Rescue a Rescue

Recently I read a blog post from David Armano about the power of social media. In his post he wrote about a family that needed help and how social media came to the rescue.

In that same regard I am asking you to do the same.

In June of 2008 I adopted my dog TJ from the America's Basenji Rescue in Indianapolis. For those of you close to me you know that he means the world to me.

That rescue is in financial trouble. Over the last six months the owner has fallen on very tough times. Rebecca and Keith have always ran the rescue out of their own pockets. But recently his job has been cut back and more dogs are coming into the shelter than are being adopted. The rescue currently has 26 dogs and room enough for only 15. As you can imagine the vet bills and food bills are mounting (for those of you in the midwest you know how cold it has been and the heating bills are mounting as well).

I know that times are tough for all of us but it would mean a lot to me personally if you could reach out and help this shelter. A monetary donation is not necessarily needed. If you have old towels or blankets around the house that you don't use please send them. If you have the means to send money please do.
Rebecca is not the type of person to ask for a hand out, so it was personally heartbreaking to receive her email this morning asking for help.

If you are interested or know someone who is interested you can send a check to the following address:

Rebecca Sloan
2589 S. Roena St.
Indianapolis, IN 46241

Or you can donate through their website at
http://www.basenjirescue.us/

This is not a for profit company and all of the donations will be going directly to the care of dogs who are currently homeless.

2008 Zeitgeist

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.

Technorati Tags: Customer Retention Customer Service Relationship Building

Lost in translation

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.

20 months

In that time Barack Obama put together a campaign that inspires videos like this.




If you start tomorrow, can your brand inspire the same inspiration?

Technorati Tags: Branding Creativity Relationship Building

Start to finish

This photo should be a reminder that you must finish well.

The meeting is not over until you are out of the parking lot.

The interview doesn't end with the handshake--it ends when you are off the premises.

People are always watching and your story, your pitch, your theme continues until the very end. And not just when you want it to. Maintaining composure and prose completes your theme. 

In short, you could have the best interview, best sales pitch ever; but if you stick your tongue out at the end--what is that saying about you?

Discover and the (866) 402-1044 number

It's a bitch working in Marketing and being on the recieving end of marketing.

A couple of weeks ago I needed a new Discover card. No problem. I jumped on the website, requested a new card, and bingo-- a couple days later there it is.

I called to activate it. And presto up and running with a new card. The point should be made that I have been an avid Discover card user for over four years now. So the whole card requesting/activating process is nothing new to me as I burn through cards at a pretty good clip.

Then the calls started. (866) 402-1044- missed call.

I ignored it.

Then the next day. (866) 402-1044- missed call.

I ignored it.

Then the following day. (866) 402-1044- missed call.

Now, I called back. They said it was Discover with an offer. I told them I was not interested, thanked them politely for calling. But to not call me.

Wanna quess what happened next? Yeah, the next day-- two missed calls from that number. I called them back, told them I wasn't interested and to not call me.

Well, this went on for more than a week and a half. Two calls a day, at very predictable times--9:45 and 6:30. You could almost set your clock by it.

I got fed up. Last night I called them back and gave them the ultimatum. You call me one more time, and you lose my business--forever. The lady on the other end (who I have no beef with) said it takes two to three weeks to be removed from a call list.

Umm. Why? I asked. It didn't take two to three weeks to add me. Its not like you have some tired soul trapped in a dungeon with a quill pen writing these call lists.

So here is my wake up call for us Marketers. If you are going to conduct a marketing campaign in this highly digital, highly permissive based age--make sure your database is updated HOURLY.

I know. I hear the complaints already. --Oh, thats difficult--oh, thats expensive.

Is it? Or are we just complacent to build lists and pound them into submission?

What leadership looks like

Regardless of your thoughts of Barack Obama, you must admit that it takes true charisma to hold an audience of 80,000 captive and inspire motivation.

How to keep your customer information updated

I got this email from Ikea yesterday. Its a perfect example of how to keep your customer database up to date.

The email is simple.
The email is a fast read.
The email includes an action item.
And the best part-- for $550 they keep their database up to date.

