johnthesearcher
New Member
I mentioned 'systems' and the essence of repetition in a previous post from a marketing perspective and now I'd like to 'spin the bottle' and point it directly at your relationship with your current or prospective clients/customers.
90% of sales are lost because of one simple marketing mistake ....Trying to sell your product or service to someone who doesn't know you, trust you and appreciate the value of the service you provide is simply transactional marketing (one step) and should be left to the 'opportunist'. The above would never be considered as a long term or replicatable marketing plan.
I prefer the word Client as opposed to Customer as the Webster's Dictionary definition of these 2 not dissimilar words makes an important distinction in that a -
Customer: Is a person who purchases a product, commodity, or service. (transaction)
Client: Is a person who is under the protection of or is protected by another (relationship)
Relationship marketing beats transactional marketing .....every time.
Developing a mutually beneficial relationship with your clients means that every person in your organization should be 'on the same page' when it comes to the client experience. They must all .....live, sleep eat, dream and breathe client which consolidates your 'brand' as a market leader.
Why? because client expectation is high and competitive pressure is increasing for ........ everyone.
Your processes, policies, skills, and motivations have a lot to do with keeping clients coming back — and even more to do with clients deciding not to come back.
Think of your own situation as a client/customer — whenever you’ve decided not to go back to a certain product or service or place, it was usually because you were turned off by a member of staff (don't blame me I only work here) mentality, a long drawn out telephone voice message, (which inevitably puts you to the wrong person) a questionable sales process, (which gives you a discount but hikes up delivery charges) an unclear company policy, (refunds and credit notes) skill, or motivation, right?
For example, at Boots The Chemist, at Quick Fit, at Virgin, at ........(insert your own list here) every one of their employees is encouraged to continually think about and innovate the client experience. They do it by developing new product ideas, cutting sales cycle time and costs, improving skills, creating new ways for clients to access value, and making processes and policies more client friendly.
How do you create and sustain innovative client experience? How do you define your Unique Positioning Statement (UPS or USP)
1) Find out what clients expect from dealing with your company. Not merely benefits as those are just means-to-an-end. A creative solution to a problem or perceived need is what the client really buys and values above all else.
2) Find out how your clients make value judgments of each contact they have with you. This is different from satisfaction levels.
3) Find out #1 and #2 for the whole client experience — from the point when they become aware of a need through to the point when they no longer perceive that need.
4) Lead the Field type of companies do not always have better products, better staff or better delivery methods ...... they just have a different client philosophy. Take ownership and make good things happen.
5) Monitor your motives. If your primary reason for any decision or behavior truly has the customer’s best interest (see #1 and #2 above) at heart, then you’re on-track. On the other hand, if your own gain is the primary reason, with customer’s gain as a secondary reason, then you’re on the wrong track.
6) Borrow ideas from others. Not just competitors, or you’ll only be a me-too company. Be curious and open-minded about how other industries and cultures do things. Learn from them, adapt and experiment, and use what works.
7) Be creative. “There’s this common perception that some people are creative and most aren’t. That’s just not true. As a leader, you want everyone in your organization producing novel and useful ideas. The fact is,
all the research in this field shows "that everyone is capable of doing some degree of creative work.”
8) Love complaints. When a customer takes the time to share suggestions or vent frustrations, you can bet they’re representative of a larger number of customers that share that sentiment — or soon will, unless an improvement occurs. Better for you to hear it and make the change before your competitors do and take that revenue stream away from you.
9) Make quarterly — or more frequent — assessments of your policies, processes, skills, motivations, products and services. Assess them from your clients viewpoint. Always keep on the lookout for ways to invent great client experiences.
10) Food for Thought! (quote or joke of the day)
A man in a hot air balloon is lost. He sees a man on the ground and reduces height to speak to him.
"Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?"
"You're in a hot air balloon hovering thirty feet above this field," comes the reply.
"You must work in Information Technology," says the balloonist.
"I do," says the man, "How did you know?"
"Well," says the balloonist, "Everything you told me is technically correct, but you are telling me what I already know."
"You must be in business," says the man.
"I am," says the balloonist, "How did you know?"
"Well," says the man, "You don't know where you are, you don't know where you're going, but you expect me to be able to help. You're in the same position you were before we met, but now it's my fault."
