Market Differentiation

Strategic philanthropy can be useful in distinguishing your business from your competitors, most of who are probably stuck in old "business as usual" paradigms. They likely think the purpose of business is merely to sell things and make money. Such a narrow belief creates all sorts of sad consequences such as:

• The public's skepticism or distrust of business's self-interest fixation

• Employees often feeling less than fully engaged o
  Hold Your Applause!
  It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.     Harry S Truman President Truman had decided that Secretary of State, General George Marshall’s name should be attached to his plan for massive European relief following World War II. Many in the White House objected, believing instead that the President should get credit for the initiative. Truman, however, wisely recognized that a reluctant Congress would have a much harder time voting down a plan that carried the name of one of America’s greatest wartime heroes. Truman was right and the Marshall Plan provided the foundation for Europe’s spectacular post war recovery. Too often insecure leaders
  Strategic philanthropy is a unique and powerful way to combine your company's marketing goals with a your desire to increase the well-being of mankind.

  We call it strategic philanthropy. Two of the more popular names are cause -related marketing or community partnering. No matter what you call it, strategic philanthropy is a positioning that connects your company with a not-for-profit organization or cause. In this way, while you are being helpful and working for the common good in your community, your business is receiving parallel benefits. These benefits include exposure, lead generation, employee retention and increases in performance and productivity. They can even include benefits to your bottom line.

  Basic Philanthropy

  Many businesses already engage in basic forms of philanthropy, such as:

  • Donating gift certificates to a church's silent auction

  • Allowing a high school club to set up a car wash on the company parking lot

  • Contributing coffee for a community event

  • Buying a school yearbook ad

  • Sponsoring the local children's sports team

  No business can afford to say yes to all of the requests they receive for donations. Thus they find themselves saying "yes" to the few and "no" to the many. Creative strategic philanthropy can enable you to say yes, in one form or another, to almost every group who solicits you. (Of course, you can see how this is a distinct marketing advantage.)

  Seven Creative Strategic Philanthropy Ideas

  Here are a few creative strategic philanthropy ideas that have been implemented by our clients:

  • Introduce a special pre-packaged product that community groups can sell these products to their stakeholders and they get a healthy percentage of the margin

  • Create a program where any community service group, school, non-profit, etc. can distribute coupons (i.e. they do your marketing!) so that when their supporters buy at your store (or website) that group gets a percentage of the sales.

  • Help groups to organize fundraisers to be held in your store or facility

  • Offer to partner with a youth education group or school, proposing that a transportable community mural be painted at your location, which later circulates around the community as part of educational efforts

  • Invite groups who have major events in progress to hold a reception at your location, with some kind of value return to them (discounted purchases, a percentage of sales, some gift certificates, etc.)

  • Give groups involved in addressing important local needs free or discounted gift certificates to pass on to their hard working volunteers (you can steer these, in part, to groups tied to your target markets)

  • Partner with respected social action groups, to host a lunch workshop series or community dialog sessions about local needs and issues

  Here's one more idea from business coaching franchise company, Quantum Growth Coaching. Quantum is the primary sponsor and donor of the Cras Tibi Foundation, (http://www.crastibifoundation.com) set up to provide grants to organizations involved in developing nation micro-lending. My partner, Tom Matzen and I have written a book called Earn Twice As Much With Half The Stress. Quantum donate $1 from each sale of the book to Cras Tibi. It's a win-win-win. Quantum gets exposure because of the tie-in with Cras Tibi and microlending, Cras Tibi gets the donation, and the micro-borrowers get to use the money.

  Market Differentiation

  Strategic philanthropy can be useful in distinguishing your business from your competitors, most of who are probably stuck in old "business as usual" paradigms. They likely think the purpose of business is merely to sell things and make money. Such a narrow belief creates all sorts of sad consequences such as:

  • The public's skepticism or distrust of business's self-interest fixation

  • Employees often feeling less than fully engaged or
    What Does a Gerbil Wheel and YOU have in Common? 7.5 Secret Questions that can Change Your Life!
    1. Do you seem to be running and running and running every day and getting nowhere just like a gerbil?2. As you lay in your bed at the end of each day, do you think about tomorrow and see grey?3. Are you tired of just having a J.O.B.(Just Over Broke!) and doing the same thing day after day after day never getting ahead or feeling excited about your work?5, Wouldn't you rather wake up in the morning, JUMP out of bed and rush to get dressed so you can get to work?6. Wouldn't you love to live your life purpose, making people feel good, making a difference in the world and make a good income as well?7. Are you good with your hands?7.5 Would you like to make yo
    philanthropy, such as:
    • Donating gift certificates to a church's silent auction

    • Allowing a high school club to set up a car wash on the company parking lot

    • Contributing coffee for a community event

    • Buying a school yearbook ad

    • Sponsoring the local children's sports team

    No business can afford to say yes to all of the requests they receive for donations. Thus they find themselves saying "yes" to the few and "no" to the many. Creative strategic philanthropy can enable you to say yes, in one form or another, to almost every group who solicits you. (Of course, you can see how this is a distinct marketing advantage.)

