Customers/Clients Archives - Page 21 of 35

Mail Call: Can we help this student from Serbia?

June 11, 2009

My e-mail and mail is a whole lot more interesting (grasshoppers anyone?) now that I am blogging, I must tell you. This week, I got an e-mail from a student in Serbia who is wondering how to use a trucking company's drivers to strengthen relations between the company and the customers.

Here's his e-mail. I promised him we'd help him out. His presentation is due in less than a week, so jump on it. Put on your thinking caps and share some ideas:

Hello Drew!

May I ask you to give me some advise
I am a student in marketing menadzment in Serbia, and I have a project to do with the next problem:

i need to use the trucks drivers to improve the brend of the company and relationship with customers. the company is one of the world famous in its industry, i cant tell its name, just for the start.The company producing(making) a constrution material, most important is cement, and its agregates and then delivers to the customers with their big trucks. the high managment doesnt spend a lot of time with the customers, like the drivers do, because of that, kompany wants to use that fact to impove relations, to use drivers , at one side to get informations directlu from people who buying its products, their suggestions, opinions…and at the other to show them that care about them, to show its brend standards, protect and improve the same, and make itself diferent from competion.The drivers have about 15-30 minutes until the cargo is unloaded to make an impression on customers. some usual things are next: they need to be clean and their trucks, to wear uniforms, to deliver the products on time…smile…
Any idea would be a great help for me who is gonig to be a future manager. i hope that we will cooperate in future, and that i will be able to help you, as this things like blogs and similar are just starting in my contry or in my enviorment. I am sorry about my english, but i am still learning. i am better in reading and uderstanding then writing, of course.
If you have any idea or friends whoworking on similar things, or you have adresse on someone who can help me please send me email.i have 1 week to finish the presentation.

Thank you for your time!
Milos B. sudent of final year of Faculty of Organizational Science, University of Belgrade

What are they expecting?

June 1, 2009

One of the most common customer service axioms is: exceed their expectations. We've all heard it. But have you ever really thought about how it applies to your business.

Do you really know what their expectations are? How can you exceed them if you don't? Let me give you an example.

As you probably know, I walk Maggie the mostly lab along a park's bike path. We walk for a couple miles and along the walk, there aren't any trash cans or dog waste receptacles except at the very start of the path.

Should you be walking your dog and about a mile into the walk, the dog does their business, as a good dog owner you have to pick up the waste. And then carry it for the next mile. Not so great.

One Sunday, after having that exact experience, I sent an e-mail to the "contact us" button on the park and recs page. I suggested a couple spots along the path that would easily accommodate a trash can. I didn't have high expectations. After all, we're talking city government.

So I was blown away on Monday morning when I had an e-mail back from the Director of Parks and Rec, saying it was a good suggestion and they'd get the cans out there soon. I was even more blown away when the cans actually appeared within the week.

They totally and completely exceeded my expectations simply by answering my e-mail and listening.

But, had they decided to conduct a trash can usage survey, ignored my e-mail all together or put it on the next city council's agenda — my expectations would not have been exceeded. They would have been met. And I expected them to disappoint me.

Before you give your troops the "exceed their expectations" speech — why not figure out exactly what that means so you can not only give them the speech but also give them the road map on how to get it done.

Your customers have no clue what you do

May 7, 2009

Painful Fact: Your customers know much less about you than you think. Until they need it, they don’t bother to find out if you do it. And sometimes, they don’t think to ask – even then.

For example, many an agency bemoans the fact that their clients went elsewhere to have a website built or to have a speech written, simply because the client didn’t know the agency did that sort of thing. (For our clients out there…yes, we do both.)

You have to tell them. Tell them in an engaging way. Tell them in a useful way – give them something to “steal” or adapt to make their own life a little easier. Use the dialogue to establish your expertise and your commitment to their success/well being.

Are you sharing case studies with "here's what we learned" tips that your other clients can use?
Are you hosting events where your customers can come together and talk about the thing they have in common – you?
Do you bring samples or photos of work you've done for others to your client meetings? Start off the conversation with a…"hey, I thought you might find some value in what we learned when we did XYZ for You Know Who." So bring something relevant.

If they don’t know that you do it – they’ll find someone who does. And it often times, might not be you. And – don’t even think about doing it just once. You have to tell them over and over…and be on-target and on-time each and every time. Don't make them search — tell them again and again.

