Small Business Marketing | Marketing for Entrepreneurs | Realtor Marketing » customer service

Is Customer Service Letting Your Lead Gen Down – Lowes VS Home Depot

Tara Jacobsen — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:31:46 +0000

We spend a lot of time talking about lead generating here. Marketing is all about getting opportunities to sell your product to someone who has a need. BUT what if your customer service is letting your lead generating down?

Last week Lowes sent me a really great email newsletter with ideas about how to make my laundry room a fun and functional place. It painted the picture so well that I trotted out this weekend in search of some paint, shelving and baskets to use on the project. Now, since the idea came from the Lowes email, I decided to visit that retailer rather than Home Depot where I normally shop for these kind of items.

Differentiating Your Business From The Crowd

As most of us know, Lowes, Home Depot, Ace Hardware and other stores have the same kinds of products, much the same way that all Mary Kay reps, bookkeepers or Florists offer the same makeup, accounting or flowers respectively. So what can a small business owner do to differentiate themselves from the competition?

Offer ridiculously good customer service – With all the outsourcing overseas, it is rare that I call a company that has its call center in America. GoDaddy has GREAT customer service who are ridiculously patient with non-techy people. Most small business owners are the ones to answer the phone and make decisions about how problems are to be handled. What if you decided that each request or problem from your customers was a chance to make that relationship better?

Note – I started going to Home Depot because of marketing. Tony Stewart (a Nascar driver) is my favorite and he represented Home Depot for years so marketing got my feet in the door. What kept me coming back was the fact that all those orange people constantly ask if they can help me and then walk me over to exactly what I was looking for, that is customer service HELPING your lead generating efforts.

Keep Your Marketing Word – If you are going to promote the “best something ever”, it better be! Many times buyers remorse comes because the marketing promise is not delivered in the actual product. My pal Seth Godin always talks about how the marketing department should be on the development team. This makes total sense for small business owners. When you are developing a product or service to offer, make sure that your company is good at doing that function and that you have systems in place to assure that the same great experience happens each time for each customer.

Set Realistic Expectations – I see more small biz owners tearing their hair out because of their unrealistic clients. Funny that, most times it is because the business owner did not frame the product in such a way as to assure that the client gets a value and the business owner makes a fair wage. Too many times small biz owners want to make the lead generating sale and worry about the implementation later. The BEST way to have happy clients is to make sure they know what they are buying and you know what you are selling!

NO One Offs – Last one! Stop changing your business to fit the needs of your clients, it won’t serve you well and it will just wind up annoying them. For example, we make small biz blogs on GoDaddy. Now is that the best host, maybe not BUT we have a 6 page document that details a step-by-step process for setting up a blog perfectly on GoDaddy. A couple of years ago someone came to us and wanted to use a different web host and said that they would not hire us unless we used their choice. It was tempting to say, “well maybe we will get more people who like that host too”. We did not take the project and in the ensuing YEARS, no one has ever asked for that host again. There was a good chance we would have done a poor job because we did not have a system in place AND I can guarantee that it would have taken twice or three times as long as usual since we would have to learn a new system.

So what does all this say about lead generating and customer service? You better make sure all of the pieces of you small biz marketing puzzle are on the same page or your efforts will just be churning and burning more unhappy customers.

PS – Because I am so happy with Home Depot, I thought Lowes would be comparable. Their products might have been, but their customer service was lacking. 3 people were at the paint station but only one (somewhat incompetent and grouchy) lady was actually help mixing paint so it took almost 20 minutes to order a gallon of paint. Then the shelving lady was barely mobile and took a 10 minute phone call in the middle of selling us some shelving. I thought I was going to have peel my mother-in-law off the ceiling, she was so mad at being ignored. Needless to say, we are back at the depot now and will just take all the great lowes ideas there!

How DISC Personality Types Affect Customer Service Models

Tara Jacobsen — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:42:16 +0000

Your DISC personality type affects what your customer service models are and how we can use them to our advantage. When it comes to customer service for our small businesses though, oftentimes we throw that information out the window and forget it!

