Q&A
Q: How much does customer service really matter, you ask?
A: Let me tell you about a recent experience…
I was frustrated by a restaurant website last week. The Coast Lounge described their location as “across the street” from another of the Glowbal restaurants which was completely useless, because I didn’t know off the top of my head which was the 1000 block of the street they are on.
There was no map or link to a map which meant I had to hunt down the exact address and go to Google, yet another step in what should have been a dead simple process.
I was irritated enough to send an email to their VP Marketing asking didn’t it make sense to have a map since the greatest criteria for potential customers is knowing where they are located? Wow, cranky girl!
To their credit, not only did Glowbal respond, they fixed it within 24 hours and added Google maps to their other sites as well. Bingo!
They were accessible – I got straight to the VP Marketing without having to go through a gate keeper.
The VP Marketing responded and so did their web developer, pronto.
And, they incorporated the change, immediately. Afterward the developer emailed, “Completely agree that maps to each restaurant are a good idea, a great idea in fact, so we made sure to put them on all the sites.”
I will enjoy my dining experience at Coast Lounge all the more for the genuine customer service they provided, even before I got there.
Oh, and I’m in marketing. I’ll tell a bunch of people about it, too. A few thousand, in fact…
By liz gaige, December 11, 2009 · Filed under Customer Service, Newsletter, Q&A
Q: I thought my new business was totally unique, but I’ve just discovered that someone else is doing the exact same thing as me. Now what do I do?! How do I undermine my competitor and make my business successful?
A: Wow, that’s so cool that someone is doing what you’re doing – it means they also see potential for your service and have also come up with a way to satisfy people’s needs. Awesome.
Oh wait, that freaks you out?
Trust me, it would be a lot worse if you had no competitors because there wasn’t actually a need for your service. I’ve met business-owner-hopefuls in that category and it’s not a pretty sight. Creating a solution for which there is no problem is guaranteed failure.
If success in business required that we have no competitors, we consumers would have pretty narrow options. Consider soft drinks. Over the years much has been made of people’s preferences for one key brand over another. In fact, long running ad campaigns have focused on it. If only one of them could be successful, we’d no longer have so many options. We would all be drinking the same one drink.
Is Coke not successful because Pepsi is still in the running? Don’t kid yourself! They are both making money, hand over fist. So what that first one is in the lead and then the other. They are both highly profitable and keeping their shareholders very, very happy.
Here’s the key: There is room for both because each caters to a slightly different personal taste. The same is true for your business. If you put your personal stamp of personality on it, your business will appeal to a slightly different audience than your so called competitor.
It’s called authenticity. Be yourself and those who are a good fit for you will find you, and those are aren’t will choose another option.
And as a bonus, every time your competitor talks about the problem his service solves, he’ll be talking indirectly about your business too. How cool is that?!
Now YOU just need to get out there and make sure your business is as easily recognized and memorable as his.
By liz gaige, November 4, 2009 · Filed under Marketing - General, Newsletter, Q&A
Q: I’m not sure what to name my company. It seems that most people in my industry, copywriting, use their personal name when marketing themselves. Is this the best way to go?
A: No matter what the industry, if you simply want to be a self-employed contractor, using your own name for brand recognition may be enough. But if you want to be a business owner, you’ll want to take a step back and evaluate.
Here’s the difference: as a self-employed contractor, you are the business. As a business owner, you operate a business that does not necessarily rely on you to be there 24/7. The latter gives you an arms length perspective, which offers a lot of perks.
And it’s a subtle but vital shift in how you think about your business.
First, you’ll have to build your brand regardless of what you name it, so the effort is the same to start. If you want a business that can operate even when you do not personally do the work, it’s worth considering the corporate route.
Second, when you are out selling services, it’s much easier to sell the services of an arms length business than pitch your own name all the time. Which is true whether you are a relationship seller or a cold caller. This may not seem like much, but it makes a huge difference in your comfort level with sales.
Third, it’s easier to add and remove services if you operate as a business name rather than “Frank Brown Copywriting.” It’s harder to explain that you do more than copywriting when that’s what your business name says, and that challenge can limit your business growth and flexibility.
Finally, it may seem too early to contemplate, but what about your exit strategy? Do you one day want to sell your business? It’s much easier to sell a corporate entity than unload a business based on your name. That’s because part of the value is in the brand that’s been building over the years. Does the buyer want to be stuck with your name, and do you really want to be personally associated with a company you no longer control?
Evaluating these issues early on helps set the tone for how your business will grow and flourish.
By liz gaige, October 1, 2009 · Filed under Logos & Branding, Newsletter, Q&A
Q: I’m struggling to make money with my jewelry design and manufacturing business. After 1½ years, with limited success, I’m about ready to throw in the towel, but I can’t bring myself to give up the dream. When do I know it’s time to pack it up?
A: You’ve made it to the 1½ year mark and it’s been a struggle – I can relate and so can many of my clients! In fact, many come to me around this time in their business life cycle in the same boat as you. And many of them have turned things around.
Here’s the good news: you CAN make this into a viable business.
The bad news: you’re going to have to work hard and be willing to do things differently. (Ever heard the saying, “Doing the same thing over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity”?)
You’ll need to change from a hobby approach to a business approach – which, sadly, is what you’ve got if you’re not generating revenue and profit. That means stepping back and being objective about what’s working and what isn’t.
Get clear on your market by going back to the foundations, the 5 P’s of Marketing: Product, People, Place (Distribution), Price, and Promotion – in that order. Then build your business around the marketing strategy that results.
Do only things that make business sense and run every decision through that filter first – “Would this be good for the business?”
The irony is, the more you create a viable business model, the more creative freedom you’ll have.
By liz gaige, July 14, 2009 · Filed under Newsletter, Q&A
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