How to use targeted resources in social networks to attract customers and subscribers. There are some very interesting statistics about this.
“I am sure that in the next 2 years there will be no choice - either you are customer-oriented, or you feel bad”
Igor Mann
Greetings, dear MD Readers, in the New Year! In previous editions, we've talked a lot about customer centricity, how best to implement it, the pitfalls along the way, and the benefits for you and your customers. I hope you found something useful for yourself and implemented it in your business. And if you haven't already, then January is the perfect time.
January is traditionally a "warm-up" month. This month is a period of holidays, summing up the results of the previous year and planning for the next year. And it is January that is suitable for painlessly starting to introduce new chips and changes in your company.
I have compiled a list for you of the top 10 books on customer centricity. So let's go:
After this book, you will already be able to determine for sure who is a real fan of your company, and who will spread “black” rumors about it. NPS - customer loyalty index will help you with this. It is used by Apple and LEGO, American Express and Allianz. For these companies, NPS is on a par with financial profit. How likely are customers to recommend your company? Are you not sure? Fred Reicheld and Rob Markey will teach you how to build a crowd of loyal customers.
Almost everyone has heard of Tony Shea's book Delivering Happiness. Igor Mann constantly recommends her. But I want to recommend to you the book by Joseph Micelli, who "felt from the inside" all the ins and outs of Zappos. The Zappos Rules is a summary of helpful tips for every day. We definitely don't have companies like Zappos. So just take their model and use it for yourself.
Everyone knows that it is necessary to surprise customers, but not everyone knows how to do it. Rick knows! And shares the experience of leading companies. The book consists of two blocks. First - Exaggerated Promises - talks about the need for positioning and differentiation using the example of companies such as Progressive, american girl, samsung,Toyota and others.
The second block is Exceeded expectations - talks about the principles of working with points of contact. Barrera explains what contact points are, what role they play, and how to work with them correctly. Rick breaks down all points of contact into points of contact with the product, personnel and system. Using the example of all the same famous companies, the author gives advice on which points of contact you need to pay attention to in the first place and what to do with them.
"Exceeding expectations» complement well « Contact points» Igor Mann. It will be discussed below.
5. "First-class service as a competitive advantage", John Shoal
If you learn, then only from the best. Why Shoal? Back in 1979, John developed the world's first service improvement program. Since then, his company Service Quality Institute has specialized in service education and consulting. And in 1987, Time and Entrepreneur magazines awarded Shole the title of "service culture guru." There is nothing more to add here. For customers to say WOW and be pleasantly shocked by your service, "First-class service" must become your reference book!
6. "How to Win a Client", Neil and Murray Raphel
This book appeared much earlier than Sincere Loyalty, but I recommend that you read them together. The book consists of five parts, each of which corresponds to one of five possible categories of people dealing with you:
Potential buyers - people who may be interested in buying from you
Visitors - people who have visited your company (shop) at least once
Buyers - those who have purchased one or more products (used one or more services) of your company
Customers - people who regularly buy your products or use your services
Adherents are those who tell everyone how great your firm is.
This book is a huge statistic that proves once again why customer-centric companies succeed and are more profitable than their competitors. The authors have done a colossal job and revealed the secret of successful companies, how they manage to win people's hearts: having won the heart of a client, the company automatically gets access to his wallet. And here are some more facts about companies that carry love (FNL):
- Salary and incentive payments for FNL employees are significantly higher than the industry average
- Staff turnover in FNL is significantly lower than the industry average
- FNL employees have the authority to do everything to ensure that the company's client is completely satisfied with the quality of service
- FNL marketing costs are significantly lower than those of competitors, and customer satisfaction and loyalty are significantly higher
If you want to stand on a par with such companies, the book will be indispensable.
You can be customer oriented, but if you don't understand the psychology of your customer, you are doomed! I believe that " Clientology” may well qualify for the best business book of 2012. No wonder it was included in the top ten Amazon business books in 2010. Philip Graves. To better understand your customers, so as not to spend a lot of money on meaningless research and surveys, just read "Clientology".
This novelty from MIF is already worthy to be in your library. The book contains all the experience and techniques of working with clients of such monsters as The Ritz-Carlton, BVLGARI, The Walt Disney Company, Lexus. The book is on a par with Shoal's First Class Service. Horst Schulze, founder and former president of The Ritz-Carlton, explains the value of this book this way: “What you are about to read will help you re-evaluate your business, no matter how big or small. You will be able to properly understand your customers and get them to come back to you for more.” And I’ll add on my own: we take a pencil and write out chips to increase and strengthen customer loyalty.
Do you know why the customer didn't buy from you? Do you really know? Okay, so when exactly did he decide not to buy or work with you? Are you in a stupor? Then welcome to the world of contact points! A world where potential customers make the most crucial decision - buy from you or go to your competitors. And your guides will be Igor Mann and Dmitry Turusin. By the way, Igor Mann says at all his trainings and seminars that marketing begins with points of contact. I want to add that customer focus also starts with touch points. The seller did not smile - the client did not buy, inconvenient order form on the site - the client left. This book is not even a book, but a workbook. You are given theory and assignments. Then it's up to the small - take and apply!
After reading these books, you are guaranteed to discover a lot of ideas on how to work better with your clients and how to become more client-oriented. You can read more about these books on my website by clicking here. here!
And finally, I want to give my favorite advice - act! Don't reinvent the wheel, take proven ideas and tricks and implement them. And do not read books for show!
As American scientists say: "If you do not implement the acquired knowledge within 72 hours, they will remain a pile of useless information in the back of your mind."
IT tools used by Andriy Zinkevich
- Evernote
- Google Analytics
- Wordstat.Yandex
Andrei Zinkevich, entrepreneur, marketing consultant. Project founder. The geography of clients includes 9 countries of the world. Over eight years of sales and marketing experience with Kimberly Clark and Biosphere Corporation. Author of the books "Customer Conveyor", "Secrets of customer focus" and "Profitable Internet projects".
There is a simple axiom in marketing - before launching any marketing campaign, you need to know the answers to 3 questions:
What problem does my product/service solve?
Who is my buyer?
Where is he located?
And if everything is clear in principle with the first two questions, then many entrepreneurs have difficulties with the last one. I once again became convinced of this by conducting a course "Marketing Formula". Questions on how to identify target resources (sites that the target audience reads and visits regularly) and how to use them to attract customers were the most common among the participants.
In this article, I will show you step by step how to work with targeted resources in social networks.
How to identify resources with a target audience
Step 1. We look at the profiles of clients and write out what resources they are subscribed to (like marks)
Analysis can always be approached in two ways. The first is to brainstorm and make assumptions; the second is to conduct a thorough market analysis and obtain relevant information. I am a supporter of the second practical method.
In order to conduct such an analysis, I write out the profiles of ten of my clients in social networks in a separate file.After that, I go to the tab with “Like” marks and write out all the resources to which they are subscribed and which are related to my specialization.
Important point:you need to pay attention and write out only those resources that publish content from third-party authors. I also recommend paying attention to resources with a minimum number of subscribers of 5,000 people.Step 2. Filter the target resources by the degree of popularity (frequency of repetitions)
At the second stage, our task is to determine the most popular resources among the target audience. To do this, you need to manually calculate how many clients are subscribed to each of the resources.
Such an analysis will easily show which resources are the most popular among your customers and which ones you should pay attention to in the first place.