    Seven Creative Strategic Philanthropy Ideas

    Here are a few creative strategic philanthropy ideas that have been implemented by our clients:

    • Introduce a special pre-packaged product that community groups can sell these products to their stakeholders and they get a healthy percentage of the margin

    • Create a program where any community service group, school, non-profit, etc. can distribute coupons (i.e. they do your marketing!) so that when their supporters buy at your store (or website) that group gets a percentage of the sales.

    • Help groups to organize fundraisers to be held in your store or facility

    • Offer to partner with a youth education group or school, proposing that a transportable community mural be painted at your location, which later circulates around the community as part of educational efforts

    • Invite groups who have major events in progress to hold a reception at your location, with some kind of value return to them (discounted purchases, a percentage of sales, some gift certificates, etc.)

    • Give groups involved in addressing important local needs free or discounted gift certificates to pass on to their hard working volunteers (you can steer these, in part, to groups tied to your target markets)

    • Partner with respected social action groups, to host a lunch workshop series or community dialog sessions about local needs and issues

    Here's one more idea from business coaching franchise company, Quantum Growth Coaching. Quantum is the primary sponsor and donor of the Cras Tibi Foundation, (http://www.crastibifoundation.com) set up to provide grants to organizations involved in developing nation micro-lending. My partner, Tom Matzen and I have written a book called Earn Twice As Much With Half The Stress. Quantum donate $1 from each sale of the book to Cras Tibi. It's a win-win-win. Quantum gets exposure because of the tie-in with Cras Tibi and microlending, Cras Tibi gets the donation, and the micro-borrowers get to use the money.

    Market Differentiation

    Strategic philanthropy can be useful in distinguishing your business from your competitors, most of who are probably stuck in old "business as usual" paradigms. They likely think the purpose of business is merely to sell things and make money. Such a narrow belief creates all sorts of sad consequences such as:

    • The public's skepticism or distrust of business's self-interest fixation

    • Employees often feeling less than fully engaged o
      The Devastation of Over Regulation
      Small, medium and large businesses across America have been burdened almost to the point of extinction due to the miss management of our regulatory bodies. I have been to every city in the country over 10,000 population and I have seen the destruction that regulatory agency regulations cause through unintended and unanticipated consequences, what is wrong with reducing your regulations and helping the common good, the rural towns in America, the people who care most about this great nation? The Federal Trade Commission although a small agency is one of the culprits as they regulate the franchising industry and the franchise industry is involved in all levels of business; small, medium and large; both private c
      been implemented by our clients:
      • Introduce a special pre-packaged product that community groups can sell these products to their stakeholders and they get a healthy percentage of the margin

      • Create a program where any community service group, school, non-profit, etc. can distribute coupons (i.e. they do your marketing!) so that when their supporters buy at your store (or website) that group gets a percentage of the sales.

      • Help groups to organize fundraisers to be held in your store or facility

      • Offer to partner with a youth education group or school, proposing that a transportable community mural be painted at your location, which later circulates around the community as part of educational efforts

      • Invite groups who have major events in progress to hold a reception at your location, with some kind of value return to them (discounted purchases, a percentage of sales, some gift certificates, etc.)

      • Give groups involved in addressing important local needs free or discounted gift certificates to pass on to their hard working volunteers (you can steer these, in part, to groups tied to your target markets)

      • Partner with respected social action groups, to host a lunch workshop series or community dialog sessions about local needs and issues

      Here's one more idea from business coaching franchise company, Quantum Growth Coaching. Quantum is the primary sponsor and donor of the Cras Tibi Foundation, (http://www.crastibifoundation.com) set up to provide grants to organizations involved in developing nation micro-lending. My partner, Tom Matzen and I have written a book called Earn Twice As Much With Half The Stress. Quantum donate $1 from each sale of the book to Cras Tibi. It's a win-win-win. Quantum gets exposure because of the tie-in with Cras Tibi and microlending, Cras Tibi gets the donation, and the micro-borrowers get to use the money.

