Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on February 23, 2010 under First Impressions, Perceptions, making a difference | 
I was visiting Custom Auto Body in North Canton last week for a meeting with Lance Runion, VP and General Manager. We are working on a project together and it was the first time I’d visited his shop. Expecting a typical auto repair store with worn carpet, car and truck magazines and ugly metal chairs I was pleased to walk into an inviting waiting area; warm, clean, comfortable.
Even better – the magazines were more to my liking with a recent copy of People Magazine. But before I could pick it up and delve into the latest Tiger Woods, Bragelina, Brittany scandal, my eyes fell upon a scrapbook/photo album.
I opened it to find page after page of before and after pictures of the cars they had repaired. Accompanying each picture was a handwritten thank you note from the customer.
If I was there for an estimate or to have my car repaired – what a wonderful validation that I had selected the right place to have my car fixed. The before and after pictures were a powerful marketing message that clearly showed their ability. The testimonials added to their credibility.
Sometimes we just need a little validation that the vendor we’ve selected is the right one. What simple visual tool can you put together to help your customers know the value you provide?
Do you ask for testimonials? Think about your best customers – would they be willing to say something positive about your business? Follow these simple steps:
- Give them a call and ask if they’ll provide a quote.
- Offer to write it for them. (have them approve before you publish)
- Think of one specific thing you’d like the quote to be about and write the sentence with that focus (responsive, quality, knowledgeable, great listener, experienced)
- Amass a library of quotes; each one focused on a different aspect of your abilities
- Use the quotes in your email signature (rotate a different one each week/month)
- Put quotes on each of your website pages
- Include a quote in your e-newsletter
Make it easy for your prospects to decide to be your customer by giving them visual proof that others have been pleased. Do you have a creative way you use customer testimonials? Share it with us here!
For more ways to use your testimonials – read this article from Copyblogger offering ten ways to use your testimonials.
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on December 14, 2009 under Perceptions |
Ray Romano of Everybody Loves Raymond fame, premiered a new show on TNT last week and the second episode airs tonight. Men of a Certain Age.
It follows the life of three 40/50 something guys and gives the viewer an insight into how they think.
My best friend couldn’t wait for the show to air, being a man of a certain age himself, and so I watched as well. We chatted the next day – our review?
He LOVED IT.
I thought it was a show about three pathetic guys who didn’t know how to SUCK IT UP and deal.
hmmmm.
So I had lunch with a business acquaintance today and the show came up in conversation. He also is a man of a certain age and LOVES THE SHOW.
“Finally a show that shows how I am thinking and what I deal with.”
As I watched the show I kept waiting for one of the men to be a shining example – a role model. I look at my BFF and don’t see someone who has given up like the characters on the show.
“There are tons of shows and movies about women of a certain age,” he told me. “Now finally there is one for me.”
So is this a difference in perspective? Is it a gender thing?
And how does this relate to our customers?
If you’ve had sales training you’ve most likely taken the Myers Briggs analysis (or something like it) in which you’ve learned your personality type. You’ve then been taught how to analyze someone else’s type and then use a modified sales technique to effectively connect with them.
We also know that men and women are motivated differently and therefore it requires perhaps a different approach with women than with men. In fact, there is a book In Women We Trust, which outlines the difference in marketing to women and the fact that they influence 80% of all purchases.
But what happens when your view of a circumstance is so vastly different from the person you are having a conversation with?
The reviews of the Men of a Certain Age are through-the-roof FANTASTIC. So is it just me? Is it because I’m a woman? Are the writers of the show only interested in attracting the men pictured in the show and thumbing their noses at a younger audience and the female population?
As a company do you craft your message to such a targeted niche that you turn off 50% of the population? Is that okay with you?
I don’t know if there is a correlation here – but when I find a product (the television show) and two such vastly different opinions about the same product – it makes me wonder how that information can be used constructively to help others in business.
So what do you think? about the show? about gender messaging? Or am I on an island alone on this topic?
UPDATE: After watching last night’s episode I must now revise my opinion of Men of a Certain Age. Wow – powerful, dynamic relationship development. Yes – there is some back bone. I am now curious to see how this develops.
