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My husband and I had a good laugh last night. Going through
the mail we discovered that he had received a special national
survey being sent out to a select few Republicans. The cover
letter stated that they appreciated his support and now really
wanted his honest input. We laughed because my husband isn't
a Republican. Not even close! His answers would likely bust
the curve.
Has this sort of thing happened to you? How does it make
you feel when some company or organization reaches out to
you with a message that absolutely doesn't connect? It makes
me annoyed. It makes me remember the company or organization
in a negative context.
Would you know if you were doing this to your own customers?
Are you blowing the sale?
Our Customers are Human Beings Too. Treat Them As Such.
Our customers are just like us. They are people who respond
best to people who take the time to get to know them and really
understand them. To reach customers today we need to personalize
our marketing. We need to go deeper than our target groups
and get to know our customers as individuals. Individuals
with real, ever-changing concerns, needs, wants and desires.
And we need to connect with them at the moment they are ready
to listen to our message. At the moment they are feeling the
pain that we can eliminate from their lives. And we need to
connect in a way that demonstrates our respect, understanding
and empathy.
See The World Through Their Eyes
The only way we can do this effectively is to take the time
OURSELVES to step into their shoes and become our own customers.
By doing so, we will see the world through their eyes not
ours. We will see how we can really fit into their lives.
I say we must do it ourselves because we can not leave this
step up to our marketing team or vendors alone. They are excited
about what we do but not as passionate about what we do and
why. We created your own businesses to use our special talents
and experience to help someone do something better. Only we
can see how our two worlds and needs can intersect for mutual
benefit. We need to bring this level of insight and interpretation
to our marketing experts so they can create the marketing
messages that will stimulate our customers to buy.
I learned how important it was to be an active customer detective
during my 20 years of marketing management. When I managed
the 9-Lives cat food brand at Leo Burnett, I spent hours and
hours in supermarkets observing and interviewing cat owners
on how and why they selected cat food. We found two interesting
things. That cat owners who bought 9-Lives felt Morris the
Cat was just like their cat -- adorable in his aloofness and
an exceptionally finicky and fickle eater. We leveraged these
insights in our product variety, pricing, promotions, brand
personality and marketing messages.
When I marketed Seagram's Chivas Regal scotch during the
waning days of the "three martini" power lunch,
I drank it and observed who also drank it, who didn't, and
why. We saw scotch usage falling and Dewar's and single malts
making significant inroads into the reduced category. We talked
to scotch drinkers and found out Chivas was viewed as Dad's
scotch. It wasn't cool. We capitalized on this news by repositioning
the brand and by expanding the marketing of Seagram's single
malts to a younger, status conscious customer.
Today, my consulting and coaching customers view my marketing
talent as absolutely invaluable. My customer probing skills
allows me to dig deep and thoroughly mine how they look at
the world, behave in it and what they truly want from it.
Together, we extract gems of insight that will help them best
reach their goals.
Dig Deep to Mine Customer Insights
So I ask you, do you know how your customers think? What they
feel? What makes them happy? What's important to them? How
they think about themselves? Their points-of-view on critical
factors affecting your sale? Why they might need you? When
they most need you? What their vision of the future is and
how you could fit into their future? Other problems they have
that you could solve? Who they listen to and go to for advice?
Where they live, work, shop and play? What might appeal to
them? When they might be most receptive to your messages?
What is on their minds today?
Start digging if you don't have the CURRENT answers to these
questions.
Understand Your Customer's Experience of You
Now let me also ask you, have you experienced your own product
and services? Have you experienced your competitions'? What
is the essence of their experience with you? What special
touches and behaviors on your part reinforce a positive experience?
Only by taking this additional step will you understand how
your customers experience you and what differentiates you
from others.
As an example of how this step works, here's what I do. One
of the services I provide is executive coaching. I have a
coach. I also coach coaches. And I have experienced the assessment
and self-reflection tools I use. Because I have taken this
step, I have a greater appreciation for the level of work
my customers must do to create real change in their lives;
the level of discomfort and ultimate exhilaration they experience;
and what makes my coaching unique.
Insights Lead You to the Intersection of Your Customer's
Heart and Mind
By digging this deep, and ONLY by digging this deep, will
you get to that special intersection of your customer's heart
and mind where you need to aim your message! Only then will
have observed deeply and with empathy. Only then will you
be able to connect your goals to theirs.
My wish in offering you these ideas is that you use them
to build strong customer relationships and greater prosperity.
®2002 Betsey Dalbeck, Fresh Tracks,
Inc. All rights reserved.
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