Sole proprietors or marketing executives in corporations bring their personal preferences to the brand party. Unfortunately, this isn't always the best thing for the company.
There's no question that the like or dislike of a brand is a subjective situation. Burger King ads continue to drive me around the bend with their lack of brand consistency. But then again, I'm not their audience. They are trying to deliver to young men (neither of which I am). I am concerned that they think young men are stupid, but I'm sure they have some research to prove their point.
But liking or disliking a brand's colours, for example, may affect whether customers will give them their business (which is why Burger King is suffering from closing franchises in Canada and has been for years). So when sole proprietors or marketing executives start to take the brand personally, they are setting themselves up for failure.
Let's remember, first of all, that brand is not just your logo and tagline. It's everything that touches your customer. And that's where your corporate identity triggers come in.
Corporate identity triggers are those values that your existing customers speak about when they refer you to others. They are those values that your internal staff recognize as your unique difference. If you are a new business, your corporate identity triggers can be found from your most successful competitor.
These words and phrases - the corporate identity triggers - can take brand development out of the world of owner/executive subjectivity and into a more objective place.
For objectivity to work, there has to be a process in place. Processes make the accountants happy so it can also lessen your push-pull with the money people who don't understand why you'd spend money on re-engineering or polishing your brand.
Processes also give you next steps, in a logical fashion. For many, brand development appears a slap-dash, "I liked this colour that day" sort of thing. But there is a psychology behind brand development and to get there, your corporate identity triggers are your guide.
If your business isn't performing the way you thought it would, it may be your brand has disconnected from your customer. Or from your internal staff, which can be an even bigger problem.
Marketers and their creativity have led many down the garden path into a swamp. But with a tested process in hand, that garden path could lead to success.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
The example of giving your customer what they need
Okay, so university students aren't generally considered 'customers' of the professors (even though they really should be because that's how their salaries get paid) but I've learned of one professor that does take this concept to heart. At least it appears that he does.
Professor Martin Zinke-Allmang, of the Physics Department at the University of West Ontario, has created a situation in which 'customer service' is delivered to assist the 'customer', i.e. the student, to have a better chance of success.
Let's face it - physics is not a walk in the park for most people. All those formulae and ideas that you can't really see. But if you are going into life sciences, it is mandatory.
So Professor Zinke-Allmang took his task right to the source; how to educate, truly educate, his students majoring in the life sciences. Like any good business owner, he engaged those who would know the most about the needs to create success. He went to the members of the faculty of Biology and Medical Sciences to have them pick out the subjects needed to be learned for success in life sciences. So he covered the first step in success for any business owner, and in my mind now, any successful professor. Get information on what is required; get information on what the problem is and how to solve it; get the information from those who know the most on the topic.
In the case of business, those that know what your customers want are, in fact, your customers. Too many businesses neglect to engage their customers in the development of sales and marketing practices. But seriously, who better to tell you what is useful about your product or service than your customer?
But that's not all Professor Zinke-Allmang did. Oh no. He took one step further. He allows his students to bring in their own cheat sheet, one of their own design. There are rules around it, such as it can be only one 8.5" x 11" piece of paper, but still the idea of letting the students determine where they're going to need the most help is genius. And is more likely to end in success for those students.
So in business, allowing your customer to create their own experience is key. Whether they are creating their own experience on your website or in your retail store, having the flexibility to recognize that not everyone learns the same or wants the same thing, can make your customers more comfortable and willing to participate with you.
I bet Professor Zinke-Allmang has return customers - students who know that he's a great teacher that respects the needs of his 'customers'. And business could learn well from the professor's example.
Professor Martin Zinke-Allmang, of the Physics Department at the University of West Ontario, has created a situation in which 'customer service' is delivered to assist the 'customer', i.e. the student, to have a better chance of success.
Let's face it - physics is not a walk in the park for most people. All those formulae and ideas that you can't really see. But if you are going into life sciences, it is mandatory.
So Professor Zinke-Allmang took his task right to the source; how to educate, truly educate, his students majoring in the life sciences. Like any good business owner, he engaged those who would know the most about the needs to create success. He went to the members of the faculty of Biology and Medical Sciences to have them pick out the subjects needed to be learned for success in life sciences. So he covered the first step in success for any business owner, and in my mind now, any successful professor. Get information on what is required; get information on what the problem is and how to solve it; get the information from those who know the most on the topic.
