When we say business intelligence most small business owners immediately think of the kind of high-priced information that research companies sell to big corporations.

But some of the best business intelligence is just a short drive away from where you are at now. And its free.

OK, it will require some of your time. But just think of how often you find yourself with a few moments to spare in between kids ball games or running errands. A quick bit of scouting work in another store can take as little as ten minutes but offer up a goldmine of fresh ideas to bring back.

Sound crazy? Maybe. But theres a real value in finding whats working for other businesses. Go to other stores your best customers frequent and see whats working. For goodness sake dont try and clone these other businesses. Your small business must stay true to itself. However, if you look around enough youll find a few nuggets you can bring back and turn into gold for your company.

Look for two or three elements in each shops Package that is different from your companys. Start out by looking at the top third of the physical space in the store. Let your eyes rove above the area where the people are mulling about and see whats overhead. Begin with the ceiling and look down, but only for a few feet. Start out by examining whats physically hanging from the ceiling.

Signage? Moving or stationary? If moving, is it powered by batteries with a regular, cyclic spinning motion? Or is it simply moving with the currents of the air circulating about the store.

Is the signage easy to read? Copy-heavy or graphic-heavy? Is it there to produce an immediate sale? Does it scream out Low Prices--grab as much as you can as fast as you can and dash to checkout? Or is it understated, with an ethereal, graphic-heavy treatment that puts the customers in a mood to browse a bit more, making themselves feel good just to be there in the store, enjoying the shopping experience?

Or is the signage pure utilitarian, as mood-setting as a green, cross-T street corner signpost telling you youre at the intersection of Third and Chestnut? Is this a no-nonsense store, where the customers simply need to be steered where to go efficiently and quickly?

Are there ceiling fans? Cabana-style, with large wooden blades for effect? Or basic white, simply circulating air about the store?

How about the color of the ceiling? Are windows set just below the ceiling, letting light in? How about sound? Is there music pulsating down from the ceiling? What kind? Muzak? Top 40?

First, just notice that top third of the store. The section nobody can physically reach. This slice of the store is as unobtrusive to our conscious but just as important as a shade tree on a blistering hot summer day.

Just look and learn. Imagine yourself a first-timer to the store, and youve entered with emotions shifted into neutral. Write down your initial impressions of the stores signage in that top third of the store. Wander about the store a bit, if you want. Is the signage consistent up in the top layer? Is the store a bit inconsistent here? Or is it in agreement throughout?

No need to spend too much time on the top layer. But we want you to be cognizant of it. The fact is, you probably were already aware of it before you knew you were. As consumers and as humans, we respond to uncounted little inputs into our minds. Some of them matter a great deal and hit us instantly--ike a traffic light. Others are more subtle but matter most at certain times. If the street corner sign at Third and Chestnut is out it doesnt really matter much to the overall environment--until youre cruising down Third looking for Chestnut! Then the usually innocuous fact that its missing suddenly becomes paramount.

Next, find a few other areas of the store and ask yourself three broad questions in each:

Whats the mood of the area Im in? Purely functional? If its a merchandise area, is the appearance of the display designed to subtly persuade me to buy this merchandise? Or is it simply to pack in as much merchandise as possible in a specific area? Remember, there isnt a right or wrong answer for the business. A discount gas station can make just as much profit as a high-end art gallery; maybe more.

Does the mood of the area Im in mesh with the rest of the store? Is there a lack of harmony between, for example, a brightly lit and open-spaced entryway and then a dozen aisles of cluttered merchandise?

Is there one outstanding thing I like about any certain area? Is there something I see that I can bring back to my store?

If you want, create a little cheat sheet of questions you can use when you go out on a scouting trip to another store. The cheat sheet is a quick reminder of what to look for. Make it the size of a recipe card, and if you copy it on heavy cardstock and then cut it to size you can easily carry it about in purse or pocket and jot notes on it while you are in the store.

Remember, a lot of smart marketing is borrowing the best of what works from others. These little scouting time-outs during your errands can add precious new idea-gems you can apply to your business.

Remember: Brand (who you are) + Package (your Face to the Customer) + People (customers and employees) = Marketing Success.

2006 Marketing Hawks