I've been traveling a lot lately and I wanted to give you an in-depth article of immense value, if applied, to make up for lost time.
I’m absolutely amazed at the large number of businesses that take their customers, prospects and referral partners for granted. In the non-profit world the same mentality is often seen in relation to donors, volunteers and key board members. I know I sound like a broken record to many loyal readers of this blog, but here are three key reasons why tightening the bond of communication with those who influence, shape or spend money with you is a smart marketing strategy:
1. Inexpensive versus pure cold prospecting efforts
2. Great way to differentiate
3. Produces repeat business and referrals
If these three outcomes don’t get your marketing mind cranking and your bank balance dancing with glee, then I’m worried that nothing will. Yes, I know it seems like common sense to follow up with people and many of you do it well. I read your emails carefully and look at everything you send my direction with high priority. Here’s the challenge though: We live in a sped up, digital, MTV world, where manners and follow up are often forgotten or given little justice in the commerce arena.
How do I arrive at this line of thinking? Easy. Look around at how RARE it is when we truly feel wanted, respected and thanked for our business, time, contributions or ideas. For most of us an occasional thank you would be nice for our patronage, but even that seems to be in short supply these day.
Let's focus on five ways to improve follow up within your own organization because it’s a huge problem that costs organizations millions of dollars daily in lost sales, referral opportunities and growth regardless if they’re for-profit or non-profit.
Ok, enough of my rant! Let’s pull up to the Mind Capture marketing buffet and dig in before the risk arises that these ideas get cold or someone tries to distract you from achieving better customer relationships and marketing excellence.
1. Create and use a monthly newsletter or eletter. This is challenging for many businesses because they assume that they have to do an eight-page full color newsletter mailing each time, or that they don’t have the time or know-how to pull it off on a consistent basis. I’d like to challenge this type of thinking. Start simple with a two page update and get it in motion. As you get more and more newsletters done, it gets easier and becomes a priority. If you’re not a good writer, hire a local freelance writer or local college student to edit and shape your ideas, post-it-notes or scribbled messages containing your ideas and notes. I’m not joking. There are lots of great folks in your area or available online that do a great job and are a steal to pay versus you or one of your key staffers spending hours to launch, edit and get the newsletter done and out the door.
Let’s look at why EVERY business or non-profit should be using an eletter.Folks, email is essentially free and plugging your rolodex into a simple, user friendly eletter program is easy. I’ll save you some time searching and highly recommend that you explore Constant Contact. It passes the Tony test. If I think it’s easy to use, then you or someone on your team will breeze through setting it up and using it on an ongoing basis.
2. Send thank you notes. I’ll go a step further and make this easy. Grab a pen (Seems that most salespeople have forgotten what these look like unless they’re trying to get a signature on a contract!) and write down three lists that contain your top 10 customers, referral partners and prospects. Pick up some postcards, stationary, and fire off a few hand-written notes.
If you’re lost for words I’m going to make a recommendation that I strongly suggest you investigate for yourself. Check out Send Out Cards. Yes, some of you know of them, or I bet have received one and had no idea that you can use this as a resource within your own business. I use them and have become a raving fan. I’m tough to impress sometimes and this product solves a TON of follow up issues. Since there’s more to the story and we have three more strategies so here’s what I’ve decided to do. If you’d like more information and a FREE gift account of 5 cards, please contact Kim at our office directly at: k.mcg@sbcglobal.net.
3. Continually roll out new promotions or programs. I believe that once trust has been established and earned with a key customer or referral partner you owe it to them and your continued success to offer additional products or services that improve and add value to their life. One of the biggest sins many businesses make besides being boring, and lifeless with their marketing, is a lack of consistent follow up by not making new offers or announcements to encourage their customers to come back again or refer people they know who may have an interest in what they do.
Here are a few great shortcut questions to ask yourself in advance when rolling out potential new offers to your customers:
*Will it save them time?
*Is the new offer consistent with our core business strengths to increase the odds
of repeat business with them or referrals from others our customers know in their
contact sphere?
*What are logical upsale opportunities we’re missing based on what customers
are telling us they’d like to see us offer that we’re currently referring to someone
else?
