Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Customer Experience - Surprise and Delight r inbuilt in yr company CULTURE??.

R u Getting Repeat Customers?? R your Customers referring yr product or services to others?

Some of the steps:
1) Add delight factors in yr offerings. Restaurants have to improve not only their food quality and variety but improve overall eatING experience likewise every entrepreneurs have to think of adding ING to their offerings. Hospitals have to work on carING part of all patients and visitors to enhance CUSTOMER experience. I as a blogger have to work on readING experience of my guests.    

2) At the cost of profit , surprise them. Send them sweet on their birthdays or on Diwali or on the day of school opens. Imagine + Imagine. Lot can be done to surprise them. You as well as your employees and customers must enjoy and celebrate every day of existence. Cinema/Multiplex - How abt Popcorn in occasional shows for free??? Imagine the publicity and referral , repeat customer it can generate!!!


3) At the cost of time, guide , help them also do follow up calls post purchase. Ask for any additional support? Do it even after 6 months and check. Invest a lot in your existing customers and let them do marketing for U. Starbucks measure customer experience in 20 different ways. How abt U?

4) After doing all these dont hesitate to ask for referrals.

Initialy you will do it with selfish motive of getting more referral customers. But slowly it will become part of the business and culture. It will be become BRAND to be identified with.

Monday, November 29, 2010

1000 Visitors & Counting - Differentiate Ruthlessly or Death is Inevitable.

1000 Visitors page views ( 42 days, 15 countries and 26 posts ) , but so what?? Why so much Halla Gulla???

Likes of Aamir Khan ,Amitabh Bachchan & CM Narendra Modi  (super stars) also sweat in today's attention deficit world to get attention. They do not miss any global territories and any possible media to reach out their audience.Therefore attracting 1000 visitors in 42 days with 26 posts is a feel good beginning.

Every business MUST make maximum (everything possible with passion and innovation)  visibility drive to get attention of their target AUDIENCE. Getting visitors or clients once is Ok , challenge is to keep getting with minimum efforts and cost.   

Highest visitors are for Feedback to Feed Forward but people are also interested in Must Company Culture. 

Real Estate sector got 3 posts , this special love is because my close proximity with the sector and I consider this to be most important sector in one's life. people borrow and invest lifetime income to buy HOME. However there is  huge trust and customer service deficit in the sector. BUILDERS built houses but not world class and talk of the town Structures. Building built should be on the site seeing itinerary of the city. All homogeneous structures are making cities boring. My posts Real Estate Marketing  Missing Links and Real Estate Marketing & Customer Experience, Whom Shall I Offer WOW !! Experience excited a few readers. 

My favourites however are Customer Referral - Offer Talk of the Town Services , U r in Happiness Business , or else not in Business , Sell on YOUR Strength , not compete on OTHERS', After Sales to Future Sales. Must read for every entrepreneurs. (employed are also entrepreneurs as they also have to sell them selves to get ahead)

Many readers like Cooks VS Chef and Creativity Men Vs Women. However certain things I dont understand in What I dont Understand is very interesting.

My focus in this BLOG is on CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE because there are millions of businesses around us however truly EXPERIENCE creators are rare & very rare.

Differentiate Ruthlessly or Death is Inevitable. (I continue my journey beyond milestone of 1000. )

Saturday, November 27, 2010

U r in HAPPINESS business or else not in Business !!!

Do u know people become CUSTOMER just to become Happy or happier??

Feeling of HAPPINESS is ultimate one can think of and Companies can offer  through their offerings, be it product or services or experience.Whether u r selling Coffin or have Gaming Store at Las Vegas, its all abt HAPPINESS. Coffin seller can also WOW!!! and offer surprise HAPPINESS. 

Now in this bottom-line of HAPPINESS , how successful is your company with all their hard and soft assets??

I as a customer not concerned with yr SOPs or Systems, Technology & Processes.  I am not concerned how much profit do u make of how much asset u own. I am least concerned with yr market cap (Unless of-course I am also a shareholder). 

All of us are in the business of Delivering Happiness. How may of us realise that?? Earlier you realise better it is , as then  & only then your action will commensurate with the business u r in. Pause and Re think,  what r u doing in this World of Stress and suffering from Attention Deficit!!!

Not ROI/EBIDTA/EPS its only HAPPINESS that counts.Make people HAPPY with whatever u r doing. Its is the only business which is in HUGE demand.

 


Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Customer Referral - Offer Talk of the Town Services

My Client called me last month and gave me a new number of their daughter's would be in laws to help them in raising finance for their business. Now this is a big referral. Daughter's would be in laws. This shows TRUST and Confidence I have created in my client.

