Customer Communications

Many brands create customer communications, whether they be magazines, emails, newsletters or blogs. Taking a good look at them, one thing will emerge:

Many customer communications are not of interest to the customer.

Well-intentioned brands all too often communicate in a language that only they will appreciate. If I buy a computer, I don't want to know how to program it. If I have a financial advisor, I don't want to know which algorithms to apply in my investing. If I own a high-def  TV, please don't talk about technical details only an A/V installer can fathom.

Customers come in all shapes, sizes and pyschographics. Some are technical, others can't stand technical stuff. If you know the various motivations of your customers, you can communicate to them in their voice(s). Usually that means your message will not be in the words of the technician or engineer that services or even created that product.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
http://www.labov.com/

Fight for it

In this economy, there is no abundance of business opportunities. Each one is critical. It's no longer like the Lay's Potato Chip commercial telling you eat them up because, "Don't worry, we'll make more." If you lose a chance or a customer today, you lose. You can't go and make more. They're gone.

That's why we have to fight to keep customers and fight to make sure they know what we are bringing to them. The balance of power is in the customer's favor, they are more comfortable than ever dropping the bomb on their suppliers or vendors, because they know they can very easily "make more" vendor relationships.

So, what can we do? We fight, while showing respect to the customer. It may be exhilarating for them to see we care and we believe. That's rare, something they can't easily "make more" of.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
http://www.labov.com/

Real Customer Service

I'm fortunate enough to experience some inspired customer service at two different golf clubs, one in the Midwest and one out west. What they do at those clubs serves as an example for me to follow at our company, LaBov & Beyond Marketing Communications and Training.

Sycamore Hills Golf Club (Ft. Wayne, IN) and Desert Mountain (Scottsdale, AZ) boast of employees who treat the customers as both the "boss" and at the same time a "person." They approach customers with respect and informal, friendly warmth.

My company, candidly, and others may sometimes treat the customer as the boss or as a person, but to do both simultaneously is where the magic lies.

The end result as a customer is you feel that you're listened to and respected and that you actually like the people you're paying to serve you. What more can you ask for?

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

What Customers Want, Part Five: Energy

Customers want to feel good, assured and energized. It's not enough to be sold something, a customer wants to feel the buzz of purchasing something special or smart or unique.

If we can't provide enough energy to get the customer excited, then maybe we're not very excited about what we're selling them.

Energy is pretty easy to figure out. It comes in many sizes and colors and styles. We're not judged so much on our style of energy as we are our amount of energy. Energy can be shown in our mannerisms or our excitement and belief in our product or service. Low energy = low customer engagement.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

What Customers Want, Part Four: Transparency

Customers want to know they're not being ripped off for two reasons: 1) they have to protect their money and 2) they don't want to look stupid.

No one believes a car dealer only makes $100 on selling a new car. No one believes a wireless company will never lose a signal. But, we're told those kind of things every day.

We need to trust the customer with the truth. Otherwise, they'll assume the worst.

Most customers have jobs and work. They understand economics, they don't expect us to lose money, they just want to be shown respect and given the truth.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

What Customers Want, Part Three: Critical Thinking

Customers want to work with a company that is more critical than they are. A customer hates to have to bring up problems to a dumbfounded, surprised salesperson or customer rep.

If we really are looking out for the customer, we should be able to do even better than they expect, even if it's in small, seemingly unimportant ways.

A customer can relax if he or she knows their supplier or dealer is picky and demanding of themselves. We all want a relaxed, happy customer, don't we?

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

What Customers Want, Part Two: Respectful Disagreement

Customers want an expert. Someone to go nose to nose with them in areas they are weak in.

Don't tell a motorcycle maker how to build a better bike or an airplane manufacturer how to improve aerodynamics (unless of course, they hired you for those specialties). But don't be the order-taker that is in awe of the customer's greatness when it comes to why they hired you.

The smart customer wants and expects a respectful argument with you, they want you to push their thinking--after all why would they have hired you in the first place?

If you don't assert yourself in your areas of strength, the customer will assume you either 1) just want their money and take their orders or 2) aren't suited (as in good enough) for them.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

What Customers Want, Part One: It

Customers supposedly want value, quality and service,  right? Well, they want more than that.

They want you to figure it out...whatever it is.

If there's an issue, a problem, or a situation, it's up to you, even if it means you have to read minds. The problem may even be of the customer's making. Doesn't matter, you have to solve it.

All of us who work with and for customers are responsible for it. If we decide that it is not our job or our fault, the customer will eventually decide we don't get it or their business.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

Why Be A Good Customer?

Why in the world should you be a good customer? After all, you're in control, you're the one who pays for the product or service. In this economy, the customer has the upper hand, so why not use it?

First of all, we need to realize that everyone, at some point, is a customer. And we are all on the other side of that equation, dealing with (or serving) customers. Until my daughter worked in a coffee shop, it didn't occur to me how much a tip meant to a young person making a latte.

I think if you are cold, indifferent or worse as a customer, you have to realize you might miss out: Miss out on inspiring someone or letting someone know they did a good job or miss out on making someone's day (maybe they've been going thorugh a tough time).

Some of us are terrible customers--demanding, irritable, bullying, deceitful, etc. Short-term, maybe you get something for that--a free product, a bunch of people nervously running around to please. Maybe you feel strong.

But long-term, being a good customer brings a lot: great ideas, friendships, loyalty, etc. Being a good customer is good business.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
labovsaleschannel.com

The Roles of Each Department

At dealerships, you can have a "mall mentality." There are businesses under one roof at a dealership--sales, service, parts, accessories, and more. It's tempting for the assumption to be there is a dominant department that is most important, and the others are merely "moons" that circle it.

In reality each department plays a role in the customer experience. One department can retain, save, or destroy a customer relationship.

The parts guy who is rude, the saleslady who doesn't follow up, the parts counter manager that overcharges, the accessories department lady who ignores you can be overcome by the parts guy who guides you, the saleslady who sends you a thank-you note, or the accessories lady who notices you have an interest in a tee-shirt.

Imagine if each department understood the real value of their customers and the role their department played in retaining them.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
LaBov Sales Channel
PB&J Newsletter

Deal with it

We still have an unstable, unpredictable economy. Manufacturers and dealers want to sell more products. Yet they're leaving extraordinary amounts of money on the table every single day. Too many customers are going elsewhere (to ebay, the Internet or to the competitor down the street) or are simply not buying at all (even though they have the money).

The best manufacturers and dealers understand this and are working together to make sure the customer gets a focused message at the right time for the right product. That requires coordination, it requires trust, and it requires an understanding that nothing is perfect, sometimes someone will innocently screw-up.

If the manufacturer and dealer do not play together well, they will lose. There are too many viable options out there for customers to give their money and relationships to.

It's a black and white situation: play well together or deal with it.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
LaBov Sales Channel
PB&J Newsletter