Well imagine my very pleasant surprise to see that quite a few of you logged in to the blog today, eager for your next installment. I can only imagine the sheer disappointment you felt when you saw that I hadn't written anything yet.
It must have been hell for you, and I hope you made a point of staying away from any sharp objects or large doses of pills. I myself did resort to reaching for the painkillers today - I had a headache and I took one. Yeah, that's right - ONE, because I'm hard and can handle the pressure!
This week I met with a company who like to try lots of different things when it comes to using giveaways at trade shows. More importantly, they make a point of noting what people remember. I loved them instantly. They understood the true value of promotional merchandise and how important it was to measure its effectiveness.
Their measurement was quite an interesting one. Two years ago, they had given away a bespoke shaped stress toy, moulded in the shape of something very relevant to their industry and branded accordingly. The following year, they didn't bother and yet they were repeatedly asked by visitors what had happened to the stress toy that they picked up last year.
Now in terms of brand recognition, this was good news and bad news. Good news in that people remembered them and wanted to return. Bad news in that people were more interested in their free gift than in actually giving them business.
Now the company did pick up some good leads and they did convert those leads into customers and everyone lived happily ever after, but did they miss a trick?
OF COURSE THEY DID!!!!!!
You see, if they'd have noticed the good reaction that their stress toy was getting in that show two years ago, then they would have made a point of replicating it. Now there's no point in giving away the exact same thing to the exact same people, but if quirky and unusual merchandise worked, then surely you should do it all over again.
Naturally, there is a counter argument to this, in that those very same people who loved their stress toy so much may not have actually been customers. They may well have been amongst the great unwashed who come to shows just to see how much free stuff that they can take home. We can't help these people, and sadly we can't avoid them either, but given that their opinions don't really matter, let's just let them go about their business and move on.
You see, if I meet a good potential customer at a trade show then I will do what I can to convert them into an actual customer. That way, if they do swing by my stand in a year's time, I'll know who they are, how I have helped them and, most importantly, I will be more than happy to give them a gift to thank them for all of the business that they have given me.
If someone comes by and says, 'what happened to those lovely stress toys, I wanted to pick up a new one' then I will simply smile, suppress the urge to kick them firmly in the shins and let them know that our merchandising efforts have gone in a different direction.
Happy stand owner - 1, time wasting blagger - 0.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. The right gift, given the right way, will yield the desired result. Anything else and you're just a really nice person who gives away stuff. Fine if you're Santa Claus - not so much if you're in business.
Thursday 29 October 2009
Thursday 22 October 2009
The secret of success
Hello everyone. Now I don't mind telling you that this week I am doing my best to fight off a nasty cold. Realistically, all I am actually doing is hoping really hard that I don't start to feel worse, because all of the vitamin C in the world won't do you any good when your unwell 18 month old soon keeps sneezing in your face whilst simultaneously refusing to eat his breakfast.
None the less, hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go, and this week I took myself along to the ECommerce Expo at Earls Court. It's a modest little show where people can still hear themselves think whilst being cornered by pretty girls in shoelace skirts asking them if they'd like to win a competition. My thoughts on pretty girls at trade shows can be seen in an older blog post, so feel free to look it up.
Incidentally - I managed to win the competition before I even left the show! Three months free web hosting! Seriously - did anyone who entered NOT win the prize. There is no prize - they're offering 3 months free as an introduction so long as you sign up for a minimal 24 month contract (probably - I really didn't bother to go and find out). Come on people, if there is a prize to be won then let someone win it without any small print, OK?
Now at one point I stopped at a stand that were giving away a particularly popular piece of merchandise. Now I won't say who they were or what the gift was, because I don't want to embarrass them, but something interesting happened.
"TELL US MORE PAUL!" you say. Alright then, I will. The person working on the stand said that the giveaway in question was proving unbelievably successful - they simply could not get rid of them quickly enough. Now I was delighted - mainly because it was me who sold them the merchandise in the first place, but it dawned on me that this person's enthusiasm may well have been misplaced.
Think about it. He said that the giveaway was proving successful. But what exactly does that mean? Surely if you have a nice and unusual gift that people can help themselves to for free, then that's exactly what they will do. They'll grab it, ask you what it does, then put it in their bag and move on. That's not really success is it? Anyone with less than a minute's sales training can give away quality merchandise for free.
So what other means does this company have to measure that success? Well if they're smart, they'll ask all of the new inbound enquiries over the next 6 months where they heard of the company. Sure, that could work, but then sometimes sales people will forget to ask and on more than one occasion, the person calling won't remember the answer anyway, and will default to "finding them on the Internet".
