What is customer service?

If your in sales, and you probably are if your reading this. Then at some point in your career someone has asked you this "what is customer service?"

Here is my answer.

Customer service is EXACTLY what the customer thinks is service.

Long before you even get a chance to meet the customer they have "painted" a picture in their mind of what you should do for them. It's this perfect picture that they will hold you to and use it to evaluate how well you are or are not servicing them. This picture is based on all of the previous experiences they have had when making a similar purchase.

Notice how none of this is based on you.

So what do you do?

1. Start by interviewing your customer. Find out the purchasing timeline, and what need they think this want will satisfy.
   
   
2. Stay attentive to their body language. If it's a phone conversation you will have to listen to the tone of their voice. But inflection and body language are big indicators of how much they are paying attention to you. Lack of attention should draw a red flag!
   
   
3. Adjust your personality. People like to buy from someone they can relate with. Small adjustments to your demeanor could be the difference between landing the sale and loosing it.
   
   
4. Find their Hot Button. I can guarantee that everyone has one. It's the triggering factor for them to make this purchase. It could be envy, greed, or social status. Whatever it is make sure that you push it often.

The Selling Point: Customer service is different for every single customer. Those that do it well have patience and can pay attention to the non-verbal cues they receive. Establishing great service early on will perpetuate the positive customer experience and generate more returning visits. Customers who return will remember the outstanding service they received the first time. In short you need to take that "painted" picture of customer service and make it the Mona Lisa.


Technorati Tags:
Customer Service, Customer Retention, Retail, Relationship Building, Finding customer hot buttons

Getting what you want

The secretary, every salesperson's nightmare! They are the ones charged with keeping the evil salespeople from getting in-touch with decision makers. For fear that WE in our snidely ways will somehow single-handedly talk that person into buying something that will ultimately bankrupt the company or something worse.

So today when I volunteered to help a college get some of her old leads and contacts info up-to-date, (yes I know it should have never been out of date to begin with, but we will deal with that issue another time) I knew that it would be an uphill battle. In some cases I had to find out if that person still worked for the company, and if not who replaced them. And in other cases why we simply haven't contacted them. All this without looking like a buffoon or a telemarketer digging for a quick sale. Since all I needed was the contact info-and not the real person I took a different approach.

Rather than preach to you the best way to do this. I am going to tell you the way I did it, feel free to pick apart, or use it to your advantage. That's what this blog is for.

Here is what I did to have a successful sales call.

1. Names, Names, Names.
   - Whoever answered the phone I addressed them by their name. And immediately told them my name and the company I was with. By addressing the person by their name it made the conversation much more personal. And I acknowledged them, and not the person I was trying to get to.
   
   "Hi Denise, this is Mike with ACT,Inc.[...]"
   
   
   
2. Admit defeat right-away
   - I wasn't afraid to let the person on the other end know that we had dropped the ball and needed to update our information. In one word-honesty. No smoke and mirrors here, we lost contact and I want to re-establish it.
   
   "[...] I was calling because somehow we lost contact with Gene Kelly at your company. I know it shouldn't have happened, but I was hoping to update his email address. He had inquired about our product at the ASTD trade show and I was hoping to send him an email follow-up."
   
   If Gene didn't work there: "Ok, so it looks like my info is really out of date, do you by chance know who replaced them? And if so could I have their name?"
   
   
   
3. My number-YOU BET!
   - Because I wanted someone's information I wanted to make sure they had mine, so I offered my contact information to them. That way if the call got interruped or they received another call the ball was in their court. Basically I offered trust.
   
   "Just in case we get cut off, I want to give you my direct line, that way if they have any questions they can contact me."
   
   
   
4. More than happy to email
   -I really didn't need to talk to the person, and the secretary being the adamant gate-keeper most of the time didn't want me too, I knew that my information could be assertained from them. So I asked for what I needed and told them why and what I was planning to do with the information.
   
   "I really don't need to talk to Gene, I am just looking to update his email address. That way I can just send him the information he needs and he can view it whenever he wants."
   