If things seem under control .....you are simply not moving fast enough.
John
90% of sales are lost because of one simple marketing mistake ....Trying to sell your product or service to someone who doesn't know you, trust you and appreciate the value of the service you provide is simply transactional marketing (one step) and should be left to the 'opportunist'. The above would never be considered as a long term or replicatable marketing plan.
I prefer the word Client as opposed to Customer as the Webster's Dictionary definition of these 2 not dissimilar words makes an important distinction in that a -
Customer: Is a person who purchases a product, commodity, or service. (transaction)
Client: Is a person who is under the protection of or is protected by another (relationship)
Relationship marketing beats transactional marketing .....every time.
Developing a mutually beneficial relationship with your clients means that every person in your organization should be 'on the same page' when it comes to the client experience. They must all .....live, sleep eat, dream and breathe client which consolidates your 'brand' as a market leader.
Why? because client expectation is high and competitive pressure is increasing for ........ everyone.
Your processes, policies, skills, and motivations have a lot to do with keeping clients coming back — and even more to do with clients deciding not to come back.
Think of your own situation as a client/customer — whenever you’ve decided not to go back to a certain product or service or place, it was usually because you were turned off by a member of staff (don't blame me I only work here) mentality, a long drawn out telephone voice message, (which inevitably puts you to the wrong person) a questionable sales process, (which gives you a discount but hikes up delivery charges) an unclear company policy, (refunds and credit notes) skill, or motivation, right?
For example, at Boots The Chemist, at Quick Fit, at Virgin, at ........(insert your own list here) every one of their employees is encouraged to continually think about and innovate the client experience. They do it by developing new product ideas, cutting sales cycle time and costs, improving skills, creating new ways for clients to access value, and making processes and policies more client friendly.
How do you create and sustain innovative client experience? How do you define your Unique Positioning Statement (UPS or USP)
1) Find out what clients expect from dealing with your company. Not merely benefits as those are just means-to-an-end. A creative solution to a problem or perceived need is what the client really buys and values above all else.
2) Find out how your clients make value judgments of each contact they have with you. This is different from satisfaction levels.
3) Find out #1 and #2 for the whole client experience — from the point when they become aware of a need through to the point when they no longer perceive that need.
4) Lead the Field type of companies do not always have better products, better staff or better delivery methods ...... they just have a different client philosophy. Take ownership and make good things happen.
5) Monitor your motives. If your primary reason for any decision or behavior truly has the customer’s best interest (see #1 and #2 above) at heart, then you’re on-track. On the other hand, if your own gain is the primary reason, with customer’s gain as a secondary reason, then you’re on the wrong track.
6) Borrow ideas from others. Not just competitors, or you’ll only be a me-too company. Be curious and open-minded about how other industries and cultures do things. Learn from them, adapt and experiment, and use what works.
7) Be creative. “There’s this common perception that some people are creative and most aren’t. That’s just not true. As a leader, you want everyone in your organization producing novel and useful ideas. The fact is,
all the research in this field shows "that everyone is capable of doing some degree of creative work.”
8) Love complaints. When a customer takes the time to share suggestions or vent frustrations, you can bet they’re representative of a larger number of customers that share that sentiment — or soon will, unless an improvement occurs. Better for you to hear it and make the change before your competitors do and take that revenue stream away from you.
9) Make quarterly — or more frequent — assessments of your policies, processes, skills, motivations, products and services. Assess them from your clients viewpoint. Always keep on the lookout for ways to invent great client experiences.
10) Food for Thought! (quote or joke of the day)
A man in a hot air balloon is lost. He sees a man on the ground and reduces height to speak to him.
"Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?"
"You're in a hot air balloon hovering thirty feet above this field," comes the reply.
"You must work in Information Technology," says the balloonist.
"I do," says the man, "How did you know?"
"Well," says the balloonist, "Everything you told me is technically correct, but you are telling me what I already know."
"You must be in business," says the man.
"I am," says the balloonist, "How did you know?"
"Well," says the man, "You don't know where you are, you don't know where you're going, but you expect me to be able to help. You're in the same position you were before we met, but now it's my fault."
If things seem under control .....you are simply not moving fast enough.
John
