What a great idea!
I can think of so many applications in order to get customers emotionally involved BEFORE the product is even completed. How about the construction and pre-opening phase of a really cool hotel or resort?
Link: Kong is King.net | King Kong | Peter Jackson's Production Diary.
This has got to go into the ugly category.
The Selfish Marketer (part XIV)
If this wasn't true, you wouldn't believe it.
I needed to store a bunch of stuff as I move my office (the new office, no surprise, is months behind schedule). I went to one of the handy new storage companies (Public Storage), answered all their questions and got this response (click to make it bigger).
Storage
That's right. They don't service my area. Their solution? I should move, then try again.
"Honey, we need to move to Florida!"
"Why?"
"Because we can't store our stuff here in New York."
"Oh."
To be fair, I called the number they asked me to call. I spoke to Cheryl, who was very friendly. I read her the message. She said, "Oh no, we don't serve your area."
"Why," I asked, "did they want me to call you then?"
And her answer, which is priceless, was, "So we could officially tell you."
Here is an overview of the key parts to a Memorable Marketing Plan. Notice the distinct absence of the traditional advertising and media sections.
Remarkable Product/Service
This is where it all starts. Without a product or service worth talking about, you’re doomed. No amount of advertising, gimmickry, or the like will make-up for a dull or inadequate product. So, get this part right for sure. The rest will be much easier if you do.
Memorable Delivery of the Product/Service
Okay, so you’ve created the next “Purple Cow”. Now, comes the really hard part…..making sure your delivery is memorable enough to compel folks to talk about you.
The Story
The Story is the culmination of the first two elements of the plan. It’s the emotional connection you make with your customer. It’s the “what” people say about you and “why” they say it, all wrapped up into one.
Spreading the Story
This is the only part of the plan which at all resembles what you learned in your Marketing 101 class. Please note that it comes LAST! If you don’t get the other parts right, you can forget about this section.
You spread the story by getting people to notice, and then to talk.
People notice you when they hear about you from someone they know and trust. It could be a friend, family member, colleague, or someone they pay for advice like a lawyer or travel agent. Or, it could be a “trusted source” like a popular magazine, club they belong to, etc. You get the picture…they have to be emotionally connected to the source somehow.
Once you do get some folks’ attention, be sure to make it easy for them to spread the word, and make it very clear what you want them to say. Give them fun things to hand-out, make it easy to tell the story (not complicated to risk getting screwed up), give them incentives, follow-up to be sure they have what they need and…..get feedback.
Unlike what ad execs and marketing professors will have you believe, this part of the plan is actually the easy part if you’ve done everything else right.
If you would like the full version, you can download the PDF here:
An interesting point about customer feedback. The point is that you need to listen to customers. But, don't expect them to find breakthrough ideas, product enhancements, etc.
Is your company Customer Centric?
Take this quiz, and find out......
Pay careful attention to Tom's #1 and #2. You'll find them reiterate the points I often drive home about a having a remarkable product, and a memorable delivery.
tompeters! leadership training development project management
Getting Everything Right Except What's Important
Once again, Seth's on the money.
If you can get a prospective or current customer to talk with you, it's many times better than an e-mail, post, etc. Why? because you have a grand chance to gather information, exceed their expectations and get their permission to keep talking with them.
Getting Backwards
Many companies have decided to use the web and automated phone systems to decrease their costs. What an incredibly stupid idea.
How many clicks is it from your company's website to your phone number? At Sprint: Welcome to the Sprint Customer Center, the phone number is four clicks down.
Then, once you call them, you have to go through dozens of hoops and presses and pound signs before you reach a human.
Isn't having your customers and prospects talk to you a profit center, not a cost?
Isn't the best outcome of a visit to your website a phone call?
If it's not, how can you change things so it is?
This certainly sounds memorable to me, and perhaps a good start to fixing the broken health care system.