   
   
5. Thanks, I really appreciate your help.
   -After I received the info from the person I thanked them personally for helping me. And in the show of gratitude I used their name.
   
   "Denise I wanted to thank you for taking the time to help me out. I am going to email that information to Gene, and if either of you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me."

At the end of my calling adventure, I had a 99% success rate (one person didn't answer the phone). And most every call ended with the person saying "Wow, that was easy I wish more calls were like this!" To me that one sentence is the true measure of how good your phone skills are.

The Selling Point:
Secretaries are used to being overlooked and often trampled on when it comes to salespeople. I make the secretary my best friend, often I don't even try to get to the decision maker on the first call. Let's face it, sales is about relationships, and if you only view the relationship with the decision maker as important--its time to change jobs. Some of my biggest sales came from never talking directly to the money-person. Instead I empowered the secretary, it gave them a sense of importance and gratitude. And I was never afraid to just be human on the phone, if I made a mistake, or wasn't sure if I could get to the person I needed I admitted to it. Sometimes I will even jokingly comment on what a good job they are doing preventing me from getting through.

tags technorati : Sales Tools Secretary Customer Contact Information Sales Call Creativity Customer Retention Relationship Building Sales Tools

Pop-Rocks on my pillow!

The Chick Flick floor. That is the title for the 11th floor of “the CURTIS”. Every picture on the floor is movie posters for girlie movies. In the room there are pictures of Marilyn Monroe working out, a kid blowing a bubble, and a Dudley Doo-right bobble head adorns the bathroom. Did I mention they put Pop-Rocks on the pillow?

I had a bunch of choices on a recent trip to Denver, but gravitated toward “the CURTIS”. From the minute I walked in I could tell this place was different. The front desk staff was playing scrabble, and the name tags they had on didn’t proudly proclaim their title but their favorite movie.

I want you to take a minute and think about the last hotel you stayed at, do you remember anything memorable? Probably not. Today, most of the hotel chains across the nation are nothing more than cookie cutter versions with different names, offering us the same saltine cracker choices. It's really disappointing if you think about it.

So what would you do to compete with that?

Promise your guests that they don’t just stay here, but experience your hotel. That’s what the website for “the CURTIS” boldly proclaims.

This isn’t your average hotel. And the staff is way above average, and I didn’t even mention the hula hoop contest they had in the lobby on Friday night! Or the fact that they come by every night to turn you bed down and give you candy.

This shows what a great marketer can do. The color scheme is perfectly carried out, orange and brown (yeah that’s what I thought too, but it works) is everywhere. And what you would expect to have the hotel's name on it does (coasters, pens, paper). But this place is so much more than that. The alarm clock is a VW Beetle. They know your going to steal the door hanger, so they offer to customize it on the website and let you print it out. By the way the door hanger says "If this sign is a-rockin' don't bother knockin'!"

The promise is carried out in EVERY detail. You really do experience this hotel!

The Selling Point:
It's one thing to tell your customers they are going to experience your company or your product, it's another to actually make them experience your product. You can't just say that your product is amazing you must show your customers that your product is amazing! In selling and in marketing DO-ing is much more convincing than SAY-ing.

tags technorati : Branding Differentiation Packaging Pop-Rocks the Curtis Dudley Doo-right Denver Hotel

Impromptu Marketing

Quick- answer this question: You have 2,000 wanna-be college students walking around a campus low on energy do you want to sell to them?

YES!

And that is exactly what Monster Energy Drink did!





Here is the story, about eight blocks away from a college that was holding an open house Monster Energy Drink had one of those fiercely modified vehicles booming out music and giving away energy drinks to help promo a concert with a radio station. Not getting the traffic they wanted and hearing that a college not to far away was having an open house, they packed up, drove over and set-up the truck along a tour route. To say the least they immediately attracted a crowd. I witnessed this first hand yesterday while visiting the college, and like a bug to a glowing blue light I had to go over. I got the story from one of the guys handing out the cans. It did its job, and now I might be more inclined to buy Monster whenever I need an energy drink.