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on under Customer Moments, First Impressions, Perceptions |
In the recent edition of Cosmo there is an article that talks about the Six Things Guys Notice in the First Six Seconds. There are a few obvious answers: smile, hair and cleavage but also a couple surprises: makeup, skin and your purse.
The article reports that guys make certain assumptions about you by what they notice in the first six seconds. For example:
Are all women who haul around big purses—in other words, cavernous rucksacks stuffed full of old receipts, emergency sweaters, and half-used bottles of hand sanitizer—high maintenance? Maybe not. But guys will go ahead and assume they are anyway.
I heard about this article on the radio this morning and a caller said – I have a large bag but it was a gift. Another caller said their purse was big because it contained items they might need in an emergency – they wanted to be prepared. The third caller said she had items in her purse so that she could look good for her man.
The DJ said “it doesn’t matter – it is the PERCEPTION the guy has about you.”
Ahhhh reality isn’t really a factor.
So let’s bring this around to our customer. What assumptions do our customers make about us and the products/services we provide and our ability to solve their problem? Are their perceptions based in reality? Would we be surprised?
Customers make assumptions from the moment they pull into our parking lot or click on our Home Page. They look around, and may not even be aware, but begin to make judgements about our ability to suit their needs from the first greeting.
Kevin Stirtz offers some suggestions for making a great first impression.
Daryl Logullo has written an article talking about how the difference between perception and reality can negatively impact your word of mouth reputation.
Bottom line – you have to keep an on-going, open line of communication with your customers to ensure their perception of you as a person, your company and your products and services are the same as what you believe them to be.
How do you measure your customer’s first impressions of you and your business?
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on November 29, 2009 under Connecting Moments, Perceptions |
I just got back from six days in Vegas over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Wish I could tell you details, but you know what they say, “whatever happens in Vegas….”
But I can share some thoughts on customer-focused performances based on the four shows I attended:
The Fabulous Four (A Beatles Tribute Band at the V Theatre at the Miracle Mall)
Cher (at Caesars Palace)
The Mentalist (At the V – inspiration behind the current CBS hit show)
Donny and Marie (at the Flamingo)
Ticket prices ranged from $30 for two (the Mentalist – we had to buy one drink each) to almost $200 each for Cher and we weren’t in the front row. In all fairness we had terrific seats for all of the performances however we were in the very front for Donny and Marie and I got to hold his hands TWO TIMES during the performance. If it weren’t for the Swine Flu, I probably wouldn’t wash my hands!
The theatre staff for all of the performances was top notch – no complaints, personable, informative, helpful – all of the stuff of great customer service.
However, if I had to rate the performances for customer connections – I would rank Donny and Marie first (and not because he touched me) and the Mentalist second. Here’s why:
- Customer interaction – both shows involved the audience – answering questions, responding to shouts, bringing people up on stage or coming out into the audience to make a connection.
In Marie’s portion of the show she explained the reason they chose the Flamingo for their show although many other larger venues wanted their act. She said – and I’m paraphrasing:
We chose the Flamingo because it was a small enough theatre that we could actually see all of you and really connect.
They learned audience member names, they acknowledged the crazy fans waving a host of albums from the 60s and 70s, they kidded with those that shouted their love (nope that wasn’t me… however, my Mom…well, once again, whatever happens in Vegas). They picked a place to perform that allowed them a PERSONAL CONNECTION with their customer. And then they took full advantage.
The Mentalist – Gerry McCambridge did the same thing, but then that is the nature of his act. He is totally involved with the audience and once again, that included me. It was the interaction that made his humor and amazing mental capabilities all the more enjoyable.
That’s not to say the Fab Four and CHER weren’t incredible performances. They were terrific. But when you think about the money you spend and the feeling you get at the end of the night – we walked away saying “That was good.”
When we left Donny and Marie we said “That was the best show we’ve ever attended” and no amount of money for that kind of a connection would have been too much money. The perception of our value as audience members to the stars was higher the more interaction there was.
In fact, Cher actually insulted her audience in her opening chat. She flies across the stage in a cage which hovers for a few moments over the crowd while she sings. Don’t get me wrong – she LOOKED amazing and she sounds INCREDIBLE and not for a woman of her age – she was fantastic no matter what her age. However in her chat she talks about her fear of the cage falling in on the audience.
