Big Bucket, Inc. makes every kind of bucket imaginable. Blue ones. Red ones. Big ones. Little ones. Round ones. Square ones.
Big Bucket has a six-figure advertising budget and a sales force that has “sales conventions” and “sales trainings” and all of that cool stuff.
Big Bucket has an accounting and human resources department to count their dollars and manage the other humans.
Sheesh!
You are just…. well…. you.
And here is how you win:
- Produce fewer types of buckets
- Produce a better bucket experience
- Charge more for your buckets
- Find partners to count your dollars, you make buckets
- Create and present presentations on buckets
- Listen to the bucket market…. carefully
- Be quick to react to new needs in the bucket industry
- Be more personal in your customer service than Big Bucket
- Be more flexible in your customer service than Big Bucket
- Create free articles that adress the needs of the bucket market
- Create free audio that addresses the needs of the bucket market
- Be more personal than Big Bucket in social media channels
- Be more genuine than Big Bucket in social media channels
- Create free video that addresses the needs of the bucket market
- Create events around the needs of the bucket market
- Use your own buckets
- Teach classes around the needs of the bucket market
Your turn. Add a #18 in the comments section below. How do you beat Big Bucket, Inc?
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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
It could overlap on Social Media channels but Offline Networking(sharing your product) Participating in events (there are many Free events if you look for them)
@Karen — Absolutely — off-line networking is an outstanding way!
Ok Russ I’m going to stretch us here….
My #18 is be grateful that is is only you! Savor the fact that you do not have all the overhead, worry, inflexibility, and multiple levels of “corporate mud” to wade through in the bucket business.
The attitude of gratefulness is a catalyst for creating a desire in the bucket market user to do business with you. Why? Because not only do you make great buckets…you are fun to work with, buy from, and what you deliver is far more valuable than the bucket itself… I say, “Make gratitude my #18″ …thank you very much!
Jennifer Tobias
@jennifer — Isn’t that the truth! Overhead, worry, inflexibility — corporate mud — they all make Big Bucket move slower than your tiny business and they will be less personal than your tiny business. Take advantage!
@Jennifer- Yes, the attitude of gratefulness can go a long way in not only how we are perceived but also how we portray ourselves. Plus, it has the added bonus of giving us more flexibility in thinking, more joy, hope and fun!
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment Jody!
Proudly emphasize that you are small! Use the fact that you are not “one of them” but are small and independent and therefore can give much more personalized service!
@Theanna — I love this one — so many tiny business owners try to act bigger than they are — instead of making it part of their brand and their marketing position. Thanks for this!
#18. Rinse and repeat!
Don’t worry about beating Big Bucket Inc. Just do the 17 steps and when you get to #17, begin again. Activate the power of your own determination!
“Determination is the wake up call to the human will” –Tony Robbins
@Tom — Consistency is absolutely the key Tom. You can’t do any of these things once and expect to see a return. Drip, drip, drip is the phenomenon in play here — thanks for the reminder!
I’m in the custom buckets business.
@John — I love it — building custom buckets is a great way to beat Big Bucket — they are in the business of creating standard buckets that can be cranked out and sold by the thousands to the mass market. Find a niche! Thanks for this John!
I make really beautiful buckets – even red ones! To expand upon John’s comment, I can create the bucket that is unique to you and give everyone else “bucket envy!”
@Lynn — That is fabulous Lynn! Investing yourself in each bucket you build is a great way to beat Big Bucket, Inc!
#18-Respond personally when someone inquires about your buckets. Big bucket’s auto response emails and computer operated voice mail systems turn off its customers.
@Jan — I couldn’t agree more Jan — it is difficult, if not impossible for Big Bucket to be as personable as our tiny businesses!
Russ this past weekend saw a perfect example of problems with Big Bucket biz. Local manager of Big Bucket retailer applied for approval to set up a booth at our local home and gift show. After all the questions and paper work were submitted to HQ, it took the power that be over two months to get corporate approval to give permission to spend a couple hundred dollars to put Big Bucket on display in the local gift show within “their local community”.
Small “Custom” Bucket Company is more agile and nimble and has the ability react and respond to consumer wants, needs, and changes faster.
@Doug Belleville — Great example Doug. Tiny Businesses can indeed beat Big Bucket because they can move faster and can be more flexible. It just comes with the territory — when you grow, you increase the number of layers between the customer and the “powers that be” that you mentioned.
My #18: teach a class now on how to build buckets like yours; and later teach one on how to be successful with a tiny bucket business.
@Michelle — Great thoughts Michelle — this is a great way to establish yourself as an expert among your peers!
I meant to make that a response the comment just above me, and I didn’t express why I was moved to comment, which would be: hey I like your sharing the knowledge thinking