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212º

212º – the boiling point of water. Funny thing...at 211º, water is hot; at 212º, it boils and becomes steam. And steam is energy. It can fuel freight trains, heaters, and more. All that in a difference of 1º.

Do you have 212º in you? Champions do. Look at these examples:

• From 2000 - 2006, the PGA Championship winner took home an average of $1,060,714. The second place finisher – $600,000. The margin of victory over these years – 1.71 strokes, or less than 1/2 a stroke each day.
• The Olympic margin of victory in the men's 800m race - 0.21 seconds.
• The Olympic margin of victory in the women's 1000m speed skating - 0.07 seconds.
• In the 2000s, Super Bowl Champion margin of victory is less than 11 points.

In sales, 212º could be the difference between a sale and a stall, it could be the difference between a contract renewal and an expansion, it could be the difference between loyalty and raving advocacy.

We all have extra in us - the question is, "Where are you going to put yours?" What does your 212º effort look like?

jkl

 

A Day in the Life...

We see it on TV, in magazines, even on the web. “A Day in the Life…” Whether the focus in on the president, business executives, celebrities, teachers, Olympic hopefuls, Miss America, or some other interesting character…you name it, we seem to be obsessed with a day in the life of those we don’t know.

But are we obsessed with knowing what a day in the life of our customer looks like? I’d venture a guess to say few of us are. I find it interesting that we care so much about the lives of people we’ll never touch and yet ignore the lives of our customers who we may touch every single day. Instead, we tend to assume what that day looks like. And you know the risk with the tendency to assume.

So if you want to improve your ability to be relevant to your customers, what are you to do about it? Here’s a thought: find out what a day in the life of your customer looks like. You can shadow them, much like reporters do with those people whose lives we read about…but that might get kind of weird in some situations. For instance, if you’re a dentist, your patients may not get all excited about having you follow them around, watching what they eat, how often they brush their teeth, how often they “forget” to floss.  A viable alternative might be to ask them. Focus groups and traditional customer research are great for this, as are intentional conversations. Ask your customers what a day in their lives are like. Actively listen, ask questions, be present in the conversation, and you’ll be amazed at how much insight you gain.

Having these conversations will help you understand the critical objectives of your customers and the challenges that keep them from reaching their objectives. That allows you to develop and position solutions that address the pain points and message in the sweet spot – that area where your customers have needs that you can address with differentiated solutions.

You can assume all you want, create personas until your brain bursts, and dream the loftiest dreams, but until you are obsessed with a day in the life of your customers, you will be guessing at the solutions and messaging that are relevant to them. But once you get a picture of a day in their life, you’ll be able to focus on them with pinpoint accuracy. And though "a day in the life" of your customers may not be TV-ready, what you find will be pretty interesting and exciting for your business.

jkl

 

The Magic of Roy's

My husband, Don, has a penchant for Roy’s Restaurant - Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine. His penchant is so great that he has a goal to visit all 33 locations across the US. We had the pleasure of meeting Roy Yamaguchi, world-renowned chef and founder of Roy’s, last fall during a visit to Hawaii.  He and his team members have been intrigued about Don’s quest, as he’s the first person they’ve met with such a goal. As such, this quest has given rise to a “challenge of the restaurants” since he reached number 15.

A couple months ago, I was with Don when we visited Roy’s number 29 and 30, and we were treated to phenomenal customer experiences both evenings. I have to tell you the stories.

I should start this by telling you that Bryson Keens, Managing Partner of the Roy’s in Baltimore, has become a champion of my husband’s quest and now calls each Roy’s prior to Don’s visit to let them know they have a Roy’s aficionado coming. Whatever he says to his colleagues tends to bring out the absolute best creativity in them. So, the first night, we dined at Roy’s in Bonita Springs (#29), Sondra Hon, the Managing Partner there, came to greet us and get to know us. We received a special appetizer, compliments of Sondra, and gifts of two beautiful martini glasses and Hawaiian motif USB drives. We were treated like royalty the entire evening and felt like we were dining with good friends all around us.

