Getting your customers attention - number 2

I love this video.  What happens is customers (movie goers) interact with the a part of the product (in this case a movie) and have a real life experience.
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This is great.  Shifting a two dimensional experience into the real life - unforgettable!
This simple method of creating the customer experience is the glue that companies need to engage and entice with.  Get real people having real life experiences with your offering.

Want new customers - get their attention! (Stand Out)

Getting peoples attention is the first step in getting them to engage as a customer.  Many people don't know that you exist or that you have a product or service that can help them out.

The key is getting those people to stop and look again at what it is that you have on offer.  If you have a product or offering that is just like everyone else's then you'll need to try really, really hard to get their attention.

If what you do is a little uncommon then you have a great chance of really engaging.  Like Seth Godin talks about the growth areas are on the outside of the circle, not in the middle.

So how do you do it?  How do you get people to stop? 

1. Take a simple example from a complex method or process and explain it to people.  In the past week I used some little wooden shapes to get peoples attention and explained to them how wood processing works.  I also had a number of plant specimens and a microscope for people to look into.  Then I was able to explain to them what we do in plant biotechnology and science.
2. Aim at people who aren't your target customers.  With the wooden kiwis I had I would look for older people (novelty value) and young kids (toys) to give them to.  Then with the older people I know that they will tell their family and friends about what they have and the kids get their parents to come and have a look at our stand and talk to me.  Its that simple.
3. Get in peoples way.  This is the same as the two points above but more active.  Position yourself in such a way that people see you by chance and want to look at what you have on offer. 

The key is to get people to stop, talk and think about what you do.  If you can achieve these three things then you really are well on your way to gaining new customers.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/annagaycoan/3897152533/)

Advertising and the Causal Game

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/will-lion/2670240933/in/photostream/)

Presentations That Work

Today I'm working our stand at a local expo.  And guess what?  It's going great!  What are we doing right?  We have a very simple stand set up over an area approximately 3m deep by 6m wide.  This is enormous for an expo but we have bought extra space because we need it.

The space at first glance appears to be a bit bare but it's about the customer experience and interaction that counts.  We have products that are simple to expain, people can put their hands on them and interact with them, and they are everyday products or items that people have just never thought about. 

The way it works - we get at most 2 minutes with every person that walks past. Thats 120 seconds max. So what we do is give the people something to put their hands on straight away and gain their interest. No standing around waiting in qqeues - just cut to the chase and sell what you've got.

So this year we have - a microscope for looking in, a laser sight for measuring heights, wooden kiwi's to give away and a grass meter (that measures grass depth.)  All of these take no more than 60 seconds to explain or to get peoples attention.  That leaves us with 60 seconds to sell our product (in this case education) before the people turn off, get bored or move on.
Short, sharp and simple.  Effective.

The Value of Visual Thinking in Social Business

I hope this slide show interests you as much as did me.  Check it out:

The Value of Visual Thinking in Social Business

View more presentations from David Armano.

(Okay so this is a cheat of a post.  Borrowing someone elses idea.  Still - it's a brilliant presentation.  Enjoy)

Seinfeld - Answering Phones and Avoiding People

Have you ever had a client/cutomer/colleague you just didn't want to speak to right now?  Check out this great laugh from Seinfeld.  It's titled - George's Answering Phone.  Enjoy!

Whoever the person was that invented the little screen on your telephone that tells you who is calling - deserves an award!

Customer Service Lesson

I need to buy a present for my wife for her birthday. I have a pretty good idea of what she likes, so I went to the local jeweller's store.

At the time I was there, I found something I liked but I wasn't prepared to buy it at the time I was there. So what happened?

The salesperson took my details and offered to invite me back to a VIP sale they are having.

I wasn't fobbed off or left to go somewhere else. I was looked after and given an opportunity to return to the store to get a way better deal than the original offer.

Okay the note is basic. But - it is personal, hand written and it means a lot that some one took the time to write to me and followed up on their word. Had they have sent me a flash looking, obvious database letter - I would have ignored it.

Businesses and people in general could learn a lot from this young lady.

The Education Business

How do you define success? Do you use quantitative or qualitative methods of measurement?

There are no definitive answers to this question. In the tertiary education sector this an area that we are constantly working towards understanding better.

In order to be successful education providers need to do the following -

1. Be profitable.
2. Have customers.
3. Have outcomes.

Sound easy enough? It may sound easy but achieving each of these in a balanced way is very, very hard. Lets break it down some more.

