While we are on the subject of Kimpton...Tom Peters had a great post today on the subject of Four Season's flowers.
You see, flowers make you FEEL good. The Kimpton gold fish (having a pet in your room) just don't "move" you that much. It's going to be a long road to pass Four Seasons. But, I bet it will be interesting.
I happen to like Kimpton, and am hoping they turn that brand into something really fantastic and memorable.
I just picked this up off the newswire. Pardon me, Mr. LaTour, I have a suggestion...don't try to be the "next Four Seasons", make it a point to be something different. Maybe even something better!
Right on The Money...nuff said.
PR is great for product and brand launches, but...What is public relations anyway?
Is it sending out press releases? Writing editorials? Spinning what the media says about your client? It used to be all about that…spinning and positioning, pushing as much communication to as many people as possible, hoping someone would listen and believe. Now, there are too many choices, channels, niche markets, magazines, newspapers and lies for the old, mass push strategy to work.
Now more than ever, it’s about creating emotion with your customer through their trusted sources….period. When we focus, get someone’s attention and connect with them emotionally, we have developed good PR. The rest is wasted energy…and money.
Developing relationships with your clients, guests and customers should be a PR department’s first and only priority. Only this sort of focus will ensure a successful product and brand launch.
Hugh nails quite a few Star Concepts here....
I like #3, reminds me of my last post.
The first rule of building a remarkable product is to get a whole bunch of creative, energetic, ambitious thinkers on the bus….and keep them there.
Check your ego at the door. Because if you hire average folks just so that you can be in charge and always have the best idea….you will fail!
Instead, seek out those that constantly push the envelope, perhaps even to the point of being irritating. Find people who inspire others to do the same. And, mix it up a little, with some better at creating process vs. others great at developing product. Whatever you do, get a team together that storms a little, but all with a common goal…..to do whatever it takes to make the product great and the service memorable. Consider everyone else excess baggage, hindering progress towards greatness.
This is some really great butter. How do I know?
1. I've tasted it.
2. Other people much more knowledgeable about food tell me so.
3. They make it because their passionate about it.
4. It's sold in very limited quantities (not for the masses)
5. It costs a lot
6. Only three restaurants in the world (that I'm aware of) can get it: two are Thomas Keller's joints, including French Laundry. The other is the dining room at Keyah Grande.
The point is that they have figured out that you start with a really great product, deliver it with outstanding and personal service, make it exclusive and very limited. That gets people's attention.
You try it....if you can get it.
A good post by Steve Yastrow on marketing in general. My comment follows..
Link: tompeters! leadership training development project management.
Steve, agreed. A further thought,
Great marketing is achieved by creating a positive emotional connection with your audience as a result of the memorable delivery of a really fantastic product.
No amount of advertising will make-up for a poor product and service. Cash may slow the dying process. But, the end is inevitable.
An excellent post by Seth on the true essence of memorable service...remember, whatever you do, it must be emotional.
Link: Seth's Blog: Care.
This is pretty damn good, Hugh....and, I haven't thought about it much, until now. Maybe we should spend more time asking our guests and customers what we should build next, and less time what they think about us. I think we could get the answer to the latter by asking the first question.
I'm going to think about this some more.
And, besides, I think a Tricorder would be pretty cool.
Link: gapingvoid: an open letter to bill gates.
an open letter to bill gates
Dear Bill,First, thank you for all the Microsoft stuff I've used over the years. I assure you, it all came in handy one way or the other.
Microsoft keeps making new stuff in the hope that folks like me will buy it. Windows XP, Tablet PCs, all that good stuff. Sometimes you're successful, most of the time you're not. Sometimes Macintosh or some other competitor makes it too easy for folk like me to get their business, instead of yours. I'm sure this causes you concern on occasion.
So for next time, instead of you trying to guess what I'm in the market for, I thought it would save us both a lot of trouble if I just came out and told you staight out.
Mr Gates, I want you to build me a Tricorder.
