At the Business Exchange meeting (12/2/09), we used Edward De Bono’s random word technique to look at a real issue for Margaret Mckenzie. For details of random word, visit www.edwarddebono.com. If you would like to know more, join us on March 17th at the Creative Ideas Group, 6-8 pm

How can I notify my existing and potential customers that we have changed the company name from Entrega to Swan, and have expanded our services, so that they get a clear message and at virtually zero cost?

From six tables we got 60 possible solutions (in 8 minutes!!) Well done.

1. Keep a close eye on your customers – watch their response
2. Provide a recipe for success
3. Show as a changing menu – more choices
4. Now ‘Masterchef ‘ of your trade
5. Now providing a balanced meal
6. Adding new ingredients/widen the palate
7. Decide what comes first – chicken or the egg
8. Overcome the fear of doing this
9. You can’t make an omellette withour breaking eggs
10. Keep pecking away at it
11. Have a pecking order of customers you need to notify
12. Send them an Easter egg with the message on – a Swan’s egg
13. Be consistent and get it right
14. You now tick all the boxes
15. On your website – press Swan to go through to new website
16. Be friendly – very chatty – use Facebook or Linkedin – twitter
17. Swan Lake – have a beautifully choreographed message
18. Put yourself in their shoes – what do they want/need to know?
19. Be beautiful – before and after story
20. Pink elephant – ‘no you are not seeing things – we have changed’
21. Send them champagne – celebrate with us (Can get little bubble blowing type for less than £1)
22. Send a flower with message on – ‘Forgotten at Valentine’s? – we don’t forget you’
23. Recognise customers are different – short and long message for existing or potential customers
24. Train them to new concept – regular trips to gym approach
25. Use images of new company either photographs or video
26. Building blocks message – not tell them everything at once
27. Dance the quick step – be light on your feet (message)
28. Partner up with someone to help get message out there
29. Go -go – get out there and just do it
30. Conga – use referrals – pass it down the line – joined up message
31. Bounce message from customer to customer – bounce new message about
32. Bounce ideas off trusted person(s) before sending it out there
33. Bounce it back – get feedback on how your message is being received
34. Email the message and check bounced emails to improve customer database
35. Throw it directly at customers – go outside normal realm
36. Set yourself a time limit/deadline to do this by
37. Have a competition for first (10th/20th/50th) customer to reply
38. Send a round robin – think global
39. You now offer a complete solution – well rounded
40. ‘Don’ t take you eye off the ball of running the business – let us do it’
41. Simple terms and simple for them to implement changes needed
42. Cushion the blow – offer an enticement
43. Invite them for coffee – open office morning – business surgery
44. Sit down and talk to them – send example of your services
45. Use lunch/supper club announcements – network
46. You need to be comfortable with the message
47. Make the change effortless – take the message to them
48. Chatty newsletter
49. Create a Swan song that can’t be ignored
50. Survey – 8/10 owners prefer……
51. Post the message to them – lands on their mat
52. Talk to a PR/marketing person – free advice from Business Link
53. Give your customer positive strokes – how important they are to you
54. Seed the pipeline – clarify all the methods open to you
55. ‘We affect the flow to your business’
56. Have a drip feed campaign
57. Send them a magic trick – message – ‘its no magic we’ve transformed’
58. Send chocolate in shape of Swan
59. Go dressed in swan costume to a network event
60. ‘We are delivering our difference to you’

Margaret has promised to let us know which she has chosen.