1. Be profitable. If we are not making more money than we spend then we will become unsustainable. Simple.


2. Have customers. Who are our customers? Students and people wanting to learn stuff. Stuff that will make them better people and more employable.


3. Have outcomes. When a person has finished learning stuff they want to either have a job or further learning opportunities available to them.

So what types of measure's can we apply to measure these? Quantitative or qualitative?

To be honest - there needs to be a solid mix of both. For those persons who are more sensical and logical they will likely err to the side of money. To the people who are more tuned in to the students then they will be looking for qualitative outcomes.

Neither is right and neither is wrong. It is all about balance. And if an educational organisation decides the qualitative is their priority they put at risk the quality of the experience of the customer. When customers can see quality outcomes - they will pay whatever it takes to be a part of your organisation.

Customers Needs - Listening

Have you ever encountered a potential client who hasn't been straight up with you?

Sometimes people will ask you a question without actually asking the question.

Case in point - a young lady came in today with some paperwork and asked about a specific line of study. Did she want to know about that line of study? Yes, she did. But what she didn't mention was that she also had a fallback position for another course that she was interested in.

What did I do? I looked at her paperwork and instantly decided that we did not have anything on offer that was suitable for her based on her past learning's. I basically dismissed her and sent her on her way.

It didn't take long for me to realise my error and fortunately for me (and her) she hadn't left the car park yet so I was able to have a proper chat with her about her options. It turned out that she had a fallback position and was really interested in other courses we have available.

The moral of the story -

1. Don't assume you know what a customer wants, how much knowledge they have or what their motivations are.



2. Be open. Listen to the customer and let them speak.



3. Don't dismiss people without knowing what is really going on and what they want to know.



4. If you are wrong - go and find the person and put it right.

It's easy to - assume someone elses motivations and thoughts and lose a potential client without actually exploring the possibilities and other available options.

Stay in Touch - Relevance

I work in the education sector and one of the biggest ongoing challenges we have is ensuring that what the students learn is applicable when they have finished their studies.

This is the same issue that confronts all businesses and companies. How do we stay relevant and suitable to what our customers want and need?

Try these tips -

1. Ask. Ask questions to your customers and stakeholders. Move out of your safe zone and go and see your customers and industry at their place of business. Try a questionnaire, go into the social networking domain and ask. After you have asked, be quiet long enough to listen and collate the answers into a workable solution and strategy.



2. Seek. Look for changing trends and opinions. Carry out professional development. Find others in the field who are working towards the same end that you are and get their professional opinion.



3. Knock. Go and and find knowledge experts. Find people whom you may have never met but come with big reputations and solid wins.

"Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends" Walt Disney.

Trends - Predict them before they happen.

There are a few keys to winning and remaining sustainable. Here are a few generic ones -

1. Predict what's around the corner.


2. Plan to change to match what's coming.


3. Pass on your knowledge to others.

What will 2010 bring? Read the newspapers in 2009 for a decent place to start thinking about it.

Also try this article by David Armano who outlines what he thinks will be the six big social media trends in 2010.

In life as well as business, you have a few options -

• Ignore the trends and hope they will go away,


• Follow the trends and keep on playing catch up

OR

• Create your own trends!

The choice and the power is yours.

Customer Service - Contracts

Contracts and customer service go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other.

When a customer decides to enter into a contractual agreement with a service provider - the provider needs to ensure they keep up their end of the bargain. Assuming a customer will always subscribe to the terms of the contract is a myth. Customers don't just sit and wait for service providers to make miracles.

How do you make sure the people who are contracted to you continue to use you?

The easiest way - Excellent Customer Service!!!

• Maintain the conversation. Don't assume that because you emailed a client months ago and haven't followed up with them since then - that you are still the first choice deliverer of services.



• Keep in touch with your clients. Make sure you are at the forefront of their thinking.



• Don't assume because you have a contract you will always be their first choice. If your client doesn't hear from you or can't see you - guess what? They'll move on.



• Treat your client the way you want to be treated - with respect. If they ask a question - answer it! Respond to emails, make telephone calls.



• Create and maintain a communication plan. Emailing quarterly - just isn't good enough.



• Make sure everyone in the organisation understands what the agreement is and sticks to it. Have copies of the agreement handy, refer to it, remind people about it.


• If you make promises - make sure they happen. Customers don't forget. If you tell someone you are going to do something for them - do it!

The relationship between service provider and client is no different than any other relationship.

Both partners need to work together to ensure the relationship works!

Mr Branson and Virgin

@TheEssentialOrange posted a fantastic post this week.