The second evening, we visited the Roy’s in Naples (#30). Upon arrival, we were seated at the “seen and be seen” table, which was reserved for us and overlooked the entire restaurant. We began talking to the Managing Partner, David Lamarca, who graciously came to welcome us. Jerry, our waiter, was anxiously watching us and when we finally stopped chatting, he immediately came over and said Chef Eric (Delano) was waiting for us with a special appetizer. We thought the appetizer was prepared and waiting in the kitchen. But no, indeed Chef Eric was waiting to come out and create this appetizer tableside for us. What a treat to watch him prepare seared tuna, lobster bisque, and marinated mushrooms as he described the ingredients and the preparation of each. We had a lovely conversation with him until he had to return to the kitchen! Following a fabulous meal and glass of wine, Jerry brought out dessert for us – Roy’s molten chocolate cake. Our tab, to our amazement, was nearly zero as the restaurant had provided most of our dinner with their compliments. Before the evening was over another waiter, Carlos, stopped by just to say hi and thanks for the loyalty. Carlos wasn’t our waiter; he simply saw a special experience and made a decision to “up” the ante a bit. More martini glasses (we now have a set of four), a photograph for posterity, and we were sent home very full and very happy.

So, great story you say, but what are the take-aways? Consider these three:

1. If you’ve never been to a Roy’s, you need to go – fabulous food, amazing atmosphere, and wonderful people.
2. Each Managing Partner and Chef Partner we’ve met (and we’ve met quite few) lives the Roy’s brand. We see how Roy’s managers and chefs emulate the spirit he personally brings to his conversations and, obviously, his career. For example, how fun is the rivalry Bryson Keens has evoked among the partners based on his enthusiasm over Don's quest?
3. Living the brand through the customer experience goes beyond the Managing and Chef Partners to every employee. Carlos took it upon himself to come over to us, even though he wasn’t our waiter. He’s not the first Roy’s waiter or hostess to do that…they all make us feel special.

Feeling special, feeling valued…isn’t that what we want our customers to feel? But in the throes of the workday, how many of us make the intentional decision to do that? It’s easy to forget. But remember, what your customers see, what they hear, what they touch, and how they interact with you defines their customer experience. Roy’s gets it and has made the decision to make customers feel valued.

Don will make it all the Roy’s restaurants…and honestly, we can’t wait to see what’s in store at each one along the way!

Wouldn’t it be great if your customers felt the same way?

jkl

Creating Memories Through Experience

Think back to one of your most vivid memories – perhaps it’s a perfect powder ski day…perhaps a special birthday…perhaps something else. If I asked you to describe the memory, I bet you could pull out the most amazing details to describe it.

Here’s one for me. It was about at least seven years ago…and it was a ski day. It was snowing hard, really hard. The sky wasn’t blue or gray – it was white. I love skiing on really sunny days and extremely snowy days – terrible conditions really challenge me and I get psyched! The snow was pelting my face, the powder was about 10” deep – right at the top of my ski boot – and it was difficult to see very far. It was silent…my skis made no noise at all as they cut through the white stuff. And I was focused. It takes some decent concentration to ski in that much powder, but I remember thinking, “Oh well, if I fall, at least it won’t hurt!” I even have a picture ingrained in my mind of the view (or lack thereof) coming down the mountain, a racecourse on my right, unable to see much farther than 20 feet ahead, and on this is overlaid the thrilling feeling of the challenge.

Do you have a memory like that – a memory about which you can pull up clear details, no matter how long ago it occurred? Most likely, that memory is associated with an experience.  That’s because experiences trigger brain memory and emotions.  And, important in business, experiences, memory, and emotions influence opinions, and opinions often define brands in our world today.

Think about those brands that really stand out for you. Is it because of the product delivered or is it because of the experience that surrounds that product…the way it makes you feel? Nordstrom, Starbucks, Ritz Carlton, Disney are all nationally recognized as providers of stellar customer experiences. But that level of experience can happen in an everyday world as well. For me, they are provided by my dentist, by one of the checkers at my local grocery store, and by my Apple store.  Those everyday brands are defined more for me by the experience I receive than by the service or product I buy. I’m not discounting function – it has its place – but the experience is what I remember.

When you think about it, the union of what your customers see, what they hear, what they touch, and how they interact with you defines their customer experience.  And that experience triggers memory and emotion, which then serve to define your brand in your customers’ minds.  In this way, emotion and experience play important roles in defining your brand in the marketplace today. Are you focusing on what your customers see, hear, and touch, and how they interact with you? Think about your memories and pay attention to the type of details you vividly recall.

You want to be remembered? Try making memories through experience. 

jkl

 

Groupon – Why Did They Do It?

