JCPenney, in efforts to win male shoppers, have been buying male-oriented media (ESPN Radio, for example) and pitching a male-oriented tagline: "Get In, Find It, and Get Going." They obviously have identified how men prefer to shop (i.e. quickly), and even try to set apart the male zone as the Men's Department inside JCPenney.

Never mind that the Men's Department inside JCPenney is not noticeably different than the Men's Department inside many other department stores, but that's not the point.

Recently they have tweaked their tagline, replacing "Get Going" with something more benign. I guess "Get Going" sounded too much like "Get Out." Frankly, I don't think most men would be offended by that. I can't even remember the new wording! Ask my kids -- my wife has trained them that "when you're shopping with Daddy, you're on a mission." Hey, it works for me.

Now Ace Hardware has taken a strikingly similar line: "Get In, Get Help, Get On With Your Life." The theme is clear: men tend to view shopping as a task to be done but not savored.

These taglines are intended to reduce perceived risk -- the risk of having to spend a lot of time shopping when all they really want is to find something and move on. If you want to attract male shoppers, you need to cater to that desire and communicate it.

Have you identified what appeals to your customers? Are there obstacles in your customer's mind that delay visits or purchases? Speak their language and their interests -- you won't win them all, but you'll win more. And right now, that's a great start!

Labels: advertising, customer centered, differentiation, marketing, strategy, taglines

In the book HumanSigma -- a very good read for marketers and managers, by the way -- Gallup data is presented revealing that only 14% of front-line employees can state their company's mission or vision. These are the employees that actually interact with customers, and they have no idea what their company stands for.

Do you think that's the case with Disney employees? In my observation, the Disney mission and culture and aesthetic is infused into every last cast member before they ever leave training. They know exactly what their company is about, and how they fit into it.

What's the percentage at your company? Do your people know what the business is all about?

If not, it could be that something has been lost in translation. Or just as likely, it could be that you need to take a step back and decide if you have ever established what your business is about.

Do that today. But while you're at it, go ahead and step back just a little further -- into the eyes and minds of your customers. That's where your mission and vision need to come from. Then you communicate it forward until every employee, customer-facing or not, catches the vision and radiates it.

Labels: branding, customer centered, employees, management, marketing, planning

"Branding Only Works on Cattle" by Samuel Baskin is not a great read, but it is provocative. The primary point of the book is that your brand is not ultimately determined by anything you try to project, but rather by your behavior. Your behavior is your brand.

I agree with much of the premise. The premise would make for a very powerful article, but isn't developed enough to justify the length of the book. My review can be found on our website's Reading page: http://www.foxmarketing.us/reading.php

Having just returned from a Disney cruise, there are all kinds of business lessons percolating in my brain. I posted on Disney yesterday, here again today, and there will be more tomorrow and beyond.

I was reminded of Samuel Baskin's book multiple times on our cruise. Disney projects an image of "the happiest place on earth," a place where dreams come true, a place where magic happens. That's enough to get people to try you. That's the starting point of the Disney brand.

But it is the customer experience that defines the brand from that point on. And that is why Disney's brand is so strong. They live their vision. Every cast member embodies the vision in their interactions with you.

What do you think your brand is? What do your employees think your brand is? (More on that tomorrow.) Follow through on your branding -- ensure that it is not just something you project, but something the customer experiences.

Labels: branding, customer centered, marketing, planning, strategy

Back to work, fresh off a 4-day Disney Cruise, I'm reminded yet again what excellence looks like.

(Some people are Disney people, and some people are anti-Disney people. We tend to be Disney people. It's possible to get too much of the Mouse, I suppose, but we're not there yet.)

There are many books on "The Disney Way," including one by that very name. How would Disney run a hospital? How would Disney run a school? And on and on. I haven't read any of them.

I have only gathered my observations and opinions by spending my own hard-earned money to do so. And having done so four times in the eleven years I've been a parent, I always come back impressed. Very impressed.

Disney does it right. If more businesses devoted themselves to making the customer's dreams come true or making the customers feel like princesses or making the customers believe in magic, Disney would be the patriarch of the movement.