In a brief synopsis of the DISC personality types, “D” stands for driver, direct and determined, “I” stands for intuitive, inspiring and interacting, “S” stands for stable, steady and supportive and “C” stands for cautious, compliant and careful. Find out more about DISC personality types and small business marketing.

It is always important to me that my small business marketing customers and ongoing clients are happy. That is the easy part, this wish. To make great customers service a GOAL we need to put some milestones and metrics behind it. If great customer service is a goal for your company, you need to look at your CUSTOMERS not at YOUR COMPANY to make it happen. And how does this match the DISC?

Customer Service Done By Personality Types

High â€œDâ€ business owners are very direct and to the point, frequently solving problems or delegating, but not following up to make sure that their customer is happy. They tend to focus on the task of fixing something after the fact rather than finding out what caused the problem in the first place. High â€œDâ€ business owners need to be especially aware that everyone does not think that just doing their work is enough, they must keep their customers in the loop throughout the entire process.

High â€œIâ€ small business owners tend to have the best intentions about doing great work, only fixing problems after the fact. That having been said, they tend to lack the focus required to make sure that the entire project is done and putting systems in place so that their customers know what has been completed. They should be aware that their clients are often disappointed when promised work or solutions are not forthcoming.

High â€œSâ€ small business owners will set their customer service plans up, making sure that everyone is going to be happy with their product or service. A High “S” is probably the best person in your organization to delegate to handle customer service. Their caring attitude and genuinely want to help get things done right or fix problems will shine throughout their work with your customers.

High â€œCâ€ are generally the opposite of High â€œDâ€ business owners; they have ALL the systems and forms in place to document milestones and resolve problems. Watch out though, as their process can tend to be overwhelming for the other personality types to encounter. “C’s” will often have a process by which customer service requests, complaints or queries are implemented and processed. If they are not careful, the system can become so rigid as to not allow for human error or for changes that might benefit their clients in the long run.

Customer Service Received By Personality Types

The High “C” process of customer service can be VERY hard for “D’s” to comprehend. The thought of filling out forms or navigating to the right department through complicated phone systems is onerous to this aggressive bunch. You might want to consider having a “Press 0 to get an operator” or a human who can walk through the process of your forms for them, rather than having them get even more upset on the way to your customer service help. A human voice on the other end of the line will make your “I’s” and “S’s” happier also.

As stated, high â€œIâ€ clients will also want to talk to a person. Sending an email, text or just leaving a message will not make the “I” feel like you have done the best job for them, even if you got everything handled in a timely manner. Additionally, by not speaking to them directly, you leave a door open for this situation to be ongoing and for them to feel left out in the cold. Sending them links to FAQ sections and self-help videos will not make “I” happy with the your company.

High â€œSâ€ clients are not looking for amazing solutions or fanfare. They just want to work with someone who REALLY does handle their account or problem when they say they will. There is very little screaming and yelling with an “S”, BUT you can lose their faith in you if you do not follow through on promises that you make. High “S’s” do not want to change companies or vendors so a little bit of customer service will go a long way!

High â€œCâ€ clients need A LOT of documentation before, during and after the fact. They will be happiest when they get a detailed account of the work that is completed and if there are problems, a list of proposed solutions. You CAN use email, FAQs, knowledge bases and other non-human types of services for a “C”, as many times they can solve the problem themselves. If there are problems, they are going to want to know what went wrong and what steps you are taking so that it will not happen again in the future.

In Conclusion

As a small business owner, knowing your (and your clientâ€™s) personality type can help you to avoid costly Customer Service mistakes. DO NOT assume that your customers want to be treated the way that you want to be treated! Having systems in place for notifying them of your progress or issues that cover ALL the personality types is vital for retaining customers. This is definitely not a one size fits all area of your business. Be sure that if you do not possess the correct skills, you hire someone who does!