One of my clients today called me, (with whom I had worked 8 years ago ) for some new assignments. Now 8 years is a big time and they have grown bigger than what they were 8 years ago.  Still some thing that reminded them about me and I was called. 
Point is not how I am getting new assignments. Point is, it applies to every one and every business. Client Referrals are the Most Powerful Means to Get New Customers. Check how many of your clients/customers are falling under this category.

Unless we offer talk of the town or talk of the clients kind of offerings, we will not be talked about and so not referred to new clients.Getting new clients without efforts or cost is only possible through Clients/Customer Referrals.

Work on why and how customer will refer us? First serve them like the ONLY customer we are serving and then facilitate them to refer our services to their circle of influence.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

What I dont Understand

I don't understand:

1) How Manmohan SIngh is called Clean when he allows corrupt practices to continue under the pretext of Coalition Dharma?? Shouldn't he dare to resign??
2) Who is clean and non corrupt in politics and bureaucracy, given a chance?

3) Why Auditors are afraid to report wrong doings of corporate houses?

4) What Rich people will do with the unlimited wealth they have created? If u are earning to donate , why earn in the first place??

5) Why most of us never do exercise or exercise restraint while eating? Focus on diet and exercise at School level will reduce the need of Hospitals. 

6) Why GOD will manage this world? He is God because he has left all the worldly attachments. Now after that why will he engages in managing the world?? Do seeds need God to make it a tree?? No its automatic so is our theory of Karma. No interference of GOD here.

7) Why Companies are extremely & only sales and profit focus??  What is the overall purpose of RESERVES and SURPLUS at the cost of extreme stress it causes on people and environment??

8) Why School teachers and Military/Police are under paid professions??

9) Why we need VASTU, Various Stones, Astrologists, Feng Sui, Visit to unlimited Temples unlimited times (Without slightest of change in ourselves) , Tarot Card Readers and the likes when we (souls) are bonded by our own KARMA? Nothing can change our fortune than our own KARMA and unchangeable destiny (ie results of our past KARMAs)

10) Killing of  Goats on Bakri Eid? How any religion can celebrate festivals by killing any animals??

11) How rich and famous can participate one or the other parties almost daily? Its their need or choice?

12) Why news papers report crime and negatives news daily?? We read newspapers to know abt type of crime in the city?? Media has to change and must start reporting abt positive & inspiring happenings in & around the city,country and the world.

13) Why all TV serial actors always stand and talk in their houses? We normally sit and talk.

14) How many entrepreneurs are aware abt their balance sheet position if they wish to close their business tomorrow? (i.e. whether Net-worth - dead stock - bad debts not written off - un realizable investments & fixed assets is positive??)

15)  Why we invite so many people in marriages? Something must change the way we celebrate our marriages or spent on our marriages.

16) How Amitabh Bachchan and Om Ouri can recommend Cement Products and Shatrughna Sinha Pipes??Are they anyway connected with the products as a users?? Are they technically qualified?? Pepsi, Chvyanprash, Clothes, Oil etc are still okay as they might be using it and recommending it but Cement and Pipes?? Kehta bhi Diwana Sunta bhi Diwana.

17) Why number one TV Channel like Colors also degrade their standard with program like Big Boss with all unwanted people?? Big Boss 3 was level +C then Big Boss 4 is level -Z. Hats of to viewers. and thumbs down to Colors.

18) Why Pakistan is not interested in the development of their own Territory and keen on acquiring Kashmir. Someone in Pakistan must study impact of keeping good relations with India.

19) Why other 29 Chief Ministers even cant copy CM Narendra Modi to develop their states??

20) Why everything must end with round figure?

If u have any clue on any of the above,  pl do drop in a few lines. (Also share What U don't understand).

Introvert Feedback - Extrovert Performance - Not Possible

Most feedback forms I have seen are COMPANY centric and not CUSTOMERS centric. It only asks abt how OUR COMPANY is performing without asking whether objective of the CUSTOMER fulfilled while dealing with company or company offerings. CUSTOMERS are not here to AUDIT company performance for free or rather by paying for the product/services.

They are concerned abt fulfillment of their objectives while dealing with any company offerings and r least concerned abt how your company is performing. So unless Feedback forms are focused on asking whether their objectives are fulfilled , CUSTOMERS r not interested to answer.

Questions must be framed in order to know what CUSTOMER expected and whether or to what extent it was achieved. It is not abt HOW artistic is your movie but its abt whether VIEWER enjoyed it of no??

Thursday, November 18, 2010

After Sales to Future Sales

Yes, its what happens AFTER SALES decides HOW/WHAT sales will happen in future. Having closed the sales deal is easier part but what happens when the customer consumes our product or services, how we support, how we communicate, how we take care to see whether there is any problem or support needed with our offerings , how we hand hold , how our offings function , how it helped in solving customer problem or offering them required pleasure, how we stand by them for present sales or future need , how we keep contact with the customer etc. 

