A Little Sample from the Marketing Team

You, our readers, have had the opportunity to read the latest news from Better Whey of Life and Tula Foods as well as the insights from CEO Daphne Mazarakis. I'm going to switch gears today and offer you a window into the marketing efforts behind Better Whey of Life.

One of the things we know when we introduce a new product, is that people love to try before they commit. Knowing this, we have sampling intiatives established in Chicago and the Northeast. You can find our samplers handing out tastes of our great yogurts, coupons and product information at Whole Foods and other participating supermarkets. We have received great feedback during our sampling efforts and normally sell out of all the product on the shelf. Our taste testers give us great insight on the product as well as share their stories of how they incorporate our whey protein-based yogurts into their daily diets. We love customer feedback and these sampling events are as great for us as they are for consumers.

In Chicago, we just wrapped Phase 1 of our Street Team initiative. Our team members visited gyms, fitness centers and workout boutiques to educate staff members on our yogurts and the benefits of whey protein. It's exciting for us to interact with those fitness-focused people and learn that many are already fans of our yogurts.

You may have noticed we have a new Twitter account, written by member of the Tula team. If you follow @ProteinGirl, be sure to add @BetterWhey to your following list. These Tweets will provide you with an inside look to the happenings of the company as well as exciting company news and events.

Regarding this blog, each week we will feature different contributors. Daphne will continue to blog, but we will incorporate a marketing voice, as well as have fitness and nutrition experts share their thoughts. We look forward to continually provide you with the latest info from Better Whey, as well as pass along ways to maintain a healthy body.

~Hanna

How I Won With a 5-Minute Presentation

Yesterday, I competed in the second round of Innovate Illinois. This organization is giving $80,000 worth of grants to start-up companies. The first round was a written application, which narrowed the list of competing companies to five. They then held the second round, which was an oral competition. Each company had five minutes to present their company and two minutes to answer questions. And, guess what...we’ve made it to the third round!

Let me tell you why I think our company made it to the final round. I'm going to borrow some principles from the latest book I'm reading Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath.

Simplicity—With only five minutes, I decided not to use an overhead presentation. I practiced and whittled the presentation down to 5 minutes by highlighting only the most salient points.

Unexpected—It was completely unexpected that I didn't use an overhead presentation. Instead, I surprised, and delighted, the judges with physical props and fed them my product. Every other company just did the usual, ho-hum, overhead presentation.

Concreteness—Physical props help convey the concreteness of what you’re trying to sell or explain. By providing the judges with samples, they could touch, smell and taste. I would have lost these senses in an overhead presentation.

Believability— In business, be a name dropper! There is something to be said for Sinatra’s New York, New York song. "If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere". I dropped Whole Foods, the Chicago Blackhawks, my background from Kraft, and the list goes on....

Practice—Someone once told me "If you have 6 hours for a presentation, you can prepare for 6 minutes. If you have 6 minutes for a presentation, you need to prepare for 6 days!"

Wish me luck at the final competition!

Thanks Whole Foods! Off To A Strong 2009

15 states, 100 plus stores, and moving as planned! Thanks to Whole Foods, our expansion to the entire Midwest, Northeast, and Southwest Regions has 2009 off to a strong start!

Check out our where to buy page for a retailer near you! And let us know what you think of the product (email me at dmazarakis@tulafoods.com). It's still early, so we are listening and making adjustments accordingly!