Finding Needs via Customer Service (And A Brand Lesson to Boot)

[MJ DeMarco]

There's a thread in the INSIDERS forum about spotting needs and it was mentioned that many needs have NOTHING to do with NEW PRODUCTS, NEW SERVICES, or some NEW INVENTION.

Many times, it's just the SAME OLD PRODUCT/SERVICE, with NEW customer service.

I great example of this is ALLY BANK.

Take note of how they are attempting to brand themselves.

Spot and identify the problem.

"Bank customer service sucks!"
(On hold, fake "niceties" such as "how can I help you today?", ATM charges, talking to a machine, transfers to various departments, voice mail BS, fees, blah blah)

These hassles/issues are not straw-man, false arguments -- they are TRUE. These are things WE HATE when banking! We all have experience in this area and this is why it WORKS!

In their advertising, they identified these service gaps and "hates", and solved them in 30 seconds.

Surprisingly, many needs are simply poor customer service. Ally Bank is doing a good job of demonstrating the typical bank experience and showing WHY they are different and WHY you should bank with them.


[video=youtube;lxYluAgyTrw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxYluAgyTrw[/video]

[video=youtube;iYF3dqrpnxU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYF3dqrpnxU&feature=relmfu[/video]

[video=youtube;2Yz1NDAAJs8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yz1NDAAJs8&feature=relmfu[/video]

Is BANKING a new product?

No.

Is "Nordstrom" type service in banking NEW?

Yes.

Now that the brand and position is established, they must EXECUTE on that brand position and supply the service as described and expected.

Customers, growth, and profits should follow.

If customers discover that the service is like other banks (and hence, feel duped) the whole brand strategy will fail.

 

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[TK1]

An old friend of mine wanted to open a restaurant.

So he did this:

He traveled through the country and went to restaurants that were similiar to his concept.

When one of those restaurants had a bar he took a drink and tried to get into contact with people.

He asked them what they liked and disliked about this particular restaurant.

His main questions were always around customer service and those 'little special ideas' that make customer come back.

After lots of research he had over 100 ideas for his restaurant and is now known for having one of the best customer treatments in the country.

A lot of things he offers in his restaurant are nothing new, nothing special, but still people pay lots of money for regular pasta.

Still they come back, still they talk about the restaurant again and again.

Why? Because of little ideas like a free wine bottle 'to go' after your 5th visit. Or the restaurant owner knowing your name, what you do and sometimes pays for your drinks.

It's the details....

 

[Ãœbertreffen]

I think too many people who own a business spend too much time and money in departments that should come last.

XYZ company is doing better than I. Why is that? Well, because they have a better backbone. If your food taste like garbage, it will always be known as such. You can throw as much money in advertising as you want. Sure, you may get some new prospects but to have the business float you need those same customers to come back more than once.

Too many business owners look at the wrong issues. Customer service is crucial to any business. I have always treated each customer as if they were my first customer and it's a proven method that will work over and over again.



- Devin