Author Archives: Stephanie Hackney

The Seven Sins of Customer Service

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There’s a lot of buzz these days about customer acquisition. Customer acquisition is certainly an essential aspect of business, but it’s also time consuming and costly. Wouldn’t it be easier to take great care of your existing customers, to endear them to you and create such loyal followers that they continue to purchase your offering, and happily share your brand with everyone they know? If that sounds better than spending untold thousands and thousands of marketing and ad dollars trying to acquire new customers, then read on…

1. Create policies aimed at the few rather than the many

I see this time and time again –policies meant to control the behavior of those few who will stop at nothing to rip off a company, to game the system. What about the rest of your customers? What about those who are honest? What you communicate to the scammers and rule breakers is that you are on to them. Guess what? They are already finding ways to circumvent your rules. And, those of us who are honest, and loyal? We are left feeling like you care much more about your interests than ours. We don’t feel important or valued.

2. Create processes that work best for you, not your customers

How many times have you tried to resolve a customer service issue, where YOU were the customer, and the process made you want to scream…out loud…from a rooftop? I have done business with, and worked for, companies that were much more focused on what worked for them, for their chosen internal processes, than what worked for their customer. Make it easy for customers to resolve issues and they are much more likely to give you another chance, even when you really screw up. And you will – no company is perfect. It’s how these companies deal with mistakes that can mean the difference between a customer leaving them forever (and telling plenty of people about the experience) and a customer giving them a chance to make it right and regain their loyalty.

3. Leave your guys and gals on the “front lines” powerless

Something I learned long ago: never take no from someone who does not have the authority to say yes. Unfortunately, the majority of companies that have a reputation for poor customer service tie the hands of their employees – these employees are not empowered to say yes…ever. These businesses do not enable their employees to think for themselves, to do what is appropriate (notice I did not say “do what it takes”) to make things right with an unsatisfied customer. Imagine how much better the situation would be for the employee if you trusted them to make good judgment calls. Imagine how much better the situation would be for the customer if they could have their issues resolved quickly by an employee empowered to say yes. Imagine how much better the situation would be for your business if your employees felt valued and your customers felt like you were doing what was best for them? Imagine if all companies had a policy such as this one:

THE POWER OF ONE®
We know that the one thing that sets Omni apart and gives our guests a truly memorable stay is our associates. That’s why we empower every associate to make decisions and take action to ensure your stay is exceptional. From creating programs that appeal to your senses to assisting with dining reservations or just making sure that you have a quick checkout, every Omni Hotels associate has the power to help you with whatever you need through unsurpassed customer service – that is The Power of One®.

It’s such a simple thing and yet many companies totally miss the mark.

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The Evolution of Marketing – A Lot Like Photography

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I was explaining to a network contact how the evolution of marketing is a bit like the evolution of photography when it dawned on me that it might be of value to my readers. So, here goes.

There was a time when only someone who really understood the fundamentals of photography (lighting, F-stop, shutter speed, exposure, ISO, etc.) could create a great picture AND get it published. Then, along came cameras outfitted with “automatic” mode and soon digital cameras that enabled one to see, immediately, whether or not the shot they had just taken was any good. No good? Make adjustments and take it again. This new offering was followed by a proliferation of online photo sites where most anyone can now publish any, and every, shot they take.

How is this like marketing? I’m glad you asked.

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“The Show’s Over, Now What” Part 2: A Post-Event Checklist

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Post-Event Checklist:

Overall Event Goals-Did we reach, exceed or miss our goals?

Sales

Yes-final numbers:

What contributed to the success?

What else can we do to further improve our numbers at future events?

No-final numbers:

What contributed to the shortcoming*?

How will we make improvements before our next event?

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“The Show’s Over, Now What?” Part 1: Time to Reflect

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When we last left our marketing heroes and heroines they were wrapping up activities at their latest trade show. Now they’re back home and ready to capitalize on all they’ve done, created, learned, collected and committed to. So, where does one begin?

 

Brand-Building

Let’s start with the primary mission of any marketing effort: building one’s brand. By setting goals around one’s branding efforts prior to participating in events, it’s possible to track the effectiveness of one’s efforts, to see what worked and what didn’t. So, what were your branding goals? Did you set up metrics by which you would be able to measure success or failure? How did you do? What could you have done better and what will you attempt to do next time? How did your event efforts tie into your overall marketing strategy?

Perhaps you announced a contest prior to the event. If so, what was the impact? How many participants did you have? How many of them are new followers or customers vs. previously loyal followers or customers? How many people did the newbies or loyalists tell, and how many of those became followers or customers? Were you able to convert the new followers into buyers as a result of the contest? What have you put in place to track the new leads and their sources from future programs? What’s your process for welcoming additional newbies and converting them? What’s your process for staying in touch with your current and future followers and/or customers, those you worked so diligently to attract? How will you encourage and assist them in spreading the word about your amazing offering? How will you track the success of such efforts?

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Step Right Up – It’s Show Time!

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Picture this: you approach the trade show booth of a company you’ve never heard of. The design is amazing, the color combinations are fabulous and the collection is unique. You’re intrigued and can’t wait to learn about this newcomer. Just as you step onto their carpeting, you’re stopped dead in your tracks – a stack of half empty pizza boxes, a pile of napkins and sweating drink cups are occupying a table situated smack dab in the middle of the booth. What’s your first impression?

