Working with a client on a product launch project, I was brought in to come up with a plan for promoting the launch. Specifically, the client said they needed some innovative ideas. I was sure once we got into the discussion that there would be plenty of ideas. After all, people are designed to be creative - from childhood we explore, dream and create. When this innate desire meets a marketing project, creative (naturally) becomes the focal point. People like generating ideas, being creative and having fun dreaming about what could be. And indeed, when we got into the idea generation stage of the product launch plan, ideas flowed freely.
There are almost always more ideas than there is budget, time and manpower to execute the ideas. That's why the hardest part of a marketing project is cutting down the ideas to a manageable number and managing the execution of the ideas. That really is where the marketing "rubber meets the road". It is easy to have a great idea, it is exponentially more difficult to pull off the idea well and track its effectiveness. It was in the execution of the product launch where I really earned my keep with the client - helping them decide which ideas to execute, build the project team, manage the plan and track the results.
In particular, deciding which ideas to execute is very difficult. That is where the relative value of each idea is weighed. Which ideas fit best with the strategic goals of the product launch? Which ideas could be handled by the available staff, within the budget and the time available? Which ideas would have the greatest return on investment? Once those questions are answered, ideas must be turned into projects - the nitty gritty of executing versus a budget and timeline.
Are creative ideas important to successful marketing? Absolutely! Yet, I'd say more important is the decision about which ideas to execute and the management of that execution. Maybe that's why I like this quote from Ashleigh Brilliant: Good ideas are common - what's uncommon are people who'll work hard enough to bring them about.
SLE
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
A Satisfied Customer
There is an old adage that "a satisfied customer will be a repeat customer". If you ask a business person whether this is true, they will probably answer affirmatively. As business owners we count on the quality of our product or service, a fair price, a good experience to result in a repeat customer. In fact, truth be told, we probably believe that at some level, if we deliver for the customer we are entitled to repeat business...afterall, we more than uphold our part of the bargain, why shouldn't we get more of that customer's business?
I think business owners may also believe the adage is true because they know the converse is true: "a dissatisfied customer will not be a repeat customer". Unfortunately, most business owners have faced that situation more than they care to admit!
Yet, research doesn't necessarily back up these ideas. In a research study done by a trade group, buyers were queried about changing suppliers. The number one reason that buyers changed suppliers: a lack of attention by the seller after the sale!
On the other hand, research reported by the American Marketing Association shows that customers who are dissatisfied or have a complaint may become even more of a loyal customer if the problem is addressed well by the supplier.
Both of these issues revolve around selling after the sale. Too often the marketing effort ends with the sale. Yet, in both cases- good buy/sell experience and bad buy/sell experience - future sales and customer loyalty (meaning not changing suppliers) requires the marketing to continue. That doesn't mean shilling the next sale, it means reinforcing the buying decision.
In the case of the customer with a bad experience, the organization must be responsive to resolve the issue and the perceptions surrounding the experience. In the case of the customer with the good experience, we must continue to reinforce the good reasons that the person bought the product and service.
Like a prospect who needs to be enticed with how great the experience and satisfaction will be when he/she buys, the customer needs to continue to be reminded what is extraordinary about the product or service experience.
The good news is that much research has been done on the cost and difficulty of selling new business versus gaining repeat business, and it is much less expensive and easier to gain repeat business. Just remember, it doesn't mean do nothing and just wait for that repeat business to roll in (or run off chasing new business thinking the repeat business will take care of itself). What is required is what we discuss in the sales process module of "The Marketing Coach" course: developing the processes necessary for both new and repeat sales so we understand and can manage successfully the steps that lead to the sale and repeat sale.
SLE
I think business owners may also believe the adage is true because they know the converse is true: "a dissatisfied customer will not be a repeat customer". Unfortunately, most business owners have faced that situation more than they care to admit!
Yet, research doesn't necessarily back up these ideas. In a research study done by a trade group, buyers were queried about changing suppliers. The number one reason that buyers changed suppliers: a lack of attention by the seller after the sale!
On the other hand, research reported by the American Marketing Association shows that customers who are dissatisfied or have a complaint may become even more of a loyal customer if the problem is addressed well by the supplier.
Both of these issues revolve around selling after the sale. Too often the marketing effort ends with the sale. Yet, in both cases- good buy/sell experience and bad buy/sell experience - future sales and customer loyalty (meaning not changing suppliers) requires the marketing to continue. That doesn't mean shilling the next sale, it means reinforcing the buying decision.
In the case of the customer with a bad experience, the organization must be responsive to resolve the issue and the perceptions surrounding the experience. In the case of the customer with the good experience, we must continue to reinforce the good reasons that the person bought the product and service.
Like a prospect who needs to be enticed with how great the experience and satisfaction will be when he/she buys, the customer needs to continue to be reminded what is extraordinary about the product or service experience.
The good news is that much research has been done on the cost and difficulty of selling new business versus gaining repeat business, and it is much less expensive and easier to gain repeat business. Just remember, it doesn't mean do nothing and just wait for that repeat business to roll in (or run off chasing new business thinking the repeat business will take care of itself). What is required is what we discuss in the sales process module of "The Marketing Coach" course: developing the processes necessary for both new and repeat sales so we understand and can manage successfully the steps that lead to the sale and repeat sale.
SLE
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