Thanks Tom.....
tompeters! leadership training development project management
Kindness Is Free
Our healthcare system—our biggest and most important industry, particularly as we rapidly age—needs a complete makeover. Funding? Sure, but that's not my gig. I'm Tommy Two-note. (1) Hospitals: Adopt rudimentary quality practices ... AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE 195,000 AMERICANS A YEAR YOU KILL, MANY THROUGH GROSS NEGLIGENCE. (2) Docs (and other co-conspirators): Shift focus—dramatically—from dosing, cutting and fixing-after-the-fact to Prevention, Wellness and Healing.
Some get it. Case in point: The supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Planetree Alliance. Started in San Francisco in 1981, Planetree (named for the Sycamore under which Hippocrates practiced) is now overseen by Griffin Health Services Corporation of Derby, CT. (Not so incidentally, Griffin Hospital is routinely named one of "The 100 Best Companies to Work For.")
In short, the Planetree approach focuses on healing, not just curing. The goal is a fully informed patient and family participating in every aspect of the diagnosis, treatment, healing, and subsequent wellness process. What can I say in less than 10,000 words? Do I start with the open nurses' stations, where patients are encouraged to hang out?
Be sure to check out the entire post....it's worth it.
Yesterday, I made a same day trip to and from the Big Apple via La Guardia….always a pleasant experience, isn’t it? And, this time it was not much different except that the two hour flight delay happened on the ground at Dulles vs. the typical problems at LGA. But, that’s not the focus of this post. I don’t think there’s really any help for that airport (my apologies to those that work there).
This is a post about a combination of my own oversight and United Airline’s uncanny ability (like so many of the airlines these days) to deliver the knockout punch…instead of seizing an opportunity to secure a loyal customer.
I was hurriedly checking in via the e-ticket machine at LGA for my return trip to Virginia. I had arrived later than planned due to a fair amount of traffic, even for a Saturday (I know, my fault for not planning accordingly). Somehow, not paying attention, I ended up buying an economy seat upgrade for $15. I thought I was choosing seats. Of course, had I read the screen more thoroughly, and then had the good sense to “cancel” before committing to the purchase, I would have avoided this entire tragedy. But, I goofed, and didn’t.
So, I end up at the gate, and the following exchange occurred between me and a Ms. Hatchet (I refer to her as Nurse Ratchet from the famed One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest film due to her like demeanor and personality).
Me: Excuse me, I have kind of a stupid question.
Nurse Ratchet: No answer….just a stare.
Me: I just checked-in via the e-ticket machine, and inadvertently purchased this (I showed her the printed receipt). What did I buy?
Nurse: You bought an economy seat upgrade.
Me: Thining….(Duh! I can see that on the receipt Miss personality of a wet towel). I see that, I mean what do I get for the $15?
Nurse: Noth’in
I kid you not, that’s what she said….Noth’in!
So, I ask you United Airlines, what the heck did I receive for my $15? Now, I think I somewhat figured out the game, and the supposed value of the upgrade….to be closer to the front (I guess so I can get my rear off faster if I’m late for a connection which is more than probable coming out of LGA. But, not this time…we were an hour early!)
The moral of the story is this….if you’re going to charge someone for a service, please make sure all of your employees know how to articulate the benefits of the program. In Ms. Hatchet’s case, she has far deeper issues. I wouldn’t have her loading luggage (no offense meant to you folks doing that important job). She certainly has no business paying such special attention and administering her special brand of courtesy to a large percentage of your LGA customers. She needs to go!...for your sake more than mine. Since it’s unlikely I’ll Fly the Friendly Skies anytime soon.
Always Provide Timely and Accurate Information to Your Customer…Tell the Truth
Most companies are generally above board about “what” they do. But, with regard to “how they do it”, it’s easy to stretch the truth a little, bend the rules, etc. One piece of advice….Don’t!
The customer will always find out where you fall short. And, when they find that your promises are misaligned with your delivery….they lose trust, and move on to find another provider while they tell everyone they can find how bad you are.
Most of us respect honesty more than the much hyped “perfect delivery”. So, don’t advertise that you have “great service” when you know you fall short.
Take pizza delivery for instance….
