Are You Killing Your Future Sales Like These Guys Are?

1. Katherine

Me: “Good morning, how may I help you?”

Katherine: “Hello, this is Katherine, from XYZ Phone Book Company. I’m calling to make sure you received our phone books last Friday.”

“Gee, I haven’t been in for a week, I’m not sure.”

“Can I have your name?”

“Yes, it’s Kelly, but I don’t have an answer for you yet. Can you hang on?”

“Thanks and have a nice day.” *click*

I didn’t answer and that counts as good enough for her? You know that was written down as Yes, books received.

2. Ben and Doreen

Me: [Unbearably long wait for help at department-store counter, while Doreen apparently has difficulty with customer in front of me. That customer leaves unhappy, which seems to be mainly her own fault.] “Hi. Just these, thanks.”

Doreen: “Okay. Umm, sorry about that other stuff.” [Manager Ben appears from other end of counter, where he’s been doing paperwork.]

Ben: [Without a word to me, taking over cash drawer in mid-transaction; to Doreen] “If I were you, I’d run away from here. As fast as possible.”

If you’ll say that in front of a customer who’s also stood patiently through the antics of the last person, what would you say if I weren’t here?

I think I’ll run, too.

3. Zandra

Zandra: “… Thanks for using Liverpool Lizard Auto Insurance, Ms. Erickson. Is there anything else I can answer for you?

Me: “Yes. That guy who’s going to call me to get the details of the accident for your records—could you tell me whether that would be today, or in a couple of days? I’m going on vacation….”

“Sorry, that’s another department. I don’t know when he’ll get back to you.”

“Oh. Well, will I need any documentation handy to take the call? I could bring the police report and the papers from the other insurance company with me on vacation.”

“No, you won’t need anything with you. He just needs the date. It only takes a minute.”

“Thanks, Zandra, that’s all I needed to know.”

The correct answer was: you will need everything with you, and it is a very detailed interview which will last over twenty minutes and will make you late for an appointment, after repeatedly telling the gentleman (though he didn’t ask) that now is not a good time unless it can be as brief as Zandra promised, which he assures me several times it will be: “Just one more question, Ms. Erickson….”

1-2-3

Say what you mean. “Insincere Phone Book Company. I get paid to dial your number and hear a voice. Thanks.” *click*

Watch what you say. “Customers always wreck a decent day. This one could turn at any moment. Run!”

Mean what you say. “I don’t know anything about how other departments work. I’m just a cog. I’m making this up as I go along, to take some of the anxiety out of your day. The next guy may put the anxiety right back in, but you won’t get snippy with me, ‘cause I’ll be gone.”

Three quickies, with not-too-hidden lessons. Customer service is a huge part of Customer Experience.

Your company can do it better than this, right? As easy as 1-2-3.

Grow and be well,

Kelly Erickson

Or, Why I Carry a Pen and Paper, Even on a Date*

¿Habla Español?

I speak Spanish. Pretty fluently. Not natively, but I get along in a rusty kind of a way. Though my speech is a bit slow, the hearing works just fine, thanks.

Many of you are also bilingual (though not necessarily in Spanish), and you may be asking,

“What does this have to do with Customer Experience, Kelly?”

I may have forgotten to mention I don’t look Spanish, mainly due to the fact that I’m not. (Note author photo, at left. Nice Irish Experience Designer. Not Irish Experiences, mind you… well, yeah. We can do that.)

*cue story music, of the soft, lush, romantic type*

So I’m out on a date recently at a lovely Philadelphia restaurant. The type where you can not get “Beringer by the glass,” people, so don’t even bother to ask. Lucky me, it’s be-a-grownup-night and I’m doing just that.

My waitress, she speaks Spanish. I know this, because every time either of two other servers go by, they speak to her as she goes about her business. In Spanish. About various things including my date’s tie (good), my shoes (they disapprove), anyone who walks in to sit at the bar (dateable and not dateable and I’m not going to say any more about that subject), what’s going on in the kitchen (not all good), and their mothers.

You think I’m making this up but I’m not.

All in hushed tones. Not actually while speaking to us at the table. Very discreet if your hearing is impaired, or maybe it’s background noise if you don’t speak the language.

Note to readers: We will NOT discuss use of English generally (nor the favored language of your country/province) in the comments, as that is not the subject of this post. We will discuss the use of discretion.

Points on Language: Yours, Mine, and Foul

If these servers spoke English only, they would not have been having such vivid snippets of conversation right next to my table. If they suspected I understood most every word they said except some which I believe were foul language, ditto. So why did I have to listen to all this during my nice night out?

Because they made a judgment about our looks (and probably our accents, too), and decided the two of us did not require curbing their tongues, no matter how much we paid for our meals.

Point one: Do not let your staff gossip around customers in any language. Not even Klingon, because you never know. Seriously, gossip is just not cool.

Point two: Using your prejudices to guess whether I can understand you, at work or elsewhere in your life, is probably a bad idea. Friends used to love sitting with me on subway rides to “overhear” people who assumed no one else could understand them. My Mom thinks it’s something like a party trick. I’m sure at a fast food restaurant or a convenience store you may have experienced folks who took one look at you and continued their conversation, having decided you did not understand them. It’s not always so.

Point three: Lest you think this is about some other guy, English-speaking U.S. residents notoriously do this same thing when on holiday in other lands, only to have it blow up in their faces; many popular tourist destinations have large numbers of citizens who can speak English. If you think that doesn’t affect Customer Experience, since you’re the customer, think how annoyed the shopkeeper is with you. Your experience is going to be changed, by your own behavior.

No matter who you are or where, if you want a discreet, private conversation, have it privately. That’s discretion. Anything else is rude.

By the way, I have had staff wait on me while having their annoying conversations in English, without missing a beat to “help” me. Not in a nice restaurant, but in plenty of shops. This is not only about language.

