Customers/Clients

You want my name and e-mail address? What’s it going to take?

May 14, 2007

So, part of your marketing strategy is to capture contact information off your website.   You might offer a free webinar or white paper.  But what will be enticing enough for your visitors to cough up their info?  And actually give you real data?

MarketingSherpa and KnowledgeStorm did a survey to ask just those sorts of questions.  Here are some interesting stats from their research summary. You’ll be able to view all the results on KnowledgeStorm’s website in a few weeks.

What will prompt someone to register?

The golden oldie — the white paper still reigns supreme.  But case studies are close behind. Vendors are clearly more tolerant (which makes sense) than users.  But even product literature is at a respectable 45%.

Will I go by Drew McLellan or Derek Monohan?

This is the chart that fascinated me.  I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but it has never even occurred to me to put false information into the form.  I am sure it speaks to my own  foolishness or something.  Makes you want to come try to sell me something doesn’t it?  But, it’s fascinating to study what people guard and what they’re pretty free with.  Why would someone lie more often about their title than their name?  And who cares what industry you’re in?

This chart reminded me of a very insightful post that Matt Dickman wrote in March about the impact of trying to collect too much data too fast. 

What do you think?  If you had to give your website a letter grade today — how are you doing on this stuff?  Are you offering the right mix of enticements?  Are you asking for too much or too  little information?

What could you do differently that would improve your results?

More

Are you staying on topic?

May 12, 2007

 

Whether it is your blog, your sales pitch or your staff meetings — you need to stay focused and on topic.  An occasional deviation is fine but part of your brand promise is that you’re going to deliver consistently.

How do you check to see if you’re staying on the right road?

More

Name a new product from 2006

May 6, 2007

Advertising spending rose from $271 billion in ’05 to $285 billion last year.  And yet, according to a survey conducted annually, 81% of consumers could not name one of the Top 50 new product launched in 2006.

Could you?  (And saying Dr. Pepper Berries & Cream is cheating!)

The number of new products released in 2006 was  32,624.  Surely we could remember just one.  This 81% lack of recognition is an all-time high.

Here are the numbers:

2006    81%
2005    57%
2004    56%
2003    50%
2002    33%

The survey noted that most of the products were launched via traditional media. So not only is 2006 an all-time high.  It is an all-time high in a big, bad way. 

Why?

• Do you think TiVo had anything to do with it?
• Do you suppose the fact that most cable and satellite companies now supply DVRs had something to do with it?
• Do you think the fact that magazine circulation is down has anything to do with it?
• Do you think Sirius or XM Radio have anything to do with this?
• Do you suppose 15 million active blogs influenced this number?

If you had a brand new product and a reasonable budget, how would you launch it today?

More

Are you an All Talk Tammy?

May 6, 2007

My teenage daughter came home the other day with a middle school dilemma.

Two of her friends, we’ll call them Tammy and Arthur had her in a quandary.  Arthur told my daughter a story about something that happened during the lunch period involving him, Tammy and another girl, Cathy.  When my daughter asked Tammy about the situation, she told a completely different tale. In fact, she said the incident never happened at all.

So naturally, my daughter came home, wondering who was telling the truth. We talked a little about perception versus reality but let’s face it, the incident either happened or it didn’t.

Then, out of the mouth of my 13 year old, came some sage marketing advice. She said, "Well, since I don’t know if what they said was the truth, I’ll pay attention to how they behave."

Tammy has a checkered past when it comes to telling the truth. Arthur on the other hand, has always proved to be a man of his word. Case closed. While she agreed that Arthur could certainly be exaggerating the truth, in the end she believed that the incident did occur.

Don’t disregard this as a middle school drama. There’s a very loud and clear message in there for anyone who’s crafting marketing messages.

All Talk Tammy:  Your words are meaningless if you don’t live up to them.  If you’re an All Talk Tammy, your consumers will ferret that out.  Actions will always win out over pretty words. Especially if there is a pattern of inconsistency.

And when Catalyst Cathy comes along and creates a crisis (whistle blower, product recall, employee strike, bad customer service experience, etc) then you’ve got real trouble.

Authentic Arthur:  When you’ve earned a reputation for being authentic, it is like having a full bank account.  If you have trouble (see Catalyst Cathy’s list above) you can afford to make a withdrawal sand still have a little left over. Of course, that depends on you remaining authentic.

Here’s an interesting question.  How many marketers out there THINK that they’re Arthur in this story, but their consumers know them to be a Tammy?

