Jaynesez: The Best Customer Service Experience Ever!

I wasn't planning on writing this post (it jumps ahead my next two articles: Twitter Tips and Even More Penny-Pinching Marketing Ideas), but I went shopping today. I hate shopping; normally. But today I enjoyed truly great customer service! The dressing room attendant at Old Navy was extremely pleasant, but she added to the experience in several ways:

• She mentioned similar clothing to customers as an up-sell

• She complimented the customers

• She even called someone on the floor to bring a different size to the dressing room for a customer!

I think this should be standard operating procedure for all stores, but it isn't. It was noticed by myself and my friend. We left that store feeling good about our purchases, and in today's economy, I think everyone needs to feel good about the money they spend.

Next, we went to a shoe store that had these amazing “Doors” Chucks (for my son). Unfortunately, they were not the right size. The cashier not only checked for the size we needed, but checked headquarters when they weren't in the store. We could have them delivered at the sale price and $5 shipping. Then she got the catalog out to show us some of the other designs that my son might like but were sold out. When I found a pair of heels on sale for only $10, she checked for my size. Instead of just telling me that they were out, she brought several other pairs in the price range that I might like!

As we left, my friend said “Wow, we have gotten the best customer service today!”

So, what did we learn about great customer service?

• Be pleasant

• Work up-sells into the conversation naturally

• Be complimentary

• Offer to have the merchandise delivered if not available

• Go out of your way to show the customer other options they may want

• Help your customers feel great about spending their money with your business!!

Customer service is one of the easiest ways to market your company and stand out from the competition. Great customer service does not go unnoticed. People will tell their friends. And, of course, don't forget to smile!!

Jayne

POP Marketing and Design

36 More Reasons to Twitter

We've already talked about some of the reasons twitter: reach potential clients, see what people are saying about your company, solve customer service issues quickly and announce new products or events. Here are 36 more things to do on Twitter:

1. Create informal support group

2. Get and give support to non-profit (collect money with chipin or tipjoy)

3. Find Joint Venture partners

4. Find a job or freelance project

5. Share Pictures with Twitpic

6. Conduct quick surveys

7. Find sponsors for your blog

8. Share book reviews and music (I love blip.fm and it can automatically send the song you're listening as a twitter post)

9. Give and get FREE stuff

10. Find a new restaurant or store

11. Ask for and get help

12. Increases your online visibility

13. You get to share: cool links, products

14. Learn more about a hobby and connect with people that share your hobbies

15. Get and share recipes

16. Tweet your expenses and Xpenser records them

17. Brag about your clients

18. See real time movie reviews

19. Host Contests

20. Traveling? Connect with twitterers across the globe

21. Share videos on Tweetube

22. Showcase your expertise by helping

23. Track packages with @TrackThis

24. Get ideas and inspiration

25. Learn about other companies and what your competition is doing

26. Track what you eat with Foodfeed

27. Check flight status @myflightinfo

28. Get speaking engagements

29. Learn about natural disasters before it is on mainstream news

30. Find new friends!

31. Powerful real people searches

32. Find out the weather in any location with Tweeteorology

33. Follow celebrities (there are tons of interesting people)

34. Show gratitude!

35. Track and monitor keywords with Tweetlater

36. Get votes – Obama did!

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter!

Jayne
POP Marketing and Design

Jaynesez: I'm on Twitter...Now What?

First, you need to decide what your goals are for being on Twitter:

• Send People to your blog?

• Keep track of what people are saying about your company?

• Get people interested in your company by showing your personality?

• Solving customer service issues?

• Announce events or new products?

• Make friends in the same industry or with people interested in the same hobbies?

• Search for topics people are talking about right now?

You can create more than one Twitter account. It is smart to have at least two accounts; one that you use to follow mentors in your line of business, the other geared for gathering followers. You can use the links and information being handed out by the industry leaders to pass on to your followers! It is very important to tweet with links that your followers will find interesting. Think carefully about the names you choose. Again, you want to be original, unique and personable.

80% of your posts should be free information! Then, you can showcase your business for the remaining 20%, as long as you aren't “selling”. Where do you get free information? I really like http://stumbleupon.com and http://popurls.com. They are great resource sites. Here at POP Marketing and Design, we are also offering a new social media service that will help companies set up social media and will send out great links for them.

The next step to finding people to follow is to sign up with http://twellow.com. This is a great place to find people by category or location! It is free and easy to use. Make sure you add the categories that you want to be found under as well.

So, let's sum this up! Twitter is a like a party that allows you to meet people with common interests and industry leaders. This is what you should remember:

• Show your personality

• Give value and content

• Get at least two twitter accounts

• Post resources, compliment people, ask questions

• You are not “selling” on Twitter

• Determine your goals and guide your followers to your blog or event

Most importantly, Have Fun!!! If you need help or have questions, please feel free to contact Jayne with POP Marketing and Design.

