When I’m consulting my clients on marketing it gets hard to determine the line of where marketing stops.  Many think it’s tied to the advertising, when in fact it goes way beyond that, but I’m not sure how far.  A great story I heard a few years ago by a very successful retailer in Naples Florida makes me wonder if it does stop.

Noel was the business owner’s name.  He had a very high-end boat dealership and his customers were the wealthiest in the area.   He was in his office overlooking the showroom as a couple was completing the paperwork on their purchase. The wife excused herself and a few minutes later came over and whispered in the husband’s ear.  Poof, they were gone.  He couldn’t believe his eyes.  One minute they were customers and the next they are bolting for their Mercedes Benz.  He had to know what happened.  He rushed out of his office and caught them in the parking lot.  Noel introduced himself as the owner and asked “what happened?”  The wife told him she went to use the restroom and was upset with how disgusting it was.  She wondered how a business that just recently remodeled their beautiful showroom could ignore the women’s restroom.  She questioned him about whether he wanted female clients.

He was crushed. Of course he wanted female clients, but thought I could I miss this?  If I remember the story correctly, he mentioned that they didn’t have female employees who used that bathroom and somehow it fell between the cracks.  Of course they fixed it ASAP and invited the young lady to come back and give them her thoughts.  She did, she approved and finished their paperwork.

This begs the question, where does your marketing stop?  Recently I was in a business that had an underage girl working the counter (presumably the owner’s kid).   Another business I was in had their “Employee of the Month” plaque displayed next to the register; the problem was the last time it was updated for 2007???  So I guess no one has done a good enough job to earn this distinction in over 3 years?  Then my favorite was a business that had different colors on their P.O.P displays, store sign, website and employees shirts.  I had no clue where I was.

Do you really want your customers being waited on by someone who can’t possibly represent your company in a professional manner?  Do you want people to see that you are so lazy that you can’t fix your plaque?  And more importantly do you want to confuse people about your brand?

I guess the conclusion is that your marketing touches every part of your business.  You MUST be aware of everything going on within your organization.  In fact, before you buy a SINGLE advertisement you need to make sure everything under your roof is ready for the customers to come in.  Don’t invite customers in until you are ready for them. Would you rather grow slower and correctly?  Or faster and burn through customers with bad experiences?

Matt Plapp is a the President of Driven Media Solutions, a Full Service Marketing Firm in the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky area specializing in small business marketing via grass-roots, events, guerilla, online and social media marketing. You can contact him at matt@mattplapp.wpengine.com.

Apr 13, 2011 –

Everyone knows you can’t have a business without customers. However, one of the worst mistakes any business can make is focusing its marketing efforts on attracting new clients while neglecting past and current customers. Studies have shown that the cost of acquiring a new customer is far greater than what it costs to generate business from an existing client.

Thanking your clients for their business can also set you apart from your competitors, increase loyalty, boost sales and even build relationships that last a lifetime. Effective marketing depends on repeat exposure and showing appreciation is an affordable and effective way to build your company’s presence.

Here’s what you can do to show your clients how grateful you are for their business:

1. Send a thank you card after an appointment or major purchase. Thoughtful and unexpected thank you notes are an easy way to let people know you appreciate them. Consider sending a hand-written note in the mail. Sending birthday cards with a coupon is another way to express your appreciation.

2. Give small gifts. Token items such as flowers, books, and mugs make thoughtful gifts for clients. These can be sent on special occasions or can be sent for no other reason than to show your gratitude.

3. Let them choose their own reward. Give people what they want by letting them choose among several options. Introduce a rewards program that lets customers choose from a variety of gifts or coupons if they spend a certain amount within a month, for example.

4. Surprise them. Select repeat customers at random and surprise them with a free gift or a discount. Zappos, a company that is renowned for its strong customer service and company culture, gives “surprise” free upgrades to overnight shipping for many customers.

5. Fill customer service roles with people who are patient and have a pleasant attitude. Encourage your employees to be personable, particularly when they interact with your customers. “It’s the simple things that mean the most to everyday people, it’s about caring and listening to the customer,” Jane Judd, the senior manager of Zappos’ Customer Loyalty Team, tells Econsultancy. “Many times retailers are about the sale and not the experience. We try our best to be personable and we don’t upsale our customers or put a time limit on our calls.”

6. Implement your customers’ suggestions and tell them about it. Score points with your customers by proving to them you’re taking their suggestions and complaints seriously.

