Costco’s days on top coming to an end?

Like your ‘typical’ suburban dweller, I have a Costco membership. Had it for years. I go there by default pretty much every other weekend. And I’ve read other posts about how amazing Costco is at wholesale, store design, branding, packaging, etc. But a recent trip to Sam’s Club has me second-guessing the unquestioned supremacy of the wizards of Issaquah ‘zig while others zag’ schtick.

The second you set foot in there, you better darn well have your membership card out to scan it! Gone are the days when you could simply flash it as you rush to grab your rotisserie chicken. Who decided the airplane boarding process was a good model to emulate in retail?

Buying alcohol? Remember to have your ID visible and ready before you get in a Costco checkout line or you’ll incur the wrath of the cashier. This applies even if it’s disgustingly obvious that you’re well over 21 like me. (For reference, I live in Missouri where buying booze is laissez faire, so I’m spoiled.)

Want to browse as you walk past the front door at a leisurely pace? Not possible with the crowd combined with main isles that are now jam packed with plants, pallets and end caps where once there was a wide open path.

Remember scanning your card when you came in? Well, you gotta do it again before you can check out. And remember not to shove that receipt in your pocket; you’re going to need to present it to the gatekeepers just before you leave!

And now to Sam’s. Nobody’s gate keeping there at all. Sure, there’s a greeter, but they are actually greeting people – not checking your papers.

The isles are not crowded with extra stuff to purposely slow you down. You can buy alcohol like a normal adult, and you don’t even have to show your card at all if you don’t want to!

WHy? Because Sam’s has an amazing app that lets you scan items as you shop so you can bypass the checkout lanes entirely. You can pay in the app and walk blissfully to the exit. And, to top it all off, Sam’s is deploying AI-powered sensors at the exit that scan your cart and verify your items, so you can start macking down on that bag of chips in your car without delay!

Plus, I’ll admit it; I like junk food. Sam’s has it, Costco, not so much. Sam’s bakery variety – and quality – is better and I think their rotisserie chickens taste better too!

While Costco is still the undisputed darling of LinkedIn posters and business mavens, I’m starting to enjoy the Sam’s experience more and more. It’s time for Costco to do different differently.

Python: Value of Learning Something New

While I’m looking for a new gig, I’m also working on my data skills by learning SQL & Python. My hope is to switch gears just a bit beyond marketing and get into business intelligence.

Why learn coding languages? Two reasons:

It’s always good to learn something new and expand your brain cells. And it causes you to look at the world differently and find ways to apply what you’re learning. For example, I created a Celsius to Fahrenheit converter after doing some Python exercises, which I think is just super cool!

Second reason: Money. I want to earn more and expand my marketable skills! All jobs are data jobs these days, when you really think about it, so I want to capitalize on the demand for workers who know Python/SQL and such.

How am I learning Python/SQL?

I’m mainly doing the Business Intelligence Data Analyst path on Codecademy. It’s relatively affordable at about $40 a month, which you can cancel at any time. I’m also using free stuff from Python, too.

Social Media: Less Lazy Value-Signaling and More Engagement, Please

First things first: this is not going to be a ‘woke rant.’ Being aware of long-standing biases and their effects on groups today is extremely important and we should all look for ways to make our workplaces more inclusive.

BUT….

Do you really need to design, approve and schedule a post with the sole purpose of reminding your followers that it’s Martin Luther King, Jr. day? Or Earth Day? Or whatever day?

To me, this is simply lazy value-signaling.

Make it real, not easy

Instead of simply posting a graphic about MLK, Jr. day, how about you interview some employees on what the day means to them and share that, instead? For example, you could ask employees what one of Dr. King’s most memorable quotes means to them and record those responses.

This is much more work than simply creating a static image post, but it’s also much more valuable. “The time is always right to do what is right” is my favorite message from Dr. King. Notice he didn’t say to do “what is easy.”

Be genuine and unique

Here’s the thing about the generic “It’s X Day” posts: every other lazy corporate marketer does them, too. So your followers’ news feeds are filled with trite, meaningless value-signally static images all telling them the exact same thing about you: “I want to look like I care a great deal about this event, but I’m not going to go out of my way to make it meaningful.”

Be a leader, not a signal-sender

If a day is worth setting aside to remember a great person or a great cause, it’s worth spending some extra effort to acknowledge it. Challenge your marketing team to put some heart into recognizing MLK, Jr. Day, Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving and more. You’ll be leading the way to greater emotional engagement and respect from your audience.

