Following on from Tuesday’s post about bad (and good customer services) sometimes the service you get can be an experience with the wow! factor, which is what happened to me this week.
Actually, it made me smile because of the timing with the subject matter of my earlier post. . .
A week or so ago I took up the ‘check it out’ offer from Frank Kern (you may have seen some reference to it at various websites).
The package was a blatant continuity ‘try my monthly material and I’ll throw in DVDs of a successful seminar’ subscription. I was asked to pay the P&P only and the subs payments wouldn’t start for a month. No problem, I set up my reminder to review whether or not I wanted to take the monthly programme – as I shared with you on Monday.
The material arrived, I’ve started to look at it (and already got some great ideas both for me and my clients) but I’ve not got through the whole lot yet.
Yesterday morning I got an unexpected package from Frank. Another DVD.
Why did he send it?
Because he discovered one of the DVDs has a glitch on one of the tracks (probably some problem with the burning) and, rather than wait for people to report the problem and ask for a replacement, he decided to send everyone a new, re-digitalised copy of the damaged track plus a bonus session as a ‘sorry for the trouble’. Because I haven’t finished going through the material I wasn’t even aware there was a problem.
Did he need to do this? Not really.
Has doing this helped his reputation with me?
Definitely – I’d decided, because of the value I’ve already got, to let the subscription continue so this attention to detail has confirmed I made the right decision.
Did Frank think taking this extra ‘wow factor’ step might help people who were undecided to give it a go for a while?
What do you think?
Has it turned me into an ambassador for his products? Probably, I’m certainly keen to see what else he’s going to deliver in his monthly missives.
Offer a customer service that makes people say “Wow, I didn’t expect that!” and you’ll reap the rewards too. It’s all part of building and keeping a good relationship going so people want to do more business with you.
Your Experiences
In my earlier post we talked about our bad experiences. Let’s finish the week on a positive and share stories of good customer service experience. Use the comments link below to tell about companies who’ve given you good vibes.
Have a great weekend.
~ Carol Bentley
P.S. I know it’s only Thursday – but I’m off for a short break now 
Catch up with you next week.
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If, like me, you have ever held (or plan to hold) any public event… whether seminar, workshop or training course then one question uppermost in your mind is ‘how do we get the room filled; how do we get bums-on-seats?’
Anything that makes achieving that a little easier has got to be worth looking at, would you agree?
My guest blogger, Andrew Ludlam, is a regular reader of this blog. When he sent an email to me last week commenting on a post, I took a look at his website (I can’t help being nosy – I’m a woman! ) and I was intrigued by what he had to say so I downloaded his book.
It contains such a down-to-earth, ‘oh my god, that’s so-oo obvious’ type of marketing approach to getting people interested in seminars (one that very few people use) I wanted to share it with you. Which is why I invited Andrew to write a guest blog, provided he let you get your own copy of his book…
Discover The Secrets To Marketing And Selling Your Seminars SUCCESSFULLY!”
There is without doubt one thing… And only one thing, that can truly make a difference to the success, or otherwise, of your seminars or workshops. Essentially it all comes down to the marketing.
You see, I find that most consultants, trainers and coaches market their seminars in terms of what they would like to deliver. This strategy is essentially always flawed, because everything is focused on the deliverer and not the attendees. In fact many businesses follow this concept: falling into the trap of thinking, it’s all about them… Let me tell you now, it’s never about them, it’s all about their clients.
Your client does not care about you, or your training. All they care about is acquiring some sort of result or solution to their ‘problem’. Simply demonstrate how you — and your training — are the right choice, and further, the only choice, to solve your prospect’s problem.
However to begin with, you must follow a correct and effective, plan of action. You see most business owners get it all back to front… For example, a date for the workshop is decided upon, then a very nice (and expensive) room at a local hotel is booked. Marketing materials are printed, adverts are placed… Time is getting on… And you still haven’t had a booking! Not a nice feeling.
So what’s the first thing you must do?
Your first and major priority — before you do anything else — is to build a receptive, and passionate audience: a large number of people who would leap at the chance to attend a seminar or workshop. Then… You market the event to ‘your list’. A list that will be hungry from the very start to hear and learn more from you!
And one key strategy is all about positioning. Positioning yourself as the expert in your field; this simply means that clients come to trust, respect and acknowledge you. In fact, they place a high value on the information you give them, and most important of all, are willing to compensate you very highly for your products or service.
