Immediate Impact for Customer Relationships

April 24, 2011 by ·

Are you looking for a powerful way to differentiate your store from others? Identify and begin to build strong ongoing relationships. Think about this – when was the last time the manager of the local big box store you shopped at gave you a phone call to personally tell you thank you. I’m going to go out on a limb and say – never – I’ve never had one call me.

Action Items for Immediate Impact:

  1. In the next seven days create your list of 20-50 people and call them.
  2. If you don’t get a hold of the 20-50 people on the phone send a handwritten note not email. Believe it or not handwritten notes get noticed and go a long way.
  3. Identify two to three influential organizations or media outlets in your area to begin building a relationship with.

Begin today – start now – you have the ability and agility to out maneuver and out serve the “big boys”.

How are you building relationships with your most important customers?

Filed Under: Customer Experience, Marketing · Tagged With: , ,

Serve Others First

April 23, 2011 by ·

When you approach others with the attitude of how you can help them and serve them FIRST the rewards are outstanding. As a retail manager I reached out to the radio announcers and managers of local Christian and non-Christian radio stations who had an affinity with my retail store. My initial contact was not about selling them something but it was to learn more about their outreach and how my store could support them. Each one I talked too was more than happy to let me know how I could help. Eventually I became part of an advisory board for the largest Christian radio station in Michigan. These relationships led to countless in-store radio remote events and on-air promotion of my stores. In most cases the relationship building started several years before there was any benefit to my retail store. My approach with Christian television and newspaper writers was the same. How could I help them, what could I provide that would add value to what they were hoping to achieve.

We also partnered with a local Youth For Christ chapter and provided them with office space, at no charge, in our retail store. Again, this was a relationship that began from the starting point of how could we, as a retail store; help them achieve their mission of reaching the youth of our community. As time went on, this relationship provided us with the opportunity to be involved in concerts and events that put us in front of thousands of people each year at little to no cost.

Filed Under: Customer Experience, Marketing · Tagged With: , ,

Everyday Relationship Management

April 18, 2011 by ·

This practice of deliberate relationship management isn’t about false sincerity, people can spot that a mile away, it’s about connecting with the people who support you and have linked up with you and your business. So, make it a priority to CALL, NOT EMAIL 20 to 50 people in the next five days. After this pick a time at the end or beginning of the year and begin a tradition of connecting with those very important people in your business. Thank them for their support and let them know how much your appreciate them and that you are looking forward to strengthening your relationship with them in the coming year.

As a manager of a couple of different Christian retail stores I took a similar approach as Tom Peters. I focused on pastors, Christian and non Christian radio stations, Para-church ministry’s, newspapers and Christian television stations. I would set aside time each month, one or two days to call and connect with the pastor’s who regularly shopped in my store. I wasn’t calling to sell them anything, just calling to ask them how THEY were doing how were things at their church and if there was anything I could do for them. In addition to calling them I would make it a point to attend seminars, conferences, concerts and other special events at these same pastor’s churches throughout the year, I wanted them to know I supported them and was there for them.

Filed Under: Customer Experience, Marketing · Tagged With: , , ,

Your USP

April 16, 2011 by ·

In an unforgiving economy you can’t afford to blend in and become just another retailer, you must stand out and be noticed.  If there was ever a time to define your USP (unique selling position) now is the time. You aren’t just selling any product, you are providing solutions to life’s needs and questions.

I was recently reminded of the following statements. People don’t want to be sold too. People don’t buy “things”; they buy a result, solution or benefit. People don’t buy products, services, companies, or people – they buy beliefs and perceptions backed up by evidence.

So, how do you begin to communicate your USP of providing solutions to life’s questions to your customers and community? Where and how do your customers see and hear you?

How do your customers see you?

Filed Under: Customer Experience, Marketing · Tagged With: ,

Establishing Trust (part 2)

November 12, 2010 by ·

I’m currently working my way through Tom Peters’ new book The Little Big Things – 163 Ways to Pursue Excellence. His 36th “little thing” caught my attention and struck a real chord with me as I thought about this month’s column. It also caused me to reflect on a similar thing I would do when I was managing different retail stores.

Peters calls it committing “Acts of Deliberate Relationship Enhancement”. The discipline began after Peters read an interview with former Treasury secretary Hank Paulson. Before becoming the Treasury secretary Paulson was the boss at Goldman Sachs. During the first week of each New Year he would call 60 CEO’s to wish them Happy New Year. Tom Peters had a brief stint at the White House in the mid 70’s. One New Year’s Eve he spent eight or nine hours on the phone, calling 100 people he had worked with – in agencies all over Washington and embassies around the world – to thank them for their help the prior year. He readily admits that he was purposely engaging in an Act of Deliberate Relationship Enhancement.

This practice isn’t about false sincerity, people can spot that a mile away, it’s about connecting with the people who support you and have linked up with you and your business. So, make it a priority to CALL, NOT EMAIL 20 to 50 people in the next five days. After this pick a time at the end or beginning of the year and begin a tradition of connecting with those very important people in your business. Thank them for their support and let them know how much your appreciate them and that you are looking forward to strengthening your relationship with them in the coming year.

Filed Under: Books, Customer Experience, Marketing · Tagged With: , ,

Establishing Trust (part 1)

November 11, 2010 by ·

Marketing happens 24/7. It happens any time and any where our companies touch our customers or our prospective customers.

