This is the third week I focus on Starbucks as a role model for businesses that hope to appeal to people of all four temperaments, the Four Colors. I have no connection whatsoever to Starbucks except as a customer with my own opinions. I chose Starbucks because it represents a business that retains premium pricing in the middle of a grave recession, yet its raving fans remain loyal. How does Starbucks - or could ANY business - do it?

So if you are an idealistic, diplomatically oriented Blue person, what about Starbucks will make you keep coming back?

First of all, it's is common to say about Starbucks that each store is not really about the coffee. In fact, each store is primarily a community center. No kidding, the draw is the gathering of people. And who but Blue people will relate to community first and foremost?

Blue folks are likely the first to schedule meetings there. They know if they get there early enough, they can grab the couches and seat 6-8 people for relaxed and very friendly conversation. Remember that building relationships is usually the deepest core value stemming from Blue DNA.

Blue people know that they will be greeting more energetically than just about anywhere else - complete with personal conversation and intimate eye contact.

It's important to Blues that they get listened to. Everybody behind the counter and, it seems, half the customers will have an open ear to one's ideas and comments. If you look on Starbucks' website, you'll see that the first item of business is the question, "What suggestions do you have?"

Blues are highly sensitive to environment, and it's hard to beat the artistic layout of each store, the lighting, and the non-crowded feel of seating arrangements, even when a store is full. Everything is designed for easy and comfortable people interaction.

Speaking of art, the music played in each store is hip and mood-enhancing. Whereas the Greens appreciate Starbucks music sales for the "out there" stuff, the Blues are just as happy because the CDs offer something for everybody.

Of all the Colors, the Blue temperaments can be the most cause-oriented - whether that be peace on earth, environmental protection, fair labor practices, or the company's own employment benefits. Did you know, for example, that even part-time employees get health insurance? And in this very tough economy, Starbucks has launched a program called Create Jobs for USA in which they take donations and then geometrically invest in loan programs for very small businesses.

So what about our own businesses? What will it be about our marketing and services that will surely get us new Blue customers, loyal customers, and customers who rave so highly that they bring in their friends? Do we address warmth, friendship, and community? Do we truly listen to comments and suggestions? Do we converse at length with our customers? Are we willing to deal with the customer - live and in person? Is our business cause-oriented? Are we members of a larger community?

How your non-profit can use cause marketing

This video you can click on above is iconic Blue marketing - in terms of tone, message, thinking, and packaging.

The subject is an example of Boston Medical Center's "cause marketing" through 1) point of sale, 2) events that attract big sponsors, and 3) the purpose and use of social media.

Notice that the conversation is almost entirely people-oriented - all about relationships, even with large sponsors like Staples. Blue people constantly search for synergy. What folks of the other Colors do not often appreciate about Blues is that they can manage wildly successful events without discussing strategy, logistics, or tactics for more time than absolutely necessary. Besides, Blues are inclusive enough and smart enough to seek volunteers who are more than happy to take care of fine-point planning, strict goal achievement, and excellent on-the-ground supervision.

WAS "LEARNING SOMETHING NEW" ONE OF YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS?

A few weeks ago, Time magazine had a list of the 10 top most-broken New Years resolutions. Number Three on their list was "Learn Something New."

I have trouble believing that - simply because I can't imagine one day going by without pro-actively learning something new for my own self.

Certainly Green people - those knowledge-centered rationals - often have no problem fulfilling such a resolution, so little challenge, in fact, that I can't imagine they would even make such a resolution at all. The exception might be to learning something BIG, like learning an entire foreign language, playing a musical instrument, or taking three courses in nuclear physics. What keeps Greens from succeeding is the part of any program that is boring and not allowing much creativity on the student's part. One solution is that Green students must convince themselves that achieving the goal is more important than some of the drudgery they must face.

Idealistic Blue people who promise themselves to learn something new often focus on reading and classes for improvement of self and others - again, a natural inclination. However, their excuse for not following through on their good intentions is the fact that subconsciously they may confuse actual action with the mere "firm" intention. Easily distracted with multiple pathways for self-improvement and communal harmony, Blue folks can easily lose sight of their own priorities. One solution for Blues is to take extra measures to determine what's important in life for them then set up a fool-proof system to stay on track. In the case of learning something new, for example, sign up and pay for a class, buy the books, commit to a finish deadline, and blank out the calendar to prevent interruptions, usually of their own making.

Spontaneous and impulsive Oranges can fail to learn something new simply because being spontaneous and impulsive is part of their personality DNA. Committing to anything long-term at all feels like limiting personal freedom, like confining oneself to some kind of prison. (If it took a long time to get your Orange spouse to commit to you, then you understand this.) But never underestimate the power of Oranges to learn new things. That happens when they convince themselves that the new piece of knowledge or the new skill will add something special and cool to their repertoire of knowledge and skill. For example, an Orange musician who wants eventually to get hired by a famous rock group will take the classes and practice thousands of hours to hone the skills needed to land the job. What will keep an Orange on track with this New Year's resolution is a highly motivating goal and - even better - some competition against others to seal the deal.

Now what about our responsible Gold friends? I mean, their personality DNA more or less requires them to fulfill all their promises with excellence - every time, right? I would certainly expect the typical Gold person do automatically follow the advice I'd given to Blues, i.e., to sign up for a class and take it. However, the issue of "responsibility" can be a pitfall as much as a strength. What often happens is that the fully responsible person will put family and work before self - almost every time. The family's needs, the organization's needs intuitively come first. Not unlike Blues, taking care of one's personal needs may seem "selfish" and therefore less important. A solution, then, for Gold folks is to make their important personal commitments equal in their minds and day planners - equal to the demands of spouses, children, bosses, and colleagues. The checkmark one makes for personal improvement needs to be perceived as an essential step for the good of all.