Below is a screenshot of the table I used to determine the most popular resources among my target audience. In it, in descending order, there are resources that most often intersect with my clients.
Step 3. Choose the most popular resource and get acquainted with the administrator
After the list of target resources is compiled, you can proceed to the promotion stage. Here I will dwell in more detail. This step is often neglected by most companies, and therefore their PR efforts fail miserably. The reason is networking, or rather the lack of it.
Of course, you can write a beautiful letter about how serious we are, how much content we write and how popular we are, but the effectiveness of this letter is minimal.
You can do this in several ways:
Regular commenting on posts. H Our first priority is to get on the radar of the owner of the resource we need. To do this, we need to subscribe to him on social networks and become a kind of his promoter: actively distribute his materials, comment on publications, ask questions and participate in discussions. Few use this tactic, so you can easily stand out from the rest of the readers / subscribers and be able to attract attention.Request for an interview.
The second way is to ask the owner of the resource we need for an interview. Most specialists agree to an interview, as this once again emphasizes their credibility, expertise and relevance. And for you, this is a good chance to reach the target audience and draw attention to your project. If you prepare well and think through interesting questions (which will not duplicate questions from previous interviews with a specialist), then you are guaranteed to earn the respect of the interviewee. “Working with targeted resources is a primary strategy that should be present in the marketing plan of any company. Targeted resources not only provide you with PR and popularity, but also bring the target audience to your site.
Doing free work.Another good way to build relationships is to do free work for the owner of the resource you want. Think about how you or your company can be useful to him: if you are engaged in Internet marketing, then do a free site audit and tell the owner of the conversion point; if your specialization is copywriting, then show the owner of the target resource how you can improve its texts; and so on, you get the idea.A striking example of the implementation of such tactics is the free diagnostics of the site " Dodo Pizza " made by the company " Leadmachine". The owner of Dodo Pizza is Fedor Ovchinnikov, a well-known Russian entrepreneur and blogger, the hero of the book “Nerds Do Business”. Keeping in mind that getting through to Fedor is not so easy, Leadmashina decided to take a different path and made a detailed diagnosis of Fedor's company website, offering rational solutions to increase conversion.
It must contain the following information:
Specialization and experience in a particular field.
Step 5. Preparing an announcement teaser with a link to a website or blog
If all the previous steps have been followed, then you will most likely receive a positive response from the owner of the target resource. The question remains: how to squeeze the maximum conversion (number of transitions to the site, number of hits, number of new subscribers) from your publication.
I recommend using the following bundle: teaser announcement with a link to the site/blog + content upgrades. Let's take a look at each of the elements.
Announcement teaser. The first rule that you should definitely remember is that no one reads long posts on social networks. And most social networks (especially Twitter and LinkedIn) won't let you roam too much. Therefore, you need to prepare an announcement that will encourage the reader to click on the link and go to the site.
How to write a teaser announcement? I am using the following structure:
a) A mention of a common problem among the target audience. The more accurately you describe the problem, the higher the reader's interest will be and the more target audience you will attract.
b) Problem solving.
You must show what the article will be about and intrigue the reader.
c) Link to the site with the full text.
I recommend that all links be marked with UTM tags and shortened using services like bitly .com . Thus, you can always find out the exact conversion for the selected target resource.
d) Announcement of content upgrades.
Be sure to indicate that the reader is waiting for additional free materials that he can download after reading the article. This is guaranteed to increase the number of clicks to your site.
Here is what the use of a similar structure looks like in one of my publications in "
“Secrets of Customer Orientation Guide to Loyal Customer Acquisition Contents Who will benefit from the book. 3 What is...»
Andrei Zinkevich
customer orientation
purchase guide
loyal customers
Who will benefit from the book ......... 3
What is customer focus......... 4
Standards of a customer-oriented company.......... 7
How to make the product more customer-oriented .......... 11
Customer-Oriented Business Processes.......... 14
Quality service and customer-oriented staff.......... 16
The effect of customer orientation .......... 21
Best case studies on customer focus #1 – Minibus driver.......... 24 Best cases on customer focus #2 – Fishmonger......... 26 Best cases on customer focus #3 – Furniture store... ...... 28 What to read......... 36 Afterword......... 40 And 4 more little tips......... 41 Who is Andrei Zinkevich? ......... 42 Who will benefit from the book Who will benefit from the book Why is there so much talk about customer orientation today?
The answer is quite simple and banal. Each of us wants to be served quickly and politely. We want all processes of interaction with the company serving us to be clear to us, convenient and transparent. But many of us forget about it when we find ourselves on the other side of the barricades. Unfortunately, not only in Ukraine, but also in all countries of the former Soviet Union, too few companies think about the wishes of their customers. It's a pity.
The whole world has long been on the path of customer focus, realizing that this strategy is the future.
Customer focus is an integral and one of the key growth factors of the company.
As Fred Reicheld said, "After all, it's not hard to see that a company can't grow if it escorts customers out the back door faster than sales people can get them through the front door."
There is only one conclusion: either you are customer-oriented, or your business will be bad!
Therefore, the book will be useful to you if you:
Do you want your customers to come back and buy more and more often Do you want your customers to talk about your company and bring their acquaintances to you Strive to ensure your company is highly competitive and has a bright future This book will teach and help you implement customer centricity in your business to increase sales and customer loyalty.
Secrets of customer focus What is customer focus What is customer focus To begin with, let's deal with the very concept of "customer focus"
The vast majority of companies call themselves customer-centric, arguing that they have special loyalty programs for their customers. Other companies mean impeccable service and highly qualified service personnel by customer focus. In general, continuous confusion and confusion.
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To better explain what customer centricity is, I suggest doing a simple exercise:
Imagine your favorite store where you like to shop. You often tell your friends about it or go there with them. When you make a purchase in it, what feelings do you have? Represented? If these are feelings of happiness, admiration, joy, you should know that this store is customer-oriented.
What are the main benefits of implementing a customer-centric approach?
Customer focus is good positioning and differentiation from competitors, as there are very, very few customer-oriented companies. This means that in the case of choosing a company - a supplier of products or services, there is a much greater chance that the consumer will choose a customer-oriented company.
It is much easier for a customer-oriented company to sell new services and products, since such a company already has a positive image and a good reputation among its customers.
Secrets of customer centricity What is customer centricity By acquiring loyal customers, a customer centric company deprives its competitors of profits, as customers stop buying products or services from competitors.
Loyal customers are less price sensitive, so they are willing to pay more for the products of a customer-centric company.
As a result, a customer-oriented company may sell its products or services more than its competitors.
Loyal customers are word of mouth and free publicity for a customer focused company.
A customer-focused company can cut its advertising and promotion costs and reinvest in its development.
Customers will always come back to a customer focused company and shop more often just because they like it :-)
Naturally, once embarking on the path of customer focus, a company may face a number of difficulties:
a rigorous systemic process of introducing customer focus regular checks and evaluation of results continuous staff training and dismissal of non-customer focused employees regular availability to the client quick response and problem solving
– – –
Let's look at the main components of customer centricity Drawing analogies with the marketing mix, we can identify 5 key components of customer centricity or 5K:
PRODUCT
STAFF
SERVICE AND PROCESSES
RULES AND STANDARDS
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
The secrets of customer centricity What is customer centricity and now stop Each of these elements we will consider in the following chapters of the book, we will go into more detail on the most important points for a company that wants to become customer centric:The company itself does not become customer-oriented. 5 of its components, which were mentioned above, should become customer-oriented.
