TURD IN THE PUNCHBOWL TECHNIQUE

Tell people what they already know, but aren't saying. Is there something about your business, industry, location or team that is hurting your business? Can you bring it to light by actually discussing it? In talking about your shortcomings, you prevent competitors from doing it and you seem REAL to your customers. If the customer knows that you are real, then they feel like they can trust you.

What is the underlying truth about your industry or your specific situation? Sometimes it's amazing the answers you can get when you find out what displeases people about your industry.

Allstate Insurance ran an ad campaign discussing some of these items in the auto industry. They "dropped the turd in the punchbowl." .... "Don't you HATE how you can be a fantastic driver for years and with ONE accident, your PREMIUM goes UP? What about if your premium went DOWN if you DIDN'T have an accident instead of just UP when you DO??"

The moral of the story is....BE HONEST WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS. If you don't know where there are areas that you can improve, ask your customers and friends about your industry as a whole, not just your company.