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'You Aren't My Customer' Works!

by Tim Berry on December 7, 2007

My “heart of the plan” thinking has a lot to do with targeting well and focusing, which often starts with what ‘Chelle Parmele calls A lesson in saying “You aren’t my customer.”

There was a video report on MSNBC recently about a campground in the Great Smoky Mountain Park, Punkin Center Campground, that caters exclusively to motorcyclists. Have a car? Keep on driving, you won’t find a place to sleep there.

What struck me as most interesting was how they came to their success. Instead of going the traditional route of advertising and accepting anyone who came their way, they knew exactly who they wanted to cater to, and stuck to it. Through word of mouth they see approximately 3 to 5 thousand motorcycles a week during the busy vacation season. Because of their decision to narrow the focus of their business, Jody Montgomery, one of the owners, estimates they have increased their business 10 to 1 over what it would have been as a traditional campground.

Impressive results for a campground that turns anyone with a car away.

To watch the video, head over to the MSNBC website and watch “No Tell Motel”.

About Tim Berry

Tim Berry

Tim Berry is the founder of Palo Alto Software, a co-founder of Borland International, and a recognized expert in business planning. Tim is the originator of plan-as-you-go business planning. He has an MBA from Stanford and degrees with honors from the University of Oregon and the University of Notre Dame. Today, Tim dedicates most of his time to blogging, teaching, and evangelizing for business planning. His full biography is available on his blog.

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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

erin December 10, 2007 at 4:03 pm

wow, i’m glad i came across this post. i just turned down an invitation to be a vendor at a pre-golden globes event and people think i’m nuts. i’m not. celebs over the age of 30 are not anywhere near my target audience. my crowds are college/high school kids, outdoor adventure athletes, and people with a great sense of humor. as far as i can tell, the stars of desperate housewives don’t fit into any of these categories. now, if it were cartman from south park…we’d be having a different conversation.
i’m new to this blog, but i’ll be back.

erin atherton
head bag lady,
durtbagz.com

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