Learn Marketing from a College Student…

As a business owner, it’s often a temptation to focus all of your efforts on perfecting the product and business structure, while customers are flying by your doors having no clue who you are or why your business will make their lives better. Recently, I was given a quick lesson in Marketing by an unlikely source: a college student named Kat McClusky looking to interview for a job at Matchstic.

She took the following steps that can be applied to getting in front of any new potential client or customer: Entice, Engage, and Inquire.

Step 1: Entice
I received the following email from the contact form from our website: “Best. Website. Ever.” That was it. Nothing else. You think I’m gonna just let that go? Of course not! Could this be a potential client? A friend? It doesn’t matter – anyone who would say that about our website, I’d like to know! I was so enticed that I was forced to send the following email back “Is that all you are gonna tease me with?”

Step 2: Engage
Soon I received a note back saying only “I think that about covers it” and included a link to a funny Will Ferrell video. I watched the video, a rare one I hadn’t seen before, and laughed a good bit. I still know nothing about Kat – she hadn’t even signed her name to any email at this point. All I knew was that I had been complimented and entertained.

Step 3: Inquire
A day later I get this email, “In the event that you'll humor me one more time, I wanted to ask if you wouldn't mind taking a look at some of my design work… I'm even going to be in Atlanta next week. Even if you aren't looking for anyone I would love a test interview if time allowed for one. thanks, Kat” – Her work was very good. I was impressed as was Blake, our Creative Director.

I told Kat to call me. We were not looking to hire, and it’s too bad. I like the way she thinks. I want to hire designers that know how to get someone else’s attention as that is what we do for our clients. I am going to do all I can to help her get a job. Some lucky employer will be privileged to have her on the team.

And I realized that we can all learn from Kat. With all of the form letters that go out and cold calls that are made every day, remember Kat. Entice, Engage, then Inquire. All too often that process is reversed. Good luck to you Kat, we know you’ll do great things!

Craig
Matchstic

Leadership with a Little L

I stole this entry title from my business partner, Blake Howard. I like the title of this because it reminds me of the Jamiroquai song Little L. I was talking with Blake today, and he was commenting about leadership and how some treat it with a capital L and some treat it with a lower case L.

"Little L-ers" are in it for the attention and credit that comes with being a leader.

"Capital L-ers" are in it for the success of the team. They lead as a servant to the team, even when their efforts go unnoticed.

If you ever see me doing Little L work, slap me upside the head and tell me I know better.

Craig Johnson
Matchstic

Welcome to Wildfire Network - Home of the 13% Club

It has been said that 87% of people in this country hate their jobs. This is a blog for the other 13%. The Wildfire blog is managed and run by Wildfire Network, a group of like-minded entrepreneurial business owners who add value to others by being intentional about creating social, financial, and intellectual capital. The goal of this blog is to share ideas, stories, goals, successes and even failures with a larger community of business pioneers. We hope this site will act as a canvas where relationships and ideas can grow. Through this medium, we plan to connect with leaders who want to continue growing in productivity, efficiency, and creativity. Life in the 13% club isn't always smooth sailing and we each face the frustrations of limited resources, misguided aspirations, ambiguity, and disappointment. We don't have all the answers, but through this portal we can gain continued direction, courage, and passion. Welcome to a site for the few, the influencers, the world changers.