It’s All About Price?
August 11, 2010 by Ed McLaughlin
“All that my customers care about is price.”
Be honest – have you ever said those words? If so, I’ve got news:
You’re right.
But do you know why?
It’s because you haven’t really given customers much else to care about in the first place.
Loyalty Isn’t a Program
August 9, 2010 by Ed McLaughlin
I went into the bookstore of a major chain the other day. As I was checking out, the clerk asked, “Are you a member of our loyalty rewards program?”
“No…” I smiled, wondering if she would persist.
“Would you like to become one?”
“Not really.” Then, of course, I got curious. “How many people say yes?”
“Almost no one,” she said. “But I’m supposed to ask.”
No surprise there. Loyalty programs, once something of a novelty, don’t actually work. Consumers are smart enough to know that they’ll wind up with too much SPAM and a weekly newsletter they don’t want to read. Yet companies love to push them.
Here’s the tip: real customer loyalty has nothing to do with a program. If the experience or product is great (think The Apple Store), then we’re in. That’s it – no discounts, freebies or plastic cards necessary.
Don’t Change Your Story
May 23, 2010 by Ed McLaughlin
It’s frustrating to listen to people, companies, and politicians say they stand for something while at the same time they try to please everyone. It doesn’t work that way, no matter how hard they try to convince us otherwise.
A company’s story can’t be about convenience, low-cost, premium-value, and great selection.
A politician can’t talk about lowering taxes, increasing services, attacking bureaucracy, and reducing the deficit.
A Little League coach can’t preach health and fitness to his team and then sneak a cigarette while the kids are running laps.
I realize that it’s hard to take a stand, to tell people what they don’t want to hear. But it does no good to change your story to suit your audience. Sooner or later people will figure out that you don’t stand for anything at all, which means you’ll be gone tomorrow.
Improve Your Follow-Up
February 10, 2010 by Ed McLaughlin
Most businesses look at follow-up as something that’s easy. Wait until someone shows interest in your product, then call or email in an effort to push the sales cycle along. But that’s a call about you, not them.
There is another kind of follow-up that seems hard, but really isn’t. And since it takes place in moments other than when a sale is on the line, it’s much more powerful.
I’m not talking about generic thank you emails or satisfaction surveys. They’re boring, and do nothing to create customer loyalty or referrals. What I mean is someone from the company connects with the customer in meaningful way.
Let’s use an easy example: high-end restaurants. People aren’t dining out as much these days, and those that do are typically buying cheaper wine and ordering fewer courses. To lure customers in, many restaurants now offer value menus or run promotions. Fine. But the only time they follow-up with a customer is when confirming a reservation.
What if they decided to follow-up with patrons in a simple but unconventional* way? Someone from the restaurant could call to ask how dinner was the night before. Or the wait staff could send handwritten thank you cards to their customers. And if those doing the follow-up are empowered to resolve problems, than you’re much closer to establishing an emotional connection with your customers than you were before.
This small act is inexpensive, and chances are it will do more to generate repeat business and referrals than advertising ever will.
*This is unconventional for a restaurant, which is why it might work. The point here is that you need to figure out what is unconventional for your business and act on that.
RSS Readers
You can also click the button below and find several ways to subscribe via RSS. This format will deliver each post - right away, for free - into your reader.
