Tag Archives: marketing

Business Tip: Don’t Annoy Your Customers!

February 13, 2013 – 12:06 PM

angry businessmanI recently read an interesting article called 10 Surefire Ways To Annoy Your Customers.

As I reviewed each of the 10 ways, I was easily able to identify a company or two that fell into at least one category.  Some pretty prominent ones, too.

In the rush to get campaigns out there, and execute, execute, execute, these blunders get skipped, or not planned for.  Check them out – is YOUR organization inadvertently making your customers and prospects annoyed?

If so, cut it out!  Correct these errors now!  Don’t wait until you notice customer defections!

 

— Lisa Dennis

By knowledgence associates | Posted in Marketing | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)

Science or Marketing?

May 4, 2012 – 12:20 PM

I recently read an interesting article titled Engagement Energy: 10 Ways to Power Up Sales and Marketing to Capture Attention and Drive Action, that looks at engagement as “activating the brain” of the desired target.  This is based on psychology and neuro-science – but sounds like smart, externally focused marketing to me!

MyTop 5 of their Top 10:

1.  Ask questions

2.  Present problems

3.  Tell stories

4.  Paint Pictures

10. Add WIIFM (What’s In It For Me)

The full article is posted on MarketingProfs.com, and you will need a (free) log-in to read it in its entirety.  Well worth it, and if you’re a marketer, you should already be a member of this site. Lots of great ideas and resources here!

— Lisa Dennis

By knowledgence associates | Posted in Marketing | Comments (1)

All I Want for Christmas is… a customer-focused value proposition?

December 20, 2011 – 12:36 PM

Some of you in reading this will question whether what I’m proposing is really a marketing responsibility or a sales responsibility. But the point is that the buying climate out there is forcing marketing and sellers to engage and partner more closely than ever before. It takes a village of marketing and salespeople to land and keep happy customers. Marketing has the power and expertise to lead the way on that journey.  So please read this and let me know what you think!

• Customer-focused value proposition that clearly states the prospect’s challenge or goal, your company’s specific offer to address it, and what differentiates your offer from available alternatives;

• Customer-focused benefits (not features) tailored to individual personas/titles of target prospects;

• List of key value drivers that guide the prospect’s decision process, quantified with verifiable proof (customer testimonials, case studies, or third party validation). Qualification tools make all the difference in streamlining the sales process and driving closeable opportunities into the pipeline. While it is sales’ job to qualify, there is a role for marketing to play in driving the process.

• Create a “Prospect Fit Index,” which provides an easy and consistent method for sales to determine whether a prospect is worth pursuing. The index should outline what is a poor fit versus an optimal fit based on a set of 5–7 key criteria that describe the best and closable sales targets for your products or services. Any prospect can be quickly assessed or scored based on where they map across the index.

• Develop a lead measurement tool that allows both marketing and sales to score a lead to be able to assess the quality of leads coming in, and to determine which leads should be pursued versus nurtured until they are ready to go to sales.

Oh yes, there is more!  Click here to continue.

By knowledgence associates | Posted in Marketing, Sales | Also tagged | Comments (1)

Dear Everybody – Sales & Marketing Letters

June 3, 2011 – 9:31 PM

Marketing and sales writing needs to be written for the masses but sound like it’s written for the individual.

We want to be sure it’s not too long, but not too short.  Does it cover all the key points, and include a call-to-action?

While we too often focus on correctness – we need to spend more time on what actually generates response.  Personal, prospect-focused, informational content will get letters read. Understanding what your specific target is motivated by personally will increase readability as well.  Include proof of what you say – third party, objective proof that your offer has real utility that is true and documented.

In other words, write a letter to me, not to everyone you know.

– Lisa Dennis

PS – Peter Shankman coincidentally addressed this very issue in his blog recently - as usual, he hits the nail on the head.

By knowledgence associates | Posted in Marketing | Also tagged | Comments (0)

Are Generic Testimonials Any Good?

