Passion Archives - Page 5 of 25 - McLellan Marketing Group

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?

Do we have to over think everything?

January 16, 2009

I spent several hours on a recent Saturday with a 25 year old entrepreneur. What struck me the most about him was how quickly and nimbly he moved from idea to action.

I'm not talking huge actions — but test the water actions.

I think many companies suffer from "Overthinkitis." By the time they have vetted, committeed and white papered an idea…it's not new anymore. In fact, someone else launched it 6 months ago.

One of the biggest benefits of the digital world is that we can leap from idea to action quickly and often — inexpensively. We don't have to vet it in a boardroom — we can vet it in the market.

I'm challenging myself and you — let 2009 be the year that you move from thought to action faster and with more of a "lab experiment" mentality. Don't wait until it's perfect. Stop thinking…start doing. And start doing — faster.

John Moore at Brand Autopsy has an annual tradition. On New Year's eve, he posts Bruce Mau's Incomplete Manifesto for Change. Bruce is a remarkable design consultant who first crafted his manifesto in 1998. Bruce's manifesto captures the spirit of this idea far better than I could.

Please take time to read it. Better yet — take time to do it.

What's one idea you want to quickly take to action? Could you do it in 10 days? Tomorrow?

Update: Jay Heyman's brain is on the same wave length.

Does being good make you invisible?

December 11, 2008

I hope you’re not good. Good is fine. Acceptable. Meets my expectations. Good is boring. In fact, for most of us — it’s invisible.

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

You didn’t — right? Something extraordinary (good or bad) needs to happen to get you to tell someone about it.

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?

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?

3 traits of a creative leader

November 23, 2008

I recently had to say goodbye to a very dear friend.

Al owned an advertising agency in New Hampshire and we’d been a part of each other’s unofficial advisory boards (I wrote about my posse awhile back) for almost 10 years. I loved him with all my heart and I’ll miss his humor, straight talk and business smarts.

But…over the years, I learned a great deal from him and I’d like to honor his memory by sharing some of that with you.

Al was from the northeast and he always reminded me of a crusty old sea dawg. But underneath the curmudgeon facade, there was a very savvy business man and one of the biggest hearts I’ve ever known.

So without further ado, here are my lessons from Al on how to lead a creative team.

Love your people: Surround yourself with talent and then make sure they always know how much you appreciate that talent. Celebrate their wins. Help them grow. Push them, but push them knowing you won’t let them free fall. When one of your team stumbles or makes a mistake — acknowledge it first. Use it as a teachable moment but never let them leave the situation feeling bad.

And last but certainly not least…know their aspirations and help them chase their dreams.

Success is no excuse for not staying out front: No matter how successful your team or agency is, you need to stay current and lead the way. Your clients expect you to ahead of the curve. It’s also a very powerful argument for retaining your best employees.

Al was always one of the first to be trying something untested or listening to the latest book. Sometimes he didn’t get it or see the value in it. But that wasn’t the point. He knew he was setting an example for his team and his clients.

Only work with clients who appreciate your smarts and skills: Al’s belief was that life was too short to work with jerks, know it alls, or people who didn’t have the manners to say thank you now and then. He understood that sometimes good clients had unreasonable deadlines, or had to please an ungrateful CEO, or dropped the ball on their end. He didn’t mind that — it’s just a part of the business.

But he wouldn’t tolerate clients who berated, brow beat or were demanding in their tone. His employees didn’t deserve to be treated like that and he made sure they knew he felt that way. As a result, most of his agency’s client relationships were 20+ years or longer. They weren’t just clients, they were respected friends.

Al had figured out the formula for success in this crazy business. Surround yourself with people who had oodles of talent and heart. Only work with clients who appreciate and value those people. And keep everything fresh by always being willing to explore something new. He led by example and with his heart.

He’ll be missed by many of us. But, each of us — client, employee, peer, friend — carry a bit of Al with us. And we’re the better for it.

Remove the irritant – Amazon attacks Wrap Rage

November 4, 2008

We hear a lot of buzz about innovation. Everyone is trying to create the next iPod.

But sometimes, the most powerful way to reward current customers and gain new one is not by inventing something new…but instead, by removing an irritant.

Amazon announced on their home page yesterday (I think) that they’re waging war on Wrap Rage. This is the frustration people experience when they try to open something they’ve bought that has been sealed as though it contained the key to Fort Knox.

In a letter from Jeff Bezos, the company announces it’s multi-year initiative to create Frustration Free Packaging from Amazon. (Read the announcement here. Click on it once to enlarge enough to actually read.)

They go on to announce that they’ve partnered with Fisher-Price to unveil this initiative with the first results of their efforts.

Bloody brilliant.

In addition to waging war on Wrap Rage (who knew it had a name?), they’ve also created a place where customers can upload videos or photos of their own wrap frustrations.

