Last weekend my mobile phone froze on me. However, as I was just 11 days from the end of a two year contract I thought it would be a no-brainer to get an early upgrade. How wrong I was! I have been a loyal customer with my mobile provider for well over ten years, yet the company was prepared to let me go for the sake of 11 days!
When I mentioned the foolhardiness of this policy to the manager she replied that she knew – had in fact been refused an upgrade to a customer just one day away from the end of their contract - and because of such restrictions she was actually leaving the company to work elsewhere.
Not wanting to be without a mobile phone service, I walked out of the door and into the next mobile phone provider shop just two doors down. What saved the day was having to get my PAC code over the phone – and for this I went back to the original provider. I had to hang on their phone for over 30 minutes, but I finally got through to someone who offered me an instant upgrade with no loss of cover.
As my personal opinion is that all companies are pretty much the same when it comes to customer service (or lack of it) I was happy to renew. However, when I mentioned the manager’s restricted abilities to the new salesperson, I was met with surprise and indifference.
Yet the company was within a whisker of losing me – and it is always, always, ALWAYS more cost effective to retain customers than spend marketing money on finding new ones. So I urge you to educate your staff to do whatever is reasonable to retain your existing customers.
Thursday, 16 February 2012
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
When re-branding alone can never go far enough
I couldn't help but be amused the other week when I went to a friend’s birthday celebrations. She had made sure the venue catered for all tastes with delicious food suitable for omnivores, vegetarians and vegans. Along with the meat and cheese dishes were two large bowls of vegetable rice, one clearly labelled ‘vegan’ and the other not. (Presumably the only difference between the two being that one also contained butter.)
By the end of the night the food had all gone except for - you guessed it - the bowl of vegetable rice with the dreaded ‘V’ word in front of it. Even those who wanted to soak up excess alcohol were avoiding eating it - and I don’t think it was because they didn’t want to deprive any poor vegan in the vicinity of extra calories.
The very word ‘vegan’ clearly makes most omnivores run a mile. I suspect they fear it may be tasteless and could even be the death of them – so they’re too frightened even to try a mouthful. Which is a real shame because in reality a balanced, vegan diet is a delicious, compassionate choice that benefits the health of humans, the planet and animals.
Re-branding a ‘vegan diet’ as a ‘plant-based’ diet would no doubt help, but on its own will never last. Just as changing the negatively perceived term ‘Mongolism’ to ‘Downs Syndrome’ works for a while, the new term ends up being equally surrounded by negativity in the end. In such circumstances what is also needed is sustained education that changes biased, negative attitudes and beliefs into positive, intelligent, informed choices of looking at and interacting with our unbelievably rare and precious planet and the individual lives on it - both human and animal.
By the end of the night the food had all gone except for - you guessed it - the bowl of vegetable rice with the dreaded ‘V’ word in front of it. Even those who wanted to soak up excess alcohol were avoiding eating it - and I don’t think it was because they didn’t want to deprive any poor vegan in the vicinity of extra calories.
The very word ‘vegan’ clearly makes most omnivores run a mile. I suspect they fear it may be tasteless and could even be the death of them – so they’re too frightened even to try a mouthful. Which is a real shame because in reality a balanced, vegan diet is a delicious, compassionate choice that benefits the health of humans, the planet and animals.
Re-branding a ‘vegan diet’ as a ‘plant-based’ diet would no doubt help, but on its own will never last. Just as changing the negatively perceived term ‘Mongolism’ to ‘Downs Syndrome’ works for a while, the new term ends up being equally surrounded by negativity in the end. In such circumstances what is also needed is sustained education that changes biased, negative attitudes and beliefs into positive, intelligent, informed choices of looking at and interacting with our unbelievably rare and precious planet and the individual lives on it - both human and animal.
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
When humour isn’t funny
Humour can be an incredibly powerful force. It can help you get a serious message across in a friendly way; make people see an issue differently; or just make people warm to you and your brand. However you do need to take care when using it. When you’re talking to people face to face it’s much easier to judge their reaction and know whether or not your joke went down well. But if you write something funny you don’t know your readers’ reaction unless you get a complaint. Which is something you definitely don’t want to provoke.
When I was at the ice hotel in Swedish Lapland at New Year, we had a briefing on how to survive the night at -5C. As the guests gathered in the ice cold lobby two young Swedish women were waiting for us. They were talking in Swedish and suddenly one of them turned to us and said “We are discussing who takes the survivors and who takes the non-survivors.” Quick as a flash her colleague said, “I’ll take the survivors. Follow, me.” Guests immediately started to file out of the lobby after her – and pretty soon there were very few of us left. At which point the first Swedish woman said, “Wait! Some of you will have to stay with me because the rooms are too small to fit all of you in.”
Luckily her misunderstood joke was easily overcome and the few of us who had waited probably had a better time of the briefing as there were fewer of us crammed in the small ice rooms. But it goes to show that humour is relative and you need to make sure your words will come across as you intended and not be misconstrued. So do think carefully when you use humour. Used well it can be extremely persuasive.
When I was at the ice hotel in Swedish Lapland at New Year, we had a briefing on how to survive the night at -5C. As the guests gathered in the ice cold lobby two young Swedish women were waiting for us. They were talking in Swedish and suddenly one of them turned to us and said “We are discussing who takes the survivors and who takes the non-survivors.” Quick as a flash her colleague said, “I’ll take the survivors. Follow, me.” Guests immediately started to file out of the lobby after her – and pretty soon there were very few of us left. At which point the first Swedish woman said, “Wait! Some of you will have to stay with me because the rooms are too small to fit all of you in.”
