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No doubt you have walked into a restaurant or establishment and seen the maximum capacity sign. I often wonder what some of these places look like when they get that full. But as a business owner do you have a plan to handle that kind of traffic? Will your service drop off or will the people being served still get the same feeling as if they were the only people there.
Today I had the pleasure of seeing this comparison between two companies. It started when I left the house to run errands and noticed it 45 degrees out-- which is really warm for Iowa in January. So I did like everyone else in Iowa and went to the car wash. I figured I could breeze through with only a minimal wait considering they have 8 wash bays. I was wrong. They were choking in a big way. There were many cars in line- good if your the car wash owner- bad for the rest of us. The owner was running around trying to get quarters to everyone because the change machine was broke. As well was the credit card machine, which I found out after waiting for 10 minutes, getting a wash bay, and then seeing the blue screen of death.
Frustrated, I left. He lost my business. He was at maximum capacity and couldn't handle it.
Two stops later I arrived at Panchero's Mexican grill for lunch. They too were at maximum capacity. The line was easily twenty people deep, and the seating area was full. The difference was how they handled it. They were prepared. The line never stopped moving. And when I ordered the workers were pleasant- not the usual frustrated and short tempered-which can often happen to restaurant workers during busy times. In only a few minutes I had my burrito and I was given a frequent buyer card with a brief explanation by the cashier while he ran my credit card. I then sat down to a clean table that had just opened up. Yes-- a clean table.
I was in in awe! So I sat back, sipped my soda, and watched what was happening. They had a system, each worker did their time on the customer service line before being rotated out to wipe down tables, check the soda area, or refill the ingredients.
They were at maximum capacity and thrived on it!
Whats the Great idea here?
A good business gives customer service when its slow and expected. A great business gives customer service all the time, especially when its unexpected. So as a business owner when was the last time you took the company out and ran it hard? I mean really pushed the workers?
I recommend doing this as soon as possible, especially in this economy, when every decision by the customer is important.
Getting great customer service like I did today from Panchero's means that when I want to spend some of my hard earned cash I will go there first. I have seen them in action and they don't disappoint. This is important to me and I bet its important to your customers.
So go out there today and run your business hard, who knows you may find some weak spots that are areas for improvement.
I don't know for sure if we are officially at a tipping point. But Twitter is right there as evidence by the this post and the video.
Blogging is actually becoming too slow. Maybe one day a news story like this will run about the days we used to blog.
Google has posted their 2008 Zeitgeist and once again it provides an interesting picture on the year that was. So the question that I am pondering is this: should we be surprised that Google tracks this information?
My belief is that the majority of the masses like to believe they move around the internet anonymously, popping in and out of websites and no one is the wiser. Unfortunately what they think is reality is far from the truth.
Everything online is trackable.
That sentence will scare you, but its true. So as Sales and Marketers we shouldn't be surprised that Google tracks this or that you track similar information; your customers will be. They will shocked to receive an email suggesting the perfect purchase-- like Amazon. They may get unnerved to find out that you are monitoring them, but that is our job.
Don't be afraid of your data, but don't scare your customers with your knowledge. There is a fine line between knowing and telling. Google knows a lot and tells us less, which less us sleep at night.
For 2009 my suggestion is this. Track everything. Use your data and really target your customers. The days of going after every customer are over. Determine your market and go after them. Stop appeasing the outliners, instead keep to your core group.
And most of all take a page from Google, watch for trends.
Recently my friend Nick has been keeping us up to date on the transformation that Walmart has done to their brand.
A short video to enjoy as you purchase items at ridiculously low prices. Cheap crap doesn't stimulate the economy, it only makes it worse.
I am youtubing again. (Is that even a term?)
Anyway. I believe this is a prime example of being lost in translation--i.e. not writing to your customers, but writing to your intelligence. Customers don't want you to show how smart you are, but how well you understand their problems.
It's a bitch working in Marketing and being on the recieving end of marketing.
About a year ago I dropped Verizon wireless to get an iPhone. There was no other reason. Verizon also didn't give me a reason not to drop them. They were like the "steady ok looking" girlfriend. They were always there, never posed me a problem, and never gave me a reason to give them much attention. I gave them up for the sexy chick (AT&T) down the street.
Now I kind of regret it. But I have an iPhone!
I take Netflix for granted, as do most subscibers. This week they had a problem and I have heard some people are canceling. My relationship with Netflix is much like my previous relationship with Verzion. Dependable. Reliable.
So what are they both doing wrong? They are too dependable, too reliable.