If not, you send a message you don’t want them to get — call somebody else.

How do you let your customers know the depth and variety of things you are capable of doing for them?

Time to listen up

March 28, 2009

We've all heard the quote from the Greek philosopher Epictetus, "we were born with two ears and one mouth, so we can listen twice as much as we speak."

I doubt Epictetus was a marketing consultant, but it is not a stretch to apply his wisdom to our efforts. Marketers have a tendency to "talk" a lot. After all, we have a lot to say. We have features to point out. Benefits to reference. Special pricing to announce. Nothing wrong with any of that.

But we also need to listen.

How do we listen to our marketplace? Try some of these on for size:

Client satisfaction survey
Client needs assessments
Attend industry trade shows
Monitor blogs for mentions of your company and your competitors
Read trade publications
The old-fashioned suggestion box
Google yourself/company

Along with those effective methods, there are also more direct and immediate ways to actively listen. After you've completed a project or delivered your product, why not just pick up the phone and call? Ask for their impressions. Find out if you surprised them in any way (good or bad) and what they expected the experience or product usage to be like.

Imagine how you would feel if you received that kind of call. Appreciated? Special? Is that the kind of call you're likely to talk about? You bet.

A word of caution. Do not try to sell anything during this call. This is about listening, remember?

If you commit to listening more, you will glean insights that change the way you do business and you'll see a spike in sales as a result. Guaranteed.

Word of mouth is a two-way street!

March 16, 2009

Let’s face it, stories about shoddy service, a product that flopped or a clerk who was the epitome of rude make much better stories than when things go well. It's basic human nature.

When was the last time you heard about good hospital food? I rest my case!

We all know the power of word of mouth advertising, but what do you do when your customers are telling stories you’d rather not have seep beyond your door?

The best defense is to clearly communicate that your business wants to hear when things don’t go according to plan. Let them tell you, rather than 137 of their closest friends.

Offer satisfaction guarantees.
Always ask, at the end of a transaction, if the client is happy with the results.
Do follow up contacts, by phone or mail to verify that the customer is still satisfied.
Point blank ask if they would refer you to their friends or colleagues.

Of course, you can do all of those things, but if you don’t actually listen and respond to concerns and complaints – don’t add insult to injury by asking. That just makes for a better story.

Look around your business. Check your invoices and receipts. Re-read your “welcome” letters or official business literature. If you were a brand new client – would you immediately recognize that your business was open to hearing complaints?

Take steps today to make your business one that encourages grumbling, grousing, complaining and whining.

Not only will you stop the viral spreading of the bad story but you’ll probably improve the buying experience for all your customers and generate more of that good word of mouth you’re hoping for!

How do you currently ask for feedback? What's the most creative/compelling tactic for getting feedback that you've experienced?

The marketing whisperer ( a marketing lesson from Maggie the mostly lab)

February 26, 2009

You may remember that there was an addition to the McLellan family this fall — Maggie the mostly lab (no idea what she's mixed with.) And yes…that's her sitting on the deck table. And yes, I did tell her to get down. Now you see the problem.

Since her arrival, two things have happened. She's gotten a lot bigger. And she's gotten a lot less obedient. Think Marley and Me without popcorn or previews.

I took her to puppy school. Pretty sure we only passed because the instructor did not want us back. As she was standing on her hind legs, paws on the kitchen counter… eating what was supposed to be dinner (ours, not hers) and I am shouting at her (without her even blinking of course) I realized I needed more help.

So I found a dog whisperer. She doesn't call herself that…but that's who she is. She came by yesterday for our first "in home" training appointment and it was amazing. Truly amazing.

Within 20 minutes, she had Maggie calm, sitting and laying down without giving her a verbal command. While she trained the dog….she was really training me.

What she didn't realize is that she's also a marketing whisperer. Here were her key lessons for yesterday.

Dogs (potential customers) aren't going to pay any more attention to you if you shout. If you're not speaking their language, it doesn't matter how loud you are. Shouting just scares or irritates them.

Dogs (potential customers) will behave the way you want them to because there's something in it for them. We don't go to work because we love it, we work because of the paycheck. Show the dog (potential customer) what they get and they'll change their behavior.

Dogs (potential customers) need consistent behavior. It's what reassures them and makes them comfortable. When you behave erratically or there's lots of inconsistency — it scares them. They don't know what to expect or believe.

