Give'em a hand!

By no means these hands are idle, but it's not until the last five seconds that we learn its a beer commercial, until then your eyes are glued to the screen as hands morph and change to the beat. At the end we are even rewarded with a microsite www.guinnesshands.com.
When you visit the site I was surprised to see it was all about the filmmaker and not the beer. In fact you can even produce your own "hands" film.

So this weekend have a Guinness and tell your friends.

And one other thing, is it just me or did we get flipped the bird?

Put your customers to work

By all means this isn't a new concept, but in a meeting a few days ago it was scoffed at when I mentioned it.

The concept I proposed was putting our customers to work for us, making them the evangelists for our new program.

Not really something my company embraced.

In fact they were far from it. Too bad really, because your best customers can be better than some of your salespeople. They already have the trust, rapport, and correct message for the audience they speak to. But lets get into that another time. Or read this great blog by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba.

So for the sake of argument let's say that my company (or yours) embraced the idea. How easy would you make it to spread the word for them? Would you do anything at all? And more importantly, what would you do for them?

Fortunately for us we can turn to our political candidates for the answers. Yup, the candidates are now doing a fantastic job of recruiting every supporter to help spread the word. This last Sunday (Earth Day) I attended a rally in Iowa City for Barack Obama. Later that night, I went to his website to see what else I could learn. His site is a case study in using word of mouth and social networking for recruitment. You can set up a personal profile, find other supporters in your area, blog to other members, and watch videos.

What does this all sound like?

Hmm.

Maybe myspace, blogger, and youtube all wrapped into one. Of course he has links to profiles on all the social networking sites, but the best part is its one stop shopping. Everything I need is located in one location, and the best part is that it is user friendly, even for those a little less web-saavy.

The Selling Point:
Whether or not you are actively engaged in making your customers do work for you, some of them have the ability to move mountains. But they can only do so if they are properly equipped. So why not start today by setting up a page so they can watch videos of customer testimonies, you could have youtube host it. Make it easy for them to set up a members or customers area to find other companies looking for the same solution that you provide. And give them the tools to post everything they find to a blog or social profile. Chances are your customers outnumber your salespeople, why not properly equip them to spread the word?

Who knows they may be motivated to do this...

Technorati Tags: Creativity Lead Generation Sales Tools Church of the Customer Ben McConnell Barack Obama Word of Mouth Advertising

Cactus gets it!

More on how I found this later, but more importantly Cactus, an advertising agency out of Denver Colorado, gets it!

What's "it"?

They don't try to just make the sale, they try to make a friend. They know if they do this successfully the business will grow and there will be a greater chance for repeat business.

Keep this in mind the next time you are in contact with your customer and ask yourself: am I trying to make a friend or make a sale?

Kudos Cactus for posting this right on your website for all to see. This is one of the best mission statements I have read.

Technorati Tags: Advertising Branding Creativity Cactus Denver Colorado Mission Statement

Be unexpected.

Scott reminds us the importance of a great customer greeting. They know what to expect when they walk into a store or pick up the phone and already have a pre-programmed answer for you.

But what if you catch them off guard?

Read his post: From greet to great.

And remember the customer experience is everything that touches the customer.

Technorati Tags: Differentiation Retail Sales Tools Scott Ginsberg

Customer Service climatology

I realize that this is probably my third or fourth post about Blockbuster, but like I said when someone does it right they deserve praise.

I am sure we have all been there, a busy retail store crowded with customers, and lacking in customer service. For some reason, I don't know why, corporations seem to think the best way to save money is to cut the number of employees. And for some reason its always at the busiest times that they seem to be short on help.

Last Friday night I walked into Blockbuster video, it was busy weekend and the store was packed. Yet while I was walking around, I was asked three times if I need any help.

Three times, thats a lot!

When I got to the check out, not only did they have all the registers fully staffed, but someone was helping a customer sign up for Blockbuster Total Access. This is customer service!

The Selling Point:
The next time you rank your company's customer service don't look to a Tuesday night, or times when your slow. Check your customer service levels when you are maxed out on customers, only then will you get a true sense of the areas you are weak and the areas you are strong.

Technorati Tags: Customer Service Blockbuster

What's the Ask?

Anytime I submit a piece of marketing materials for approval from my boss, I get one question.

What is the ask?

To him if it is not apparent why we should spend the money on something he wants to know what we will get in terms of ROI.

Fair enough and sometimes the answer requires a long winded explanation.

Today I got an email from Nike featuring the famous "Thank you" ad that Nike ran in the Sunday Edition of the New York Times, as well as banner ads around the city. Read more about it here.

So my question to Nike and to you is, what is the ask?

• Increase awareness on an already controversial issue that can somehow translate into shoe sales?
• Improve brand identity by showing support for a school you are already affiliated with?
• Or was it to merely show your company has a social conscience and able to keep up with current events?