“The newspaper would say Cher dies at Caesars in freak accident and then in a related article “Several unknown tourists die at Caesars.”
It was joke but it also let us know there is the Star and then there are the rest of us. No connection. The perception of our value to her? None. Our desire to pay $40 for a program of her show? None.
Bottom line – the customer connection is what sets us apart from our competition – whether it is Cher, Donny and Marie or you. We all have a customer to connect with. The question is – do you take the extra step to make the connection?
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on November 23, 2009 under Connecting Moments, Listening, Perceptions |
We say it all the time, but how often do we ask our customers what they want, what they value, what experience they desire?
I remember IN THE OLD DAYS when I worked for Pearle Vision, we’d hire a company to conduct exit interviews. People would stand outside the store and ask customers a series of questions. Or customers would be called and asked a series of questions. The responses were interesting but it took forever to gain enough of a sampling to provide real value.
Now thanks to the Internet, there are a variety of ways you can connect with customers and ask for their feedback:
Survey Monkey. There is a basic free service that allows you to create a survey to send via a link to your customers or prospects. It is easy to use and allows you to create questions that are multiple choice with one answer or more than one; questions that required the reader rank their responses and options for a blank comment section for people to share their views. It tabulates and provides reporting to help you easily analyse the data. Gotta love FREE.
Facebook now has pay per click ads that allow you to target your message to specific people within your fan base. You can select criteria from anything in the fan’s profile; age, interests, location, etc. Much more targeted than any other pay-per-click option.
LinkedIn Questions. Ask a question of the professionals in your network. Questions are categorized by subject, industry, corporate title – you have the opportunity to target who the question in sent to and the responses provide valuable information. Just check out the Answerstab on your LinkedIn account to see what people are asking and answering.
What is it they say….”You’ll never know if you don’t ask.”
Or how about this: “The answer is always NO unless you ask the question.”
As we close out another year and set our sites on 2010; consider asking your customers/prospects about your business and how you might meet their needs even better in the coming year.
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on October 12, 2009 under Perceptions, Word of Mouth |
My mom recently had knee replacement surgery and when she left the hospital, she selected a live-in skilled nursing facility for her rehab therapy.
One of the added bonuses has been the friends she’s made of the other patients during her two week stay. What do they talk about? Their surgery and their recovery.
They compare notes.
They observe and brag about their accomplishments.
They notice when one receives special treatment and they don’t.
“I feel like the red-headed step sister,” said one of my Mom’s new friends. “The physical therapists sit with you and encourage you and no one ever does that for me.”
“Yeah,” adds her other friend. “The doctor seems nicer to you than he is to us. What’s up with that?” Okay – maybe these 70-something patients didn’t say “whadddsup” but you get the point. My Mom was receiving special treatment the others didn’t benefit from. Her customer service exceeded that of the other patients.
During her discharge meeting with the doctor she asked if it was her imagination or if it was fact.
“No – it’s true,” he confirmed. “The surgeon that operated on you is a favorite of ours and we know he likes us to treat his patients with extra care.”
Wow. Imagine if your customers/clients/patients sensed or observed such inequity. Luckily for us – my Mom was on the good end of the stick – but what if it was the other way around.
Should there be a separate policy of customer care for t hose we like more than others? Certainly it is EASIER to take care of someone who is friendly and meets you half way in the building relationship process. And when a customer is irritable or difficult it can be more challenging to be positive and friendly.
But should we offer different levels of customer service based on who we like and who we don’t?
Customers talk. Word of mouth advertising is the number one way to brand your business. If your customers talked would they all have the same story of great service?
The best way to discover the answer is to ask. Call your past customers and ask about the service. See what kind of answers you get. What are customers saying about your service?
Check out this Customer Service Survey article for more information.
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on August 8, 2009 under Customer Moments, Perceptions |
I’m here at the Chautauqua Institute in New York and last Friday night Jason Alexander, in character as motivational speaker Donny Clay, was the entertainer.