In the case of business, those that know what your customers want are, in fact, your customers. Too many businesses neglect to engage their customers in the development of sales and marketing practices. But seriously, who better to tell you what is useful about your product or service than your customer?
But that's not all Professor Zinke-Allmang did. Oh no. He took one step further. He allows his students to bring in their own cheat sheet, one of their own design. There are rules around it, such as it can be only one 8.5" x 11" piece of paper, but still the idea of letting the students determine where they're going to need the most help is genius. And is more likely to end in success for those students.
So in business, allowing your customer to create their own experience is key. Whether they are creating their own experience on your website or in your retail store, having the flexibility to recognize that not everyone learns the same or wants the same thing, can make your customers more comfortable and willing to participate with you.
I bet Professor Zinke-Allmang has return customers - students who know that he's a great teacher that respects the needs of his 'customers'. And business could learn well from the professor's example.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Customer service - Death of a salesman
I received an interesting phone call from a fellow this week. He wanted training in communications for the purpose of getting a job in a store. In his interpretation, the majority of people working in retail customer service don't have any idea about proper language and the ethics of selling.
With my experience as a shopper, I unfortunately have to agree with him. Customer service clerks, or associates as some big box stores like to call them, bring their own personalities into work rather than the personality of the brand for which they work. Or at least it seems that way.
When I go into a clothing shop and see the clerk behind the counter talking on her cell phone and chawing gum (yes, chawing, not chewing - there's a difference), I immediately know I'm not the most important thing in the store. And guess what? Whether it's me or someone else, the customer is the most important thing in the store. Not the cell phone, not your friends, not the gum, not even your lunch (regardless of whether your stomach is growling).
This is the piece that many retailers have forgetten. They may talk it up at staff meetings, but the follow-through is weak at best. And for those businesses that do understand and reward their staff for upholding the brand personality, you can feel the difference the minute you walk in the store. I'm not talking about the retailers that reward their staff with 'commission' on their sales (that just creates an attack mentality - see a customer and jump on them before any of the other predators who want the commission as badly as you do); I'm talking about retailers who hire the best, train them well and frequently, and reward them by letting them keep their job with some additional perks for a job well done.
Communication is the key element to this, both on the side of the employer and for the sales clerk (associate) who is the front line contact with the customer. If your communication is not respectful then you lose the opportunity to create a loyal employee or a loyal customer. I don't just mean just proper English (although I must say that this too is becoming a lost art) but also being respectful of how people want to hear you.
Training in how people process information and the elements they need in communication to really engage with each other can move employer/employee relations to a new level and can take your customer service and sales reputation to a whole new realm. And never forget, how you treat your employees and how they treat your customers is a direct reflection of your brand.
Training is an investment, not an expense.
With my experience as a shopper, I unfortunately have to agree with him. Customer service clerks, or associates as some big box stores like to call them, bring their own personalities into work rather than the personality of the brand for which they work. Or at least it seems that way.
When I go into a clothing shop and see the clerk behind the counter talking on her cell phone and chawing gum (yes, chawing, not chewing - there's a difference), I immediately know I'm not the most important thing in the store. And guess what? Whether it's me or someone else, the customer is the most important thing in the store. Not the cell phone, not your friends, not the gum, not even your lunch (regardless of whether your stomach is growling).
This is the piece that many retailers have forgetten. They may talk it up at staff meetings, but the follow-through is weak at best. And for those businesses that do understand and reward their staff for upholding the brand personality, you can feel the difference the minute you walk in the store. I'm not talking about the retailers that reward their staff with 'commission' on their sales (that just creates an attack mentality - see a customer and jump on them before any of the other predators who want the commission as badly as you do); I'm talking about retailers who hire the best, train them well and frequently, and reward them by letting them keep their job with some additional perks for a job well done.
Communication is the key element to this, both on the side of the employer and for the sales clerk (associate) who is the front line contact with the customer. If your communication is not respectful then you lose the opportunity to create a loyal employee or a loyal customer. I don't just mean just proper English (although I must say that this too is becoming a lost art) but also being respectful of how people want to hear you.
