Customer Service Rocks

We are continuously reminded of the importance of excellent customer service. How, if you're treated right you may become a rabid fan and loyal customer. Something as small as one employee that goes the extra mile can turn me into a loyal customer for life.

Case in point, we're here in Las Vegas, attending the Blogworld Expo (where we're learning all kinds of great things--it's an awesome conference). Last night we went to the conference kick-off party and blog awards, hosted by Pajamas Media. It was a big event (don't even ask me about the many bloggers wearing their PJs and bunny slippers--surreal) held in The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.

And, there was a young man there that exemplified excellent customer service. His name is Kurt and he was tending bar for the hundreds of bloggers. Not only was Kurt friendly and responsive to blogger drink requests, he remembered the drinks that each person ordered. So, you'd get about 4 feet away from the bar, and he'd smile at you and start pouring. This is Rock-Star-Bar-Tending at it's best. And, yes, we DO know there's more to life than a glass of wine, however, once again we were reminded of how focusing in on the customer can make for a stellar customer experience.

As we've discussed before, when you can effectively tie your sales and marketing efforts to consistently pleasing the customer, you have a formula for success. When companies get this right, they raise the bar and outperform their competitors.

Kudos to Kurt for being Bartender-of-the-Year in our books -- and for being a perfect example of how customer service can truly rock. And, please share YOUR examples of customer service excellence. We'd love to hear some positive (or negative) stories.

By the way, look forward to next week when we're going to recap our BlogWorld experience and share some great ideas.

Viva Las Vegas!

What Makes YOU Unique?

It’s not easy differentiating yourself these days. Day after day, we see our client’s struggling to make their messages unique to their customers . . . trying to ensure that their message is heard in the sea of competitive messages out there.

So, when we come across a business that has truly found their niche, where they have differentiated themselves from the competition, we have to write about it. We’re talking about the Hard Rock Hotel.

We’re here in Las Vegas to attend the BlogWorld Expo, and were lucky (or smart) enough to book rooms at the Hard Rock. In a sea of thousands of look-alike hotel rooms, tons of casinos each with their unique theme and look, we believe that the Hard Rock has been able to really stamp their brand and differentiate themselves.

The ambiance hits you just as soon as you enter the building. Music blares (no stupid elevator music either—music you actually WANT to listen to. The requisite rock ‘n roll memorabilia surrounds you. But, wow—this is good stuff—like Elton’s sequined Dodger uniform and Carlos Santana’s full repertoire of guitars and leather jackets.

Now, think about this for a moment . . . this is VEGAS . . . the land of fantasy and sensory-rattling input – everywhere. So, differentiating yourself here is even more difficult than ever. Yet, Hard Rock has accomplished it. They have their own Vegas shows – real rock shows. They have excellent restaurants – Nobu Sushi is here. They have fun places to hang out, and of course, they have the requisite slot machines and black jack tables.

Here’s the difference: You know you’re in Vegas, yet you feel like you’re in the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame. It’s cooler than Vegas. It’s got a good vibe – the slot machine noise is at a minimum, and the hoards of true gamblers don’t hang out here. Yet, you can gamble to your heart’s content if you want to. You can also take in a great rock show and shop for cool stuff. This is differentiation at its best.

So, why are we gushing about a hotel? I think it’s because we want to bring this same spirit to our own business and to our clients’ business. Seeing how this niche-ness can work makes us want to find that special thing that sets us/our clients apart from all others out there. It goes beyond positioning—to make your niche stand out, you have to bring REAL value. Then, of course, you have to make sure that your target market is aware of that value; that they find out about what makes YOU cool and different.

It’s not so easy to do. But, when it’s done right, pricing becomes a non-issue. Your competitors have a hard time, now, stealing your customers. It’s all good.

So, as you’re considering your business strategy for the next year, think about putting a little Rock-n-Roll into the agenda. Shake things up a bit. Make your true uniqueness stand out like it never has before. We can guarantee that your customers will appreciate your fresh approach – and will treat you like the Rock Star that you are!

Do-It-Yourself Database

Just the other night I dreamed that I purchased a book called "HTML for Dummies" (not sure that this title even exists) in the hopes that I could take over our company's website updating. Even in my dreams I'm sick of relying on someone else to make minor updates, add newsletters, whitepapers, etc. I want to do it myself.

Then, today, I read this recap of a speech given by Donald Feinberg, a Gartner analyst who spoke at the Teradata Partner conference. The article from "IT Business" states: "The relationship between IT and business is changing says a Gartner analyst, and IT must follow business' lead." It goes on to relate how business is no longer willing to accept whatever database their IT group provides to them.

