Another great episode of Undercover Boss last night. This one really exampled the importance of the customer experience, and the fact that CEO's have no idea what their own staff does to create that experience. I challenge every manager to get out of the office and see what great things your staff are doing!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
The Anthropologie Card - Improving the Loyalty Card
It's probably been around for a while, but The Outsider just heard about quirky women's clothing store Anthropologie's version of the loyalty card.
What makes it different? Well, the first thing that jumped out was "receipt-free returns" That's right, if you bought something (and, presumably, used the card at the time), you can return the item without the receipt. To anyone who has tried to return an item, especially clothing, this is HUGE. Take that privacy freaks!
As well as the convenience factor, you of course get the obligatory newsletters, catalogs, etc. But you also get a nifty bag to put it in, as well as a handmade-looking booklet that reinforces the brand.
While neither The Outsider nor his wife are a fan of the store, He has to give a thumbs-up to their marketing department for coming up with an extension of the loyalty card idea. --------------------------------------------------
Rob Wallis is The Marketing Outsider, a speaker, author, and consultant who helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their visibility. Contact him at The Wallis Group
What makes it different? Well, the first thing that jumped out was "receipt-free returns" That's right, if you bought something (and, presumably, used the card at the time), you can return the item without the receipt. To anyone who has tried to return an item, especially clothing, this is HUGE. Take that privacy freaks!
As well as the convenience factor, you of course get the obligatory newsletters, catalogs, etc. But you also get a nifty bag to put it in, as well as a handmade-looking booklet that reinforces the brand.
While neither The Outsider nor his wife are a fan of the store, He has to give a thumbs-up to their marketing department for coming up with an extension of the loyalty card idea. --------------------------------------------------
Rob Wallis is The Marketing Outsider, a speaker, author, and consultant who helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their visibility. Contact him at The Wallis Group
Monday, August 16, 2010
Do we Still Need Websites?
We have Twitter, Facebook, and all of the other tools that have now been tweaked for marketing. So do you still need your own website? Comments, please.
http://adage.com/cmostrategy/article?article_id=145351
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Bob Wallis is a speaker, author, and consultant who helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their visibility. Contact him at The Wallis Group
http://adage.com/cmostrategy/article?article_id=145351
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Bob Wallis is a speaker, author, and consultant who helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their visibility. Contact him at The Wallis Group
Friday, August 13, 2010
Marketing for Hairstylists: The Way to Do It
My wife received an email from her hair stylist yesterday. She thought it was different, so she showed it to me, and, having my marketing goggles on, I agreed.
Here’s what I noticed:
1. She got an EMAIL from her HAIR STYLIST. (!)
2. The stylist made a couple of great offers; the first was for regular customers who prebook regular appointments, After two cuts, you get the third one free. Then you get one more free cut in that year. For $100 a year, not a bad deal.
3. The second offer was about referrals. Everyone you refer to the stylist gets their first service half price. If you refer three people, YOU get a free haircut. Once again, a great deal.
What was so different about this email?
Keep in Touch With Your Current Customers
I have to tell you she (and I) have been to many a hair stylist, and none of them ever sent an email. In fact, I don’t think any of them even asked for our email. Not to mention any kind of serious deal for repeat customers. Which brings me to the second point:
Keep Your Current Customers Coming Back
Ten percent off is one thing, but using our favorite four-letter word (f-r-e-e) is something pretty much unheard of, especially a $50 or $100 value. Also, the prebooking works in a way to get them to come back for the value. And…
Bring In More of the Same
Referrals, referrals. Service businesses are highly referral-run. As many marketing gurus have stated, if you’re not asking every single customer for referrals every single time, you are leaving a ton of money on the table. This strategy goes one step further, by rewarding the referrer for multiple referrals. Everybody wins.
These strategies are not exclusive to the hairstyling market, or even service businesses. But they are valuable lessons for those of us wondering why the phone isn’t ringing, or customers aren’t walking in the door. This is the type of go-getum approach that all service providers need to take, especially in a down economy.
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Bob Wallis is a speaker, author, and consultant who helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their visibility. Contact him at The Wallis Group
Here’s what I noticed:
1. She got an EMAIL from her HAIR STYLIST. (!)
2. The stylist made a couple of great offers; the first was for regular customers who prebook regular appointments, After two cuts, you get the third one free. Then you get one more free cut in that year. For $100 a year, not a bad deal.
3. The second offer was about referrals. Everyone you refer to the stylist gets their first service half price. If you refer three people, YOU get a free haircut. Once again, a great deal.
What was so different about this email?
Keep in Touch With Your Current Customers
I have to tell you she (and I) have been to many a hair stylist, and none of them ever sent an email. In fact, I don’t think any of them even asked for our email. Not to mention any kind of serious deal for repeat customers. Which brings me to the second point:
Keep Your Current Customers Coming Back
Ten percent off is one thing, but using our favorite four-letter word (f-r-e-e) is something pretty much unheard of, especially a $50 or $100 value. Also, the prebooking works in a way to get them to come back for the value. And…
Bring In More of the Same
Referrals, referrals. Service businesses are highly referral-run. As many marketing gurus have stated, if you’re not asking every single customer for referrals every single time, you are leaving a ton of money on the table. This strategy goes one step further, by rewarding the referrer for multiple referrals. Everybody wins.
These strategies are not exclusive to the hairstyling market, or even service businesses. But they are valuable lessons for those of us wondering why the phone isn’t ringing, or customers aren’t walking in the door. This is the type of go-getum approach that all service providers need to take, especially in a down economy.
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Bob Wallis is a speaker, author, and consultant who helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their visibility. Contact him at The Wallis Group
Are You Experienced?
When it comes to a live performance/concert/gallery show, one thing will make you stand out: The Experience. In This blog post, Bob Baker links to a video clip of live music producer Tom Jackson. Tom is a guy who truly knows what he's talking about. If you're an artist, you can't just stand by the wall and say, "thanks for coming." If you're a musician, you can't just get up and sing songs.
What you'll be remembered for is how you made them feel.
Good advice, now go do it.
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Bob Wallis is a speaker, author, and consultant who helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their visibility. Contact him at The Wallis Group
What you'll be remembered for is how you made them feel.
Good advice, now go do it.
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Bob Wallis is a speaker, author, and consultant who helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their visibility. Contact him at The Wallis Group
Monday, August 9, 2010
If They Knew You...
If you knew that person started with a little sidewalk cart, moved up into a hole in the wall cafe, and eventually turned the business into a thriving franchise, would you be more likely to buy from them?
Most people would. People like to buy from people they know, or at least think they know.
Also, people like to tell their friends stories...the story of the woman on the corner who has the best pastry shop in the world, and she started in her mother's kitchen making cupcakes that she now sells to world famous celebrities, and you know what? You can buy them too!
Ever heard the story of how eBay got started? Or Hewlett Packard? Or Microsoft? Those stories may or may not be true - some of them have been complete fabrications, but the point is, it's the story that sells. The story you tell, to help them to get to know you.
Because they won't buy from a stranger. But once they get to know you, you aren't a stranger anymore.
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Bob Wallis is a speaker, author, and consultant who helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their visibility. Contact him at The Wallis Group
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