Found this great article that is a natural fit to this blog, so I thought I would share here as well:
Love is the most powerful force in marketing. It’s what drives loyalty, excitement, and — ultimately — conversations. You have to work to earn it every day. Three people to focus on:
1> Employees2> Customers3> Competitors
1> Employees
You can’t have genuine, sustainable word of mouth if your employees don’t buy into it. If you haven’t earned their trust and respect, how can you expect them to earn it from customers? Earn their love by empowering them, by soliciting (and listening to) their feedback, and by celebrating big when they do amazing things for your customers.
2> Customers
Obvious, perhaps, but few brands strive for this deep of a relationship with their customers. The best word of mouth marketers — the ones we all respect and admire — they’re aiming for love. Most of your competitors are striving for “satisfied” — you can aim bigger than that.
3> Competitors
You can’t solve every problem for every prospect — and neither can your competitors. Focus on those you can do fantastic work for and send the rest to someone you believe in. Both the customer and your peers will love you for it, and you’ll see the benefits when the referrals start coming your way.
Check our more articles like this at http://gaspedal.com/blog/
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Anticipate the Customers Needs
Recently my kiddos and I were at our favorite fast food restaurant Chick-Fil-A. Now Chick-Fil-A is our favorite for a variety of reason which all are based predominantly on experience, but this visit stood out.
After we had finished eating our number five eight packs, and playing on the clean (very important to me) playscape we gathered our belongs to head home. About 2 seconds later, I realized that it was raining. Super annoyed by the fact that my umbrella was on the front seat of my car, I began to prepare the kids for the run to the car in the rain. “Now Colin, you are going to go first, then Sissy….”
As we approached the door I noticed a Chick-Fil-A employee was waiting to walk us to our car with a golf sized umbrella. Now this may seem like a small thing, but to I was blown away. I had never had someone prepared to walk me to my car in the rain at a fine dining establishment let alone a fast food chain.
Needless to say, they have once again reminded me why I am willing to pay $8 for small box of chicken. I have said it before and I will say it again, I love Chick-Fil-A!
Take away: Anticipate the needs of your customers. By showing them that you have considered and are responding to their needs you will demonstrate just how important they are to you.
Monday, February 22, 2010
AFP Article on Customer Experience
Had a great interview last Friday and AFP wrote a nice article, so I thought I would share.
(Feb. 23, 2010) Do you know what it’s like to be a donor to your organization? Bridget Brandt, senior marketing manager at Sage Nonprofit Solutions, offers tips on evaluating your organization’s “customer experience” and enhancing your relationship with donors to foster long-term support.
Brandt is also presenting an interactive session on this topic at AFP’s International Conference on Fundraising in Baltimore, April 11-14, 2010.
“Whether it is a for-profit or a nonprofit, people who support a cause or buy a product or service are looking to have a positive experience,” says Brandt. “If they do, they come back. It’s that simple.” But assuring positive customer or donor experiences means knowing what it’s like to walk in your front door and talk to the receptionist, or call organization staff, or visit your website. “So often executives and leaders are oblivious to what it’s really like for someone trying to get information or get a question answered at their own organization,” she says. For many, when they finally find out, it is a real eye-opener.
Act Like a Donor
Brandt suggests making a call to the general phone number and asking a question about the mission of your organization. Ask what happens with the charitable donations you receive. Or, send a friend to make a visit to the organization and report back on their experience. Was the reception welcoming and informative, or unpleasant?
What you find out about your organization’s donor experience may not be pretty, but if you are open to the feedback and honest about the situation, it can trigger real improvements for the organization. “You should evaluate your frontline volunteers and staff, but do not punish people for being honest about what they do and don’t do for callers, guests, etc.,” says Brandt. “This should be a learning process.”
In fact, improving donor loyalty through a more positive donor experience also means creating a more positive environment for your staff and volunteers. Are they properly trained and prepared for their roles? Are they encouraged to do well?
A Unique Experience
Don’t stop by just tying up loose ends and assuring you are providing a positive experience for donors, though. Brandt explains that your organization has to stand out. Ask yourself: “What are we doing to create a unique experience?” Be creative. Use new technologies. Be interactive. Make it fun to be involved with your organization. It’s not good enough for your donor to have a pleasant experience with your organization, whether online or on the phone or in person—it needs to be an experience that makes them want to come back.
To sum up, enhancing your organization’s donor experience means taking a close and honest look at the various touchpoints of your donors. Each one should be informative, welcoming, even inspiring. Once you fix the flaws, then you can work on making the experience exceptional.