Great (and not so great) Customer Service

Tara Jacobsen — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:56:44 +0000

So I have been switching over to a new credit card and shopping cart system. Sigh. The process is horrendous and I keep finding new things I have to fix. We have to transfer people from our old database, we have to get all our people to re-optin (Tammy Mac this means you…:) We have to set up forms and autoresponders and other terrible things. I have been on hold with customer service for what seems like days!

The bright spot in all of this is the great guys over at 1shoppingcart.com. Today I talked to Andy who did everything he could to help fix a form for me (I am still working on getting it to look right BUT he really tried!!). I also tend to get Mark a lot when I call – I am SERIOUS, it has been over 20 times in the last two weeks. He is VERY patient and knows A LOT about the product.

Having chosen a vendor, I have definitely had my decision reinforced that it was a good one. Great customer service is NOT the norm these days so you find it, treasure it!

That having been said, I have also had terrible customer service lately.

Adobe. A HUGE company that just got $643 from me for a software update has terrible customer service. The customer service rep I spoke with had no knowledge of the english language. He put me on hold for over 10 minutes to try and find a form that I needed to have emailed to me and never sent the form. He was rude. I am sorry I have to use Adobe. NOT a good experience.

Discover Card sold me out. I have a merchant account with Bank of America now (it is going away soon!). BOA has a terrible back end system that is impossible to reconcile, making my accountant sad BUT that is not why I am so glad to be leaving them! I opted to have Discover offered as one of the credit cards I accepted. No fewer than 8 different “Discover Partners” have called me offering services for “free”. They are not free, they just want me to sign up for a service for free for a little bit and then start charging me when I forget to cancel. Double sigh. I have told them I do not need a website or promotions or anything else but they still call. I hate Discover now.

This is not rocket science. Having a company culture that rewards customer service is vital. Letting your customers know that you will not sell their name should be standard. Having someone answer your phone with a cheerful hello costs exactly the same amount as having a surly receptionist.

It all starts at the top. If you are a small business owner with no employees, take a look at how you are operating. If you are a small business owner with a staff, talk to them tomorrow about what they can do to make your customers happy.

Happy is good. Hate is bad.

Focus Schmocus – How to get things done!

Tara Jacobsen — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:13:54 +0000

You have a million things you HAVE to do TODAY. You need to finish your paperwork, call some clients, send a newsletter, read an article, do some more paperwork, call that icky client, start your taxes, arggg!

I can tell you that there are probably only two or three things that you HAVE to do today to grow your business, sell something or get a new prospect. Those are the only things you HAVE to do today! (If you owe money to the IRS you may HAVE to talk to them today – you have my permission!)

So if you only have a few things you HAVE to do, you must WANT to do all that other busy work you have set up for yourself, right? We humans are funny creatures, we like to keep busy, to feel needed, to do important work. If we have lots to do we can justify to ourselves not getting some vital things done.

That ends today people! Today you need to figure out the top 3 things that you need to do for your business and EVERY day, before you do anything else, those things have to be done!

For my business, my top three things are:

Lead generating – writing blog posts, attending mastermind sessions, writing articles, emailing prospects
Strategic planning – getting the systems in place so that when opportunity knocks I am ready
Writing Ebooks or speaking in person – this is my actual physical work!

If you are a realtor, yours may look like this:

Lead generating – holding open houses, blogging about a neighborhood, sending out emails to your database, sending a newsletter, calling your prospects or clients and asking for referrals, attending network events
Strategic planning – organizing your calendar, targeting neighborhoods or niches, working on your database, setting upÂ automaticÂ emails to your prospects
Actual Realtor Work – taking listings, signing buyer broker agreements, showing houses, servicing your listings, writing contracts, negotiating contracts, and attending closings

Doing anything other than those things is a waste of your valuable time! You need to make sure that something from those lists is on your calendar every day!

Write these things out and hang them on the wall. Anytime something comes in that seems urgent, hold it up to your list and see if it something you HAVE to do…you may be surprised how much you have been doing that isÂ unnecessaryÂ busywork that you just have a habit of doing.