Two months after the Super Bowl, people are still talking about the Groupon commercials. If you happen to be one of the few people in this country that didn’t see them, the most controversial ad featured Timothy Hutton highlighting the plight of the Tibetan people – and then suddenly noting that they “still whip up an amazing fish curry,” which Groupon users can get for a great price.

The commercials unleashed immediate backlash on social media websites. People called the commercials "disgusting," "tacky," and "vulgar." What’s really odd about this whole thing is that Groupon actually intended the ads to tell viewers about their “Save the Money,” website, a philanthropic campaign to raise money for a group of organizations, including The Tibetan Fund. But no one, including me, ever got that message. Why was it missing?

Groupon's CEO wrote on the company website that the intent was to "poke fun at themselves,” not to trivialize the causes. And yet, that’s exactly what happened. Groupon blew millions of dollars creating the ads, hiring celebrities, and buying airtime to, in the opinion of millions of viewers, poke fun at the problems of others.

So what did it do for their brand?  The jury is still out.  Some say the ads were a complete gaffe and put a huge dent in the brand, evidenced by untold throngs of people opting out of their email marketing (including the person to whom I was talking two days ago).  Others say the fact that people want to save money these days supersedes bad taste.  And still others say that Groupon got exactly what they wanted – brand recognition for months, whether positive or negative.

The opinions vary, but what doesn’t vary is the fact that Groupon’s Super Bowl ads were not consistent with the brand it had built over the past two years. The company grew out of a collective action and philanthropy site, ThePoint.com, which is focused on doing good.  Groupon had built its reputation through word of mouth and limited online advertising. It was, in essence, “grass roots grown.” Focused on doing good and grass roots grown – not exactly what the commercials relayed, do you think?

Customer experience is a compilation of what your prospects and customers see, what they hear, what they touch, and how they interact with you.  In this case, what Groupon’s prospects and customers saw and heard were in direct opposition to what the supposed “intent," according to Groupon’s CEO, was. Who missed that dichotomy while the ads were being created? Where was the testing that would have quickly told them the ads were off-brand?

Messages, whether they are communicated verbally, in writing, or in interactions, are important – they can support or devalue your brand. They are worth paying attention to because although a brand takes hundreds of right moves to build, it can be damaged – or destroyed – by one bad move.

Time will tell what Groupon learned from their first foray into the big time. Don’t wait to learn the hard way – take the time and action to ensure your brand is strengthened by what you say and do.

jkl

 

What Great Companies Have That Others Don't

I ran across this article yesterday...it's a great synopsis of brand traits that separate companies that attract Raving Advocates from the rest of the companies out there. Take a peek...

http://www.mycustomer.com/topic/customer-intelligence/shaun-smith-eight-brand-traits-separating-best-rest/121029

jkl

 

A Lesson From Apple - Living Your Brand

I just got an email today from Apple. The new iPad2 comes out March 11^th, thinner, faster, and lighter than the “old” model.  This email followed on last week announcing the new MacBook, which followed the new Verizon iPhone, which followed…which followed…which followed. Apple just keeps churning out innovation. And that makes sense. The company has set its sights on being the innovation leader; to provide the coolest, easiest-to-use, cutting-edge computers and electronics.

But the idea of innovation doesn’t stop there. It permeates Apple’s entire brand. Look at the logo – sleek, shimmery, and simple…just like you’d expect. Look at the advertising:  “I’m a PC; I’m a Mac.”  Just as when they first hit the media, the ads stand out among a crowd of underperforming 30-second spots. I still like them years later. And have you visited an Apple store? From the moment you step into the store, you know you’re somewhere different. Little kids play on computers sitting tables 18” high, big kids play on iPads, iPhones, iPods, and MacBooks. Here’s a store where you’re encouraged to mess with the merchandise. Employees are dressed in Tshirts and jeans, just like the Mac guy on the ads. Appointments for the Genius Bar (tech support) or training classes are checked in on iPads. And if you purchase something, you don’t walk to a cash register. No! You stand right where you are while a Mac employee runs your credit card through their phone…and then asks if you want the receipt mailed to you. It’s an experience like no other, and it’s all about innovation.

Talk about a lesson from Apple! Find your market leadership position and let it permeate your entire brand. Bring your brand to life not only through your product or service, but also through what you say and what you do.

jkl

 

Aligning Sales, Marketing and More Around Your Value Proposition

You often hear about the disconnect between sales and marketing. In fact, there’s been quite a bit of focus on mending that disconnect in the last few years.