7. Reward referrals. The highest compliment a business owner can receive is a referral. Always acknowledge when a customer sends business your way.This gesture deserves recognition in the form of a thank you note, discount on services or small gift card.

8. Pay it forward. If your clients are business owners, look for ways to refer business to them in return.

Be aware that some industries have strict guidelines about accepting gifts. Gifts can be perceived as bribes so when in doubt, ask your clients if such policies exist or stick to sending items with no monetary value.

Compliments of American Express Open Forums

For 10+ years in retail I was forced to constantly make changes in how we treated our customers.  That meant hours of soul searching and looking in the mirror.  My least favorite part was firing people that just did not have the ability to do the job.   It’s tough because the bigger you get, it becomes harder to have that consistentcy.   My favorite part though was knowing that we had customers, friends and family that cared enough about us to let us know when we were making mistakes.  I actually started giving out $100 gift certificates whenever someone would give me negative feedback.  Not to make them happy due to a bad experience, but to show them how open we were to making their visit with our store PERFECT.  Just when I thought companies where turning the corner and making strides in customer service it happened to ME and by MY CUSTOMER!  In retail there is 1 rule to live by, “THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!”  With the exception of crazy customers, vulgar language and abuse, the customer is ALWAYS right.  It’s not that hard, your job is to over deliver and make your customers happy.

Here’s the story.  We had a client in the restaurant business that we were helping with their marketing.  My family had been a long time customer.  In the past year the service had progressively gotten worse.  In the past 3 months I had many conversations with the owner to let him know how much we loved their food and the atmosphere but that he really needed to address the staff’s customer service.  I don’t claim to be an expert at many things, but with 10+ years of retail experience and the fact that I eat out 10-15 times per week (for over 15 years), I think I’m pretty well equipped to judge a restaurant.  You name it and I had experienced it here and I let the owner know privately and professionally.  I want nothing but them to succeed.  He always had an open ear and seemed to listen, but not many changes were ever made, only excuses.  In retail there are WAY too many choices, so if you don’t take great care of people they will simply go somewhere else.

So in the past month we had a few really bad experiences, the basics of customer service were being completely ignored.  Typically my customers and their employees treat us great and usually (though not necessary) go overboard.  They not only realize we are a customer, but that we also have the ear of the owner and we’re watching to make sure they’re at their best.  I’ve been to this restaurant many times in the past year and everything that had happened to us was happening to many customers.  It was a common occurrence from my observations.  I finally had enough. I prepared a well thought out email and sent it to the owner basically saying that we loved him, the company and the products but he really needed to address these issues or we were going to stop working with them.   I did not like what was happening and I simply could not put our reputation on the line.  What did I get in return???  Finger pointing, excuses and a really negative tone. So with that, we are onto the next of 100 restaurants within a few miles of our home.

Recently I was at a business seminar where the speaker hit the nail on the head with his presentation.  He was talking about advertising and customer service.  He mentioned a few examples of how companies had great advertising, but when you went into their stores the experience did not reflect what the company had portrayed in their commercials.  Simply put their sales staffs were terrible.  Service was sub-par and he went somewhere else. His point was that many companies need to focus on what they are doing everyday in front of the customer, instead of creating fancy ads.

I had to write this because I am passionate about small businesses.  I love locally owned companies.  They can act swift to make changes.  They have their ear to the ground and are always tweaking their processes to make the experience better.  So this really hit home and I am really at a loss for words.  I hope this company sees the light and makes some changes.  They have great products and a great brand, but that may not last.  The bad part about retail, you don’t get 2^nd chances to earn a customer’s trust.

Matt Plapp is a the President of Driven Media Solutions, a Full Service Marketing Firm in the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky area specializing in small business marketing via grass-roots, events, guerrilla, online and social media marketing. You can contact him at matt@mattplapp.wpengine.com.

All of these companies are category dominant, they all are well known, and they all offer excellent products.   However, if I put you in a room with 99 other people there is a good chance that your opinion of these companies will differ from the vast majority of others.  Maybe you formed your opinion about the above companies through personal experience, but whether you’ve used a product or not….chances are you have an opinion.

Now, if I put 100 people into a room and I asked them to tell me what they thought of your business…..what do you think they would say?

If they’ve done business with you, their opinion is based on their personal experience.  But how do the people who have NOT done business with you formulate their opinion?

Word of Mouth is huge, but advertising is still king when it comes to creating a perception of your business with potential customers.  Radio, TV, Social Media, Direct Mail….they all give you a platform to create a perception.  So the million dollar question is……What does your advertising say about you?