However, when they know that we all know what’s being said, it’s not said about me, or my date, or the relative merits of the guy who just walked in versus last Friday’s hottie.

Point four: They were nice shoes.  :)

You’d never let your staff or coworkers do this, so…. Have you ever had to listen in on an indiscreet conversation while shopping or dining? What did you do?

Grow and be well,

Kelly Erickson

*Because you never know when your next post will appear!

Is Holding Back Good for Your Business?

Infomercials do it. Long sales letters do it. 89-day e-courses do it. The slow come-on is not a new marketing technique. There are some times when it works, and some times when it makes for minimum customer experience. Tipping points can go both ways.

What are the limits of withholding?

I’m not old enough to have driven past them as a kid, but many of us have heard of these legendary teaser billboards (or seen modern knock-offs): a series of five or six little boards spaced out, planted on the side of the road, each with a part of a witty jingle ending in

Burma Shave images by R. Franke

They gave out their message a little at a time, hoping it would catch your eye and entice you to buy their product. With hundreds of variations you could drive past, thinking of Burma Shave first when you needed to lather up for a shave became almost inevitable.

Yesterday we discussed the drip-drip-drip of a series of emails that have been trying to seduce me for weeks. I had asked to be part of the mailing list (which is rare for me). The first videos were promising. A whole lot of promising. When I realized the sender was never going to get to the point, I stopped listening.

Statistics say it takes at least seven “touches” for your business to be remembered by a potential customer.

For bricks-and-mortar companies this should be done with a combination of touchpoints: Signage, word-of-mouth mentions, traditional advertising, personal interactions, your website, your blog and of course, your store or office itself.

That’s seven ways to reach out and touch a prospect. Even if you hit each one once, they’re going to remember you.

So what’s wrong with these emails I’ve been getting? He’s just hitting me 7 times, right?

Wrong. I’m not having any problems remembering him. Here’s why this deprivation or teasing is bad, for me:

1. I opted in. I signed up. I already want to know what you are trying to sell me.

Continuing to tell me how very valuable what you are going to sell me is, but not telling me what you’ll sell or even when, bores and irritates me.

If I walk into a restaurant and ask for a table, will they say yes, we’ll get to that, but first let me tell you how great it will be?

I hope not.

Now if I’m at home and I haven’t expressed an interest, beginning my Experience by touching me with a variety of messages is absolutely necessary.

2. It makes me suspect I can’t afford it.

She saw him standing in the section marked
‘If U have 2 ask, U can’t afford it’ lingerie”
—Prince, The Glamorous Life

Why are you waiting so long and trying so darn hard? Is it going to cost as much as a vacation to Naples or a two-carat diamond, either of which would be more fun than what you’re trying to sell me?

Giving me too much time to think about the awesome, unbelievable thing, allows me to plant my own seeds of doubt.

3. Methinks thou dost protest too much. This is the most important point: the longer you go on and on, the more you sound like a used-car salesman, and the less I believe you!

Crystal at Big Bright Bulb recently wrote a fabulous article discussing how much is too much. Like 89-lesson e-courses.

The short answer: One minute past when I say the word YES is too much.

When I tell my attorney to draw up the contract for her retainer, she does not say, let me pitch you some more. (Trust me. She doesn’t.) What she says is, “Sign here.” And so should you.

Tease too much, you lose your captive audience.

So that’s what’s going on in the customer’s Perception. Opt-in marketing uses different rules. When you’re designing a campaign to build your business, keep focused on the customer’s point of view.

Later this week we’ll get down and talk about the really dirty bits: how The Big Tease campaign can hurt your business beyond just driving away customers who are already sold.

How do you respond when a company won’t come to the point?

Grow and be well,

Kelly Erickson

Are you the most creative thinker reading the MCE Blog today? Claim your prize and bragging rights. Please click here to read the rules, and take a Whack at it. (The comments may give you some hints.) Only two days left to find the post where I make a reference to my age!

Did You Know That You Had Me at Hello?

After four cliffhanger video-emails, I reached the Tipping Point.

No, not that Tipping Point.

They were good, I’ll admit it. Charming, hesitating, intimate; stopping courteously before taking up too much of my time. Promising to sell me… something, right after telling me a few more secrets. Asking for my patience. Why, of course! Believably amateur. Slickly unslick. Each one had me hanging on the edge of my seat for something that never materialized, like the date who can’t get up the nerve to kiss me.

Four was my magic number. After that, every email that came in from him I marked as read and put in a “someday if I have absolutely nothing else to do” folder. If you can’t put one over the plate in four pitches, you walk.

Minimum customer experience. No sale.

Eroding my resistance or eroding my confidence? How many pitches before you notice you’ve been slimed?

Grow and be well,

Kelly Erickson

Are you the most creative thinker reading the MCE Blog today? Claim your prize and bragging rights. Please click here to read the rules, and take a Whack at it. (The comments may give you some hints.) Three days left to find the post where I make a reference to my age!

Thanks, Crystal. We’ll take another Whack at this subject tomorrow.

Delaware Valley Business Owners Say It’s Simple! Put a Smile on my Lips if You Want my Word-of-Mouth

This is the third and final post in the series Brand Propheteers: 10 Ways to Get the People You Already Know to Rave About Your Firm. Click on the links to read Part One, and Part Two.

Propheteer: The very best driver of word-of-mouth for your company: a cross between prophet (someone who preaches) and volunteer. VisionPoints’ term for the raving fans we want you to have more of!

Let’s Sum It Up—or Not

BUSY

Boy, did I hear that word a lot in the last month. As a small business owner and a single mom, I hear your pain. I’m glad you folks are busy, because that means you are taking care of business. Readers and interviewees, I want you to consider adding one word to your busy schedule: Metrics.

