Can you feel the excitment of Small Business Saturday? Me neither.
So today, November 27th is Small Business Saturday, put on by your friends at American Express (the same folks that cut small business credit lines, and canceled accounts last year when we needed it the most). According to their Facebook page, “first there was Black Friday, then Cyber Monday. This year, November 27th is the first ever Small Business Saturday, a day to support the local businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country. Small Business Saturday is a national movement to drive shoppers to local merchants across the U.S. More than a dozen advocacy, public and private organizations have already joined American Express OPEN, the company’s small business unit, in declaring the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday.”
Let me see, people are suppose to come into my store and buy, not because we have what they want, but because we are a small business. This is going to “drive shoppers to local merchants.” So now we have Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, followed by Cyber Monday. How exciting! Special day’s to tell us where to shop. Big stores for Black Friday, small stores for Small Biz Saturday, and online merchants Monday. Thank you Santa!
Today Seth Godin had a post that dovetails with this. The post is titled, “Your noise is still noise”. Seth say’s, “I was talking to a colleague about all the noise out there in the world, all the messages, ads, announcements, pitches and friend requests. ‘And you’re sending even more every day into that maelstrom.’ ‘No we’re not,’ she said. ‘Ours isn’t noise.’ Yes it is.”
The bottom line is this. People will shop with you if you have what they want, at a price they like, in a location they are willing to visit. Having someone tell me I should shop somewhere that’s inconvenient to get to, get an item that’s not quite what I wanted, at prices higher than I want to pay is good for the neighborhood, turns me off. And I’m a small business!
We are entering a whole new era of noise. Got to have a web page, Facebook page, Twitter account, blog, local newspaper ad, television ad, radio ad, yellow pages ad, IPhone apps., IPad apps., cars with ads printed all over them, tattoo’s of company logos, wacky inflatable arm waving guy’s, etc., etc.,etc……
How do you get attention in this environment? Maybe the answer is less noise? Maybe less noise will now be what starts to get the attention we are all striving for. What would happen if less advertising brought us more business? Is it possible? What if reduced hours, and times of operation not only brought more business but kept the sanity of the small business owner intact. What if we didn’t have to yell so loud to be noticed? What if we sold stuff that compelled people to come to our stores and shop, not just because we’re “small”? What if less really equaled more?
We always do more business in the two weeks just before Christmas than we do in the two weeks around Thanksgiving.
While it is nice of American Express to promote this, it would be even nicer if they would just drop their credit card processing rate to the level charged by MasterCard, Visa, and Discover. That would help small businesses year-round.
I’m glad you wrote this. I thought it was just me, feeling cranky and unable to get into the spirit. I’ve attended a bunch of these small business rah-rah seminars and I agree with you — people will shop where they get their desires fulfilled, whether you’re big or small. Small businesses have to offer more than just “being small.” I like Don’s idea too — although I put its chances somewhere around zero.
As a former small business owner I can emphasize with what you have written. It was tough (and getting tougher) dealing with banks (not so when they courted you for your business but when they had it all seemed to change).
I came to realize that “Life lives on the side of the mountain, not the top.†However having said that, I can say former clients still reach out to me for help or advice either for themselves or their children. Remember that your advice goes on especially when you have earned their trust…
I also encourage you to remember the little things you’ve experienced with your employees, your business and your clients (I am not being sarcastic here). Because at the end of the day if you’re honest in your beliefs & dealings it will count for a lot more then you might realize.
Please remember to give thanks for whatever comes you way and remember the “Reason for the Season†especially if you have children and grandchildren.
Sincerely,
Doug Askew
When American Express cancelled our business account we stopped accepting their card as payment at Mission Hills Nursery. Haven’t lost one customer yet and it’s been 2 years. You should try it, most people have another credit card. American Express was the loser, not us.
It was an almost useless day for us; I got some wreaths made but we barely cracked $100 in sales. We don’t take Amex and we didn’t have anyone ask to use it of the few who came in.
Agree with Don, mid to late December will be better if history repeats itself.
@Doug
You are correct. When it’s all said and done the people you work with, and for are what’s important. That’s why I get so fed up with this forced buying. We as a people are suppose to bring the country out of recession with our purchasing. Doesn’t matter if you can afford it, or whether you have to knock someone over rushing into the store, or if you really need it, just buy, buy, buy.
We have to provide a compelling reason to shop at our places of business. It might be price, selection, quality, or just the fact that we care. I believe in targeted, permission based advertising, that the customer want’s to receive.
Trey, I totally agree with you about people shopping with small businesses. We have to provide what customers want when they get here. It’s great when shoppers get past the slick marketing of the box stores and the mass merchants to visit our stores and give us a chance. That’s when we have to “WOW” them with something great. Selection, service, quality or some other outstanding attribute.
I don’t want folks to shop my store just because we compete against big competitors and they feel sorry for us. I expect to earn those sales through our creativity, hard work and striving for excellence. The reality is that any small business owner that is looking for sympathy can find it in the dictionary. It’s somewhere between s#*t and syphilis.