More

Good customer service can be MAGIC!

May 5, 2007

When you experience incredible customer service, it feels magical doesn’t it?

And isn’t bad customer service a teeth-gritting frustration?

It seems pretty simple, doesn’t it?  Care about the customer. Own their problem.  Make them feel welcome. And yet, so few seem to get it.  And when they do — we trumpet it to the world.  We herald them for being brilliant marketers.

How sad is that?  That the simple courtesy of creating a positive buying experience is so remarkable that we react that way.  But it is.  And we do.

There’s a new book out that addresses this issue in a very compelling, hands on learning sort of way.  How to Talk to Customers, Create a Great Impression Every Time with MAGIC is the newest offering of Diane Berenbaum and Tom Larkin.

The book is a quick, entertaining read.  It tells some incredible stories of customer service do’s and don’ts.  It focuses on one critical aspect of customer service.  The conversations your employees have with customers every day.  The authors have based the book on their customer service training program MAGIC which stands for Make A Great Impression on the Customer.

But once you’re inside the book, you’ll discover they have attached a different and more meaty meaning to the same acronym.

M — Make a connection: Build the relationship
A — Act Professionally: Express Confidence
G — Get to the Heart of the Matter:  Listen and Ask Questions.
I — Inform and clarify what you will do
C — Close with the relationship in mind

One of the nicest features of the book are their MAGIC Maxims at the end of every chapter.   They provide a nice summary of the key points of that chapter.  There are also many "hands on exercises" that are worth thinking through and trying.

Good customer service. Seems like it should be a duh but it sure isn’t.  If you don’t read this book and get some new ideas, make some changes and see an improvement in how you and your team deal with customers…then you weren’t paying attention.

You can also check out the authors and their customer service training and consulting company, Communico at their corporate website.

And added bonus — the authors know something about delivering an enjoyable customer experience.  The book is a fun and entertaining read. You’ll hardly notice that you’re learning something!

Is improving your customers’ experience worth $18?  Buy the book.

More

Stop selling!

May 4, 2007

I’ve had this conversation about four times in the recent weeks.  All with different people, marketing different products or services.  But they all started out the same.

"I’m not closing very many sales.  What am I doing wrong?"  In digging a little deeper, it was inevitable that what the marketer was doing wrong was pushing for the sale. 

People will buy what they decide they want to buy.  They will not buy what you’re selling. Your job as a marketer is not to sell.  Your job is to help the customer want to buy.  A distinct difference.

Sellers talk.  They have a pre-ordained speech that they offer up to potential customers.  They know how to weave in the features.  They might even have a favorite customer success story or two to tell.  They’ve got a great graph that clearly highlights the superiority of their product over the competitors.  They’re sincere.  They believe in their product and genuinely want to help their customers.

So what’s wrong with that?

One thing is missing.  The customer.  In that cavalcade of talking, there was very little listening.  There weren’t questions asked. For the most part, it could have taken place without the customer being present.  And that’s the key word.  Present.

To be a good salesperson, which let’s face it, is what a marketer is – we must be present.

Being present means that you start by listening.  And when you’re done listening, you ask a few questions.  Which demands more listening.  And you repeat that pattern until the person either says one of two things.  They either say thank you and goodbye or they ask if you will sell them your product.

What would happen if you didn’t push for the close but instead let your customer push for it?

More

Marketing Tips from a Marketing Agency: Brand Your Interviews

May 2, 2007

It would only stand to reason that a marketing & branding agency would be pretty good at branding and marketing itself.

So I thought it might be fun to explore some branding & marketing concepts using our own agency, McLellan Marketing Group, as the guinea pig.

Brand your interviews

We brand ourselves so consumers can decide if we’d be a good match.  We make a promise so that someone who isn’t interested in our promise just moves on.  We should be using our brand to do that same kind of sorting/weeding for employees too.

Your interview questions should do more than tell you about the candidate.  They should tell the candidate about you.

Here are some MMG favorites:

• What rules do you break at work?
• What’s the first thing you do in the morning?
• In a team environment, are you a motivator, player, leader, or enthusiast?
• If you were a salad dressing, what kind would you be and why?
• Persuade me to move to Des Moines.
• How do you manage stress?
• What’s your personal motto?
• You’ve got one seat left in the fallout shelter, family not included, who gets the seat?
• What’s your definition of working too hard?
• If I met one of your former co-workers at a BBQ and they’d had a beer or two, what would they tell me about you?
• If you could have one super power, which would you choose?