Training in how people process information and the elements they need in communication to really engage with each other can move employer/employee relations to a new level and can take your customer service and sales reputation to a whole new realm. And never forget, how you treat your employees and how they treat your customers is a direct reflection of your brand.
Training is an investment, not an expense.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
How to get the Customer Click
What if you could know the kind of language that motivates your customer and engages them in your sales pitch? Or even knew the language that your customer service people need to know to bring an issue to a positive conclusion?
The sound when something clicks with your customer is the greatest sound a business owner can hear. To get there, you need to know more about your customer than the standard elements.
Of course there is the demographics of your customer and even the psychographics. But what if you knew how their minds worked and how their different styles interact with yours? A new workshop, The Customer Click, delivers hidden information on how to engage with your customers, co-workers and even your family in a way that creates harmony and success for you.
Based in intellect style analysis, this new two-hour workshop gives participants a glimpse into their primary drivers and discusses how those drivers could affect their success in communication. Unlike Myers-Briggs or DISC, The Customer Click is a plain language solution to coded personality reviews that are hard to remember or discuss with others.
Reviewing not only how people talk to each other, but also discussing how different styles are affected by the design and content of marketing materials, The Customer Click is a new tool for sales and customer service training. Managers also benefit from this because the workshop has helped in clearing up challenging relationships, both in the workplace and in personal life.
"The concept I found most empowering is to communicate with clients 'in their world'. I think the workshop gave some practical ways of understanding how to switch gears and function in a way that compliments and takes advantage of the different styles," said Gloria Justice, co-owner of Smith Justice Group in Port Huron, Michigan.
"The workshop raised my awareness of 'knowing my clients' and interacting accordingly. It helped me understand a personal relationship that is a challenge!" added Bonnie Barrett of Joann Wine & Assoc.
An energy-filled, fun workshop, The Customer Click delivers new information to inspire workforces to recognize and engage with the different intellect styles to create greater success.
The sound when something clicks with your customer is the greatest sound a business owner can hear. To get there, you need to know more about your customer than the standard elements.
Of course there is the demographics of your customer and even the psychographics. But what if you knew how their minds worked and how their different styles interact with yours? A new workshop, The Customer Click, delivers hidden information on how to engage with your customers, co-workers and even your family in a way that creates harmony and success for you.
Based in intellect style analysis, this new two-hour workshop gives participants a glimpse into their primary drivers and discusses how those drivers could affect their success in communication. Unlike Myers-Briggs or DISC, The Customer Click is a plain language solution to coded personality reviews that are hard to remember or discuss with others.
Reviewing not only how people talk to each other, but also discussing how different styles are affected by the design and content of marketing materials, The Customer Click is a new tool for sales and customer service training. Managers also benefit from this because the workshop has helped in clearing up challenging relationships, both in the workplace and in personal life.
"The concept I found most empowering is to communicate with clients 'in their world'. I think the workshop gave some practical ways of understanding how to switch gears and function in a way that compliments and takes advantage of the different styles," said Gloria Justice, co-owner of Smith Justice Group in Port Huron, Michigan.
"The workshop raised my awareness of 'knowing my clients' and interacting accordingly. It helped me understand a personal relationship that is a challenge!" added Bonnie Barrett of Joann Wine & Assoc.
An energy-filled, fun workshop, The Customer Click delivers new information to inspire workforces to recognize and engage with the different intellect styles to create greater success.
Friday, February 26, 2010
What happened to your passion?
When you lose your passion, the effect goes much deeper than just your energy level. If you are a team leader, a business owner or even a coach, your passion informs how you do your job and how you define the value you bring to your customer, staff or players.
Your passion also informs your personal brand and your business brand. As a business owner, the business idea was yours and your passion for it took you into business. If you're wondering where your success is hiding, maybe it's disappeared because you've forgotten your passion.
At some point, you believed you could do it better, faster, cheaper, more creatively. There was something that inspired you to take the leap into being a leader, a business owner or coach. You've got to find that inspiration, that passion, and bring it back to life.
When times are tough, it's easy to lose your passion in amongst worrying about paying bills, keeping staff or whether there'll be another customer. But if you lose your passion, those customers will never appear - or at least fewer of them will.
Your personal passion inspires your staff and your customers. Your knowledge and enthusiasm, delivered with passion, inform the behaviours of your staff and customers. Will your staff go the extra mile? Will your customers happily return? And more importantly, will they tell others about your passion for what you do and the value that brings to the sales experience?
