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Positive Marketing

June 27, 2007 in Advertising, Marketing with 1 Comment

Seth Godin talks about Verizon’s rant against the iPhone. Well..it is a memo to Verizon employees on how the iPhone is not such a great phone and what they should know to possibly dissuade customers from getting the iPhone. Seth makes an interesting statement – “your criticism of the phone is also criticism of my judgment”.

Positive marketing means you focus on the pros of your product or service. It also means that the customer understands what stands out in your offering.

Negative marketing may mean harping on the bad points of your competitor – or just plain poking fun! But does it really help? It may just put off the customer and help tilt the scales in favour of the competitor.

Scoble wants to get three iPhones. Wow! But that’s exactly the problem (not Scoble getting three phones!). You see Apple has created such good hype over their latest offering – everyone wants it. And you putting some mud on it is not going to take off the sheen. You need to make yours shine better.

Security & the Buying Process

June 26, 2007 in Customer Service, Music with 0 Comments

I was looking for a guitar processor and decided to go for a used/refurbished model. My friend recommended Guitar Center (www.guitarcenter.com). I spent close to 12 hours researching what would be my best buy. I called the store finally to confirm availability. It was. But I ran into trouble because they said the shipping address and the billing address needs to be the same. So plans squashed.

Another google search landed me in Daddy’s Junky Music (www.daddys.com). Found my processor. Made the call. Again the same issue. But this time, the store clerk asked me to call Daddy’s corporate office and find out if something was possible. Well l did just that and they said it is quite possible to buy with separate billing and shipping address as long as I am able to validate the genuineness of card and card owner. Voila! I ordered my guitar processor and look forward to it.

Two similar situations. Two different approaches. It is good to know that stores are taking precautions to avoid credit card fraud. But when every other online store has some approval mechanism in place, why should you miss out? Security is a good thing. But it shouldn’t come in the way of the buying process. It should enable it.

Could it be possible that the Guitar Center store clerk did not know that his corporate office may have had a workaround?

How to put off a potential customer?

May 7, 2007 in Marketing, Tips with 0 Comments

Isn’t Blackberry a productivity device? Then why is it that when I go to www.blackberrypearl.com (their latest model), that I have to wait for at least 6 minutes to get any information? The Flash took so long to load!

All they had to do is – share some information about the device on the same page or at least have a HTML version for impatient people like me! They do have a HTML version but you have to wait for the initial flash to be loaded before you see that link. It is like the designer wanted to make sure that people see his/her work!!

How much for your smile?

April 27, 2007 in Customer Service with 0 Comments

I liked their prices. Their airplanes were comfortable. The service was prompt and good. But when I approached the Indigo airline counter at the Chennai and Delhi airport, I did not see any smile on the lady behind the counter. When I entered the aircraft, the airhostess standing at the door did not smile. When they offered me the complementary bottle of water, there was no smile. It was like they had a ‘no smile’ poilicy. Eeks!

Then I got into a discussion with my friend and he thinks the reason they did not smile at me was because I look intimidating. I have a look that scares people. Hmmm. But really, do my looks really matter? I am a customer. I deserve a smile. Don’t I?

So what if the customer has a stern face? Or if he/she does not even smile back? But they still deserve a smile. Customer service must always be proactive. Every organization must lay down clear rules for customer service. It is definitely not dependent on one’s mood. The airline’s policy must be “Smile at every customer. Whenever you come across them.” It does not cost money. It is not time consuming. It is definitely not difficult.

Interestingly, there was only one person from Indigo Airlines who smiled at me. The man who took my luggage and kept it on the scale in Delhi airport. Now I wonder, where he got that from?

Powerpoint Presentations: Where are those words?

April 21, 2007 in Learning, Marketing with 1 Comment

I bought Seth Godin’s idea on presentations the first time I read it. And I have strived to follow his rules every time I make one.

But problem arises when I have to make presentations for others. I follow the same rule and when I show it to them, the first thing they say is “Where are the words?” :) (No, I really find that funny!)

We have got so conditioned to seeing bulleted points in PPTs that anything without them seems so vacant. Of course, it is a lot of work, as compared to dumping all the words into the PPT. But it would surely be effective. People are really bored with presentations. They expect the drag. So when you are different, they sit up and listen. If that is your goal, you should seriously think of investing some time into your slides.

Borrowing from Seth Godin, these are the rules that I keep in mind when making presentations -

Never use more than 5 words in a slide
Do not use the template backgrounds. I generally use plain white and stock images.
Images speak louder than words. So if you can find an appropriate image for what you want to say, use it.
Never read from the slide. Ofcourse, if you have less than 5 words, then you don’t have a choice!
If you want the listener/audience to take back something, give them handouts. But please don’t give them the slides.

It really works. Try it!

Happy presenting!

Customer, who?

April 2, 2007 in Customer Service, Marketing with 0 Comments

Last Friday, I got a call – a sales call. It was one of those leading banking instituitions. The lady introduced herself and then started talking about something she would like to introduce – in Tamil. I am not very good at understanding everything in Tamil. So I asked (or rather requested) her to “please speak in english”. Bleep. She had actually cut the phone!

Last Sunday, I was having my lunch. I get a call. It was one of those leading bankin…………”please speak in English”. Bleep. Another sales call cut me off.

What am I supposed to think? How much would it cost to teach those girls to say, “Sure sir, I will connect you to another executive. Please hold.” or “I am sorry, I don’t speak English. But I will ask another executive call you.” What does it really take for an organisation to give good customer service or a good sales call? Some basic courtesy, please!

I visited a photo studio today to get some prints. I carried my snaps in a USB drive. The copy process (from my USB drive to his computer) was very slow. The guy behind the counter actually asked me, “Is this a very old model USB drive?” I bought my Sandisk Cruzer less than six months back!

Customers enjoy it when you treat them well – with respect. We don’t need to stand on our heads for them. Give them the basics first – isn’t that the least we would expect ourselves?

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