Luckily her misunderstood joke was easily overcome and the few of us who had waited probably had a better time of the briefing as there were fewer of us crammed in the small ice rooms. But it goes to show that humour is relative and you need to make sure your words will come across as you intended and not be misconstrued. So do think carefully when you use humour. Used well it can be extremely persuasive.
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Why start with a blank sheet?
When you’re starting to write copy for your business, whether it’s a web page, an advertisement or a flyer, there’s no need to start with a blank sheet. All that white space can be overpowering and make you feel intimidated. It can even give you writer’s block. So I always find it helps to start with some copy already in place. That way you can expand on the copy, edit it, or otherwise craft it to make it suit your means.
OK, you say, that sounds like a great idea. But where do I get this copy from in the first place? Easy – you can make bullet points of the things you want or need to say; start with some copy you have used in the past; or even cut and paste from a competitor’s website (or two).
It’s always easier to ‘criticise’ than to ‘create’, so having something in front of you, rather than the pressure of a blank sheet, will give you focus. Believe me, the relief of having some copy to work on will help get your creative juices flowing. With the internet there’s no shortage of information and it’s easy to find out what your competitors are doing. I don’t mean that you need to copy them – far from it. You just use their thoughts to jog your own ideas and inspiration to create a totally unique piece of marketing that sells your own business perfectly.
OK, you say, that sounds like a great idea. But where do I get this copy from in the first place? Easy – you can make bullet points of the things you want or need to say; start with some copy you have used in the past; or even cut and paste from a competitor’s website (or two).
It’s always easier to ‘criticise’ than to ‘create’, so having something in front of you, rather than the pressure of a blank sheet, will give you focus. Believe me, the relief of having some copy to work on will help get your creative juices flowing. With the internet there’s no shortage of information and it’s easy to find out what your competitors are doing. I don’t mean that you need to copy them – far from it. You just use their thoughts to jog your own ideas and inspiration to create a totally unique piece of marketing that sells your own business perfectly.
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy
So said David Ogilvy – who went on to say “When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.” Grabbing people’s attention is therefore key to your success. Obviously, as it suggests above, your headline won’t appeal to everyone. But to those it does resonate with, you’ve got your audience hooked. They are the ones who will read on and want to find out more about your products or services.
Of course in order to make a sale, your copy has to fulfil on the promise of the headline. It has to keep your potential customer’s interest and tell them quickly and succinctly what they need to know - and how to get it. It will tell them with passion, energy and enthusiasm how you can help make their lives easier, solve a problem or headache for them, or give them valuable information. That way they’ll be driven to contact you to find out more or buy your solution.
Without a strong and powerful headline you could lose many potential customers and waste your marketing spend. So get creative and make your audience an offer they can’t refuse.
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
An Olympic achievement with room for improvement
At the weekend I was lucky enough to get tickets to an event in the ‘London Prepares Series’ in the run up to the 2012 Olympics. It was goalball, a Paralympic game where visually impaired contestants are blindfolded (to ensure a level playing field) and play with a ball that has bells in it. I really enjoyed it and had a good time.
However I was appalled at the poor signage. We got lost almost immediately after getting off the train as the signs to the Olympic park petered out at a crucial junction. Luckily someone from the site just happened to be walking by in a fluorescent jacket so we were able to ask for directions.
What’s more, there were no forms asking for feedback. So London may be preparing for the Olympics in terms of their staffing and hosting abilities, but how will they know whether they’re achieving their desired visitor experience? It’s the sort of oversight that can make all the difference between an enjoyable and successful visit and one that is frustrating and disappointing. Especially if you’ve paid a large amount of money for a ticket.
So whatever you are marketing, whether it’s a live event, a product or a service, make sure you think through the customer journey thoroughly. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and do a test run if you can. At the very least make sure you ask for feedback, good or bad. And of course always be sure to request a glowing testimonial.
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Write from the heart and make a difference in the world
I don’t normally watch Masterchef Australia but I did last night because the contestants had to cook a vegetarian meal for the Dalai Lama. As he is a Buddhist Monk I knew he wouldn’t judge the food but accept everything he was offered graciously - and of course he did just that.
It was wonderful to watch how, even though there were the same – if not more pressures – on the contestants, the atmosphere in the kitchen changed from one of competitiveness to that of co-operation. Everyone wanted each other to do well for his Holiness. In fact when one contestant’s gnocchi sadly failed to cook, the others rallied round to help her.
This uplifting episode demonstrates how important it is to serve others from the heart. Whatever your product or service, when you aim to make a difference in peoples’ lives you will succeed. And your sales messages are the perfect opportunity to express this. Use them to tell your clients you are there to help them solve their problems.
Writing from the heart will resonate with your customers and make all the difference to your sales literature. You'll find you start to attract your ideal clients to you, naturally.
It was wonderful to watch how, even though there were the same – if not more pressures – on the contestants, the atmosphere in the kitchen changed from one of competitiveness to that of co-operation. Everyone wanted each other to do well for his Holiness. In fact when one contestant’s gnocchi sadly failed to cook, the others rallied round to help her.
This uplifting episode demonstrates how important it is to serve others from the heart. Whatever your product or service, when you aim to make a difference in peoples’ lives you will succeed. And your sales messages are the perfect opportunity to express this. Use them to tell your clients you are there to help them solve their problems.
Writing from the heart will resonate with your customers and make all the difference to your sales literature. You'll find you start to attract your ideal clients to you, naturally.
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