No, this is not a made-up scenario. This is an actual experience I had at a recent trade show.

Now, I’m sure someone out there is responding with, “Well, the staff needs to eat.” I agree. But, your booth is not the place for chowing down!

As a former corporate event manager and owner of an event management company I might be just a bit more critical than most attendees, but I can assure you the scene I encountered shouted, “Unprofessional!” to most everyone who visited that booth. And, it was enough to turn me away, without having learned about the company or its products.

As a result of my experience, and because I prefer to give the benefit of the doubt to those who might be new to exhibiting, I want to share my “rules of engagement” when exhibiting at trade shows, conferences and other events where you are competing for attendees’ valuable dollars.

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Social Marketing: The Be All, End All?

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By now most everyone has heard of social marketing, right? And, you have most likely been told by more than one well-meaning individual that you MUST be participating, right? In fact, if you have read any consumer, business or industry press articles, or blogs, you KNOW that you MUST participate, right?

Well, I’m here to debunk the advice. Or, at the very least, to offer a more skeptical view of its value.

Now, before you dismiss me as out-of-the-loop on modern marketing, I should state that I agree that there’s value in social marketing. Participating in social marketing enables companies to communicate, in a two-way fashion, with its customers; to monitor customers’ behavior and expose needs and desires; it provides a means for monitoring and resolving customer service issues; and, it can be a valuable means by which companies can build their brand, among other benefits. But, it is not THE be-all, end-all it’s purported to be. And, it’s not free! Yes, you heard correctly, it’s NOT free!

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Have You Been Branded?

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Branding: Perception is Reality in the Mind of the Consumer

What exactly is a brand? That’s a question that’s likely to receive as many answers as there are marketers in the world.

Wikipedia defines a brand as follows:

The identity of a specific product, service or business. A brand can take many forms, including a name, sign, symbol, color combination or slogan. A brand is the personality that identifies a product, service or company and how it relates to key constituencies: customers, staff, partners, investors, etc.

Ask a rancher and you’ll likely hear a brand described as the unique marking livestock is given that enables each rancher to identify his/her animals.

I contend that a brand is every touch point your business has with every person inside and outside of your company, and the perceptions and expectations each of these people maintains about your business, products and/or services, and people. If your company consists of only you and your personal output, then your brand is YOU.

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Wreaking Havoc On Your Own Brand

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It’s 8:30 a.m. and I am in rush-hour traffic heading into downtown. As the traffic slows ahead of me I notice a magnetic sign on the tailgate of a truck in front of me. I can barely make out the image: it’s a drawing of a woman in shorts and a sexy top and whose knees are adorned with knee pads. Getting an image?

As the truck slows and I get a better look, I realize it’s a sign advertising a business called Grout Girl Designs. OK, change of perception. Cool, I think to myself. Perhaps it’s a woman-owned business? I like supporting other females in their entrepreneurial ventures. I need to learn more. I get a bit closer and discover that they specialize in small tile projects, repairs and glass tile. Again, cool. Then, just as I have taken a photo of the sign (yes, I am prone to doing that as long as it can be done safely and not at high speed!), I realize there is a smaller sign in the rear windshield (actually, it’s a bumper sticker). It says, “Did you eat a bowl of stupid for breakfast?” OK, initial perception likely correct. Or, at the very least, this is not someone I care to do business with?

How do your employees and other aspects of your business operations represent your brand?

 

Social Ineptitude in Real Life?

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With all the hype around social marketing, one would think success is all but guaranteed once a business creates a Facebook fan page, launches a Twitter account and/or posts amazing videos on YouTube, right? But, what if you are “socially inept” in real life? What do I mean by socially inept? I mean that when customers engage with you in real-life, they find you inept.

How many companies out there do the whole social marketing thing really well, but then fail miserably with the real-world customer experience?

Here’s an example: I recently signed up for the mailing list of a well-known retail chain. By signing up I was enabling them to market to me. My reward for providing my contact information was that I would receive coupons which could be used on merchandise in their stores. Since I have always liked their stores, I felt this was a fair trade – my information in exchange for discounts. Now, it’s important to note that a retailer’s hope is that I will spend enough to cover not only the cost of the discount they offer by providing me with a coupon, but encourage me to spend more and on items I might otherwise try. Smart, right?

Well, a few days ago I visited one of their locations, coupon in hand. I was all set to buy something I had had my eye on for some time, but could not justify buying at full price. And, I intended to look for accompanying accessories even though the discount would not be applied to those. So far their strategy was working. Now, imagine my disappointment when I found the item I coveted was not where I had seen it last, and no one in the store seemed to know where it had been moved. Even worse was the made-up response I received from an employee who was too busy chatting with several other employees to ask someone in the know about this mysterious disappearance. She confidently announced, “Those items were sent back. We no longer carry them.” Really? A brand new and very popular item was sent back? Sent to where? Now, since I know a thing or two about this chain, and how their merchandise comes and goes, I knew she made up her response!

What do you think happened? That’s right, I left…empty handed. And, it’s not likely that I’ll return anytime soon just because I have a coupon, something I might have been likely to do in the past.

In the end, it does not matter how amazingly well you manage your social marketing strategy if the basics of customer service at the store level are completely lacking. Yes, social marketing can be an important part of an overall branding strategy. But, it cannot replace great customer service. Your brand depends on customers feeling valued. My example did not leave me feeling valued. And, it certainly did nothing for my impression of this well-known brand.