Be Generous with Your Business

The New York Times recently reported that the key to happiness is giving to others. How can we apply this to our businesses? Here's five ways to give back:

From Flickr user ThisParticularGreg.

1) Help a less experienced colleague. People who do the same thing as you do are your partners, not just your competitors. Giving a little advice now and then is a way to make connections, give back, and great karma for later. Now is also a good time to look at how you're mentoring your own employees.

2) Give a customer a break. Have a difficult order with a return problem, shipping issue, or an "I'm just not happy" problem? Make that customer's dream come true. Give a full refund. Extend your return policy. Waive the shipping charges. Send a replacement for free. A little goodwill now will get you a customer for life.

3) Embrace your community. Do you reply to posts on Facebook? Do you retweet your customers' tweets? Do you help the recent college grads who follow your company on LinkedIn? Social networking is a two-way street. Don't just broadcast, contribute. You'll find that your Facebook wall becomes a vibrant community.

4) Get your company involved in local good works. How involved are you in the community where you live? It's easy to ignore our hometowns when we do all of our business online. Can you support your local Girl Scout troop? Kids' softball team? Food pantry? Get out there with your employees and find a way to help out in the community you call home.

5) Get your customers involved in good works. Ask them to donate to a good cause whenever they order, or just to support a favorite charity anyway. Donate a portion of their order to charity. Make it easy for them to share with their friends on social networks. 

How are you giving back? Please share in the comments.

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Why All Marketing is Local

Why Marketing and Inventory are Intrinsically Connected

You might think that the folks who handle your supply chain and logistics should be the only ones concerned with inventory, but you’re wrong.

Photo: Flickr user Hallenser.

Why?

Your inventory, whether it’s t-shirts, mobile phones, hotel room nights, or seats in your restaurant, is intrinsically connected to your marketing strategy, or at least it should be.

The state of your inventory tells you what to sell. For instance, say you own a local restaurant. You have a certain number of seats to fill every night - an optimum number based on the number of tables, your opening hours, and how long it takes the average customer to get through a meal without feeling too rushed (or ignored). 

There's a restaurant not to far from me where the owners have mastered the art of managing seating inventory well. First, they noticed that their weekends could be a little better. They had entertainment on Saturday nights, so they added it to Fridays. They are only a block or two from a local theater, so then they added a pre-theater menu on show nights. Their Sunday brunch was already busy, so they worked on making service more efficient so they could serve more people.

Weekends taken care of, they looked at the week. Thursdays filled up after they began advertising some great happy hour specials, most of which they already had in place. Wednesdays are packed thanks to trivia night. Tuesdays, they do a seafood special, and Mondays they're the place to be, thanks to half-price burgers. 

Everything they do is promoted on their web site, their Facebook page, and they regularly advertise in the local paper. They also make sure their pages on sites like Yelp, Menupages, Urban Spoon, and MerchantCircle are updated with the current menu and specials, and that they read all the reviews and respond if needed.

Thanks to the fact that customers know there's a good deal or some great entertainment around no matter what night they come in, the place is reliably busy - they are making the most of the inventory they have available, making sure that those empty seats are filled, rather than wasted. They've even hired a few new people, creating badly needed jobs.

Your takeaways:

• Look at what you have available, and sell that.
• If something you have is great, but isn't selling, try promoting it in a new way. 
• For inventory that's selling well, find ways to sell more.
• Always look for ways to make happy, loyal customers even more happy and loyal. 

Have an inventory problem? Let me know. I can help.

How are you making the most of what you have available? Tell me in the comments.

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How to Make Buying Easier for Your Customers

Today's question: Is your stuff too hard to buy?

Making it hard for customers to do business with you can drive them away faster than you can say “record low profits.” Retail sales are rebounding, but we’re not out of the woods just yet.

Shopping. From Flickr user Markles55.

If you want this year to be better than last year, then it’s time to take another look at each aspect of your business, which is why I’m asking you…

…Is your buying process easy enough? 