Here are just a few Disney-esque principles I've observed in action:
1. Do nothing half-way. Every ride is a movie set and every employee is a cast member, and every theme is carried out to an almost ridiculous degree. I don't believe there is an organization anywhere that executes their vision more thoroughly than Disney.
2. Exceptional is the expectation. "Average" is not on their radar screen. The "minimum requirements" are not even a consideration. Maybe this point is the same as the one above. That's how well they execute.
3. Build in cross-selling. Every Disney property is littered (poor choice of words) with profit centers, all feeding one another. There are no "operational silos," at least as far as I can tell. Every piece of the business model is cooperative and synergistic.
4. Take pride. This is not a repeat of points 1 & 2, this is about profit. Disney is not cheap. Disney will never be cheap. We've all been to cheap amusement parks. By taking great pride and making points 1 & 2 a way of life, there really is no peer to drive their prices down. Pride is a profit strategy.

It's becoming clear to me that this post could get really long, so I'm just going to cut it off right here. How can you "Disney-fy" your business? Open your mind really, really wide for this one, because dreams really can come true.

Labels: branding, creativity, customer centered, differentiation, management, marketing, planning, strategy

One of our printing partners recently sent me a link to a graphic design shop's website. My friend had never seen the word creative used as a noun before. But that's not what struck me about the site.

Check out the opening lines: "We believe effective creative comes from critical thinking and that thinking cannot, and should not, be constrained within arbitrary parameters." That line is ironically followed later by this: "Simply stated, we are a jargon-free agency."

Huh?

It's not the big words that confuse me. (Give me a little credit, please.) I just wonder how people write stuff without ever thinking about how it reads. Especially to someone who doesn't know them at all, who is gathering their first impressions about this firm and the people who work there.

But as overwrought as that web copy is, it has been topped. I've seen much, much worse in several industries.

When you write and speak -- in marketing, in sales, in customer service -- speak your customer's language. Impress them with your command of their needs and your own solutions, not the far reaches of your extensive personal lexicon.

Labels: bad habits, customer centered, marketing, messaging

Southwest Airlines is currently running TV spots where baggage handlers remind us Southwest doesn't add fees for checking luggage. At one point out on the tarmac, they yell at a competitor's plane, "Why are you charging for luggage?!"

The airline industry is perpetrating this nuisance almost unanimously right now, with Southwest being the notable holdout. Kudos to them for pointing it out!

It's not always this easy to find a point of differentiation that really resonates with your customers, but it's worth a few minutes of your time to find one. Think of something that really irritates customers in your marketplace, something widespread that has always been considered "normal" but frustrates customers.

Does that irritant exist with you? If not, follow Southwest's lead and boldly point it out. If so, find a way to get rid of that bug in your system, and then let everyone know what you've done.

If "industry-standard" means irritating to customers, defy the standard -- and don't keep it a secret!

Labels: advertising, customer centered, differentiation, marketing, messaging, strategy

Want to build your brand? Want your company brand to be effective for you?


At great risk of sounding like a broken record, know your customer in a deep, meaningful, insightful way*. Then make their information-gathering better. Make their shopping experience better. Make their buying experience better. Make their post-purchase experience better.


Voila! Your branding is better!


Too much emphasis is placed on "pushing" a brand image out to the market, and too little on knowing the customer better and making the whole process work memorably for them. That's how you brand, and that's what your brand really is -- whatever your customer perceives it to be.


Your customer's perception of you will be based much more on their experience with you than on anything you've claimed or projected it to be.


To put it another way, don't build a brand and content yourself with projecting it outward. That's backwards. As you adapt to your customer, your most effective branding will grow naturally. And it will be real, not just projected.


That's customer-centered marketing and branding -- a reputation that is rooted in the customers themselves.


* I'll be posting a new article soon that will help with this! Watch www.foxmarketing.us/reading.php!

Labels: branding, customer centered, marketing

I was reading an enjoyable article today about John Swisher, founder and president of JBS United, a producer of nutritional livestock feeds.

Mr. Swisher's company has always incorporated more science than most in that industry, which is a differentiating factor in their sales. They do a great deal of testing to get nutrient content right, and closely measure animals' responses.

"We let the pigs tell us what they think, and pigs don't lie," says Mr. Swisher.

