Collecting Customer Comments

Whether they are out-of-control cranks or out-of-the-blue evangelists, customers want to have their say.  And, if you won’t listen to them, the Internet is teeming with people who will.  This trend has bred a new crop of online tools that enable an easy back-and-forth between companies and their customers. 

Best for MONITORING YOUR REPUTATION:  Yelp.com   A directory of customer ratings and reviews of local businesses.  Yelp provides a good handle on your company’s word-of-mouth buzz.  Anyone can submit a review of a business, but the most credible reviews- or at least the ones receiving the most votes from fellow users- rise to the top.  PRICE:  about $150 per month for a sponsorship.

Best for ASKING FOR IDEAS:  SuggestionBox.com   A web-based service that collects customer suggestions.  The site allows customer to post ideas and rate the ideas of others.  Employees can rate the suggestions internally with a built-in scorecard and correspond privately with those making suggestions.  PRICE:  $49.95 per month for one user, plus $9.95 per month for each additional user.

Best for RESOLVING DISPUTES:   RatePoint.com   A suite of customer feedback tools, including reviews, satisfaction surveys, and e-mail marketing software.  RatePoint allows you to add to your online store customer-generated reviews like those found on Amazon.com, but with a difference- you can reach out to users to resolve an issue before a negative rating is made public.  PRICE:  $17.95 per month or $179 per year for up to 1,000 customers;  $99.95 per month or $995 per year for up to 25,000 customers.

Best for FOLLOWING BLOG CHATTER:   YackTrack.com/Chatter   A search engine for online conversations.  Thanks to blogs, tweets,a nd other posts, there’s an every growing flood of commentary online.  YackTrack brings all of those conversation threads to one place, where you can easily find recent references to your company or products.  PRICE:  Free

Best for FINDING SQUEAKY WHEELS:   GetSatisfaction.com   A website that allows customers to reprot problems and post complaints.  Get Satisfaction thrives on transparency.  Customers find a company or product, post their issue for all to see, and get answers to their questions from fellow users or company reps.  Get Satisfaction offers widgets and a programming interface that let you incorporate the service into your own website.  PRICE:  Free

Best for QUICK POLLS:   SurveyMonkey.com   An online survey tool.  You don’t have to learn about statistics, coding, or market research.  Simply plug a list of questions into one of SurveyMonkey.com’s templates- upload a logo if you like- that span eight survey categories, including service industries and marketing.  PRICE:  Free for up to 100 survey responses; $19.95 per month for 1,000 survey responses; and $200 per year for unlimited survey responses.

                     taken from December 2008 issue of INC. MAGAZINE

 

 

Performance Excellence Assessment

This morning, I attended the December breakfast of Success North Dallas and the speaker was Glenn Bodinson, founder and CEO of BaldrigeCoach, a consulting firm that helps organizations become more productive, profitable, and fun places to work in by harnessing the power of performance excellence through the Baldrige Criteria.  All I can say is, WOW!  Here are some excerpts from my notes and they will be continued in tomorrow’s post…

Please answer the following statements with:

RARELY  /  SOMETIMES  /  OFTEN  /  CONSISTENTLY  /  ALWAYS

1.  Major decisions are guided by a clear vision and set of values that describe what we want our organization to be and how to get there.

2.  Each employee knows what the vision, values and top objective are for the organization.

3.  Each employee knows what the vision, values, top objectives and goals are for their department and their processes.

4.  Accountability for achieving goals and getting results is clear at each level within the organization.

5.  Through their behavior, our senior leaders serve as role models in reinforcing the values and achieving performance excellence.

6.  We have a long-term plan that addresses new technology, sustainability, and the expectations of our stakeholders.

7.  There is clear agreement among our leaders about what the top priorities are to accomplish our goals, objectives, and vision.

8.  Leaders at all levels have the necessary leadership skills and technical knowledge to accomplish our goals, objectives, and vision.

9.  Our relationships with our customers build trust, loyalty, repeat business, and positive referrals.

10.  We measure, analyze, segment, compare, and take action to improve customer, financial, operational, and ethical performance.