How to tell if sales & marketing are aligned in your company

Photo by Tomas Sobek on Unsplash

Sales enablement and RevOps are hot topics in marketing/sales circles and it makes sense to check the pulse of your company’s ability to align the two around a common goal.

So, how can you tell if your Sales & Marketing are aligned? Ask each team one question:

“What is a qualified lead?”

Pose this question to your Sales Director AND your Marketing Director separately. Then compare their responses.

The Sales Director will most likely say that a qualified lead is someone who’s expressed clear interest in learning more about your product or service and has the authority to make a purchase decision.

The Marketing Director will most likely say a lead is qualified if they submit their contact info at a tradeshow or when downloading an e Book from your website.

Are you starting to see where the definition of a qualified lead causes problems?

The Sales Director will look at Marketing’s definition and conclude that marketing will pass along basically anybody that can fog a mirror as a qualified lead. And the Marketing Director will say sales is asking for too much data that they can’t possibly provide.

This is why you need a Sales Enablement Team

Sales Enablement combines sales and marketing team members into one unit – with a shared goal – so they can align their efforts for maximum impact.

First three steps to Sales Enablement

  1. Create the team. Keep it small and don’t invite C-suite folks. You can rotate in different members from each team so that you can get full participation and everyone feels their voice is heard.
  2. Develop some meeting ground rules, chief among them would be “no bitching, no personal attacks.” Keep the focus on solving problems and ensure there’s a sense of psychological safety and that nobody should fear reprisals or punishment for speaking their truth.
  3. Start working on a lead scoring model that’s simple and easy-to-understand. What information about a lead do we need in order to consider it ‘qualified?’ Begin with that task. Take some time to really hash that out. Once you have a shared understanding of what a qualified lead is, you’re well on your way to building a sales enabled culture.

Proof in the Power of Video

Here’s a prime example of why making self-generated video part of your 2023 Marketing Plan is so important.

Here’s the post results of a recent video I posted on LinkedIn, compared to a generic post created by our Marketing Team for all LOs/employees to use:

Video Post Results:

Generic Post Results:

The video post got 198 more impressions than the generic content… that’s 400% more. Impressions on LinkedIn measures the number of times your post appears in other users’ home feeds.

Bottom Line: Marketing content is good, but it’s not enough

Definitely use and share the content your Marketing Team puts together…. but don’t rely on it entirely for your 2023 Marketing Plans.

Top 5 powerful tips to improve your social content

Creating content positions your business as a trusted and approachable expert. It’s not only a great way to connect with potential customers, it also gives you an SEO “boost!” 

So, how do you create content that people will actually want?

  1. Create customer “personas”
    Don’t panic: you don’t have to write an in-depth biography about a fictional person! But investing some time thinking about the challenges your ‘ideal’ customer faces is worth it.

    Think like your customer thinks. What problem do they want to solve? How do they do research and compare options? What do they want more than anything when it comes to this problem? Where do they live? Are they a man or a woman? Etc.

    Answering questions like these will help you target your blog post for maximum impact.


  2. Write like you talk
    The goal here is to create a post that people will actually read, so don’t write in the 3rd person or use passive-voice. (“We specialize in,” instead of “XYZ specializes in,” and “You will find,” instead of “One can find.”)

    Don’t be afraid to sprinkle some humor in this either. Just be yourself, especially as you write the first draft.

  3. Tell a good story
    The greatest way to showcase the power of your product is sharing a real-life story about a customer who’s used it to solve their problem.

    It’s a super way to show your visitors that other people think your solutions are as great as you do!

  4. Include eye-catching visuals or video
    Add in a great visual, like an infographic that illustrates how you can help them solve a problem, then you’re way ahead of the game. Something like this:

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    Create a short video to go with it, and now you’re really cooking with gas!

    Really, all you need is a mobile phone camera and a lavalier mic. You can totally do this. The movie editing stuff that’s already on your phone is more than good enough to get started.

  5. Make it easy-to-read
    Let’s be real: folks don’t read like they used to. If they read your content at all, they will scan it.
    • Break up long paragraphs
    • Add bullet points
    • Use call-outs, like an awesome quote from a review!

Want some help? Holler at me!

None of this stuff is rocket science, but it does take time. If you already have enough on your plate, give me a holler! I’ll be glad to help you. 


Whether you want help developing personas or want to outsource your blog posts, I’d be happy to help build powerful content for you!

Use a Ring Kit to improve your videos

Invest in a simple Ring Light Kit, like this one on Amazon, to give your selfie videos a more polished and professional look!

We’ll talk about upgrading the audio quality with a microphone in the next video.

A ring light kit will improve the lighting and composition of your videos.