Archive for the ‘customer service’ Category
Building Loyalty For Your Small Business
11 Aug 2009
by Jessica Wangsness
Loyalty—especially in today’s economy—doesn’t always go to the organization with the biggest name or reputation. Instead, it’s all about who you trust.
As Peter Bregman, CEO of Bregman Partners Inc., says, “Trust is the new competitive advantage.”
And this is where small businesses may have an advantage over their bigger counterparts: a face, a name and a real relationship.
These relationships don’t come easily, though. They have to be cultivated and cared for. Here are some tips:
1. Be available—at all levels.
If a client knows he or she can give anyone from the receptionist to the CEO a call to discuss anything from an account to the weather, then they feel valued (like they’re client No. 1)—and that translates into loyalty.
2. Play host to learning opportunities.
Organize lunchtime seminars that bring similar clients together with an expert who provides insights on how to deal with the latest hot-button industry issue. Not only will such initiatives make your client feel you are going the extra mile for them, but it will also provide them with a sense of community and a solid networking opportunity. And you can sit back and take all the credit. (Plus, there’s food involved.)
3. Admit when there’s an issue.
Problems creep up. Deadlines are missed. Mistakes are made. No organization is immune to it, so stop pretending that you are— especially when you talk to the client. While you should always work to mitigate these situations, sometimes it just isn’t possible. And reaching out to the client to work out a solution before things get worse is a lot better than letting things spin out of control. You might be able to easily work through the problem together. That’s when you’ll know you have a real partnership on your hands.
4. Be open with employees. It always trickles down.
Smaller organizations are often more transparent than larger ones. Employees usually have a better idea of why decisions are made and where they fit in. It’s a good advantage to have because it typically ensures your employees are happier and more secure in their positions, curbing that “me first” mentality that can prompt them to prioritize their needs over those of the organization—or even the client.
5. Love what you do.
You love what you do, so you’re excited about your professional endeavors. You make others excited about what you do, and they want to work with you. Sometimes it’s just that simple.
Recession Brings Opportunities for Marketers
10 Nov 2008
by James Meyers
Well, the elections are over, but little else has changed. The economy continues to bottom out, the stock market continues to drop on trader paranoia and companies continue to run scared. It’s a tough time for CMOs and marketers as they fight internal pressures to cut advertising costs, reduce staff and continue to produce results.
I’ve spent the last week poring over everything I can find about what marketers should do in the midst of an economic recession and the overwhelming sentiment and evidence is that the best marketers are looking at today’s economy as a real opportunity to expand market share versus weak competitors.
Since the end of World War II there have been eleven economic recessions or slowdowns in the United States that have provided plenty of opportunity to study how marketers have reacted and which companies have benefited and which have failed. Most recently, a 2005 study by the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University found that companies who have an ongoing strategic emphasis on the importance of marketing, who have nimble, entrepreneurial-type cultures and who have the resources to take advantage of marketing opportunities during a recession not only fair better during the recession but also come out of the recession quicker and significantly accelerate their growth much faster than their competitors when the economy begins to recover.
It’s not surprising that marketers who are positioned to see opportunities while those around them are cutting back marketing, costs, staffing and quality receive the double benefit of being aggressive at a time when their competition is pulling back. It’s truly an opportunity for the strongest to survive and flourish. World class athletes know that under times of great stress, their ability to focus, summon up resources and perform at a high level will nearly always results in victory against weaker opponents. They sense the weakness in their opponents, their fear, their inability to rise to the occasion and they take advantage of it. Think of Tiger Woods. Does he slack off or lose focus when he’s ahead or in dangerous waters? No, that’s the time when he goes in for the kill.
Advertising Age recently said that “recessions offer unprecedented opportunities to market in an environment of relatively less noise as others around you are cutting back”.
The November 10th issue of Business Week reported that Wal-Mart is enjoying double-digit profit growth while retailers all around them are reporting declines. Some retailers, such as Linens ‘N Things and Circuit City are filing for bankruptcy or closing stores. Clearly, Wal-Mart’s longtime emphasis on low pricing plays well in today’s economic environment. But did you know that Wal-Mart’s Every Day Low Prices slogan started during the last economic slowdown? And it’s not just about low prices, otherwise K-Mart and Sears would be reporting similar results. It’s about value, brand and staying focused in your communications.
After much reading and research, it seems the key to economic success during an economic downturn is maintaining a clear and constant focus on five critical areas: Competition, Brand, Customers, Communications and Staff.
