Companies often promise their customers superior service and superior products through media advertising. We just have to look around us to see the promises of different companies regarding service. Look at the customer service slogans below, used by companies now and in the past, to assure customers that their companies are the best option.
Examples of Customer Service Slogans:
- “Good for You” – Spar
- “Isn’t That What You Would Expect From Volkswagen” – VW
- “Moving Forward” – Standard Bank
- “Together We Can” – Metropolitan Life
- “Experience Our Expertise” – Kathy Cohen
- “Today, Tomorrow, Together” – ABSA
- “Excellence Is Our Only Standard” – Auto Bavaria
- “Professional Excellence – Small Enough To Care” – Otter Real Estate
- “Sheer Driving Pleasure” – BMW
- “Everything Keeps Going Right” – Toyota
- “Expect Even More” – Knowledge Brokers International (Our Company)
An advertising agency or group of Marketing Executives coming up with a great Advertising Slogan does not necessarily guarantee better results.
How often have we heard advertising slogans like the ones above only to experience the opposite when we phone the business, arrive at their store or office or have a problem that has to be solved?
We believe Media Marketing (Advertising) has value, but we believe it has to be “backed up” from the inside-out. The following description of the Marketing & Selling & Servicing From The Inside-Out Model indicates the power of working from the Inside-Out.
Marketing and Selling and Servicing From The Inside Out
1. Attitudinal Marketing & Selling and Servicing
The backbone and real power of any business starts deep on the inside of a business. It starts with the attitude of management and the attitude of staff towards clients, each other, their products and services, their service approach, community and life in general.
A well-used survey statistic indicated that 68% of dissatisfied customers stopped shopping at a specific retail outlet because of the attitude of the staff and management. This percentage would probably hold true in almost any business. I think most of us would agree the reason we most often don’t go back is because of the attitude of the people serving us.
2. Face To Face Marketing
The next most important part of Marketing And Servicing From The Inside-Out is the face-to-face handling of the customers and each other. This is the one-to-one sales and services communication that we have on the telephone, inside our business and outside the business. This is where we either get the positive or negative “word of mouth marketing” happening.
3. Environmental Marketing
After Face-To-Face Marketing we then move to Environmental Marketing. The effectiveness of our on-site merchandising and signage inside and outside the business, combined with the direct sales aids that we use inside and outside of the business can make a huge impact on the success of the operation. This includes our web-site look and even our personal appearance.
4. Extended Personal Marketing
Now, if we add in the next part, extended personal contact, we’re really starting to gain ground. We can’t go and see and talk to all of our customers personally but through extended personal contact we can. Some of the tools of the Extended Personal Marketing are the use of direct mail, direct e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, trade shows, workshops and participation in community projects. With these first four areas tuned up and working well, we are now ready to make media really work.
5. Media Marketing
For the last and final area of inside-out marketing we have effective use of the media. Most of the time, media is not there to actually sell the product, it is there to assist us to have initial credible contact with the customer. By maximising the first four power points we can now back up our advertising promises. This way we develop positive “word of mouth marketing” which is the most powerful form of marketing a company can have.
Unfortunately Marketing has been a word that has been overused and made to sound complicated to the average business person. My definition of Marketing is:
“All those things we do in a business that assist in developing a more satisfying relationship with not only our present and potential customers but with the community at large; the end result being a successful business.”
Staff handling, collecting money, creating a growth oriented work environment and how we emotionally feel are examples of areas not usually viewed as part of the marketing function.
In my opinion, they are an important part of the marketing function because they can directly or indirectly affect the relationship with the customer. For example, a manager that speaks sharply to her front line staff often sees the staff speaking sharply to customers. The domino effect makes employee handling an important part of marketing. Healthy relationships provide effective marketing.
Why People Don’t Come Back
The above commonly used research statistics indicates how impactful the right attitude is when dealing with present and potential clients. The combination of Unadjusted Complaints (which often reflects on attitude) and Indifferent Attitude of Management and Staff total 82% of the reasons why people don’t come back. These statistics support that marketing, selling and servicing is much more effective by starting with Attitudinal Marketing and Selling and Face To Face Marketing.
Note that only 9% of the reason is price alone. Clients, customers and buyers often use price as the reason because it is less personal and they may not feel comfortable telling you it is your lack of skill, attitude, they don’t trust you, your product, your service or don’t like your looks.
As sales or service people we are quick to accept price as the reason why they didn’t come back or didn’t buy from us. That way we do not have to closely scrutinize the part we played in losing the business. We don’t have to take accountability for the loss. Price or rates is a great way to blame an outside factor I’ve got no control over.
It is wise to be honest with yourself and carefully look at the real reasons why you may lose business or not land a contract. That way you grow and improve.
Our attitude is the state of our mind. We knowingly or unknowingly choose a response to any person, situation, thing or thought. Each response is generally viewed as being either positive or negative. The attitude of salespeople, management and support staff in a business has more effect on the success or failure of that operation than any other single factor.
Ask yourself if “Indifferent Attitude of Management and Staff” holds true the majority of the time when you choose not to go back to a business.
A dedication to making our customers feel welcome, happy and satisfied through their encounters with us, our people, our business and advertising is Attitudinal Marketing and Attitudinal Servicing. It is the ‘prime’ driving force of any business.
In Part 2 of Exceptional Customer Care From The Inside-Out we will focus on minimising the Dot and maximising The White Space in customer service.
“If you have found this blog article to be valuable for you, I would be grateful if you “shared” it with your Social Media Networks. Also feel free to circulate it by e-mail or other means internally within your organization or externally to your clients, suppliers and personal and business network. Thank-you!” – Bill Gibson
Bill Gibson is a Canadian who is living in South Africa. He is an international speaker and author and a developer of sales, service, marketing, collecting, employee morale building, personal development and entrepreneurial training programs and systems. His blog is www.bill-gibson.com and his website is www.kbitraining.com. He can be reached at bill@kbitraining.com or phone +27-11-784-1720 in South Africa. You can follow Bill Gibson on Twitter: @billgibson1, connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gibsonbill or Knowledge Brokers International SA Pty Ltd Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/knowledgebrokers?ref=hl