Boston, Charleston… Where am I?

It is so nice to be in a city again! The hustle, the bustle and of course the shopping malls. Don't forget I live in a town with 3 traffic lights, so this is exciting for me. I had some time before my flight to Charleston and thought I would check out the local mall here in Natick, MA. I got in the mall a few minutes before opening. I started my trek from one end to the other with my final destination being the ginormous Wegman's grocery store. (More on that another time.) As I passed by the stores, there were only a handful of shoppers milling about. Except in front of the Apple store! Inside the store were at least 7-8 Apple employees getting ready for the day. They even had an employee working outside the store organizing the crowd into a cue line. Quite literally, right next door is the Microsoft store. It had one employee. And no crowd lined up to enter. When I finished cruising the mall after 30 minutes, I went by the stores again. The Apple store was bustling with activity and customers. No one but the 3 employees in Microsoft. Why is this so? Recent research shows that Apple only has 12.7% of the PC market. Based on that alone, shouldn't the Microsoft store have more customers in it? I have a theory about this and it all boils down to this: They make the consumer feel good about themselves This is the biggest reason why I think people love Apple. They make the consumer feel like they are better person for having the product. The story that they convey throughout their marketing is a powerful one. It oozes lifestyle, innovation, passion and style – and why wouldn’t you want to be part of that? It’s like an exclusive club that has millions of members. So when you buy an Apple product, you’re sharing and representing those same ideals that this very brand stands for. And it’s not one single thing that can be pin-pointed to this. You can see it in the powerful copy they use on their website, the stylish images in their ads, and the sleek design of their products. It’s all about telling a powerful story that will make your audience want to be a part of everything you do. What's your story? Is it so powerful that your clients and prospects flock to it, understand it and can be a part of it? If not, figure it out. It will separate you from the competition.

Remember, you won't profit unless you implement, Vance "In another airport" Morris