CROP CIRCLES

Here we are only a couple of days before Halloween, so it seems somewhat appropriate for me to talk about something “SPOOKY”. And for some reason, “Crop Circles” have come to mind.

I know I’ve talked a lot about traveling and flying and that’s because  I’ve been doing that a lot over the last several years.  I was taught early on by my dad to train myself to look for money making ideas in just about everything I do. So, when I travel I try to observe my new surrounds to see if there are any telltale marketing ideas to be gleaned.

A while back, I had to fly unexpectedly and at the last minute to Spokane, WA to visit with the family of one of my closest friends following his untimely passing. Since the flight had to be book last minute, I was very lucky to be able to obtain the last seats on timely flights out and back, and was able to book myself into the additional space, comfort and the slightly improved service of the first class cabin. Unfortunately, I was stuck with a window seat.  I hate the window seat!

I’m borderline claustrophobic and being stuck between a stranger and the side wall of the aircraft is uncomfortable for me -  But, I had to be there and the window seats were the only first class option so I flew.

Again, always trying to turn every situation into a learning opportunity, I pulled out my CD Player and listened to a couple of audio training CD’s. Between that and eating the semi-adequate meal Delta serves on longer flights (hey, at least Delta still serves something other than chips and trail mix) I was able to occupy most of my time by the window.

Now, I’ve flown over a lot of the US and have seen farmland from the sky. Usually, the ground looks like a giant chess board with some squares the light brown of dirt, some almost a sand color (river sand not beach sand) and others shades of green going from almost a moss gray to a brilliant emerald green.

As we got closer to Seattle, I began noticing something interesting on the ground. There was the familiar chess board effect of almost perfect squares being lined off but in the middle of many of the dirt colored squares were bright, emerald green “crop circles”.

Now these crop circles were certainly not created by some alien being or prankster. They were, in fact, created by the farmers who work the land.  I thought I knew what was going on, but just to be certain, I asked one of the Seattle based flight attendants if that green circle in the middle of the brown dirt –square was a result of the irrigation system being used.

I was correct. The irrigation system they use in the area is like a long line of sprinklers on wheels all connected to an auto-drive mechanism. The system sweeps around a central point in the middle or the field. This generates the green crop-circle one can see from above.

Two things struck me about this…

First, I’ll bet that the farmers working this field have no really good idea of what their field looks like from the sky. They are right there, on the ground they don’t have the prospective view I did at that moment.

Plus, I can easily imagine that my view point really wouldn’t matter to the farmer anyway.

I see an almost perfectly round green dot in the middle of a brown square. They see a ragged edged field of hopefully profitable crop.

Second, it occurred to me how very much that farmer was exactly like most small business people, nclujding those in the mortgage and real estate field (pun intended).

Consider the similarities…

Over the last few decades most of American Farming has been taken over by the big corporations and conglomerates. The mom and pop farms of a century ago are almost a thing of the past. Plus, with the absurd inheritance tax (more accurately termed, “death tax”) we have in this country, many of the sons and daughters of those early farmers can’t keep the property that has been in the family for over a century.

I was reading an article a few days ago about how the smaller farms, the family owned farms, were able to survive. Not surprisingly, many of the most successful (meaning profitable) family owned farms have started growing a more specialized type of crop. Items like “heirloom tomatoes” and other specialty crops that cannot be grown by the mass – farm corporations. In other words, they’ve found a niche!

And just like agriculture, a lot of businesses have been taken over by the big named, big-box, national firms. And while there are still a large number of mom and pop type companies in many fields, their numbers are diminishing daily.

Those companies and individuals who want to not only survive but thrive now and after the current set of problems in the marketplace are going to have to narrow their focus and find a profitable niche market that the big guys either can’t work effectively or don’t understand enough to get into.

Like the corporate farmers who try to grow one crop this season and a completely different one next season…

• The big mortgage and real estate companies will continue to try to please as many in the market as they can.

• Family restuarants try to attract more customers by expanding their menus – only to end up looking just like everyone else in the marketplace.

• Specialty shops try to increase their profits by enlarging the styles and variety of the inventory the carry.

Certainly a mortgage or real estate company, a resturarnt, and retail store should be watching their marketplace, looking for opportunities. Perhaps their core offerings are no longer what their market wants. But, that doesn’t mean expand or enlarge just to do so.

A true entrepreneur will examine thier market and marketplace and, after careful research, discard offerings that are no longer profitable, no longer in demand and replace them with a product or service the customer base wants.

You need to be more like the farmers on the modern, small family owned farm who have discovered larger profits and an easier operating environment by going after specialty crops. And, find a focused niche market.

Look at the large retailers. Many have gone out of business, replaced by either the big discounters (like a WalMart) or by smaller, more specialty shops who can cater to the specific needs of a smaller but more loyal market.

By “niche-ing” you will discover larger profits per transaction, much better response to your less expensive, narrowly focused marketing, and an overall easier company to run. Even if the company you own is just “you.”

So, what does all this have to do with “crop circles”?

Well, crops only grow where the farmer has tilled, planted, fertilized and watered. One of the tell-tale signs of a successful business is that the owners are actually working, on a continuous basis, not only in their business but on their business.

“Just as a farmer must prepare his field, plant the seeds, water and nurture his crop before he can go to harvest and profit; you too must tend your own crop – prospects to leads, leads to purchase or contracts, and contracts to getting paid.  The process is the same, only the crop changes.”

Check out my updated book – The Serious Business Owner’s Guide – How to Win More Clients and Keep Them For Life  for the Kindle. Find it on Amazon.com – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0047O2QVG

Doug Huggins – entrepreneur, speaker, trainer, consultant, coach, and President & Founder of B-E-S-T – Business Owners & Entrepreneur’s Success Tactics.

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