Technorati Tags: Customer Retention Relationship Building

Don't get forgotten

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.

Technorati Tags: Customer Retention Customer Service Relationship Building

Moving Sale!

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 want to talk to the Sales Manager

Today we got a cold call from presumably a telemarketer. They asked for the sales manager, when our secretary (uh hum... Administrative Assistant) asked why, they said they would answer that when the sales manager answered.
So she took his number and hung up.
I'll save the suspense-- I am not calling him back.

He did many things wrong. All of them are good for us, so lets take a look.

1. He didn't know my name. If your going to cold call- get an updated list with names. If your not willing to do that quit now and go work at Gap or something.
2. Be NICE! That Administrative Assistant that answered- yeah she is going to do that every time you call. So I would make her my friend. For tips on that read this.
3. (This could really be an extension of 2) Say why your calling! Even if we are doing business your attitude is not getting me past our gatekeeper.

Its been about a year since I last posted about effective use of the phone. But I think deserves a revisit.

Here is what I do 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 someones information I wanted to make sure they had mine, so I offered my contact information to them. That way if the call got interrupted 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 ascertained 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."

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

How Amazon almost lost me

#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.

How big is your radar?

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.

Technorati Tags: Customer Service Relationship Building Sales Tools Personal Space Sales Insight

Real vs. Reality

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?

Technorati Tags: fast food combo customer perception customer service customer retention

Selling isn't dating- Part two

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.

Technorati Tags: Customer Retention Customer Service Relationship Building Scott Ginsberg Selling dating

The penny jar

I bet your local post office doesn't have a penny jar. Mine doesn't.

Want to know why?

They can't audit it. That was the explanation I was given.

Well of course you can't audit a penny jar- because its kindness. But that's the point of a penny jar.

A penny jar is more than just lint-less extra change. It's one consumers generosity spilling into another.

My question to you is- does your company allow for a penny jar?

Spontaneous Snowball fight

Shortly after finishing a "team building" excercise at work yesterday we all lumbered out to our cars on the way to a company dinner.

What happened next had the potential to educate our leadership team beyond reasoning.

It was a snowball fight.

As we exited the building, to our amazement it had snowed most of the day. As our group made its way to the parking lot the packed powder began to fly.

So why is this important?

All day we worked on team building. Standard "group think" answers where given and the veterans of the group paid each other the lip service they commanded.

But when the snow started flying, the leadership abilities became crystal clear. You could see those who could quickly adapt to a changing environment- one with baseball size packs of snow flying at you. You also saw others that could command and delegate to ensure victory. It also became apparent those that can immediately cut loose and be comfortable with co-workers.

What's the Point?
Planning can produce the results you wish. However, spontaneity can shed light on the less obvious.
And snowball fights are just plain fun!

GM vs. Lexus

"You could start a fire on Lexus dealership lot and not get any help." This was a quote from our keynote speaker yesterday, in reference to the products you sell.

Think about for a second.

When you walk on a GM lot, how long does it take to get help? A minute, maybe two?

What about a Lexus lot? Does anyone help you?

This argument isn't indicative of just GM or Lexus, it has to do with public perception and desirability. Lexus knows that its products are desired, GM tries to make up in its desirability by approaching you immediately. By no means do you sacrifice customer service, but what would happen if you didn't call a customer back right away? Would you lose the sale? Depends on your product right? And I also think it has to do with your level of service. A customer will wait if they know when you call them back they will get 100% of your attention.

Here's and Idea for you...
In order to create desirability in your product it has to start with your service. Multi-tasking is a term that doesn't exist in customer service. Period. You do need to do many things at once, just not with a customer's time. When you talk to to them or interact with them it's 100% all the time, every time.

What to do about Johnny ITKS?!

I have some bad news for you.

Johnny ITKS works at your company. And he works at everyone's company.

Who is Johnny ITKS?