But there’s another, equally important, breakdown in the client experience – consistency of articulating value across both sales and client services. When your front line client service people haven’t been clued in to why your client bought a product or service in the first place, in essence, your value proposition, how effectively do you suppose they can support that sale? And whether these individuals are responsible solely for fostering and expanding large corporate clients or have dual responsibility for the customer servicing and expansion of individual clients, the risk is the same. It’s impossible for client services staff to support, grow, or effectively renew your customers if they don’t know their reason for purchase in the first place.

Let’s assume for a moment, you have sales and marketing aligned. They’ve worked together to create the value proposition and it’s an excellent one. Everyone knows that proposition and articulates it pretty consistently, whether in website, email marketing, proposals, or sales calls. Prospects get it, buy into it, and become clients. Then an issue arises and your client calls customer service. If your customer service reps can’t support that original value proposition, or aren’t asking questions to better understand the situation and how they can respond to support the original value proposition, you’re in deep trouble. What often happens at that point is the customer service rep starts reading off a script, completely ignoring the issue at hand and, in essence, throws pasta against the wall to see when something will stick, the customer will stop complaining, and they can get off the darn call!

Let’s look at a simple example. You buy a kite. This is a special kite – one that is supposed to withstand substantial crashes to the ground and not break. “Exactly what I need,” you say, “because I’ve always wanted to fly a kite but I stink at it. Now I can practice and practice flying this thing without having to replace it all the time.” You take it out. On the fifth crash, it breaks into a bunch of pieces.

You take it back to the store. “This wasn’t supposed to break when it crashed. I just want my money back,” you explain to the customer service rep.

The rep looks at it, shakes his head, and says, “Wow, that’s really a mess. Wasn’t it beautiful when it was flying, though?”

“That’s not the point. It wasn’t supposed to break when it crashed and look at it now.”

“Was it easy to get it up in the air? It's supposed to be easy to fly. Here, we’ll replace it and you can try it again.

“Huh? Wait the point is, it crashed and broke into a million pieces…it wasn’t supposed to do that. Why would I want another one?”

“You know, the tail is supposed to keep it up in the air longer if you fly it correctly.”

“ARGH!”

How annoying is that, even in a simple example of a kite? And though an elementary example, apply it to your product or service and see if you might be doing something similar.

The same is true for corporate accounts. If your client services rep can’t revisit and support the original value proposition in an expansion or renewal conversation, you’re in deep trouble. Your client bought some type of “value”…revisit that value, support it with client data, and take it forward into the renewal. That doesn’t mean you can’t add to it if additional value has been delivered. You can strengthen the original link in the value story across the customer experience; just take care not to break it.

Take inventory of your links across the customer experience…sales, marketing, customer service, account management, service delivery, and potentially more. While you’re aligning sales and marketing, go the extra step and align the rest of these teams as well. You’ll deliver a consistent value proposition, a better customer experience, and a get longer client lifecycles as a result. 

jkl

Pop In to Say I Love You...Not Just on Valentine's Day

Do you and your special someone celebrate the day or is it simply a Hallmark holiday for you?

It seems to me that the trend is for people in their teens, twenties, and maybe early thirties to celebrate. After that, something else takes over. Then it’s more about the little things done on an ongoing basis, or something special when the other least expects it, that makes Valentine’s Day last the whole year.

I received a card from a friend the other day. It was totally unexpected, so when I got it from the mailbox, I was curious. It was, of course, the first piece of mail I opened. Inside was a card with a tiny kitten on it (I’m a cat lover) and a handwritten note about how she was thanking God, thinking of me, and hoping I was doing OK. That was it…very simple, very authentic, and very profound for me as the recipient of that message. When I saw her, I thanked her for thinking of me. Then she really blew me away. She remembered that I was in the hospital recovering from emergency surgery a year ago and just “popped in” to my day to make sure I was doing OK now. WOW! To say I was pretty warm and happy is kind of an understatement. Guess where that card now sits? On my desk, front and center, so that I can get that warm, happy feeling on a daily basis when I glance at it. And I think of her every time I see it. Think about this…I think of her every time I see it.

You might do things like this on a personal basis. But can you transfer that same practice to your business? Absolutely!

So much of marketing revolves around staying top of mind with your prospects and customers. Creating and delivering WOW Moments^TM and Small Significants^TM when clients least expect it allows you to “pop in” to their minds. And all it takes is a little thought, a little planning, and a lot of diligence.