Okay, so how do you do this? Well you can discover this, as well as many more profitable strategies and techniques needed to successfully market and sell your seminars, absolutely FREE, simply click on the link below for more details on my latest book “Discover The Secrets To Marketing And Selling Your Seminars SUCCESSFULLY!” And – as I said – best of all, this A4 content-rich book, valued at £45, is 100% FREE… Plus, you will also receive a free 10-part ‘mini seminar marketing email course’ delivered to your inbox each week!
http://www.maverickmarketingconsultancy.co.uk/cboffer.htm
There is no ‘theory’, theory has never paid the bills, or filled seats! Instead you have the opportunity (for a limited period) to gain practical — profitable — steps you can take to ensure that every seminar, workshop or training programme you run from now on, is marketed purposefully and effectively.
To your success… And do let me know how you get on!
Guest Blogger: Andrew Ludlam
Maverick Marketing Consultancy
Does this approach seem familiar? It should do because, as I’ve said many times before, it is the basic foundation of any successful business’s marketing; building relationships that deliver value to your customers and prospects both before and after making a sale.
Thank you Andrew, for sharing this valuable guide – I’m sure the content will inspire many business owners who plan to run these type of events for their clients.
~ Carol Bentley
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Reading about how other companies have handled customer complaints can act as a catalyst for us to review our grievance procedures because the end result and how it is reached can, sometimes, turn an unhappy customer into a voluble ambassador for us.
And equally – if it isn’t handled properly – it can be extremely damaging.
This has always been the case – but in the past the ‘bad news’ didn’t spread as quickly or as far and wide as it does in this modern, technology-focused age. And maybe that’s why some less technologically-minded companies just don’t realise how important it is to get their act together.
If your customer services is not all it needs to be then you could be leaving yourself open to the bad news spreading fast on the Internet – as is happening to the company I read about in modernselling.com’s newsletter – in this particular case the company’s staff completely forgot to act as if ‘the customer is always right’. Read How not to run customer services (You’d think being a high-tech company they’d know better, wouldn’t you?)
What examples, both good and bad, do you have of how companies handled customer grievances? Use the comments link below to share your stories.
~ Carol Bentley
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A trend I’ve noticed recently on the internet (well, it’s being going on for some time really) is what is known as the continuity strategy. Which is closely connected to the old ‘puppy-dog’ appeal you may have heard of (especially if you’ve read my book).
You are invited to try out a subscription or newsletter for a month (sometimes up to 3) and, if you like it, you let the monthly payments start after that.
You and I know as business people we are extremely occupied with what is going on in our business and it is very easy to forget that we’ve taken up these offers, taken a look at the material, haven’t quite decided whether or not it is really useful, intend to decide later… and then forget about it until the first payment is taken. You’ve got your subscription almost be default.
If the material you are receiving is something you can use and want to carry on receiving, that’s fine – no problem. But if it was something that you weren’t fully convinced about; you were uhm-ing and ah-ing about then you might feel a bit peeved that the decision was effectively made for you.
Sure, you can cancel – but you’ve still made a payment you might have decided against.. if you’d remembered to reconsider it.
So here’s my tip – if you think it’s a blindingly obvious one that you already use, no problem. But if it gives you an ‘aha moment’ that might save some frustration… and might let you try more offers without worrying about having to remember to make your own decision, then that’s great.
What I do…
- 1. Check when the paid subscription starts (1 month, 2 months, 3 months).
- 2. Put a reminder in my Outlook tasks (it could just as easily be a note in your diary) usually 1 to 2 weeks prior to the subscription commencement date.
- 3. When the reminder comes up I review the material I’ve received and make my own, informed decision.
Simple, eh? But it does save unexpected charges and it saves me scratching my head thinking ‘What the heck was that charge for?’ when my accounts lady asks.
By the way – if you took a look at the Stompernet offer, which follows this marketing strategy, and decided not to go for the free material because you didn’t want to subscribe to something by mistake, then this may take that concern away.
~ Carol Bentley
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On page 18 of his business manifest Rich Schefren asks a crucial question every business owner should be able to answer instantly.. but very few can. And then he explains why knowing this is so critical to any business success. More importantly he then shows you what you can do about it.
So why have I brought this up today? Because the manifesto I’m talking about was originally released in 2006 and is just as relevant today. But Rich is about to release an insightful update and, as a preamble to the new material, he is giving the original Internet Business Manifesto away again, FREE.
Now don’t let the title put you off. Let me explain why I rate this guy and his reports…
There are only a few people whose products I feel comfortable about sharing. You’ve seen a few names come up in previous posts on this blog, including Rich Schefren’s. I always grab any material he freely offers – it’s too valuable to miss as far as I’m concerned (in fact I’ve got a lifetime membership of his Business Growth System; it has a stunning amount of business material and support).
Rich treats – and teaches people to treat – Internet Marketing as a business, not just some ‘get-rich-quick’ type of scheme. It means all the insights he shares apply equally to offline, as well as online, business growth.
His original Internet Business Manifesto clearly demonstrated this approach.