You know the one- that wee gizmo on Star Trek that Mr Spock carried around with him. It basically did everything. It basically told him everything he needed to know. A wee computer, about the size of a small book. Very useful indeed.
Well, like Mr Spock, I need a wee gizmo that does everything. A combination of the following:
-cellphone
-digital camera
-palm pilot
-PC
-instant messenger
-web browser
-iPod
-whatever else I can think of once I've had more coffee.You get the idea- something roughly the size of a cellphone that "does everything".
Maybe with a plug-in desktop monitor and keyboard for the home and office etc.
If somebody steals my tricorder, I can just phone my number, punch in a secret pin code and you guys instantly freeze it and all its data for me. Plus the data's backed up on the desktop. Then you send a replacement right away. All paid for with insurance. No need to talk to anyone over the phone.
Sure, you may have to strike a deal with Apple, Nokia etc in order to get this made. Your lawyers may have to get themselves in a hissy fit about proprietory stuff but hey, I'm sure they'll make plenty of money sorting it out.
But yeah, please stop trying to re-invent the PC wheel and start working on the Tricorder instead. You and I will both be glad you did.
Best,
Hugh MacLeod
gapingvoid.com
Good point Tom....I further offer that these moments are memorable because they connect with us emotionally, particularly the "intense" ones. Nonetheless, your product and service must make an emotional impact to be remembered.
Link: tompeters! leadership training development project management.
Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman (a psychologist who won the Economics Nobel) tells us, as reported in the February 2005 issue of Psychology Today, that our memories are very selective. In particular, no matter how extended an event (party, commercial transaction), we form our view and make our evaluation based--with dramatic skew--on the "most intense moments" & the "final moments." This is yet another Compelling Argument for...EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT! (For all of us! See immediately above.) The "final moments" evidence is particularly startling; e.g., one goes to a brilliant, 4-hour dinner party...yet three months later we only remember that two guests exchanged heated remarks on the way out the door. (Etc.)
Here is an excellent example of getting personal, and creating an emotional bond with your customer.
Hats off to 800-CEO-READ, and thanks to Hello World for pointing us to them.
This is an excellent overview of business blogging...not really off topic since we are dedicated to service and marketing.
Here’s another way to turn a fairly standard hotel item into something Memorable.
In almost every hotel room you find an in-room directory of some sort. Many times they look cheap, loaded with advertising from area restaurants, etc. Sometimes, they are well-done with handsome covers and very high quality print jobs. But, the contents are still straightforward (telephone numbers, in-room dining menu, area attractions, map, etc.)
What if you made this a living collection of documents which were personalized around each guest? Besides a personal introductory note, what if you went even further? Would you not be pleasantly surprised if the in-room dining menu had been created especially for you? Yes, it would have your name on it. But, more importantly the fare would be tailored to your personal desires, dietary restrictions, etc. I know if I ran into something like this, I would definitely consider it beyond my expectation. Wouldn’t you?
I think I might try it…I’ll let you know what happens.
This is an excellent overview of what makes a blog so important, especially in the development of relationships with your customers.
If you start a blog, you must have credible, frequent and interesting information to share with your guests/customers.
And, if you start a blog, you should read this.....
Link: How To Blog For Fun & Profit! :: Cracking Credibility & Why Internet Marketing WILL Change.
Here are a couple of things we tried at Keyah Grande which have turned out to be winners with our guests:
Telephone information- We’ve all seen the standard calling and directory information posted on or near guestroom telephones. It’s usually fairly unattractive, and certainly not very personal….local, dial 9+number, for guest services press this button, etc. We tried something more personal. We created a personal telephone menu for every guest which is neatly placed in a stylish frame. It begins with….Telephone Information for Mr. Johnson….it even includes directory information for other guests who happen to be in the same party.