Well how about this? Do you remember the competition idea that wound me up? Of course you do, I mean it's not like you stopped reading this blog half way through and then picked it up several days later. Here was a company disguising a special offer as a prize, and on the other side, a company giving away a form of prize but with no special offer. Do you see where I'm going with this? OK, let me help you along.
How about a promotion where anyone who presents their giveaway gets a special offer? It can be something incredibly easy like printing a reference code on the gift, so when people use it, you'll know EXACTLY where that lead came from. Or you can make it more fun, like giving away a cuddly toy and asking people to mail in photos of them and the toy together. There really is a lot of room for new ideas here.
This has to be good news for the marketing people - it's an opportunity to show a tangible link between the merchandise you use at trade shows and the amount of additional enquiries that come in to the company. Ultimately, we're talking about more sales, and that's the most important measure of success that there is.
We can help you do this - it's not rocket science, but it is incredible to me how many people seem to pass up on a very inexpensive opportunity. If you're going to use promotional merchandise, make sure you're using it properly.
None the less, hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go, and this week I took myself along to the ECommerce Expo at Earls Court. It's a modest little show where people can still hear themselves think whilst being cornered by pretty girls in shoelace skirts asking them if they'd like to win a competition. My thoughts on pretty girls at trade shows can be seen in an older blog post, so feel free to look it up.
Incidentally - I managed to win the competition before I even left the show! Three months free web hosting! Seriously - did anyone who entered NOT win the prize. There is no prize - they're offering 3 months free as an introduction so long as you sign up for a minimal 24 month contract (probably - I really didn't bother to go and find out). Come on people, if there is a prize to be won then let someone win it without any small print, OK?
Now at one point I stopped at a stand that were giving away a particularly popular piece of merchandise. Now I won't say who they were or what the gift was, because I don't want to embarrass them, but something interesting happened.
"TELL US MORE PAUL!" you say. Alright then, I will. The person working on the stand said that the giveaway in question was proving unbelievably successful - they simply could not get rid of them quickly enough. Now I was delighted - mainly because it was me who sold them the merchandise in the first place, but it dawned on me that this person's enthusiasm may well have been misplaced.
Think about it. He said that the giveaway was proving successful. But what exactly does that mean? Surely if you have a nice and unusual gift that people can help themselves to for free, then that's exactly what they will do. They'll grab it, ask you what it does, then put it in their bag and move on. That's not really success is it? Anyone with less than a minute's sales training can give away quality merchandise for free.
So what other means does this company have to measure that success? Well if they're smart, they'll ask all of the new inbound enquiries over the next 6 months where they heard of the company. Sure, that could work, but then sometimes sales people will forget to ask and on more than one occasion, the person calling won't remember the answer anyway, and will default to "finding them on the Internet".
Well how about this? Do you remember the competition idea that wound me up? Of course you do, I mean it's not like you stopped reading this blog half way through and then picked it up several days later. Here was a company disguising a special offer as a prize, and on the other side, a company giving away a form of prize but with no special offer. Do you see where I'm going with this? OK, let me help you along.
How about a promotion where anyone who presents their giveaway gets a special offer? It can be something incredibly easy like printing a reference code on the gift, so when people use it, you'll know EXACTLY where that lead came from. Or you can make it more fun, like giving away a cuddly toy and asking people to mail in photos of them and the toy together. There really is a lot of room for new ideas here.
This has to be good news for the marketing people - it's an opportunity to show a tangible link between the merchandise you use at trade shows and the amount of additional enquiries that come in to the company. Ultimately, we're talking about more sales, and that's the most important measure of success that there is.
We can help you do this - it's not rocket science, but it is incredible to me how many people seem to pass up on a very inexpensive opportunity. If you're going to use promotional merchandise, make sure you're using it properly.
Thursday 15 October 2009
Your complaints department
Does your company have a Complaints Department? I know that such things were commonplace in the seventies and eighties, but since then the whole concept seems to have died. You know what I think about that? GOOD!
Seriously, a complaints department? That would suggest that the company's output is so bad, that they actually need to hire a group of people who do nothing all day apart from fielding complaints. You'd have to feel sorry for them wouldn't you? For at least eight hours a day, they would have been faced with the prospect of dealing with angry, frustrated people who chose to vent all of their anger on the sorry individual who answered the phone.