We all want to increase the ranks of our brand Propheteers. More than half of the owners I spoke with said their repeat and referral customers generally made larger purchases and easier sales.

I didn’t expect exact numbers, so my questions were worded to encourage approximations. Still, I was surprised that not one owner I spoke with is breaking down their sales to determine their source. Many said they don’t know whether advertising or other efforts are pulling their weight, yet most are not asking how new customers found them. Without measurements, you won’t know if increased efforts at encouraging word-of-mouth are gaining traction.

Brand Propheteers can be powerful advocates for your company, no doubt about it. We don’t need hard numbers to remember when new customers have come to us excited because a friend or a coworker insisted they give our company a try. That pre-sold customer is a lot of fun to take care of, too. Yet very few local companies have a program in place to actively encourage repeat business, and only two that I spoke to have a system for encouraging referrals.

A simple loyalty program giving discounts or goodies to repeat customers, and a policy of thanking Propheteers for making referrals—this can be as simple as a thank-you note or as formal as a gift card toward their next purchase with you—will yield immediate and measurable results. Let your Propheteers help you grow: they’ll feed proud to have helped out, and you? You might not have to be quite so busy.

Are you actively encouraging and measuring the vital role your raving fans play?

Grand Concepts and Practical Advice

4. Positive Experience*

“Referred customers expect the fun that was relayed to them,” says Donna Rego, owner of Bellefonte Café and Trading Company. She cites their music and atmosphere at the top of the list of what gets customers to rave, after their food (of course!). Donna describes the café’s Experience as a “California vibe,” with a relaxed, family feel, and social interaction between staff and guests. “Customers feel at home here, that’s why they tell friends to try us.”

At several of the companies I visited, sound played a critical role in setting the mood. The key, according to one store owner, is “not [being] too overpowering.” What does your place sound like? Hushed can be as distracting as noisy, so find a good balance.

“Customers spread the word because of the positive Experience that they have,” says Betty Bronstein, owner of Artisans’ Gifts and Furniture. The setting, the easy flow of traffic, the colors, the mix of merchandise, and her “happy” staff, who “pick up on each customer’s needs,” create that Experience. “They’re so used to taking care of others. We try to help them feel good about treating themselves, too.”

Ed Hawkins, owner of Hawkins & Sons Custom Home Appliance Center, says his philosophy is to imagine himself as his customer, to try to see the Experience as they do. The company’s (in-home) service calls are crucial. “Our trucks… make a professional presentation right away. We’ve got clean-cut, uniformed guys who get their work done and talk to the customer when possible. Actually, our service guys are creating word-of-mouth and future sales by making that Experience great.”

Experience is all these touchpoints and more. From your telephone manner to your website, from your store to your merchandise, sights, sounds, smells, staff, and customer satisfaction—they’re all part of the Customer Experience. Take a good look all around you, and see your business from a clear Perspective. Your customers are deciding whether to rave to their friends, based on the Experience they have with you today.

*I gave no suggestions for answers to any questions, nor multiple-choice lists, by the way. This top-ten list is in order of number of mentions, or you know I’d have Experience as #1.  :)

5. Know your customers

As I talked with Betty Bronstein, it became clear that she knows her Ideal Customer extremely well. “She’s always doing things for someone else.” Betty described the time of day she comes in, the likely first-time purchase, and what her buying habits would be as she returned on future visits. “Her time is valuable…. She comes to a small store when there are other options she could choose, because she wants information…” that an educated staff like hers can provide. “This is a very clear persona to you,” I said, and she proceeded to describe one of her less frequent visitors, the typical guy persona. “Married guys—they have a plan…. Oh, they can really shop the store—especially during the holidays.” All her descriptions were so vivid it was as if four or five Ideal Customers were walking around behind us as we talked.

Many owners outlined their Ideal Customer in perfect detail. They’ve made a study of who their customer is, and are able to describe every element of the customer’s buying habits and motivations.

In arriving a bit early for some of our interviews, I watched this attention in practice, as owners discussed children and hobbies with real customers they knew incredibly well. Carol Harvey, owner of Hansel & Gretel, says “I’m from the midwest—that’s why I’m friendly,” while acknowledging that the relaxed style she looks for in all her staff helps them learn more about their customers. Knowing a persona or two (or five!) is not a marketing “tactic” to them. For these small business owners, their understanding of the Ideal Customer comes from unhurried relationships, with people who happen to buy from them—and wouldn’t consider going anywhere else.

6. Price

I wrote a few weeks ago that I had not heard the word “recession” spoken once in these interviews. At last, one owner did wonder about changing course in a “downturn,” but by and large these owners seemed less than concerned about the greater economy’s effect on them individually.

Small business owners tend to be incredibly positive people, inclined to look for the silver lining. I think there’s even more to it than that. Many owners talked about the “advantages” they have over larger stores, and said they do not have to worry as much about price or economic woes, because their customers come to them for so many more reasons.

Still, about 1/3 of the folks I interviewed did say their prices get customers raving. Can this be true? I talked to owners of businesses at all price points. It was the owners of the more upscale companies who mentioned price!

7. Personalization/customization

Sure, you know you need a great product or service, but what makes it so remarkable that customers can’t wait to spread the word? Almost every owner I talked to said the advantage of being a small business is your ability to customize.

Helen Walker, owner of Designer Stencils, says repeat customers may not have worked with her for years. When they return, “they’ve got a 6, 10, or even 15 year old catalogue that they want to order from. We might not sell the item anymore, but we keep files of everything, so we can still put that order together for them. We’re known for that.” They love doing completely custom work, too.

Diane Abrams customizes her expert services for the needs of busy dance studios, who know they can arrange for private fittings for a group during off hours, making sending new students to Brandywine Dance a breeze. Their expertise is a draw, and their flexibility cements relationships with dance professionals.

