Customers/Clients Archives - Page 25 of 35

Surprise!

February 14, 2008

There are good surprises and then there are bad surprises.

On Saturday evening, my daughter and I were driving towards home when all of a sudden, my foot could not find the gas pedal. It was gone. I stomped and wiggled my foot all over the floor of my truck….but no gas pedal.

We coasted over into a left turn lane, I threw the truck in park and hopped out. My gas pedal was still there…but just sitting limply on the floor.

We weren’t going anywhere. Bad surprise.

Long story short…tow truck. Repair place. Rental car. Snapped cable from pedal to engine. Empty wallet.

When I picked up the truck on Monday night, I noticed that something was different. The seat belt on my side had developed a snag which turned into a vertical tear, along the seat belt. Which meant that it caught on the seat belt latch, every time I buckled up. It was annoying.

But, while the repair place had my truck and was replacing the gas pedal cable, they had "re-strung" my seat belt, so the tear didn’t catch any more. They didn’t charge me for it. They didn’t even mention they’d done it.

Good surprise.

Suddenly, I felt a whole lot better about the empty wallet. They’d done something special for me. Something they didn’t have to do. That’s the beauty of surprises…they make us feel noticed and valued.

How often do you do that for your clients? Do a little something extra? Put a note in a bill saying that you aren’t charging them for something, send dessert over to their table, let the ride run a wee bit longer?

Toby Bloomberg e-mailed me a couple days ago and asked me for a tip on building great client relationships. I said…"surprise them…give them a little more than what they expected or paid for."

Good surprises, like my seat belt are great fodder for passionate, genuine word of mouth. Give your clients a reason to tell stories about you.

By the way….Toby asked many a marketer this question. She’s compiled all the answers for us and there’s plenty to think about. Check it out.

Related posts:

Are you boring your customers?
Surprise! (Marketing lesson from Walt)
Turn things upside down!

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Who came first – The Mac Guy or the Mac User?

February 2, 2008

That Mac Guy in the Apple ads is pretty confident. He knows the Mac is a superior machine and so he can afford to be nice to the poor PC, who can’t really help being inferior. Afterall, it’s not that he isn’t a nice guy, but it’s just that he’s not Mac.

That’s the basic theme of the Apple spots, featuring the Mac Guy. Here’s a great example of how Apple has positioned the product and personality of their products.

They’re funny, memorable and different. They’re also very spot on, when you think about your favorite Mac user. Most Mac users I know (myself included) feel a little cocky about the fact that they’ve discovered (in their opinion) the superior computer.

In fact according to a recent article on AdAge.com, Mindset Media did a study and found that the ad’s personifications of Mac users was dead on. Their research "mind-set profile" — a psychographic ranking system that scores respondents on 20 different elements of personality — found Mac users to be more assured of their superiority, less modest and more open than the general population. (The article goes into more depth on the study…a good read)

On the flip side, the one and only area where PC users did stand out as statistically different was in creativity — low creativity, that is. Mindset Media found they tend to be realists who are emotionally steady and work well with what they’re given. (Sorry, PC readers, I just really could not resist. I know lots of you are very creative….despite what the study said!)

But here’s the marketing question. Which came first? Has the Mac Guy influenced and shaped the Mac Users’ attitude? Or does Apple have a remarkable handle on their customers and was able to create Mac Guy as a compilation of all their Mac Users?

Marketing question #2 — what do you think the impact is, from the Apple brand perspective, of this alignment long term?

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If content is king — meet the royal court!

January 26, 2008

Whether we are talking "old" marketing or "new" one thing hasn’t changed. If you aren’t relevant, you won’t survive the scrutiny of an audience that is time starved and attention span short.

To make this point, Junta42 has released their Top 42 Marketing Content blogs. They define content marketing as:

"Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action."

As you can imagine, I’m honored that my blog was included, as well as Daily Fix where I also get to show my pretty face.

