Can you believe he wrote that? Don’t make a brand consistent? Huh?
Ok, here’s why I wrote that: Consistency is not enough.
In fact, consistency is often boring.
Don’t think consistent. Think complementary.
Take one of the world’s strongest brands - Apple. I don’t expect the different components of the Apple brand I come in contact with (computer, iPod, iPhone, apple.com, iTunes, iTunes store, Genius Bar, retail shopping experience, computer repair, etc.) to all say the same thing, with consistency. That would be weird. No, I expect them to be in complement, creating experiences that blend in harmony.
The oft-mentioned “McDonald’s is a great brand because I can get the same hamburger anywhere is the world” is not really what makes a great brand. It may make a predictable product, but it doesn’t make for an interesting brand. Experiences worth noticing and thinking about use contrast and tension to create interest. One of my favorite avocations is playing jazz. Beautiful jazz harmonies are filled with tension and dissonance; the contrast is what makes them beautiful. The same thing can happen with experiences your customers have with you.
Consistency is not enough. You can aim higher. Think “complement.”
Have a look at my recent post on tompeters.com, discussing an adage.com article about the trend of snideness and sarcasm in advertising. Great comments from the tompeters.com community!
Seth Godin and Daniel Pink are two of the most important business writers today … so it is with humility that I disagree with them. Seth wrote a blog post this week titled “Citizens,” in which he asked the question, “What do you call the people that marketers interact with? The ones who aren’t customers yet…” The answer, which Seth said came out of a conversation Dan Pink, is “citizens.”
I call them customers.
My definition of a customer is this: Anyone whose actions affect your results.
I have found this definition to be very useful, because it helps you realize that the job of sales and marketing is not to write brochures, or do ads, or make sales pitches. Sales and marketing, simply, are about encouraging people to do things that positively affect your results.
And, this definition helps you recognize that many of the people, or organizations, who affect your results don’t pay you money. Your vendors affect your results. The media may affect your results. For some of you, the government affects your results. And, people who are “prospective customers” are actually customers, since their actions can affect your results. Why not employ a good marketing approach when trying to motivate these people, even though they are not paying customers?
Relationships with customers start before they are paying customers. And, marketing doesn’t stop after a someone becomes a paying customer. (I’ll admit, I was surprised that Seth, our uber-guru of marketing, started the post by asking, “What do we call the people that marketers interact with? Those who aren’t customers yet …” He, of all people, recognizes that marketing isn’t only focused creating new, paying customers. Just look at his concepts of Permission Marketing, Idea Viruses, Meatball Sundaes, etc. He always writes about marketing as something much more than lead generation.) The actual point at which someone becomes a paying customer is just a transition point. Yes, it is an important transition point, but it is not a discontinuity in the relationship. We don’t need to start relating to this person in a whole new way; in fact, in many cases it will seem disingenuous if we do.
I certainly agree with the post’s admonition against thinking of future paying customers as part of a “target market.” (See page 79 in We, “Marketing words that I avoid”)
But, I am committed to thinking of anyone who affects my results as a customer, even if they are not yet paying me … or will never pay me. That way, I will interact with them as a customer, and I will have a better chance of encouraging them to act in ways that drive my business results.
The concept of the “elevator pitch” has become popular in recent years. An elevator pitch is what you would say if you were lucky enough to find yourself in an elevator for 30 seconds with the CEO of a prospective client company.
The biggest problem with an elevator pitch is that you may actually tell it to someone.
Why do I say this?
The Next 30 Seconds
I am much less interested in the 30 seconds you are in an elevator with a CEO than I am interested in the next 30 seconds, after you say goodbye in the building’s lobby. What happens during this subsequent 30 seconds? Is the CEO totally mesmerized by his encounter with you, unable to stop thinking about this incredible person he just met, or does he grab his cell phone and make a call, as the memory of you quickly fades away?
Monologue vs. Dialogue
If you want to create a memorable encounter with someone, don’t expect a 30-second monologue to do the trick, no matter how well it is crafted. You will have much better success if you focus, instead, on creating a 30-second dialogue.
The worst thing we all learned about marketing that it is mostly based on one-way communication … “getting the word out,” “telling your story,” “making your pitch,” “cutting through the clutter,” and, my personal (un)favorite, “capturing eyeballs.”
Humans don’t connect with monologues the way they connect with dialogues in which they are engaged. If you want to communicate with someone, don’t talk at them. Talk with them.