Competition: Audit everything about your competitors. Their products, their website, their pricing, their sales force, everything! It’s critical that you know their every move not only to anticipate their tactics against you but to find their weaknesses that you might be able to exploit during a time when they are already looking over their shoulder. Take advantage of the economic uncertainty and risk to leave your competition far behind just as that world class athlete would.
Build Your Brand: Focus on those things that got you where you are today. Support and build your brand proposition. Reinforce the core values of your brand to make sure that your existing customers don’t see any deterioration in the products or services that they expect. If you have multiple products or services, make sure that you protect and nourish your core brands first particularly during poor economic times. They are your bread and butter. Never reduce quality to cut costs.
Customers: It’s common to avoid your customers during tough times in an attempt to “fly under the radar” of their economic troubles. But that’s exactly the opposite of what you should be doing. Now is the time to be listening to your customers, understanding their needs and fears, offering solutions to help. Be visible, be a partner, be a resource to them. Exceeding their expectations during tough times will pay off now and even more so when the economy improves.
Communications: Cutting back on communications and marketing during tough economic times moves you back into the pack of other companies who are running scared. It’s likely that just not reducing spending will put you ahead of your competitors. But, don’t be foolish, be smart. Adjust your spending to be more targeted, more frequent and more measurable. Economic recessions call for a focus on marketing that minimizes waste, engages customers and results in a return on investment that can be measured. Marketers move away from mass media during tough economic times in favor of more targeted, measurable media such as websites, custom publishing and community-building. Custom media continues to be proven way for companies to solidify their customer relationships, drive engagement and increase revenues.
Staff: Probably one of the most overlooked and neglected areas of focus during tough economic times is your staff. Don’t forget that they have a lot less information than you do, that they are being bombarded by bad news from the media and that they’re concerned or scared for their own jobs and their financial well-being. Now’s the time for increased communication with them that will keep them informed, engaged and with a feeling of purpose and value.
Recessions offer a time for opportunity. When everyone else around you is running for cover because the sky is falling, you have the opportunity to move your brand forward. But it takes focus, courage and commitment to be successful. That’s why small businesses generally do better than big companies during tough times because these are the type that first drove entrepreneurs to be successful. After all, entrepreneurs are used to flying in the face of advertisity, finding success when others predict failure and staying focused every day on achieving their dreams. We all need to exhibit a little more entrepreneurial spirit in these tough times, take risks and stay focused on success rather than failure.
My Good Customer Service
14 Oct 2008
by Andy Schultz
This past weekend I went to a kind of an upscale pizza joint run by a notable restaurant company. Not a chain restaurant but part of a firm that develops “restaurant concepts” very successfully here in Chicago.
What made the experience of eating at this place special was a series of small things. It’s clear that this firm has a system of paying attention to customers and seeking to exceed expectations. The waiter was fast to the table and returned probably a half-dozen times through the meal; the busboy re-filled water glasses attentively; the food was good and served quickly and hot out of the oven.
Three things impressed me. One was very small–one of our party had ordered a club soda and later, when the waiter saw it was almost gone, he brought a fancy little carafe of more club soda to the table, unbidden, mind you. Next was that it was a very busy Saturday night and the maitre d’, his assistant and the hostess dove in to bus tables and deliver entrees without regard to whose station it may have been–the key was take care of the customers and get the waiting customers seated ASAP.
Finally, one of our party ordered a salad requesting no onions. When it was delivered, suddenly the chef himself appeared, breathless and attired in his white chef’s jacket. “I just want to know if the reason you didn’t order onions is because you’re allergic or you just don’t like onions. I ask because there is onion in the salad dressing and I wanted to make certain you weren’t allergic.”
Had this happened outside of the context of all the other small elements of excellent service going on, the chef’s visit would have certainly been notable. But taken as part of the exercise of a “culture” of service clearly evident in this restaurant, it stood out as the icing on the cake and left our table dazzled.
Once at an off-site business meeting, the facilitator asked for a show of hands on the question, “How many of you have had too much positive feedback this week?” There was the expected laughter but also an air of poignancy as we reflected on the question. No one raised their hand. All could raise their hand to the question’s opposite.
The culture of this restaurant and its parent firm is obviously trying to get its patrons to feel like they are getting more positive interaction and feedback than they ordinarily experience. Turns out, it’s a low bar and this is an indictment of how too many firms view and treat customers.
Relationship marketing is about exceeding your customer’s expectations. And content is how you show your love—by giving valuable information to your customers and surprising them with the excellence of your attention and the quality of your presentation.