It was the perfect storm for a marketer. Captive audience- young & impressionable- free product. This is a great example of thinking on your feet. Kudos to Monster Energy Drink, your clearly not the brand leader but your not willing to sit back and be a complacent No. 2.

tags technorati : Creativity Lead Generation Target Marketing Monster Energy Drink

A miracle worker I am not.

Last week sometime I got a very nice direct mail piece from a local movie store called Mr. Movies. It was well conceived and on the back it had four coupons. Each giving me a different reason to go visit the local rental store. According to mapquest.com I am only about three miles from their location. But I haven't rented a movie there in over a year, the main reason- customer service. Or should I say the lack there of, coupled with a smaller movie selection. So I have become accustomed to renting from the local Blockbuster, which is more than 12 miles away. Yes, that is how important customer service is to me. And I am not alone in this opinion.

Ok, so back to the direct mail piece. I dusted it off today and decided to give them a second shot. Perhaps the customer service had improved, and the selection had more to offer. Plus being a sucker for coupons I couldn't pass up a free movie. It's at this point the marketing manager for Mr. Movies can rest assured that she still has a job, she got me in the store. And I was about 90% likely to rent since one of my two movies was free. I grabbed Flyboys and The Gaurdian (I haven't seen them yet, so I won't comment on them), but that doesn't matter anyway. The customer service is still terrible. Nothing has changed! The person who rang up my movies was on the phone with one of his friends talking about how "wasted he was last night" and whatever "bangin" party this was... you get the point. Things that a customer really wants to hear. After he took my money and I was ready to hand my movies after I go through the obligatory metal detector he decided to comment on my movies. "These are really good movies" he uttered, "the alternate ending on 'The Gaurdian' is better than the original." I mumbled a brief thanks, and walked out the door.

When I got in my car I thought about the poor marketing director for Movie Brands Inc., the parent company for the Mr. Movies franchise. She probably got an earful about same store sales being down, traffic being light and dissatisfied franchise owners not making profit margins, or something to that effect. So she masterfully crafted a direct mail piece with coupons to drive traffic and movie rentals in specific areas. And I bet right now she is being celebrated for a successful campaign. Heck, one of the coupons was a $25 forgiveness of all late fees, who could pass that up? But come March 15th, her head will be back on the chopping block--you see that's when the coupons expire. Too bad her boss doesn't get why traffic is down.

A good marketer can only do so much, in this case they effectively drove traffic. Too bad the customer service wasn't there to capitalize on it. Now I will only go back when I have a coupon, at which time they need to prove to me that customer service has improved. But your in-store staff or for that matter all of your customer facing representatives need to be a 'Martin to your Lewis' an 'Amos to your Andy'. Both need to be in-concert for a promotion to work effectively. To put it simply, your marketing department can only do so much, what they can't do is be a miracle worker. If you have a customer service problem that is affecting traffic, fix the customer service problem first. Then address the traffic problem.

The Selling Point:
Don't expect your marketing team to fix every problem in your organization. The entire organization needs to adopt a philosophy to stand on. And when business isn't where you think it should be, the entire organization needs to take a look at its role and what it can do to make the experience better for the customer. The days of pointing fingers is over, the world is simply too competitive for that.

tags technorati : Customer Service Retail Blockbuster Mr.Movies Direct Mail
Lead Generation

Johnny 5 is Alive!

Friday I read an article on Adage.com that GM was being pressured to pull its "suicidal robot spot" after pressure from The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Personally I don't see how a robot jumping off a bridge would want to make me commit suicide. And if I was suicidal what was I doing watching the Super Bowl?

I digress.

I am here today to let you know that the robot lives! The above screen capture was taken from the Yahoo.com homepage today. Looks like he survived the fall.

But more importantly, what was he doing this last week? Wouldn't it have been to GM's advantage to paste that robot everywhere? So let me get this straight--$2.6 Million for an ad, and as a follow up you put up a banner on Yahoo.com!?! And the only call to action is a "Click here to learn more".