I know if I had to try and describe to my boss what "the ask" was on this campaign I would be at a loss for words. Call me old fashion but I am a call to action guy and it would be a bit difficult to track an increase in shoe sales (or decrease for that matter) back to this ad.

Your thoughts are welcome.

Technorati Tags: Creativity Branding Nike thank you ad

25 Top 25's

USA Today reminds us that hindsight is 20/20.

Technorati Tags: Motivation USA Today Top 25's

A miracle worker I am not. Part 2

Back in February I posted about my experience with a local Mr. Movie's store after receiving coupons in the mail. Since then I have received more and we will see how that goes, but for a refresher on the post you can read it here.

This posting has received many comments, the most compelling being the one below left by mistab.

"I stumbled across your site doing a deep Google search and found what you had to say VERY enlightening. Being someone who has spent large amounts on marketing promotions, to be left wondering why didn’t they do as well in one location vs. another, this is one reason why. As a small business owner it is hard to know how the person will be received at the store level. You can do all the training you want, and have the manager be available all the time, but when it comes down to it for those moments when the customer is there face to face with that young person at the counter they are representing the entire business. They are representing the store, other stores, and the entire cooperation. Upon seeing your posting I printed a copy of it and had all of my employees talk to me about how they felt. It was enlightening and a chance to open their eyes to the bigger picture and what role they play in the success of the business. Thank you for sharing your insight."

The most important statement in her comment was that it was enlightening for their employees to see what role they play in the success of the business. I think this is the biggest hurdle to great retail customer service that companies face today. Your front line employees work for a large nameless, faceless organizations and they don't develop a positive relationship with the company like they would a small business. It then makes it impossible for them to care about the customer service service they provide.

The Selling Point:
We live in a mass society. Don't believe me watch this video. We consume and produce massive amounts of everything and have an increasing level of choices presented to us. But the one thing that we can't do well in mass is customer service. That still needs to be done one person at a time. The best way to do this and drive your point home is to make customer service personable.
Mother Theresa is quoted as saying "If I look at the mass I will never act, if I look at the one I will." She of course was referring to charity, but I think it applies here. If you look at the mass of your customers its easy to gloss over and give general service, but if you look at each customer individually you have the chance to give great service.

Thanks for the comment mistab! And for everyone else keep them coming!

Technorati Tags: Customer Service Retail Mr.Movies Direct Mail Lead Generation

What's in a name?

Not to long ago I posted about Mr. Movies and their customer service. Today I received a second postcard in the mail with more coupons.

But why does it says 'Resident' in the address line?

The coupons are a good idea don't get me wrong. But if you have my information and are going to send me a direct mail piece, you need to include a name. A missing name could be considered tolerable if this was the first mailing to me or they had just purchased a list for my area.
But its not and I used a couple of the coupons from their previous mailing.
Didn't you track those Mr. Movies?

The Selling Point:
In my last post I picked on the customer service aspect of Mr. Movies and the next time I go back I guess we will see if its improved. Now I am a bit disappointed in their direct mail program.

Is there any pleasing me?

Yes, If your going to spend the money to print a direct mail piece and have coupons included, put your customer's name on it. This will increase participation and your response rates. In this case it would have been particularly helpful since I used the coupons from their previous campaign.

Names always increase participation!

Technorati Tags: Advertising Retail Target Marketing Mr.Movies Direct Mail Mistakes

Know when to say when.

I am here to tell you that doing business with your customers is a privilege and not a right.

At anytime they can fire you.

When a customer decides to stop doing business with you of course you should find out why and try to turn those objections into reasons to buy. You don't just say "ok, thanks!" and walk away. But don't make them feel obligated to stay with you.



Case in point.
I recently fired a salesman who was trying to sell me a product. The product was decent but didn't fit me and my application. Being the customer I know this much better than the salesperson. He tried to save me, and I of course informed him that if my situation changed he would be the first person I contacted.

[It's at this point that you and he should thank me for my time and put me on the back burner.]

But he kept calling and emailing me. He doesn't get it. I fired him. If he would leave me alone I might recommend him or call him when I am in a position to buy. But he won't back away and let me get air. He doesn't know how to back down!

There comes a point in every sale that you have to let the customer come up for air. Regardless of what all of your sales books tell you, this is a good thing. If you give them a chance to look objectively at the situation and keep your distance during this time they will appreciate you more. However, if you continue to smother them they will only back away further.

The Selling Point:
Kenny said it best "You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em." As a salesperson you have to know when to hold on to a customer and when to let them go. Letting a customer go won't be the end of your career. In fact it will only help to strengthen your relationship with them. If you know when to back off, they will appreciate you more.
Selling is give and take. Sometimes you have to give up a little. Knowing when in the relationship that its best for the customer is the key. Don't overwhelm them and worst of all don't badger them. It will only drive them further away.
Learning how to keep your distance when needed will pay off in long the run.
You are in it for the long run right?

Technorati Tags: Customer Retention Relationship Building Kenny Rogers The Gambler