How can you make your product or service feel exclusive? Go beyond price and selection—leave those to the big stores. Special hours, features, services, and other personalization get customers to rave about how different you are. What can your company offer to make your customer’s Experience unique?

8. Reach out to media and professionals

Many owners reach out to new groups of potential customers through charitable work and donations. They do feel it contributes to word-of-mouth referrals. For small business owners, tracking the tangible benefits of this outreach is difficult. The love of giving back inspires the folks I spoke to, though a number of owners wished they knew if anything was coming of it.

Several, including Diane Abrams and Ed Hawkins, cited business-to-business (B2B) relationships as vital to their growth. Ed says that ongoing relationships with vendor representatives and factories who know and trust him is a big source of referrals.

Helen Walker is a master of reaching out to both media and professionals. Some years ago, a freelance journalist cold-called her to ask about using their home products in an article, which later caught the eye of a magazine publisher. “It snowballed from there,” she says, and their products have been featured in top mags including Woman’s Day and Country Home. She cites accessibility as a factor in working with the media: “We send samples right out, when asked,” and have even done photo shoots in her own staff’s homes to accommodate the tight deadlines of the magazine world. Over time, trendspotters have learned to look to her company.

Helen is also active in industry shows to help chefs discover her company’s culinary product line, and counts many well-known executive pastry chefs among her clients. Working with their exacting needs—even improving products to their specifications—increases her company’s reputation immensely.

Start small, be generous and flexible, and create your own snowball effect through media and professional contacts, which Diane Abrams called “mutually beneficial business relationships.” Put the emphasis on mutually beneficial.

9. Making mistakes

Though I did not ask any questions about mistakes, nearly every owner talked about making mistakes in one area or another. Each was incredibly thoughtful and open on the subject. Staffing, and making the best possible use of the Internet, were the top areas where owners felt they’d made mistakes. Hearing successful business owners discuss mistakes again and again made me wonder whether it is a component of their success.

Betty Bronstein made the case for mistakes very well. She describes making mistakes as a positive: “When you’re making mistakes, it’s because you are changing, expanding, considering, learning.” Her confident approach to making mistakes is one reason customers feel “a part of” her company’s success.

One restaurant owner said customers like to see him “goof up. I think it’s sometimes what they tell friends about—’Yeah, they got it all wrong. Then they fixed it and we had a better time than before.’ They see us differently afterward.”

We’re all going to goof up. It’s a learning experience. Let your guard down a little as you correct your mistakes, and it can be an unexpected way to create raving fans!

10. Always Be Closing

You’ve heard it before, and here it is again. You don’t have to hit people over the head, but as you develop relationships with your customers, you should make that request for their business—and don’t forget to ask for referrals, too! Sometimes all it takes for a fan to start raving is knowing how much you’d appreciate their recommendation. We’re all busy people; we don’t always think to rave about you. Most business owners don’t do this, so this is an edge for you. Ask for the sale, ask for the referral; then you’ll be top of the mind.

Though not everyone mentioned the concept, on the way out of the interview nearly every owner found a way to solicit my business! The best solicitation was from Helen Walker, just featured in Martha Stewart Weddings: “Getting married?” she asked, pointing to her fabulous culinary stencils in use on their cover.

Sorry, Helen, not soon.

What’s Your One Great WoM Story?

The last question I asked of everyone: “What’s your one great word-of-mouth story?”

I got some excellent responses, including many who’d had customers from across the globe through a chain of WoM.

I loved the story of a couple from West Point, New York who came all the way to Betty Bronstein’s Delaware shop to buy an entire room of furnishings in one trip, because “they liked talking to [Artisans’ staff] on the phone.” Remember all your customer touchpoints. How’s your telephone service?

My favorite story came from Diane Abrams. She agreed to an interview though she seemed sure she had nothing to say on the subject of word-of-mouth referrals. “Going back to 22 years ago,” she told me of buying the business and beginning from scratch to create a devoted following. She “had to get out and fight” to grow. She personally visited all the local dance studios (wearing out her own shoe leather!). She introduced herself and her plans for the shop, and “began to develop relationships” with the teachers and owners she met. Her dance background meant they had something deeper than just business in common. Many of these people are her friends today, and she continues to accommodate studios’ special needs.

What do I love about this story? To Diane, word-of-mouth meant a customer-to-customer (C2C) opportunity that she doesn’t feel is significant to her business. B2B referrals are the source of 75% or more of her business (like a teacher recommending her store to a student)—she just doesn’t think of that as WoM.

Her one great story is a classic example of how small business can’t get along without Propheteers.

Thanks again to everyone who took a half-hour to talk with me. If you know of someone in the Brandywine Valley/ greater Philadelphia area who’d like to be interviewed for the next article in the series, send me an email to kellye (at) visionpoints (dot) net.

I gotta get a new pair of black pumps first.  :)

Tell your one great word-of-mouth story. Tell us how you create brand Propheteers. Leave a comment about the business that gets you raving, and why. It’s your turn, and I’d love to hear from you.

Grow and be well,

Kelly Erickson

Interview locally, apply lessons globally.

For more information:

Read about the articles coming up in the rest of the 2008 Interview Series

What were The Baffling Results of Wearing Holes in my Black Pumps? Find out!

Previous posts in Brand Propheteers: 10 Ways to Get the People You Already Know to Rave About Your Firm:

Part One—Golden Opportunities and “I’ll Have What She’s Having”

Part Two Is Tricky

If you enjoyed this post, take a moment to subscribe now, at the top left of this page, and don’t forget to bookmark (below) to spread the word about Brand Propheteers!

