McDonald”™s has raised everyone”™s standards for fast service, and consistent quality. Federal Express has raised the bar for rapid delivery and Disney World has awakened us to how friendly service can be. Hudson Valley organizations of every size and in every industry no longer compete only with each other but with standards set by the best. Everything your business does either helps or hurts your marketing efforts.
Disney, Federal Express, and McDonalds, go beyond what customers say they need and surprise them by offering “undreamed of service” and setting new standards. Rather than creating what the market needs or wants, your organization can create what the market would love.
One way to learn what your customers would love is a survey. Many people don”™t like surveys and identity theft is a concern, so don”™t ask for too much personal information. Have surveys returned to a third party and assure participants their names and information won”™t be revealed or sold.
Oral surveys are much better because you ask people to explain their answers. When you listen to customer”™s responses, you can hear their anger, frustration, or happiness; you can notice such things as body language.
Remember:
Ӣ Marketing is not just a department. ItӪs your business.
Ӣ Everyone in your company is responsible for marketing.
Ӣ Every act is a marketing act.
Study every point at which your company makes contact with a prospect regardless if it”™s with a business card, your building, store or office, your brochure, packaging, sales calls or presentations. Ask, “Are we making a phenomenal impression at every point?”
Businesses are about relationships, and relationships are about feelings. Don”™t assume that people use logic to buy. Dr. A.K. Pradeep, author of “The Buying Brain,” is the world”™s leading neuromarketing researcher and works with such companies as CBS, Microsoft and Google.
Pradeep says, “You can boost your ability to influence your target customers by appealing to them at the level of the subconscious mind ”¦ which makes 95 percent of all decisions.”
Once you and your organization know what the market wants”¦deliver it with passion. Xerox invented the mouse, icons, and windows, but lacked the passion to market them. Apple’s belief in those ideas put them into play. Whatever you do, execute passionately.
Remember that “planning” is about tomorrow. A focus group could not have inspired the personal computer, cellular telephone or fax machine. Consider three recent innovations: skinless Kentucky Fried Chicken, the McLean Hamburger from McDonalds, and low-fat Pizza Hut pizza.
Focus groups loved these ideas, but real people didn”™t. You must ask your customers to discover what they really, really, really want. Every business organization must be aware that even more important than making a superior choice, your customer wants to avoid making a bad mistake!
Ask yourself what risks might a prospect see in using our product or service? The subconscious loves elimination of those fears by providing testimonials, a risk-free trial period or a money back guarantee.
Take the time and spend the money to survey your existing customers or prospects. Remember a verbal survey is better and the people will be more honest to the questions if asked by an outside firm. Find out exactly what they want, appeal to their subconscious mind, give them what they would love ”¦ and deliver it with passion.
Questions for discussion:
Ӣ How can we, rather than creating and delivering products or services that our customer needs or wants, create what our customers would love?
Ӣ What level of passion currently permeates our organization, including that of our employees, suppliers and strategic partners? How can we increase it?
Joe Murtagh is The DreamSpeaker, an international keynote speaker, meeting facilitator and business trainer. For questions or comments, Joe@TheDreamSpeaker.com, www.TheDreamSpeaker.com or call (800) 239-0058.