Verizon and Netflix both gave me online billing statements and automatic payments. No noise, very simple. Its the first part that is the problem. My bills were paid automatically-- charged right to my card, so I never thought the service. Which made it very easy for me to quit them.
If I was Verizon what would I do to not be forgotten. First, I would take a page from Netflix. They email me when they receive a movie and mail me one. But they could do more, when they credit my card for the subscription they could remind me of the transaction and engage me in conversation. They could ask me to rate more movies, or remind me that some of the movies I have rented are available for sale. Maybe include a button to automatically buy it and have it shipped to me with one click.
Verizon could have done just about the same. They could have reminded me of my payment, and included a link to text my friends for free and tell them how pleased I was with my Verizon service.
So what does this all mean? If your going to make your transactions with your customers easy-- online bill payments, electronic statements, etc. you need to engage them in a conversation every time to stay at the top of their mind. This is a perfect chance to make your message viral and offer your customer the ability to send a message to a friend.
The main point-- don't let easy lead you down the path of forgotten.
Greetings all 5 readers of the blog. Please accept my apologies in the delay of blog postings- but I have been in the process of moving the GS&MI blog home (yeah acronyms suck) to a new location and being involved in the process of adopting a rescue dog. More on both of those to come.
Anyway. I have many many posts in my head and will be sharing them shortly. So just to tease you here are some in the very near future:
- Parade ready: what's your company float?
- Image is everything! Does your salesteam fit you?
- Pack leader or follower: why your sales managers need to watch Cesear Milan.
- Image don't mean shit with that attitude.
- RND- what gear are you in? What gear are your salespeople in?
Alright. You get the point. My mind has been in overdrive while moving furniture and blogging on the iPhone just isn't fast enough! (Come on Apple, make that go!)
I went dirt track racing last night. I spoke with some of my friends and drivers, but one impressed me.
A driver who had a new car was struggling. What did he do? He called the owner of the chassis company that built the car for help.
What do you think happened? Voicemail? A coupon? (These are the normal responses.)
Nope. The owner of the company came out and drove the car. Wait. Let me point out-- drove it from the back to the front. Twice.
That got me thinking. "What is the role of a CEO/Owner/ President/ Headhoncho?" I answered that question with this simple phrase.
--To imbue the same passion and desire they have and move the company forward. To act as a role model for their customers and employees, and create inspiration.
My advice for you. If you're a President or a CEO and you can't go out into the field or even out of your office-- quit. If you work for a company and your president doesn't live up to that mission statement-- find a new company. There is a reason that small companies grow fast, their owners and creators live the motto I set forth. There is a reason that AppleFans sit with baited breath for a Steve Jobs keynote-- inspiration.
When was the last time you applauded your customers just for stopping by?
By now you know that I love Apple. But why?
They show appreciation at every turn. They make you feel wanted, and they give a reassuring feeling you made the right decision.
Check out this video from the new Boston Apple Store opening.
See! I wasn't kidding.
So my question to you-- when was the last time you clapped for your customers? I ask because we all need to remember that they do have a choice in who to do business with.
#1. New products require policies and procedures.
#2. New products have kinks.
#3. New products need tweeks.
#4. New products need customer adoption. And to get that you have to be willing to work out all of the above, but most important you have to bend #1.
I tried Amazon's Unbox service to rent a video last week. For the first video it worked perfectly. I couldn't have been more happy. I viewed the video and told my friends that Amazon might have something here to really compete with iTunes. (There was a downfall, I had to use my work PC because I am Mac guy.)
Then Friday night happened. The video didn't work. It just didn't play. Then it would crash my computer- all the more scary.
So I fumbled through their help and support section- which is a whole other post in and of itself. And finally ended up sending in an email. I wrote of my problem and asked for two things. One was a solution, and the second was a credit on my account (their policy prohibits refunds).
I got a general response- which told me they didn't read my email. I tried their solution and it didn't work. No surprise to me since it was just part of their help page regurgitated. I did everything they said, and nothing worked.
Frustrated, I went back to their email and clicked on the reply button. I told them nothing worked and while I understood their policy about refunds, all I wanted was a credit.
Enter this morning. I got an email from Amazon.
"Hello from Amazon.com.
I have reviewed our previous correspondence with you, and I offer my
sincere apologies for any frustration you have felt regarding the
difficulty you have had with your Amazon Unbox rental.
While Amazon Unbox videos are not returnable, I'm making an exception
to this policy for you today. I have requested a refund of $3.99 for you.