March 11, 2009 – 5:27 PM

As a "valued customer," I was recently asked by VistaPrint if I would be willing to provide a testimonial.  I'm a big believer in the power of testimonials.  Because I have used the service many times in the past, I said yes.  I think there is a bit of an art to getting and giving a good strong testimonial.  So, I took the time to write a meaty one with some specific points that I thought would make it more powerful.  Here is what I submitted:

Quick turnaround, great quality, and low cost is always a winner. But service is the glue that makes things stick.  VistaPrint has been a terrific resource for both my company and my clients.  I’ve used the service to produce materials for my own business – but being in the marketing services arena, I’ve also had needs for my clients that need to be addressed.  Everything I’ve done for them using VistaPrint has turned out perfectly.  Tracking and service have been great. And the ability to go to production when I want to, at any time of the day or night, has been key. I’m submitting another customer order next week! The website is well designed and very easy to use.  I’ve been using VistaPrint for several years and will continue to turn to you to help me deliver high quality work.

Now, I'm both a marketer and seller, and think I do understand the need for getting to the point.  But I also know that many testimonials could be said by anyone – and often don't have specifics that sound like they came from an actual customer.  The last think you want is someone asking "did the customer really write this, or did the marketing department do it?" 

VistaPrint later got back to me and said they, "wanted to thank you for your reply and interest in becoming a VistaPrint customer testimonial! We’re thrilled with the overwhelming number of replies and are enjoying reading all the comments.  I’m interested in using your quote and will be in touch with you again soon, as we work out the details."

So far so good.  When something nice is said about you, mom always says to say thank-you quickly and enthusiastically. Two weeks later, they got back to me with an edited version of my quote for approval.  Due to space limitations, they wanted to use some pieces of the original quote.  So the new quote looked like this:

Quick turnaround, great quality, and low cost is always a winner.  But service is the glue that makes things stick.  VistaPrint has been a terrific resource for both my company and clients.  I've been using VistaPrint for several years and will continue to turn to you to help deliver high quality work.

We marketers love to edit, it's true. But sometimes we go too far.  Take a quick quiz with me.  If you remove the name "VistaPrint" can you actually tell what the company does?  Hmmm. How many other companies do you think could use the exact same quote? 

So instead of approving it as is, I commented on the heavy editing, and the issue of boiling it down so it sounded generic, and invited them to take the same quiz.  I also asked them to correct the misspelling of my company name after the quote.  (a DEFINITE testimonial No-No!)  I approved it as is if generic was their goal, but suggested they reconsider.  They responded diligently and said they were sorry and wished they could use the full quote, but had a 300 character limit (which they never informed me of in the original request).   They might have another spot for it, but would have to talk to their developers about it.  (Marketing & IT – that's a whole other post!)  They invited me to re-edit or or submit a new quote.  All of that sounds reasonable, but as a customer who took the time to actually write a testimonial, it was a bit of a turn-off.  A testimonial should speak to what the customer experience was like – specifically.  The important part of the quote was the description of my experience: 

Everything I’ve done for them (my customers) using VistaPrint has turned out perfectly.  Tracking and service have been great. And the ability to go to production when I want to, at any time of the day or night, has been key. I’m submitting another customer order next week! The website is well designed and very easy to use.

Instead they latched onto the basics:  Quick turnaround, great quality, and low cost. Is that enough?  Maybe for some – but as a customer myself, it's not the whole enchilada.  So, as you think about your own customers, and how they might read and write a testimonial for you – what's important?  The experience of being a customer, or the standard and generic descriptors that anyone could say about any company?  I know what gets my vote!  So, I dare you:  take your company name out of your testimonials.  Would they apply to Joe's Pizza just as well as to your company? 

  –Lisa Dennis

By knowledgence associates | Posted in Marketing | Also tagged | Comments (2)

Apple – A Company that “Gets” Its Customers

September 14, 2007 – 12:06 PM

While we are not currently Mac or iPod or iPhone users, we have a lot of respect for companies that focus on their customers, and inspire loyalty from them. 

Fellow blogger Rich McIver, in his blog InsideCRM, writes about this in his entry 12 Effective Strategies Apple Uses to Create Loyal Customers.  He discusses some of the techniques used by Apple to create customer evangelists.

