Customer Relationships

I know we're talking about B2B and not B2C, but the cover of the latest BtoB Magazine bothers me. I think the editors are still thinking in terms of "outbound"  rather than "inbound." Would a more appropriate headline be "Demand Generation Guide 2011" if in fact the issue contains content that helps B2B marketers find success? After all, aren't strategies that build interest and demand for a business's products far more sustainable - and viable for secondary advocacy strategies based on forged...

Our society and every organization within it has rules. From Little League to scholastic codes of conduct to employee handbooks and merchant agreements. Whether the exacting and micro-detailed codicils drafted by lawyers, or the pinky-swear commitments that ensure your besties will refrain from buying the same "to die for" jeans, rules are important. Rules contain us bouncy balls within some sort of manageable space and prevent unfettered chaos. As a customer, how many times has "It's the rules,...

I pay attention to how I feel about companies with which I do business.  I think about them - the experiences that were good, the experiences that weren't, and what could have been done differently (occasionally the problem's my own fault).  I really like giving an especially warm "Thank you"  when someone's been particularly helpful or shown sensitivity when the mundane could easily have them dropping the warmth or pixie dust from their delivery (think nurse and routine shots).  Nor do I mind...

Brother, how can I help you? We've all enjoyed stellar service.  Not long ago my friend Jim remarked to me how tickled he was following a call he'd just made to Nike.  Interestingly, the agent couldn't help Jim locate the shoe model he was looking for, but that didn't really matter.  Despite the disappointment (Lord, save us from more black sneakers), Jim closed the call feeling hunky-dory.  Fact is, the dude had Jim at: "Brother, how can I help you tonight?"  It was 11:30pm on a Sunday, a real...

I had a moment of inspiration earlier this week which led me to whip up this rudimentary visual to help express my thoughts.  As a marketer, I'm continually absorbing messages and methods deployed by other companies, competitors and service providers alike.  I stop to consider their objectives, assess the efficacy of their content, reflect on the appropriateness of their use of the medium and whether the channel delivered.  There's some assuming of roles there, but it helps make sure I'm aware...

A Nonlinear Approach Increase sales.  Reduce expenses.  These are the ways of the business world, yes?  Well, yes.  But as Zappos proves the indirect route can do something amazing in the process:  offer a guiding light that empowers and motivates employees, and reaches consumers in a "blue ocean" sort of way. "...If Amazon gets a lot of customer service calls, it will try to figure out why -- maybe there's something confusing about the product description -- and then it will try to fix the problem...

*Trust* is the bonding agent which connects business and customer together. I'll Spell It Out Trust:  a relationship of reliance. Relationship:  "...is managing and nurturing a company's interactions with its customers...The overall goals are to find, attract, and win new customers, nurture and retain those the company already has, entice former customers back into the fold, and reduce the costs of marketing and customer service." Reliance:  "...a system's ability to maintain its functions...

A note to professional service providers: When you're late, I notice. If repeated, it makes me feel unimportant and insignificant. When you reply to the punch list I emailed you without actually addressing any of my list items, I notice. And I begin to feel steamrolled. When we have a recurring status call and you don't join the conference, I notice. It tells me my time isn't important to you. When you accept my money but don't deliver the product, I notice. One-sided relationships don't...

Shut Up When I'm Talking To You! Now those companies wouldn't create marketing campaigns full of print ads, radio spots, direct mail, and online banners announcing their "La la la la, I can't hear you, la la la la" position on social feedback, would they? Of course not. But if they didin't, what do you want to bet their customers automatically assume some level of online listening, if only from the proliferation of corporate Web sites bearing "Follow us on Twitter!" badges, not to mention the astro-adoption...

One Moment. One Opportunity. That may sound (and is, sort of) an excerpt from an Eminem lyric, but the words are pretty powerful whatever your favorite musical flavor. Considering the impact - reputation, collective perception, financial - of each and every moment constituting a customer's brand experience, well it could very well seem like they're all 'make it or break it' opportunities. Customer engagement and the potential for ensuing brand affinity are milestones and objectives I think...