4. Use client focused events to reconnect. Event marketing is a huge business and the trends show no sign of this slowing down. Hosting your own client appreciation events is one of many events that I recommend you add into your marketing mix. Here are a few simple suggestions when putting together an event for key customers and contacts:
*Make it fun
*Give away free stuff
*Make it convenient
*Avoid making it into an infomercial – yes it can be tempting 
*Encourage your customers to bring a friend or business associate so you can meetfuture customers or referral partners
*Make it worth their time by adding something educational in nature that would be timely and of interest
5. Pick up the phone. Some business owners and marketing folks would be stunned to realize that, a. the phone works b. email gets lost c. you’ll uncover a lot of things to help you build better relationships versus using email only.
I look at so many business and non-profit leaders who use email like two third-grade kids passing notes while the teacher isn’t looking. Many are either afraid to pick up the phone or claim, “I’m just so busy Tony.” Yeah, I’m sure if they wanted to place an order and demanded that you call them, you’d suddenly find time in your busy life to pick up the phone. Think about that last statement very carefully. I know you can’t spend an hour on the phone with each of them, that’s why you poll and call your top customers and referral partners first. Here are a few smart ways to maximize phone time:
*Thank them up front
*Ask them a couple of smart questions
*See how they’re doing first and if possible offer of something of value related to their business or life that’s not a heavy handed sales pitch
*Mention that you only have a few minutes but wanted to pick up the phone versus sending an email message
There you have it. Apply these five strategies and you’ll soon be reaping the benefits of better client relationships, repeat business and referral opportunities!
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( 3 / 1298 )Here are three timeless marketing principles that work despite recessions, wars, the media, election year slogans and attempts at social engineering (I couldn’t resist sounding a little 'snobby' by using big terms.) to bring you down and hinder your ability to grow and prosper:
1. The power of stories. For fear of sounding like a broken record to some of you, let me hammer home the point again that using stories in all of your marketing efforts is a wise idea. In the age of fragmented and sped up communication, the lost art of storytelling can give you a decided advantage in the competitive market place of ideas and influence. In the age of digital use video, audio and blogs in addition to your other marketing avenues to spread the story.
Here are some great idea starters to keep your marketing stories fresh, updated and increase the odds of customers, prospects and associates reading or listening to them:
*Before and after examples *Show you solved a problem *Client feedback or testimonials *Employee comments *Your work in the community/industry *Why your organization exists or mission *How your company started or key history or milestones *Updates *Positive articles or news stories about you or your industry
2. Good old fashioned listening to others. Forget focus groups. They’re too easy and often times the feedback can be skewed. Let’s get real. Pick up the phone and make a phone call. Simple, yet highly effective in the age of email, and printed surveys that most people never look at or rush through because they see little value in spending time to fill out. Humans talking to one another will give you feedback that’s priceless for both parties.
Yeah, yeah some of you say, I’m too busy Tony. My response is simple: Make time to do this for three main reasons:
1. Most people won’t do it so you’re way ahead
2. You’ll get REAL feedback and ideas in their full context versus a one line answer or quick suggestion
3. You will be stunned at how a simple remark from a key client or associate can radically improve what you’re doing well or what you need to work on to get even better. I rest my case. Grab a piece of paper if it’s near you and make a list of five people vital to your business success that you need to call today!
3. Personalize for profits. What do I mean here? It’s really quite easy: in an age of automation, Internet commerce and CRM systems where most human elements are lost due to time, staffing constraints, and online commerce, you can rise to the top in ALL of your communications if you simply add in the human touch.
Here are some excellent ways to crank up your own marketing and communications efforts:
*Personalize key communications by making a phone call versus sending anemail
*Use handwritten thank you notes and postcards
*Customize your follow up by using photos and mentioning people by name
*In key mailings either you or your team should try to include a short handwritten note or message to give it the ‘human touch’
*Have some fun by using special mailings or ‘grabbers’ that generate a smile, but more importantly show that you really care
*Send congrats notes, cards or leave voicemail messages to key clients or people in your sphere of influence if you can’t catch them in real time
Yes, a lot of this is grandma’s common sense but sadly most people have become lazy and spoiled with follow up and either use only email or do little if any personal follow up whatsoever. Marketing is sometimes confusing but it’s often times boils down to a person’s mindset or belief structures that causes errors and messes things up.
