Interesting Event

Interested in exploring ideas for improving your marketing in this ‘new’ economy? 

Well, this event looks good for those of you who can get to Royal Armouries in Leeds on March 19th. Click here for more details.

An added bonus is that if you do book you can receive the the discounted rate of only £60 per ticket – mention my name in the notes bit on the booking form.

I’ll be going, so if you do book, let me know and we’ll meet up!

Hey, This Stuff Works!

I like to tell stories in my seminars – you know, examples of things that are good, bad and ugly to illustrate a particular point. When it comes to ‘delighting’ customers one of the stories I tell is about knowing how your visiting customers take their tea and coffee and of one business who even has a specific mug for each of their regular visiting clients – usually with something on it related to that individual’s interests. You know, thngs such as golf, horse riding, the football team they support.

I just got this email from Steve Davis, Managing Director of recruitment services business Kalcrest who attended a seminar I did recently……

“Just thought would drop you a line that might make you smile as it is one of your ideas I thought I would try.

We went to a new prospect we have been trying to break down for a while. It was the first time we managed to get in front of them. We sat down with him and he and his colleague were using one of our competitor’s mugs to drink their tea from. I was trying to think of a way to get them to use our mugs and get those mugs off their desks. 

I found out which football teams they both liked and bought a mug for each, then got one of our guys to drop them off. They placed an order with us the next day and now there is not a mug in sight from another agency. I hope they think of us when they use their new mugs! I like to think that it might have been my stunning personality that got the client to order but think it was the fact that we paid a personal interest, which is what I got from you at the seminar. So thank you very much.”

Of course, I’m not suggesting that everyone goes out and buys mugs for their customers, I’m saying take the ideas and apply them to your business in a way that works for you and your customers.

Well done to Steve – he took ACTION. It’s the not taking action that is definitely a mug’s game!

Keep Your Customer Service Standards Up!

Here’s an interesting article from Business Week highlighting how, in these tougher times, some of the ‘better’ businesses are actually winning by ’investing’ in customer service, especially with existing customers, rather than cutting costs. 

‘Customer Service in a Shrinking Economy’ explains that focussing on retaining existing customers seems to be the way to go. Cutting costs and ‘reducing the offer’ to customers who have high expectations of you means that they become ‘disappointed’ and if not dealt with, become ‘disaffected’ and start looking elsewhere. 

I feel this supports my ‘Creating ‘Devoted’ Customers’ model which many of you will have seen:

 

The challenge is to create and maintain high expectations from your customers and consistently deliver ‘great experiences’ to them.

Cutting costs at the ‘sharp end’ may not be the best way for long term success, and a strategy of maintaining those things that customers value and that differentiate you in the first place could be the best way forward.

It’s difficult to do in tough times, but the evidence appears to suggest that those who manage to achieve this will be the ones who survive (even thrive).

So, don’t cut back on customer service – find ways of maintaining, even improving it. Look after your existing ‘devoted’ customers….. before someone else does.

Seth Strikes Again!

Seth Godin has written another corker!

I’m currently half way through his latest book, Tribes which encourages us and gives us great ideas to develop and lead a ‘tribe’ of like minded people by bringing them together and encouraging dialogue and a sense of ‘community’ between them. 

It is, he argues, in today’s marketplace, the way to get ahead of competitors, engage customers and co workers and build loyalty to keep you and your business ahead of the game.

Simple stuff with some great examples, it’s available in paperback from Amazon and well worth a read.

Google Creates Doubts

We’re currently redeveloping our house and it’s now time to look at the kitchen. We’ve had some great responses from a couple of local suppliers recommended by friends. We also happened to see the B & Q adverts introducing their big ‘push’ for more upmarket kitchens with great deals and offers.

Jill popped in to see what was on offer, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of what she saw. We even had a guy come out and see us. He promised to get back to us and hasn’t. We’ve followed with phone calls, he hasn’t. Doubts are growing.

Today, we were giving it one last try, and looking for the number turned to Google for it. Obviously, up came lots of listings including one headed ‘In stock, but we can’t and may never find it!!!’ only 3 from the top. Intrigued, we clicked  and discovered an online local forum (not local to us by the way!) which contained some very, very negative comments about B & Q and their kitchens.

OK, there’s no way of checking the validity of all the comments, but doubts are now very strong.

Word of mouth helped us identify a supplier. Word of Mouse helped us eliminate one!

Credit Where Credit’s Due

I posted last week about X Country’s ‘automated’ response to a customer ‘praise’ I gave them. Well they have now responded ‘personally’, and it’s so much nicer. If I was them, I’d look at how we could do this ‘first time’, but credit where credit’s due, here it is:

Dear Mr Hanselman,

Thank you for getting in touch. We received your email on 29 January 2009.

I am grateful for your very positive comments about our Senior Conductor (the posh title), Roger. Our staff work hard to deliver the highest level of customer service so it is always nice to hear from our customers when they tell us they are getting it right.

I will send a copy of your letter to Rogers manager who I know will be very happy to read it and pass it on.

Thank you once again for taking the time to get in touch.
Yours sincerely
David Watts
Team Leader

SKY – 20 Years On!

Today is the 20th anniversary of the launch of Sky TV, a ‘Dramatically and Demonstably Different’ approach to TV back in 1989.

 I know it’s not everyone’s favourite (and I’m certainly not sure that we really needed to revive ‘Gladiators!), but the success over those years has been pretty impressive and Sky now have over 9 million viewers i.e. ‘paying’ customers, and I’d emphasise  ’paying’ customers.

The concept itself was ‘revolutionar\’ back then when they doubled the number of channels available overnight, but what has been a key factor in its success has been its constant innovation and ability to lead the way through things like Sky Digital, Sky+, Sky HD, Sky Anytime or Sky Player.

Sky broke the pattern 20 years ago, and continues to do so today. They don’t rest on their laurals, and continue to lead the way. I think they’re a great example of a ’3D’ business.

Have a look at Sky 20 years on if you’d like to see what they’ve done.