So did the concept of the Complaints Department really die? No - it actually got rebranded into the cuddly wuddly world of Customer Service. Let me run those words by you again - Customer Service. Grinding your teeth yet? Hairs on the back of the neck standing to attention? Sweaty palms and a racing pulse rate? Yup - and we all know why. It's because in the corporate faceless world of call centres where "your phone call is important to us", the words Customer Service are perhaps the biggest oxymoron we know.
But let's break it down. We'll start at the beginning shall we? CUSTOMER. What is your definition of a customer? For me, it's someone that gives me business. Regardless of the size of that business, their money is now my money. I am grateful for this and I tell them so. A customer is not just another name and phone number on a database whose sole purpose is to continue spending money regardless of whether the service is good, bad or otherwise.
And what about SERVICE? That really is where it all goes horribly wrong isn't it? You see call centre operators don't actually care about you at all. Why should they? They're paid an hourly rate to answer the phone, adhere to a script and a set of policies, and essentially try to get rid of you as quickly as possible. Eventually, fed up with getting nowhere, you'll ask to speak to a Supervisor who will proceed to do the exact same thing - only his lies seem more plausible, because he has seniority.
Now I'm writing this because this week, I actually got what I considered to be genuine customer service. I'll summarise on the story because the true long version is incredibly dull, but suffice is to say that my wife had a problem with her mobile phone. After a 3 week runaround, we really were no closer to a solution. The manager of the store took the time to talk me through their procedures and explained to me that he truly understood the nature of our frustration but that there was only so much he could do.
Now I had called this guy, ready for a fight. You know me - secretly hoping that the service would be bad so that I could load both barrels and really let him have it. But it didn't happen, and here's the odd part - he actually didn't make any exceptions for us or make the situation better in any way. What he did do, was take the time to acknowledge that we were not only a customer, but a fellow human being who just wanted to be shown a little bit more than the "Computer Says No" mentality that we've all become so used to.
Once my wife's phone is fixed, this guy will be getting a letter sent to the company's head office, commending him on the way in which he handled the situation.
You see, addressing the complaints of a customer doesn't always mean throwing money at the problem until it goes away. Sometimes, people just want to express their disappointment - they expect better of you, especially if you've done such a good job in the past. The only cost to you in helping them is a few minutes of your time and a little empathy.
So, the next time someone calls you to complain, apologise, and then ask them what they feel you could do to improve upon the situation - you'll be amazed at the results.
And by the way, if any of you are aware of a company with a dedicated Complaints Department, please let me have their details, and whilst you're at it, call them and just have a pleasant conversation about anything you like - they really could use a lift.
Seriously, a complaints department? That would suggest that the company's output is so bad, that they actually need to hire a group of people who do nothing all day apart from fielding complaints. You'd have to feel sorry for them wouldn't you? For at least eight hours a day, they would have been faced with the prospect of dealing with angry, frustrated people who chose to vent all of their anger on the sorry individual who answered the phone.
So did the concept of the Complaints Department really die? No - it actually got rebranded into the cuddly wuddly world of Customer Service. Let me run those words by you again - Customer Service. Grinding your teeth yet? Hairs on the back of the neck standing to attention? Sweaty palms and a racing pulse rate? Yup - and we all know why. It's because in the corporate faceless world of call centres where "your phone call is important to us", the words Customer Service are perhaps the biggest oxymoron we know.
But let's break it down. We'll start at the beginning shall we? CUSTOMER. What is your definition of a customer? For me, it's someone that gives me business. Regardless of the size of that business, their money is now my money. I am grateful for this and I tell them so. A customer is not just another name and phone number on a database whose sole purpose is to continue spending money regardless of whether the service is good, bad or otherwise.
And what about SERVICE? That really is where it all goes horribly wrong isn't it? You see call centre operators don't actually care about you at all. Why should they? They're paid an hourly rate to answer the phone, adhere to a script and a set of policies, and essentially try to get rid of you as quickly as possible. Eventually, fed up with getting nowhere, you'll ask to speak to a Supervisor who will proceed to do the exact same thing - only his lies seem more plausible, because he has seniority.
Now I'm writing this because this week, I actually got what I considered to be genuine customer service. I'll summarise on the story because the true long version is incredibly dull, but suffice is to say that my wife had a problem with her mobile phone. After a 3 week runaround, we really were no closer to a solution. The manager of the store took the time to talk me through their procedures and explained to me that he truly understood the nature of our frustration but that there was only so much he could do.