First, let’s look at your web site. 

How long does it take a customer to buy your product once they’ve decided what they want? Could it be faster? How many steps do they need to take?

Do you save purchasing information (contact info, shipping info, secure credit card info) for return customers? If not, why not? If you don’t have customer accounts and purchase data saved for one or few-click buying, now is a time to think about an upgrade.

Investments you make now will pay off big-time when the holidays roll around, and customers can easily buy whatever they see with one click. Price out your options (namely, with or without credit card data) and see what's really feasible. If it seems like too much, price it against the potential for missed sales (a financial pro can help you with that), and decide what's right for you.

Pro tip: Don't forget that you may also be able to ease the buying experience without some of the expense with tools like Paypal and Google checkout.

Remember, customer accounts drive loyalty - customers will return where it’s easiest to buy, especially when they’re on their mobile devices. No one wants to key in their data over and over again on a small screen when they can save it once on their bigger screen and buy anytime.

Let's take a look at your stores, too: 

Now is a great time to have your wisest friends mystery shop your store and report back. Could they find what they needed? Did anyone offer to help? Was it a consultative experience, with your salespeople offering expertise and recommendations?

How long did it take to check out? Are there places where you can streamline things without making people feel hurried? When your stores are busy, do you have the right systems and staffing in place to keep lines from getting too long?

And finally, are you capturing customers' phone numbers or email addresses, so you can communicate with customers again and track purchasing history?

Again, now is the time to upgrade, change, and rejigger anything that needs fine tuning, so your staff is used to performing at their best when busy times roll around.

Another pro tip:  Direct Mail isn’t dead yet. This recent Forbes article claims that physical marketing still leaves a deeper impression than online marketing. Time to mail your loyal fans a postcard, perhaps?

Need help getting to all systems go? Let me know. I can help.


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Some Holiday Thoughts for 2011

From Flickr User ThisParticularGreg.

The week before Christmas is always so hectic, whether you celebrate the holiday or not.

People running around, getting ready to be away from work and school next week, and getting all that last minute baking and shopping done.

I'm not going to give you any new marketing advice this week - though if you have any super last-minute promotions, now's the time - but encourage you to take a minute to remember why you're in business in the first place.

What's the most important thing about your business?

The people.

Your employees, partners, vendors, clients and customers. 

You might have an A-1 business plan, the latest technology, and a super-cool product, but it won't make a difference if you don't honor, respect, and connect with the people in your working life.

Take some time today to say thanks - to your customers for buying, to your vendors and clients for doing business, and to your employees and partners for their support. Without recognition and positive energy, your best customers and employees will be seeking greener pastures. Your vendors perform better when they know you appreciate what they do.

I also want to thank you for reading this blog and for doing business with me. Without your support, feedback, and wonderful projects, I wouldn't be here. I hope that you and yours enjoy a warm, wonderful holiday season this year as a wonderful prelude to a successful 2012.

Confident Consumers and Consumer Confidence

The Consumer Confidence Index®, which had improved a bit in July to 59.2, was down sharply at the end of August, to a worrying 44.5 - a 14.7 point drop.

Pensive piggy bank. Photo: Flickr user Bradipo.

How does consumer confidence affect your business?

Consumers are feeling pinched by gas prices, which remain fairly high, and poor job prospects, which aren't getting any better. Consumers surveyed felt that the short term outlook wasn't improving, and this means they are going to be holding off on purchases.

Couple this with the fact that negative customer reviews now mean more than ever, and you've got a recipe for slow sales.

So what do you do?

It's up to you to make your customers feel more confident - enough to buy from you for the first time, or to buy again. There are a couple of things you should consider here.

1) What's your guarantee? Do you have a 100% satisfaction guarantee? Customers want to know that you'll stand behind your product.

2) What's your return policy? If people change their minds, is it easy and quick to send it back?

