Order Up

It seems that we’ve kicked around the concept of being an “order taker” a good bit at Emogen these past few weeks as we work to achieve balance between giving customers exactly what they ask for and giving them what they really need… which are sometimes very different things.

It takes me back to a time when some friends and Brian & I splurged and got reservations at Superior’s Steakhouse in Shreveport. I forget the name of my steak now--some fancy cut coated with cracked pepper--but when I asked for it medium well, the waiter politely refused and explained that would effectively ruin the steak. He recommended medium and basically wouldn’t allow me anything beyond that.

In that moment, my waiter was no longer an order taker but rather a culinary consultant (which probably had a lot to do with his being the waiter at a high end steakhouse and not Applebee’s). It was risky, though, for him to potentially offend a first time customer. But would I have enjoyed my steak as much if it was dried out or the crust was burnt? Of course not, and—as I’m sure the waiter knew—I would have probably blamed the restaurant without realizing it was my own poor choice in meat temperature that was to blame.

The point is that instead of accepting my request, the waiter recommended a change that ultimately made my experience at his restaurant much, much better.

At Emogen we often have clients who come to us seeking something basic, like a print ad design. What they’ve requested is a solution—a very specific solution—but what we really need to know is the problem they are trying to solve.

Clients are sometimes a little puzzled when we start asking questions about the health of their business. It may seem that we’re being nosey, but we know that most businesses decide to advertise because business is slow. Instead of jumping on the solution they are providing, we want to understand the root of their problem in order to know how to best fix it.

Is advertising the wrong solution? Maybe not, but in some cases it is. In some instances a total paradigm shift may be called for. Instead of advertising the same old green widgets to the same old green widget buying crowd, maybe it’s time to develop something new to respond to the rising demand for, say, purple widgets.

Being an “order taker” is definitely easier. You don’t have to think through the problem. You don’t have to spend lots of time asking “why?” And, what’s most appealing, if things don’t work out you get to pass the blame onto the customer’s shoulders. In the end they’ll pay you, because they have to; but they may also never return for more.

Being a consultant is certainly harder. You have to take time to correctly identify the problem and then work through all the available solutions, but when you do that (and do it well) you are essentially guaranteed to provide your client with the results they truly want. In the end, you’ll still get paid, but you will also assuredly gain repeat business and great referrals.

~Sarah, Emogen marketer

We Don’t Need No Stinking Branding

Lunch today was at the delicious yet powerfully aromatic Hot Rod Bar-B-Que which, in addition to a racing decor, broadcasts various car races on several TVs in the dining area.

For a moment our mealtime discussion touched on fascination at racing teams’ ability to sell every square inch of their cars, uniforms and equipment to sponsors. Over our loaded baked potatoes we marveled at the idea of someone racing a car with zero sponsorships. Imagine it: a solid black car with naught but a number on the hood. It’d stand out like a redneck on Rodeo Drive.

But this isn’t the first time we’ve daydreamed about anti-branding. When Brian had Bayou Bat Company, he toyed with the idea of developing a product called the “Stealth Bat”… no stain, no encircling ring, no logo on the barrel… nothing but a piece of wood. The concept didn’t come to fruition, but if it had it’d have been awesome.

The closest company we can think of that comes to an anti-brand is Halliburton. Their logo is strictly font and is the only mark ever displayed on their uniforms and equipment. I haven’t ever seen a Halliburton business card, but I suspect it’s just as sleek. Really, the only thing that would make their brand less brand-y would be dropping red for black.

The cool thing about the Halliburton brand is that it says, to me at least, “We aren’t here to sell you anything. We’re here to work.” ... oozes power and confidence to me.

And that’s our dream project: a company or product that is so bad a$$ that it don’t need no stinking branding (to borrow from Mel Brooks).

~Sarah, Emogen marketer