Customer orientation starts from the head, that is, from the top manager of the company. It should be the general strategy of the company and controlled by the top, otherwise customer focus will remain an empty declaration of intent.
There will always be opponents of innovations in the company, so you need to be prepared for the dismissal of "interfering" personnel. You also need to understand that the smaller the number of staff and the younger the company, the easier it will be to implement customer focus. This is due to the fact that fewer people will resist innovation, and there will be no old conservative views on working with clients.
The sooner a company starts implementing a customer focus, the sooner it will gain competitive advantages, loyal customers and additional profit.
Surely, after reading the material, many readers will think: “My company is definitely customer-oriented”! I propose to pass a small test of 5 questions, which I give to my partners and clients:
How many regular and loyal customers do you have?
How many complaints do you receive in a month? How quickly do you respond to them and how many of them solve? Are you ready to give a gift for every complaint?
How many new customers come to you on the recommendation of old ones?
What is the satisfaction level of your customers?
What do clients say about you?
I'm sure the answers will make you think!
Secrets of customer orientation Standards of a customer-oriented company
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Standards help to regularly do the job well the first time and prevent any possible deviations. As the famous Japanese quality specialist Genichi Taguchi said: “The more deviations you can eliminate, the better your product or service will be.”
The creation of customer-oriented standards is the first step towards the formation of an appropriate corporate culture.
Well-known American consultant Bob Phifer cites very interesting statistics in this regard. In his opinion:
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Secrets of customer centricity Standards of a customer centric company One can talk a lot about the benefits of compliance with performance standards for the company, about their regulatory function, but what benefits does the client receive from this?
– – –
In the absence or non-compliance with the established work regulations, business processes in the company occur spontaneously. You can easily recognize such a company by the following phrases of its employees: "Why should I do this?", "This is not my job", "I'm not going to waste time on this."
Also, all of the above benefits from compliance with customer-oriented standards can turn against the company in case of their absence. The most dangerous factor in the absence of customer-oriented work standards for a company is the loss of its customers, and, accordingly, profits!
customer-oriented standards should So, we decided what to be. What can they include?
Powers and duties of employees. At the same time, any employee of the company in contact with customers should have the authority to solve the customer's problem.
Interactions between company departments.
A list of the minimum required information that an employee of the company must provide to the client about the company, its products and services, and the terms of cooperation.
Customer Service Rules.
The mechanics of order processing and its issuance to the client.
Obtaining information about the client and entering it into the database.
Loyalty programs for customers.
After-sales support of the client, congratulations to clients on holidays.
Corporate identity and rules for the design of internal and external documents.
Dress code.
Secrets of customer orientation Standards of a customer-oriented company Duration of 1 operation.
The speed of response to an incoming request.
Settlement of conflict situations.
Round the clock availability to the client.
You can add to the list: think about what exactly can be standardized for the benefit of the client and the company!
Once you have decided which work standards can be made more client-oriented, we move on to the most important thing - implementing and monitoring compliance with the rules!
The process of implementing customer-oriented work standards Secrets of customer-centricity Standards of a customer-oriented company
Let's take a closer look at a few aspects:
Be sure to document the new performance standards in writing. Remember - what is not written is not there.
Publish and communicate to your customers the new standards of your company. According to the measurements of American psychologists, 89% of people who have made public commitments tend to comply with them. You don't want to fall face down in the mud either, right?
You will definitely encounter the reluctance of certain employees to comply with the new rules. The only way out of their situation is to fire them, and not waste time and effort on persuasion and training. New employees will come to work according to the new customer-oriented rules.
New customer-oriented standards of work must be observed by absolutely everyone, including top managers. Remember the proverb: "The fish rots from the head"?
If you, as a manager, allow yourself to deviate from following the rules, your employees will gladly imitate you!
Compliance with customer-oriented standards by all employees, according to the famous American psychologist Robert Cialdini, allows you to run the rule of "social proof". The principle of this rule is that the more people find a given idea to be true, the more true that idea will be. This means that following customer-centric rules creates a customer-centric culture.
Be sure to follow the standards.
Only in this way will you be able to implement a customer focus and keep the development of the company on track. But at the same time, the assessment and analysis of compliance with customer-oriented work standards should not take a lot of time for employees. Simplify evaluation criteria and evaluate only important indicators!
Secrets of customer focus How to make a product more customer focused How to make a product more customer focused What can a customer focused product give us?
Increasing customer loyalty. Customers love products that best meet their needs and desires.
Reducing the number of complaints and complaints from customers. There is no better way to improve your product than by solving customer problems.
Increase the frequency of purchases. Giving useful advice on how else you can use the product, in addition to the main purpose, the consumption of the product will increase, and, accordingly, the frequency of its purchases will increase.
Additional competitive advantages. By making your product more customer-focused, you set it apart from competitors' products and earn additional points for it from customers.
In fact, there are not so many customer-oriented products.
For example:
Mineral water. Almost any label of a mineral water bottle contains information about how many useful microelements the water contains. For most of us, this information means absolutely nothing and therefore is absolutely not important. At the same time, you rarely see (at least in Ukraine) mineral water with information on how much water an adult should drink per day at a certain weight.
Liqueurs are the main component of most cocktails.
Most people, passing by racks of liqueurs, seem to want to buy them, but without finding information about which cocktails this liquor is suitable for and what alcoholic drinks it goes with, they often refuse to buy.
– – –
Secrets of customer focus How to make the product more customer focused What should be considered first of all when "upgrading" the product?
Details and components of the product itself.
Does it have everything? Is everything clear to the customer when buying? What else you need to pay attention to:
– – –
Product environmental analysis.
Here it is useful to think about the following:
What in the product can be made more convenient for the client?
What is missing in the product / what is superfluous in it?
What can be done to make the product more appealing to customers?
What do customers who buy from competitors dislike about your product?
How do competitors improve their product?
What fears does the customer have when buying and how to remove them?
The answers to these questions, as well as the subsequent implementation of the ideas received, will make your product significantly customer-oriented.
The result is increased customer loyalty and additional profit.
Secrets of customer focus How to make a product more customer focused What tools can be used to make a product more customer focused?
Resolving current complaints. Perhaps the best way to make the product more customer-oriented. A complaint is something that the product lacks or, on the contrary, interferes with the client. Accordingly, by satisfying the complaint, you both improve your product and earn loyalty points from the client.
Surveys of clients and partners. Who else but your customers and partners can suggest how to make the product more customer-oriented? Questionnaires, questionnaires, interviews - everything will help you. Use this tool regularly and you will never run out of ideas.
Also, in this way, you show how important the opinion of customers and partners is to you and involve them in the development of your products. An example of a regular customer satisfaction survey of my partners, Paloma d.d., you can see here.
Monitor competitor products. It is always important to know what your competitors are doing. Monitoring competitor products should be part of your strategy. You should always know what customers like about competitors' products and, if possible, incorporate it into your product. And vice versa, analyze the mistakes in competitive products so as not to repeat them in your own.
Brainstorming and meetings. This helps to involve key employees of the company in product development. I have provided a list of brainstorming questions above. Be sure to write down all ideas.
Benchmarking. It's simple - look for the best chips and ideas in products from other industries and implement them in your own.