If the majority of your answers to the ten questions above are “RARELY” or “SOMETIMES,” it is characteristic of processes at this level to be (typically) un-documented and in a state of dynamic change.  They tend to be driven in an ad hoc, uncontrolled and reactive manner by users or events.  This state provides a chaotic or unstable environment for the processes and YOUR BUSINESS.

• Organizational implications:

(a)  Institutional knowledge tends to be scattered (there being limited structured approach to knowledge management) in such environments, not all of the stakeholders or participants in the processes may know or understand all of the components that make up the processes. As a result, process performance in such organizations is likely to be variable (inconsistent) and depend heavily on the institutional knowledge, or the competence, or the heroic efforts of relatively few people or small groups.

(b) Despite the chaos, such organizations manage to produce products and services. However, in doing so, there is significant risk that they will tend to exceed any estimated budgets or schedules for their projects – it being difficult to estimate what a process will do when you do not fully understand the process (what it is that you do) in the first place and cannot therefore control it or manage it effectively.

(c) Due to the lack of structure and formality, organizations at this level may over-commit, or abandon processes during a crisis, and it is unlikely that they will be able to repeat past successes. There tends to be limited planning, limited executive commitment or buy-in to projects, and limited acceptance of processes.

 

Postcard Marketing

This week I’ve written about one of the most tech-advanced marketing tools, the widget, so now I’ll write about one of the most “archaic”… the postcard.  Did you know that postcards produce better results today than they did before the development of the Internet.  Why?

1.  Postcards use a modern communication style:  It delivers information the way people want to get it today.  It arrives open and ready to read.  The message is always brief because there’s not a lot of space for it.

2.  Postcards have high impact:  It’s hard to ignore a postcard… even if the reader is sorting their mail over a trashcan and discarding everything that looks like advertising.  An attractive postcard with an eye-catching benefit statement will be read by almost 100% of the people who get it… and anyone else who happens to see it. 

3.  Marketing with postcards saves money:  Postcards are small.  Therefore, it doesn’t cost much for printing.  You can even do the printing yourself with your own computer to reduce the cost to about a penny each.  Check out Overnight Prints for professional postcards at a fraction of a penny each.

4.  Marketing with postcards saves time:  Because postcards are small, it doesn’t take much time to develop a sales message for them, complete the printing and get them out in the mail.  It’s not unusual to see results from postcards within a week of deciding to use them.

5.  Postcards are versatile:  Postcards are easily adaptable to any business.  They work equally as well for selling either products or services.  They’re also adaptable to any kind of marketing activity.  You can use them to generate website traffic, develop sales leads, generate visits to a store, promote repeat sales or additional sales to current or previous customers, or… well, you get the idea.  Get to mailing.

 

 

 

What would John do?

“If you watch what is occurring today, people are acting like the sky is falling,” says Cisco CEO, John Chambers.  But, he has learned through numerous economic downturns- 1993, 1997, 2001, and 2003- that it’s entirely possible to come out stronger than you were before.  “Every time, we have gained market share, and two years later, our customer and employee satisfaction was greater,” he says.  Here’s his advice for facing tough times…

• “Focus on what we can influence, and not over-or underreact to things we cannot.  It’s a question of living in the world as it is, not the way we want it to be.”
• Assess the damage externally- vendors, customers, colleagues.  “In 2001, we went to our customers n energy, manufacturing, and automotive, to name a few.  We asked, “How are you handling this?”
• Ask yourself, “Is this a market-driven phenomenon or did we do it to ourselves?”  Based on the answers you get, formulate a response.  “In 2001, our strategy was working extremely well before the downturn, and it seemed to be working fromt he customers’ side, so we said it was 90-10.  That turned out to be about right.”
• Make a determination of how long this will last and how deep it is going to be.  “Prepare yourself for it to be longer and deeper than you think.  And then build flexibility to adjust quickly if you need to.”
• Get ready for the upturn.  “What’s our vision for where this industry is going with or without us?”  That, he says, is a five-year horizon.  “What is our differentiated strategy within that vision?”  That’s a two- to four-year plan.  “How are you going to execute in the next 12 to 18 months?”

Taken from December 2008 / January 2009 edition FAST COMPANY  magazine

What’s the big deal with Widgets?

