Customer Relationships

Ridiculous as it may sound, a few months ago I attended a business conference (a 2-day event, mind you) at a popular Des Moines hotel that catered heavily to business travelers. That is to say, there was a large business center, at least 6 large meeting rooms in a central hub, and a lot of well-suited people scurrying about. No kids. No strollers. No pool. Oh, and did I mention that without $10 a day - even for conference attendees (it's fair to presume the sponsoring organization was paying hefty...

Persuasive Selling We all know that customer testimonials are a primo tool leveraged within new business development initiatives. We like validation for our choices, and testimonials can be a low-key, non-invasive way to present a winning scenario that a prospect just might relate to (in whole or part) - whether it was due to similarities in budget, accelerated timing, market, customer base, etc. We want the same big win that the person offering the testimonial got.  We want to be successful, too. I'm...

I've worked in service-driven capacities almost my whole life. I started in retail environments scooping ice cream and assisting women in clothing stores and moved on to include clients both global and local. I've drawn on early childhood experiences, too, having watched my parents aid grieving and often angry families through the stressful process of saying goodbye to loved ones.  A tenuous balance of practicality, necessity, and emotional. At a glance, these are disparate life experiences...

For small businesses, it can be a challenge to look uber-polished and sophisticated with every communication and customer relationship tactic. If you're also repositioning and rebranding the company as we are at Ovation, in many way's it's on par with a brand new start-up.  There's the Web site, collateral, product sheets, trade show materials to develop. On another level is logowear, corporate gifts of various values, advertising for awareness and image building. There's also the requisite...

Engage Customers Or Market To Them?  Decisions, Decisions Customer Engagement is an area of brand affinity that I'm passionate about.  I've always been a strong believer that only by tapping into the emotional needs of consumers will brands ever be able to design and deliver valuable products that serve their rational needs as well. This mindset goes way beyond performing in ways to achieve satisfied customers and much more to the heart of what my employer Ovation is doing now - encouraging brands...

As an employee progressing through Newbie Acclimation 101, one of the topics I've given a lot of thought to lately is concept of Team. Being the newcomer sometimes allows me to see some "grandfathered" situations and dynamics in a way that more seasoned employees don't. I think this is the temporary "keen insight" baton that gets passed from one successive new hire to the next. I believe that Team implies a relationship. Team assumes two or more parties share interest in a common topic, understand...

The plight of a salesperson is a tough one. There are physical barriers ranging from receptionists screening calls to Junk or Spam filters blocking emails, and direct mailings that are overlooked.  I don't purport to have deep insights on how to effectively penetrate the "no solicitations" bubble surrounding many purchase decision-makers, but I do believe that many messages and tactics are off target to say the best, and out of touch, to say the least. What Did You Just Say To Me? These are excerpts...

Anyone who's browsed this blog understands my passion for the consumer/customer. I assert that they MAKE your business. Yes, that may sound obvious--the premise is commerce, after all. But what I mean is, consumer insight is the holy grail business strategists, product developers, marketers, and sales forces should forsake most other tools for.  Insight can help a business: Anticipate: flaws, lack of functionality, holes in offering suites Mitigate: lessen the impact or importance of flaws...

Every day we have opportunities to hear what goes on around us. On the large, that means literally being part of conversations with peers, vendors, employees, and clients (let's omit personal relationships).  We know that communication happens in several forms; oral, written, and gestures like facial expressions and body language.  There's even the "unspoken" variety, in which messages are sent in subtle or veiled ways between two groups or persons sharing a complex relationship (eyebrows, in particular,...