Minding Your Own Brand - Why Did The Relationship End?
After thinking about these failed relationships, I realized that this is often the same situations that happen in business everyday. Customers sever ties with companies leaving owners scratching their heads wondering "what happened, I thought they liked us."
Each day, customers are leaving relationships with companies at rates that rival the national divorce rate. So what can companies learn from these divorcing couples that will help them retain customers?
Like the first couple, many companies feel they lose customers because someone better comes along. They think that with cheaper prices, more selection, or bigger advertising budgets, how can they compete? While on the surface this may be true, a customer's decision was probably not a snap one. Over time, the company failed to meet their needs one little thing at a time. Then "pool boy" came along and the customer fell deeply in love with this new company because it promised to fulfill every need and had cheaper prices, more selection, and better advertising.
The second couple's problems centered on passion. Passion is critical for customer retention, but that passion is not one-sided. Companies must also have a passion for their customers. They must appreciate them and strive to provide an extraordinary experience which fuels passion or else customers will leave for a younger, sexier company that ignites their passion.
Finally, the third couple offers a valuable lesson. Little issues that go unresolved can add up to big problems. Everything you say and do creates the customer experience, so be proactive and try to solve issues before they arise. Even proactive companies can't always be perfect, but they can offer extraordinary experiences when they aren't. If you mess-up, admit it and make the resolution of the issue an extraordinary experience. A problem moment can often be the best opportunity to "wow" a customer and gain them as a passionate advocate.
So work on your relationships each day and make every interaction extraordinary. If you don't, you may wake up one day to customers asking you for divorce.
Related Tags: marketing, customer service, brand strategy, brand and organizational development, brand culture
Dave Lubelczyk is president of IMAGEidentity, LTD which helps organizations achieve success by building advocacy through brand development and organizational development. He can be reached by phone: 508-259-9016 or at http://www.imageidentity.com
Archives of Minding Your Own Brand articles are available at http://www.mindingyourownbrand.com
© 2005 Dave Lubelczyk, All rights reserved.
Your Article Search Directory : Find in ArticlesRecent articles in this category:
- Promotional Umbrellas are a Useful Tool in Branding Campaigns
With thousands of promotional products out there, it can be difficult to figure out which are useful - Promotional Tote Bags: an Effective an Useful Marketing Tool
Of all of the promotional items a business has to choose from, promotional tote bags are probably th - Avoid Stressful Deadlines
I've mentioned many times in the past the stress involved in an upcoming deadline for some piece of - Proactive Online Reputation Management Tips for Companies When Building an Online Brand
With the speed and ease that information spreads on the Internet, companies wishing to protect thei - 5 Tips on Flyer Printing
If you are not familiar with flying printing, you could be wasting a lot of time and money on your - How to Print Great Flyers Cheaply
Contrary to popular belief, flyer printing is no longer an expensive advertising medium. The downwa - Custom Signs Buying Tips
Every business and organization wants to look their best at all times so when it comes to public di - Three Important Auto Locksmith Services for Carefree Driving
Stuck in the middle of the road with your keys locked inside the car? What do you do now? Call your - Tips to Have a Trade Show Booth That Draws Potential Customers
The key to great trade show exhibiting is marketing. Having a strategic exhibit marketing and tacti - We Wanna be Green
Companies all over the world are adopting green marketing slogans and attaching "built green" to ev
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Protecting A Logo: One Key to Branding Success
Logos play an important part in marketing and brand recognition. Take, for example, Nike's "Swoosh," - Brand Awareness Basics
Statistics tell us that in the U.S. alone, the average person is exposed to 3,500 ad impressions per - Corporate Logo Design
A Corporate logo design is a name, illustration or trademark which gives a company its unique visual - Brand your business
Branding is more than just product recognition inherent in the printed materials that they may be us - Types in Logo Design
Text-Based Logo DesignThe mainly extensively used of all logo types; the Text-Based design focuses o - Small Business Success
Since the inception my business, I have had a lot of small business owners talk to me about business - How to Use Ad Specialties To Brand Or Market Your Company
As business owners, how many times have you been "sold" something?This is especially prevalent in th - Save Time Writing Branded Materials With A Content Blocks Document
Recently we helped a small business owner re-write his marketing and business plans. The owner was g - A Push Culture Or A Push & Pull Culture - For B2b Companies
There are broadly two kinds of businesses. B2C, businesses that sell to individual customers, and B - From Lemons to Loans - The Changing Face of Supermarkets
Thirty years ago we would shop in local Town Centres. We'd visit the local butchers, greengrocers, w
