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Get Big, Think Small

By Robert Fukui, High Point Marketing

Robert Fukui  High Point Marketing, Inc.

I've spent the first 20 years of my career working for large corporations such as Coca-Cola, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, and Bristol Myers Squibb in a sales and marketing capacity. But over the last two years, I've been working with local small businesses and non-profits to develop marketing strategies to increase their bottom line.

Since working with small business, the thing I've noticed that separates the big companies from the small ones (besides the size or their bank account) is the way they think. If there is one thing a small business can emulate in a big way is how they go about growing their business.

The big companies tend to think small while the small companies sometimes think too big. For example, a large company such as Coca-Cola concentrates on selling a lot of Coke even though they sell a variety of other flavors of soda, juice, water, and sport drinks. By focusing on their key product over the years, it has resulted in making Coca-Cola a large multi-national brand.

Yes, they have launched into other beverage segments such as fruit drinks, water, and sport drinks, but their domination in the soda sector has given them the opportunity to successfully move into other sectors because they have capitalized on the large distribution network that was created by the success of their flagship brand.

Small businesses start off with focusing on their key products and services but often get side tracked because of the "need" to create additional streams of revenue. While diversification is good, if done too early, it can actually sabotage the core business and dilute the brand.

So, the key to growth is to think small by focusing on the core business and work to dominate. Once in a dominant position, the business can then branch out to other product lines and see quicker adoption because of the positive brand image they've created with the core business.

Get big by thinking small!

High Point Marketing creates comprehensive marketing plans and strategies for small business and non-profits. The plans for clients are created through research of the industry, market, competition, and target market. After the background research, High Point develops the marketing mix of Product, Price, Promotion, Placement, and Position. This will be the backbone of the marketing strategy in which High Point develops the most cost-effective method to communicate the value of products and services to the clients' customers.