Learn to Think Like a Consumer

When Julie Morgenstern started her organizational services business 10 years ago, she had one burning question: "How much do I charge?" Consultants advised her to find out her most expensive competitor's rates and charge $10 more per hour.

Morgenstern had serious doubts about following that

While initially hesitant about setting such a high price, she soon realized that most consumers (herself included) respond to a "designer price-tag mentality" — the notion that the more expensive a product or service is, the better it must be. She also realized that despite her lack of business experience, she possessed an invaluable entrepreneurial tool: the ability to think like a consumer. This ability helped her grow her Brooklyn, N.Y.-based organizational services and consulting business, Task Masters, into a thriving company with a nationwide audience. "I've always been good at packaging and marketing my business because I think like a consumer," Morgenstern says. "If you think like a consumer, you can run your business successfully."

In addition to attracting customers, the premium price also pushed Morgenstern to offer the best possible service. "I want my customers to feel like it was worth every penny and more," Morgenstern says. That philosophy translates into being "generous" with everyone, from consumers to the media. Morgenstern's policy is to make herself as accessible as possible to clients and for speaking engagements. "I never hold back when I speak or when I do presentations," she says.

This generosity has landed Morgenstern on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" twice — once as the host for the show's "Spring Cleaning Day" and again recently for a segment titled "Is Your Home Running You or Are You Running Your Home?" Her knowledge of the professional organization market also garnered her a book contract to write the best-selling "Organizing from the Inside Out."

The publicity has turned Morgenstern into the nation's organizational guru. Big-name clients include American Express, Merrill Lynch, and NBC Television. Morgenstern credits her quick rise to fame to getting on her target market's radar — and staying there. She points out that no matter how good or how expensive your service or product is, it doesn't matter if no one knows about it.

Morgenstern's PR program was simple: a couple of well-placed ads and an effective direct-mailing campaign. She sent postcards with only three or four sentences — just small reminders that her services were only a phone call away. "The moment they needed my service, my name was not too far away," Morgenstern says. And, again focusing on generosity and service, she included a helpful organizational tip as a way of "giving something" to the consumer. Her Web site, juliemorgenstern.com, also doles out free advice. A "Challenge Julie" feature enables users to send Morgenstern their worst organizational nightmares for her to solve.

Today there is no doubt in Morgenstern's mind about what to charge — more than one client has labeled her extensive services "invaluable."

— Kevin Casey