Chautauqua is a family oriented location with world renown speakers and entertainers who grace the stage each, many of whom come to support the weekly theme. The theme the week Jason was here? “What Makes Us Moral?”.
I am a huge Seinfeld fan and loved the character of George that Jason created and as a speaker, I looked forward to his humorous approach to motivational speakers. As Friday programs go – the amphitheatre was packed holding 5,000+ people; including myself, my Mom, my brother and his wife, my 12-year old daughter and my 9-year old nephew.
To say Jason was funny would be an understatement, however, how did the audience respond?
Let me share part of a letter to the editor from Leone Reeder:
For an entire week we pondered “What Makes us Moral?” …Chautauquans failed an obvious test in the Amphitheater…a disgusting, inappropriate performance by Jason Alexander was tolerated by the majority of an audience that included teenagers and children. Why didn’t people leave in droves?
My sister-in-law left, taking my nephew with her as he hollered “screw you” along with a majority of the audience at Jason’s prompting. (it was part of Jason’s presentation)
Is Jason a poor actor? No – he’s great. He just failed the number one rule of speakers – he failed to truly understand his audience.
Had he done a little research about who he would be addressing, he would have perhaps modified his presentation accordingly. An audience packed with religious leaders from around the globe and little kids from down the street might not be the best audience for his “R” rated performance.
I doubt that he’ll be asked back. (just my guess, I don’t have insider knowledge)
To make an effective connection with your audience or customer you must first understand who they are, what motivates them and what will be negatively received.
No different that a visit to your future in-laws. In the recent movie Julie/Julia - Meryl Streep’s character portrayal of Julia Child, tells husband Paul “Don’t bring up politics with Dad or he won’t pick up the tab.”
Know your Audience:
Ask questions
Do the research
Find out vendors who have successfully interacted with your target customer and ask for advice
If you fail to understand who your audience/customer truly is – then you’ll be hard pressed to build a successful relationship.
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on July 7, 2009 under Customer Moments, Perceptions |
Yesterday’s post about my experience at Wal-Mart led Justin Flitter (writer of a great help desk customer service blog) to have this comment, in part:
“What would happen if Walmart just told their staff, “go out there today and have some fun, we’re not measuring anything.”
It reminded me of my early years with Pearle Vision. I was a new store manager – new to the optical industry. In the 80s (and in many locations still today) it was a very medically oriented business. My staff were all licensed opticians but I was a sales person brought in to learn the optical industry. They wanted to see if my background would have an impact on our business.
My first Saturday it was jam packed with customers. My employees were carefully handling one person at a time. They focused on each person, giving each person the same speech about lens and frame materials. It was taking TOO LONG. Customers were lined up and getting impatient.
So I took the women’s section and grouped the women customers together and said – let’s have a fashion show! I talked about the lens and frame material once so all could hear. We all learned each other’s names – they helped each other pick out the best looking frames. When one said yes to a lens add-on – they all said yes. Average sales soared and we had a total and complete BLAST!
From then on – when we were busy – I stationed one associate in each section and they “group sold.” When a new customer came in we’d holler over “come on in and welcome to the party!”
In less than a year we doubled sales and I was promoted. How? We had fun.
Justin – I think you’ve got something there. If we relax and just have a good time with our customers – isn’t that what customer service is all about?
Speaking of having fun: I wrote a workbook called It’s a Party: Planning a Successful Retail Sales Event. It doesn’t get much more fun than having a party!
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on April 14, 2009 under Customer Moments, Perceptions |
A friend of mine took her two young boys to Paris for Spring Break this year. Must be nice! So how was the trip? Great except for the last leg of their flight home.
“Our flight from Philadephia was cancelled and here I was in an airport, wanting to get home and trying to entertain my boys,” she told me.
We’ve all been there at one time or another. We know the frustration of having to put Plan B into place. So what did she do?
“I figured that if I wanted to get my kids on a flight home I needed to be as nice as possible to the agent. I needed to kill them with kindness.”
Wait – who is the customer service representative? The customer???
“It worked,” she told me. “I smiled and told her how grateful I was that she was doing her job and what a challenging position she had and how I admired her and pretty soon she found us three seats on a flight home.”
Oh. My. Gosh.