“We believe in always innovating and never being satisfied with the status quo.  If you don’t try, you’ll never know.”  Andrew J. McKelvey (1935-2008), Founder of Monster.com

Widgets are cheap, easy and the perfect expression of the “Post-Advertising Age.”  So, why are marketers so slow to use them? 

Some guy lives in Albuquerque, which is really great, because it is sunny and really convenient to Vista Encantada and Hottmantown.  But he has relatives in Denver, a limited budget, a lot of outstanding family obligations and a seven-hour, 450-mile gulf between them.  Then, one hot and dry Thursday, he’s sitting at his computer, and it goes… “DING!”

An icon on his desk has some breaking news:  a special Albuquerque-Denver fare on Southwest Airlines for $49 each way.  It send him that alert because he’s asked for it, by downloading the Southwest “Ding” widget.  Most of the time it just sits there, apparently idle, a tiny Southwest logo on a tiny Southwest tail section reminding him, at some extremely level of consciousness, that Southwest exists… and is here to meet all this guy’s travel needs.

Branded widgets are the refrigerator magnets of the decade.  These compact, portable little software apps- from video players to countdown clocks to makeup simulators- are inexpensive to distribute, free to the user, and often distinctly useful.  At a minimum, they carry an ad message wherever they go. 

At a maximum, the widget is something like the magical connection between marketers and consumers, not only replacing the one-way messaging long dominated by media advertising but vastly outperforming it.  Because online the link is literal and direct, and along its path, data of behavior, preference, and intention are left at every step.  Oh, and your target consumers actually go out searching for your branded gimcrack.  Oh, and they display it within easy reach.  Oh, and they pass copies along to their friends and associates.  Oh, and because they’ve been turned on by a friend, they are hospitable and receptive recipients.  And, oh, in case you didn’t see it the first time I mentioned it, the barriers to entry are preposterously low. 

Let’s look at some examples because the widget’s value is due to the fact that the marketing becomes part of the product:

1.  Miles, a 3-D desktop avatar that looks like a refugee from “Teletubbies” but resides on your desktop to encourage (i.e. nag) you to run (yes, as in work out and work off those holiday calories), and keeps track of your progress via the astonishing Nike Plus technology.  He also keeps you apprised of local weather, running events, and promotions.  And, he organizes your RSS feeds, so you can easily download to your iPod. 

2.  UPS widget:  This guy looks like a cousin of Miles.  He allows you to schedule and track shipments worldwide with a click or two.  If you are any sort of frequent shipper, why wouldn’t you install him on your desktop?

3.  CokeTags is a Facebook app that displays your favorite links, allow you to itemize your online self- an keep track of who is following the trail of self you blaze.

4.  Johnnie Walker has Jennie, a cute avatar.  If you’re in a strange land and looking for a drink, Jennie will guide you to the bar and back to your hotel. 

Of course, engagement- and even community- cannot be directly correlated to sales.  But, apart from direct-response advertising, what can?  A study by online-market-research firm, Marketing Evolution, found that return on investment from widgets increases in approximately direct proportion to virulence.  The consulting firm calls this the “momentum effect,” and clearly the momentum is a function of sharing.  And, when users love the convenience of an app like these, why not share the widgets?

 from Advertising Age magazine, December 1, 2008 edition

Success is a State of Mind

Every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent success. –Napoleon Hill