The Selling Point:
If your going to spend that kind of money you should be able to capitalize on the buzz you created. When it comes to creating buzz around your product--Go Big or go home!
I understand that the American automakers are having problems with perceived quality versus actual quality. But they are also having issues with execution. A commercial here and a banner there still doesn't make me want a Cobalt.

tags technorati : Advertising Creativity

Sales Contests

I caught the first few episodes of King of Cars on A&E last night. Please accept my apologizes if you actually sat through those. I watched as "Chop" announced yet another contest, one whose loser had to wrestle in oil on TV. This isn't a way to motivate people! Manage by fear? Every episode of this show has turned into a textbook definition of the lengths at which salespeople will be slimey and cut throat.



To be fair I have a love-hate relationship with sales contests. I love them if the only person you are competing against is yourself (thereby motivating me to achieve more). I hate them when I have to compete against other salespeople (sales isn't a sport that you should compete in).

At no point in the contest do I see the customer benefiting from an overly eager salesperson. I watched last night as salesman after salesman pushed customers into cars they didn't want or egged them into deals that were way out of their price-range, just to win. Not my idea of customer service.

Sales contests do have an upside--they momentarily increase sales. MOMENTARILY. It's by no means a way to show more than a spike in sales. I would rather build my customer base from people who want to buy and be happy with the experience than ones who walk away already experiencing remorse.

The Selling Point:
If you are a selling organization you should already be rewarding your people based on their performance. Contest, while good in theory, only serve as a means of spiking sales for a particular period. They don't change the selling culture within the organization. Personally I would rather have an organization whose culture encourages customer service and focuses on the sale, than pushing a certain number of units out the door.
Buyers remorse can be your worst nightmare.

tags technorati : Motivation

My thoughts on empowerment

em·pow·er [em-pou-er]
–verb (used with object)
1. to give power or authority to; authorize, esp. by legal or official means: I empowered my agent to make the deal for me. The local ordinance empowers the board of health to close unsanitary restaurants.




Every leader will have a different opinion about how much empowerment members of their team should have. And that's fine you know your organization better than I do.
I want you to know that your teams need to have it.

Remember back when you interviewed your salespeople. You probably thought "Hey, this person can get the job done! I want them on my team." Now after saying that why shackle them with all kinds of restrictions. By all means don't let them give the farm away, but give them an arena to operate within, and make sure that it provides wiggle room.

A great sales manager once told me "Don't come to me unless its going to cost more than 10% of the total sale to fix." Perfect. I knew that if it was more than that I had to come to her. Guess how many times I needed to approach her? Once. That was it, to the customer it gave me the freedom to work with them and develop a stronger relationship. To the company it kept things in check, and didn't let me give away the farm. And she knew the more I granted to the customer the smaller my bonus would be.

The Selling Point:
To have a successful sales oriented organization you need to have a strong sales manager, that's a given. But it should be a manager that empowers their people to work towards the solution that is in the best interest of retaining customers. Too often, in my opinion, sales managers try to keep their team in check by micro-managing them.
What a waste of time, much like herding cats.

tags technorati : Customer Service Relationship Building

Conveying the idea

I just caught the new Apple ad on tv last night. I love this ad for the simple fact that it accurately conveys frustration. When it comes to directly taking on your competitor my opinion varies depending on the message. But if you have a cult following like Apple and you craft your message correctly I think it can be to your advantage.

The Selling Point:
Sometimes you just have to rattle the customer cage and see what shakes loose. You may win some and you may loose some, but more importantly you will have tried.

tags technorati : Advertising Creativity

Common Exhibit Marketing Mistakes: Ten Tips on How to Avoid Them

I found this article on Marketing Today written by Susan Friedmann and wanted to share it.

The key to great exhibiting is marketing. But marketing is a very inexact science that leaves room for a multitude of errors to occur. The following are 10 of the most common marketing mistakes that exhibitors often make. Learn to avoid them and you will increase your chances for a successful tradeshow.