I’d rather know that my pizza was going to be delivered in under an hour….with a smile and by someone who doesn’t look like they just robbed a convenience store, than for you to rave about how fast you will get it to me, just to fail 30% of the time. Dominos, on the other hand, makes a living by doing just the opposite. They made a business out of getting the pie to you in under 30 minutes. And, they get it right the vast majority of the time. You don’t see them hyping their driver friendliness, or even that the pizza is the greatest. Nope….just that it’s on time, or it’s on us. No risk of under delivery because everything in their operation is centered around making good on that one promise…speed.
Remember, this truth telling thing all starts with choosing what you can be really good at, perhaps even best in the world at. Then, focusing all your resources on that one thing. Here’s a good example of doing one thing, www.woot.com. That’s right, they sell one item each day in very limited quantities. That’s all they do. Trying to be all things to all people leads to lying, albeit inadvertently. You can’t possibly have the best, the fastest, the cheapest, the coolest and the most simple gizmo all at the same time. Pick the platform you are most equipped to knock’em dead with, and peddle as hard as you can.
While it seems easy to believe you will always be honest with your customer, it is so often the case that you won’t be. Just look around at all of the marketing being pushed down our throats about spectacular products and super customer service. Now, think about the last time you were disappointed in a product or service, the last time you sat on hold for eternity only to be hung up on, the last time you were given the wrong order in the drive through, the last time you bought something at a convenience store and not a single word was exchanged between you and the cashier. Do you think all of these companies set out to fail in the delivery of what they promised you? No….it just ends up that way, mostly because they can get away with it. There’s another customer right behind you waiting to be clobbered just like you. But, these same companies, the ones going down this mythical path and paying no attention to your feedback, will ultimately fail. They can dupe you (and the person behind you) in the near term. But, once they lose your trust, the word gets around. And once that happens, it’s curtains.
I have found the number one lie these days is about the precious commodity of time. Well get back to you in a few minutes, just stay on hold a minute longer, we’ll have that installed in two days, etc., etc. How about telling us the truth, and then exceeding our expectation whenever possible. I would rather hear that it’s going to be a 20 minute wait, only to have you get to me in 10 or 15. Instead, you tell me it’s going to b e 5 minutes with no chance of ever pulling that off….that’s a lie folks. Don’t do it. You don’t earn respect that way.
On the other hand, this mass of mistrust and failure to deliver promises presents a wonderful opportunity for those who do get it right. While these organizations are clearly in the minority, they get people’s attention, and earn their respect and trust. That’s the beauty of it. They get noticed for being different, and the word spreads. If you keep this in mind as you grow, and make adjustments when there are clear signals from your customers that you are starting to slip, you’ll win in the end.
Remember to keep the feedback channels wide open…..stay in touch with your customer!
Okay, for all you non-believers in my opinion, "it's how you do it that counts, not the flashy website"....check these guys out. As Seth Godin points out, this is the hottest marketing firm in NY, and they have one of the most simple websites I've ever seen.
This is a very inspirational piece by Seth Godin. Obviously, he heeds his own advice.
Recently I contacted Verizon Superpages on behalf of my client to determine the viability of maintaining an advertising listing. To give you some background, my client has been using Superpages for the past year with practically no idea of the listing's effectiveness. No one from Superpages has ever called them to review click-through rates, hits, or anything of the sort.
The Account rep who initially sold my client the advertising is no longer with the company. So, I was kicked up to the "manager" for handling. While she was very pleasant, she really missed the boat in terms of sales and service. She never once apologized for my having to track her down after numerous mind numbing calls to various 800 numbers. And, when I let her know I was seriously contemplating the cancellation of the advertising, she suggested she would mail the past six month's results to me (rather than review them on the phone) to illustrate how well we (they) had done. Then, she asked me to call her in four days to ensure I had received the packet of information (she indicated the mailroom sometimes loses the mail. But, she was certain I would get it).
Give me a break!