Which reminded me of marketing research and getting feedback from customers. But not just verbal feedback in response to surveys or questionnaires -- you can get vital information by watching their behaviors in and around your business and products.

Sometimes their words are softened to give you the response you want in a survey, but behaviors aren't. Watch where they stop, where they look, what they touch, what they pass by. Those behaviors will tell you what they think without even being asked.

Labels: customer centered, marketing, research, strategy

I'm really, really proud of the Fox Marketing Group business model. I love what it is and what it is not. Yet ultimately I didn't really design it -- you did.

We handle advertising, but we're not an ad agency. We do graphic design, but we're not a design shop. We direct internet marketing, but we're not a web firm. We work with media companies, but we're not media salesmen. We handle printing and signage projects, but we're not a print shop or a sign shop. The list goes on.

What the business is not frees us up to do things in a dramatically different way. A way that suits our customer, the business owner, in ways they've never seen.

All those other things are selling something to the business owner. No matter how good or consultative or thoughtful they are, they still answer to someone else besides the business owner. They answer to their own boss, and try to beat their own quota.

I get the privilege of being at the owner's side. I get to think like an owner, yet bring to the table some skills and ideas the owner doesn't have. If someone has to sell to win, they can't really align themselves with the owner. I do, and I love it!

Take some solid research, for example, like the fact that the number one factor in a customer's judgment of a business is the restrooms (especially among female customers.) If I sold advertising or printing, I wouldn't know that information and wouldn't care! In fact, the truth might actually get in my way -- the owner might decide (correctly) that the investment in their shopping environment is more important right now than the investment in whatever I happen to be selling.

But since I'm on the owner's side, we can make facilities part of the overall marketing plan.

I'm free to act like I own the business myself, instead of figuring out ways to merely sell to it. And that makes all the difference.

Labels: customer centered, customer service, design, differentiation, management, marketing, planning, research, signage, strategy

I ran into a sales rep acquaintance recently that I hadn't seen for several months. Very early in our conversation, he asked what I was working on at the house. This is notable not only because it's been a while since we've spoken, but also because he doesn't sell anything to me. He has no business reason to remember that we're thoroughly remodeling our late-1970's home.

Good salespeople make note of both personal and business "touchpoints" with their customers and prospects (and even acquaintances). It's a way of bonding instantly with those people and getting them to talk.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to tell you I'm glad this guy doesn't sell anything I'm interested in. He strikes me as a little slimy. But at least in this one area, he plays the selling game very well.

You can't bond with your customers unless you know them. If you can't bond, you can't build loyalty that drives further business and insulates you from competitors.

So, as I say daily, get to know those you sell to. But don't just sit on that knowledge -- use it to reach them, use it to make the sale, and use it to keep the sales coming.

Labels: customer centered, marketing, research

Ally Bank is not a new enterprise. It looks new, it sounds new, but it's the relaunch of GMAC in the aftermath of GM's bailout/bankruptcy.

It's an online-only bank (think ING Direct) with a very clean website and a very human tone in the language. Why didn't GMAC do this?

I guess that's the benefit of starting over. You get to think fresh and start from scratch -- hopefully starting with the customer in mind, not convention.

A large, multi-center medical group is breaking up here in Indiana due to some financial mistakes. (Intentional or unintentional is a subject of great debate.) If I get the opportunity to relaunch one of the smaller groups, we will not be simply recreating the business model of the previous organization.

We will rethink every aspect of the way this group practices medicine and service -- from naming that's not quite so dry and predictable, to customer interactions that are human and personal.

In times of economic tumult, there will be plenty of failures and break-ups. Which means plenty of people and enterprises starting over.

If this applies to you, here's your chance to not just start over, but start fresh.

Labels: branding, customer centered, customer service, differentiation, management, marketing

It's 1:32pm. I've just changed from polo and khakis into a nice suit. Why? Because I want to.

This is an abnormal behavior from me. Usually when I'm putting on a suit, it's because I have to. Right this moment, about to present to a very formal and distinctive new company, it's because I want to.

And somehow, that makes all the difference.

When you really know your customers and enjoy serving them well, even things that are outside your comfort zone can be a pleasure.