Now I had called this guy, ready for a fight. You know me - secretly hoping that the service would be bad so that I could load both barrels and really let him have it. But it didn't happen, and here's the odd part - he actually didn't make any exceptions for us or make the situation better in any way. What he did do, was take the time to acknowledge that we were not only a customer, but a fellow human being who just wanted to be shown a little bit more than the "Computer Says No" mentality that we've all become so used to.
Once my wife's phone is fixed, this guy will be getting a letter sent to the company's head office, commending him on the way in which he handled the situation.
You see, addressing the complaints of a customer doesn't always mean throwing money at the problem until it goes away. Sometimes, people just want to express their disappointment - they expect better of you, especially if you've done such a good job in the past. The only cost to you in helping them is a few minutes of your time and a little empathy.
So, the next time someone calls you to complain, apologise, and then ask them what they feel you could do to improve upon the situation - you'll be amazed at the results.
And by the way, if any of you are aware of a company with a dedicated Complaints Department, please let me have their details, and whilst you're at it, call them and just have a pleasant conversation about anything you like - they really could use a lift.
Thursday 8 October 2009
Do you know your staff?
Well how are you on this fine Thursday morning? Of course, you may well be reading this on a completely different day - it's not like I'm typing this "live" - it's really difficult to keep up. Never the less, whatever day it is, I hope that the day finds you well.
Right now, I find myself working on a brief that's rather interesting. Now I cannot name the client as it would be unfair but let's just say that if you haven't heard of them, then you have not left your home in the last 20 years, listened to a radio, watched a telly or read a newspaper. Bottom line - they're massive.
Now this client wants to put a particular piece of merchandise into each of its office's staff rooms. They want something that the staff can use but at the same time, shows them that their head office appreciates them - which is nice.
Now here's the kicker - we've already presented quite a few ideas but on each occasion, the client has found a reason to say no. That's fine, they have a perfect right to be fussy. I decided it would be a good idea to actually ask a manager working in one of their branches what they would like if they could have anything at all.
Their response? Nothing thanks - we've actually already got everything that we need. How wonderful, a team so content that they want for absolutely nothing! I wanted to hand over my CV right then and there, but the truth is that this person really didn't take the time to give it that much thought and had he done so, he probably would have come up with a shopping list that would frighten Santa Claus himself.
It got me thinking though. At this time of year a lot of companies start thinking about ways to show their staff a little gratitude for the year of work that they've just put in. Let's face it, if you're still in business then you really should be thanking the people that helped you get there. I've spoken about thanking your customers, but don't forget to thank your staff too.
Now if you were to ask your team what they would like, most of them would opt for a few extra days off and for the office to simply close over Christmas. Putting that Utopian idea aside, do you know what they could really use?
You see, when you think about buying 'giveaways', the factors that you consider are price, relevance, return on investment and so on. Now when you buy a gift, surely the only think you need to consider is whether or not the recipient is actually going to like it.
When you're thinking of a birthday gift for a relative, sometimes it's just easier to ask them if there's something that they would really like. Well why not do the same for your staff? I'm not suggesting that you go out and buy hundreds of plasma tellies - God bless you if you can afford to, but at least see if you can get a feel for something that your team will appreciate.
Incidentally, if you're planning to send gifts to your favourite suppliers, I am in the market for a new Rado watch. Doesn't hurt to ask does it?
Oh alright, just a dozen Krispy Kremes then please.
Right now, I find myself working on a brief that's rather interesting. Now I cannot name the client as it would be unfair but let's just say that if you haven't heard of them, then you have not left your home in the last 20 years, listened to a radio, watched a telly or read a newspaper. Bottom line - they're massive.
Now this client wants to put a particular piece of merchandise into each of its office's staff rooms. They want something that the staff can use but at the same time, shows them that their head office appreciates them - which is nice.
Now here's the kicker - we've already presented quite a few ideas but on each occasion, the client has found a reason to say no. That's fine, they have a perfect right to be fussy. I decided it would be a good idea to actually ask a manager working in one of their branches what they would like if they could have anything at all.
Their response? Nothing thanks - we've actually already got everything that we need. How wonderful, a team so content that they want for absolutely nothing! I wanted to hand over my CV right then and there, but the truth is that this person really didn't take the time to give it that much thought and had he done so, he probably would have come up with a shopping list that would frighten Santa Claus himself.
It got me thinking though. At this time of year a lot of companies start thinking about ways to show their staff a little gratitude for the year of work that they've just put in. Let's face it, if you're still in business then you really should be thanking the people that helped you get there. I've spoken about thanking your customers, but don't forget to thank your staff too.