I constantly preach that you must Stay Ahead of The Customer. It is essential to performing beyond expectation and doing it in a memorable way......hence, it is also a key concept in the Memorable Solutions approach.
This is a clear example of a company having countless opportunities to stay ahead of me and my client, and failing miserably. They knew the contract was expiring, they have all of our contact information, they host our website, they have all of the stats, they have me on the phone... Instead, I have to do all of the work...and in the end make a stupid phone call to make sure their mailroom didn't lose my mail. Good grief.
Needless to say, Verizon Superpages will lose my client's business. But, the really sad thing is that they could have avoided all of this by simply staying ahead of me....and keeping in touch (another key concept to be reviewed at another time).
As my wife often says, "this is old school".
While Carol's programs are probably pretty good, they're way too basic and the concepts are dated. As I mentioned in one of my recent posts, most customer service training companies are full of this sort of thing.
If you don't have these basics in place (or at a minimum understand that they are missing), you really need help. My advice, hire someone like Carol first, then use my services later to make your service really memorable, and move past your competition. Just doing the basics like not talking on the phone when your customer approaches the counter might keep you out of bankruptcy, but you'll never get past "average" in the eyes of the folks paying the bills.
Anyway, here's some of what Carol has to say:
The Customer Service Hall of Infamy Top Ten - By Carol Verret :: Hotel News Resource
It has been my experience that all business owners and managers have their own values of customer service, which we try to identify in the seminar, Creating A Culture of Customer Service. It is each owner/operator's choice to prioritize the ranking that customer service has in their organizational values and culture.
The following are some of the requirements to land your business in the customer service Hall of Infamy:
1. Never smile and a greet a customer - after all, you showed up for work didn't you -- what more do they want?
2. Always tell a customer with a plaint that you can't fix it because it is not your job or it goes against company procedure.
3. Never make eye contact with a customer when they e to the desk or counter.
4. Never ask a customer "How may I help you?" - after all if they want something they will ask.
5. Never interrupt a personal phone call to answer the other line when it rings. After all, if it is important they will call back and that is what voice messaging is for. Never interrupt a personal phone call when a customer approaches you - ignore them and they will go away.
6. Make certain that neither you nor your employees e out of the back office when a customer enters and either o
Ross had a bad trip....I think I'll try Frontier!
Strategize: My United Airlines Rant
Last Saturday I was flying from Los Angeles International to Denver International Airport. My flight was at 8:00AM, so I showed up relatively early along with everyone else that was taking flights that morning. I wound up in line for about 30 minutes at the self-service, automated kiosk check-in. Why did it take so long? Here's why:
Most importantly, just like self checkout at Home Depot, there were not enough employees to help people. I actually walked up and helped a few people through the check-in process, but, worse than that, people had to wait 10 minutes or longer for an employee to come put a baggage check sticker on their checked bag. You see, the system is not fully self service: you don't get to put your own sticker on your checked bag; that prints up behind the counter.
The employees that were behind the counter were allowing people to get out of line and ask them questions, many times simply checking those people in behind the counter. That is not ok!
There were no employees making announcements nor were there any signs that told International travelers that they could not use the kiosk to check in. I can't tell you how many people had to go get in the International line after having stood in line for 20 minutes at the kiosk.
So I arrived at the gate around 7:00AM, sat down to%
This might very well be the most important part of the entire Memorable Solutions process. It’s where we separate fact from fiction. Respectively, any reputable service training company (that’s not really what I do. But, it’s close enough for comparison here) should be doing this….but, they traditionally don’t. Here’s what most service training companies provide you:
1. A cursory review of your job descriptions, training manuals, service standards and other written materials.
2. If you pay extra, you might receive a service evaluation, i.e., shopper’s report.
3. A three to four hour presentation to key managers and supervisors on how important service really is, and how they can motivate their employees to give better service. The presentation may include some really boring Powerpoint and will likely have a few jokes mixed in with some interactive “games” to keep people from falling asleep.
That’s not how they should do it! Here’s how I do it.
I ask where you are receiving your worst and best service scores (assuming your measuring service somehow). If there are no measurements, I ask a few people at different levels to guess!