Special thanks:

Diane Abrams, Brandywine Dance Shoppe, 3617 Silverside Road, Wilmington, DE

Betty Bronstein, Artisans’ Gifts and Furniture, 2113 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE

Carol Harvey, Hansel & Gretel, 3603 Silverside Road, Wilmington, DE

Ed Hawkins, Hawkins & Sons Custom Home Appliance Center, 400 New Road, Elsmere, DE

Donna Rego, Bellefonte Café and Trading Company, 804 Brandywine Boulevard, Wilmington, DE

Helen Walker, Designer Stencils, 2503 Silverside Road, Wilmington, DE

Delaware Valley Businesses Are Rocking the Basics to Stay Ahead and Grow: Can You?

This post is the second of three in the series Brand Propheteers: 10 Ways to Get the People You Already Know to Rave About Your Firm. To read Part One, click here.

Propheteer: The very best driver of word-of-mouth for your company: a cross between prophet (someone who preaches) and volunteer. VisionPoints’ term for the raving fans we want you to have more of!

Just How Big a Deal Are Brand Propheteers?

Handwritten sign outside a local café: “You can use 90% of the statistics to mean anything you want 50% of the time.”

In that spirit, three statistics compiled from these interviews. (Note: not every interviewee answered each question, and some could not give numbers, but rather descriptions like “most,” which don’t fit into my calculator too well. These numbers are based only on folks who answered with… numbers.)

Approximately what percentage of your customers are repeat business: 75%

Of these, what percentage would probably describe themselves as fans: 76%

What percentage of your customers are referred to you: 12%

Though unscientific, you can see that these businesses rely heavily on their fans, both to drive their amazing repeat business (estimates ranged from a low of 20% to a high of 95%) and to advertise their companies for free through word-of-mouth—almost half their new business comes from referrals!

If repeat and referral business is so critical, why is most effort and money spent on attracting new customers? Because we know how to place an ad. We know how to measure its results. It’s relatively easy, if we can afford it.

To convert customers into brand Propheteers, we’ll have to dig deeper and work smarter. Small business owners don’t always know what actions they can take to encourage customers to rave about their firm. Many of these talkative folks said they couldn’t tell me anything about the subject! Actions speak louder than words, and when it came right down to it, there are 10 methods these folks use every day to grow their businesses through word-of-mouth. You can, too.

(I know, it’s amazing. If there had only been 9 Ways, or 13.2 Ways, I would have had to reprint a whole bunch of stuff. Thank goodness!)

Top 3: The Basics Are Very Tricky

In the top three ways to get customers and others to rave about you, you’ll find no surprises. Then what’s so tricky? Everybody mentioned at least one of these in their own “top three.” For some this was about all that needed to be said. These are the price of doing business (PODB). Everybody knows the basics, and everybody’s trying to achieve them. That’s what makes them tricky. How many times a week do you hear “service is our specialty” or “the difference is our people”? Blech.

To make these three methods part of your phenomenal success story,
1. Stop saying it. Nobody believes you.
2. Do it like your business depends on it. It does.

Three things everyone is trying for. You’ll have to be creative and beyond exceptional, or local business owners who do understand “exceptional” are going to grab all your customers. Here’s how they’ll do it.

1. Service

Almost every person I interviewed cited exceptional service as one of the top three ways to get customers and others to rave about you. Every owner mentioned the word “friendly” at least once during our interview. This would be pretty *yawn* except for one thing. Even though I knew I was repeating myself, I found over and over I had scribbled in my notes: “Smiling staff.” “Genuine.” “Helpful.” “Friendly.” There is a big difference between lip service and reaching that ideal. Businesses that make it are not faking it.

Ed Hawkins, owner of Hawkins & Sons Custom Home Appliance Center, could not say enough about what involved, informed staff will do for your company. In the store, his sales staff “Go out of their way” for every customer, especially first time buyers: “They’re testing you, in a way,” with a small purchase that often leads to a larger purchase if they like how it turns out. For repair customers the warehouse may sometimes find just a single screw to maintain an aging appliance. Customers always remember this special treatment from their small, family-owned company. It’s the edge his smaller company has, even as big-box companies offer hours no little store wants to compete with. Hawkins does a large volume of service calls, and their exceptional care when arriving at the customer’s house “helps us stand out. People really like how we treat their home.” Little touches, like covers to protect floors from their boots, get remembered. “People remember that we were there exactly when we said we’d be there. If there’s a snowstorm or something… no, even then, we’ll be there. Our service is about trying to make things easier for the customer.” For Ed, keeping promises is the number one way to encourage word-of-mouth. “Customers can trust us.”

Several owners mentioned having service that makes shopping “fun” for the customer, and said smaller businesses win customers based on their ability to “interact personally” with prospective buyers. Betty Bronstein, owner of Artisans’ Gifts and Furniture, cited the greeting her staff gives as the top way to be remembered and raved about later. It’s true; their greeting is a special detail.

To serve future Propheteers: Be helpful, be present, yet don’t be pushy. Be respectful of the time customers are spending with you, and make it a delight. Make keeping promises an integral part of your Customer Service.

2. Staff

Diane Abrams, owner of Brandywine Dance Shoppe, says her sales staff, who are all experienced dancers like herself, understand the customer’s needs intuitively and use their expertise to customize their Experience. They also “give [her] fresh Perspective,” and keep her from getting bored!

One offbeat tip from Diane: “Get rid of the chair.” Seeing employees sitting down gives customers the wrong impression, she says, and makes staff feel lazier, too.

For Carol Harvey, owner of Hansel & Gretel, an upscale children’s clothing boutique, staffing is both the essential element and the most difficult to control. She says her “friendly staff is what gets the customer to rave,” but when I asked, “How do you know who will click with your customers?” she responded, “It’s the hardest thing to know, who will work for them. There’s no way to tell.”

On that issue there was no consensus. I asked the question of nearly every owner, and got answers ranging from Carol’s “no way to tell” to “I absolutely know when they’ve got that spark we need.”