Truth be told…there are lots of lists out there. And it’s always nice to be included. But, I figure the value in them is that they introduce us to thinkers and writers we might not have met before. So, with that caveat — if you want to learn more about content marketing, take a lesson from these masters.

Many of these are on my must read list, but I discovered some new blogs as well. Even if you just add a couple to your feed reader, you’re going to be glad you did!

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What’s your competition’s hook?

January 24, 2008

I really ~~hate~~ strongly dislike my dry cleaners. I’ve written about them before, but in a nutshell…

They don’t acknowledge that they have any idea who I am, despite having seen me at least weekly for a couple years
When I walk in, rather than asking if they can help me, they act as though I am interrupting them
They have lost 4 of my shirts and never apologized (they’re sure they are in my closet)
They break a button on one of my shirts about every 3 weeks

So by now, you are saying "Geez Drew. I have a solution for you. Go to a different dry cleaners."

Ahhh, there’s the rub and the marketing discussion. You see, I have said the same thing to myself many times. But I don’t. Why not?

This dry cleaners is 3 minutes from my house. It is in my traffic pattern. They even have a drive thru window. The commodity I value most is time. So, I endure them.

So here’s the marketing question in all of this — do you understand what hooks your competitors have set into your prospects? By all impressions — I should be an easy win for another dry cleaners.

I am very dissatisfied with my current provider
What they sell is a commodity
There is a low cost of entry — doesn’t cost me a lot to switch

Yet, I (so far) am staying put. A coupon or sale isn’t going to lure me away. Telling me about the latest and greatest equipment — no such luck.

This is one of the sticky wickets we don’t talk about very much in marketing. You can do all the right things, aimed at the right people…and still not win their business. Unless you understand the hooks.

What are the common hooks in your industry? If you know — what are you doing to remove those hooks? If you don’t know — how could you find out?

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The Advertising Show talks dialogue

January 19, 2008

I had the good fortune of chatting with radio hosts Ray Schilens and Brad Forsythe on their weekly radio show sponsored by Advertising Age.

As you might guess, we talked about how the marketing monologue is dead, how companies need to start listening to what’s being said about them and the Age of Conversation.

Take a listen. If you are so inclined, give the show a good rating so we can spread the word about Age of Conversation even further.

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Are you boring your customers?

December 17, 2007

When was the last time you told a friend about an experience you had that was absolutely ordinary? A meal that was good. Customer service that was adequate. Nothing wrong…but nothing special either.

We sure notice when a product or service falls below our expectations but give us just what we expect and we’re pretty underwhelmed.

Actually, we’re jaded. We don’t notice, let alone talk about the ordinary. The expected. The good enough. We don’t get excited unless something extraordinary happens. That’s how we live our lives as consumers.

But when we put on our marketing hat, we’re astonished that the marketplace doesn’t applaud our efforts every day. Truth be told…many organizations are satisfied with just delivering satisfactory.

You don’t have to create a circus in your consultation room or have minstrels wandering through your store. You don’t have to serve gourmet snacks outside the dressing room. But you do have to find a way to infuse something remarkable into your product or service.

Now here’s the tricky part – it also has to be genuine. Consumers are not only jaded but they’re smart. Rightfully so – they hate being manipulated and they can spot insincerity a mile away. So a manufactured moment feels forced and insulting. The trick to creating the extraordinary is that it needs to come from the heart. The heart of the organization. Your brand.

It’s not as hard as you might think to take the leap to extraordinary. Take stock. Scrutinize every time you interact with a client and let your imagination off its leash. How could you change that moment and go beyond good to reach for spectacular? What would feel special and genuine from both your customers and your employees’ point of view?

What could you do that’s worth talking about?

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Can you brand your clients’ holiday gift?

December 13, 2007

Have the holiday gifts begun to accumulate at your place of employ? Have you decided on/delivered your season’s greetings?

Over at Marketing Profs Daily Fix, I raise the issue of branding your holiday gifts. I’m not talking about giving someone a pen or t-shirt with your logo on it. (You’re not doing that, are you?) I’m talking about selecting a gift that will stand out from the others because it could have only come from you.

