28 Sep 09 Need H.E.L.P. with your social media strategy?
One of my colleagues posted the following Blog entry, which I want to forward you to here:
http://www.marketingtwins.com/2009/marketing-coaching/4-business-guidelines-to-using-social-media/
He uses the Acronym “H.E.L.P.” to help you decide how to best use twitter, Facebook, linked-in and all 1000 other social media sites.
30 Jun 09 Training Your Customers to Be Loyal
My wife and I brought home a new computer desk chair from Staples the other day, and like a good husband I offered to assemble it for her. The instructions that came with the chair were so elegant, so clear, and so well-organized that I realize that Staples is one of the leaders in customer service today. They two areas I have found that they excel in are rife with customer abuse stories: the aforementioned assembly instructions, and rebate offers.
Product Assembly Instructions that Don’t Inspire Fear and Dread
We’ve all had assembly horror stories, whether it’s on Christmas Eve or when putting together new office furniture. Maybe the parts don’t match the list, or the diagrams aren’t all that clear. Sometimes they’re written in five or six languages, but the translation into yours leaves something to be desired. I’m especially wary of the ones that include a number to call for free replacement parts; experience has shown me that this means that the parts are cheap to manufacture and likely to break again. All in all, writing product assembly instructions is not given the attention that it deserves.
Putting together this Staples chair, however, was a very different experience. The instructions were a series of drawings that were very clear, and the parts were all labeled visibly. The hardware was individually wrapped, and labeled with the number of the step it would be used for. Even the spare parts were clearly labeled as such. The entire assembly took me less time than it usually takes just to inventory the parts.
Rebates Done Simply
I’ve just about given up on buying things that have rebate offers, because the instructions for getting the money back are usually incredibly complicated and filled with loopholes designed to prevent me from ever seeing the money. Not so at Staples, where the company’s own in-house rebate program can be completed online with the information printed on the receipt itself. The novelty of actually getting the money back never wears off.
Lessons from Staples’ Customer Service
Staples invests time and money into ensuring that customers don’t get frustrated after they’ve already spent their money. No business can afford to stop giving quality service after money has changed hands, because a returning customer is worth so much more than a one-shot. Not only are are customers already educated about your unique market position (right?), they are also the ones that are most likely to refer others to your door.
What client after-care can you be doing that will increase your customer retention?
Tags: customer service, Guest Post, Terence P Ward
28 Jun 09 Why Referrals Work and the Other Stuff Doesn’t
Referrals and face-to-face meetings are the preferred tactics for marketing professional services. Most professionals will tell me that the “other marketing stuff” doesn’t work, but if they can get in front of the right person, the usually close the deal.
Have you ever thought about why that is?
Here are some of the reasons meeting face to face, whether by referral or not, tends to be the most effective way for us to gain a new client:
* We are specific about who we help
* We are specific about the types of problems we solve
* We talk in plain English – not in corporate marketing mumbo-jumbo
* We tell our story – People remember and connect with people through stories
* If we are successful generating business from our local chamber or other networking groups, it is because we are consistent. We show up regularly and participate often.
* We listen to the client’s issues, show them that we understand, and explain how we help them solve their problems.
Why the other stuff doesn’t work
Many of the frustrations professionals have with traditional marketing stems from doing the opposite of what works for referrals.
* We are too general – we try to create marketing materials that appeal to everyone and end up being special to no one
* We create materials that are filled with jargon, buzzwords, nonsense, and fluff
* Rather than telling our story, we talk about “fair pricing”, “good customer service”, and “quality work” – just like everyone else
* We are not consistent. We do one mailing and stop. We don’t follow up. We fail to continue to market to our existing clients
For some reason, when we start to create “formal marketing materials” we stop talking to people and start talking at them.
Create more effective marketing materials by focusing on your potential client rather than lecturing them on how great you are.
Tags: advertising, Bill Brelsford, Guest Blogger, Referrals