3) How are you dealing with any negative reviews and problems? If you're not addressing these issues, and letting people know you are, people will be looking for a brand that's more reliable.

4) Like Mom said, don't you catch more flies with honey? Now is a great time to thank your customers for sticking with you during this difficult time, and to offer them incentive to shop with you again.

What about you? How are you sticking it out in these days? Drop me a line or leave a note in the comments section.

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Low Cost Sales Channels

Last week, I wrote about using different sales channels to find better customers. I mentioned that it might  be a good idea to figure out which customers are the most costly to serve and the least profitable, and direct them to lower-cost channels.

This is only part of the story.

Adjust customer channels to find the right balance
of profitability. Photo: Flickr user Dustin.Askins.

Just because a customer is expensive to serve, doesn't mean that customer is the least valuable. In fact, customers who require a lot of time, energy, and money can certainly be very profitable customers.

The key, then, is aligning client profitability with the appropriate channel, or balancing profitability across channels.

How does this work?

I used to work for a large company that served customers in several different ways. There were low cost channels and high cost channels, and I think we did a pretty good job of aligning customers accordingly.

Our low-cost channels included web sales and telesales. It was inexpensive for our company to do business online and via our call centers, so, where possible, most customers were directed to one of these channels - "Just call or click," we'd say.

Our retail stores were medium-cost, because we were able to effectively bring in new customers this way, and sell them lots of profitable add-ons. Once we had these customers in the fold, they were encouraged to deal with their bills and any additional service they needed via lower-cost channels like web and telephone. In this way, we balanced channels so that high-value sales, like signing up for new service and purchasing equipment and accessories could happen in-store, and lower value activities, like address changes and billing questions, could be directed to lower-cost channels while still providing customers with great service.

Our highest-cost channels were what we referred to as "National Accounts." This included a sales force who called on businesses with multiple customers in-house. While it was expensive for us to maintain this sales force, provide them with the right equipment and tools, and send them all over their territories to meet with customers in-person, it was still profitable for us to serve customers this way since these were very high-value customers that provided a high rate of annual revenue.

So, what's the moral of the story?

Take a look at your channels, and make sure you're putting your energy in the right place. There's nothing wrong with a high-cost channel as long as you're getting a return on your investment.

How do you balance across channels and where are you realizing economies of scale? Need help doing this?  Let me know.

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Don't Make Fun of Your Customers

A letter from a little girl who decided to run away because her parents were teasing her is taking Facebook by storm. The writers at Cafemom have wisely pointed out that we have to be careful when we make fun of our kids - they are sensitive and things that seem trivial to us can be big deals to them. Maybe it's time to give our kids a bit of a  break.

Hug a customer today, but only if they want to.
Photo: Kevin Dooley, from Flickr

How about you stop making fun of your customers too?

What, you say? I love my customers!

It's time to look in the mirror, and ask some hard questions.

When a customer has trouble using your product, do you assume that they are doing it wrong?

Do you secretly think that some (or most) of your customers are stupid?

Do you secretly (or maybe not so secretly) think that your customers can't take care of themselves in basic ways?

Do you think that people are a bit silly to pay your prices?

When someone has a problem with your email marketing content, do you offer to take them off the list, rather than discuss the issue?

Do you think you don't owe your customers an answer as to why you price the way you do, why your terms and conditions are the way they are, or why they receive so much marketing material?

If your answer to any of these questions is yes, let's re-evaluate your relationship with your customers.

Your customers are your lifeblood. They're the reason you exist. Without them,  you'd be broke and your staff would have to find other jobs.

So stop making fun of your customers. Respect them, take good care of them, and respond to their questions graciously, no matter how silly they might seem.

How are you showing your customers some respect these days? Please comment on this post.

Why Social Media Matters to Your Business

I've worked with a number of businesses now that were a little afraid of engaging with customers on social media. Online. Where everyone can see.

