I spent last week at my favorite resort, Rancho La Puerta, and was inspired to write this newsletter, “Show Me You Know Me.” If you’ve ever been to “the Ranch,” you’ll have felt the deep level of personalized service. And your customers want the same experience! Read the newsletter for my thoughts on today’s key competitive advantage: differentiating your customers.
Read the newsletter: Show Me You Know Me
Today’s newsletter, “Don’t Stop the Conversation When You Hang Up the Phone,” focuses on creating ongoing conversations with your customers, giving you ideas for strengthening your customer relationships.
We’re all good at creating ongoing conversations with our friends. Let’s try to be just as good at it in business!
Read the newsletter: Don’t Stop the Conversation When You Hang Up the Phone
Imagine this … one of your customers is speaking with a friend, and suddenly notices that the friend should also be your customer. After witnessing this opportunity, what does he do? Recommend you, or let the opportunity pass by?
Check out today’s newsletter, Will your customers be witnesses for you?
Please share your comments … are your customers witnesses for you? Do you ever serve as a witness for others, noticing business opportunities for them?
What’s my answer when somebody asks me for 3 Tips for Better Customer Conversations?
You don’t want to miss these tips… they can help you improve your conversations today.
Read the newsletter: “3 Tips for Better Customer Conversations“
The direction of marketing has changed 180 degrees.
While marketers are trying to “get the word out,” customers are more focused on what words they let in.
I’d like to invite you to let the words of today’s newsletter in.
Read the newsletter: Letting the word in vs. Getting the word out
Today’s newsletter, Do Differentiation Differently, turns the tables on differentiation: If it’s so difficult to get customers to see why you’re different, why not focus on what your customer thinks is different: Himself.
I explore this concept in great detail and have some innovative exercises for you and your team, so go read the newsletter: Do Differentiation Differently!
When people talk about earning their customers’ trust, they are usually thinking about persuading a customer to believe in their integrity and honesty.
Ok … integrity and honesty are important, but they are not differentiating. Most of your competitors are not dishonest.
So, when you think about earning your customers’ trust, I recommend you aim higher.
Does your customer trust that you understand his business?
Does your customer trust that you really hear everything he has to say?
Does your customer trust that he will be better off if he is in a relationship with you?
Here’s a link to my last newsletter, The Way We Connect.
In a world where products and services are, in the minds of customers, largely interchangeable, the character of your interactions with customers is one of the most important ingredients of effective marketing communication. So, how well do companies interact with you? How does your company compare?
Last Thursday, I was watching Whose Line Is It Anyway?, as Wayne Brady invented a song, on the spot, like no one else can. Drew Carey would throw out a musical style, the audience would yell out topics, and Wayne would instantly compose and sing a song, with perfect rhymes, double entendres, wit and humor.
That got me thinking a lot about improvisation, which has been a big part of my life since I started playing guitar at age 12. Improvisation became a theme a few more times throughout the weekend, inspiring this week’s newsletter, Improvise your success.
Improvise your success connects, chimpanzees, bonobos, The Second City, jazz and my second book together to create this message: Improvise!
There is a place in business for policy and programming, and there are many places for improvising. So what do you think? Is improv important to your business success?
Newsletter link: Improvise your success
Sales and marketing are not about telling stories. Sales and marketing are about helping your customer create a story, in his mind, in which you figure as a prominent, clear, vibrant character. If your customer tells himself a meaningful, motivating story that includes you, he will be much more likely to get more involved with you, and take actions that improve your business results.
Stop telling stories about yourself. Instead, figure out how to make yourself part of your customer’s story.
"When Steve Yastrow writes, I pay close attention"
- Tom Peters
"I had to buy two copies. The first one is so dog-eared and underlined I couldn't read it any longer."
- Seth Godin
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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."
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