Labels: customer centered, customer service, differentiation, marketing

I've been hearing all summer about the prime seating at the new Yankee Stadium, where entire sections behind home plate are virtually empty. At $2500 per seat per game (!!), perhaps the Yankees misjudged the market a bit.

Part of the textbook definition of a "market" is the ability to pay. Even in the Big Apple, where there is surely a lot of ability to buy a few hundred seats at these astronomical prices, there is clearly not the willingness.

Now we understand that post-season tickets for those same seats will be selling for a more reasonable (and relatively paltry) $250-400 per game. They're not exactly giving away the store, but it would have been hard to get home field advantage with several hundred prime seats sitting vacant.

All of this calls to mind a tip I heard several years ago from an automotive executive: "Charging what the market will bear is fundamentally a good idea. Just don't make it obvious."

Labels: customer centered, marketing, pricing

[A client recently asked me to speak to his employees at their annual training and certification meeting. The company I work for is a lotion manufacturer, but these employees work at his popular chain of tanning salons. The following is a longer post than normal, as it is a summary of what I thought was most important to get across to these mostly college-aged employees...]

The primary thing we need to keep in mind in this type of business is: "Alright" is not alright.

There are conversations on campus every single day where one person asks another what they think. Picture two girls walking to class, talking about tanning. One asks the other, "Where do you tan?"

She says, "A Place To Tan."

"Oh, I've seen that. What's it like?"

"It's alright."

Did you hear that? She said it's alright. "Alright" is not a compliment here. "Alright" really means it's not good enough to refer her friend to. If it were, she would have said so. If it were, she wouldn't mind being identified with it.

"Alright" means if some other salon offers a better deal, she'll take it without hesitation. If there is no difference between salons, find the cheapest and closest one because there's no reason to do business with A Place To Tan.

The customer's experience is mostly in your hands. That makes you a more important marketing team than I could ever be for this business.

What we would like that girl to say is, "It's great -- it's way better than what I have back home."

Think about that. We're not just competing against other local tanning salons here, we're competing against whatever they're used to. We're competing against expectations. If they have a great salon where they come from, and we don't measure up, they'll keep looking for another place. If we make their salon back home look like a dump, they'll love us.

Let the other salons aim for mediocre and say, "Well, this is just Muncie." Let's aim higher and treat customers like they are from the fancy suburbs of Indianapolis or Chicago. If they shop around at all, they'll see the difference.

My job often involves driving traffic into a business. But what they experience will end up weighing a lot more. Let me illustrate...

Do you remember Pepsi One? I don't even think they make it anymore. Know why? Because it tasted like crap! It didn't just have the "diet aftertaste," it was instant nastiness. Am I right?

The ads got people to try it, but the customer experience made them want to spit it out. Effective marketing requires both -- promotional messages that generate interest, and a buying experience that fulfills the promises.

Do you remember Storm? It was an attempt by Pepsi to imitate 7-Up and Sprite. They don't make this one anymore either. Why? Not because it tasted like crap, but because it was bland. You might even say it was "alright."

Once again, the ads were good enough to make you aware and make you want to try it. But once you did, you had no good reason to try it again.

Now, how about Sierra Mist? I can't even remember a single ad for it, but it has stayed on the market and does pretty well. Why? Because it's good. It tastes like 7-Up or Sprite, which is what people want and expect. Proof that the experience means more than what you say the experience is going to be.

So take pride in what you're doing here, because you own the customer experience. You are the marketing team in ways you might not even realize.

A very interesting finding from multiple consumer studies is this: Customers, especially women, will judge a place more on the cleanliness of the bathrooms than any other factor. Yep, even including how you treat them to their face.

The bathrooms are prime marketing territory. This is not just a service business, not just a skincare business, it is a hygeine business.

The product shelves are important too. Keep them organized and attractive. If they're a jumble, customers won't take time to look them over. They'll go elsewhere. It's a basic truth that if it looks like work to find a product they want, they just won't do it.

Make it easy for people to give you their money. This is a good code to live by.

Customer complaints or problems are a marketing opportunity too. Let's say someone says something is wrong with their tanning bed. You wouldn't say it out loud, but your body language might say, "Gee, I'd really like to care, but I'm not going to get my butt off this stool."

