Online Business Adviser

The Forum For Online Business Success

I was doing my weekly shopping over the weekend, and something grabbed my attention. While I was looking for some kitchen cleaner spray, I noticed that the most any of them kill is 99.99% of household germs.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I know that’s a pretty high strike rate, but what then is differentiating them from one another? What is setting them apart from their competition? For the most part, it’s brand loyalty that’s driving it. I’ve always used Mr Muscle, so chances are I will buy it.

But imagine if a one of them developed a household cleaner that killed 100% of the germs. When you’re talking about something that matters to people, this extra .01% can give you a massive competitive advantage.  I know that there is probably a major scientific explanation as to why that extra .01% is so hard to obtain for household cleaners (given they got to 99.99%), but I think it illustrates an important point.  Read more...

Hey everyone, welcome back! A new year, new possibilities – I’m excited!

I wanted to lead off this year with something I noticed while I was on break. It’s about the claims you make as a business about your product. More specifically, the ability to back them up.

My example comes from a drive I was on, where I passed through a small grove of shops. In the same town, there were two bakeries both with shingles out that proclaimed their pies “the best in the world”. What are the chances? The world is a big place, and here we have not one, but two stores virtually next to each other proclaiming their product to be the best.

Now, obviously this is hyperbole on the part of the bakery, but it illustrates an important point when making claims about your products – particulalry when your business exists online.  Read more...

A few weeks ago I wrote about how you position your business to place you ahead of your competitors, using the coffee shop in my office foyer as an example.

Today, I noticed something else they are doing that puts them ahead of the competiton. Pre-paid coffee cards.

Nothing fancy, just a regular coffee loyalty card except this one is pre-paid for 10 coffees. Why is this brilliant? Well for one – the nearest ATM to work is about a 10 minute walk, or you can get cash out from the supermarket that is about 5 minutes away, but need to spend at least $10 in store to do so.  Read more...

Yesterday I had a guy ride up to me on a bicycle while I was waiting to cross the road and ask me if there was a Starbucks in Balmain. When I told him it had closed down, he said “damn economy”. Sure, Starbucks had closed 61 of their 80 odd stores in Sydney last year, but the Balmain one closed down long before that.

The reason? They really picked the wrong market to compete in. For those that aren’t familiar with Balmain, it’s in the inner west of Sydney and it’s very much a cafe hub. A lot of people in the area are very passionate about their coffee, and Starbucks were up against dozens of established coffee shops (and were 3 doors down from what is widely considered one of the best in Sydney). There was simply no room for half fat extra grande triple shot soy mugachino frappé with whipped cream, sprinkles and a twist of lemon (not that I begrudge anyone their Starbucks – drink it how you like).  Read more...

My collection - yes, I'm a fan

Paid versus free content is really under the spotlight at the moment, and I wanted to take a look at one of the most successful brands of recent years and demonstrate how providing information and services at no charge can lead to revenue and more on the back end. This is a post that I have been wanting to write for a while, but with a TV show on air in a couple of weeks, it is timely.

Since being discovered on a TV show, Jamie Oliver has become one of the most successful brands of the last decade. I am a huge fan of everything he does in both cooking and business. Notice I said brand, not chef. Sure he deals with food, but Oliver’s real business? Education. His positioning? Simplicity. The Naked Chef moniker of his early days was derived from the simplicity and accessibility of his food, that you can create something great without too much fuss.  Read more...