Are customer relationships as important to non-profit organizations as they are to for-profit organizations?
I addressed this question today in a speech to 160 non-profit executives in Jerusalem. The speech was titled, “Creating We Relationships: Turning Donors Into Partners,” and was sponsored by the most “We” bank I’ve ever seen - Bank of Jerusalem.
My answer to this question is an unequivocal “Yes.” The difference between, “I support Organization X, they do great things,” and “I am involved with Organization X, we do great things” is significant. When a donor stops thinking of a charitable organization as “Them,” and begins to think of himself and the organization as “We,” magic happens. Donations go up, involvement goes up, and the donor will be more likely to introduce friends to the organization.
The same can be said for the non-profit organization’s other customers, such as funding agencies and foundations, volunteers, board members, and recipients of aid. A We relationship leads to actions that drive results.
It’s always important, when working with non-profit organizations, to recognize where they are different from for-profit organizations. When it comes to customer relationships, they are, fundamentally, the same.
Consider your organization’s technology initiatives over the last five years, and ask yourself:
What portion of our technology initiatives make it easier for customers to get closer to us? (Example: Apple lets you sign up for Genius Bar appointments online.)
What portion of our technology initiatives put a barrier between our customers and us? (Example: “Please say or enter your 16-digit credit card number.”)
Each time you interact with a customer, whether it is on the phone, in-person or through an email exchange, ask yourself this question: Is our relationship better at the end of this interaction than it was at the beginning?
What do you think you will find? Are you improving your relationships with customers most of the times you interact with them? Or, are many of your interactions transactional, not enriching your relationship?
We all know what this feels like; we interact with a customer and, after meeting, we can tell that our relationship has improved. We also know what the opposite feels like, when your relationship actually takes a step backwards during an interaction.
Relationships with customers don’t pop into existence spontaneously. They are built one interaction at a time. If you want to build a relationship with a customer, it is important to move your relationship forward – sometimes by inches, sometimes by miles – each time you interact.
Here’s how I classify these kinds of interactions with customers: An interaction with a customer in which your relationship improves is called an “encounter.” An interaction with a customer in which your relationship doesn’t improve, or actually degrades, is called a “transaction.”
To build a relationship with a customer, you need to string together a series of encounters over time. These encounters are the building blocks of your relationship.
Stay tuned on this blog for more information about creating encounters. Additionally, you can have a look at my free ebook, Encounters: The Building Blocks of We Relationships, which you will receive for subscribing to this blog, or see chapter 2 in We: The Ideal Customer Relationship. (If you don’t want to subscribe to the blog or buy the book, send me an note and I will email you a copy of Chapter 2. I’m happy to do it as long as you it helps you create encounters with your customers.)
We live in an age of smart consumers who are not easily sold. A rule for this marketplace: The more people you try to talk to at one time, the less effectively you communicate with each individual person.
I started my career in the hospitality business, where great “service” was considered to be a prime virtue. What this means is that hotel employees were trained to do things “for” customers - to serve them.
Yes, doing something “for” a customer can be a good thing, and it’s certainly better than doing something “to” a customer. But there are many opportunities when it is possible to rise above customer service, going beyond “for” to “with.” Instead of doing a presentation for your customer, can you engage in dialogue with him? If you are a restaurant server, is it better to pick out wine for the customer, or work with her to find the right wine?
This is not the 19th century. We do not feel the need to be served. More often, we feel the need to collaborate. Sure, you don’t want to collaborate with every waiter or hotel bellman, but even in those instances it is possible for a “service” employee to create a feeling of “with” if the customer is open to it. And, if the customer is open to “with,” a great opportunity for a relationship-building encounter exists.
"When Steve Yastrow writes, I pay close attention" - Tom Peters
Steve is the author of Brand Harmony and the newly published We:
The Ideal Customer Relationship. Learn more and order direct from our Products
page, or from Amazon.
In addition to writing, I spend most of my work time helping companies unleash their potential by creating better connections with their customers. This happens through my speaking events and through Yastrow & Company consulting engagements, where my team and I help companies figure out who they intend to be in the future, and then engage the entire company in creating that future through strong "We" customer relationships.
Before starting Yastrow & Company in the mid-90s I was vice-president of resort marketing for Hyatt Hotels. My experiences in the hotel business showed me clearly that most marketing doesn’t happen in the marketing department. Customers are paying attention to all interactions with a company, not just the promises made in traditional "marketing communications."