Come on over and share stories — either from the giving or the receiving end!

Here are some other takes on the topic:
8 client gifts to show your appreciation
Fewer small business owners will give clients gifts this season
Client gifts as a marketing tool
Top client gifts
All I want for Christmas is…

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Consumers Spill: White Lies They Tell Businesses/Business Owners All the Time

December 9, 2007

~ I really care about you or business’ success.

~ You looked so good in your TV commercial. You should never pay for professional talent.

~ I don’t know how much I have to spend.

~ I behave just like everyone else in my demographic.

~ I don’t mind waiting for you to finish your personal conversation before acknowledging me.

~ It’s okay to ignore me if you don’t know the answer.

~ Let me get right back to you on that. Thanks so much for the cold call.

~ No, no….everything is fine. We’ll be back soon.

Of course, the consumers don’t utter these words. They just behave politely and sales people and business owners make erroneous assumptions every day, based on those behaviors.

Which of these lies are you choosing to believe?

Note: This post was instigated by Brian Clark of Copyblogger fame. He wrote a post claiming that you can always get blog post inspiration from the cover of Cosmo magazine and challenged his readers to give it a try. Hat tip to my friend Director Tom for reminding me to take part.

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You are always on stage

December 8, 2007

I pulled into a Jiffy Lube to get my oil changed. The guys had the bay doors closes to keep out the wind.

Just as I was about to knock on the window, I heard the very annoyed manager ripping into the employee standing next to him, "I don’t give a %$#* if you need to…"

He then turned, saw me and came out with a big smile on his face. A little late for that.

He had forgotten (or never learned) a key business lesson.

You are always on stage.

If you were to get a job at Disney World, you’d go through three days of "The Disney Way" training. It doesn’t matter if you are sweeping up popcorn, running an attraction or putting on the Goofy costume. Everyone goes through the training. And one of the core lessons taught to the cast members is….you are always on stage.

If a customer can hear, see, touch, smell or taste you (okay the last two are probably not as likely) then you are on stage. You should behave as though the most important customer in the world is right there.

Because it might be true.

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Susan Gunelius: Is Demographic Segmentation Dead?

November 25, 2007

Social media and viral marketing strategies have become critical components to any marketing plan. While many companies have yet to learn how to fully leverage the strength of the social web to boost sales and profits, it's essential that companies don't give up to soon and continue testing the waters of Web 2.0 to find the right marketing mix.

Part of leveraging the social web to market a brand or product involves changing your marketing mindset related to segmenting your customer base. Finding your 'best' customers is a fundamental step in building a business.

Typically, the next step involves defining ways to find more people like your 'best' customers in order to target that market with advertising, promotions, etc. Usually, this step is done by the traditional segmentation of your customers focusing on similar demographic characteristics then finding similar people based on those demographics.

However, this is not the most effective way to segment and target customers in the world of Web 2.0. The social web is defined by behaviors rather than demographics. People can use the internet for researching, communicating, shopping and more without revealing a single piece of demographic information.

Relying on demographic segmentation when building a Web 2.0 marketing strategy will lead a marketing strategy down a path to failure. Instead, internet users must be segmented and targeted based on their online behaviors. What sites do they visit, what pages do they view on those sites and what links do they click? Those are just a few of the relevant questions marketers need to ask to understand their current and potential online customers.

By continually evaluating online customer behaviors and adjusting the marketing plan to address those behaviors, marketers can find similar people and introduce the best offers, in the best places and at the best time.

Shifting your thinking from demographic segmenting and targeting to behavioral segmenting and targeting can be a big change, and managing that change can feel like a big risk. However, marketers who learn to leave demographics behind and embrace behaviors will thrive in creating and executing social web marketing strategies.

Drew's Note: Susan Gunelius is the author of two marketing blogs, Brandcurve and MarketingBlurb as well as a new business blog called Women On Business. She has over a decade of experience in corporate marketing, advertising and branding. Susan is the first of the good guys who is in fact, a good woman.

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