      Market Differentiation

      Strategic philanthropy can be useful in distinguishing your business from your competitors, most of who are probably stuck in old "business as usual" paradigms. They likely think the purpose of business is merely to sell things and make money. Such a narrow belief creates all sorts of sad consequences such as:

      • The public's skepticism or distrust of business's self-interest fixation

      • Employees often feeling less than fully engaged o
        The Key to More Productive Loan Processors
        The perfect loan processor would be…The key to finding and retaining great talent in loan processing can be as hard as finding that perfect friend or partner. In today’s mortgage lending industry that runs characteristically lean, many mortgage processors are faced with doing many things that were frankly not in the job description years ago. Many also have not been properly trained in actual processing skills, much less organizational efficiencies and were expected to learn on the job.The problem faced by many owners, brokers, and managers is the need to do more with less. The industry is contracting since the boom years, but the level of service and demand for higher quality experiences from the
        reception at your location, with some kind of value return to them (discounted purchases, a percentage of sales, some gift certificates, etc.)

      • Give groups involved in addressing important local needs free or discounted gift certificates to pass on to their hard working volunteers (you can steer these, in part, to groups tied to your target markets)

      • Partner with respected social action groups, to host a lunch workshop series or community dialog sessions about local needs and issues

      Here's one more idea from business coaching franchise company, Quantum Growth Coaching. Quantum is the primary sponsor and donor of the Cras Tibi Foundation, (http://www.crastibifoundation.com) set up to provide grants to organizations involved in developing nation micro-lending. My partner, Tom Matzen and I have written a book called Earn Twice As Much With Half The Stress. Quantum donate $1 from each sale of the book to Cras Tibi. It's a win-win-win. Quantum gets exposure because of the tie-in with Cras Tibi and microlending, Cras Tibi gets the donation, and the micro-borrowers get to use the money.

      Market Differentiation

      Strategic philanthropy can be useful in distinguishing your business from your competitors, most of who are probably stuck in old "business as usual" paradigms. They likely think the purpose of business is merely to sell things and make money. Such a narrow belief creates all sorts of sad consequences such as:

      • The public's skepticism or distrust of business's self-interest fixation

      • Employees often feeling less than fully engaged o
        Putting The Serve Back Into Customer Service
        Good service is easy to spot and hard-to-find. Mediocre service occasionally stands out but only because it's the cream-of-the-crap.Last week I had the opportunity to speak at the Lumbermen's Merchandising Corp. annual sales meeting in Dallas. The meetings were held at the Dallas Convention Center and the hotel we stayed at was the Hyatt Regency at Reunion.The first night I had dinner at the Centennial Caf? Restaurant on the second floor of the hotel. The food was good and the service, I mean the server, was outstanding.It was a slow night and Abdul was covering one half of the tables in the restaurant. Here are some of my observations:1. Abdul was always smiling.2. He w
        n and I have written a book called Earn Twice As Much With Half The Stress. Quantum donate $1 from each sale of the book to Cras Tibi. It's a win-win-win. Quantum gets exposure because of the tie-in with Cras Tibi and microlending, Cras Tibi gets the donation, and the micro-borrowers get to use the money.

        Market Differentiation

        Strategic philanthropy can be useful in distinguishing your business from your competitors, most of who are probably stuck in old "business as usual" paradigms. They likely think the purpose of business is merely to sell things and make money. Such a narrow belief creates all sorts of sad consequences such as:

        • The public's skepticism or distrust of business's self-interest fixation

        • Employees often feeling less than fully engaged or even exploited, thus having little interest in being loyal to the company

        • Employees, and even business owners, feeling like their "real lives"" are separate form their work life.

        • Situational ethics taking the place of foundational moral beliefs.

        • Employees and owners lacking the synergistic and creative skills to achieve high performance and marketing success.

        Authentic strategic philanthropy is based upon the advantages of a much more empowering and abundance-filled set of beliefs.

        • The purpose of business is to understand and meet some group's needs, i.e. everyone's needs, including the owner(s), employees, consumers, community, and even the natural environment

        • The high level purpose of business is to create and distribute excellent products and services, in a manner which generates profits and abundance for everyone involved.

        • Businesses can be powerful models for the larger community. They are able to demonstrate the value of such things as innovation, dedication and responsiveness to customers, risk-taking, process and systems innovations, financial practicalities, and teamwork.

        Strategic philanthropy can be a core element of how you operate your business and see yourself as a entrepreneur. It can functionally help you to refine the values and purpose of your business, in a manner, which not only distinguishes you from your competitors, but also contributes to your bottom line while improving the quality and success of virtually every aspect of your staff, your systems and your overall business.

        (c) Copyright Paul Lemberg. All rights reserved