Your Favorite Medium

Tara Jacobsen — Sat, 10 May 2008 23:53:02 +0000

No this is NOT about psychics or charlatans! This is about what YOU think works and how that affects what you DO.

Now to give you some background on where I am coming from, before returning to marketing, I built my highly successful real estate business in Clearwater by using direct mail marketing pieces and networking. I am more than willing to drive across town to visit someone in person rather than call them on the phone and I hardly ever send marketing or informational emails to my clients.

I was sitting in a meeting this week with a realtor who ONLY sends email, no direct mail and who also networks very well. She is adamant that direct mail does not work, she has tried it before and got nothing for her effort. I told her that I had tried email before and it didn’t work AT ALL. Come to find out that both of us had sent ONEÂ or TWO pieces, MONTHS apart and then decided that it didn’t work.

I hate to talk on the phone so I assume that everyone hates to talk on the phone. She LOVES email, the internet and all things technology related and so she thinks she has the best chance of getting her message across by doing what makes the most sense to her.

What we found out is that one way doesn’t provide a whole message. Some people who you communicate with will get the most from your emails, some from direct mail and you can never go wrong talking with someone on the phone or face to face. The key is to talk to them EVERY month in EVERY medium to remind them that you are still in business and still want to serve them!

Small Businessses – How To Survive In A Down Market

Tara Jacobsen — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:57:45 +0000

I have a great admiration for small business owners! The entrepreneurial inspiration hits and they are ready to go out in the world and start selling (either products or services).

I am currently doing work for a fabulous mortgage banker, Brian P. ForresterÂ (who is honest and hardworking and doing great right now, despite the downturn his entire market has taken), some STUPENDOUS realtors, a great friend and business partner Tammy Leventis at Mail Marketing and some otherÂ start up small businesses.

All are making it happen in a market that is not easy and getting harder by the day. BUT they have decided that a downturn in the market is a great time to increase their market share through branding and exposing themselves to the market with a focused message!

What are some things you can do to make an impact? Here are my top ten! I know – you have heard of these before. There is no magic here, just common sense.

Have a website or blog that allows you to communicate with other people – this is the most affordable and user friendly way to make an impact right now. People ARE looking for your services and products online, can they find you?
Make sure your business card is distinct and DOES NOT have a hundred ways to contact you – one number, one email, address and fax – anything else confuses the user and they do not know which means to use to get a hold of you!!!
Have a brochure – This should list a little about you and then have your services. It provides a way for people to learn about what you offer without you having to tell them.
Contact your clients (part 1Â CALL THEM)Â - These are people you work with or have in the past. They should like and respect you. They should refer you to their friends. If they do not like you, take them out of your database and free your soul for people to work with who DO like you. Now call them. They like you, remember, and will NOT be offended if you pick up the phone to communicate with them. Have something interesting to say, say it, tell them you like them too, ask for a referral or two, hang up. See how easy that was!
Contact your clients (partÂ 2Â MAIL THEM) – Anyone who knows me knows this is MUCH easier for me than calling (I don’t talk to people on the phone normally). Mailing stuff to people works. You can send them a postcard with your services or testimonials or information. You can send them newsletters or great articles you have found that are relevant to your industry. You can even send them recipe cards (I CANNOT believe I just said that!!!…:) BUT whatever you do, send them something on a regular basis.
Contact your clients (partÂ 3Â EMAIL THEM) – All of us get emails every day. We take the time to read those that are personal and from friends and contacts who we KNOW are going to be interesting and relevant. This is the opposite of the mailing someone, sending just anything will not do. You risk being added to the spam list or removed from their approved email list EVERY time you send something. DO NOT send recipe emails if you are a pest control company, do not send funny emails if you are a mortician, DO send emails that are timely and will ADD to your readers knowledge or life. DO NOT spam people.
Send personal notes – When you get a personal note it makes you feel nice. You know someone has taken the time to think of you, put pen to paper and then added a stamp. They have walked to the mail box or drop off point. Make sure your personal notecards are professional. They can brand your company or have inspirational quotes or just be pretty. They DO NOT have to be long, just a sentance or two to let someone know you have thought of them. DO NOT send personal notes from a mass mail company, it is disingenuous.
Network - Go to events with your co-workers, go to Charity functions, go to sporting events, amusement parks, open houses. Go to service clubs and formal networking events. When someone asks you if you want to do something, say yes. Ask someone you do not normally spend time with to lunch and learn more about them. Make time to talk to your friends. In today’s world we hear constantly about time management, but we rarely here about making time for people. Listen to them, most are really interesting.
Do what you say you are going to – The best indication that you are going to succeed is doing what you say you will. DO NOT promise a turn around time of 1 day if something takes 3 days. Under promise and over deliver. Do more than you said you would. Surprise someone with something they did not expect. Ask what your customer wants and give them that.
DRUMROLL PLEASE – Get a Niche (or two) – Figure out what you do well and do that more. Give the general public a way to catagorize you in their mind so that they can refer people to you. Give great customer service, market their home to 20 different places, capitalize on your Irish-ness, specialize in Investors, work a farm, always start your appointments on time, be a stable influence in unstable times, focus on golfers, bowlers, non-profits or car dealers.