Two big takeaways for all of us:

Sometimes the most innovative thing you can do is eliminate something that’s a barrier or problem.
When you create an easier, better, faster way — shout it to the world.

What is the biggest frustration your customers experience? If you don’t know — ask them. If you do know, why not remove it?

Feel like a manic juggler?

October 28, 2008

Image via WikipediaI don’t know about you but sometimes it can be a little overwhelming. Okay…that’s a lie. It can be incredibly overwhelming.

We’re all juggling as fast as we can and no matter how many balls we have in the air, there’s always another one being tossed into the rotation.

There’s a new project (or three) at work, a new book to read, 5,000 new blog posts in your RSS feed reader, six fresh social media tools to explore and 200+ e-mails. Daily.

That doesn’t even take into account your family, friends and just carving out some down time. Have a hobby? Like to travel? Well, sleep’s optional, right?

Never before in my career have I seen a more turbulent time. Turbulent is not necessarily a bad thing. There’s just so much swirling around us, our customers and the work we do. And it’s exciting. Intoxicating. And important to continuing to be relevant in our jobs.

So…how do you juggle it all? How do you stay sane AND productive?

Here’s my plan. Help me spread the word that we’re looking for Sanity/Productivity tips. Once we get a good collection here, I’ll create an free e-book that we can offer to others suffering from the same manic juggling that we are.

Come on…share a tip, idea or solution that works for you.

The headless horseman comes a callin’ to get you texting!

October 23, 2008

Last Friday a flaming headless horseman galloped across Chicago’s building facades between the Loop and Wrigleyville.

Who rousted him just in time for Halloween? Meijer, a 180-store big box retailer in the Midwest.

The store gave people a chance to win $1,000 if they texted the company directly when they saw the apparition.

Fliers were distributed to get people looking for the horseman and whenever the van projecting the Horseman stopped or idled in traffic, the horse would rear its hind legs and flash the message: text Meijer for a grand.

Not only did the company receive hundreds of text messages, but they also got TV, radio and print media coverage. Declaring it a success, the street team plans to repeat the work this Friday (October 24th) in Cincinnati.

Who is turning off your customers? (a marketing lesson from Maggie the mostly lab)

October 13, 2008

There's a new member of the McLellan family. Maggie the mostly lab puppy. When you get a new baby, you need to take her to the doctor, right?

Our old vet is great, but 20 minutes away. And the last time I was there, we had to put our 13 year old lab to sleep. So, I thought maybe it was time to try someone new.

I got a reference from a co-worker. Word of mouth — check. This was going to work out perfectly.

I walk in to the clinic and I am acknowledged by Michael. It wasn't really a greeting. More like a non verbal sigh. So Michael leads Maggie and me into one of the exam rooms and begins to run through the intake questions.

We were in the room together for about 10 minutes, with Maggie sitting on the exam table. Michael never stopped to pet her or even greet her. He didn't say she was cute or sweet or even how lucky she was to be rescued from a shelter. It was like she wasn't even there. And if you've been around an 8 week old puppy — they're a little tough to miss. I don't know anyone who can resist a puppy. But do I want the guy who can providing care for my dog?

Total turn off. I called the old vet from the exam room as soon as he left.

When we got to the old vet's and the front desk tech (who I did not recognize or know) squealed "look at the adorable puppy!" I knew I'd made the right call. I didn't just want a competent vet. I wanted a clinic where they'll love her. Or at least scratch her behind the ears a bit.

Do your employees squeal when they see a prospect walk in the door? Do they give them a good scratch?

Do you actually have any idea what happens when your customer or prospect walks in your front door? Or calls? Or e-mails? Do you have an employee who doesn't share your passion or vision? Do your employees know how you want your clients to be greeted or welcomed?

Do you know if they're turning off your customers?

You stay in the nest until they’re ready to fly

October 6, 2008

Clients aren’t always ready to go where you need to take them.

They might be afraid. They might not have the budget. They might be caught up in some internal politics. What you’re asking them to do might be difficult. Or, they might not get it.

But the bottom line is, they aren’t ready to leave the nest.

We see that sometimes with clients when we talk about branding. They might think it’s just fluff or they haven’t wrapped their arms around the idea that their logo is not their brand. Whatever the reason — they aren’t ready to take advantage of the power that comes from truly knowing and living your brand story.

So as an agency, we have a choice. We can tell them to come back when they’re ready or we can meet them where they are, stuck in their nest.

Wed all have clients like that. Those clients are like baby birds. If we rush them, shoving them out of the nest….splat! That serves no purpose but our ego.

We need to be patient and just hang with them in the nest. We can feed them little tidbits of information, letting them learn slowly and absorb what we’re telling them. Sooner or later, they’ll want to stretch their wings a little.

When you think about it, that’s our job. To help clients gain the information and confidence (in us) they need so they can stretch their wings.

« Previous 1 … 3 4 5 6 7 … 25 Next »