Archive for the ‘Alignment’ Category
The Referral Engine
Why do some companies seem to get customers or clients or patients who are referred IN to them as opposed to other firms who have to seek OUT their sources of revenues using direct marketing, cold-calling and the like?
The answer? Simple. Some businesses are just more refer-able. They operate in a manner that invites and even demands their customers and clients to become evangelists for the company’s brand.
In a few weeks, Duct Tape Marketing’s founder, John Jantsch will be releasing a new book — The Referral Engine.
I have an advance copy for a review I’m writing and I am most impressed. Rather than being a book of ‘How To’ (although that is present) this book is more about how to be a business that operates in a manner that generates such exquisite experiences for people that they become the ‘raving fans’ and the ‘brand evangelists’ that drive new customers and clients into contact with the firm.
You can get a complimentary download of Chapter 1 of John’s wonderful new book: The Referral Engine
Just click on the cover and you’ll be reading some great new insights in no time!
Enjoy!
It Doesn’t Cost Anything To Listen!
Great Minds Think Alike
When Richard Branson, arguably one of the most successful entrepreneurs alive and Seth Godin, one of the most prolific thought-leaders on marketing get together, under the auspices of American Express . . . it has to be good.
It is:
The Point:
LISTENING . . . to your customer (or, client or patient or prospect) is essential to your success.
Closing The Performance / Expectation Gap
Gap? Yes. The gap between what you think you’re doing and how your customers / clients feel you’re doing. Maybe you don’t have one. Kudos. Unfortunately, odds are you do have a gap. Fortunately, you can correct that. But first you need to know if it exists.
In a recent research study (Delivering On The Promise) conducted by Accenture, it was noted that a serious disconnect exists between business executives and their clients / customers. Apparently 75% of the executives surveyed perceived their own customer service as being “above-average”. Unfortunately, 59% of their own customers felt the service experience they were getting from these same firms was, “somewhat to extremely disappointing”.
Lynn Hunsaker posting at ClearAction’s Customer Experience Optimization blog cited a CMO Council Customer Affinity study where about 50% of the surveyed companies believed they were “extremely” customer-centric. At the same time, only 10% of the customers surveyed felt the same way!
This obvious perceptual difference is significant and serious. Significant in the the ‘GAP’ it suggests is huge. Serious in that it exists at all.
Can you tolerate such a lack of connection to your marketplace? Not for long. And not for anything good. I’m reminded of Marie Antoinette’s famed line, “Let them eat cake” when referring to the French people who, suffering so badly, rebelled and overthrew the monarchy (and, Marie’s head, too!).
Your business competes not only for prospects and their money. You also compete for their attention. And, their loyalty to your brand. The way you earn that is by delivering on the expectations of your marketplace. And how do you learn those?
You ASK!
Survey your customers. If you don’t have customers or clients . . . talk with prospects!
POINT:
Whatever you do . . . stay close to your marketplace . . . closer than your competitors and when you learn what people want from you . . . GIVE IT TO THEM!
Where Are The Astronauts?
Years ago, as a financial advisor (CLU, ChFC) I learned firsthand that most people spend more time planning how they’ll spend a one week vacation than how they’ll spend their retirement years. I don’t think that’s changed all that much despite the recent market fluctuations.
In marketing a small business or professional practice, it’s not much different. People don’t prepare for marketing as much as they ‘just do it’.
Now Nike’s tagline notwithstanding, that’s just asinine. And no different than focusing more time on planning your one week vacation than your retirement years.
Seth Godin made a great post on this very topic. He argues that business people are like ‘kids in a candy store’ gazing at all the ‘goodies’ — the myriad choices of marketing tactics that are readily available to us all . . . Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.. Seth’s not saying there’s anything wrong with these marketing options (there isn’t). But he admonishes us all to remember that they’re tactics, not a marketing strategy.
Tactics are supposed to support your marketing strategy. And if your strategy isn’t already in place . . . then using any marketing tactic is akin to launching a rocket but forgetting to add the astronauts before lift-off! You’d scream if NASA did that, but in your own business . . . you may be doing precisely that if you haven’t chosen your marketing strategy before your marketing tactics.
Point:
It’s not the ‘quick and dirty’ approach to marketing (which is appealing, I will admit!) . . . but defining and articulating a viable marketing STRATEGY before you begin to consider which TACTICS you’ll use to implement and communicate your strategy is going to set you apart from your competitors and . . . far more successfully, too.
Being Approach-able
Scott Ginsberg has a calling. To be “That Nametag Guy”.
His mission is to help others be more approachable. Why? Because when you are, you are likely to be more successful.
Scott’s successful, too. Very, very successful!
What started out as a ‘happy accident’ — forgetting to remove his nametag after a meeting . . . has put him on a collision course with greatness. The genius in his strategy was intentional, though.
If you’re seeking to understand the power of FOCUS . . . of dedication to a singular idea . . . check out Scott’s story below:
Lesson:
In a ‘me-too’ world, it pays to find a niche and . . . GO FOR IT!