Betty Bronstein described her staff as the ideal we all look for: “They’re my biggest fans. They want me to succeed.” She puts a lot of effort into achieving that, not only through careful interviewing looking for the “happy” people she needs at her store, but also through education and nurturing of employees’ natural abilities once they’re hired.

Ed Hawkins seconded this, saying that he does everything he can to get Hawkins’ products into employees’ homes so they can live with the merchandise, to have a first-hand understanding and love of the lines his company offers. Ed and several others have staff who have been with them for many years because of their hands-off leadership. “I used to tell them every little detail. Now they know I trust them to treat everyone like they’re a family member.”

One owner said his staff are “impeccable” in dress and manner: “They let the customer know right away that they’ve come to the right place.” Impeccable is a great ideal. Aim for it.

Look for impeccable, happy people, who want to grow with you and your company.

3. Excellent merchandise

Let’s admit it: Quality is about as PODB as you can get. These successful business owners have more than just quality products and services. They have highly specialized businesses, providing a narrow range of goods to a customer they know well and are constantly checking in with, through their excellent service. They know who comes in, how often, what special interests their customers have, and how to cater to those needs through what they offer. They listen; they aim for an Ideal Customer who they understand well; they readily change and adapt to serve that customer better.

Restaurant owners I spoke with, naturally listed their fresh, quality food as one of the top ways to get raves. Donna Rego, owner of the Bellefonte Café, went further: Her repeat customers are there for “slow food, not fast food,” as first-time guests might be.

When I spoke with retailers, many felt strongly about having “fresh” merchandise. According to Carol Harvey, “repeat customers come in on a very regular basis, just to check out new merchandise.” High-quality merchandise you won’t find at a department store is a top priority for her in satisfying her Propheteers, many of whom are “customers for life.” When I asked her about fans of Hansel & Gretel, she smiled. “I thought you were going to say ‘family.’ That’s how our customers are. They’re way beyond fans.”

Betty Bronstein is a crusader for her customers’ needs, and sees her eclectic mix as a top driver of WoM. She is passionate about having a changing selection—“not changing often enough is insulting to our customers. Their time is valuable. They may drive a long way to get here. I can’t stand it when I go into a shop and nothing’s changed since the last time I was there! They didn’t respect my time, and I know there’s nothing to come back again for.”

The Measure of Raving Fans: Is Your Company Capable of Creating a Riot?

At Hansel & Gretel, Carol Harvey told me, “We’re the last of the old boutiques. When this one goes out of business there’s going to be a riot.”

To create customers for life like Hansel & Gretel has: Be the first of the next generation of “old boutiques.”

These owners agree, that repeat and referral customers stay longer and are more satisfied with their purchases, like Donna Rego’s customers. Several also felt that repeat and referral customers make larger purchases, and are easier to sell to. Ed Hawkins says customers who arrive through referrals are “pre-sold,” and called these “the nicest sales.” He loves it when he sees returning customers talking to new shoppers, creating word-of-mouth sales for them right in the store.

Basics, yes, but not so easy to achieve. Stand-out service, staff who click with your customers, and a product or service that’s worthy of a trip to see you. These Delaware Valley small business owners still struggle to stay ahead on the basics every day.

Infuse your personal style into your business while delivering an Experience tailored to far exceed your customers’ expectations. Focus 110% on their point of view, and create delight.

How do you measure up on the basics? What will it take for your company to be the first of the next generation of “old boutiques”?

Grow and be well,

Kelly Erickson

Let’s sum it up—if we can! Read on: Part Three - Grand Concepts, Practical Advice, and the One Great WoM Story

Special thanks:

Diane Abrams, Brandywine Dance Shoppe, 3617 Silverside Road, Wilmington, DE

Betty Bronstein, Artisans’ Gifts and Furniture, 2113 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE

Carol Harvey, Hansel & Gretel, 3603 Silverside Road, Wilmington, DE

Ed Hawkins, Hawkins & Sons Custom Home Appliance Center, 400 New Road, Elsmere, DE

Donna Rego, Bellefonte Café and Trading Company, 804 Brandywine Boulevard, Wilmington, DE

Helen Walker, Designer Stencils, 2503 Silverside Road, Wilmington, DE

Business Owners in the Delaware Valley Dish on the Secrets of Word-of-Mouth!

This post is the first of three in the series Brand Propheteers: 10 Ways to Get the People You Already Know to Rave About Your Firm.

Propheteer: The very best driver of word-of-mouth for your company: a cross between prophet (someone who preaches) and volunteer. VisionPoints’ term for the raving fans we want you to have more of!

Good morning, choir. I’m preaching to you today. A lot of folks who read the Maximum Customer Experience Blog are also blog authors. Many of you are the owners of small businesses. Most of you are pretty tech savvy. At least one of my delightful readers claims to live in a small, techy cave. I’m lucky to have some raving fans out there, and goodness knows I am a fan of many of you myself!

Your intrepid Experience Designer has spent the last month wearing out the shoe leather in search of insights only other small business owners can give us. I began by thinking of local businesses I am already a Propheteer for. Places I recommend whenever I get the chance. I talked to colleagues about the places they never stop raving about. Then it was on to researching and making a list of desired interview subjects, walking into each business, and asking if they could make time to talk about a skill that each one has mastered: The fine art of creating brand Propheteers. And you guys thought I just wandered around!

I interviewed more than thirty local business owners this month. Each one is the head of a thriving, well-established company, with years of of experience to draw on in our discussion. They’re going to tell you what they know about those raving fans.

To everybody who gave their time to this article, Thank You.

You’ll find names and links to those who wished to be listed in the footnotes. This was a hoot to do, and with four more interviews coming up in the 2008 series, I feel thrilled to have started out in such engaging company.

The Golden Opportunity Not One Owner Mentioned: Stop Preaching to the Choir!

We’ll get to those 10 Ways that my wonderful interview subjects told me about. First I want to tell you something you don’t want to hear.

GET OUT MORE.