Johnny ITKS is that salesperson that likes to be "in the know" with their customers. They think its a good thing to keep customers informed of every little detail about a plan or a product launch to make themselves look good. Johnny ITKS (in the know salesperson) is a very bad thing for your business. What Johnny likes to do is pretend to be friends with your customers by providing 'inside' information to them. What Johnny is afraid of is losing the customer. Therefore he tries to add value to the relationship by giving information to them that shouldn't be passed along. Not only does this devalue the brand in the customer's eyes but causes fear and doubt about company ethics. Remember all that money you spent on building you brand in an area? Johnny ITKS can make that a mute point in no time fast.

Now don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of your salespeople making friends with customers.

But you see, Johnny ITKS does so at the expense of the company. He plays friends with your customers on the pretense that he adds value to the relationship by 'helping' the customer cut through the clutter, mess, and evilness that is your BIG company. YIKES! In effect what he does is play good cop to your bad cop with a customer. He puts them under the impression that without that relationship they would be doomed! Doing business with your company would be a nightmare. But no worries Johnny ITKS is on their side.

What Johnny doesn't understand is that he can provide value to the customer relationship in ways that don't compromise your company's intergrity and value. He can provide meaningful solutions to the customers problems and by not wasting the customers time with frivious phone calls. And knowing when to say no.

So what can we do about a Johnny ITKS?
The first step is identifying one. This isn't easy and I don't have a fool-proof method for this. But before you start sharping your pitchforks and digging out your torches to go after the rookies you should know a thing or two about a Johnny ITKS. They can be any one of your sales team--rookies or veterans. Maybe one day you will get lucky (like I did) and have a customer forward you an email from a Johnny ITKS with the simple words "should I have received this?" My best advice is look for those within your staff who have an apparent disregard for sensitive information. Also, and hear me out on this one-always take the customer's side on everything and don't try to understand the who, what, and why of new policies or procedures.

The next step is to build loyalty to the brand in your sales staff. Start by not talking down to them, but up.
Huh?
In a recent Fast Company article one editor wrote about his experience working at an Apple store. He noted, "Many companies fail from the start by talking down to their new hires and using training materials geared for the lowest common denominator. Gap started employee orientation on the wrong foot by showing us a video about the perils of employee theft. Starbucks handed out Orwellian handbooks telling us to "Be Authentic." Such approaches produce cynicism and engender a fake sense of belonging, if any at all. Apple treated us like adults."
So talk up to your salespeople, make them want to have your brand as their next tattoo.

I realize all this may sound like a 180 degree turnaround from how this post started. But I believe the best way to get the most out of your team is to treat them in the highest regard. Too often I see companies treat their salespeople as well... salespeople. And you know that mentality will only breed that behavior from them

So here is an idea for you....
The next time your sales staff is in town. Treat them like the rock stars that they are. When they come to the corporate headquarters have ALL of your staff out front cheering them on as they walk in. (See iPhone launch) When they are to walk into the conference room for the meetings introduce them like professional athletes. Really! Have your ever been to a pro football, basketball, hockey game and not got chills down your spine?
Why do all this you ask? Well its my philosophy that Johnny ITKS can't exist in a company who treats him so well. You see it would be Johnny ITKS's guilty conscience that would get the better of him.

Technorati Tags: Customer Service Relationship Building Sales Fast Company iPhone Launch Apple

Perspectives and perceptions

I was at a car dealership last weekend having my Civic serviced when this came to mind.

Salespeople often lose the value perspective.

Case in point. I overheard a car salesman talk about the 3 customers he had to take care of today to get them in cars. To him it was 3 out of dozens he would work with.
To the customer it was the one most important purchase they would make this year.

Earlier this week I wrote a proposal for a new client. I won't brag the proposal wasn't that big in comparison to others that I have sent out.
But to the customer, it was huge! Ginormous! It was one of the most important decisions she would make this year.

So I treated it that way. It may not have been big in my perspective, but it was in her perception.


So here is an idea for you....
When you are preparing your next proposal or talking with a client put yourself back in their shoes. Or even your own shoes when you started with the company. Remember that first big sale, or account you landed? Its that way everyday with your customers.

Sure you may sell hundreds of widgets everyday, but your customer only buys one. And its the one that is the most important to her.