Turndown Dreams and Memories- At turndown, you usually receive some sort of goody, snack, chocolate, etc. We augmented that with something you could really find memorable…a framed photograph of the guest enjoying one of the many activities at the property. It works like this….the first night at turndown you receive a picture frame with a card reading “Keyah Grande….where dreams become memories”. During the course of your visit, you are photographed (digital cameras are wonderful, aren’t they?), and the last night of your stay the card is replaced with a photograph….a keepsake. Granted these examples work better in a small environment. But, you can apply this Memorable Solutions thinking to any size property, product or service. Go ahead…at your next management meeting, brainstorm how you can turn standard, ordinary delivery of your service or product into creative, unique and memorable experiences.
Look for more examples coming soon….
I recently read a post which reminded me of a very effective rule I adopted in some of my hotels:
If the answer to a guest's question is "no", you need to find me or your supervisor first. On the other hand, if the answer is "yes", go for it....make the guest happy.
99 times out of a 100 this will not lead to a "giving away the house" scenario. And if it does, who cares, it's only 1 out of a 100.
I think this rule is essential to providing Memorable Service, and creating an emotional bond with your customer/guest.
All great advice. I like #9 the most. A good example of staying in touch and creating an emotional and memorable bond with your customer.
Link: Church of the Customer: 10 resolutions for 2005.
10 resolutions for 2005
2004 was a busy year for word of mouth. From BzzAgents to blogs to podcasting, marketers have more tools than ever to facilitate buzz.
That's word of mouth. Customer evangelism focuses on building relationships with existing customers who spread the word and believe in your company, its people or its values. Customer evangelists volunteer to help you find other customers just like themselves to help grow and strengthen your community. They do this voluntarily because you have bonded with them emotionally.
2005 may be the year that word of mouth and customer evangelism come into their highest prominence yet; to help out, we have assembled a list of ten resolutions to consider for the new year. After all, year-long resolutions about customers seem a lot easier than staying with a new diet.
Say it with me... In 2005, resolve to:
1. Gather more customer feedback. Call at least one long-term or loyal customer every week.
2. Be more transparent. Napsterize more of your systems, processes and decision-making to customers and watch how they naturally take ownership of the concept and the company.
3. Be more authentic and personal. Focus email newsletters and website content on stories about
customers, and less on branding your company as the savior of everything.4. Napsterize your knowledge. Offer at least one how-to case study to an industry trade magazine about a successful marketing effort you created. Ideally, it will demonstrate how the program created word of mouth and inspired customer evangelism.
5. Give up rewards programs. Let your competitors create expensive and headache-filled programs that reward customers with cash, rebates or points and let them attract the unprofitable customers.
6. Communicate with customers more often. Start off by simply asking what you can do to improve the relationship.
7. Be more visible. Speak to at least three trade associations about issues and solutions affecting your industry and customers. Resolve that your presentations will not focus on your products or company.
8. Divide at least one product or service into a bite-size chunk. Make it inexpensive, easy or fun.
Stand firm when the engineering group says this cannot be done.9. Get customers involved. Offer your most passionate customers a special-access or backstage program, such as a customer advisory board, a VIP tour of company operations, lunch with the CEO, or an invitation to beta-test new products or services.
10. Somehow, change the world. Create at least one new product or service that will change the lives of your customers.
These guys are doing exactly that...performing beyond expectation. This is a recently received e-mail from Zappos regarding a status of my wife's order.
Happy
holidays from Zappos.com! We have some
good news!
Although
you originally ordered Standard (4 to 5 business days) shipping and handling,
we have given your order special priority processing in our
warehouse so that your order will ship out today, and you should receive
your order in 2 Business Days (from today) instead.
Thursday,
December 30th 2004
The
above order has already been packed and we will be emailing you your UPS
We
are constantly striving to improve our service. If there is anything that we
can do to help improve your experience, please don't hesitate to let us know.
If you've enjoyed your experience with us, please tell your friends and family
about Zappos.com!
Thank
you for helping make Zappos.com the Web's Most Popular Shoe Store!
--------------------------------
Zappos.com
Customer Loyalty Team
cs@zappos.com
A nice piece from steve on how impersonal United can be (but, to be fair, it's not just United). Just goes to show you how Memorable can work the wrong way.
Link: tompeters! leadership training development project management.