Try at least one of the tools, and your product is guaranteed to become much more valuable to customers.
Secrets of customer centricity Customer oriented business processes Customer oriented business processes Continuing the topic of implementing customer centricity, we move on to the next block.
It is dedicated to how to make business processes and services in the company more convenient for the client, focused on him.
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Everyone understands why high-quality service and customer-friendly processes are so important. For example, I will cite the stunning statistics of the TARP (Technical Assistance Research Program) research group.
In one study, TARP found that the average return on investment in quality service for manufacturers of consumer durables (household appliances) is 100%. In other words, if a company spends $1 million
for a service improvement program, its profit increases by $ 2 million. For banks, the return on such investments reaches 170%. In highly competitive retail, returns can be even higher - up to 200%.
Why service and processes go side by side:
PROCESSES are customer service.
SERVICE is how this work happens.
Processes - a direct display of standards and regulations for working with clients. We will not return to the standards, we considered them in the previous chapter. Note that the lack of customer-oriented work standards will lead to the fact that the processes of interaction with customers will be chaotic. It is unlikely that your customers will like it.
Secrets of Customer Orientation Customer Oriented Business Processes When we want to improve our customer service processes, it is important to always remember that processes should be convenient for the client, not the company. Often, everything happens exactly the opposite.
For example, many companies invest serious money in improving customer experience. But sometimes these investments bring little, if any, return, because quality service only becomes a competitive advantage when it influences the buying decision and customers are able to see the improvement.
John Shoal, a recognized expert in the field of service and maintenance, provides interesting statistics in the insurance industry. For example, reducing the time it takes to issue a group accident and health insurance policy will have less impact on a customer's purchasing decision than reducing the time it takes to issue an insurance receipt. Reducing price calculation time from 1 day to 4 hours is incomparable to providing an online service that a potential client can use by calling the company. This leads to a simple conclusion: find out what your customers want, that is, how they understand good service.
processes of interaction with clients From myself I want to add that they should be as follows:
Guaranteed. No one wants to make a purchase without a money back guarantee.
Comfortable and convenient. This includes free delivery, installation of equipment, sofas in the office, etc. The client should feel comfortable working with your company.
Simple. The mechanics of working with your company should be clear, first of all, to the client, and not to you.
Fast. Remember: time is money, no one likes to wait.
Timely. Sometimes “tomorrow” your product may no longer be needed. It will be bought from someone who is ready to deliver the necessary goods in a timely manner.
Neat and safe. For example, after repairing an apartment, no matter how cool it is, not a single client wants to see bare wires sticking out.
Improvement of processes of work with clients, just like products, should be regular. The best way to find out what can and should be improved is through customer surveys. After all, they are the main participants in the processes.
Secrets of customer orientation High-quality service and client-oriented personnel High-quality service and client-oriented personnel It would seem that everyone is now talking about the need for good service. Hundreds of books and articles have been written, and there are many trainers ready to teach your employees how to provide quality service.
Is there anything else we might not know about good service?
In fact, customer perceptions of great service have changed significantly. Now, by great service, we mean both a convenient location and a wide range of products.
Comfort and efficiency. And, of course, reasonable prices.
But the deep desires of customers still remained unchanged. People, as before, want courtesy, product knowledge, help, enthusiasm and smiles from company employees. That is why high-quality service is, first of all, the concentration of all resources and all employees of the company on customer satisfaction. Yes, yes, I was not mistaken - all employees, and not just those who directly communicate with the client.
It is important to understand that today the service includes a lot:
Sales, marketing, logistics, accounting - there is a piece of service in everything that every employee in the company does. Therefore, any action of any employee of the company greatly affects the real or perceived quality of the product purchased by the client.
The main function of the service Many business people make mistakes when talking about the functions of the service.
Retain existing customers and attract new ones. Moreover, high-quality secrets of client orientation High-quality service and client-oriented staff should become the very incentive for the client that will motivate him to come to you again and recommend you.
In companies where the function of the service is sales support, all employees are taught from day one to ask themselves the following questions:
How can I process this order faster?
How to deliver it faster?
How can I improve my work to help the client?
How to improve product quality through service?
Managers have to regularly train their employees, ask themselves these questions.
But as soon as control is weakened, quality service instantly disappears.
If you look at high-quality service from the side of relations between staff and customers, then it implies:
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But most business people have one deadly mistake: they stubbornly hold on to the delusion that people are born with all the skills necessary to provide quality service. And with the desire to apply these skills. In fact, this is absolutely not true. Most people, coming to work, dream when the clock will strike 18.00 and the working day will end. They don't really care about customer issues. And this is the only reason why we still have so few customer-oriented companies.
So why aren't businesses investing in better service?
This is hindered by a number of problems and myths. One of the key problems is the low level of personnel qualification. Universities, unfortunately, do not teach good service. When our young people encounter examples of bad service en masse, it becomes the norm for them. You can often hear: "If others work like this and the secrets of customer orientation Quality service and customer-oriented staff earn, then why should I strain?". This is the main scourge of domestic business.
Evil, as they say, begets evil.
The problem of personnel qualification gives rise to another - staff turnover.
Accordingly, it simply becomes unprofitable for business owners and top managers of companies to invest in the service, as they will go down the drain. The circle is closed.
There are several other myths about quality service.
There are a few other myths about quality service:
Myth #1: Good service is very expensive.
Myth #2: Investing in a service doesn't pay off.
Myth #3: Good customer service doesn't reduce employee turnover.
Myth #4: The benefits of quality service are not clear.
Let's look at everything in order.
How much does good service really cost?
Yes, it costs a lot of money. Unfortunately, for most companies, the upfront cost of improving service programs overshadows the long-term outlook. That is why they are in no hurry to invest in improving the quality of service.
But is it stupid to invest in something that will bring profit? After all, most business people don't dismiss good ideas just because they're expensive. Likewise, price should not be the deciding factor when it comes to developing and maintaining good customer relationships.
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Many authors such as Carl Sewell, Tony Shay, Richard Branson write about the urgent need for amazing service. Whichever book we open about customer centricity, the following companies are all over the place: Disney, Federal Express, Wal-Mart, Commerce Bank, Nordstrom, GE, Dell, Home Depot, and Amazon.
The Secrets of a Customer Focused Service and Customer Focused Staff Let's look at the example of British Airways. When it announced that it had a net income of $189 million on revenue of $7 billion, it was one of the most impressive figures in the history of international airlines. But a few years before that, British Airways topped the chart of the most unprofitable airlines.
So what's the secret? It's all about great service. Along with a sharp increase in profits, the company has reached unprecedented levels of customer satisfaction.
Marianne Rasmussen, former vice president of international quality at American Express, says: "I use the following formula - better complaints handling equals higher customer satisfaction, which equals higher brand loyalty, which equals higher profits."
John Schole, a renowned expert in service improvement, has compiled a list of 12 main benefits that a company brings with high-quality service:
Customer loyalty, increase in market share and sales volume.
Profit growth.
More frequent sales. Bigger sales. More expensive orders. Repeat orders.
Increasing the customer base and the number of new customers.
Reducing the number of complaints. Customer retention.
Good reputation of the company.
Opportunity to stand out from competitors.
Improving work discipline and productivity due to the positive attitude of customers.
Improving relationships in the team: people willingly communicate with each other, because they have a good mood and they do work with pleasure.