                                                 POVERTY                   MIDDLE CLASS               WEALTHY

Possessions	People	Things	One of a kind objects, legacies, pedigrees
Money	To be used, spent	To be managed	To be conserved, preserved, invested
Personality	Is for entertainment.  A sense of humor is highly valued.	Is for acquisition and stability.  Achievement is highly valued.	Is for connections.  Financial, political, social connections are highly valued.
Social Emphasis	Social inclusion of the people they like	Emphasis is on self-governance and self-sufficiency	Emphasis is on social exclusion
Food	Key question:  Did you have enough? Quantity important	Key question:  Did you like it?  Quality important	Key question:  Was it presented well?  Presentation important
Clothing	Clothing valued for the individual style and expression of personality	Clothing valued for its quality and acceptance into the norm of middle class.  Label important	Clothing valued for its artistic sense and expression.  Designer important
Time	Present most important.  Decisions made for the moment based on feelings or survival	Future most important.  Decisions made against future ramifications.	Traditions and past history most important.  Decisions partially made on basis of tradition decorum
Education	Valued and revered as an abstract but not as a reality	Crucial for climbing success ladder and making money	Necessary tradition for making and maintaining connections
Destiny	Believe in fate.  Cannot do much to mitigate chance.	Believe in choice.  Can change the future with good choices now.	Noblesse oblige
Language	Casual register.  Language is about survival	Formal register.  Language is about negotiation	Formal register.  Language is about connections
Family Structure	Tends to be matriarchal	Tends to be patriarchal	Depends on who has the money
World View	Sees the world in terms of local setting	Sees the world in terms of national setting	Sees the world in terms of an international view
Love	Love and acceptance unconditional, based upon whether or not an individual is liked	Love and acceptance conditional and based largely on achievement	Love and acceptance conditional and related to social standing and connections
Driving Force	Survival, relationships and entertainment	Work and achieve	Financial, political and social connections

Taken from Chapter 3, “Hidden Rules Among the Classes” by Dr. Ruby Payne

 

A Thank You to My Parents…

Who always told me I could do and be whatever I wanted.  It’s funny I should run across this web site today because I was asked just this week what I would do if given a million dollars that I could only funnel through to a charity.  HERE is my dream come true: 

The GIRL EFFECT

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19 Business Days Left in 2008

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.  If you think about that, you’ll DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY.”  Warren Buffett (1930-  )  Investor, businessman, and philanthropist

There is power in language.  It leads to the future. 

Watch your thoughts; they become words.  Watch your words; they become actions.  Watch your actions; they become habits.  Watch your habits; they become character.  Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. 

A Buddhist friend once told me that the words that you say form a force field of attraction around you.  So don’t be shy.  You have 19 days left to make a real impact on your business, your customer, and the foundation of your 2009.

Thought for the Day & Questions to Ponder

“Make happy those who are near, and those who are far will come.”  Chinese proverb

1.  Have you lost your market position?  If your company was number one 10 years ago and number three now, there may be quite a few things to fix.  Tinkering around the edges won’t get you back to the top spot.  Start by focusing on your best customers (i.e. those who are happy).

2.  Are you dissatisfied with your logo?  Everyone gets tired of their logo at some point, just like we get tired of the same old clothes.  In most cases, you’re best advised to leave it alone (the logo, not the wardrobe).  However, if your logo doesn’t fit who you are anymore, and you don’t quite know why, it’s time to ask yourself exactly what does your company stand for and who are the people it’s talking to the best.

3.  Has there been a change in your business strategy?  Your brand strategy is the “face” of your business strategy.  So, it almost goes without saying that a significant change in corporate strategy should provoke a long, hard look at your brand and the customers’ it reaches.

4.  Has your market changed around you?  New players, new developments (like an economic recession), and new customers in your market change the landscape.  Your brand may be well-positioned to take advantage of emerging circumstances.  Or not.  Time to figure it out. 

 

First Who, Then What

From Jim Collins, Good to Great:

Assembling the right team is nothing new… however, you must first get the wrong people off the bus and the right people on the bus BEFORE you try to figure out where to drive it.  The key point is the degree of sheer rigor needed with regard to people decisions in order to take a company from good to great.

The good-to-great leaders understand three simple truths.  First, if you begin with “who,” rather than “what,” you can more easily adapt to a changing world.  If people join the bus primarily because of where it is going, what happens if you get ten miles down the road and you need to change direction?  You’ve got a problem.  But, if people are on the bus because of who else is on the bus, then it’s much easier to change course if necessary: “Hey, I got on this bus because of who else is on it; if we need to change direction to be more successful, fine with me.”  Second, if you have the right people on the bus, the problem of how to motivate and manage people largely goes away.  The right people don’t need to be tightly managed or fired up;  they will be self-motivated by the inner drive to produce the best results and to be part of creating something great.  Third, if you have the wrong people, if doesn’t matter whether you discover the right direction or not.  You STILL won’t have a great company.  Great vision without great people is irrelevant.