Bridget Brandt will discuss specific methods for evaluating and enhancing your organization’s donor experience in her session at the 47th AFP International Conference on Fundraising in Baltimore, April 11-14. Her session is titled “How You Can Create Experiences That Foster True Loyalty” and will be presented Monday, April 12, at 1:15 p.m.
(Feb. 23, 2010) Do you know what it’s like to be a donor to your organization? Bridget Brandt, senior marketing manager at Sage Nonprofit Solutions, offers tips on evaluating your organization’s “customer experience” and enhancing your relationship with donors to foster long-term support.
Brandt is also presenting an interactive session on this topic at AFP’s International Conference on Fundraising in Baltimore, April 11-14, 2010.
“Whether it is a for-profit or a nonprofit, people who support a cause or buy a product or service are looking to have a positive experience,” says Brandt. “If they do, they come back. It’s that simple.” But assuring positive customer or donor experiences means knowing what it’s like to walk in your front door and talk to the receptionist, or call organization staff, or visit your website. “So often executives and leaders are oblivious to what it’s really like for someone trying to get information or get a question answered at their own organization,” she says. For many, when they finally find out, it is a real eye-opener.
Act Like a Donor
Brandt suggests making a call to the general phone number and asking a question about the mission of your organization. Ask what happens with the charitable donations you receive. Or, send a friend to make a visit to the organization and report back on their experience. Was the reception welcoming and informative, or unpleasant?
What you find out about your organization’s donor experience may not be pretty, but if you are open to the feedback and honest about the situation, it can trigger real improvements for the organization. “You should evaluate your frontline volunteers and staff, but do not punish people for being honest about what they do and don’t do for callers, guests, etc.,” says Brandt. “This should be a learning process.”
In fact, improving donor loyalty through a more positive donor experience also means creating a more positive environment for your staff and volunteers. Are they properly trained and prepared for their roles? Are they encouraged to do well?
A Unique Experience
Don’t stop by just tying up loose ends and assuring you are providing a positive experience for donors, though. Brandt explains that your organization has to stand out. Ask yourself: “What are we doing to create a unique experience?” Be creative. Use new technologies. Be interactive. Make it fun to be involved with your organization. It’s not good enough for your donor to have a pleasant experience with your organization, whether online or on the phone or in person—it needs to be an experience that makes them want to come back.
To sum up, enhancing your organization’s donor experience means taking a close and honest look at the various touchpoints of your donors. Each one should be informative, welcoming, even inspiring. Once you fix the flaws, then you can work on making the experience exceptional.
Bridget Brandt will discuss specific methods for evaluating and enhancing your organization’s donor experience in her session at the 47th AFP International Conference on Fundraising in Baltimore, April 11-14. Her session is titled “How You Can Create Experiences That Foster True Loyalty” and will be presented Monday, April 12, at 1:15 p.m.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
A Phone Call Can Make All the Difference
Customer Experience can be so many things, but sometimes it can simply be returning a phone call when you say you are going to return a phone call.
This is taken directly from an e-mail I received this week.
Take away: Remember that your customers are your life blood and contacting them is always your first priority.
This is taken directly from an e-mail I received this week.
“I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your follow-through!!!!! It was great to get your message and to actually hear a real person try to get back to me! That is a first…so THANK YOU for caring about customers!” JaneWow, this message amazed me because I was just doing what I thought everyone did; following up with my customer. Apparently that doesn’t always happen, and that is disappointing and alarming all at the same time.
Take away: Remember that your customers are your life blood and contacting them is always your first priority.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Social Media: It's Time
Social Media is everywhere and it’s not going away. Tomorrow we are hosting a webcast on that very topic with the goal of encouraging more nonprofits to get involved. Sadly we don’t have a ton of great examples because people are still in the wait and see mode.
However, instead of waiting to see you should be exploring and learning. Organizations that start now are going to be leaps and bounds beyond those still waiting to see if it sticks.
Ford is doing a spectacular job of using social media and really interacting with their customers. In fact, they are reversing a once negative brand image of the company by leveraging the power of social media. You can check them out all over the place by googling them, but before you do that think about what you can be doing to interact with your customers to be more involved.
Maybe it is time you start by listening? Dan Gonzales, Web Managing Editor for Sage Nonprofit Solutions, says that is a great first step and I couldn’t agree more. After that, start getting involved with Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In. Then move to an actual strategy and plan for your organization.
No matter what, it is time to stop waiting.
Take away: Get involved!
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