Ignite a Customer Explosion

Ignite a Customer Explosion

Why does a consumer select you for his buying needs, rather than your major competitor? And, on what basis would a Gulf Coast business select its own suppliers? And how do prospects compare competition in your specific market sector?

The choice is now often made on the basis of how a given business - your business - adds value to its products and services. This indeed may be the year, more than any other of this decade for - "added value." That's where the "wow factor" could give your company the unfair advantage.

It's not just price, selection, delivery guarantee, quality or financing any more. That was the boastful pitch from the previous marketing generation of simply finding the need and fulfilling it!

For your own business to become customer focused, begin by recognizing the simple truth about customer expectations. Customers expect - nay, demand - that you will make them happy every step of the marketing cycle. Each aspect of the experience that meets that expectation, adds the desired value in the customers' eyes. Conversely, each aspect of the experience that disappoints the customer and distracts from the value of doing business with you, erodes the relationship. Further, it's unlikely that any amount of apology after the fact could rebuild the damage.

We can no longer think that what we sell is our so-called basic product line or service - law, banking, housing, investments, interior design, architectural, retail. That's because, in truth, the customer sees it totally different. From the customer's point of view, you're not actually selling a product or service at all.

So, if you're not selling the basics features and benefits of your category, exactly what is it you are selling? The answer is, you are selling the total "walk-through experience."

The "total walk-through experience" is every action, sensation, issue or belief that takes your customer down the path of the total selling impression.

Total impression

This total walk-through reaction is made up of many elements: how many times the telephone rings before it is answered and then what happens; how long one is kept at the counter, in the waiting room or unattended in the conference room; how accurate the request for service is filled; if the product or service is on target; on-time critical path; paperwork accurate and swift; guarantees honored - and a whole lot more. Your challenge is to make a selling experience that may be an ordinary event into an extraordinary, and perhaps even a legendary experience.

Try this! Conduct a mini-study, an internal market research project at your next sales meeting. List all the factors on a big easel pad on what you do as "point of difference," to create not just customer satisfaction which frankly is a ho-hum accomplishment. What is it that you do from a "staff participation" standpoint to create an extraordinary customer experience? A "wow!" What creates one loyal advocate who will be delighted, ecstatic, thrilled and even overwhelmed by you and your team?

Make a shopping list in front of your staff. They'll shout out the qualities you have been anguishing to squeeze out of your corporate family for years. All of a sudden you have the makings for a strategic marketing initiative. Author, international lecturer and marketing adviser Paul Levesque suggests in his writings that an action path, if you buy into the overall concept, may look like this:

Define the transaction sequence, or the actual events experienced by the customer from start to finish.

Brainstorm ideas for exceeding customer expectations at each individual step in the transaction sequence.

Develop ways to make customers feel important at each step of the sequence.

Develop customer expectations, and tailor that experience to fit the customer.

When people decide to make a real difference, incredible things happen. They elevate and motivate themselves and everyone on their team with a win-win passion. It makes every participating selling situation an exciting, igniting, customer advocacy explosion and that's a wow!

Lou Lasday, an independent marketing adviser who resides on Longboat Key, creates action-oriented strategic marketing initiatives for Gulf Coast emerging companies. A career direct response executive; he has been a general partner of a major national marketing communications firm and regional president of the American Marketing Association.