It?s One Thing for People to Buy Your Product or Service, but It?s Another for Them to Tattoo Your
It?s One Thing for People to Buy Your Product or Service, but It?s Another for Them to Tattoo Your
William Harley and Arthur Davidson, both in their early twenties, built their first motorcycle in 1903. During their first year, the company's entire output was only 1 motorbike; however, by 1910, the company had sold 3,200. Movies such as Easy Rider made Harleys a cultural icon and soon the company attracted people who loved its bad-boy mystique, powerfulness, rumbling voice, distinctive roar, and toughness. It sounded like nothing else on the road, and even Elvis Presley and Steve McQueen longed to ride one.The Harley-Davidson Motor Company has had its ups and downs, and at times, the downs seemed as if they would end in bankruptcy. In the sixties, Honda, Kawasaki, and Yamaha invaded the American market, and when sales at Harley-Davidson dropped drastically due to decreasing quality and increasing competition, the company began to look for buyers and was finally sold. However, the new owners of Harley Davidson knew little about how to restore profitability. The quality became so bad that dealers had to place cardboard under bikes in the showroom to absorb the oil leaking.Daniel Gross, in Forbes Greatest Business Stories of all Times, recounts how in 1981, with the aid of Citibank, a team of former Harley-Davidson executives began negotiations to reacquire the company and rescue it from bankruptcy. Among these executives was William Davidson, the grandson of the founder Arthur Davidson. In a classic leveraged buyout, they pooled $1 million in equity and borrowed $80 million from a consortium of banks lead by Citibank.Harley's rescue team of loyal executives knew that the Japanese motorbike manufacturers were far ahead in regard to quality management, and they made a bold decision to tour a nearby Honda plant. Paradoxically, the Japanese had learned Total Quality Management from the Americans, Edwards Deming and Joseph Juran. The new business concept outlined by these two pioneers was a new management approach that, interestingly enough, had been rejected by American manufacturers. As a result, they offered this approach to Japanese manufactures that were eager to learn and implement it. Therefore, soon after their tour of the Honda plant, the Harley Davidson Motor Company decided to put into practice this originally rejected approach.After implementing just-in-time inventory (JIT) and employee involvement, costs at Harley had dropped significantly; this meant that the company only needed to sell 35,000 bikes instead of 53,000 in order to break even. Their lobbying at Washington also helped, and import tariffs were raised temporarily from 4 to 40 percent on Japanese bikes. This extra breathing space was something that the U.S. motorbike company desperately needed for its recovery.The combination of visiting a Japanese motorbike manufacturing plant and lobbying in Washington for import tariffs was a daring move on behalf of Harley's executives in their attempt to bring back profitability and growth to the company. Another important strategic move was the company's unique marketing and branding campaigns. Studies showed that about 75 % of Harley customers made repeat purchases, and executives quickly recognized a pattern that refocused the company's overall strategy. Simply put, they needed to find a way to appeal to the extraordinary loyalty of customers, which they found in creating a community that valued the experience of riding a Harley more than the product itself.The sponsorship of a "Harley Owners' Group" has been one of the most creative and innovative strategies that has helped create the experience of this product. Without realizing it, Harley executives had pioneered a new paradigm that would be increasingly embraced by other industries in their quest to increase profitability by converting their product into an experience. The company started to organize rallies to strengthen the relationship between its members, dealers, and employees, while also promoting the Harley experience to potential customers. The Harley Owners' Groups became immensely popular; it allowed motorcycle owners to feel as if they belonged to one big family. In 1987, there were 73,000 registered members, and Harley now boasts to have no less than 450,000 members.In 1983, the company launched a marketing campaign called SuperRide, which authorized over 600 dealerships to invite people to test-drive Harleys. Over 40,000 potential new customers accepted the invitation, and from then on, many customers were not just buying a motorcycle when they bought a Harley; instead, they were buying "the Harley Experience."Harley-Davidson offered its customers a free one-year membership to a local riding group, motorcycle publications, private receptions at motorcycle events, insurance, emergency roadside service, rental arrangements on vacation, and a host of other member benefits. Branding the experience, not just the product, has allowed the company to expand how it captures value, including a line of clothing, a parts and accessories business, and Harley-Davidson Visa card.If you were to scan the list of companies that delivered the greatest returns on investment during the 1990s, you would discover Harley-Davidson. Only a few companies have been successful in inventing entirely new business models, or profoundly reinventing existing ones. Harley-Davidson went from supplying