Get out of the doldrums and rediscover why you made the choices you did to become a leader, coach or business owner. Revisit the elements of whatever it is you do - those things that inspired you, engaged you, lifted you up. They haven't abandoned you - you just stopped letting them be part of your day.
Your passion also informs your personal brand and your business brand. As a business owner, the business idea was yours and your passion for it took you into business. If you're wondering where your success is hiding, maybe it's disappeared because you've forgotten your passion.
At some point, you believed you could do it better, faster, cheaper, more creatively. There was something that inspired you to take the leap into being a leader, a business owner or coach. You've got to find that inspiration, that passion, and bring it back to life.
When times are tough, it's easy to lose your passion in amongst worrying about paying bills, keeping staff or whether there'll be another customer. But if you lose your passion, those customers will never appear - or at least fewer of them will.
Your personal passion inspires your staff and your customers. Your knowledge and enthusiasm, delivered with passion, inform the behaviours of your staff and customers. Will your staff go the extra mile? Will your customers happily return? And more importantly, will they tell others about your passion for what you do and the value that brings to the sales experience?
Get out of the doldrums and rediscover why you made the choices you did to become a leader, coach or business owner. Revisit the elements of whatever it is you do - those things that inspired you, engaged you, lifted you up. They haven't abandoned you - you just stopped letting them be part of your day.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Who owns what? Don't get taken by your suppliers
Not all graphic designers and website programmers are created equal. And in this case, it isn't a talent thing although in that category it is beyond true that not all are equal. In this instance, the inequality is based on honesty and a knowledge of intellectual property and marketing law.
In Canada, intellectual property law and marketing law are both built to protect the creative folks and their clients. It is very clearly stated that creative work continues to be owned by its creator until it has been paid for, in full, by the person who contracted the work. At that time, the work becomes the property of the client.
The exception here is when there is a signed contract that stipulates that the work remains in the ownership of the creator. Notice I said 'a signed contract', not a verbal agreement, not a terms and conditions that appear after the project is completed.
Too many small business clients discover that, in the end, their creative designers and programmers hold them over a barrel saying that the work remains in the ownership of the creator and additional fees will be charged for the client to obtain possession of the work.
An example happened recently to my newest client. Their website had been created by a local firm and the client understood that, other than proprietary software used in the creation of the website, they owned all the work and images (having paid substantially for them). In the Terms and Conditions at the base of the website pages, it clearly stated that all work remains in the ownership of the programming company.
Well, big surprise, just because you say it, doesn't make it so. However the challenge is that my new clients would have to spend money in the legal system to rectify the situation. One hopes that a reasonable conversation with the programmer will fix the issue, but you just never know.
Credible creative folks are aware of their rights and yours as small business owners contracting them to develop work. Don't sign a contract without reading it (and that shouldn't even need to be said). Ask the question out loud about who owns what once it's paid for. If there's any weebly-wobbling about the answer, find someone else to do the work.
Oh, and the mysterious proprietary software used on my new client's website? Flash. Don't get bamboozled. Understand what's being built and how.
It's your responsibility to protect yourself and your business. Make sure you do.
In Canada, intellectual property law and marketing law are both built to protect the creative folks and their clients. It is very clearly stated that creative work continues to be owned by its creator until it has been paid for, in full, by the person who contracted the work. At that time, the work becomes the property of the client.
The exception here is when there is a signed contract that stipulates that the work remains in the ownership of the creator. Notice I said 'a signed contract', not a verbal agreement, not a terms and conditions that appear after the project is completed.
Too many small business clients discover that, in the end, their creative designers and programmers hold them over a barrel saying that the work remains in the ownership of the creator and additional fees will be charged for the client to obtain possession of the work.
An example happened recently to my newest client. Their website had been created by a local firm and the client understood that, other than proprietary software used in the creation of the website, they owned all the work and images (having paid substantially for them). In the Terms and Conditions at the base of the website pages, it clearly stated that all work remains in the ownership of the programming company.
Well, big surprise, just because you say it, doesn't make it so. However the challenge is that my new clients would have to spend money in the legal system to rectify the situation. One hopes that a reasonable conversation with the programmer will fix the issue, but you just never know.