The most effective advertising will always be word of mouth. Show some attention to the client, and they will be back, with their friends.
Horticulturists might as well be whore cultures. Designer of money plant life. Big money put me out of business. Assholes!
All I know is horticure. Help!
I’m really surprised that this topic has spiraled down to deeper negativity.
Finally some folks at high levels are again recognizing and putting the spotlight on small business. Can’t we be thankful for that?
Many cardholders don’t even bother to enter the store that does not display the AMEX logo on their door with the other credit card logos so you’ll never see the business you could have had.
At least AMEX is up front with their fee while most VISA and MC processors fold in so many ridiculous fees that they charge just as much when you do the math on the back end.
I can’t understand how any independent that is not the cheapest place to buy what they sell would complain about one companies belief that their product is worth a little more. Maybe that is why AMEX isn’t perfect either.
I’m sure there is some capitalist motive behind the promotion, but at least they put some of their fee money where their mouth is on the subject.
No, I don’t have an AMEX card. It’s my choice not to pay the annual fee. But I’ll accept AMEX any day for payment for my services. Like AMEX, I’m not cheap and some people will never see the benefit of what I do because they can’t see past the cost to the investment. And I’m okay with that.
Sid, thanks for pointing out the other side. So many times people forget that things aren’t black and white, but various shades of gray; and that while we can certainly hold certain standards for ourselves or how we do business, our way is not the only ‘right’ way to look at things.
@Sid
Doubtful many businesses loose biz by not taking Am Ex cards. It has been the “other” card for years. We do take the Am Ex card, and it accounts for about 5% or less of our credit card sales. Odd that you don’t carry the card because of the annual fee. You tell us that as retailers we should accept the card, despite the higher fees, because we could be loosing business. I am not complaining about Am Ex cards, but their cancellation, along with the other cards, of our credit lines when we needed them most.
As far as the promotion of “Small Business Saturday” goes, right on for Am Ex! I just find the whole promotion a bit backwards? What is a small business? Why do we celebrate the size of business? There are plenty of small business that are not all that great. Are we going to have a large business Sunday? A mid-size business Tuesday? How many different day’s do we need to be able to properly celebrate consumerism? Goodness, we use to be able to celebrate Christmas and that was reason enough to buy gifts. It’s not bah-humbug to the season. It’s bah-humbug to over commercialization of the season.
Some people love this kind of stuff. If a promotion, and the promise of $25 for every $25 or more spent is what it takes to get people to realize that there are small businesses in their community, then fine. There is just to much noise out their this time of year. Why add to it with another day of why we should be buying?
While there are a lot of positive feedback at the Am EX Facebook page, there are some comments that stand out. http://www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday#!/SmallBusinessSaturday/posts/174377532581928
“I enjoyed shopping at small businesses in Salem, Oregon. Not one store where I shopped took American Express. It seems odd that Amex started this grassroots Small Business Day, but few small business use their card. Why is that?”
“I support small businesses, but believe that a child should not be behind the counter distracting the one employee from assisting consumers. The kid got more attention than I did.”
“Went to a favorite local small business, selected my merchandise, hoped to pay with AmEx — this shop had advertised Small Business Saturday on Facebook after all — and found out they don’t take AmEx. Used Visa instead. Perhaps better rates for small businesses would help!”
“I’ve worked with small businesses for over 20 years, and this “Small Business Saturday” just comes across as another American Express advertisement The real measure of this event’s success is it’s effect on AmEx’s bottom line.”
“It was a TOTAL BUST. Spent $20 on refreshments and made $24. 5 people came. Made 2 sales. Did people not get the message? Where were my friends, customers, supporters and the public who heard about this? Guess they were all at the big businesses on Saturday.”
“Small business Saturday didn’t help us out at all. I promoted it a ton on our FB page and on Twitter as well as in the store. I am a little disappointed…but am hopeful that with Black Friday weekend behind us, consumers will begin to think ‘small’ again. Fingers crossed!”
Here is my favorite,
“We have over 300 people employed by WalMart here in Luray. What would you like to say to those people ?”
They are running scared at Wal-Mart.
@trey
Not really so odd. I also don’t drive Mercedes, Cadillac, or Lexus premium brands. Two older Dodge Caravans get me around. Much more practical for me, and less expensive just like Visa. I’m not like the typical customer. There is always the negative in anything. Some communities have a lower number of premium card holders as a matter of demographics and psycho-graphics. But the question begs, anyone like to do without even this small percent of your business? Or, is one more percent to AMEX all I have to pay for a 5% increase in business? I know the number is not hard and fast because certainly some of those people would have shopped with you anyway.
Pingback: Small Business Saturday Debate | LiveChime
Pingback: October is support your independent nursery month, in Austin. | The Blogging Nurseryman by Trey Pitsenberger