Eleventh in “The Micro Marketer” series.
Pravin Shekar | The Outlier Marketer
This article emphasizes on the need to go over and beyond!
RECAP:
A micro-market is a curated set of target clients.
Micromarketing is a strategy where marketing efforts focus on a narrow set of target clients; all activities are defined by and for this set.
How far will you go, in reality?
Check out these two stories and introspect with your clients as the core.
Over. And Beyond. Consistently.
THE KRISPY KREME CONNECTION
How far will you go?
500 miles?
19 times?
The last Krispy Kreme outlet in Minnesota was closed in 2008. If you’ve been to a Krispy Kreme outlet, you can see the doughnuts being made, the entire assembly line. It is an attraction by itself and quite mesmerizing. Kids love it, and so do adults.
The doughnuts are also good and addictive! The craving will always be there if you’ve grown up on these. It takes us back to the times when we had such doughnuts and reminds us about our friends and the good old times. Enough reminiscing. This is how the Minnesotans must have felt every time they had a craving for a Krispy Kreme doughnut.
Jayson Gonzales had travelled with a youth soccer team to Clive, Iowa as their coach. He bought doughnuts at a Krispy Kreme and posted a Facebook post asking his friends, “Do you want a Krispy Kreme?” Over 300 people responded with a resounding, “Yes.”
Jayson realized that a big group of folks craved for Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and a business was born! Jayson travelled 250 miles to Clive, Iowa, picked up doughnuts, and sold them to the fans in Minnesota and St. Paul; called twin cities.
After a couple of runs, Jayson called the manager in advance. One hundred boxes of doughnuts were ready to pick up when he reached the outlet. A very early start in the morning, to pick up 100 boxes and load them into his Ford Focus car. Jayson made up to eight stops on the way back, mainly in Target parking lots. People wanted the doughnuts so much that they were willing to pay a 100% markup on the retail price. Jayson had to account for the gas, mileage, and the actual act of driving up and down 500 miles!
Nineteen trips for Jayson until Krispy Kreme noticed this entrepreneur feeding fans of their doughnuts.
This story is of an entrepreneur who found a want, who was willing to go very far to fulfil the desires of a small segment of Krispy Kreme lovers!
How far will you go?
<Disclaimer: Story sourced from various online articles; retold in my words. Just Google “Jayson Gonzales Krispy Kreme” to get all the links and updated information.>
Questions:
- What is your client’s ultimate need (the need of the client’s client)?
- What value addition can you provide?
- Have you empowered your team to make decisions for the customer's benefit? And act on it, without unnecessary bureaucracy?
- Do you have a rewards and recognition system for it?
Do you have an “over and beyond” you’d like to share?
This the eleventh article in "The Micro Marketer" series by Pravin Shekar, an Outlier Marketer.
The article series flow:
- The first article laid the foundation for what a micro market is.
- How to DEFINE a micro market?
- How to FORM a micro market?
- The need to be curious, at all times – and ASK.
- How to identify the right problem/pain-point?
- How to micro-network?
- What to Ideate on?
- Solutionizing!
- Experimentation.
- Micro-engagements.
About the Author
Pravin Shekar is an outlier marketer, parallel entrepreneur, and a raconteur. If you want to shake up your marketing strategy OR discuss your micro marketing plan, write to Pravin at outlier@pravinshekar.com