motorcycles to antisocial raiders to selling a lifestyle to the aging bad boy wannabes caught in their midlife crises. Traditionally, Harley-Davidson bike owners came from the working and middle classes, but as quality and prices of the bad-boy-bikes rose, and with energetic marketing, the company soon attracted a different class of buyers-currently one third of Harley buyers are professionals or managers, and 60% are college graduates. The new customer segments of Harley are the Rolex Riders or the Rich Urban Bikers. Hell's Angels do not run in the same group anymore. Now there are groups of accountants, lawyers and doctors. Women also account for a significant portion of the new riders, and there are women-only riders clubs spreading all over the globe.The future looks bright for the U.S. motorbike company. According to The Economist, overall U.S. sales increased over 20% in 2000, and more than 650,000 new motorcycles were sold in the U.S. in the same year, up from 539,000 the year before. Bike buyers spent an estimated $5.45 billion on new bikes in 2000.Stay alert and get it early. The new branding paradigm is to sell a lifestyle, a personality and it is also about appealing to emotions of your customers. Increasingly, it will be more and more about creating an experience around the product. Brand managers and executives will need a new set of lenses. The rules have changed as well as the opportunities to maximize profitability and create value in the process. Nonetheless, the majority of companies continue to follow traditional ad campaigns and they seem to ignore the fact that the media has fragmented into hundreds of cable channels, thousands of magazine titles and millions of Internet pages.Consumers are no longer sitting ducks for commercials; they are looking for new experiences. Whether it is the bad-boy-aura of the Harley riding experience, the exquisite coffee experience in Starbucks caf
Join A Songwriting Forum – Its A Good Idea!
Join A Songwriting Forum - Its A Good Idea!
If you are a songwriter looking to get "plugged-in" to where the action is, consider joining a songwriting forum. This is a great way to meet other songwriters, share your ideas, promote your songs and/or lyrics, find resources and much more! As the Good Book says:"iron sharpens iron," which simply means that we grow and learn from the exchange of new ideas with others. A songwriting forum is a great place for this kind of exchange to take place and will also provide you with an opportunity to get some feedback on your material. Because songwriting is often a very personal experience, the idea of being vulnerable and exposing yourself may seem a bit scary at first. Many would rather keep their songs to themselves than face the possibility of rejection. But there will be little reward without some level of risk. In other words- "nothing ventured, nothing gained." So, don't allow yourself to be short-changed. Make a move to get involved and conquer your fear!When you do decide to join a songwriting forum, think of yourself as a student and be willing to learn. Also be willing to accept constructive criticism and try not to take it too personally. When reading someone's critique of your lyric, you should always strive to be objective. It can be very beneficial to look at your song through someone else's eyes, but don't feel you have to agree with everything they say! You are the only one who really knows your song and the history behind it. Don't feel that you have to compromise anything unless you see the benefit of doing so. But do carefully consider what others have to say because they might notice something that you have overlooked. It's important for you to be prepared to rewrite you lyric if necessary!If you have advice to offer to someone else in the songwriting forum, be gracious, but honest. No one will profit from your comments if you are not willing to share what you think. But having said that, you can do it tactfully. Always try to look for something good about a song in order to balance out anything negative you might have to say. Critiquing someone else's song can be another great way to hone your skills because you will learn to be more observant. Through the process of analyzing and then explaining your thoughts, you are bound to gain new insights for yourself. It's also likely that you will recognize different styles of writing and perhaps even learn to use words and phrases in ways that you never thought of.As you probably know, anyone who has a desire to be a professional recording artist should seriously consider developing this skill. Songwriting can "make or break" a career, so the more your learn about it, the better off you'll be. Songwriting can be another means to enhance your guitar playing too. So, whether you currently write your own songs, or just want to learn how, a songwriting forum may be the key to getting you started. Why not break out your pad and pencil and join one today!FREE Reprint Rights - You may publish this article in your e-zine or on your web site as long as you include the following information:Kathy Unruh is a singer/songwriter and webmaster of ABC Learn Guitar. She has been writing songs and providing guitar lessons to students of all ages for over 20 years. For free guitar lessons, plus tips and resources on songwriting, recording and creating a music career, please visit: http://www.abclearnguitar.com
Make 2005 Your Best Year Ever – Its Not Too Late! – Goal-Setting
Make 2005 Your Best Year Ever - Its Not Too Late!
