When was the last time someone asked you what you want? What you’d prefer to have, over what their perception thinks you’d like to have?
Are you looked after by the services you use on a regular basis? If not, why not – isn’t it about time you were?
I’m a business owner, but I’m also a consumer and a customer. So why am I told what I need instead of being asked what I need, as a customer?
When I go to a store to buy goods or services, I’m offered AirMiles as an incentive. But if I don’t fly often, what good is that to me?
When I receive an email to fill out a business survey I’m offered Barnes & Noble gift vouchers, but I’ve never shopped there in my life. Are they really incentives?
There are countless communication methods to speak with your customers and ask what they want. You have mailing lists to stay in touch with your most loyal – use them. Customer service questionnaires, website forms, Twitter, telephone calls – make it your task to ask.
Speak to your customers and instead of offering non-essential incentives, offer something they would use. How many of your customers drive? Wouldn’t a gas loyalty card offer with a certain level of purchase be a better incentive to spend money with you?
Frequent flyers part of your customer base? Instead of offering a discount at just a specific store within the airport, how about a discount in any shop within the airport? Leave the choice to your customer as opposed to making the choice for them.
Good business sense is all about listening. Where are your listening posts?
photo credit: Mr Tickle – Wachoo Wachoo Tribe Congressman
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Good post from @DannyBrown on listening to what kinds of incentives your customers actually want: http://bit.ly/IzKAX
via uberVU
Are you listening or just hearing what you want to hear? http://bit.ly/4vamsT (via @DannyBrown)
via uberVU
RT @DannyBrown Are you listening or just hearing what you want to hear? http://bit.ly/4vamsT
via uberVU
RT @DannyBrown: Are you listening or just hearing what you want to hear? http://bit.ly/4vamsT
via uberVU
Some days, Danny, you remind me of how far I have yet to go and how much potential there is in the future. You know I love the concept of talking to the customers. My business model has had the face-to-face resume model since its inception, though now I also work virtually. But until January, I didn't have a website, and I still don't have multiple other strategies in place that I know how to do to talk with my clients. It does make sense though to invest yourself in listening to your customers no matter how big or small the business is.
When a big business listens to me, I am startled. But I think the world is changing with social media leading the way to opening conversation if companies are willing to listen. It takes a total change in mindset though and I am not sure many companies are ready for that. As a very small business owner, I welcome feedback and as a non-profit operations manager, I continually seek feedback.
That's one of the biggest benefits of social media, the fact that no business is a giant – we're all on the same playing field now, we all have to listen. The ones that don't…
I have used that strategy with companies to some extent before, particularly with credit card companies. I am still negotiating but recently the CC company that I do most of my business with sent me a letter saying my 7.99% rate would go to 15.99%. At the same times, I was holding a balance transfer offer from the same company of 0.00%… I called to check my options, and I have about 2 months to finalize my plan. Next time, I go one more step up in management. I have already told them I am an excellent customer, loyal since 1998 and they agreed. Now what will it take to make me not move to a competitor? Listening, responding, negotiating.
It's funny Danny – I've read several posts along the lines of yours this morning. I think someone is trying to tell me something about my relationship to my customers. A good thing!
It is so easy these days to get caught up into the “here's what you need” mentality of customer relations. We tend to think that because we are the “marketer”, with a product, we automatically know what our “market” needs. How far from the truth.
Now I've learned that I should start with my market in mind and fit my product to their needs. My market research has totally changed.
But here's what I'm learning from posts like yours: Listening is an ongoing process. Just because I've done the appropriate market/keyword research and determined what the customer is asking for, doesn't mean that I know them well enough to truly help them make the purchase.
Ongoing listening to them and consistently interacting with them builds TRUST. In my book, that trust builds the bridge between their need and my product.
Twitter: JeffHurt
Listening is so important to communication. Setting up those listening posts are critical to the success of any organization.
Bottom line, it really is about engaging and maintaining relationships. Think about a relationship where one person does all the talking and never listens. Not too many people want to be the non-stop talker's friend. Now think about the relationship where your friend listens. I mean really listens to what's being said and what's being said underneath the words. Everyone wants to be that person's friend.
Now take that to the business model and you can create a customer evangelist for sure. Loyal, dedicated, willing to turn others on to your service too. Don't we want those type of customers?
Twitter: timjahn
Great point with the rewards and giveaways. A company that understands who their customer base is, what they like, and what they do on the weekends can offer rewards and promotions that are aligned with their customers. A company without this knowledge can offer random crap.
The random crap might be good, but the understand will lead great.
Twitter: ariherzog
Now you're talking and reminding me of a comment I left on Becky McCray's blog a while back — http://www.smallbizsurvival.com/2009/05/shop-lo... — wherein I asked why retailers offer 2-for-1 specials in their shops, but not say, buy one in our shop and get something of equal or lesser price free in another shop down the street.
I think the day we stop listening, Frank, is the day we pack in. We can't know it all, and we can only improve by constant listening, because our customers evolve far quicker than we often do.
To your last point, trust is the bridge builder for sure that will at least keep our customers with us as we evolve with them. Cheers for stopping by, always a pleasure.
“One person does all the talking and never listens” – isn't that marriage?
You got it, Jeff – it's digging beneath the words that really make the difference; too many just scratch the surface instead.
That's a great point, Ari. I've been thinking a lot about coalition marketing lately (I wrote about it a little while back. As mergers and cross-promotions become more widespread, I think we'll see many more “you scratch my back” approaches.
Customer satisfaction surveys are often used to gauge how well a company is doing. If you employ this technique, a very interesting question to end with is, “what else can we do for you” or “which of the following three services/products would you prefer as a gift”.
While some of their answers will seem quite logical, you will typically receive a few that no one in your company would have ever guessed…but you have to ask if you want to hear what your customers are dying to tell you.