We've all heard of the "Four Ps" of marketing -- product, price, place and promotion.
A professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison did a survey of business executives and marketing executives to find out what they viewed as the most important elements of the "marketing mix."
The Four Ps didn't even make it to the top of the list. Number one was "customer sensitivity."
I've said it for a long time -- all the advertising and marketing in the world will be wasted if your receptionists, sales people, support staff and executives don't LIVE for customer satisfaction. That means everything that touches a customer, and every contact they have with anyone in the company, must be viewed as an opportunity to build trust, satisfaction, and eventually more sales and profits.
For example, is your website customer oriented? Is your Yellow Pages ad customer-oriented or does it just talk about the company? When a customer sees any of your marketing and advertising efforts, does she see something that connects immediately with one of her needs or does she just see a company bragging about itself? Does she see an offer that piques her interest or does she just see the company name, slogan, and phone number?
A lot of Yellow Page ads and websites are treated like traditional business cards, but in the 21st Century, even business cards need to address an important need, make an offer (discount or incentive) and help draw the customer in by speaking to their needs. What problem do they have and why are they looking your way to solve that problem? How have you helped solve this problem for others?
Your slogan isn't enough. The fun part of marketing is the creativity involved in reaching out to the consumer in a way that builds credibility, trust, and long-term relationships. But it must be understood by everyone in the organization.
I had a realtor once who told me he would be my "realtor for life." He sold me a house and I would occasionally get a letter from him with a bit of information or advice that kept him in my mind and reminded me that he was my realtor for life. But after an unfortunate divorce, I was in a different situation and I called him once with a question, asking about programs that might put me in a home without a large down payment. He acted as if he wasn't very interested in helping me, so I went to a realtor at another agency and she jumped at the chance to help. Before long, I bought a nice condo with her help. I was prepared to use her again down the road.
But I never heard from her again.
Later, when Nancy and I married, I sold my condo, and years later, when we put our home up for sale so we could move to Tampa, I didn't use either of the previous realtors. I used another realtor that did a great job.
Customer sensitivity. Going above and beyond to establish trust, satisfy the customer, and then follow through after the sale. Do you want a sale to be the end of the relationship? It should be just the beginning.
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