• Perhaps it’s the anniversary of something they purchased from you
• Perhaps it’s because of a life event of which you’re aware
• Perhaps it’s an anniversary you celebrate and wanted them to be part of it
• Perhaps it’s because their child was featured in the paper for an accomplishment
• Perhaps it’s just because you thought of them that day

The possibilities are endless.

Last December, I received an “anniversary” card from Direct TV for three years of being a customer. They also gave me an anniversary present – three months of Showtime channels. Did that cost them a ton of money? No, not even on the scale of the Direct TV customer base. Did it make a positive impression? It sure did! In fact, it will likely boost their pipeline as some customers who receive this gift will enjoy it such much, they’ll upgrade to an expanded package. And it made them top of mind in my mind at a time when I certainly wasn’t thinking on my TV service. I’ve thought about Direct TV more often in the last three months than I had all year.

Why not “pop in” to your customers’ minds at unexpected times to stay top of mind? You’ll definitely stand out from the crowd, you’ll make them feel special, and you’ll bolster your business all at the same time.

Happy Valentine’s Day – Happy Valentine's Year!

jkl

 

Business Makeover - The Practice of Small Significants

Small Significants^TM comprise a valuable component of a differentiated customer experience - one that stands out from the crowd of competitors and helps you create Raving Advocates. Small Significants are those things that take a small amount of effort but make a significant impact. Check out this Small Significant.

As a marketing director for American Express, I flew to New York a lot. Now I was one of those people who always forgot to look at the weather before I got on the plane (my iPhone has changed that, but this was before pre-iPhone). One January day, I marveled at one of those stellar “Winter cloaked as Spring” days as I drove to the airport for my monthly trip to New York. I boarded the plane and only when the pilot announced it would be about 15 degrees when we landed in New York did I realize I had no coat!  No coat in January in New York!  Major faux pas!

We landed at Newark Airport and I called the car service. While I typically had to go outside to wait for the car, that night I asked the agent to tell the driver to stop and be patient…that I’d be waiting inside watching for him because I had no coat. And so I waited. In about 15 minutes, I saw my car drive up. I ran out and jumped in the back seat. Oh, it was so warm!  The driver had turned the heater up so that it was nice and toasty inside! He welcomed me, turned ever so slightly, and handed a cup back to me.

“Hot chocolate, ma’am?”

I said, “Excuse me?” (Inside my head that translated to, "Say what?")

He replied, “The dispatcher told me you had forgotten your coat so I stopped and got you a hot chocolate in case you might want it to warm up.”

I was blown away!  What had it cost him?  About three minutes and $3.00.,,not all that much. What impact had it made on me? HUGE!  That service immediately became my preferred car service for every trip I made. All because of a Small Significant delivered at the time when I really needed it. The driver had recognized an opportunity to make a significant impact on me, his client, with a small amount of effort.

Now apply that same theory to your business. If your employees are equipped to recognize opportunities for Small Significants and deliver them in a stellar fashion, what kind of impact would that have on your clients?

So how do you go about delivering Small Significants?

1. Help your employees recognize the clues that identify an opportunity ripe for a Small Significant. It might be a situation, body language, or something said. Identify those things and train your employees to be on the lookout for them. 
2. Brainstorm Small Significants that might be delivered based on the clues above. Then allow your team members to gravitate to those with which they are most comfortable. This is key. Small Significants need to be natural and authentic reflections of the person delivering them, not a contrived corporate “act.”
3. As an alternative to #2, provide your employees guidelines around Small Significants (e.g. they must support the brand, they must be with an $X budget, etc.) and allow them to brainstorm their own either as a proactive exercise or on an ad hoc basis as they recognize the clues. A concierge I knew had a monthly budget to “do what she needed to do” for hotel guests…she determined what that Small Significant was based on the situation…and the ones of which I knew ranged from sending tea up to a tired guest arriving late at night to paying for a cab to the airport when a guest’s car service failed to arrive on time.
4. Show your commitment to Small Significants by holding each other accountable. Sharing them in staff meetings, posting them on your intranet or in a common space in your office, or including them in internal newsletters will not only reinforce positive actions, but spur new and creative ideas around the practice.

That cup of hot chocolate and toasty warm car happened about ten years ago. I’m still talking about it. Investment: three minutes and $3.00. Return: A fiercely loyal client worth about $120/round trip, innumerable referrals, and ten years of telling the story to others. Not bad!

jkl