The point of the speech was to encourage IT people and others responsible for database design to think about rebuilding database systems to accommodate changing business needs. "Speaking at Partners, the annual user conference of data warehousing vendor Teradata, Donald Feinberg said companies need to start paying closer attention to their data warehouses. Feinberg, a vice-president and distinguished analyst with the research firm, said if your data warehouse is more than 10 years old it's going to need to be replaced to empower today's workforce."

He went on to warn his audience of DBAs and IT folk that if they weren't proactive in meeting business needs, the business users will simply build tools themselves. With ever-increasing tools that the average business-person can easily use and understand, it's easier than ever to take control, as opposed to waiting on IT. "There was a time IT could give any old program to the business side and they'd have to use it, but not anymore. Noting Excel 2007 allows one million rows, he said people can get by without a database, and can even run SAS analytics against Excel spreadsheets."

And, with the fact that young adults entering the workforce are technology-proficient and used to figuring out how to make a computer do what they need it to do, this 'do-it-yourself', can-do attitude is a trend that will only continue to grow.

As a self-proclaimed control-freak, I'm all for this movement! I've worked on so many projects that were derailed simply because we had to rely on IT to pull data. When we finally did get the data, it was out-of-date or suspect. It would be nirvana to be able to grab control, and get easy access to customer data. Think of the quick and dirty analysis that could be performed. Ah, the customer insight that could be gained! And, all without any IT request or intervention. Wow!

Of course, this scenario may not be realistic for super large organizations that maintain highly sensitive data, and lots of it (like a large financial institution). But, I'm liking this trend. Anything that gets data closer to the business user is a good thing.

More on Direct Marketing and the Issue of Trust

In a recent post, we spoke about the importance of creating trust through our direct marketing efforts. With trust, it is more than talking about it -- it's about proving it. As a matter of fact, esteemed consultant, speaker, writer and fellow blogger, Charles Green, has built his whole business on this very subject.

The following is an excerpt from Green's website, Trusted Advisor Associates:

Based on our experience with sales and advisory organizations, five statements seem true:

1. The single greatest factor affecting sales and business success is the level of trust in the customer relationship.
2. The level of trust between businesses and customers is very low these days.
3. Business focuses too much on competition—and not enough on customers.
4. Business has gotten very good at faking trust—which is cynical, and inevitably destroys trust.
5. Genuine trust-based relationships are based on a desire to see the customer succeed—not on a desire to achieve sustainable competitive advantage.

We couldn't agree more! In our business, this is simply why we exist. If we we didn't understand these very important points, we wouldn't succeed. And, as Green points out above, the level of trust is very low today when it comes to business relationships. It's sad -- but true.

It does seem odd, though, that we actually have to talk about this. It would seem that you either are trustworthy or you are not. The reality is, I guess, that there are more business relationships that have failed due to the lack of trust out there than we would have guessed. And due to that, cynicism is at an all-time high. This makes it difficult for all of us to convince those who have been burned in the past that we should, indeed, be trusted.

What a conundrum! As you continue to plan your marketing strategy for the next year, this is an important concept to keep in mind. How trustworthy are you? How trust-creating are your direct marketing efforts? Does your product/service actually do what you say it will? Are you creating slogans that really are true?

It's funny. We learn the importance of being truthful from a very young age. And that concept only becomes more important as we become adults, and responsible for our words and actions.

For more on truth in all aspects of marketing and advertising, take a look at Green's recently posted November Carnival of Trust. It's a very well-written blog that looks at trust in even more detail. It'll get you thinking about what you do on a daily basis. And, hopefully, make you proud of how you do it -- I know that we were proud to be one of Green's Ten Selections!

What are you worth?

We recently posted on the hiring trends in the direct marketing industry (it remains fairly rosy), and we've commented on how certain marketing specialists (such as data analysts) will continue to be sought after and well-paid. But, it's always interesting to see what's going on, salary-wise, in the market.

From today's NY Times: Workers Say They're Underpaid -- But Are They Right?

"According to Salary.com's 2006/2007 Employee Job Satisfaction and Retention Survey, 62 percent of employees plan on looking for a new job in the next three months. Dissatisfied employees have cited a variety of reasons for their desire to leave their company, including lack of opportunity for advancement, no recognition for achievements, insufficient benefits and even boredom.

Trumping all reasons for why employees want to leave their current job is that they think they are underpaid. Nearly 50 percent of employees cited inadequate compensation as the primary reason they want to walk out the door. To determine if the employee claims were valid, Salary.com's team of Certified Compensation Professionals (CCP�) conducted extensive analysis by comparing the job title, industry, geography and company size reported by each respondent to the Salary.com database of human resource (HR) reported salary data.

The results indicated that only 22 percent of the survey respondents were actually underpaid, while 15 percent may actually be overpaid (paid well above their fair market value) and 33 percent were paid reasonably close to their fair market value."