Until next time, implement these three timeless marketing principles and be prepared to witness your relationships, business and organization reap the many positive benefits that others are still struggling to find.
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( 3 / 1259 )In my last blog entry I discussed my recent escapades to Disney with my wife and kids. I shared three marketing lessons with a promise to give you five in total.
I find myself in my scenic hotel room here in Colorado Springs about two hours away from giving a dinner speaking engagement. I wanted to reveal the remaining two marketing gems from Disney per my last posting.
4. Pictures to sell the experience. You've heard it before I'm sure, but let me remind you that a picture is worth a thousand words. Once case in point involves signage. The parks we visited all used vibrant and easy to read signage with pictures to direct, explain and guide you throughout the park. Many a retailer could pick off a list of brilliant visual signage strategies from walking through a Disney property to gather ideas for helping them attract and let people know how to find them or identify key in-store promotions and offers.
A second area related to using pictures is related to rides and shows. The use of pictures and even video at the parks to build interest or 'Ride Capture' helped build curiosity to dicover more. Many businesses miss out on using great pictures, and video with their marketing to prove and demonstrate the value of their messages they're trying to communicate to customers and key prospects.
5. Sponsors, sponsors, sponsors. Disney understands the traffic and huge numbers of people that pass through the admission turnstiles each day in their parks worldwide. They use this knowledge wonderfully to sell sponsorships to other marketer's in search of a captive audience. Sponsorships are a BIG business.
I noted on a couple of rides a ton of in-ride placement from companies such as Siemans, GMC and Kodak to name a few. Disney's not doing this for free I can assure you! Someone sold a sponsor on the value of partnering with Disney and the equity/leverage of tying into their audience.
Take a look at your own business. Are you missing key areas that others would pay to access or sponsor to reach your customers or assist you with co-op marketing? Never underestimate the value of your business relationships and customers. Many non-competing firms would entertain, if it makes business sense, partnering with you or doing a joint venture.
Well, I'm about ready to head out here shortly and do a 'Live' marketing session so until we meet again, have a great night and thanks for letting me share a few marketing moments with you in cyberspace.
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( 3 / 1294 )I'm sitting in the Atlanta Bread Co. here in sunny Orlando and reflecting back on a week filled with fun, beaches and of course - amusement parks we visited. My wife always warns me to turn my marketing brain either off or keep it hidden from her when on vacation as I'm always observing things anywhere I go as they relate to sales, marketing or customer service.
I must tell you as a loyal reader of my marketing and motivation ideas, rants and wisdom (yes, I'm getting carried away now) that I risked life, limb and mamma's wrath to bring you relevant lessons direct from the marketing front.
Temptation overcame me last Thursday and I couldn't resist noting some great marketing taking place. As my wife, three children, mother-in-law and myself all waited in line last Thursday for a ride at Epcot, I could resist tempatation no longer and I turned around slowly and grabbed a pen and receipt from my back pocket and carefully scribbled out five things on the back of a receipt that I noticed at Animal Kingdom and Epcot that were forms of great marketing in action.
As I slowly slipped the freshly written notes into my wallet, I looked at my wife and remarked, "this place is like Las Vegas for kids!" The look on her face indicated that I was on to something. So, without further delay let's examine five marketing gems from central Florida and the Disney marketing machine:
1. Turning frustration into opportunity. Let's face it, we hate to wait in lines. I observed that at both parks we visited a lot of things designed to lesson the burden and impatience of park guests. Simple, yet highly effective, forms of distraction to take your mind off of waiting and lowering frustration included music, TV screens with ride related messages, exhibits, and many other forms of distraction to make time appear to speed up.
I often comment in live seminars that the fast food industry is becoming just the opposite of that. I wonder if they could borrow a thing or two from Disney? I'm waiting for the call from McDonald's or BK at any moment to learn the rest of my marketing secrets :-)
2. Upsell, upsell, upsell! They aren't shy at any park we visited about extracting maximum cash from your wallet. From buying a picture package, renting lockers for your items and backpacks (some rides made this mandatory) to additional discounts on souvenirs and cross sells at the gift shop, they hammer you at every turn to spend money. As a marketing teacher and fan I was like a kid in the candy store watching each interaction. Yes, as the credit card ad on TV asks "what's in your wallet?", my response this past week would be DISNEY and their upsell magicians.