Dogs (potential customers) have very short attention spans. Better to train/talk to them in lots of 2 minute increments, rather than a single hour-long session.

There you have it….words of wisdom from our very own marketing whisperer. Which of those training rules are you breaking? Have you learned a tough lesson by breaking one of them?

Which customer service example are you?

February 6, 2009

When I was a kid, I loved Highlights Magazine. My favorite feature was Goofus and Gallant.

If you're over 30, you remember that it was a side by side comparison of two boys and their behavior. So it might say….

Goofus gets up from the dinner table and goes into his room to listen to the radio. Gallant helps his mom clear the table before pursuing his hobbies. (remember, I was a kid a long, long time ago).

I had my own grown-up Goofus and Gallant experience this week.

Goofus: As part of a mystery shopping exercise for our regional bank client, I went into a local bank (not our client's) to open a checking account. I was in business attire, it was the middle of the afternoon and there were no other customers in the bank. I walked in and looked around for a brochure rack, so I could figure out what checking account to open. I'd been in the lobby a good 3-4 minutes before one of the bankers said hello.

I approached her and said I wanted to open a checking account. She handed me a form on a clipboard (like the doctor's office does) and told me to fill it out. (I was told to sit in the lobby) When I was done, I brought it back and she led me into her office. We spent the next 10-15 minutes with the printer popping out forms and me signing docs. During that time, she did not:

Ask my name
Introduce herself
Give me her business card
Tell me about the other features of the bank
Ask about my other banking needs
Get my e-mail address so they could stay in touch
Appear to give a rat's rear end about me, my business, my family or my finances

She did however, mention how much she hates the cold weather and was tired.

On the flip side of the coin…..

Gallant: I am volunteering for a local charity telethon in a couple weeks. I should have ordered the team t-shirts weeks ago but of course, I hadn't. The team I'm leading always wants screaming bright t-shirts, so I did a Google search and found CustomInk. I went to their site…found some vivid purple shirts, uploaded the charity's logo (paid for rush shipping because I am a moron for waiting so long) and voila, my order was done.

I got a call in the morning (of course, I ordered the shirts in the middle of the night) from one of their production artists, asking if we had the logo in a different format because they thought it would reproduce better. If not, they'd try to re-create it for us. (At no charge) I sent him the new format and thought we were all set.

Then, later that same day, I receive an e-mail from a one of their customer service folks (Laney) who says…"it looks like you have designed shirts for a charity event. If that's the case, CustomInk would love to make a small donation to your team or charity on your behalf."

Holy cow. I spent less than $200 on shirts and they want to make a donation? I sent her an e-mail to say thank you and shared the link so she could read about the telethon. Next thing I know…Laney's picked up the phone, spoken to one of the charity's employees and made a $20 donation. The e-mail telling me she'd done that…referenced the charity staff by name and was a bit apologetic that they could only donate $20. And, she shared with me a program where they'll take fifty cents off each shirt, if they can put their logo on the back of the shirt as a sponsor for any future orders we might have.

Wow.

If I had said to you…which business could profit more from me, over time, you'd guess the bank, true? If we'd guess who received more on the job training, odds are we'd guess the bank employee. If we wondered which business should be more prone to great customer service — the local bank or the online t-shirt shop, I'm guessing we'd have said the bank.

Guess which business just got a raving fan and who is going to make a lot of money from me over time?

I wouldn't guess the bank, would you?

If you had to guess how a brand new customer would be treated by your staff — would you think they're a Goofus or a Gallant? Are you sure?

Is this the year of the customer?

January 8, 2009

I've long lamented the fact that companies find the idea of marketing/talking to their current customers as less sexy or valuable than the chase for new business. The reality is, most companies spend backwards.

They invest the most money on strangers they hope will become customers
They spend a little money on current customers — taking their business for granted
They spend little to no money on their employees, who either deliver the brand promise and delight the customer…or not so much.

Looks silly, when you see it spelled out that way, doesn't it? I believe the recession, the employee shortage (which has been temporarily delayed because of all the layoffs) and the new consciousness in terms of fiscal responsibility may finally make this the year when organizations begin to recognize the value in investing in their current customers and employees.

Around the internet….I have been initiating some conversations around this topic.

What will be different in '09? Over at Small Business Branding, I offer up the idea of surveying clients you lost in the course of '08. It's a tough love sort of assignment, but it can really open your eyes in terms of what needs to be different in '09.