Owners who run their businesses from their armchairs, as many of you do, or who stay too wrapped up in their own office or store, are missing the golden opportunity of making local contacts. You want word-of-mouth? Get brave and meet people. You may have heard the stats: most people do not read blogs (71% of U.S. adults, according to The Pew Internet & American Life Project). Many still don’t use the Internet at all (25%, from Pew’s Dec 2007 survey of U.S. adults). Plenty of truly fascinating people right near you don’t even own a computer—and your next client could be among them. Whether you’re a writer, a developer, a widget-maker, a retailer, or a restaurateur, your clients are not like you—or they wouldn’t need you!

If you insist on only finding customers who know what you know, and do things the way you do, you face a slow climb with a very narrow path. Open yourself up to your local community and discover a broad range of needs, opinions, and attitudes.

Put yourself out there, and start today. It gets easier, but not if you don’t get started! If you’ve been staring at your computer screen for months, wondering why more people don’t contact you, get out and make it happen.

People You Already Know?

Word-of-mouth. (WoM if you like a good acronym.) The Internet is slowly changing how some of us get our recommendations. These days it isn’t always a friend who recommends a product or a service to you. Journalists have always written reviews for magazines and newspapers. Today, you may also be influenced by an online review or a blog article.

The big secret of WoM is that the most powerful recommendations still happen off-line. We want what our friends, family, and colleagues want, more than we want what other amazon users want us to want.

In face-to-face encounters, we get all the cues: the smile, the voice, the gestures as a colleague describes describes her fabulous new p.r. person; the follow-up questions, the comparisons, as a teen discusses the must-read book; the spontaneous details as a friend remembers his restaurant Experience. No matter how reliable the magazine, newspaper, or online review, we still find personal referrals the most compelling.

Getting people you already know—customers, employees, business contacts, family, and every stakeholder you can think of—to rave about your firm is the Holy Grail for small businesses: completely sincere, personal, unpaid “marketing” that your Propheteers do for you as ambassadors for your company. What do you need to make that happen?

You’re Going to Need What They’ve Got

Today we’ll look at the three qualities these owners whom I interviewed all had in common. If you want to be a leader in a thriving, well-established company years from now, you are going to need what they’ve got.

Joy. I got reactions from skepticism to enthusiasm at my request, but when I returned for the interview, each owner glowed while talking about his or her company’s progress. This is no exaggeration. We talked about good points and pain points, but through it all it was clear each company had no finer Propheteer than the owner.

A quick list of terms I jotted in my notebook to describe owners as they were talking to me. Do you recognize yourself?

• Vibrant
• Fiercely dedicated
• Total enthusiasm
• Helpful
• Passionate
• Unabashed cheerleader
• Happy
• Friendly
• Off-the-cuff
• Delightfully homey
• What a booster!
• Nice
• Making this a treat for me

Curiosity. About their customers, about market trends, about the local business climate, about what others are saying, about me, about life. I was a bit surprised that in such established firms there was not a bit of boredom. These folks never stop growing on the inside, and it shows in the business.

Uncertainty. The biggest surprise to me was that every owner I interviewed had pain points so real they jarred me as I was talking with them. Lots worried about staffing; some worried about changing times; some worried about the still-growing power of the Internet; some worried about time constraints on them; many worried about managing growth.

My take-away from this: Forget “never let them see you sweat.” If you aren’t sweating something, you don’t care enough. If you’re a small business owner with fears and insecurities, you are in some awesome company. Owners who succeed are running fast. They are energized and made bold by the demons that chase them, and they’re confident enough to discuss pain points—that’s how solutions come to light.

I didn’t find the mold from which small business leaders are made. The folks I interviewed varied widely in almost every personality trait: from shy to brassy, from low-key to energetic, from soft-spoken to booming.

Is it too trite to say “do what you love”? I don’t think so. If you want to succeed at what you do, never stop learning, never stop worrying, and love your work beyond all reason.

“I’ll Have What She’s Having”

Why quote the older woman in the deli scene* in When Harry Met Sally? It’s the funniest example of the power of word-of-mouth ever filmed. If Sally’s raving is a little too much for your business, you won’t want to miss the next Brand Propheteer post. In part two, we’ll begin to uncover those 10 ways to get the people you already know to rave about your firm with just the right amount of enthusiasm.

What one quality do you think every owner who gets fans to rave must have? Have you got enough joy, curiosity, and uncertainty to handle the road ahead?

Grow and be well,

Kelly Erickson

Ready to read the next post in the Brand Propheteers series? Part Two Is Tricky

*Played by director Rob Reiner’s mother, Estelle.

Special thanks:

Diane Abrams, Brandywine Dance Shoppe, 3617 Silverside Road, Wilmington, DE

Betty Bronstein, Artisans’ Gifts and Furniture, 2113 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE

Carol Harvey, Hansel & Gretel, 3603 Silverside Road, Wilmington, DE

Ed Hawkins, Hawkins & Sons Custom Home Appliance Center, 400 New Road, Elsmere, DE

Donna Rego, Bellefonte Café and Trading Company, 804 Brandywine Boulevard, Wilmington, DE

Helen Walker, Designer Stencils, 2503 Silverside Road, Wilmington, DE

Honesty

Honesty is hardly ever heard
And mostly what I need from you”
—Billy Joel (Honesty, 1978)

The banner above my personal email reads, “totally free checking.” A lovely Flash-dance tells me that yes, it’s totally, completely, honestly, *blah blah blah* free. A lot of blah blah. The animation ends with “Mouse over to explore… the details.”

My Customer Experience went from “hmm” to “I wish I were better at banner blindness” in less than ten seconds.

Why are there details if you were being totally, completely honest with me?

Grow and be well,

Kelly Erickson

This Is NOT Maximum Customer Experience

Yes, dear reader, I am going to name names here. Just not yours, I promise.