Dictionary.com defines marketing as: the total of activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer, including advertising, shipping, storing, and selling.

Investopedi.com offers the following commentary – marketing is everything a company does to acquire customers and maintain a relationship with them. Even the small tasks like writing thank-you letters, playing golf with a prospective client, returning calls promptly and meeting with a past client for coffee can be thought of as marketing. The ultimate goal of marketing is to match a company’s products and services to the people who need and want them, thereby ensure profitability

According to the 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer http://www.scribd.com/full/26268655?access_key=key-1ovbgbpawooot3hnsz3u trust and transparency are as important to corporate reputation as the quality of products and services. In the U.S. and in much of Western Europe, these two attributes rank higher than product quality – and far out-rank financial returns, which sit at or near the bottom of 10 criteria in all regions.

If we want our marketing messages heard, if we want to tell our story and we want people to listen then trust must be established.

Filed Under: Customer Experience, Marketing · Tagged With: , , ,

Marketing – Story – Trust

August 13, 2010 by ·

Marketing happens 24/7. It happens any time and any where our companies touch our customers or our prospective customers.

According to the 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer http://www.scribd.com/full/26268655?access_key=key-1ovbgbpawooot3hnsz3u trust and transparency are as important to corporate reputation as the quality of products and services. In the U.S. and in much of Western Europe, these two attributes rank higher than product quality – and far out-rank financial returns, which sit at or near the bottom of 10 criteria in all regions.

If we want our marketing messages heard, if we want to tell our story and we want people to listen then trust must be established. In Tom Wanek’s book Currencies that buy Credibility he outlines six powerful “currencies” that earn trust with our customers and in turn build our business. Those six “currencies” are:

  1. Material wealth – offering warranties, guarantees or policy that put the financial risk on you instead of your customer. Wanek gives the example of One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning which became the nation’s first heating and cooling service company to offer on-time service.
    They created believability by fulfilling the promise of “Always on time or you don’t pay a dime”. They risked material wealth to build credibility.
  2. Time and Energy – investing your time and energy to offer your expertise and help solve your customer’s problem. For a great example of this check out the online retailer REI. REI takes their
    content to an amazing level by offering expert advice to outdoor experts or wannabees. What’s your expertise? How can you highlight it?
  3. Opportunity – carving out your niche and becoming specialized to the point you are willing to lose some customer’s. A great example of this is the toy store “Geppetto’s Workshop”. This unique toy story differentiates itself and prides itself in NOT carrying any toy that is made of plastic or requires batteries.  They go all out so that they don’t become ordinary. The absence of “popular and trendy” toys is what attracts the crowds.
  4. Power and Control – in today’s retail world customers have the ability to instantly share their experiences with a product or service. While standing in line at your store they can instantly update their status on Facebook with an account of outstanding service OR let their hundreds or thousands of friends hear first hand of a terrible experience. Consumers have power and control like never before which is why it’s of utmost importance that you empower your front line members to make your customers experience the most amazing experience that it can be.
  5. Reputation and Prestige – you will never get everyone to buy from you so don’t try. Holding true to your core values will draw customers to you while making your store unique, distinct and trustworthy.
  6. Safety and Well-being – identity theft continues to rise and privacy risks are regularly exposed. It doesn’t matter if it’s your website or mailing list, you need to assure your customers that you have processes in place to product their identity and privacy when they do business with you.

Successful marketing begins with telling your story. Stories have been used throughout history to tell us where our ancestors came from to the parables of Jesus that explain truths.

So, what is YOUR story? What is the story, the mission of your retail store? How are you telling that important story?

Trust + Story = genuine customer satisfaction, growth, profit and impact.

Filed Under: Customer Experience, Marketing · Tagged With: , ,

It's All About The Customer Experience

August 6, 2010 by ·

I’ve had a quote posted above my desk for the past 15+
years that says, “It’s the customer experience that is the core asset of
your business.” In an economic climate where everyone wants to compete
on price we have to resist that temptation and deliver a customer
experience that trumps price and produces loyal fanatical fans.

It doesn’t matter if you are a supplier or a retailer, online or brick and mortar, service provider or non-profit – your success is measured and determined by the experience you offer your customers or donors.

What’s something you have changed or will change to give your customers something to talk about – in a GOOD way?

Filed Under: Customer Experience ·

Engage!

August 6, 2010 by ·

en·ga·gé – choosing to involve oneself in or commit oneself to something

How many opportunities have we missed because we were too busy and didn’t “engage” someone? How many sales have been lost because we didn’t just answer the phone? How many new clients slipped through the cracks because we didn’t answer an email or didn’t answer it soon enough?

Over the past couple of years I’ve been doing some straw polling of friends and business partners when it comes to “engaging”. What I’ve discovered is that the vast majority of company’s are seemingly too busy to engage their current customers let alone new, potential, customers. I have heard over and over from people – my customers and others – that we got the business or they got the business just because someone picked up the phone and talked to me.

How are you engaging with your team? With your customers? With your potential customers?

Filed Under: Communication, Customer Experience, Marketing ·

Take Care of Your Customers

August 6, 2010 by ·

MediaPost Publications Poor Customer Service Costs Companies $83 Billion Annually 02/18/2010.

Filed Under: Customer Experience ·
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