Listen to your customers and they will listen
to you. Photo: Wayne Large, via Flickr

What are they worried about?

"Anyone can follow us!"

"We can't control what they say!"

"People can complain publicly about our product!"

"This will change our reputation!"

Sorry people. These aren't bad things - these are great things for your business.

Let's break this down, one misconception at a time:

"Anyone can follow us!"

That's right. Anyone can follow you on social networks - people who already love your brand, people who have bought from you once, people who are thinking about buying your product, people who want to learn more, AND all of their friends, and their friends, and their friends too. So, if you're opposed to this, you're saying that you really don't want to increase your reach and you really don't want to let more people know you exist. What kind of business doesn't want to grow? You tell me.

"We can't control what they say!"

That's right - people can say what they want. They can talk about ways they are using their product that you haven't even thought of, little bugs you might not have even noticed, other stuff they wish you would sell, and ask you questions about how to use it. They can also talk about how much they love, love, love what you do, and tell their friends all about it.

"People can complain publicly about our product!"

It's true. People can complain as much as they want, and tell as many people as they please. This is what most businesses are afraid of, but I promise that this is a good thing. When customers complain publicly, you have a chance to make it right, also publicly, and then that customer will thank you and appreciate you, also (you guessed it), publicly, for everyone to see. You know what your future customers want? Not just a great product, but a company that stands behind that product and makes it right when there are problems. Here's your chance to prove it.

"This will change our reputation!"

Yes it will. You'll be known for real love instead of polite disdain. You'll be known for closeness instead of distance. For care instead of neglect. For engagement instead of willful ignorance. I don't see a problem here. If you do, then you need to reexamine why you're in business to begin with.

Need help going social? Let me know.

Be social with me - I'm on Twitter and Google+.

On Building Trust

One of the most important things your potential (and current) customers need to do is trust your business. After all, if they don't trust you, why would they buy from you? Why would they recommend you to others? Why would they follow you via social media?

Photo: Flickr user Sahaja Meditation.

Here's how to build that trust:

Mean what you say and say what you mean. Keep your promises.

Be available. Answer phone calls, emails, and posts on twitter, Facebook, and Google+ promptly. If your company is reviewed on other sites like TripAdvisor or Yelp, keep track of reviews and reply appropriately.

Stand for quality. Provide a quality product and resolve complaints quickly and fairly.

Appreciate what you've got. When customers publicly thank you for the great work you do, acknowledge it.

In short, treat your customers the way you want to be treated. The best way to build trust is by simply being trustworthy.

Related posts:

Refocusing on Your Customer
Don't Rickroll Your Customers - Offer Better Service
A Tale of Two Customers - Why Customer Service is Marketing Too

Refocusing on Your Customer

photo © 2008 Buck | more info (via: Wylio)
Things are getting hectic these days, right? You're researching mobile apps, testing new channels, and preparing for the holiday selling season. With so much going on, it's easy to forget who's most important to your business - your customer.

Take some time out of your busy day today to think about your customer...

• Who are your primary customer groups? Recent retirees, new parents, high school students?
• Why do they come to you?
• What problems do you solve for them?
• What drives their loyalty?
• What else can you offer them?

Have you been letting them slip away? Now's a great time to remind them you're here for them and why they decided to do business with you in the first place. Say hello, ask how they're doing, ask how you can help. Make today Customer Day.

Need help? Let me know - I can help!

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Don't Rickroll Your Audience - Try this Instead

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure, getting rickrolled means that you've clicked on a link to content that interests you, only to get Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" video.

Why am I talking about this now? Rickrolling is so 2008.

Because thousands of businesses rickroll potential customers every day.

How?

Rick Astley.
Flickr user chinnian

1.  Say you really need to move some polka-dot sweaters this week, so you advertise a great deal on them. Unfortunately, you send users to your home page, where the sweaters aren't promoted. Users have to use your menus to get to apparel, then women's, then sweaters, then polka-dot. Congratulations, you've just annoyed the crap out of your customers, and most have given up.