Then, I Immerse myself in the jobs of those areas…I simply take on the role of the employee. Why? I need two forms of feedback in order to properly evaluate and improve service delivery….I need firsthand customer feedback, and firsthand employee feedback. Without it, I might as well just read the job descriptions in my office, and offer theories on how to repair something that might not even be broken.
Example:
If you want to help a pizza restaurant improve their delivery program, saddle up with two or three different delivery employees, and hit the streets. Do that for a few days, and you will know more than the store manager….guaranteed. After the front line immersion, you know what the customers are saying, what the employees are saying, and most importantly, how both are relating to each other.
Now, I can report findings, offer some expert opinions, and guide the company on making changes. You will note, I don’t give the answers. I don’t have them….the managers, supervisors and employees do. It’s my job to show them how and where to find them, how to collaborate on developing them and how to develop systems to monitor them.
An excellent post by Laura Ries with regard to the ineffectiveness of icon advertising...can you say Buweiser Chameleons?
And, as I point out in my comment on Laura's Blog, service is still king! So, start with a great product, deliver it in a memorable way, and listen to your customer. Easier said than done. But, if you get it right most of the time, you will enjoy your success.
Shopping for cars has long been a less than desirable experience, and certainly not one I look forward to every three or four years. And, although I have streamlined and for the most part wrestled control of my buying process away from the car dealer (I use the fax and internet), occasionally I am forced to enter their domain.
We are looking to replace our current Jeep Grand Cherokee with a smaller SUV. We're not buying another Jeep for two reasons: one, it's too big for my wife, and two, I replaced the brakes on it four times in four years with an added customer service struggle each time I had it in the shop at the Jeep dealer.
So, we're looking at Kia Sorrento. We stroll on in to Dulles Motorcars, the closest Kia dealer to us, and after a few minutes on our own in the lot, along comes Chris. He's very polite, nice and not at all overbearing. He didn't ask many questions, other than if we were interested in a car (duh?). While his sales skills were certainly lacking, it was nice not to feel like you were in a pressure cooker to "buy today". He answered our few design and performance questions with relative confidence, and he made some small talk with our baby daughter. We told him this was our first opportunity to look at the Kia, and that we would be buying a car next month. He went to get a brochure....but, they were out. He gave me his card, and wished us a nice day. We left, actually relieved that we weren't armwrestled to buy a car before we left the lot. It was nice. We will probably go back there....probably. But, not definitely.
But....Chris blew it, didn't he. I mean, we are definitely buyers. We gave him clear and certain information about what we wanted and when we wanted it. He received our "permission" to sell to us, and he failed to seize the opportunity. Why...because he can't reach us! He is relying on chance that we enjoyed our initial experience there, that we will find our way back there before going to another dealer (or carmaker altogether) and that once we return to his lot, that he will be there, and that we will still have his card and ask for him. That's way too many if's.....and not a very memorable experience.
Below are some Star Concepts of Memorable Service (with more to come on these as well as others in future posts) which Chris could have used to be more effective:
First.....get permission. He did that.
Second, get to know me. (Ask bunches of questions) He didn't really do that.
Third, stay in touch with me. He can't do that for obvious reasons. And, even if he could, other than sending me a brochure, he doesn't have an introduction to his sales message because he doesn't know me.
Fourth, stay ahead of me. He can't.
Fifth, always exceed my expectations. He may never get the chance.
No Memorable Service here.....no reason to gab about it to all of my friends and colleagues.
Chris could have asked me a simple question: Mr. Chaffin, before you go today, would you have any interest in knowing when the 2005 model arrives, probably within the next month or so? (Also, if he was observant, he recognized we were somewhat price conscious by looking at the standard models vs. the upgrades). So, he could have asked: Would you be interested in knowing when the 2004 models go on sale in order to make room for the 2005's? In either case, I'm not going to say "no". So, now he gets my e-mail address and snail mail address, and bingo, number 3 and 4 are taken care of, and he has a real chance at number 5. Now that he knows it's okay, he will e-mail me, send me a brochure, and maybe even a bag of York peppermint patties (because he saw me chomping on one of those). Now, those actions would be light years beyond any of the other dealers. And, throw in the peppermint patties, or a personalized Baby Einstein DVD for my daughter and he would be in another universe in the realm of car sales. He would have created something Remarkable and Memorable!