Credible creative folks are aware of their rights and yours as small business owners contracting them to develop work. Don't sign a contract without reading it (and that shouldn't even need to be said). Ask the question out loud about who owns what once it's paid for. If there's any weebly-wobbling about the answer, find someone else to do the work.
Oh, and the mysterious proprietary software used on my new client's website? Flash. Don't get bamboozled. Understand what's being built and how.
It's your responsibility to protect yourself and your business. Make sure you do.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Guest blogger - Where Your Brand Consistency Efforts Fall Apart
Marketers expend a lot of resources ensuring their brand messaging is consistent and reflects the promise their company makes to the marketplace. This is justified. Unfortunately a key customer touch-point often neglected by Marketing is the direct messaging delivered by the sales representatives to customers and prospects.
In a ‘considered purchase’ situation where the prospect relies on the sales rep for key information and justification, your marketing person or team must be involved in helping deliver consistent and on-brand messages. All sales teams have inconsistency in performance between individuals based on the experience each rep has and the tools they use.
Good sales reps have behaviors based on experience. They: horde key information, develop customized presentations for certain situations, understand the customer’s buying cycle and the rationale, and refer to historical relevant case studies as required. Junior members of the sales team have limited training, a few product binders, youthful exuberance and a lot of fear. It’s not surprising that the brand message each sales rep delivers is wildly different.
Marketing must engage with sales in a more effective way than the historical division that often exists. When Marketing and Sales both consider themselves as key components in driving revenue then collaboration on tools development can drive consistency in sales rep messaging, speedier new rep development, greater team success and, most importantly, an experience the customer will feel is true to the brand promise.
Tools are now emerging that go far beyond typical Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and product information access for sales reps. The most sophisticated of these centralized, on-line tools are helping sales people determine: where the prospect is at in the buying cycle, what key challenges need to be solved, likely competitive positioning, most appropriate solution bundles, access to the most relevant case histories and other critical information that helps determine the right messaging.
Successful deployment of these tools results in more consistency of messaging from sales to customer and helps all the sales reps access the information and support that allows them to quickly become the trusted advisor the customer desires. A nice side benefit is sales and marketing might actually get along for a while….at least until next year’s targets are set!
Bill Jamieson
Bill is the Managing Partner for Streetwise Consulting, a London Ontario based consulting team that specializes in helping companies solve business development challenges. Bill is a graduate of the Ivey School of Business at UWO and has over 25 years experience in marketing, sales and corporate communications. He can be contacted at bill@streetwiseconsulting.org .
In a ‘considered purchase’ situation where the prospect relies on the sales rep for key information and justification, your marketing person or team must be involved in helping deliver consistent and on-brand messages. All sales teams have inconsistency in performance between individuals based on the experience each rep has and the tools they use.
Good sales reps have behaviors based on experience. They: horde key information, develop customized presentations for certain situations, understand the customer’s buying cycle and the rationale, and refer to historical relevant case studies as required. Junior members of the sales team have limited training, a few product binders, youthful exuberance and a lot of fear. It’s not surprising that the brand message each sales rep delivers is wildly different.
Marketing must engage with sales in a more effective way than the historical division that often exists. When Marketing and Sales both consider themselves as key components in driving revenue then collaboration on tools development can drive consistency in sales rep messaging, speedier new rep development, greater team success and, most importantly, an experience the customer will feel is true to the brand promise.
Tools are now emerging that go far beyond typical Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and product information access for sales reps. The most sophisticated of these centralized, on-line tools are helping sales people determine: where the prospect is at in the buying cycle, what key challenges need to be solved, likely competitive positioning, most appropriate solution bundles, access to the most relevant case histories and other critical information that helps determine the right messaging.
Successful deployment of these tools results in more consistency of messaging from sales to customer and helps all the sales reps access the information and support that allows them to quickly become the trusted advisor the customer desires. A nice side benefit is sales and marketing might actually get along for a while….at least until next year’s targets are set!
Bill Jamieson
Bill is the Managing Partner for Streetwise Consulting, a London Ontario based consulting team that specializes in helping companies solve business development challenges. Bill is a graduate of the Ivey School of Business at UWO and has over 25 years experience in marketing, sales and corporate communications. He can be contacted at bill@streetwiseconsulting.org .
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