The Marketing Message Blog

Customer Onboarding: Building customer relationships

Customer onboarding is a fancy way of saying that you need to make your customers feel like part of your tribe. This article explores the idea and suggests how to do it better.

Making the Case for Customer Onboarding

June 4, 2013 · marketeer.kapost.com · June 4, 2013 By Chris Williams 2 Comments  When marketers start thinking about using content to optimize their sales funnel, typically, they think about optimization before the sale is made. A prospect turns into a lead, and a lead turns into a sale, and the job is done. But the most successful marketers begin by optimizing the bottom of the funnel first, not the other way around. These marketers focus first on turning leads into sales, then...

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References:

1. “Making the Case for Customer Onboarding” · Chris Williams · June 4, 2013 · Marketeer.kapost.com

The methods change but the emotions stay the same

One of the benefits of working online for a long time is that you can see patterns.  No matter what online selling tactic is out there, it was met with fear, experimentation, acceptance and then a final declaration of its death (although its rarely dead.)

The one thing you can count on when selling is that the emotions never change.  I can send you an email, a tweet, snail mail or a bygone telegram, but without connecting with your emotions, it will be DOA.  If I don't grab your attention or make you stop to explore, I've wasted your time and mine.  

This is just a reminder to think less about the tactics and more about the message.

Who is customer service really serving?

Recently I served as a panelist at Ken McArthur's Social Media Roadtrip. I had the opportunity to meet lots of smart people and exchange good ideas.  In the process, I was confronted with all the usual hassles that travel brings.  

But something struck me during this trip that I hadn't seen before.  Most of the people who were serving customers were not only not thinking about serving the customer, they were thinking about how to make their job easier at the expense of the customer.  That's nothing new.  We all know customer service is a forgotten goal.  

But during these encounters I realized that those tasked with customer service were eager to discuss HOW they couldn't possibly serve anyone because it was interfering with getting their job done. When I asked if they could simplify something they looked at me quizzically. How could that possibly be a good idea? Wouldn't that take longer and inconvenience them in some way?

If you're in charge of business strategy for your company, please think about how you can get your staff to think about helping customers as the ultimate goal.  Just getting the job done doesn't get the job done.

Summer Reading List-Gravitational Marketing: The Science of Attracting Customers

During the summer months I thought I'd share with you some business books I believe are worth reading and reflecting upon.  As with any reading list, it's personal and reflects the information I think is important for entrepreneurs and business owners. 

Luckily, I will edit out the time wasters, so you can pick from a list of titles with substantial heft.  The list is not in 'order of importance' since only you know what's important to you.  Hopefully you'll find the 'how' in these books, not just the 'what'.

"First up is Gravitational Marketing: The Science of Attracting Customers" by Jimmy Vee, Travis Miller and Joel Bauer. The authors have distilled a lot of good marketing information into well organized sections. 

Specifically check out Chapter 7 called "Create Irresistible Attraction" where they speak of 'The 'Golden Rule of Intergalactic Marketing is —Give value first."  They go on to describe what types of content you should think about. 

Online Sales Mistakes

Business Week Online has an interesting article about Classic Selling Mistakes  It reminds me how Web 2.0 has changed our online buying expectations.  The key to the online sales process is building trust.    Once you understand that your customer won't buy until she's comfortable, you can take your foot off the accelerator.  High pressure selling is old school. 

To make the best use of your sales vehicle—website, mini-site, blog, etc. you need to create a step- wise process and expect to check off each item to get to the final sale.  This is especially useful because you can see at which point customers drop off.  Then you can go back and strengthen that item.

For example, you start the process with a free PDF that provides information about your topic in exchange for an email address.  Next, you offer a monthly newsletter that provides information along with an offer for a free consultation and a link to your blog.  Next, you offer a free teleseminar and at the end you make an offer with a discount.  Along the way you are letting your customer make comfortable choices and get to know you.  A classic sales tenet is that the customer always buys 'you' before he buys your product.  The anonymity of online selling expands this task.  Develop a 'trust building' checklist for each product and you will discover how to get your customers to say yes.

Technorati tags: sales online+selling web+2.0 sales+process sales+techniques

Think You Know What Makes Customers Happy?

"Think You Know What Makes You Happy?"  This headline shouts at you from a new book I'm reading called “Stumbling on Happiness” (see required reading list.) by Daniel Gilbert.  It's a very thought-provoking look at how we think about happiness.  To be happy, there is something we all want.  If you're thinking it's money, you're wrong.  It's CONTROL!  We all want to control what happens to us and go to great lengths to feel "in control."

For online marketers, this brings up the eternal question, "Who is in control, you or the customer?"  With the advent of Web 2.0, I think the answer is the customer.   Corporate attorneys aside, the customer needs to feel in control of the buying process from start to finish.  New technology allows the customer to weigh-in on every aspect of process.

Take a look at your website from this “control” perspective.  Here are five things I recommend you think about to get yourself started in the right direction.

1. Marketing message: Is the message clear?  Do you use strong benefit copy?  In order to feel in control at the beginning of the buying process, customers need to immediately identify how this product will give them something they want.

2. Product/Service information:  Do you provide enough visual information, specs, audio and video about the product?  Try to make the customer feel like he has the product in his hand and you are explaining its benefits.  Don’t skimp on this.  Whatever makes your product unique and desirable should be detailed.

3. Price: Have you made your case for the price?  Understand that if you have positioned your product at a higher price, you need to communicate the quality and customer service that comes along with it. 

4. Buying process: Is your shopping cart easy to use?  Recruit some non-employees to go through the buying process as your team watches.  That’s always an eye-opener.  You’ll see where the ‘loss of control’ kicks-in.

5. Ongoing communication:  After purchasing, a buyer wants to feel in control and glad she made the purchase.  “Buyer’s remorse” is just a symptom of not feeling 'in control.'  Make sure to follow-up with the customer and reinforce her purchase.