Saturday, 14 June 2008
It's only office supplies
 In HR World, Spherion conducted a survey that found 19% of office workers reported they had stolen office supplies for personal use. Only 22% felt guilty and 74% knew that it was wrong. When I was in government we tracked the amount of office supplies ordered over a few years and discovered some very interesting trends. Office supply ordering spiked at return to school times and end of financial year. It could be merely that all companies advertise office supplies at that time so people were more aware of them ... or it could be they were being lifted with greater regularity for personal use by the 17% who owned up to stealing supplies in the Spherion survey. In many companies I worked with, the arrival of a new mega catalogue of office supplies was greeted with as much joy as the arrival of the coffee van bearing free cakes for everyone. People would line up to read the catalogue and would pore for hours over the pages. For some reason people love stationery! One of the best examples of capitalising on this passion is the store Smiggle. If you don't know what Smiggle is you obviously don't have primary school children or teens. Smiggle dominates that market with funky office supplies. The store has major pester power - kids plan their trip to Smiggle with as much excitement as going to a theme park. If you don't have Smiggle stationery at school you are part of the uncool crowd. But it's only office supplies! What about the humble pen and eraser can make people so excited? I am still trying to work that one out - but there is something about office supplies that can make grown people go gaga and kids turn into pestering monsters. If you have a Smiggle store near you - check it out. Spend some time in the store trying to work out what about their products is unique. It is not the prices, it is definitely not the service or decor of the store. They have something that is very hard to define and they have captured a particular niche market. Me ... I am off to Officeworks tomorrow for my end of financial year office supplies buying blitz (bring on the archive boxes!). Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Putting your business into words Labels: small business niche, stationery |
Monday, 19 May 2008
Be different in your industry to stand out
 Many small businesses try and fit in with what the "big boys" are doing. They work hard at adopting the same attitudes, approaches and strategies. But what if the big boys have got it wrong (or at least got it wrong for some largish niches within the industry). Anne from Beauty Banquet talked about the movie "The Devil Wears Prada" and how the movie is very true to life in the beauty industry. Unless you wear the right labels, drive the right car and are seen in the right places you don't fit in. But what about the large bulk of women whose budget is more at the Target/K-mart end of the spectrum? Target has recently started embracing the concept of labels for budget conscious people and are reaping the financial rewards. They very rightly saw a niche that wasn't being served - and promptly set out to fill it. Anne is an image consultant that doesn't blink at adding in Millers clothes to your range if appropriate - a great niche. Another colleage of mine Margaret Sims specialises in image for over 45. Both have chosen smaller niche's that were not being serviced within a larger niche. Many small businesses can fill the niches the big boys leave behind - and make tidy profits as a result. What is your small business niche? exuberantly yours Ingrid Heart Harmony Putting your business into words Labels: small business ideas, small business niche |