I recently told you about my terrible treatment at the hands of the telephone company. But I didn’t tell you what happened next. So here goes. A day or two after being laughed at when I asked that a reduced rate on my long distance plan be made retroactive, I received a call from the company.The voice said, "You recently made a service call to our company. Would you take a few moments to complete a customer satisfaction survey?" How long does it take? I asked. "Less than ten minutes," the voice replied. "Ten Minutes," I repeated. "You can’t be serious!"

It’s great to check up on customer satisfaction. But not with a time-consuming, mechanical, data-processing approach. People (that’s us!) don’t have ten minutes to waste in that way. Instead. If you’re going to make these calls, make them real. How? Simply ask, "Were all of your expectations met?" And, if not, "what can we do (unless it’s obvious) to make sure that you feel totally taken care of?" This is a real survey. Not only will it measure satisfaction, it will also give you a chance to learn where you fell short, if you did–while also giving you a chance to recover.

 > The Risk:

Doing a lengthy, mechanical, data-centered survey can actually abuse your relationship with customers, and negatively affect loyalty.

 > The Reward:

The opposite is true of genuine, customer-centered surveys (or in this case, simple satisfaction check-up calls). They will build and reinforce strong customer relationships, and will enhance loyalty.

 > The Call to Action:

Do do surveys. But don’t do silly surveys. Want to know how I rate your product or service? Ask me subjective questions that drill down to the heart of the matter. Questions like, "Is there anything you wish we had done, that we failed to do?" And. "Did we do anything that you wish we hadn’t done?"Questions like these help you pinpoint things you need to change and improve. Take this approach, and I’ll know you’re serious!

As a Gold Member of Marketing Dangerously, you can enjoy access to our complete, fully indexed archive of more than 140 previous MD articles. You are also invited to participate in our monthly teleseminars, interviews and call-ins with Neil Godin. As a Gold Member you can also access the Audio and Video vault of past learning events. Our introductory monthly membership fee is just $39.50 $29.50 per month and you can cancel at any time. Click here to learn more and to review our list of introductory “signing bonuses” including Neil’s special report, “How to Recession-proof your business—right now!”

It was another business turnaround situation. This time an office package business. You know, the place people go when their business is too big to stay at home, and too small to have their own offices. Their problem? Recession. And a very high vacancy rate. Meaning: Big Trouble. The solution? Get creative-and Market Dangerously!!!

This business is located on the second floor of an office building.Invisible to the thousands of drivers that pass the building every day. So.I suggested that we put up a 100 foot banner proclaiming their existence–and offering a special deal. "Can’t do that," the owner said."Why not?" I asked. "City Hall," she answered, "signage bylaws won’t allow it." What? I replied. Do you mean we’re going to let City Hall run your business? If you do, I said, they’ll probably run it into the ground. The owner grimaced and shrugged. Okay, I said, let’s see what we can do. I picked up the telephone. Called City Hall. Asked for the bylaw officer. Got him on the phone. Explained the situation to him in detail. Then I asked, "what’s the process? If we put up the banner, do your people take it down right away? Or do you wait for a complaint? Or?" I said that I needed to know how much time we’d have if we went ahead and put the banner up.A long silence. Then he said, "well, no, we wouldn’t take it down unless there was a complaint. And then we’d send a letter." All right, I said. "So it sounds like we’d probably have at least a couple of weeks-even if we got a complaint?" Yes, he replied. Then he added, "actually, you’re calling at a good time because I will be away on a month’s vacation after that…so you probably have at least two months." Thank you very, very much, I said, and we hung up. My client stared at me in utter disbelief.

 > The Risk:

The bylaw officer could have been more bureaucratic. Less sympathetic. More by-the-book. But, was it worth the gamble? (Remember: No risk, no reward).And what was the worst that could have happened? He could have simply said no.

 > The Reward:

The banner went up. Customers came in. And. Their business was turned around in a matter of days.

 > The Call to Action:

Don’t be stoppable when you could be unstoppable. When you think you can’t so something important, try it another way. Remember what Henry Ford said:"Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t-you’re right."

As a Gold Member of Marketing Dangerously, you can enjoy access to our complete, fully indexed archive of more than 140 previous MD articles. You are also invited to participate in our monthly teleseminars, interviews and call-ins with Neil Godin. As a Gold Member you can also access the Audio and Video vault of past learning events. Our introductory monthly membership fee is just $39.50 $29.50 per month and you can cancel at any time. Click here to learn more and to review our list of introductory “signing bonuses” including Neil’s special report, “How to Recession-proof your business—right now!”

I urge my clients (and you) to stop selling the hard way. Stop calling strangers to introduce yourself. Stop trying to get appointments with these people. Stop making pitches to them. Stop making mechanical “follow-up” calls to them. Just stop it. Why? Because. If you have to convince me (or persuade me) to buy from you, then you’re in trouble. First you found it difficult to get my business. Now you’re going to find it difficult to do business with me. I’m going to be very demanding. I’m going to look for add-ons I don’t pay for. I’m going to be looking for things that prove I was right to be skeptical about buying from you. I’m going to look for and find mistakes. And when I do, you’re going to find it hard to get paid. Got the pitcha?

So. Whaddya do? Well, I have a mantra I want to share with you, and it goes like this: "I only want to do business…with people who want to do business with me.” Say it with me: "I only want to do business…with people who want to do business with me.” And how do I find people who “want to do business with me?” I find them through introductions from past clients (and others); through my newsletter and blog–and through my seminars (which position me as an expert that people want to do business with).

 > The Risk:

I hear you. “How can everyone be an expert?” Good question. But. We’re not talking about everyone. We’re just talking about you. And “you” can (and must) be (or become) an expert. Otherwise you’re just part of the crowd–and there is no compelling reason why I would want to do business with you.

 > The Reward:

Get out of the herd. Use attraction marketing. And draw clients to you who truly want to work with you. Do this and you won’t encounter the "hard sell" traumas that I listed above.

 > The Call to Action:

Here is an example. Ken Barrell is president of A-1 Pallet Enterprises in Abbotsford, BC. Ken is a walking encyclopedia of expertise in the pallet industry. And his expertise grows continuously as he consults experts from industry sources like BC Wood Specialty Group. Now, we’re helping Ken turn his expertise into a marketing advantage by starting his own email/blog newsletter–targeted at companies that use pallets–and written by (you guessed it), “Ken Barrell, The Pallet Guy.” Question: Are you sharing your knowledge with potential customers? If not, why not–and–when are you going to start?

As a Gold Member of Marketing Dangerously, you can enjoy access to our complete, fully indexed archive of more than 140 previous MD articles. You are also invited to participate in our monthly teleseminars, interviews and call-ins with Neil Godin. As a Gold Member you can also access the Audio and Video vault of past learning events. Our introductory monthly membership fee is just $39.50 $29.50 per month and you can cancel at any time. Click here to learn more and to review our list of introductory “signing bonuses” including Neil’s special report, “How to Recession-proof your business—right now!”