Make them feel important and listened to. Maybe you can't fix the bed, but at least get up and take a look at it with them. Then tell them you'll get someone on it. And if you have their email address in your files, let them know when the problem has been fixed! No one else is going to do that kind of thing, so it's a great way to stand out as an employee, as a company, and as a problem-solver.

Now, you might not like this one, but I have to tell you it's probably best if you don't come to work in your pajamas. I know your customers do, but take it up just a notch and be a little more professional. People will say they don't notice or don't care, but they do. It will make the other salons look like cut-rate, back-alley operations if you show pride and they don't.

So do we all agree that "alright" is not alright? Do every part of your job just a little better, take just a little better care of your customers, and this place will keep growing with or without a good economy.

Just think of the kind of reference you want when you graduate and try to land a job. Do you want a really good review, or just "alright?"

Labels: customer centered, customer service, employees, management, marketing

In a previous post, I mentioned a report regarding the incredible sameness of messages within a given industry. I just received an example, but fortunately I get to fix it.

Some website copy was just forwarded to me for editing. And there's going to be a lot of editing.

It all sounds nice, but there are so many generalities and fluffy claims, you could stick anyone's logo on it and it would probably still be true. Every player in the industry says the same things about themselves.

Companies check each other out, which of course is good intelligence gathering. But an unfortunate side effect is that they often go on and simply parrot each other. "My competitor said what? Well, we can do that too!" So all the companies make similar claims about their great pricing, their reliable service, their high standards of quality.

And no one stands out.

Don't be different just to be a nonconformist, do it to be more competitive. Just once, for practice, scrap everything you've ever said and craft your message again from scratch. Pretend you're talking to someone in casual conversation. Why should they do business with you?

This "blank canvas" approach might just open your eyes to something you can say that's truly different. And if not, look at each claim and see what you can add to your product or service that will allow you to say something unique. Then do it.

You don't want normal. Normal is blah. Normal is mediocrity. Ignore normal, and go find special.

Labels: advertising, customer centered, differentiation, marketing, messaging

I hope my dad doesn't see this. He'll think it sounds like a eulogy.

It is with some hesitation that I confess to a potential worldwide audience that I didn't know what my dad's birthday was until a few years ago. I always had it "ballparked," but was never certain of the exact date.

It always landed so close to Father's Day, I just combined cards and gave him both on the second Sunday in June. Surely he appreciated my efficiency.

Then (finally!) they were both on the same day. I've had it marked on my calendar ever since.

And today's the day. Happy Birthday, Dad! In addition to the tickets to the U.S. Senior Open next month, here's a short tribute to Steve Zirkle.

1. He is one of the hardest working men I've ever known. And yes, I mean that in the present tense. Even though he's retired after 40 years in the automotive components business (good timing), he still takes on projects as diverse as church finance and coaching girls' basketball.

2. He was loyal and patient. I inherited the loyalty part, but the patience is a gene I must have missed. But in those 40 years, he only changed companies once. Which is impressive alone, but also in light of the fact that he had many opportunities to job-hop along the way. He picked his spots very well.

3. When he finally switched companies, it was a former subordinate who hired him. I think that says something about respect.

4. He defended the customer. At his retirement party, a repeated theme throughout the evening was how he looked out for his customers first and foremost. If you know me at all, you know I dig that.

Before I launched Fox Marketing Group, he would occasionally suggest that I open some type of storefront business where he could come to work now and then. Nothing managerial, he'd say, just "sweep the floors or something."

Well, I don't have a shop but I do have a couple offices, and I'm pretty sure there's a broom around here someplace...

You're welcome here anytime. Thanks, Pops.

Labels: customer centered

You have 20 years' experience in the industry. Yay for you.

You have three locations. You have a well-trained staff. You have extended hours. You have done 700 similar projects. You have a wide selection.

Yay for you.

I can find what I want quickly at your store. I can ask questions and get helpful answers without initiating any arm-twisting from you. I can find guidance from you towards the best purchase for the specific purpose I'll be using the product for. I can schedule the next contractors because I have confidence you'll have your part done properly and on time. I can find you easily when I need you.

Yay for me . . . the customer.