This refund should go through within the next 2 to 3 business days and
will appear as a credit on your next credit card billing statement.
As part of the refund process, I have also revoked the license for
this video and it will no longer appear in Your Media Library.
Again, I apologize for the difficulty you had using Amazon Unbox and
thank you for shopping at Amazon.com."
Wow! I thought- which is the exact emotion Amazon was hoping for. They did a great job with the apology letter by removing my frustration. I'll shop Amazon again- not for the Unbox videos, but for other things.
So whats the point?
Policies and procedures are good, they help protect companies and assets. But both deserve to be broken, bent, and reconsidered constantly. Not just for new products, but existing products. I believe if you fix a person's problem and give them the same feeling about your company as when they first purchased your item, they can be won for life.
Mom called me yesterday to tell me some news about her business and ask my advice. She also told me that she took the day off and hired a friend to run her store.
It was great news that she could finally afford an employee- its a small store. (But it has a nice website.)
Anyway, I asked her how much that employee sold that day. $7. I can't type the words I uttered but they looked like this #$&%!!!!!
She didn't understand how the store did so bad. I told her it came down to one word- PASSION. The person she hired didn't share the same passion as my mom.
Here is my idea for you...
When looking at who you should surround yourself with abilities are always the first thing people gravitate to.
I think it should be passion.
Abilities can be cultivated- passion is hard to be transfered.
User- generated content is undeniably hot right now. Websites like youtube, flicker, facebook, and myspace make sharing your personal preferences easier than ever.
Some brands inspire great content.
Some really miss the mark.
But lost in all of this hype is the original user-generated content- the customer feedback letter.
Here is my idea for you...
The next time you think about having a sales contest I believe you need to make the goal unrelated to a dollar amount. Instead, work to increase customer satisfaction and monitor it by the number of complimentary letters your company receives. Increasing sales is beneficial in the short term- increasing brand loyalty is beneficial for the long term.
Everyday we are blasted with tons of emails. In fact I have days when I never think they will stop coming in.
A few months ago we had a major announcement that I sent out which was effective today. (I sent it on November 20th to be exact.) I alerted people to the change and warned that I would need their feedback.
Today the change came. Guess how many phone calls I received?
The problem was everyone's radar wasn't big enough. They didn't see how the change effects them until its within striking distance. It was a tiny blip on the screen. They didn't pay attention to the blip until it got really close.
Similar to our personal space theory of Americans- you don't bug me until you are within 4 feet of me.
Is this a phenomenon? Could be. I know many salespeople who seem to have short sighted vision. But not everyone.
So my question to is how big is your radar? Do you catch things right as they too close to you? Or do you have the vision to see them coming from way off in the distance and anticipate what action is needed?
The latter being an important characteristic in dealing with customer problems. By the time the customer calls in, it has already been a problem simmering for a while. Just not to us. To us- it didn't become a problem until our phone rang.
Here's an Idea for you...
Solicit feedback from your users. In Seth's book, he mentions that customer to customer interaction can really help to build a brand and increase sales- in fact he points to it as one of the future states of marketing. I agree. I am not advocating you put up comments boxes in your store, slapping a "How's my driving" sticker on every car. But change the philosophy of your company. The response rates of those items are low, because many people feel as though their information goes into a black whole. No, doing those things give CEO's a warm fuzzy. We live in the real world, and want to know what people honestly think.
So what do we do?
Lets make it part of our conversation. This will require training, but incorporate customer learning into every salesperson's life. When they go to see a customer they have a goal- increase the business and the sale. Lets add to that- increase our understanding of how to improve ourselves. Salespeople are instinctively good at reading people- that is why we are in sales. So lets get instinctively good at gathering feedback.
I just ordered a combo meal from a restaurant. What I got was real. What they presented me with was a painted reality.
So my question to you is what does your company perceive as reality and what is real to your customers?
One year ago today I posted "Selling isn't dating- I can cheat on you". Today I am back to that subject- no I didn't run out material. Instead I read this post today by Scott Ginsberg "ZOINKS! The customer actually came to ME! Now what?".
And it got me thinking. I completely skipped the asking out part.
Good thing for us, Scott was on top it.
So read his post, then read mine, and ask yourself- "what am I like when a customer calls?" And how can I improve my relationships with my customers? It could be you are just starting off on the wrong foot.
Instant messaging.
Email.
Cell phones.
Are we spoiled by immediacy? Do we expect things too fast? Have we cultivated a culture that can live without anticipation?
What do salespeople do when immediacy becomes the norm for everything? How do we anticipate their needs, wants, or questions?