Every thing POST SALES is critical for long term survival of the company.  

Unfortunately most companies are focusing on pre-sales and sales efforts only. That's it. Short-term target -ism is so firmly in command that even CEOs are not beyond that pressure. Who will think LONG TERM??

Like feedback is the feeder for feed forward, after sales are efforts to make every successive sales easier. To existing customers and to new and referred customers.

Who is in charge of beyond QUARTER targets??




Monday, November 15, 2010

Sell on YOUR Strength , not compete on OTHERS'

Compete with your OWN strength. It means it does not necessarily have to have what our competitors are competing on. Our strength r different & so is competing style and capability. A beautiful female dancer can attract those  males who love dance so she does not necessarily have to look beautiful. Rest all will have to look beautiful to get attracted. Those girls who can cook tasty & variety of food can attract food loving male. Rest all will have to look beautiful to get attracted. 

Point is to find your own strength and you will have your own market /market share. In order to capture your market  focus on your own strength and find who are in sync/love with your strength. Rules of the game is not uniform for everyone. You can have your own rule and own way to market your strength (Product, services or time).

Customers are not UNIFORM however marketeers have treated them like that. Sell your strength and not try to compete on competitors' strength.

Dont Just Roam , Relax & Cherish too

Before I get down for the routine let me tell my readers that RISHIKESH (Uttarakhand) is the place u all must stay for few days, It has remained on the tourist map just as a starting point of CHARDHAM Yatra but if you don't stay there for a few days, you have missed a lot. River Rafting, (4 levels) ,  Trekking, Yoga, Meditation , Powerful Ganges, Evening Parmarth Niketan Aarti (Prayer), Hotels and Guest House with River View and Hills & of-course INDIAN Food. Its a perfect tourist place. 

I haven't seen in INDIA  maximum number of FOREIGN Tourists at any one place as they assemble at Parmarth Niketan Evening Prayers. 

We INDIAN Must learn to enjoy our holidays. We travel maximum places in short duration and claim to have seen so many places but without knowing or enjoying real beauty of places we visit. Our hectic life style in regular life has made us hectic travelers. We don't njoy and cherish,  we just count & like to tell others abt our achievement of finishing so many places in short duration.  We ROAM but don't RELAX or Cherish the places.




 

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Deepavali Greetings - Spread HAPPINESS Create MEMORIES !!

Festivals of Light i.e. Deepavali, 


Celebrate with yr loved ones and spread happiness among yr circle of influence. At the end of the day its Memories that lasts,  everything else fades. Memories of time spent with family and memorable experience offered to customers. 


I will be on Holiday and will come back from 15th Nov 2010.


Till then Cheers and all the best for New Year.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Whom shall I offer WOW !!! Experience

Who needs Customer DELIGHT Most:


1) Health Care Customer - Most delicate condition , immediately noticed 
2) Confused Customer - Happy Feelings
3) Unaware Customer - Thankful 
4) Helpless Customer - Remembers forever
5) Worried Customer - Sense of relief 
6) Quick Customer - WOW!!
7) Extrovert Customer - He will spread the good word to every one (Bad too)
8) Introvert Customer - Or else he will go away
9) Smart Customer - He is aware and came after sufficient research. To remain in their short listing.
10) Women Customer- Once happy will become best source of referrals


Who so ever is left , well why even ignore them too. 


Creating Memories or Selling on Price, choice is yours. 

Real Estate Home Buy - When I Buy - Why I Buy?

Home buy is a dream come true for most of the buyers. As a developer HOW many of the decisive factors have you take care of? (not applicable to Luxury Higher end Home Buyers)


Proximity - Work Area, School, Hospital, Market & Temple
Commuting - Close to Station , highway , bus stop , main road
Surrounding - Other Projects , slum , future potential , no projects , approach road
Price - Afford-ability , reason-ability & transaction cost
Availability of Financing - Home Loans , easy installments
Entertainment - Theater, Public Garden, Malls
Ambiance - Garden , Play Area, Air , light , walk area & number of flats in the project (ppl     
                  have view on smaller of larger projects) & Parking Area
Quality - Construction and Fittings/fixtures
Internal Space Planning - Room ,Kitchen & Ventilation etc 
Class & Religion of People - Similar Class and Preferably same community
Size of Flats - Too big or too small, Possibility of Home Office 
Maintenance - Monthly Recurring Cost
Builder - Reputation , customer handling - kind, courteous, people friendly, extra support during the transaction, post          
            purchase support plans, past history 
Readiness - Time to Possession , Present Status 


Critical Part to Communicate is know WHAT out of the above matters to WHOM?