Thanks for listening.

When did it become okay?

Tara Jacobsen — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 02:24:03 +0000

When did it become okay to make someone wait an hour on average to see the doctor? I have been to my primary care physician and my allergy doctor in the last two weeks and it has been truly painful!!!

My general doctor is always slow so I have learned the trick of taking the first appointment of the day or the first one after lunch. When I did not do this one day it took almost an hour and a half to get into see him. Today my allergy doctor was running about 45 minutes behind on appointments EVEN THOUGH I asked when I got there if it would take longer than 30 minutes to get in!!!

Now I am the world’s worst patient! I do not stay in the little room patiently, I go out to the desk and see how long it going to take..:) One drawback to all this waiting is that the doctors all think I have high blood pressure. When I donate blood I have great blood pressure, but after I have waited for OVER AN HOUR, amazingly enough it is always high! When I stroke out in the little room some day from frustration they will be sorry!!!

Brian Tracy says everything matters. EVERYTHING MATTERS. Is there something that you should be better at? Should you answer your phone more often so that people don’t have to leave a message every time? Should you stop talking on the phone when a customer is in your store? Should you call for feedback on your showings and let the owner know what the viewers thought? Should you make sure all the links work on your website? Should you accept returns gladly knowing you have a loyal customer? Should you learn to schedule your patient appointments better?

We all have something that doesn’t matter to us but which may make a huge difference to our customers. Everything matters.

No related posts.

The WOW Factor – Arnold Jewelers

Tara Jacobsen — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:21:55 +0000

So the price of gold is high right now and I had some lying around that I was not using (old rings, a couple of old chains, etc.) so I grabbed my Dad and we headed down to Arnold Jewelers. I went because my Mother-In-Law had gone there and said the owner was great and seemed honest! (word-of-mouth at its finest).

Well, Ray, the owner WAS nice and was very gentle with me when he explained that my wedding ring was in fact gold and not the platinum that I had given the jeweler to craft the ring from. I watched him tell another lady that her silverware was not sterling but was only gold plated stainless, which he did with obvious compassion but a no-nonsense attitude. He was just the bearer of bad news, not the one that was responsible for it. (Realtors take note! It was not his fault that my rings were not what I expected or paid for, norÂ he didn’t try to fix that by anything he could do – he just told me like it was and I totally appreciated it!)

I wound up buying a ring set (SO PRETTY) and getting some money for my old gold. AND I am blogging about the great customer service, AND I am telling my friends to go there – a little out of the way for most of them BUT worth the trip to deal with someone who is honest!

Do your customers brag about you and the work you do? Do they tell all their friends? Do you ask them to tell all their friends? If you are doing a great job and always looking out for their best interests you WILL succeed and be of help to the people you serve!

If you are in the Tampa Bay area, here is the address – tell Ray I sent you!