Don't rickroll - link directly to your deal!

2. Say you've just discovered that your product, baby powder, repels ants like nothing you've ever seen. So you do some promotions targeted to people interested in beating their ant problem. Unfortunately, you send these folks to your regular baby powder page, which is all about beating diaper rash. Is this the same stuff that makes ants go away? Your customers don't know. They leave empty-handed, feeling confused.

Don't rickroll - match your audience to your content with tailored landing pages.

3. Say you've created a great new diet solution. You place an online ad that says "Avoid these five foods, and lose weight today!" Lots of people click on this ad, but these five dastardly foods are nowhere to be seen. Instead, there's a video of indeterminate length (Are the five foods in there? Do I have time to watch this now?) and a exhortation to join your paid diet plan web site.

Don't rickroll - provide the content you've promised and people will want more.

Need help matching your deals, your content, and your audience? Let me know.

Four Ways to Lose the Sale

There is nothing better than a great salesperson. I mean it. I’m not being facetious.

There’s nothing so amazing as a person who knows their product, is passionate about it, knows why you need it, and can communicate all of that with a great story.

Recently, I sent out a request for expertise and ended up talking to 14 different vendors about a service I need. Some of you lost the sale, though, and here’s why.

1) You didn’t even take three minutes to find out what I do, and it showed. Please have at least some idea what my business is. Do a little research. If you're not sure, ask. Unfortunately, some of these same people DID NOT LISTEN to my answer, and I had to repeat myself. This was REALLY annoying!

photo © 2011 Michael Whay | more info (via: Wylio)
2) Please don’t OVER-respond. Some of you sent an entire suite of possibilities to me that had nothing to do with my inquiry. I need to know how you will address the problem I have now before I hear about the rest of your offerings. Don’t bury the actual answer to my question.

3) You called me when I asked you to e-mail me. I asked you to e-mail me because that is how I prefer to get information. Aren’t you paying attention? How much attention will you put into the service you’re providing if you can’t follow simple instructions?

4) Please don’t use jargon. You don’t have to say, “Do you have an internal strategic framework around that process?” when you mean, “Do you handle this in-house right now?” I felt like I was being fed a line, and I felt like you were talking down to me. Of course I want an expert to help me. But trying to make me feel stupid doesn't automatically turn you into an expert.

That said, some of the people responding to my inquiry did a fantastic job.

Here’s what you did:

1) Clearly answered my exact question, and asked for additional information to follow up.

2) Researched my business a bit, and it showed.

3) Respected my request to be contacted via e-mail.

4) Sent me useful information and asked for next steps.

5) Showed some enthusiasm for what I’m trying to achieve.

First impressions mean a lot. If you’re in charge of a sales team, does your sales process help them to avoid these pitfalls? How?

Need help? I'm happy to take a look at your sales process, and boy am I opinionated.

Take Note: My Bank Wowed Me!

That's right, I must be one of the 0.00001% of Americans who were actually wowed by their bank's customer service. Yes, this actually happened to me last week.

I walked into my bank branch to close one account and add the money in that account to another account that we have. Simplifying our finances is one of our goals this year.*

photo © 2009 Alan Cleaver | more info (via: Wylio)

Not only was the bank manager happy to make the change, he invited me into his office to sit comfortably while he was doing that for me. On top of that, he noticed that we had a pretty low-interest savings account and asked me if I wanted one with better terms, but no additional service fees.

Of course I did!

 I was delighted that he was willing to proactively make a change for me, and within minutes, I not only had gotten what I came for, I'd also gotten more than I expected.

Where do I bank? Do you want to know? Should I name companies who provide me with great service, like I did in my Discover card post the other week, or leave them anonymous? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.


* If you want help clarifying goals, one way to get there is to try Sonja Lyubomirsky's "Best Possible Selves" exercise.

What companies have wowed you lately?