Jaynesez: Learning about Twitter

Why should you Twitter?

I know that most business owners don't have time for one more marketing strategy, but being on Twitter opens the door to potential clients, allows you to see what people are saying about your business and gives you a chance to solve customer service problems quickly, and it is a great way to announce events or new products. It is time consuming and it is easy to get sidetracked with all the great links people post, but Twitter is going to continue to increase in popularity and it is a good time to get involved.

How do I use twitter? I was interested in joining a company on a project so I searched to see what real people had to say about them. Then I sent direct messages to some of the people on Twitter to see what their experience with the company had been like. I think this is the future of search engines; would you rather hear what real people are saying or pull up a random list? So, getting your business name out in Twitter gives you an advantage.

Do you want thousands of followers? Twitter allows you to build a huge list, but for my business and other service businesses, I suggest getting fewer people to follow you and really get to know them. Treat Twitter as a place to meet people like you would at an after business networking event. Talk about your hobbies, give free advice or free links to cool sites. This is not the place to sell your service or product directly! Get them interested in you and provide a link to your blog so they can get to know you better, then you show links to your business. The world is changing and people do not want to be “SOLD”...just put yourself out there and be interesting, targeted people will follow!

Go set up a FREE account here: http://www.twitter.com

Next Time...I'm on Twitter, what next?

Jaynesez: Top 5 Penny-Pinching Marketing Ideas

It is said that the economy is going to get worse before it gets better. I believe it, but have a hard time believing how much worse it can get...everyone and every business owner I know is struggling already! What I do know is that old marketing strategies are not going to work. TV and radio advertising are too expensive for most small businesses and frankly don't create enough revenue to offset the expense. In order to survive and thrive in this economy, we need to find effective marketing that will actually save your business money:

1. Customer Service: I have always said that a smile doesn't cost anything! Giving great customer service is the least expensive way to set your business apart from others. Over deliver on your product, your offer, your time frame. Make sure any problems are dealt with quickly and effectively. Create customer loyalty by being loyal to your customers...make sure you have helped them as much as you can. Make a written "Customer Service Commitment" that you and all of your employees embrace.

2. Create a Customer Appreciation Program: Invite top customers to a private viewing with refreshments to show them your new line of products. Start a club for customers that will receive special offers not available to everyone. Make it fun! Allow customers to earn points towards a great prize like a limo ride to dinner for two.

3. Up-sell and Add-on: In order to increase income immediately, figure out what other services you offer that your clients need and then show them the benefits of adding them to their current purchase. Design tiers of good/better/best offers to give your clients more choices. They may not go for the "best" offer, but it could upgrade the sale to the middle tier. Figure out if there are any products that you could start offering that compliment products/services you already offer. Ex: I just finished a website for an elevated photography company that takes photos from 40 feet in the air for real estate agents to help their home listings stand out. While I was working on the site, I found all these great photos of the Shenandoah Valley and its farm life. I suggested that he sell these generic photos as prints or downloads from his website to create extra income.

4. Joint Ventures: Now is the time to join with other small businesses to create marketing opportunities. Remember the limo ride and dinner for two give-away? You can give that away for free by getting a limousine company and a restaurant to offer their services in exchange for advertising their business to all of your clients. Another great fit is pizza and a movie. Both the pizza place and the movie rental store advertise each other with special offers. If you buy a pizza from ABC Pizzeria, you receive a coupon for a free movie rental...if you rent a movie, you get a coupon for $5 Off a pizza. Use your imagination! Joint Ventures also mean that marketing costs can be divided between all companies involved, saving you money!

5. Referrals: It is vital to set up a systematic way to get and keep track of referrals! When is the best time to ask for a referral? At the time of payment for a job well done. The customer is feeling good about their purchase and will want to help you. Don't just give them a couple of business cards and expect them to send customers to you. Ask them for names and contact information, then let them know that you will be contacting that person in a couple of days. If possible, get them to call the prospect to let them know you will be in touch. Make sure you are capturing names and contact information on every single person who comes into contact with your business! If you have a website, have a compelling FREE give-away (a restaurant might have a small recipe book customers can download) if they leave their name and basic information in order to receive it. Keep these prospective clients organized and get in touch with in some way (email, phone call, send postcard) at least once a month. The secret is to make sure you are giving them something that will help them!

In short, getting through this tough economic crisis will take planning and vigilance but if you keep putting the customers needs first and utilize money saving marketing, your business can thrive!

My next post will continue with more Penny-Pinching ideas.