Now if you were to ask your team what they would like, most of them would opt for a few extra days off and for the office to simply close over Christmas. Putting that Utopian idea aside, do you know what they could really use?
You see, when you think about buying 'giveaways', the factors that you consider are price, relevance, return on investment and so on. Now when you buy a gift, surely the only think you need to consider is whether or not the recipient is actually going to like it.
When you're thinking of a birthday gift for a relative, sometimes it's just easier to ask them if there's something that they would really like. Well why not do the same for your staff? I'm not suggesting that you go out and buy hundreds of plasma tellies - God bless you if you can afford to, but at least see if you can get a feel for something that your team will appreciate.
Incidentally, if you're planning to send gifts to your favourite suppliers, I am in the market for a new Rado watch. Doesn't hurt to ask does it?
Oh alright, just a dozen Krispy Kremes then please.
Thursday 1 October 2009
The Ghost of Christmas Present
You know, you really should feel sorry for me and all the other people working in the promotional merchandise industry. Why? Well for you lot, Christmas can be a time of great joy - a festive season of giving and receiving, good will to all men and a shed load of Christmas pudding with brandy butter and cream.
Well not for us. OK, to be fair, wild horses couldn't drag me away from a Christmas pudding with brandy butter and cream. Heck, I'd even eat it without the extras. I'm not a proud man, I just love the stuff. Don't judge me!
But I digress. The problem is that for us, Christmas is a time of last minute decisions, late deliveries, low stock levels, early factory closures and generally nervous customers. Now don't get me wrong - we do solve people's problems for them. we do find the best gifts and we do get the items delivered on time. We take our clients' headaches and gladly make them our own.
Obviously, I say 'gladly', whereas if were to be brutally honest, I mean 'reluctantly'. It's not that I'm complaining about the work - I'm delighted to be busy, it's just that we all preach on, year after year, to get your Christmas gifts out of the way sooner rather than later. The benefits are easy to name - more choice, more time to choose the right gift without a last minute panic, more chance to amend any errors which may (and do) occur and above all - I will like you so much more than I already do.
Last week we put out out first Christmas mailer, and the response has really not been that strong. It seems that people think that November is the best time to be thinking about showing appreciation to their customers. Well it's not the worst time to think about it, but it does mean that your gifts are going to be arriving around about the same time as your competitors'. What if they spent more than you? What if they had access to a more creative promotional merchandise company? What if, what if what? Too many questions and none of them necessary.
Last week I spoke of the importance of sending gifts to new potential customers, but I don't want you to think that I don't consider your existing clients too. So if you haven't seen the first of many Christmas gift catalogues, drop me an email and I will gladly send it to you. Better still, call me and let's arrange to meet.
Right, enough preaching - Tesco is already well stocked up on Christmas pudding, so I'm off for lunch.....
Well not for us. OK, to be fair, wild horses couldn't drag me away from a Christmas pudding with brandy butter and cream. Heck, I'd even eat it without the extras. I'm not a proud man, I just love the stuff. Don't judge me!
But I digress. The problem is that for us, Christmas is a time of last minute decisions, late deliveries, low stock levels, early factory closures and generally nervous customers. Now don't get me wrong - we do solve people's problems for them. we do find the best gifts and we do get the items delivered on time. We take our clients' headaches and gladly make them our own.
Obviously, I say 'gladly', whereas if were to be brutally honest, I mean 'reluctantly'. It's not that I'm complaining about the work - I'm delighted to be busy, it's just that we all preach on, year after year, to get your Christmas gifts out of the way sooner rather than later. The benefits are easy to name - more choice, more time to choose the right gift without a last minute panic, more chance to amend any errors which may (and do) occur and above all - I will like you so much more than I already do.
Last week we put out out first Christmas mailer, and the response has really not been that strong. It seems that people think that November is the best time to be thinking about showing appreciation to their customers. Well it's not the worst time to think about it, but it does mean that your gifts are going to be arriving around about the same time as your competitors'. What if they spent more than you? What if they had access to a more creative promotional merchandise company? What if, what if what? Too many questions and none of them necessary.
Last week I spoke of the importance of sending gifts to new potential customers, but I don't want you to think that I don't consider your existing clients too. So if you haven't seen the first of many Christmas gift catalogues, drop me an email and I will gladly send it to you. Better still, call me and let's arrange to meet.
Right, enough preaching - Tesco is already well stocked up on Christmas pudding, so I'm off for lunch.....
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