Arnold Jewelers
12293 Seminole Blvd Largo Florida
Phone 727-586-0414
Toll Free 877-619-3919

No related posts.

Have A Blog, Make New Friends!

Tara Jacobsen — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:17:20 +0000

So you already know that you can make friends by having a blog (other bloggers will come to see your posts and you can visit theirs) BUT what about in the real world? Who reads your posts?

I know that Diane Nelson (Pinellas County Tax Collector) does! How do I know that? Well I was in Rotary today and she mentioned that she had seen my purple cow post on The Tara And Sheila Show Blog about how she has revolutionized the tax collecting business:

Here in Pinellas County we have a REALLY weird situation – we like going to the tax collector’s office to pay our bills! How could that be you ask? To know what a turn around this is, you have to understand that just a few years ago it would take HOURS to get anything from your tax bill to renewing your license. Since Diane Nelson took over as the Tax Collector, our public service has turned into a purple cow. There is an efficient system for getting to the right person who can help you fastest. Her staff is knowledgable and pleasant and it usually takes less than 20 minutes to get in and out of there. As she said, more than one person has told her what a PLEASURE it is to give her their money – way to go Diane!

So what does that mean for my business? Who else has seen that? Sometimes it is hard to know what the results of a blog post may be. You may not find out until months later that it made a difference to someone’s business or your own. DO NOT start a blog thinking that you will get a customer tomorrow. DO NOT start a blog thinking that it will magically turn around your business. DO start a blog if you are passionate enough about something to write about it at least a few times a week. DO start a blog if you want to talk with people in a public forum about matters that are important to you.

A blog is different from a website, a blog allows people to talk back to you. They can agree or disagree with you, they can add to the conversation, you can become a expert and give advice. It is a wonderful medium for opening communication with people you didn’t even know were reading!

How To Write A Blog Post That Will Rank In Google

Niche Marketing and Customer Service Go Hand In Hand

Tara Jacobsen — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:28:37 +0000

Niche marketing and customer service are vital to building your small business marketing brand. Having a niche makes your ALL of your marketing marketing efforts easier.

If something does not fit in with what your marketing focus is, just don’t do it. If your brand is being a high end boutique, do not advertise in the penny shopper. If your focus is being THE source for beads, hold workshops at your store where people who like to bead can gather (and buy).

The easiest example ofÂ this to me is the difference between the customer service provided by Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. In Clearwater, where I buy coffee, we have 2 Dunkin Donuts and numerous Starbucks. I would NEVER go to Dunkin Donuts if I did not have to get coffee for my friend.

Starbucks is nice. They make your coffee EXACTLY the way that you want. They go in the back to get you rice krispy treats if they are out in the front. They even get your coffee if you order it small, medium or large instead of the tall, venti or whatever the other one is. They thank you and give you change and it takes about 2 minutes. I don’t know that I have ever seen an ad for Starbucks. There is not a spokesperson because EVERYONE is a spokesperson.

THEIR BRAND is to provide exceptional customer service within the coffee niche.

On the other hand, Dunkin Donuts is painful. They ask you 3 times what you ordered. They give you the wrong thing. Their lines are horrendous and their product offerings are so varied that people sometimes have to drive around and park so that they have time to make their beverage. Rachel Ray is their spokesman. I see lots of ads with her in them and I LIKE Rachel Ray. Liking her is NOT enough to combat the pain of having to drive up to Dunkin Donuts! Fire her, stop making ads and train your people to produce a donut and a cup of coffee, with a smile, in less than 10 minutes!

THEIR BRAND is to provide a variety of confections, not care about customer service and have coffee as an add on product

As a small business owner, make sure your brand and your customer service represent the true goals of your company. Look at your processes with a fresh eye and see if there are things you can fix. If you would like to find out more about niche marketing we have a number of posts that you might like too!

Dear Rachel, you seem like a very bright girl who is doing okay for herself. I am sorry that part of my plan includes firing you. I will buy 2 of your magazines to make up for it!