I was raised in a sleepy, up-scale suburban neighborhood in South Florida. It was the epitome of the upper-middle class suburban way of life. For those of you that are not familiar with Florida, the saying goes, “If you want to go to the south, go north, and if you want to go to the north, go south.” It’s a very true statement. Much of South Florida is industrialized and has an urban culture. Whereas, much of North Florida has a southern, farm-type culture. I didn’t have much exposure to the “middle of America” type culture until I went to college. I started out going to a small Christian college playing basketball in the mountains of Northeast Georgia. Then, I transferred to the University of Florida, which is in Gainesville, Florida, an urban area with a lot of rural communities close to it. I was a snob when it came to the rural way of life. I thought that everything was “po-dunk” and I actually looked down upon the slower and more simple way of life of people in rural communities. But, as I matured as an individual, my perspective began to change. I started getting to know more permanent members of Alachua County. These were people that my rich, snobby, college friends and I mockingly referred to as “ACR’s” (Alachua County Residents). The reality was that many of these people enjoyed their simple life. They didn’t need to sip lattes at the coffee shop while surfing the internet on their Apple iMac with their Blackberry attached to their belt buckle. They enjoy spending time with their family, appreciate good customer service, provide a friendly smile to strangers, and uphold honesty and hard work as important personality traits.
So, what does this have to do with your small business? I’ve begun to realize that it’s not the urban community that runs this country. The urban community of hipsters who embrace individuality, self-expression, the latest technology, and worship the internet are not the most powerful group of people in this country. It’s small town America that runs this country. So, you need to embrace this culture if you want to grow your small business. Because, the chances are that much of your customer base will come from these people that you might be alienating.
The Millenial Generation Doesn’t Get It
Many of us don’t connect with the rural community, because we grew up in a suburban community. Our parents left the small towns they came from and moved into subdivisions just outside large cities where much of the job growth came from. So naturally, we embrace the urban life. We love checking out the hottest blogs, listening to our iPods, shopping at the Fresh Market, and we think that renting DVDs is so 1990’s. You’re either getting offended right now, or you’re letting out a small chuckle because of how right I am. I’m right because I’m one of those people. I write and maintain two blogs, I have the latest iPod Nano, and I own an LCD flat panel television. We don’t get it. We don’t know how to connect with the majority of the people in America with the most influence in this country.
Just Ask the Politicians . . .
It is evident that the 2008 presidential candidates know how important the small town vote is to winning the presidency. They know that if you don’t win the hearts of the heartland, you’re not going to win the presidency. It’s easy to appeal to the urban communities of San Francisco, New York, LA, and Chicago. Because most politicians live in big cities. They can identify with the needs of people living in urban and surburban communiities, but they have a hard time convincing the rural communities that they understand their needs. Barack Obama bowled a 38 in like 8 frames. I know it’s silly, and I’m not equating his bowling score to his competency for being our president in any way, but let’s be real. If he wanted to identify with the rural community that he can bowl just like them, he didn’t show it by bowling a 38. I could bowl a 38 with my eyes closed. The fact is that he, Clinton, and McCain don’t spend time in bowling leagues. They don’t hunt, fish, or go camping. But, they know that these people are important, because they are the majority of America.
How Your Business Can Appeal to the Majority of America
- Provide courteous and personalized customer service.
- Build your business on honest and moral principles
- Correct your mistakes quickly
- Do the little things to make your customer have the best experience possible
- Provide a personal touch to your business, even if your business is a website. Make personalized phone calls or insert a personalized note in your shipments.
I’m not trying to create a sense of division and class hierarchy to our society. But, I want you to broaden your horizons when it comes to your target market for your business. If you alienate the people that make this country so great, the people that work hard every day to make our country run smoothly, you’ll miss out on enormous profits and huge potential to grow as a company.
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