    — Chuck Dennis

By knowledgence associates | Posted in Marketing | Also tagged , | Comments (0)

The Colonel and the Pope

February 26, 2007 – 11:18 AM

Recently, global fast-food chain KFC decided to offer a fish sandwich during the period of Lent (the forty day period of Christian fasting that precedes Easter).  Not satisfied by merely cashing in on a religious holy period, KFC has requested a blessing of their fish sandwich from the Pope!  Holy Endorsements!

Now, certainly, I can see the marketing appeal for hard-core Catholics, but could this have a reverse effect on Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Devil-worshipers, Atheists, Agnostics, and members of the Saint John Coltrane Church?  And anyone else who does not see the Pope as an infallible entity?  I mean, how much sense does it make for a fast food chain, or any secular business, really, to draw a line in the sand and ask for a Papal endorsement?  You run the risk of alienating as many, if not more, people than you attract.

And, not to delve too deeply into religious matters, but what does it say to Catholics everywhere if the Pope does offer his endorsement to the KFC fish sandwich?  Can we expect to see a Nike Swoosh symbol on his mitre?  Stock car-like logos all over the Popemobile?  This is a slippery slope, and I am surprised at KFC for even venturing to ask the Pope for such an endorsement, and I am surprised that the Pope’s office has not immediately and categorically refused the request.

  — Chuck Dennis

By knowledgence associates | Posted in Business, Marketing | Comments (0)

Homophobia Sells???

February 6, 2007 – 11:50 PM

A while back, in this space, I commented on the Dodge commercial with the little Tinkerbell type character who flew around, changing big powerful things into cute things, but she couldn’t change the Dodge automobile, which apparently was so tough that the blast from her magic wand knocked her into a brick wall, where a tough-looking guy laughed at her, calling her a silly little fairy.  She then zapped him into a wearing a matching sweater and shorts ensemble, and changed his macho dog into a group of three pekingnese or poodles, as he squealed "Ohhhhhh!"

Well, apparently, Madison Avenue still thinks homophobia is a big hoot, and will sell product.  During the Super Bowl a few days ago, where companies roll out their big money commercials, the Mars candy company ran a commercial for their Snickers brand candy bar.  The ad had two big burly guys working under the hood of a car.  One guy popped a Snickers in his mouth while working, and the other guy was so enamored with the candy bar that he bit the other end of it.  Then both guys proceeded to take bites of the candy bar until it was all consumed, and their lips briefly touched.  They were horrified when they realized what had happened, and decided they needed to do something "manly" to compensate for this accidental buss.  So they decided to rip out handfuls of their chest hair.

Curious.  Is this funny?  Is it zany?  Is the thought of two men kissing so preposterous to some ad writers, producers, and executives, that they think it will sell candy bars?  I continue to be stunned that in this day and age, homophobic ads still get written, and more incredibly, produced and approved, for airing on national TV.  And for the Super Bowl, where millions are viewing, and the ads cost gazillions of dollars… what genius decided that Snickers would do well to be known as they official candy bar for homophobes? 

Political correctness aside, is it good business to alienate anyone? 

Tonight, I heard on the news that Mars has pulled the ad.  I did not hear that any apology was given. http://money.cnn.com/2007/02/06/news/companies/snickers/?postversion=2007020614  Basically, all they had to say was that the intent was not to offend.  Wonder what the intent was?

  — Chuck Dennis

By knowledgence associates | Posted in Business, Marketing | Also tagged | Comments (1)

The Power of Visuals

November 14, 2006 – 10:10 AM

We’ve all heard the expression that a picture is worth a thousand words.  Well, what about a gesture?  How many words is that worth?  It depends on how serious you are about the image that your company is trying to convey out in the world.

Last week, the power of the gesture struck me as I was leaving a Dunkin’ Donuts in Rhode Island.  As usual, the place was packed and I parked behind the building, since all the spaces on the street were taken.  After getting my extra large, iced French Vanilla, cream and three Equals, (I’m always fascinated at how specifically everyone orders their coffee – often much more complicated than my “usual”) I got back in the car and attempted to leave the parking lot.  Unfortunately, there was a white van blocking the driveway.  It wasn’t blocking it a little, it was directly across the entire driveway.  Luckily, there was someone behind the wheel waiting for his partner to bring back the coffee.  So I tooted my horn.  The van moved up about 6 inches.  Given that my car isn’t six inches wide, I tooted again.  Let me be clear here – I didn’t lean on my horn – just a quick toot.  Well, on the 2nd toot, he moved about another 4 feet.  I was able to just about squeeze through without scratching his fender and my passenger door.  As I was making a right, it was touch and go trying to navigate the turn with this van literally right on top of me.  So this time I hit the horn.