1. Have A Proper Exhibit Marketing Plan

Having both a strategic exhibit marketing and tactical plan of action is a critical starting point. In order to make tradeshows a powerful dimension your company’s overall marketing operation, there must be total alignment between the strategic marketing and your exhibit marketing plan. Tradeshows should not be a stand-alone venture. Know and understand exactly what you wish to achieve - increasing market share with existing users; introducing new products/services into existing markets or into new markets; or introducing new products/services into new markets. This is the nucleus on which to build.

2. Have A Well-Defined Promotional Plan

A significant part of your marketing includes promotion – pre-show, at-show and post-show. Most exhibitors fail to have a plan that encompasses all three areas. Budget is naturally going to play a major role in deciding what and how much promotional activity is possible. Developing a meaningful theme or message that ties into your strategic marketing plan will then help to guide promotional decisions. Know whom you want to target and then consider having different promotional programs aimed at the different groups you are interested in attracting. Include direct mail, broadcast faxes, advertising, PR, sponsorship, and the Internet as possible ways to reach your target audience.

3. Use Direct Mail Effectively

Direct mail is still one of the most popular promotional vehicles exhibitors use. From postcards to multi-piece mailings, attendees are deluged with invitations to visit booths. Many of the mailings come from show management’s lists and as a result, everyone gets everything. To target the people you want visit your booth, use your own list of customers and prospects--it’s the best one available. Design a piece that is totally benefit-oriented and makes an impact. Mail three pieces at regular intervals prior to the show, starting about four weeks out, to help ensure your invitation is seen. Wherever possible, use first-class mail. There’s nothing worse than a mailing that arrives after the show is over.

4. Give Visitors An Incentive To Visit Your Booth

Whatever promotional vehicles you use, make sure that you give visitors a reason to come and visit you. With a hall overflowing with fascinating products/services, combined with time constraints, people need an incentive to come and visit your booth. First and foremost their primary interest is in “what’s new!” They are eager to learn about the latest technologies, new applications, or anything that will help save them time and/or money. Even if you don’t have a new product/service to introduce, think about a new angle to promote your offerings.

5. Have Giveaways That Work

Tied into giving visitors an incentive to visit your booth is the opportunity to offer a premium item that will entice them. Your giveaway items should be designed to increase your memorability, communicate, motivate, promote or increase recognition of your company. Developing a dynamite giveaway takes thought and creativity. Consider what your target audience wants, what will help them do their job better, what they can’t get elsewhere, what is product/service related and educational. Think about having different gifts for different types of visitors. Use your website to make an offer for visitors to collect important information, such as an executive report, when they visit your booth. Giveaways should be used as a reward or token of appreciation for visitors participating in a demonstration, presentation or contest, or as a thank-you for qualifying information about specific needs etc.

6. Use Press Relations Effectively

Public relations is one of the most cost-effective and successful methods for generating large volumes of direct inquiries and sales. Before the show ask show management for a comprehensive media list, and find out which publications are planning a special show edition. Send out newsworthy press releases focusing on what’s new about your product/service, or highlighting a new application or market venture. Compile press kits for the press office that include information about industry trends, statistics, new technology or production information. Also include good product photos and key company contacts. Have staff members at the booth who are specifically assigned to interact with the media

7. Differentiate Your Products/Services

Too many exhibitors are happy to use the “me too” marketing approach. Examine their marketing plans and there’s an underlying sameness about them. With shows that attract hundreds of exhibitors, there are very few that seem to “stand out from the crowd.” Since memorability is an integral part of a visitors’ show experience, you should be looking at what makes you different and why a prospect should buy from you. This is of particular concern with generic products in your industry. Every aspect of your exhibit marketing plan, including your promotions, your booth and your people should be aimed at making an impact and creating curiosity.