Less dissatisfaction, absenteeism and lateness.
Decreased staff turnover.
To re-emphasize the importance of good service, I repeat:
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Secrets of customer orientation Quality service and customer-oriented staff Moreover, quality service is the lever of "word of mouth".
As numerous studies show, one satisfied customer can refer two or three new customers to you.
Now let's talk about how a quality service saves a company money.
If customers are satisfied with the service, it helps not only to earn money, it helps to save them. After all, it's no secret that the cost of attracting a new customer is 7 times higher than retaining an existing customer. Accordingly, retaining customers means reducing marketing costs. And the money saved on marketing is the profit of the company.
How else can a good service help a company save money?
First of all, all employees of the company begin to serve customers much better and, thereby, prevent dissatisfaction and claims. This reduces and even eliminates the costs associated with problem solving. Including the need to maintain a large customer service department or support service.
Finally, I will give an interesting formula of the same John Shole, described in the book “Service as a Competitive Advantage”:
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So is it worth investing in service improvement? The choice is yours!
Secrets of customer focus The effect of customer focus The effect of customer focus Now let's look at the effects of implementing customer focus.
Namely, how does the famous "word of mouth" begin to work?
There are some very interesting statistics about this:
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One of the advantages of customer-centric companies is the violation of the above statistics. Much more customers spread positive word about them. And "smart" companies do not forget to use this advantage.
How do customer-centric companies manage to motivate customers to talk about them?
With the help of convenient and understandable business processes for the client, customer-oriented products and impeccable service.
With mailing lists and courtesy calls.
Usually, after a few days, such companies send a letter to the client asking if he is satisfied with everything, if the company can be useful in anything else, and also ask the client to tell his friends about it. If the client does not answer the call, a company manager calls him a day later and asks if everything is in order.
Secrets of customer focus The effect of customer focus With the help of organizing competitions, drawings and flash mobs by the company.
For example, in the software market, companies can provide free access to the program to a user who spoke about the product and brought new users. Competitions with good gifts are also an occasion for participants to talk about the company and the competition. A very cool tool - a competition for the most active participant. For people, this causes a feeling of excitement and rivalry, and for loyal customers - to prove their loyalty. For example, you can see how to hold contests published by Mann, Ivanov and Ferber and the Infobusiness2.ru project.
By monitoring online reviews about yourself. Fortunately, current technology allows this. There are many programs that allow you to track mentions of yourself. I will specifically omit the names of the programs so that they are not perceived as hidden advertising :). So, having found a positive review, company managers immediately post it on their website and distribute it on their platforms. Having found a negative review, such companies get an additional chance. By contacting a dissatisfied customer and finding out the cause of dissatisfaction, customer-oriented companies instantly solve the customer's problem. And the client will not forget about it! And he will appreciate it, probably joining the ranks of loyal customers. Well, when the rumor is already running, the matter is small. Add fuel to the fire and keep customers active.
Here are some more tips:
Review customer reviews regularly. If you notice that the number of negative reviews is not decreasing, or, even worse, is growing, then your “customer focus” is not all right. The weak link will nullify all efforts to implement customer focus, and turn investments into waste. It is important to find where the failure occurs: in business processes, in the product itself, or maybe in personnel. The first and most important task will be to eliminate the weak link. And then you need to find the reasons that led to such consequences and prevent them in the future.
Exceed customer expectations. Little things like a day earlier delivery, a free gift, a gift certificate, and other little things that don't cost you much work wonders. Do something the customer doesn't expect (in a good way) and see how fast the news spreads.
Encourage your employees to instantly solve customer problems. Nothing repels a client like the phrases “I can’t help you” or “I’m not responsible for this.” Responding quickly to customer issues is the key to acquiring customers for life. Use it!
Secrets of customer centricity The effect of customer centricity
There are several good books on this topic that you should definitely have in your library:
Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz.
"Anatomy of Word of Mouth Marketing" by Emanuel Rosen.
I just gave you a theory about how to implement customer centricity in your company. But, as they say, theory without practice is 0. Therefore, now I will give 3 real cases that will demonstrate customer focus in practice.
Secrets of customer focus The best cases of customer focus. №1 - Minibus driver The best cases about customer focus.
No. 1 - Minibus driver 1 case - a story about a simple minibus driver from Volgograd, Usube Kochoyan.
Usub Kochoyan - for eight years he has been carrying passengers along the Volgograd-Volzhsky route, making them his own, invented discounts.
It has "written discounts" and "verbal discounts". An announcement in the passenger compartment - "Pregnant women, soldiers, birthdays and excellent students - travel for free" - this is a written discount. A verbal discount of three rubles is given to a passenger if he enters the cabin and says to Usub: “Hello, fellow driver.” If a passenger says: “Hello, dear driver,” he receives a five-ruble discount. This is how Usub himself explains his system of discounts.
Naturally, such an unusual driver immediately got many of his regular customers, and pregnant women even know Usub Kochoyan's schedule by heart. Excellent students also line up, holding their notebooks in their hands. Even the authorities have nothing against the eccentricities of their employee.
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For each of the passengers, the driver has a joke, an encouraging phrase or a word of gratitude. People leave the salon of his taxi with a smile, which means that they will have a good mood for the whole day. Usub calls on all minibus drivers to follow his example.
The Usuba model is a great customer acquisition model and a prime example of customer focus.
With the help of simple tools, the driver unknowingly managed to start a word of mouth, and at some point he was in the Secrets of customer focus The best cases about customer focus. #1 - The minibus driver has become a local celebrity. I'm just sure that in Volgograd most people rode in the Usuba minibus at least once purely out of curiosity - to look at the famous driver "in action".
But here's what is important: everyone benefits from the actions of the minibus driver - the driver himself (since he, thus, has become a kind of "brand" and a tasty morsel for any employer), his employer (since the workload of minibuses on the Volgograd-Volzhsky flight has increased significantly ) and all passengers (since, for sure, there are other drivers who want to become followers of Usub Kochoyan).
What can you take from the Usuba model for your business?
Nice little things in the form of gifts. Such small gifts stimulate customer loyalty and the desire to return to the company. Especially if these are non-standard gifts. For any company, this will be a penny investment in customer loyalty with a large ROI.
Discounts for various consumer segments. Usuba has pregnant women, soldiers, birthdays and honors students. In retail, we often come across various discounts for pensioners and students. This principle can be used by any company in their marketing campaigns. By losing part of the margin in these segments, the company stimulates the viral dissemination of information about itself.
Positioning. With such actions, Usub Kochoyan clearly developed his positioning - the most client-oriented taxi driver. Now, many passengers often board his flight out of a simple interest to see the Volgograd celebrity.
Customer service. Even if a driver who has never undergone specialized training and education can serve passengers so well, then we simply have no right to work worse.
Good mood of buyers. When customers leave you with a smile, this is almost a 100% guarantee that all the acquaintances of this buyer will know about your company in the near future. Moreover, any memory of your company will evoke extremely positive emotions in the client. And this will be a guarantee that the client will definitely return to you.
Finally, a little advice: if something goes wrong with customer service and work with clients, always remember the story about the Volgograd minibus driver.
If he succeeded, then you will definitely succeed.