Now, if you were blocking a driveway and you knew you were blocking a driveway (there was a sign that clearly read “Don’t Block The Driveway” right across from the passenger window of the van), you’d assume that you’d get some flack from people trying to get out of the driveway, no?

He didn’t move another inch.  As I came around the van, I noticed that it had the name of a company in Fall River across the side in bright blue letters.  Name, logo, location and phone number. As  I drove past the van, I looked out my passenger window towards the van driver.  He looked right at me and put his arm up against the window with his middle finger pointing to the sky.  Aside from the obvious rudeness, what really struck me was the image of this hand right next to the company logo.  It would have made a great picture.

As I was driving down the street, I decided to circle back, so I made a u-turn, and jotted down the name and number of the company.  The juxtaposition of the company’s obvious effort at trying to portray a professional organization, next to their driver’s “brand statement” was too much to ignore.  I wondered if they would want to know how they were being portrayed on the street to potential customers by this driver – whose job it is to represent them.

So I called and asked for a manager who was in charge of their fleet to discuss a problem I encountered with one of their vans.  A manager came to the phone, and I related to her what happened, and followed it with my comment that I was guessing that this wasn’t the image they wanted to send to potential customers out on the road.  She was shocked and repeated to me, “Our driver gave you the finger?!”  “Yes,” I said, “it was rather striking next to your company logo.”  The manager asked for any other details (location, time, etc.) and assured me that the person would be dealt with and that this was NOT the impression they wanted to give.  She made the point to thank me for bringing this to their attention, and she sounded very sincere in those thanks.  I told her that I was the president of a marketing and sales firm, and that I know first hand now how hard it is to get a positive message out there.  It seemed a shame to have it squandered by an employee who simply forgot that he was not in his own car, representing himself.  He was being paid to represent a company.

While it may seem harsh that I called and reported him, as a business owner consider how you might feel if a gesture sent a message that you never ever intended.  How many words is that worth?

– Lisa Dennis

By knowledgence associates | Posted in Marketing | Also tagged | Comments (1)

A Rose by Any Other Name? I Wonder…

November 9, 2006 – 8:27 PM

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.

 

- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

 

Shakespeare’s words make for beautiful poetry, but do they ring true in today’s market-driven business world?  Not really.  A variety of similar products may “smell as sweet” as one another, but the name by which they are known will have much to do with how well they sell in the marketplace.  Whether you are talking about a product or a service, the name by which you are known says a lot about you, on a number of levels.

So what causes me to wax poetic today?  I just read that the Ritz-Carlton Boston was sold, and will be re-named.  Now, as a customer-oriented guy, who has a background in trademarks and brand names, this makes about as much sense as poking yourself in the eye with a pointed stick.

For the past 100 or so years, the name Ritz-Carlton has been synonymous with “legendary service” and “gracious elegance,” if I may quote the Ritz’s web site.  Furthermore, the Ritz-Carlton Boston has been the cornerstone of this hotel chain’s glamorous history, dating back to the early 20th Century.

So, while the new owners of this property, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, one of Asia’s largest hotel groups, undoubtedly have great pride in their own organization, I wonder how strategic a move it is to drop one of the most timeless of all trademarks in order to promote their own organization.

The CEO has already said that he intends to keep all the management and employees currently working at the Boston Ritz, and that’s great.  These folks are already trained in the Ritz-Carlton “way.”  So why boot the name, in favor of something reminiscent of Donald Trump’s gaudy house o’ fun in Atlantic City?  Names with the sterling reputation of “Ritz-Carlton” don’t come along every day.  So unless there is some stipulation in the sale agreement that the Ritz name specifically can not be used by the new owners, I’m thinking they are making an egregious mistake.

— Chuck Dennis

By knowledgence associates | Posted in Marketing | Also tagged | Comments (2)
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