How many of you use FileMaker Pro? I love the product dearly and have been a loyal user since v.2. They’re up to version I-don’t-know-what by now. I am reasonably proficient with it and able to dig deeply into it when necessary, but like many other products in my life (Dreamweaver and TypePad come to mind), I want it to do the hard work most of the time, because I am an Experience Designer, not a programmer. It’s a convenience product that saves me a lot of time. Usually.

I have a tech problem with FMP.

I am no dummy, but after hassling with the program’s unfortunately-named “help,” then traipsing through their online “support,” then taking a step not everyone will and searching around for HOURS through Yahoo! looking for someone else who knows the answer to my problem, I’ve got spit in one hand and a wish in the other. I wish I had given up hours ago and emailed support. So with a bit of difficulty, but not much (you know how on some sites they absolutely bury the “Contact Us” info? Not really that bad here), I find their Support Feedback form.

Oh, good, no need to write an email and hope it gets to the right person! Support Feedback people will get right to the heart of matters. It asks me the usual contact stuff, email, etc., then I type in my problem.

I know the problem pretty well, by now, having discovered everything that is not the answer in my many searches, so I take my time and carefully fill out the form with a well-reasoned and to-the-point query, guaranteed to get a simple answer without a lot of back and forth (“Did you try X? Did you try Y? Is your computer even on?” You know the hey-moron questions). I need an answer and I need it ASAP, so doing this carefully takes twenty minutes out of my already-way-behind day.

If you know where this is going right now, you win the prize. Or you work for FileMaker, in which case… Call me.

I hit submit, and the polite auto-response page appears on my screen.

I cannot quote exactly because what I did next was to growl and shut down my computer. I should have written it down. It went something like this:

FileMaker does not respond to online queries. If you need help, you’ll have to call us.

As Dave Barry would say, I am not making this up.

Not only have I wasted my time filling out the form, but of course once you hit submit your careful wording is gone to the ether, so if you thought you might refer to it in a call, you’re out of luck.

Note: this is not “We don’t know the answer,” or “The answer is No.” This is “We aren’t even going to think about your concern in any way, yet wasn’t it funny to mislead you and waste your time. Screw you.”

Now comes the kicker.

I am much more dedicated to fixing this problem than some might be, although these are the moments that make me want to switch to another software entirely. So I reopen the laptop, go back into the website, and find their telephone help info. This part you can probably guess.

They want an obscene amount of money to talk to me. Fifty bucks. As I recall, this is about a quarter of what my last FMP upgrade cost me. I own your product. I want it to function, so that I don’t throw it across the room, tell all my friends that you stink, and go buy another relational database program or give up and use MySQL for everything. And you would like me to pay fifty bucks to make the program you sold me work like it should.

I could offer some sage wisdom about Experience Design here but I think you’ve got it, all on your own. This, dear reader, is not Maximum Customer Experience.  Think about links in your own chain where this may be happening, because unless your following is fanatical, you will lose them forever at this point. Just three quick tips:

1. Make the answer available in the first place. I should not have to kill myself to find put how to use your product.
2. DO NOT make me do work for nothing. That form was unbelievably disrespectful of my time.
3. If you ignore 1 and 2, you do not care about your customers. Do not ask me to pay money to gain some care. That just makes me feel dirty.

How do you love Support Feedback? Let us count the ways! Share a story of your own NOT Maximum Customer Experience moment.

Grow and be well,

Kelly Erickson

And How to Find the Right Level, to Improve Customer Experience Daily

Why do the most common musical chords include three notes?

Because one or two is boring and repetitive, and more than three may be asking for trouble unless you’re a seasoned pro. Too much “noise” for your brain to process!

Yesterday, we talked about letting go of micro-management for an afternoon. Whether you work solo from home or manage a staff of fifty, sometimes the best way to see your business’ needs clearly is to step away, considering your direction in silence, without the distraction of daily tasks.

When you’re fresh from this mini-sabbatical, it’s time to turn up the noise level, but only in the right places.

What three notes should you practice in Experience Design?

1. Always Be Checking. This won’t be a full-blown Experience Audit daily—just keep your eyes wide open for the little details that make a big difference to customers. First impressions last.

2. Prioritize from customer point of view. Listen to your customer, and be responsive to their interests and their concerns.

3. Measure results over time. This is the only way you will know if you’ve Pinpointed the right goals and whether you’re on track to achieve them.

Take a little time with this. Many of your daily tasks already fit in one of these three “notes,” but you may not have been viewing them in this way. When you look at your to-do list in terms of Experience Design, you can approach these tasks more deliberately—and more important in an overcrowded day, you can let go of the tasks that are just pointless noise.

With the noise level adjusted, look at the big picture. For instance:

How does viewing your website affect expectations for your store? [Checking, prioritizing.]

How does a constant parade of discount ads in the local paper affect the sort of customers who call you? [Checking, measuring.]

Do surly staff take care of those little details in your interiors as if they want your business to grow? [Checking, prioritizing.]

Don’t see these as separate interior design, graphic design, customer service, and marketing issues. This Experience Design chord can help you to look at your business as a whole. In a customer’s Perception, the elements of Experience will cross boundaries.

Checking, prioritizing, measuring. 1, 2, 3, strum.

That’s the background noise for your day. After a short while, you’ll be good at playing that chord, but watch out! As any musician will tell you, when you’re overconfident, you can hit a few sour notes. So stay focused.

At some point you may be working on a complete Experience re-Design, in which case there are certainly more than three notes in the chord. Jazz! With professional help, there’s a team to keep things swingin’. On an everyday basis: you’ve got just three notes to look after. Checking the details, prioritizing for the customer’s needs, measuring results. When it gets too noisy, it’s time for another silent afternoon.

Which note do you need to hit harder?

Grow and be well,

Kelly Erickson