recently started a PR company and I am looking to obtain endorsement deals for my clients. They range from DJ’s to Athletes (female none of them Major league sports). I have been beating my head up against the wall. Is there a typical presentation or best method to achieve this?

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Jay’s Answer: You need to look at two things: the public perception of each of your clients and companies that target the same demographic that your clients connect with.

Let’s pick a DJ. Who are the people that follow him (or her) around? Where are they located? Who raves about them? Who loves their choice in music? What age range? Gender? Spending habits? Are they seen as “clean-cut” or are they a “bad boy” (getting in trouble with the law)? Given this, look to companies who are trying to sell things to the same people who are the DJs fans. There’s a risk to a company if their celebrity spokesperson has some “moral issues” – so the images need to align.

Your presentation must detail: how much of a fan base the client has, who they are, if there’s any conflicts of interest (i.e., they are vegan), what they will and won’t do (wear logo-ed clothing, print ads, etc.).

Need Catchy Name For Bridal Dress Event

Publicity

I work for a nonprofit that typically just sells second-hand, thrift type items. But we have received 100 brand new wedding dresses from a company that went out of business, never worn, tags still on them, that we want to showcase at a one night only Bridal Fair type event.

We want to do like a trunk show, where we line up the dresses and sell dresses that are normally $400-$500 for only $100. It will be a one-night only event, like 5-8pm, to create a sense of urgency. We need a catchy name for the night. And then the challenge is to let people know these are new dresses, not second-hand dresses, so any ideas on how to emphasize that in the messaging and PR?

We will also partner with one local business from a florist, caterer, travel agent and party planner to help pay for advertising, so it’s not just dresses, but that’s what we want to emphasize.

Any suggestions on a name or ways to get our message across are greatly appreciated.

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Jay’s Answer:

…Something New: 100 Wedding Dresses. 1 Night Only. $100 each.

Looking For Ways To Cheer On Co-workers?

Publicity

What are special things being done to let employees know they are doing a good job? What are ways to cheer on progress that is going on in the company and make employees feel important and appreciated?

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Jay’s Answer:

  • Show them the big measurable goal.
  • Tell them what happens when you meet that goal.
  • Show them how their work affects that goal.
  • Regularly update how close you are to that goal (and use a trend line to show last week’s effort, etc.).
  • Allow your staff latitude to creatively (so long as it doesn’t violate any company guidelines/ethics) get your company closer to the goal (flextime, different procedures, etc.)

Jewelry Tagline Help

Names + Taglines

I hand make my own jewelry out of natural beads such as shell, stone, semi-precious and glass and I am now starting to make decorative wine bottles, wind chimes and key chains and soon will be making more gifts out of these materials and need a tag line that doesn’t limit me to jewelry alone. Here’s my website so you can see what angle I am going with www.wix.com/beadworksonline/beads. I want to incorporate the words or wording of handcrafted, unique, natural and affordable. so far the only tag lines I have are: “Natural Handcrafted gifts” and “Unique Artisan Designs”. Any suggestions?

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Jay’s Answer:

  • Inspired By Nature. Made By Hand.
  • Bring More Nature Into Your Life.

Tagline For Before/After School Child Care

Names + Taglines

Looking for a creative tagline for our non-profit organization. CASTLE has been in business since 1991 and provides before/after school child care. We’re updating our logo, marketing materials and website to get ready for our 20th anniversary and prepare for a major fund raising campaign and building expansion. Looking for a brief, catchy tagline related to children, growth, fun, education, etc. Our target audience would be working parents looking for quality, safe before and after school child care. We want out tagline to communicate a safe, caring, fun and educational environment for children, as well as convenience and peace of mind for working parents. Children are dropped off at center before school, they are provided transportation to and from their schools, as well as a healthy snack and well supervised activities all afternoon. Staff are well educated, experienced and caring. Parents can go to work knowing their children will be safe and happy.

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Jay’s Answer:

  • Making Your Child Feel Like A King/Queen
  • We Treat Your Child Like Royalty
  • Safe, Playful, And Educational Childrens’ Programs