Secrets of customer focus The best cases of customer focus. #2 - Fishmonger
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Here's the thing: In September 2012, YouTube released a trailer for The Innocence of Muslims, which sarcastically portrays the Prophet Muhammad as a womanizer and ruthless killer. Naturally, after that, a number of Muslim countries, in particular, the same Pakistan, blocked access to YouTube. But thanks to Muhammad Nazir and his famous song "One pound ish", Pakistanis will have access to YouTube again.
Exactly one year ago, in April 2012, one of the tourists walking around London was so amazed by how the fishmonger attracts customers that he filmed Nazir in action. The video with the song "One pound ish" was posted on YouTube and by December had collected more than 8 million views. The video became so popular that it caught the attention of Warner Brothers. Mohammed received an offer to conclude a contract, and already on December 10 a professionally filmed video clip was circulating on the Internet (you can watch it by clicking here).
Secrets of customer focus The best cases of customer focus. #2 - Fishmonger After that, Nazir naturally became a national hero in Pakistan. Upon arrival at the airport of Lahore, the capital of the Punjab province, about 250 people met the fishmonger. Among them were politicians and local celebrities who showered Nazir with rose petals and chanted "Long live one pound ish". What's more, for the hero's arrival, local television interrupted coverage of the fifth anniversary of the assassination of the former Pakistani prime minister.
The example of Muhammad Nazir shows that customer focus can work wonders. In one moment, the approach to working with clients turned the fishmonger into a celebrity.
This case shows another important benefit for any business - stimulating the viral spread of information about the company.
The first video about the fishmonger got more than 8 million views on YouTube, while the official clip got just over 11 million views in just 2 months after being published. This fact means that it is always worth pleasantly surprising and delighting your customers - and they will not fail to tell you about it.
Secrets of customer focus The best cases of customer focus. No. 3 - Furniture store The best cases of customer focus.
№3 - Furniture store 3 case - a story about a company that was founded 70 years ago in the Kingdom of Sweden and which has become number 1 in the furniture market worldwide.
You have probably already guessed which company we will talk about today. I have an idea?
IKEA is the largest manufacturer of furniture and household items. The network has more than 250 stores worldwide. It makes no sense to tell the story of a great company, the benefit of these materials is full on the Internet. Yes, and there are good books written by Helen Lewis (Great IKEA.
A brand for everyone) and Anders Dahlwig (IKEA: build your dream). Today we will talk about how the company managed to win the hearts of millions of customers.
True, with one eye you have to look back to understand what the secret of IKEA is.
As you know, Corporal had an innate ability to trade and entrepreneurial flair. After trading in matches, lingonberries, fountain pens and other accessories, the legendary Swede turned his attention to furniture. At first glance, the decision seemed very strange. A feature of Swedish families was that for most furniture was considered a luxury item due to very high prices.
It was then that Kamprad decided to occupy a free niche and produce inexpensive furniture affordable for families with low incomes. What it resulted in, you yourself know very well.
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Let's take a look at what tools IKEA has been able to achieve astonishing success with and which of their models can be applied to your business:
Secrets of customer focus The best cases of customer focus. No. 3 - Furniture Store Mission. Numerous studies prove that companies driven by a great idea are more effective, even if their ultimate goal is to make money.
IKEA was initially guided by the high idea contained in the slogan "Better life for many". Ingvar Kamprad wanted people all over the world to be able to buy beautiful furniture and interior items, and this desire turned into a mission.
British magazine Icon wrote: "If it weren't for IKEA, modern home design would be out of reach for most people." And Icon called Kamprad himself "the person who had the strongest influence on the tastes of consumers."
Thus, the founder of IKEA proves that when the company's mission is aimed at solving the problems of the client and improving his life, its success is guaranteed.
Search for new niches and solutions.
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This rule helped the company to get out of a seemingly hopeless situation and became the basis of the company's strategy for the coming years. IKEA is always looking for new niches, anticipating the needs of the consumer, which he himself is not yet aware of.
The main thing is to promote a new accessory, and it is guaranteed to bring money.
Here's one example: IKEA has released a medium-sized metal clothespin with a rubber ring to hang a magazine on a towel hook. In fact, no one knows how many customers suffered trying to read a magazine in the bathroom, but an inconspicuous clothespin quickly became a bestseller.
Two factors came into play: visibility (neatly hanging clothespins with magazines in the display bathroom act magically, convincing you of the need to buy), and also price (clothespins are so cheap that you can buy them just “just in case”).
Naturally, one cannot fail to mention how the company decided to sell disassembled furniture. After all, at the time, it seemed nonsense. But also to this ingenious solution Secrets of customer orientation The best cases of customer orientation. No. 3 - The furniture store was preceded by serious problems - IKEA had difficulties with delivery.
Traditionally, furniture was assembled directly in factories, but while it was being transported to the buyer, it often broke: legs fell off, glass doors broke, the surface was scratched. Naturally, the buyer refused to pay money for damaged furniture, and this was fraught with losses for the company.
And here Invgar Kamprad once again demonstrated the originality of his thinking. In order not to lose money on marriages, he decided to sell furniture in disassembled form. This, in turn, led to savings and allowed prices to drop even further.
Thus, all the furniture was placed in a compact flat package, and the buyers themselves had to assemble it. Kamprad has long noticed that people actually like to assemble their own cabinets and sofas. Especially if you make the assembly procedure simple thanks to detailed instructions.
Total cost reduction.
Thrift in everything is another element of IKEA's business strategy. Also, frugality is the life credo of Kamprad himself, whose stinginess is legendary. Top managers of the company fly to business meetings in economy class and stay in inexpensive hotels. Kamprad himself drinks expensive drinks from the hotel minibar, if only later he can replace them with cheaper ones bought at a nearby supermarket. The billionaire does not shy away from magazine coupons for free parking and often uses public transport. Not surprisingly, employees of the company act as free models during the filming of the annual IKEA catalog.
Rigid principles of economy operate in the corporation itself.
IKEA maintains prices with a well-defined strategy. The Swedish company orders its furniture only where it is produced cheaply. The company produces 10% of its 10,000th assortment itself, and buys the rest. Moreover, he buys literally in parts: countertops - in one country, table legs - in another. This is done in order to reduce costs.
Savings begin with the development of models of future branded products, which IKEA designers are in direct contact with manufacturers - in order to avoid multiple adjustments. It continues in the course of the search by suppliers for the most suitable options for raw materials and materials in terms of cost and quality, their wholesale purchase for the entire batch planned for release, includes all manufacturing processes of products - almost always serial and in-line, with maximum optimization and automation of technological operations.
Secrets of customer focus The best cases of customer focus. No. 3 - Furniture store Finally, it ends already in IKEA stores, where the practice of "self-service warehouses" is widespread, from which customers themselves take furniture disassembled and packed in flat boxes.
Pricing. Ingvar Kamprad himself in an interview revealed the pricing policy at IKEA. A family with an average and below average income is taken. It is calculated how much she is able to spend on home improvement and on each pillow or floor lamp separately. Thus, the optimal cost of each item is recognized.
Next, the company's specialists create a technical description of the item and see which supplier can ensure its high-quality implementation within the budget. Sometimes company managers help a manufacturer master a new technology. Maybe today this technique no longer surprises anyone, but when IKEA started, it seemed like a revolution.
According to Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA prices should take your breath away. The company does not hesitate to state that its prices are the prices of competitors divided by two.