It gives an update on what Richard Branson and Virgin are up to.

Here's a brief overview -

• Screw the recession - attitude.


• Day in the clouds - creative marketing.


• Freefest - get customers by giving them what they want.

Personally I find Mr Branson to be a lot more appealing than Mr Trump. He is fresher, has more attitude and writes great books!

Essentially Mr Branson and Virgin understand their customer, listens to their demands and gives them what they want.

Attitude is everything. Be it negative or positive - it determines your mood, your thoughts and those around you.

I also like this quote - "attitude = altitude".

Building Customer Loyalty

Adobe know all about customer loyalty - how to win customers AND how to keep them.

1. They win customers by products that integrated, seamless and work together to achieve what the customer wants (c.f. what they want). They make their products easy to use and accessible. They keep the features the professionals want to use while still making sure the average Joe can achieve their goals as well.
2. They teach their customers how to use their products through online seminars. This is how they keep customers. Customers are constantly able to learn new tricks and ways of doing their work. Customers can constantly increase their knowledge so the product they bought doesn't become redundant.

How about your business or organisation? You may have won some customers but how do you ensure they keep coming back to you for more - more services, more upgrades, more teaching, more haircuts?

Often time's it's the little add on's that make the difference. Putting time and effort into making sure people come back to you and your organisation is time and money well spent!

Customer Service - Thanks

I was filling up with petrol on the weekend when I noticed a small sign of the pump. It said -

"Thank you for choosing Gull".

Thanking your customers for choosing you is a very small show of appreciation but can mean a lot to others. Saying thanks may be the difference between them choosing to use or communicate with you or not.

When was the last time you thanked your customers? Try these examples - in education - thank your students; at work - thank your employees; at home - thank your wife and kids.

I hadn't noticed the little sign on the petrol pump before, but when I did notice I thought to myself - "I will come here again". I would like to congratulate the person whose idea that was - because it is a good one!

Customer Service - Rarotonga Examples

We had a couple of interesting instances while travelling and staying in Rarotonga.

Virgin Blue Airlines. Cut price airline that used friendly staff. Excellent informal service that everyday people could relate to.

• Guess what? The plane was absolutely full!


• Why? Virgin have figured out what customers want and they give it to them. Cheap holidays and the ability to travel.


• How do they do it? Cut the frills.


• Lesson? Know your customer and what is driving their decisions.

Hotel attendants. At the hotel we were staying at the reception girls had to be asked/told quite specific instructions for them to act on them. We visited another hotel and the levels of service were far better.

Example - calling a taxi.

• Hotel 1 - we asked for a taxi to be ordered and were told to come back later and the person would do something. This was nothing short of being fobbed off.


• Hotel 2 - we asked for a taxi to pick us up a bit earlier. The taxi company wasn't listed in the phone book. What did the reception girls do? Rang directory and locals to get the phone number.

Huge differences in the level of service. Hotel 1 could move from 3 stars to 4 stars with some training of staff to understand their customers better. A little initiative goes a long way.

Marketing Silly Season

The secret to marketing is knowing - who to talk to and when they are listening.

In education a majority of the brighter students know years in advance where they are going and when.

Some of the bright kids who have a bit less conviction make their minds up within 6 to 12 months.

The kids with no idea make their minds up on the spot.

• When should marketing start for an education provider? As soon as possible. Every child and person is a potential candidate.

• What marketing strategies should providers employ? Graduates and career choices. Profile the people who have done well and show people the lifelong options available to them.

Education providers should have the easiest Marketing roles in the world. They are tasked with educating people and thereby helping them and improving their lifestyles.

What better product is there than that?

Social Media for Customer Engagement

Shut up and listen.

Customers ultimately determine the success or failure of your business.

If the customers aren't buying - maybe you're wrong.

The link posted below goes to a study done on companies engaging with their customers through the social media medium. What it attempts to do is find a link between revenues and customer involvement.

Are the two linked? Yes. Strongly? Not so much.

http://www.engagementdb.com/Report

One social media forum I have been musing on is the success of the website - http://www.throng.co.nz/. This is a social community/tribe (see Seth Godin) based on something that most people do - watch TV.

Throng.co.nz fills a gap in the market - people want to discuss, learn about and give feedback to the TV channels in a forum that is not commercially linked (?) to the TV stations.

Does it work? Yes.
Why? People can engage and speak their minds.
Do the TV people listen? I sincerely hope so.

The company or organisation that listens will ultimately succeed!