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Is Your 4X4 Trail Rated?

"Traction. Articulation. Ground Clearance. Maneuverability. Water Fording. We've put your new Jeep vehicle through extreme tests on the most extreme off-road terrain we could find. Trail Rated means your Jeep vehicle is designed to surmount any obstacle you're likely to encounter and some you may never see." - Statement on Jeep Web site

"Traction. Articulation. Ground Clearance. Maneuverability. Water Fording. We've put your new Jeep vehicle through extreme tests on the most extreme off-road terrain we could find. Trail Rated means your Jeep vehicle is designed to surmount any obstacle you're likely to encounter and some you may never see." - Statement on Jeep Web site

Jeep's

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marketing campaign for its Grand Cherokee, Liberty and Wrangler lines has a lot of existing and potential owners wondering what "Trail Rated" might do for them. That's a brilliant move on Jeep's part. In its basic form, Trail Rated is an internal system Jeep is referring to as "The New Standard in 4X4 Capability." By creating Trail Rated, Jeep established the industry standard by which others will be judged. Until competitors?or J.D. Power & Associates?introduce their own measurements, Jeep pretty much owns the benchmark - and the minds of all potential 4X4 buyers.

Many other companies have developed systems to enhance their products or services, or the delivery of them. Sometimes these even spin off to become self-sustaining

Marketing, as suggested by the American Marketing Association, is "an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders".[1]

Another definition, perhaps simpler and more universal, is this: "Marketing is the ongoing process of moving people closer to making a decision to purchase, use, follow...or conform to someone else's products, services or values. Simply, if it doesn't facilitate a "sale" then it's not marketing.
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businesses. American Airlines did it with their SABRE® reservations system - which actually makes a whole lot more money these days than airplanes for shareholders.

While your system in your small business may not be a candidate for becoming its own revenue stream, it could be a key marketing tool that immediately and powerfully distinguishes you from competitors.

Success Handler Action: With your team, list all the things that make you unique - your industry-leading (or, at least, local competition-topping) standards. Here are some ideas to get started:

? Name some things your clients thanked you for recently. Why did they take the time to do that, and what system do you have in place that made these specific transactions go so smoothly clients went out of their way to let you know about it?

? What elements have you incorporated into your product, service or delivery as a result of trying to streamline that activity and/or noticing what clients were doing or saying?

For example, one night at dinner recently, the waitress wrapped my receipt around my

In economics, business is the social science of managing people to organize and maintain collective productivity toward accomplishing particular creative and productive goals, usually to generate revenue.

The etymology of "business" refers to the state of being busy, in the context of the individual as well as the community or society. In other words, to be busy is to be doing commercially viable and profitable work.
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credit card, and attached to a pen the one I was to sign. This was a subtle action that caught my attention. Clearly, this restaurant noticed how customers frequently look at two receipts and wonder which one to leave behind. Then they came up with a better way - a system - and a nice touch that takes their excellent service to a higher standard!

? What formal processes do you utilize and/or what checklists do you use that could become part of your marketing initiative?

A leader in the signs industry, created a system in which all projects flow through a quality control process from start to finish. They perfected it to such a degree they

Credit as a financial term, used in such terms as credit card, refers to the granting of a loan and the creation of debt. Any movement of financial capital is normally quite dependent on credit, which in turn is dependent on the reputation or creditworthiness of the entity which takes responsibility for the funds.
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brand "Raising The Bar" for marketing purposes, commissioning a logo to show their pride and using it as an internal motivator as well.

? Is there something you do that is highly unique?

Think of the Budweiser "Born On" Date. They were probably putting dates on their beer for a long time, or at least keeping record of them, but by recognizing this system as a marketing opportunity, the created a competitive advantage.

Even if it isn't unique, you might be able to market something successfully - especially if your competitors aren't. For one small business client, we implemented a "We Recycle Peanuts" campaign, because no one else (read: the big gorilla competitor) was taking advantage of promoting this. The owner told me that for the first time since opening his business several years ago, he hasn't spent one dollar buying peanuts this year...a substantial savings.

? What really closes sales for you?

Maybe it's you! If so, this can be a great marketing opportunity. Just think of it: "You get x and y and z and, most importantly, you get ME!"

Now those great marketing guys at Daimler-Chrysler would think that's a brilliant idea!

The Coach, David Handler, is the founder of Success Handler, (http://www.successhandler.com), and specializes in helping small business leaders, franchisees and franchisors find clarity and take action. He understands the challenges of

A brand is a collection of feelings toward an economic producer; more specifically, it refers to the concrete symbols for the brand, such as a name and design scheme. Feelings are created by the accumulation of experiences with the brand, both directly relating to its use, and through the influence of advertising, design, and media commentary. A brand is a symbolic embodiment of all the information connected to a company, product or service. A brand serves to create associations and expectations among products made by a producer. A brand often includes an explicit logo, fonts, color schemes, s
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running a business, because he's been there - as a small business owner, franchisee, franchisor, corporate leader and trainer. Much like

Running is by definition the fastest means for an animal to move on foot. It is defined in sporting terms as a gait in which at some point all feet are off the ground at the same time. It is a form of both anaerobic exercise and aerobic exercise.
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sports coaches, his coaching will show you how to compete on a level playing field in your industry.

A sport consists of a physical and mentally competitive activity carried out with a recreational purpose for competition, for self-enjoyment, to attain excellence, for the development of a skill, or some combination of these. A sport has physical activity, side by side competition, self-motivation and a scoring system. The difference of purpose is what characterises sport, combined with the notion of individual (or team) skill or prowess.
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Is Your 4X4 Trail Rated?

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