I’m not suggesting these are the questions for you. These questions speak to the MMG brand. Each of these give a little clue about the company and the people who work there. 

So knowing your culture like you do — what might your branded interview questions be about?

More

Good news for Iowa Businesses!

May 1, 2007

 

 

Today is a great day for Iowa Businesses!  IowaBiz.com officially launches and boy is it packed with content!

IowaBiz.com is designed with only one goal — helping small businesses grow stronger and more profitable.  We’ve lined up 12 incredibly smart and generous Central Iowa bloggers who are going to create new content every single day of the month.

Meet the Team

Accounting/Finance:  Joe Kristan
Human Resources/Leadership:  Shirley Poertner
Intellectual Property Law:  Brett Trout
ESOP/Company Culture:  Victor Aspengren
Life/Work Balance:  Mitch Matthews
Insurance:  Brian Honnold
Networking:  Adam Steen
Social/Viral Media: Mike Sansone
Business Law:  Rush Nigut
Call Center/Customer Service: Tom Vander Well
Project Management:  Tim Johnson
Marketing/Branding:  Drew McLellan

All of the authors are open to topic suggestions, so stop by, enjoy the high quality insights and ask a question or two.

Special thanks to Professional Solutions Insurance Services for being our corporate sponsor!

More

Marketing Tips from a Marketing Agency: Celebrate your work as fine art

April 29, 2007

It would only stand to reason that a marketing & branding agency would be pretty good at branding and marketing itself.

So I thought it might be fun to explore some branding & marketing concepts using our own agency, McLellan Marketing Group, as the guinea pig.

Celebrate your work as fine art

It’s easy to take the work we do for granted.  A successful campaign.  No biggie.  We do it every day.  A delighted client.  Great but no time to slow down to celebrate — we’ve got work to do.  Lands End calls and asks if they can use on of our logos in the catalog because they like it so much. A quick "wow, that’s cool" and its back to the next project.

We take it for granted because we do it every day.  But our work is the magic of what we do.  It’s what creates the oohs and ahhhs.  It’s one of the reasons prospects are drawn to us. And we should celebrate that.

What’s in your lobby?  A Grant Wood painting?  An abstract sculpture? What do you have laying around for your clients and vendors to look at while they wait?  Could you make those opportunities for a subtle sales message?

At MMG, you’ll find our walls covered with art.  Our art.  Our clients’ art.  We celebrate our work, our clients’ faith in us and our creativity. (the photography doesn’t do it justice)  A side benefit of our work hanging around the office is that clients,  guests and vendors ask questions.  Which lets us tell the story of the project — challenges, ideas, execution and results.  It’s a beautiful thing.

No matter what you do — there are elements of your work that are fascinating to other people.  You probably don’t notice it anymore because you take it for granted.

When was the last time your client asked you to tell them about one of your successes?  What could you do to inspire that sort of opportunity?

More

Screwing up STINKS!

April 23, 2007

Three quick facts about making a mistake.

• You’re bound to do it.
• It can cost you a customer.
• Most people don’t handle it well.

In fact, disappointing a customer stinks.  Fortunately the solution does too.

S — Shut up.  When a customer begins to complain, just shut up and listen.  They need to vent.  You need to understand what has them upset.  To accomplish both, shut up.

T — Take ownership.  Your fault, someone in shipping’s fault, the customer’s fault.  It doesn’t matter.  Once the customer hands you the problem, make it yours.

I — Investigate the problem.  Your customer wants to know they’re getting more than lip service.  And, you want to avoid having to do this again, don’t you?

N — Never offer an excuse.  It doesn’t matter why it happened.  It just matters that it happened.  Once the situation is defused and you’ve done your investigating, then you can offer an explanation.  But never an excuse.

K — Keep your word.  If you say you’re going to call them back  that afternoon, do it.  If you say you’re going to mail them some coupons or pick up the tab for dinner or deliver the corrected report by Thursday — do it. 

S — Say you are sorry.  Use those exact words.  "I’m sorry this happened."  "I’m sorry we kept you waiting."  The customer wants to hear that you feel badly.  They do and they do not want to feel it all by themselves!

I can see you, you’re shaking your head at me and saying "well duh, Drew."  But you know what…it’s not a duh.  Otherwise more companies would actually handle problems this way.

So print this off and post it somewhere that your employees can see it.  Better yet, go over it with them at the next quarterly  meeting.  And  then walk the talk by demonstrating how it works next time you make a mistake.

Think you won’t?  Refer to the top of the post!

More