Does your advertising position you as an expert in your field?  Does your advertising establish value?  Does your advertising clearly state the benefits of doing business with you?

Take time to find out what people think of your business.  Ask current customers, ask your employees, or ask your friends….but if you want to hit the business lottery, find someone who bought from your competition and ask them what they think of your business.  You may be surprised at what you hear.

Doug Smith is a Senior Account Executive for WREW Rewind 94.9 and www.cincysavers.com in Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky.  You can contact Doug at  (513) 535-9123 or dosmith@hubbardinteractive.com

For years I always heard about this mysterious thing called a “referral”.  It was a mystery for me in the  B-2-B sales world.   Even from a retail standpoint it was always a mystery where my next referral was coming from.  We always relied on our advertising.  In 2009 I joined BNI, Business Network International, and began attending weekly meetings with a group of professionals.  It took me a few months and some training to realize how to make this “Referral Thing” work.  FLASH FORWARD to today and I can count 23 closed deals for $231,000 in income for me and my business from referrals in under 2 years.  IT HAPPENED, but it took me taking a serious look in the mirror and making a commitment to do what’s right for everyone else.  I have made 1 cold call in 2+ years since I made this decision.  In one of my previous blogs “This one is for Sales People and Sales Managers…“, I talked about how many companies are teaching their staffs a sales practice that is dated and only focused on today.

It wasn’t easy, for 6-8 months I resisted the temptation to do what I always had done, cold call and do what was right for me.  Instead I started doing what was right for everyone else. I focused on how I could help 5-6 friends of mine.  I helped close deals for them, I promoted them, I volunteered, etc.  I did whatever it took to help them and stay visible to them and I did not focus on my needs.  For the first time in my life I was not concerned with Matt Plapp, I was concerned with everyone else.  IT WORKED.  The results above speak for themselves, now I don’t even think about cold calling. I do more calling for my referral partners than I do for myself and every week we pass high pre-qualified referrals to each other.

This exact method is not hard to duplicate on a business’s marketing plan.  Recently I was sitting down with a client and I asked what they were willing to do to help their customers?  We needed to reach more women and kids and I suggested that we need to create 2 year plan to help these customers for FREE!  This is a hard pill for a business owner to swallow.  The tendency is to look at only what’s going to move product NOW.  I’m a big proponent of not only looking at now, but looking at THEN.  What can we do the next 2 years to build a relationship with new and existing customers by only helping them?  I challenge you as you are planning for 2011 and building your personal and business marketing plan, step outside of your comfort zone and create a plan that benefits everyone else and you last.  You’ll be amazed with the results.

I’d like to thank The Referral Institute Cincinnati, Brennan Scanlon, Geof Scanlon and Duane Plapp for helping me realize how to do it right.

Matt Plapp is a the President of Driven Media Solutions, a Full Service Marketing Firm in the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky area specializing in small business marketing via grass-roots, events, guerilla, online and social media marketing. You can contact him at matt@mattplapp.wpengine.com.

Would you take $5,000 to your financial advisor, have him or her put that money in the stock market, and then exactly one month later cash out your investment?  Of course you wouldn’t.  Why? Because investments take time to mature.

Oh sure, you could put the money into a high risk stock and get lucky, but if your approach to the stock market is “I want a big return and I want it right now” you are going to be disappointed more times than not.

That same methodology works for your advertising.  The money you put into advertising your business should be viewed as an investment, but most business owners seem to view it as an expense.  When you see it as an investment, you are more likely to take a long term approach and have the patience necessary for your advertising to payoff.  When you see it as an expense, you are more likely to take a short term approach and cut or cancel your advertising before it has a chance to take hold.

At this very moment, there are more people not in the market for your product/service than people who are in the market for your product/service.  Think about that for a second.  If you take a short term approach, meaning you run your advertising for a month or two and then stop, you are only talking to the small group of people who are wanting to buy now and ignoring the much larger number of people who will be in the market for you product/service in the future.

By taking a long-term approach, you give yourself the opportunity to talk to all of those potential customers BEFORE they need your product/service…..but you can also grab your unfair share of those who are in the market right now.

Handle your marketing like you do your financial planning and you and your business will be better off in the long run.

Doug Smith is a Senior Account Executive for WREW Rewind 94.9 and www.cincysavers.com in Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky.  You can contact Doug at  (513) 535-9123 or dosmith@hubbardinteractive.com