There were several news articles on Sunday about Burger King adding Spam (the meat in a can we all know various jokes about) to its menu in Hawaii.  Apparently McDonald's has been offering Spam for some time there and capturing an increasing percentage of the breakfast market.  It seems that Spam is considered a comfort food among Hawaiians and is more popular for breakfast than bacon or sausage.  "Spamming" somebody has a different meaning in Hawaii... it means taking them to breakfast.

If you want to delve deeper, just google Spam (with a capital "S"), there have been articles published in the last week about Burger King's decision by USA Today, the Orange County Register, the Seattle Times, the International Herald Tribune, and ABC news.

What does all of this mean to YOUR business?  It affirms the notion that a business has to meet customer needs (or wants) to be successful, and that different market niches have different needs.  This is the reason that automobile companies have a range of vehicles from entry level to luxury, and from cars to SUVs and/or trucks.  This applies to your business as well.  A bicycle shop will be more successful selling mountain bikes, road bikes, adult cruisers, and childrens bicycles than it will be selling just one of those categories.  A cleaner that offers dry cleaning of garments and items like curtains, as well as laundry options including drop off or pick up and delivery (maybe even at the office) will meet the needs of more market niches.  This will result in more sales to more customers, and consequently, greater profits.

The more market niches you can meet, the more customers you will have.  Adding a new product or service as Burger King and McDonald's have done can be accomplished across the board or just in one market.  That cleaner may have drop off only at its Ocala branch for customers who stop in on the way to or from work, yet have home pick up and delivery in The Villages, perhaps even by golf cart emblazoned with the company logo (but that is a future blog... stay tuned). 

Have you examined the needs of your customers (and more importantly, your potential customers) lately?  If not, you may be missing out on the chance to "Spam" your competition!