How long will it take? At Marketing Profs Daily Fix, I worry that business owners are going to be so anxious about their spending that they're going to expect results that just aren't achievable or they're going to expect the results instantaneously, rather than giving their marketing time to grow roots. The comments section really digs into the talk to your current customers aspect so don't miss that part.

Dance with the one who brought you. One of the comments by James Hipkin in the "how long will it take" post inspired me to dig deeper into the idea and value of focusing more of your marketing efforts on your current customer.

So go check out those conversations and then come on back and let's talk about how we can communicate more often and more effectively with our current clients.

The best way to grow your business

November 23, 2008

So you want more customers? Happier customers? Customers who rave about you to others?

How about bigger sales per transaction? More repeat business? Fewer complaints? Less down time?

The answer to all of those desires…happy employees.

Workplace attitude, employee engagement, taking good care of your people, creating a positive and fun work atmosphere…call it what you want. But it’s not HR mumbo jumbo, it’s not new age hoopla and it’s not the employees angling for more perks.

It’s smart business and any manager or business owner who doesn’t truly understand and believe that – should listen up.

If you don’t instinctively understand the connection between employees who like their work, co-workers and managers and how that ties to happy and prosperous customers…check out these numbers.

A recent study by Harvard Business School found that every 1% increase in staff loyalty resulted in a half percent increase in customer loyalty.
Gallop’s 2006 research to better understand the linkage between employee satisfaction and return on investment (ROI) found that companies with higher levels of employee engagement enjoyed higher ROI.
A recent survey conducted by Maritz found that 43% of customers who stopped doing business with a company made their decision based on poor customer service. Engaged employees are the key to excellent customer service. Engaged employees are employees that feel as though they are truly valued at work; that their efforts directly contribute towards the mission and success of the company.
48% of executives cited that better communication was the best remedy for low employee spirits, according to a new Accountemps report that surveyed 150 executives from the nation’s top 1,000 companies.

The bottom line is this – your employees make or break your bottom line.

It’s your job as a manager or owner to inspire them to help you create a workplace where everyone feels valued, appreciated, noticed and safe. Add in some fun and you have a place that no employee will want to leave.

So how do you do that?

Get it. I mean really get it. Take some time to reflect on all of this and allow yourself to see the value in happy employees. Put aside your pre-conceived notions or age-old biases and understand the new work place.

Invest in it. Both in terms of time and money. Spend some time getting to know your employees and what matters to them. Create a small fund and let them plan quarterly events (within company walls or an outing during the workday)

Learn more about it. Read books (see the list at the bottom of the post), read blogs, subscribe to newsletters. Or here’s a crazy idea – ask your employees. Be honest with them. Tell them this is something you’d like to get better at and you need their help.

Involve the employees. Help them help you. Get their ideas. Let them recognize each other. (check out how we do that at MMG) Have them work with you to create a whole new strategy for attracting and retaining good employees. Find out what matters to them and let them take the lead – but with your 110% support.

Still not convinced? Unless you can run the whole place by yourself – you actually need the employees more than they need you. Wouldn’t you rather invest in the ones you already have, rather than going through the pain of finding and training new ones?

Here are some resources worth your time.

BOOKS:

Radical Leap
FISH: A Remarkable to Boost Morale and Improve Results
Fired Up or Burnt Out: How to re-ignite your team’s passion, creativity and productivity

BLOGS/WEBSITES:

Become a better leader
Training and Development Blog
All Things Workplace

Okay, brilliant readers — time for you to add to the discussion. What are the most effective ways you’ve experienced (from other side of the table) to engage, excite and motivate employees to deliver your brand promise and make the customers hungry for more?

Build A … might mean Build A Sale

November 9, 2008

One of the biggest trends we’ve seen over the past decade is the desire to customize everything. Build your own jeans, build a bear, and now, build your own Muppet. (mine is rather dashing, eh?) And yes, you can order your Muppet after you build him/her.

The buyers of today are used to being able to modify a standard offering and make it their own.

While I think it’s easier to create this "Build A" feature into production of a tangible thing…I also believe that those of us in the services industry need to be mindful of this trend as well.

What could you allow your clients to customize?

Build a payment schedule?
Build a custom training/learning experience?
Build a marketing plan?

It seems to me that the trend is here to stay. As the buyer gets younger, the demand for customization will be greater. What could you offer today (or soon) to jump on this trend?

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