We are moving rapidly through 2005, and you'll find previously
intelligent and reasonable people struggling with trying to keep a 'resolution' that they made earlier in the year to push themselves to create change in a specific area of their lives.If you're ready to make some BIG changes, but you're not
sure where to start, or if you have already made some
promises to yourself, but need positive reinforcement and
support, then this article is for you.How do you ensure success for the goals you'll set in 2005?
First, you have to identify the goals you REALLY want. Not
the ones someone in your life has told you that you 'should'
achieve.First rule: throw out the 'shoulds' from others. You cannot
change your life simply because someone says you 'should'.
Often the 'shoulds' from others serve no purpose except to
generate resentment and set you up for failure.Choose an area of your life - health, career, money,
relationships, your environment, fun, personal growth, and
then examine how satisfied you are with that area. What do
you want to change? Where would you like to be a year from
now? A month from now? A week from now? What do you REALLY want?Your goal is to make changes that will have you love being
yourself, what you see in the mirror every day, and how
you're living your life. What will those changes look like?
Be careful to choose one or two areas to make changes in,
because any more than that may have you overwhelmed and
feeling powerless.You must define for yourself the difference between making a
decision and setting a goal. They are not the same, and you
can't succeed at one of them without involving the other
one. Commitment is incredibly important in this process as
well - how many times have you made a promise to yourself
and then not followed through? If you had a friend that let
you down as many times as you've let you down, would that
person still be your friend?You need a personalized Success Strategy to help you get
into motion and create positive momentum so you'll keep
going. You must have a way to hold yourself accountable ? to
something or someone that will encourage you to keep
progressing, moving forward and achieve your goal.The power of belief can work near-miracles on your behalf,
but only if you put it to work on your goals. Your beliefs
determine the life you have. If you don't like the results
you're getting in your life, take a look at changing the
beliefs that are producing those results.The difference between limiting beliefs and those that can
empower you are crucial to your success. You have to make
the decision that you're no longer willing to have the
consequences of limiting beliefs in your life, and replace
them with positive, empowering beliefs.Setting effective goals in another important piece in making
2005 - or any year - your best year ever - I believe that any person, male or female, cannot reach their full potential without setting and working towards goals. There are many reasons people don't set goals, including fear of criticism and fear of failure.There are several characteristics of highly effective goals,
and incorporating these into your personal goal setting will
greatly enhance your degree of success. Writing down your
goals is one of the first steps toward success, along with
stating them positively, and making sure they are
measurable.Once you've gotten in motion though, you have to continually
reinforce your new mindset. Ultimately, it's the actions you
take each day, each week and each month that will determine
whether you are successful in achieving your goals or not.Find sources of inspiration, positive reinforcement and help
in setting and achieving your goals, and 2005 will be Your
Best Year Ever!About the Author: Dianne M. Daniels is an Image & Color Coach, Consultant and Professional Speaker, and the author/publisher of "Polish & Presence: 31 Days to a New Image". She has helped individuals refine and define their personal and professional image, along with corporations and organizations. Learn how to create your Personal Climate for Personal and Professional Success at http://www.imageandcolor.com