Now – as I mentioned earlier – he’s planning a new release and for anyone who has never seen his original report (and if you haven’t then I guess you must have missed my previous posts that suggested you go get his downloads) you can get your own copy now.
The 31-page PDF explores areas like:
- OBSTACLES TO ACHIEVING ‘BIG BUSINESS’ SUCCESS
- DO YOU KNOW WHAT AN HOUR OF YOUR TIME IS WORTH?
- THE EASIEST, MOST CERTAIN WAY TO BOOST YOUR HOURLY RATE
- WORKING LESS AND MAKING MORE
- HOW TO MAKE YOUR OUTSOURCING RELATIONSHIPS 10X MORE PROFITABLE
- SKYROCKET THE RESULTS OF YOUR BUSINESS
That’s just a sample I’ve pulled from the contents page, including the question I referred to at the beginning of this post.
You can download your personal copy of the Internet Business Minifesto and learn a bit more about the new materials he’s about to release, starting with a free tele-seminar of case studies on Tuesday 9 Sept.
Coming up…
Tomorrow I’m going to give you an example of ‘how not to run customer services‘ – is this an example of a company getting ‘too big for its britches’ and forgetting exactly who it is makes it possible for the company to thrive? See what you think.
And Wednesday is when my guest blogger shares revealing insights to getting seats filled at your next seminar/workshop/training event.
Phew! A bit of a busy week coming up, isn’t it? Just as well I’m taking a break next week!
Have a good week,
~ Carol Bentley
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Don’t you just LOVE technology… when it works!
It happens to the best of us – everything is planned and in place -then technology lets us down.
And that’s what happened to the Stompernet guys yesterday. So their official launch of ‘Stomping The Search Engines 2′ DVDs & the journal magazine, ‘The Net Effect’, which I told you about in yesterday’s post, has been delayed to today.
Does it matter?
Not one jot!
Because there’s no scarcity of supply – the only frustration is not getting your hands on the material as quickly as you might have liked.
Now, the measure of a reputable company is how they handle problems like this. And, being the true gentlemen they are, the Stompernet guys have added a sincere apology to the video on the website. You can see it & the original info at Stomping The Search Engines 2
And, if you want, you can get them to do all the work. Simply ask them to send you an immediate notification when all their techy problems are sorted.
Oh, and they’ve added a good ‘so sorry’ bonus to make up for the delay.
If you haven’t already taken a look at what’s on offer it’s worth spending a few minutes checking it out. After all, the only cost is shipping and handling which is a darn sight less than the real value.
Pop over to Stomping The Search Engines 2
~ Carol Bentley
P.S. I thought you might like to read a different ‘voice’ so I’ve arranged for a guest to write a post for you which will be published next week. If you run (or plan to run) any sort of training, seminar or workshop you’ll definitely want to read this and grab the free offer my guest is making. Keep your eyes peeled.
I admit it. I arrogantly decided this was something you would probably not be interested in so I didn’t bother to follow up. If you are a regular reader of this blog you know I tend to let you know about anything that looks interesting – but this time…
Here’s what happened…
Towards the beginning of this year I took part in the Stompernet SMARTS program (you may have come across it on the net) and I became an affiliate for Stompernet; not that I did anything with it.
Fast forward to last week. I got an email telling me about a new offer they’re putting out to the market today (it’s live now). Well, frankly I didn’t think it would be relevant to anyone reading my blog so I didn’t take much notice. Then a package came in the post. It was a pre-release copy of the material they’re making available; a glossy, well written 45-page magazine and a set of 2 DVDs containing a comprehensive course on SEO strategies.
That was a bit of ‘smart’ marketing (sorry about the pun!) because I did take a look at the magazine and, although it is geared towards anyone interested in SEO (search engine optimising) it is also crammed with some really important tips for anyone involved in online or email marketing; not just the optimising websites stuff.
And the DVD’s? They said they were originally going to be sold at $497 (then I discovered something that floored me, as you’ll read about in a moment).
Now another reason I decided not to tell ‘all and sundry’ was because Stompernet’s services do tend to be a bit on the expensive side (but hey, you get what you pay for, don’t you? And I must admit, in my experience, these guys do deliver on their promises.) Got it wrong again! Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa!
They’re giving this material away FREE (they do ask you to pay postage). So where’s the catch? I’m sure they’ll encourage you to sign up for their monthly magazine (which isn’t too bad at $39) but that’s your choice.
Anyway – time for me to bow out and let you make your own decision (which is what I should have done in the first place!!)
Here’s the lowdown on how to get your copy of this intriguing material, just visit Stomping The Search Engines 2
I think there’s a good chance you’ll find some interesting and useful tips in it.
~ Carol Bentley
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