8. Use The Booth As An Effective Marketing Tool

On the show floor your exhibit makes a strong statement about who your company is, what you do and how you do it. The purpose of your exhibit is to attract visitors so that you can achieve your marketing objectives. In addition to it being an open, welcoming and friendly space, there needs to be a focal point and a strong key message that communicates a significant benefit to your prospect. Opt for large graphics rather than reams of copy. Pictures paint a thousand words while very few exhibitors will take the time to read. Your presentations or demonstrations are a critical part of your exhibit marketing. Create an experience that allows visitors use as many of their senses as possible. This will help to enhance memorability.

9. Realize That Your People Are Your Marketing Team

Your people are your ambassadors. They represent everything your company stands for, so choose them well. Brief them beforehand and make sure that they know: why you are exhibiting; what you are exhibiting and what you expect from them. Exhibit staff training is essential for a unified and professional image. Make sure that they sell instead of tell; don’t try to do too much; understand visitor needs; don’t spend too much time; and know how to close the interaction with a commitment to follow-up.
Avoid overcrowding the booth with company representatives. Have strict rules regarding employees visiting the show and insist staffers not scheduled for booth duty stay away until their assigned time. Assign specific tasks for company executives working the show.

10. Follow-Up Promptly

The key to your tradeshow success is wrapped up in the lead-management process. The best time to plan for follow-up is before the show. Show leads often take second place to other management activities that occur after being out of the office for several days. The longer leads are left unattended, the colder and more mediocre they become. It is to your advantage to develop an organized, systematic approach to follow-up. Establish a lead handling system, set time lines for follow-up, use a computerized database for tracking, make sales representatives accountable for leads given to them, and then measure your results.


Written by Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,” working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting and training. Go to http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com to sign up for a free copy of ExhibitSmart Tips of the Week.

tags technorati : Tradeshows

The difference is in the details

Last month I posted about the importance of a good return policy. I also made a mention of the great customer service I received at Gap. Today I am hear to tell you about how the two converged into another great experience, and the importance of having great salespeople that are customer minded.



Over the Holidays I had received a couple gift cards to Gap, yesterday I purchased a couple sweaters without trying them on. When I got home, they were less than flattering on me. I gathered up my array of gift cards and headed to the mall. When I entered Gap I was enthusiastically greeted and wasn't challenged on the return (I wanted was my money back on the gift cards.) Meghan, the associate that helped me, said it was no problem. I fumbled around with my gift cards to figure out which card it had came from. At which point Meghan jumped in and said "Why don't you give them both to me, I will refund your money and combine the cards."

It took her all of two seconds to do everything, but it was the smallest detail that will keep me coming back. She combined my cards into one, processed my return, and oh yeah--didn't make me feel less than for returning an item.

The Selling Point:
Good customer service, in my opinion, is in the details. I only expected to have my sweaters returned, but I got great service on top of it. Now if Gap would only get its clothing line turned around, I might just be a customer for life.

tags technorati : Customer Service Relationship Building Retail

Sunday, SUNDAY, Sunday!!

In eager anticipation of the Big Game on Sunday, I found this page on Youtube.com. I don't know what it will have on it, but it will be the first page I check after the game.
Here is the link-www.youtube.com/superbowl

UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE!
This page gives you a chance to rank the Super Bowl ads, and get caught up an any of them that you missed.

tags technorati : Advertising

101 Things

Now that we have had a full month to think over last year, CNN.com has the 101 Dumbest Moments in Business. Believe me when I tell you this--an afternoon can be wasted perusing the great blunders from 2006.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• Peekaboo Pole Dancing Kit-$100
• Its simple, you tell your wife its the newest in exercise trends. Then cozy up to a long night (or several) on the couch.
  
• Chevyapprentice.com
• Viral marketing--be careful what you ask for.
• Fiji Water
• Cleveland Rocks! Don't piss them off!

The Selling Point:
I can guarantee that we will make even bigger blunder this year. In fact look at the hype around the Aqua Teen Hunger Force and its marketing tactics in Boston. I don't mean to poke fun at these people because they did one thing admirable--THEY TRIED!

I would rather try and fail, then deal with mediocrity.
(I think someone said that, if you know email me the quote.)

tags technorati : Advertising Creativity