The Mesh - Lisa Gansky [60]
As in any business, you must match the expectation of the customer with the offering. Mesh businesses offer a wide range of ways to invite new people in. The access-to-a-product mechanism gives you more choices about how to go to market and engage new customers. You get frequent feedback, even if the message is that no one is buying the story. And matching what customers are ready for today does not mean that you’re stuck with this structure or offer forever. The Mesh method allows you to micro-cast opportunities and easily change offers over time. As with any business, structure your business to ensure that you exceed expectations. Early customers will be your word of mouth. They’re going to help you build your business and refine your offering. When you’re confident that your offer is finely honed for your market, these early adopters will also help you grow through their social networks. This is all classic stuff, but especially true for a Mesh business.
leap out from a base.
As you start to dig in, whether you’re focused on single moms, aging parents, young professionals, or musicians, the vitality of the relationship is one of the single biggest assets you’re going to have in your business. Make the conversation palpable and interactive in order to build trust. Provoke your market. No one will notice you otherwise. You may annoy, but at least you’ll get a reaction. Seek joy and love, of course, but the worst outcome is that no one cares or engages. Your ability to continue an active dialogue, and continually anticipate and act on requests, will give you a huge advantage over any competitive company.
Marketers basically aggregate an audience or a particular like-minded market and speak to them through brand sexiness, or particular offerings, or a price point, or however it is that they think they’re making their product or service unique. The first wheel that got sold was that model. An advantage of a Mesh business is that people are often self-identified. Mesh business get lots of information on the way in which people interact with their goods and services. Your customers self-identify by telling you, “I want an electric vehicle,” or “I’m willing to give loans to people who are funding their kids’ college, but I don’t want to give loans to people who are getting out of credit card debt.”
be allergic to stagnation.
When people have life changes, such as preparing to have a child or downsizing their home, they often need incremental bursts of material goods. They are often prepared to get rid of things that are no longer useful. Those are interesting moments. As kids go through stages of growth, they change toys, games, equipment, and clothing. Enter clothing swaps, such as peace. love. swap. This service, like the thredUP clothing swap described earlier, is responding to the fact that nobody likes to spend $100 on a pair of pants that is worn twice and then gets thrown out or given away. It’s used this opportunity to tap into a community of parents—many of whom are already part of social networks—who buy clothes for kids who grow out of them quickly. Once in the Mesh network, parents can