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Issue 3
Volume 3
May 2013
Marketing PROVIDING A RANGE OF TIPS, IDEAS AND STRATEGIES
focus
FOR THE SMALL BUSINESS OW NER
Helping you achieve your business goals Welcome to Marketing Focus, the newsletter of Marketing Means Business.
needs allowing us to recommend suitable marketing techniques.
We are a small team of consultants who are skilled specialists in the development, execution and evaluation of Marketing, Advertising and Communication programs, with a unique blend of creativity, fresh ideas and diverse marketing experience.
Just as a professional athlete has a coach to ensure their best performance, our goal is to provide you with professional support to ensure you maximise your business and personal performance, to achieve your goals.
Our blend of talented individuals, are all experts in their specific fields. Because we are small, it is important for us to build relationships with our clients as this helps us to gain a better understanding about their
Our Goal MMB was established to help small and medium-sized companies achieve their business objectives through the development of effective marketing strategies, supported by the practical implementation of results-focused marketing and business development.
MARKET WATCH Does Your Marketing Strategy Need a Revamp? Did you kick off the year by planning to do some things differently in 2013? Are you beating yourself up because it’s now a quarter of the way through 2013, and you still haven’t managed to get around to doing it? Perhaps you could use this little note as a reminder to refresh your business, revamp your marketing and tie up loose ends. Marketing Means Business 0451 184 599 Email: dennis@marketingmeansbusiness.net.au Web: www.marketingmeansbusiness.net.au
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Your Customer can be Your Lifeline or Your Executioner Dennis Chiron MarketingMeans Business 0451 184 599 dennis@marketingmeansbusiness.net.au Skype: dennis.chiron2
PROFILE OF AN UNHAPPY CUSTOMER There are some facts on unhappy customers that both you and your staff should be aware of. Think about yourself and your business. If you fit some of these profiles it should also confirm to you that others feel the same. Did you know that:
That the average business never hears from 96% of its unhappy customers. That for every complaint received, a business will have 26 others that are unreported, six of which are serious. That those “non-complaint” customers do complain to nine or ten other people. That customers whose complaints are effectively resolved will tell an average of five other people.
Everyone knows the benefits of a satisfied customer, but few business owners stop to consider the potential value of the not-so-happy. In an article in “My Business” Tom Dickerson explains how you can use unhappy customers
K EEP Y OUR
C USTOMERS H APPY
to better your business http:// www.mybusiness.com.au/experts/howunhappy-customers-can-improve-yourbusiness Unfortunately, unhappy customers are an inevitable consequence of doing business and you will run into them no matter how committed you are to seeing them all happy. There will be times when that customer is justified in being upset while there will be others where the situation was entirely out of your control. Strategies do exist where you can diffuse a situation and help a customer feel better and perhaps even turn them into a repeat buyer. In the beginning, every business owner is certain that they must retain every single customer they can but this is not an excuse to allow the business to become the proverbial “doormat” for customers to kick around when they feel like it. Sooner or later you're going to have to deal with an upset customer. A product breaks, their goods don’t arrive when promised, an employee has a bad day, these things happen! The question is, how are you going to deal with your unhappy customer, especially considering that these days it's very easy to vent ones spleen using social media. Almost with one foul swoop, a frustrated customer, through Facebook or Twitter, can literally destroy your business.
Sixty eight percent of customers who leave do so because they feel unappreciated, unimportant, and taken for granted.
Everyone claims they give excellent customer service. While that might be true for some, it is far from true for others. If every company gives excellent service, there would be no need for customer complaints lines, consumer watch dogs, or even companies liquidating. Customers care about how they’re treated. With the recent rise of social media, consumers are able to voice their dissent — or support — immediately to the masses. Businesses have to manage relationships with their customers more carefully than ever, whether online or offline. People will buy from you for many reasons, but the experience they have determines whether they come back or not. So from the beginning you need to focus on helping the customer, because that’s what builds repeat business.
Marketing Means Business 0451 184 599 Email: dennis@marketingmeansbusiness.net.au Web: www.marketingmeansbusiness.net.au
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COMPLAINTS ARE A GREAT WAY FOR YOU TO IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS Dennis Chiron MarketingMeans Business 0451 184 599 dennis@marketingmeansbusiness.net.au Skype: dennis.chiron2
Firstly, a good business tries to minimise customer complaints through excellent customer service, and address customer complaints about the business, or a product or service quickly and fairly. Customers can become difficult for a variety of reasons. Some might have an annoying personality; others like to find faults, while some think they know it all. Customers like these can become impatient, intimidating and demanding. Angry customers are the most difficult to handle as they are usually upset and emotional, as they are not happy about the product or the service. You need to see your customer’s complaint through their eyes. Imagine that whatever the customer is complaining about has also happened to you. What would you be thinking and feeling? How would you react? How would you expect to be treated? What would it take to satisfy you? What response would be necessary for you to walk away feeling good about your complaint and the company? It is estimated that only 1.5% of all customers will try to take advantage of a company through exaggerated claims. So, chances are, your customer’s complaint is
legitimate and realistic. A customer’s complaint is usually a clear message on how you can improve your services or products. If you are able to identify and meet customer wants and needs, you will undoubtedly improve your business performance and increase your customer base. A satisfied customer usually means repeat business. In most cases, the information that you can obtain through a customer’s complaint is impossible to get through any other means. You are being presented with a real opportunity to prove your commitment to your customer by addressing these concerns, even when the complaint may seem minor or trivial. Complaints that customers bring directly to you are the most efficient and least costly way of obtaining information and under-standing customer expectations. When a customer has a genuine complaint, thank them for raising the matter with you. Treat them with genuine empathy, courtesy, patience, honesty and fairness. Try to respond to the complaint quickly. Tell the customer how you will handle it and when to expect a response. Speak to the customer in person. Do not rely on written complaints or records of conversations.
When choosing your approach for communicating with a customer, think about how you would like to
be treated if you were making a complaint to a business. Model the type of conversation you want to have with customers who are making a complaint. This may include making it clear to the customer that you are eager to listen and treating them with courtesy and consideration. There are a number of common complaints that customers make relating to products and services. Having procedures in place that find solutions to common complaints will help you resolve issues quickly and efficiently. Always seek outcomes that will satisfy your customers, and make sure these are feasible and affordable for your business. Remember that the cost of a shortterm concession is worth preserving a long-term relationship. It is a fact: Customers will take their business elsewhere because of poor service rather than poor quality products. It is very important that a business listens to the feedback received from their customers. So, appreciate the fact that your customer bothered to tell you first, and take full advantage of the situation.
Marketing Means Business 0451 184 599 Email: dennis@marketingmeansbusiness.net.au Web: www.marketingmeansbusiness.net.au