There is also a “second tier tactic”: if a competitor launches a cheaper similar product, IKEA immediately develops the next version of this product at a price “below nowhere”. The whole approach to IKEA's pricing policy is articulated in Kamprad's famous statement: "Rather than selling 60 chairs at a high price, it is better to lower the price and sell 600 chairs."
Secrets of customer focus The best cases of customer focus. No. 3 - Furniture Store Design. According to Kamprad, many of the features of modern designers make furniture more expensive and, therefore, inaccessible to the general consumer. That is why IKEA designers must have an understanding of the entire chain of furniture production - from the idea to the delivery of the finished product to the store. This helps the designer understand the pricing process, and the prices, in turn, should be as low as possible. For the sake of the same savings, design centers serve all IKEA markets.
But how does IKEA manage to create stylish and comfortable things with this approach? In particular, IKEA fundamentally refuses to divide things into beautiful and ugly. Very different, sometimes the most elementary, unpretentious and unexpected objects and materials, from great-grandmother's caskets to ultra-modern lamps, can be included in the style design of a home.
Moreover, the degree of their aesthetics depends on a whole range of conditions that form a specific human environment. Therefore, the company's products are usually shown in specific interiors: the reception is almost a win-win, since an item that is completely plain at first glance and absolutely seemingly unnecessary to the buyer often attracts his attention precisely due to the environment and forces himself to purchase.
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Developing the next product, IKEA first sets a limit above which the price should not rise, and only then the designers (there are more than 90 of them) puzzle over how to fit into these limits. No product will be put into production unless there is a way to make it affordable.
The creation of products sometimes drags on for several years. For example, the creation of the PS Ellan dining table with flexible yet stable legs took more than a year and a half, during which it was possible to invent an inexpensive material (a mixture of rubber and sawdust) that achieves the desired properties.
Navigation in shops and rest rooms. One Harvard Business School study claims that IKEA subtly and subtly gets the customer to spend more time in its stores (naturally, so that the customer leaves more money there). This is facilitated by the layout of the trading floors - it is easy to enter the complex - it takes a long time to exit.
Secrets of customer focus The best cases of customer focus. #3 - IKEA furniture store turns ordinary shopping into a pleasant pastime. Children can be left on the playground, elegant displays inspire and stimulate the buyer, wide aisles eliminate crowding. You can rest and refresh yourself in cozy cafes offering various bonuses and unique Swedish meatballs.
Moreover, the pricing policy of the IKEA cafe corresponds to the basic principle of the corporation - cheap and tasty. And, after a well-fed customer enters the store, having paid a penny for a delicious lunch, he simply cannot resist leaving with an empty cart. Another nuance is important: sales assistants never pounce on buyers, and this allows the latter to relax and look around calmly. If necessary, finding a consultant in a bright yellow and blue uniform is easy.
Assortment and merchandising. In large IKEA country stores, along with furniture, everything that is needed to create a full-fledged interior is sold: flowers in pots, photo frames, dishes, candles, chandeliers, curtains, bedding and children's toys.
When the British authorities recommended that IKEA open small “themed” stores in the city, instead of building giant country hangars, the indignant response was: “This will never happen! All under one roof"
Our sacred concept." That is why every IKEA furniture store is a kind of exhibition center.
Secrets of customer focus The best cases of customer focus. No. 3 - Furniture Store Moreover, everything is placed in it as it should be in real life. A shop visitor may look first at ten children's rooms in a row, and then twenty-five dining rooms or living rooms, and so on. Having estimated how this or that model looks in a real interior, and choosing the right one, the buyer goes to the warehouse to pick it up.
"Hot dogs" (leaders of sales). Kamprad has long realized one of the secrets of marketing:
the buyer must have a strong motivating factor to come to you. This is how IKEA came up with the idea to sell popular and high-turnover products at the lowest prices.
Here is one of the stories from Ingvar himself: “Some time ago we advertised a mug that cost ten crowns. "Come to IKEA and buy mugs," the ad said. But the price was too high. The mug was supposed to cost no more than five crowns, although it was very beautiful and of excellent quality.
The price was wrong. And then I came up with my ten (now twenty) hot dogs principle.
We have ten items that are sold at a low price ("hot dogs"). Their price is determined by the following expression: 3 + 1 + 1, that is, three crowns to the manufacturer, one to the Ministry of Finance (taxes) and one to us. Every time we cannot keep this rule, we need to think carefully. Take, for example, that mug. In the Swiss IKEA store, it costs one franc. In local markets, I did not find similar mugs for less than three francs. At the same time, our mug is better in quality and design.” To date, 12.5 million mugs of "hot dogs" have already been sold, because it is with them that the IKEA visitor's basket begins to fill up.
Research and expansion. Before opening a store in a new country, a company always does a little research. They ask if customers like their furniture. And they always get the same result - absolutely no one likes IKEA furniture. So it was in Italy, and in Germany, and in Russia, and in other countries. The company gets acquainted with these results and opens a store. As soon as it opens, the boom begins. And this proves once again that it is not always worth trusting research.
Instructions and price tags. Near each product is the so-called "cardboard seller" - a card that describes in detail all the properties of the product and what it is made of. Everything is described so clearly that the need for a sales assistant is practically eliminated. The instructions are exactly the same: each step is described in such detail that even a first grader can assemble the furniture. But if suddenly you still need a consultant, you can find him everywhere (and even in the toilet).
Secrets of customer focus The best cases of customer focus. No. 3 - Furniture store Standardization and adherence to traditions. According to Ingvar Kamprad, any business should keep in touch with its roots. Therefore, every employee of the IKEA “family” scattered around the world knows by heart the saga of the birth of the company. Its headquarters are not located in fashionable Stockholm, but in the village of Elmhult, where the first furniture pavilion was opened in 1953.
There is also a museum where you can learn about the milestones of her business journey. For IKEA, historical heritage is an integral component of the success of the corporate culture and business philosophy, on which more than one generation of managers and ordinary workers has been brought up.
All IKEA stores outside of Sweden are painted yellow and blue to emphasize the company's Swedish origins. The style of goods also speaks of nationality - the assortment is the same everywhere. Near the cash registers in all the company's stores there are departments of a non-core direction for IKEA: they sell Swedish national food there.
The use of these tools has helped IKEA to achieve worldwide success, as well as reaching a turnover of 27 billion euros in 2012 and a net profit of 3.2 billion euros. The most important thing is that we can safely take and use the principles of IKEA in absolutely any business, and this article can act as a kind of checklist for this. After all, as they say, if you take an example, then only with the best. Moreover, the results of IKEA prove that it is profitable to be customer-oriented!
Secrets of customer centricity What to read What to read To reinforce the theme of customer centricity, you can use this list of the 10 best books. Be sure to read them, write down ideas that apply to your business, and implement those tips as soon as possible.
"Customers for Life" by Carl Sewell and Paul Brown Here is what Tom Peters says about her: “There is a full-fledged theory of management and customer service hidden in this book. I want to encourage you to read deeply, smile, think, and take action.” And in fact, you get an explosive mixture of useful and effective tips on how to build relationships with your customers, getting them for life. After reading the book, you will also understand what kind of employees you need and how to find them. Do you have any complaints from customers? And Karl would say that something is clearly wrong with you :). And one more indisputable fact in favor of "Clients for Life" - it was with her that the publishing house "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber" started. Therefore, it is necessary to take the path of customer orientation from this book.