Listen to any typical radio or TV ads, and focus on the claims. There's a lot of advertising that is little more than the business patting itself on the back. Yay for them.

Wouldn't it be better to translate all that fluff into something meaningful and motivating for the customer? Give the customer something that makes them say, "Yay for me!"

Labels: advertising, customer centered, marketing, messaging, strategy

My last post was about how getting too comfortable will hold you back. This is a spinoff point, namely, your customers' discomfort is your opportunity.

If your prospects are comfortable, they don't need you. If they're comfortable with the status quo or their current suppliers or their current results, there's not much room for you.

But that's where the current climate can be your friend. Lots of folks are uncomfortable right now, which gives you the chance to ride in on the white horse and solve their problems, allay their fears, give them peace, reduce their risk.

Here's a great chance to make them comfortable again -- with you.

Labels: customer centered, customers, management, marketing, strategy

I just heard a funny thing on a scoring report on sports radio: A heavily favored tennis player lost a match to a lower-seeded unknown, and blamed it on the windy weather.

Which is odd, because the wind doesn't usually target just one player.

From my own experience, I don't mind playing a competitive golf match in tough conditions. The weather affects everyone the same -- or does it?

It's the same economic environment for everyone right now, but does it affect us all the same? No, I would argue that just like outdoor sports, some people handle the conditions better than others.

It's the same economy for all the furniture stores and jewelry stores in town. It's the same economy for all the community banks and credit unions in town. It's the same economy for all the realtors and funeral homes in town. But some will do better than others.

Some will actually grow, while others will not survive to see the recovery. Determine to be one who rises to the challenge.

In tough conditions, you may need to play your shots a little differently. Minimize waste, obviously, but also improve your offer. Purchasing priorities are different now than two years ago. Get inside your customers' heads to see what drives their choices in times like these.

Tighten your focus on the customers you have. What patterns do you find? Who is missing? Are different groups responding in different ways?

Identify customer groups you don't have. What are they looking for? They might be experiencing reduced service from your competitors who claim it's just "belt-tightening." That's opportunity for you!

The wind is blowing, but wearing out is not an option. Fight on, and fight smart.

Labels: customer centered, marketing

In the book How to Get Your Competition Fired (which I've just reviewed -- check it out at http://www.foxmarketing.us/reading.php), a survey of marketing from insurance agencies nationwide shows that they all say pretty much the exact same things about themselves. Not an effective strategy for standing out.

There is a remarkable sameness in many industries. Most, in fact. Everybody wants the sale, and everybody says the same things to get it.

The very topic of differentiation makes a lot of business owners uncomfortable.

I remember one business owner, when the topic of differentiation came up, leaned across the table and lowered his voice as if confessing some horrible sin: "Look," he whispered, "our business isn't really different. It's just ours. We do a good job, we treat people right, we play by the rules, but there's nothing really special about it. We just need more customers, that's all."

He thought he was speaking for himself. He may have been revealing the unspoken feelings of most business operators.

I wouldn't want to change any of the things you do well. And I obviously want you to correct or minimize any areas that are lacking. But primarily, I want you to add just one extra thing. Something that customers will think is cool -- and different.

There are lots of ways to give extra. Do your customers fear risk? Add your own twist on warranty protection. Are your customers in a hurry? Add free delivery options or quicker turnaround or faster setup. Are your customers intimidated by complexity? Simplify, demonstrate for free, or show ease of use.

In an incredibly commoditized automotive supply business selling to manufacturing facilities, one company promoted "The Fives." As in five-minute response to faxed or emailed requests for information, five hours to pricing, five days to delivery, and so on. It was different from their competitors, and it was succinct and specific. Their product was essentially the same as everyone else's, but their way to market was distinctive and helped them remain a player against bigger rivals.

For financial institution auditing, CPA firms follow the same protocols and ensure conformity to all the same laws. So how to stand out? I can think of one that is launching a key differentiation -- me. With every completed review, the bank or credit union will receive a free marketing audit to ensure their promotional programs are on-target. Quite a perk these days when dollars are precious.

If you're competing in a "same old same old" market, let's talk. We'll help you find your special place in the minds of those who matter -- customers.