Listen to your customer intently, and get engaged with him. It's the only way to make service really work....to your advantage.
Well, it looks like Doug and Company over at the Small Business Blog took offense to my recent post about them missing the point on advertising. See Doug's comment below.
First, thank you for the comment Doug, it's very much appreciated....and no offense taken. I read your info regularly, and find 99% of the posts right on. Keep up the good work.
I agree with Doug that advertising has a place. But, I believe we disagree on what that place is and, more importantly how effective or (in my opinion) ineffective the majority of the interruptive form of advertising has become. The bottom line with me (and a bunch of other folks) is that your product/service is what sells, and advertising (for the most part) is a waste of money. Just because Coke (and, I admit I shouldn't pick on them) plasters ads everywhere doesn't mean it's the most effective way to stimujlate sales and the growth of your company. If I can find the reputable quote and source of the comment I referred to in my original post regarding the Superbowl ad, I will post it, and send it over to Doug.
Advertising, used on a permission basis, and at the appropriate time in the evolutionary cycle of the product definitely has merit, and an ROI. However, I firmly believe you you should redrect the majority of the ad budget on the service and product itself to fuel the WOM sales force which inarguably is the most effective weapon you have in the marketing arsenal.
Johnnie Moore's recent post (exerpt below) about strategic thinking has me accelerating a thought I was going to share a bit down the road.....
*Your recruitment/hiring, compensation and performance evaluation programs must center around and promote in every way the objective you are attempting to reach through your employees.
Henry Ford wnated to produce quality automobiles rapidly and a low cost. Accordingly, he paid people to be very efficient/productive and to make minimal mistakes. On the other hand, if you wnat your employees to provide Remarkable and Memorable Service, you need to reward them to think and act that way as opposed to paying them to perform the job function outlined in that boring, legal ez job description (shred those things, and start over).
For instance.....if you want people registered into your hotel quickly, properly (with all of the proper signatures, credit card swipes, etc) and with one second of eye contact, write a job description for a front desk clerk, hire someone who can operate a computer terminal and key machine and pay them to check people in. And, that's what you will get...a front desk clerk.
However, if you want your guests to leave the registration process with Wow! that was the coolest, most memorable service experience I've ever had at a hotel, then design your hiring processes (interviews, selection criteria, etc.), compensation and performance evaluation programs around that....Memorable Service! Hire, train and reward your people to exceed every customer expectation. Don't pay them by the hour, pay them for providing astounding service. Yes, it's difficult to measure. But, you likely measure it already to judge the overall performance of the company. So, figure it out for the front line folks where the rubber really meets the road.
Incidentally, if you adopt this philosophy, I guarantee you will create some serious Buzz within the ranks of your competition....and you will likely never again have an application flow problem.
A simple example
A while back I heard how the boss of a US hotel chain wanted his IT people to create a system to identify returning guests at check-in. The idea being that the receptionist could say "Welcome back Mr Bloggs" and win points for recognising him. The IT people tut-tutted and came back saying "Yeah, we can do this and it will cost x million dollars". The boss was unimpressed and frustrated by the cost.
A few days later, he was in the lobby of one of his hotels and overheard the receptionist at work. Several times she said "Welcome back" to people. Our hero bowled up to her and demanded to know how she managed this feat of recognition.
"Well, see that bellboy who carries guests bags from the entrance. I have a deal with him. He asks "is this is their first visit?" and if it is, when they all get to the reception, he puts their bags down parallel to the desk. If it's a return visit, he puts them at right angles. Then I know."
The story is told by the boss against himself and as an example of what people can do when you free them to use their own smarts instead of following a manual.