"Sincere Loyalty" by Fred Reicheld and Rob Markey After this book, you will already be able to determine exactly who is a true fan of your company, and who will start a "black" rumor about it. NPS - customer loyalty index will help you with this. It is used by Apple and LEGO, American Express and Allianz. For these companies, NPS is on a par with financial profit. How likely are customers to recommend your company? Are you not sure? Fred Reicheld and Rob Markey will teach you how to build a crowd of loyal customers.
Zappos rules. Technologies of an outstanding Internet company, Joseph Micelli Almost everyone has heard about Tony Shea's book Delivering Happiness. Igor Mann constantly recommends her. But I want to recommend to you the book by Joseph Micelli, who "felt from the inside" all the ins and outs of Zappos. The Zappos Rules is a summary of helpful tips for every day. We definitely don't have companies like Zappos. So just take their model and use it for yourself.
"Exceeding Expectations" by Rick Barrera Everyone knows how to impress customers, but not everyone knows how to do it.
Rick knows! And shares the experience of leading companies. The book consists of two blocks. The first is Exaggerated Promises: talks about the need for positioning and differentiation using the example of companies such as Progressive, American Girl, Samsung, Toyota and others. The second block - Exceeded expectations: talks about the principles of working with points of contact. Barrera explains what contact points are, what role they play, and how to work with them correctly. Using the example of all the same famous companies, the author gives advice on which points of contact you need to pay attention to in the first place and what to do with them. “Exceeding Expectations” complements Igor Mann's “Points of Contact” well. It will be discussed below.
"First-class service as a competitive advantage", John Schole If you learn, then only from the best. Why Shoal? Back in 1979, John developed the world's first service improvement program. Since then, his company Service Quality Institute has specialized in service education and consulting. And in 1987, Time and Entrepreneur magazines awarded Shole the title of "service culture guru." There is nothing more to add here. For customers to say WOW and be pleasantly shocked by your service, "First-class service" must become your reference book!
How to Win a Customer by Neil and Murray Raphel This book predates Sincere Loyalty, but I recommend you read them together. The book consists of five parts, each of which corresponds to one of the five Secrets of Customer Focus What to read for possible categories of people who do business with you:
Potential buyers are people who may be interested in buying from you.
Visitors are people who have visited your company (shop) at least once.
Buyers - those who have purchased one or more products (used one or more services) of your company.
Customers are people who regularly buy your products or use your services.
Adherents are those who tell everyone how great your firm is.
"Love Companies" by Ray Sisodia, Jag Sheth, David Wolf This book is a huge statistic that proves once again why customer-focused companies succeed and are more profitable than their competitors. The authors have done a colossal job and revealed the secret of successful companies, how they manage to win people's hearts: having won the heart of a client, the company automatically gets access to his wallet. And here are some more facts about companies that carry love (FNL):
Salaries and incentive payments for FNL employees are significantly higher than the industry average.
Staff turnover in FNL is significantly lower than the industry average.
FNL employees have the authority to do everything to ensure that the company's client is completely satisfied with the quality of service.
FNL's marketing costs are significantly lower than those of its competitors, while customer satisfaction and loyalty are significantly higher.
If you want to stand on a par with such companies, the book will be indispensable.
"Clientology" by Philip Graves You can be customer oriented, but if you don't understand the psychology of your customer, you are doomed! "Clientology" may well claim to be the best business book of 2012. No wonder it was included in the top ten Amazon business books in 2010. Philip Graves. To better understand your customers, so as not to spend a lot of money on meaningless research and surveys, just read "Clientology".
"Outstanding Service, Great Profits" by Leonardo Inguilieri and Mika Solomon This new addition from MIF deserves to be in your library. The book contains all the experience and techniques of working with clients of such monsters as The Ritz-Carlton, BVLGARI, The Walt Disney Company, Lexus. The book is on a par with Shoal's First Class Service. Horst Schulze, founder and former president of The Ritz-Carlton, explains the value of this book this way: “What you are about to read will help you re-evaluate your business, no matter how big or small. You will be able to properly understand your customers and get them to come back to you for more.” We take a pencil and write out chips to increase and strengthen customer loyalty.
"Points of contact", Igor Mann and Dmitry Turusin Do you know why the client did not buy from you? Do you really know?
Okay, so when exactly did he decide not to buy or work with you? Are you in a stupor? Then welcome to the world of contact points! A world where potential customers make the most crucial decision – buy from you or go to your competitors. And your guides will be Igor Mann and Dmitry Turusin. By the way, Igor Mann says at all his trainings and seminars that marketing begins with points of contact. I want to add that customer focus also starts with touch points. The seller did not smile - the client did not buy, inconvenient order form on the site - the client left. This book is not even a book, but a workbook. You are given theory and assignments. Then it's up to the small - take and apply!
You can read more about these books on my website, in the "Useful Books" section.
Secrets of Customer Focus Afterword Afterword After reading this book, you already have a lot of ideas on how to work better with your clients and how to become more customer focused. Having embarked on the difficult and thorny path of customer focus, your company will regularly face difficulties.
You will need to establish and regularly monitor that the 5 principles of customer focus are observed:
Your company's performance standards should be customer-centric.
Your staff must provide impeccable service.
Your product should be easy to use, understandable and simple.
All business processes should be maximally debugged, understandable and convenient for the client.
You must regularly exceed customer expectations.
But after all, investments in customer focus will pay off a hundredfold.
Just think: how many customer-focused companies are there in your industry right now? Think about what a huge advantage you can take possession of and recalculate it in terms of money.
– – –
Otherwise, the benefits of this book will simply be equal to the check mark in the "Books read" list.
As American scientists say: "If you do not implement the acquired knowledge within 72 hours, they will remain a pile of useless information in the back of your mind."
Secrets of customer focus And 4 more little tips And 4 more little tips Take a cue from the best Regularly monitor how the best companies in your area are doing. How their service and business processes are debugged, what kind of staff they have and how they serve customers, what marketing techniques they use. Implement the best ideas you see in your business.
on my website Azinkevich.com. Also, be sure to check out my recommended books on marketing, business and sales, management and personal growth in the Useful Books section - you are guaranteed to find something for yourself.
Contact a professional consultant To establish an effective system for attracting new clients, as well as getting the most out of your existing client base, work with professionals. Using my knowledge and experience, you will be able to increase your sales and profits many times over, as well as automate your business and put a customer acquisition system on the conveyor.
To do this, simply write a letter with the subject "Consultation" to this e-mail: [email protected] gmail.com Read the free newsletter "Secrets of attracting and retaining customers"
and join our Facebook group "Customer Conveyor".
Here you will find a maximum of useful information on attracting and retaining customers, interesting and useful cases, as well as a lot of marketing techniques that will help you increase sales and profits of your company.
See you soon!
Secrets of customer focus Who is Andrei Zinkevich?
Who is Andrei Zinkevich?
When I was still in school, my father often brought home business books and printouts from training sessions. I was very fond of reading, and I was terribly interested in what the words "Marketing", "Management", "Economics" mean. Once I could not stand it and climbed to rummage among my father's books. Among them, I found the well-known "Marketing Management" by Kotler. This is how I got into marketing at the age of 13.
A few facts about me:
Marketing Consultant, Customer Acquisition and Retention.
8 years experience in sales and marketing with Kimberly Clark and Biosphere Corporation.
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