Labels: customer centered, differentiation, marketing, planning, strategy

I was visiting a client in a medical office building today, and noticed a waste of the hospital's money.

As natural light bathed the beautiful three-story atrium, with fountains bubbling pleasantly in the background, there was a series of vertical banners that were doing absolutely no good.

Their idea was to promote a variety of services throughout the building, including glaucoma screenings and some elective medical services. But they're facing the wrong way.

In his book Why We Buy, Paco Underhill notes that customers entering a building are on a mission -- to get inside and get where they're going. That's it. They're not taking in any messages on their way in. I've witnessed it myself.

As I looked from the perspective of someone walking out, all the banners had their backs to me. Turn those puppies around, and you'll instantly grab more eyeballs.

The exit route is prime territory for messages. People aren't in such a hurry, and the landscape is wide open for communication.

Do you have underutilized space along your exit route? Face a message to your customers on their way out, and give them a good reason to come back soon!

Labels: customer centered, marketing, research, signage

An article was recently forwarded to me regarding the efforts of Disney to get inside the heads of boys. My guess is, somebody didn't approve of market research targeting kids. But if you're doing legitimate business, and your customers are kids, you're losing sales if you don't!

Disney has noticed a disconnect, and they want to fix it. Disney Channel's audience is 60% female, and merchandise/theater/film/theme sales are even more heavily girl-driven. This is great, of course, but what about the boys?

When you see who your sales drivers are, you study them closely to maximize that performance. But there's a second thing to study, which Disney is putting resources into: who your sales drivers aren't, and how to adapt your strategies to change that.

For example, the researchers had questions and conversations with randomly-selected boys (who were paid a sweet $75 for their time, and with parent approval). You should do the same. Regularly.

But just as important, they also kept their eyes open for unspoken cues to their targets' thinking and motivations. Like watching how they carried their skateboards (bottoms-out, to show the often customized graphics). Or like noting what is kept on the back of shelves -- things that aren't forefront, but that he hasn't gotten rid of yet. Here again, you should do this, too. Regularly.

Ask your non-customers questions -- about their decisions and priorities as they relate to your products and services, and about activities and tendencies that aren't directly related to business. Listen to what they tell you. New ideas are found here.

But also watch them in their "natural habitat," how they go about their business. This will show you things they don't tell you in an interview setting, as well as things they do without even thinking much about it. This can tip you off to successful ideas as well.

Most readers won't go to these efforts to know their customers. That means huge advantages await if you do.

Labels: customer centered, marketing, research

In a TV ad for osteoporosis medication Boniva, I've noticed an interesting choice of words: "Boniva works with your body to rebuild bone..." Phrasing and word selection are not by accident in a big corporation's advertising, and should be just as deliberate and intentional in yours.

You're paying to send this message, so make sure you get it just how you want it.

Almost before I could analyze the why behind their choice of phrasing, I heard it again -- this time for the laxative Miralax: "Miralax works with your body to..." well, you know what it does.

It's clear that pharmaceutical marketers have picked up on something their customers want to hear.

The market is cool to the idea of putting chemicals into your body, but warm to the idea of things that are natural or appear to work naturally. Hence the rise in use of homeopathic remedies for a variety of ailments -- and the very logical repositioning on the part of drugmakers.

In this environment, a phrase like "works with your body" resonates more positively than it may have five or ten years ago. Then, it may have sounded weak; now, it sounds almost organic. And organic is very fashionable right now!

It takes a certain sensitivity to know what matters to your customers, what allays their fears or motivates their buying decisions. Do your best to recognize trends in attitude so wherever those attitudes move, you will be right there speaking their language.

Labels: advertising, customer centered, marketing, messaging

From at least four unrelated sources comes this little nugget for business improvement: Customers judge service quality not on the basis of how well they were treated or how well problems were resolved, but by wait time.

(Fittingly, this post is very short.)

How quickly are your phones answered? How quickly and smoothly do your checkout lines move? What is the "wait" between customers deciding to purchase and walking out with their purchase completed?

The friendliest, most knowledgeable staff will not keep customers feeling "well-served" if there's too much time burned during the actual buying process. Build a speedy transaction into your game plan, and your perceived level of service will instantly rise.

Labels: customer centered, customer service