“You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar,” she reminded me. “So I just piled on the sugar. That’s how you get good customer service – you schmooze the employee.”
Just how twisted a world are we living in that to get good customer service from a company the CUSTOMER has to provide it? Am I crazy or does this seem backward?
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on January 8, 2009 under Connecting Moments, Employee Moments, Perceptions, Resolving Conflict, empathy |
In my newsletter this month I ask this question and then share a shopping experience I had with a big box retailer over the holidays. I was returning two, unopened DVDs for a store credit. I already owned the DVDs and wanted to pick out something different.
The scenario went something like this:
The sign behind the Customer Service desk boldly informed me that without a receipt I was out of luck.
“These were gifts,” I explained.
“But you need a receipt,” the clerk informed me.
“I didn’t purchase them and so I don’t have the receipt,” I explained.
“No receipt, no refund,” she said.
“I would just like to exchange them. I’m not looking for cash and they haven’t been opened,” I insisted, pointing to the two, unopened DVDs.
A manager had to be called to settle the matter.
“Oh, yeah. Joe said this would happen,” she told the clerk. (Joe must have been a District Manager.) “Just give her a gift card.”
The manager never looked at me, never acknowledged my presence.
The clerk huffed and puffed and struggled with the cash register until the manager had to be called again.
I was a distraction. I was a trouble maker. I was being difficult. Or so I felt.
As it happened, I had additional purchases to make and in fact spent more than the gift card with my two replacement movies and WII game for my brother’s birthday.
However, I didn’t feel good about my purchase.
They didn’t give me the benefit of doubt.
I had to work to exchange the product.
I had to work to be a paying customer.
I won’t be back.
My newsletter goes out to about 500+ and even though it arrive in e-mail boxes on January 1st, people started responding. The most common question was “did you send the newsletter to the manager of the store?”
I haven’t but I’m considering it. However, I also received a couple other comments that I’d like to share with you:
WOW!! Good one. I could identify. Received a pink roller clock as a gift from Brookstone’s. It did not work. Took it back, told them it was a gift. I had no receipt, but it did not work. They say “Okay. I’m sorry. Did not open the box to check it. Did ask if I had taken out my batteries, which I had. They got me another pink one, but I said, “oh, by the way, could I have a black one instead?” ”Yes you can, no problem”, and swooped up a black one, put it in a bag for me and said, “hope this one works great for you”. I WILL DEFINITELY GO BACK TO THAT STORE AGAIN!!
The sales associate at Brookstone’s made it easy to return a product. No questions.
Remember calling in sick when you really weren’t? You worked up a great, detailed story, made your voice sound a little scratchy and prepared for the on-slaught of questions. Did you boss ever give you the benefit of the doubt and say “not a problem, just take care of yourself.” Here’s a thought – if they were the kind of boss who would give you the benefit of the doubt – I bet you didn’t feel the need to call in “sick.”
Here’s another comment that was sent to me – a different perspective that perhaps shines a negative light:
Your newsletter/emails are really nice and obviously targeted at “sellers”.
Now I’m going to get cynical and you probably already know this.
Most people are not good customers. For all their complaining about poor service, all they really care about is price.
Lower prices usually force lower paid and less motivated workers.
Your gift giver didn’t go to a specialty shop, maybe because the only job they could find was low paying (see above).
Interesting perspective. The lower the wage the lower the motivation. What do you think? Are larger retailers burdened by their workforce and destined to never give great service because of the pay scale? Is wage-an-hour the only motivator?
I disagree. I believe you can have someone working at minimum wage who is trained and motivated to provide superior customer service. However, I believe it begins with the company culture. If the employees are given the benefit of the doubt and treated as valuable assets – that will translate to how the customer is treated.
Lots here to think about. Do your employees give their customers the benefit of the doubt? Do you give your employees the benefit of the doubt?
I was visiting Custom Auto Body in North Canton last week for a meeting with Lance Runion, VP and General Manager. We are working on a project together and it was the first time I’d visited his shop. Expecting a typical auto repair store with worn carpet, car and truck magazines and ugly metal chairs I was pleased to walk into an inviting waiting area; warm, clean, comfortable.