The article discusses how companies are granting titles in lieu of higher salaries in an attempt to keep their employees happy. Unfortunately, the employee then expects to be paid for that title, even if their duties remain those of a less auspicious title.

The article provides a link to a "Salary Wizard" to help readers understand if they are, indeed, underpaid.

I believe that you need to always understand your market value. Just as it's important to price products and services correctly, isn't it even more important to understand the value that your specific skills and experience bring to an organization?

And, if you have a team of people working for you, it's pretty important to understand that 62% of them may be, even today, thinking of leaving you! Perhaps it's time to match responsibilities with titles and ensure that salaries are also in-line. This will help manage employee expectations and reward people with bigger titles (and higher pay) when they deserve the promotion.

More on CRM Success

This post could possibly be called a "no-brainer" post. By that, I mean that these CRM metrics seem so obvious to me that they should not even have to be articulated. However, we've all seen CRM systems fail, so perhaps it can't hurt to have another discussion on ways to make your CRM system a success. From yesterday's "DM News":

A CRM value system: Five metrics of success

The article fleshes out "five key values that define the critical path to success in any implementation." Here's a brief overview:

1. Strategic alignment: "A company must implement a CRM solution that is strategic and aligned with its goals."
2. User Involvement: "Solutions should be implemented so that they are accepted and embraced by all system users."
3. Improved Process Effectiveness: "CRM must automate business processes and formalize best practices that will improve the overall effectiveness of the company’s sales, marketing and customer support efforts in a way that aligns with the business’ goals."
4. Information Sharing: "Walls that exist between departments must be broken down. An effective flow of information between departments will improve relationships and a company’s ability to execute its strategies and achieve corporate goals."
5. Visibility: "Finally, provide visibility into key performance metrics through reports and dashboards."

I do agree with the above five key elements of a successful CRM implementation. And, I believe that companies are now considering these types of things prior to investing in CRM technology. We've come a long way from just a few years ago when it was more normal for companies to spend lots of money to implement systems that were never used.

I continue to believe in the premise of using technology to help us understand and develop deeper customer relationships. And, I look forward to seeing more and more success stories.

TGIF! Have a great weekend.

The Evolution of Marketing Automation Solutions

As a lifelong student of marketing, it is interesting to see the evolution of marketing over time. Whenever I pull out my old marketing textbooks, I don't see anything about the new direct marketing channels -- blogs, podcasts, mobile marketing, etc. And, it isn't just because I'm old and have been out of college for a while -- it's because nobody really understood in the mid-90s the full impact of what technology (the internet, telecommunications) would bring to business. Obviously, there were those who were more on target than others, but nobody expected this outcome -- i.e., that marketing needs to be consumer-driven. This will only increase as more consumers adopt the new marketing channels -- and they are doing it in increasing numbers every day.

What is interesting about all of this is that companies are now looking even more closely at direct marketing budgets. As reported by TMCnet in an article by Jon Miller of Marketo.com, "Traditional marketing expenses are loosely structured and hard to tie to revenue -- which is why many executives think of marketing as a cost center, not as an investment. And that makes marketing budgets hard to justify." This is why it is so important to be able to determine how effective your marketing campaigns are performing -- and to be able to report those results up to leadership.

This idea takes some serious consideration, particularly when it comes to marketing automation technology. Miller feels that this evolving marketing methodology will bring on a new and better stream of marketing automation products and services. And, he feels that the "old-school" marketing automation products struck out because they were too technical and direct marketers couldn't fully utilize them without depending upon their IT resources -- who probably didn't have the time or resources to translate them for marketing.

So, here's the conundrum: How do you make your company more consumer-focused by utilizing the new direct marketing channels out there that put your customers in the drivers seat -- and how can you accurately track the results of these campaigns without blowing your entire budget?

According to Miller, "The new [marketing automation solutions] contenders out there must learn from the mistakes of the past. To succeed they must provide a solution in a way that makes sense for the way marketers think and spend money. Fundamentally, this means marketing automation needs to be less like enterprise software and more like consumer software." What Miller is saying makes sense. Marketers need to be able to utilize marketing automation so that they can demonstrate to their leadership that they are positively impacting corporate profits. So, it's got to be easy to use, easy to build reports and dashboards, and it needs to take into consideration more streamlined marketing budgets.

Miller states it simply, "It means selling like a web company, providing support like a web company, and pricing like a web company. In other words, solutions for the marketing department must be easy (and free) to test drive and trial. They need to be easy to use. They need to be easy to buy from existing marketing budgets. And they need to work without any IT support."

Those in the business of providing these solutions definitely have their work cut out for them. It will be interesting to see these companies evolve to meet our ever-changing direct marketing needs!