The Studio Source helps you build an extraordinary business by focusing on approach—how you show your stuff, how you connect with your customers, and how you manage the business side of creativity.
Stacey Cornelius I'm a raving idealist, idea junkie, and creative entrepreneur with a Fine Art degree. I have professional experience in retail, theatre, and the IT industry. I'm here to show you how to make marketing part of your creative process. Contact Me
I have a peculiar affliction—I am particularly susceptible to ear worms. When I was mulling over the idea that there is no everybody, at least as far as marketing is concerned, the word “everybody” put a song in my head.
Since I am an unrepentant geek, I went to YouTube to see if I could find the song. I hit paydirt – footage from 1974. And since Halloween is nearly upon us, with costumes and all things weird and wonderful, I thought I’d share.
I hope the spirits of All Hallows Eve rev up your creativity.
Editor’s note: I hadn’t intended to do a two-art post on the Myth of Everybody, but casting your customer net too wide is a common problem and worth discussing.
Once upon a time there was a restaurant that offered a huge menu consisting of three types of ethnic food. The menu was so big you could tie a string to it and fly it in a stiff breeze.
The food was, in my humble opinion, a celebration of staggering culinary mediocrity. It was entirely without character—everything tasted like it either came out of a can or was from the “just add water” supply store.
That may sound harsh, but I take my food very seriously.
You run into trouble when you try to sell to everybody. You are forced to dumb down what you have to offer, even if your fascinating combination of goodies gives you lots to talk about.
Ironically, having lots to talk about doesn’t necessarily make for a compelling story.
Editor’s note: I am in a state of what my friend Thea calls “crankass.” Ants are jumping on my head as I write this. I am only exaggerating a little—we are experiencing a small ant invasion, and my desk sits directly below a beam where the little monsters are jumping off to get access to the rest of the house. Mostly I hear a tiny “thwap” as they hit the desk and try to meander off, but occasionally one will land on me. It’s a little disconcerting.
Everybody is on Facebook. Everybody has a website. Everybody loves chocolate.
None of the above statements is true. And aside from the need for food, water and shelter, there is no “everybody.” In fact, latching onto the Myth of Everybody is a great way to put a bullet in your metaphorical foot.
How do you shape your marketing efforts and sales techniques? Do you adopt a popular standard? Mimic someone you know and admire? Make it up as you go? Or do you follow popular marketing and business experts, scrambling to keep up with everything they say you should do?
True confession: I used to be one of those sales clerks. I took everything personally, and usually saw customers as a source of frustration and an unwelcome interruption in my day. You know the type. The ones you dread dealing with. Yep. Guilty.
Part of it was my age. I was suffering from a typical case of post-adolescent narcissism. Part of it was lack of training. There aren’t many retail jobs that provide the kind of training that gives you a sense of pride or professionalism. The crap wages didn’t help much, either.
I don’t recall how I landed there, but around the time I started university I got a part-time job at Mark’s Work Wearhouse. That was back in the day when they mostly sold serious work wear, before they went upscale and focused more on fashion. I somehow ended up as product manager for boots and shoes. I was about to become the resident expert on work boots, which also meant I was responsible for ordering thousands of dollars of inventory. I got some basic product information from another staff member and one of the regional managers, and I was off to the races.