3. Use your excitement and emotion to get you to spend. If you've visited any of their theme parks the last few years you've certainly noticed that you never exit a ride or show directly back into the park. No, no, no my friend, another crack at your wallet is about to take place. My wife and I can attest to how crazy this can be when you're also in tow with Grandma and three young kids.
This is a high percentage sales opportunity to take a part of the experience and ride or show home with you for a price. The price is two things: jam packed luggage and $79.63 if you're not careful.
In our next blog 'capture' experience I'll reveal the other two marketing gems I discovered from my time at Disney last week in Florida. Pss: Please make sure you don't let Kim know I posted this or I'm a goner!
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( 3 / 1317 )The setting: A marketing conference in Nashville two weeks ago. 1200 other entrepreneurs from around the globe and I were wrapped in a hypnotic spell watching a rock star perform with one major twist. Instead of our hands in the air clapping along to the music, we were all seated and writing down notes as fast as our pens and laptop keyboards could process marketing advice from arguably one of the top media stars walking the planet today. I’m talking about Gen Simmons from the classic rock band Kiss.
Gene’s band Kiss isn’t as popular on the current music scene as they were in the late 1970’s when the ‘Kiss Army’ was recruiting new fans faster than a politician can grab a check at a fundraiser, but they are still a huge business and his popularity is still strong. His fame and marketing prowess has allowed him to capture whole new generations of fans and lots of wallets for that matter.
Three BIG Marketing Strategies From This
Musician Turned Marketing Genius
I’m looking at my three pages of handwritten notes as I type this eletter from my two hours spent with Mr. Simmons in Nashville and thinking to myself, which three nuggets can I share with you? So much ‘Gene-ius’ where do I start?
Here are three gems to enjoy:
Build your brand. “Kiss is not a rock and roll band. We’re a rock and roll BRAND!” With over 3000 licensed products (he’s retained ALL rights), three successful TV shows and the band still doing live gigs, this guy is busier than ever and has created a marketing machine most company’s would die for. Whether or not you like his band or his philosophy, you simply can’t argue with his strategic thinking and ability to think far outside the box. So, the question for you to consider is: How’s your brand doing?
Pick up the phone. I’m amazed at how much he advocated and still promotes using personal phone calls to make deals happen. Granted he’s very well known, but the bigger lesson is that he still picks up the phone and makes things happen. He doesn’t believe in having an entourage and surprisingly still negotiates most of his business deals and inquiries directly. Gee, I wonder why he’s so successful? On that point he also reminded us to, “connect with people and thank them.” Sage advice indeed.
Wow, one of those rare celebs who’s not in rehab (he’s never done drugs or alcohol) and actually acknowledges and still thanks those who’ve made him rich and famous. This is just common sense but sadly too many folks believe their press clippings and miss out on the power of gratitude and giving thanks to those who’ve helped them and supported them along the way.
Be accessible to the people and opportunities. I witnessed this first hand the evening before Gene spoke at the conference. I was having getting set to have dinner with a couple of business associates inside the Gaylord Opryland hotel and no lie, who walks up to me as I’m surveying the dinner buffet? None other than Gene Simmons! Having met many famous people before I must admit that even I was a little aloof and star struck at first. I then immediately thought, what the heck, he’s taking photos with people and has no security so let’s be bold.
I quickly punched in my wife’s phone number on my cell phone, hit the send button and prayed she’d pick up the phone. When she answered I calmly handed my phone to Gene and politely said, “Gene, please say hi to my wife, she’s a big fan.” He spent about 20 seconds on the phone with her. Yes, I was stunned at how cool this celeb encounter went but more importantly how nice he was. No security guards pushing me away or him being rude. A moment in time that my wife and I will not soon forget.
Alright, enough of my rock-n-roll encounter let’s get back to the seminar. He mentioned how amazing it is that many CEO’s and leaders put up walls to access their customers and miss out on not only great ideas, but ways to improve their operations. In addition, he mentioned that being difficult to reach or simply unavailable is not a smart business strategy and to avoid it all costs.
Well, our time is up for now. I hope you enjoyed this blog update and lessons from Gene Simmons. Oh, I almost forgot: THANK YOU again for reading this and allowing me the chance to ‘Capture’ your mind!
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