Customer Satisfaction- Playing in the Dirt

You know that rare and wonderful feeling you get when the truly unexpected actually happens? I just had one of those moments with 6 tons of dirt and decided to share an example of customer service that just blew me away. I don’t always expect the same level of customer service/satisfaction from every experience; I think that most people have an internal barometer of expectations that they can dial up/down accordingly.

I had just finished building four large raised vegetable beds and decided to buy some good quality bedding soil. About two weeks ago I visited a small rock supply yard a few miles away and ordered 6 tons (yes they are big beds) of dirt. The guy was really nice and delivered the stuff that afternoon. However, everything I put into the beds either died within a few days or just didn’t grow. On Monday I decided to go and talk to the ‘dirt guy’, he immediately took me into his office and called his supplier and explained what was going on. Later that afternoon a rep from the supplier came out to visit and looked at my problem veggie beds. Apparently the stuff I had used was not appropriate for use in raised beds and should have been mixed in with something else. She took a sample away to test and said she would tell me what I needed to do to fix the problem. Already I was amazed they had gone to all this trouble. The following day she came back with a huge sack of organic fertilizer and a few dozen tomato, onion and lettuce plants to replace the ones I had lost.

I honestly did not expect the guy at the rock yard to do much, but he took this seriously, and I certainly did not expect that level of service from the supplier. As a result I have recalibrated my expectations barometer for all things dirt related in the future. The important point is that if these guys can care so much for their product and brand, how come I am so often disappointed by other companies that should know better.

PS If you live in Texas and need dirt you should call these guys www.livingearth.net

Can Engineers do Marketing?

All too often I hear clients say “it’s all about the product”, similar to the “build it and they will come” mindset that has been the demise of many great innovations. Today, many high tech companies enjoy a well deserved reputation for being on the leading edge of product innovation; yet when it comes to marketing, their efforts fall far short of the mark. The end results are product introductions that fail to attract customers, generate the expected market interest and hence yield disappointing product revenues.

Why is this?
Technology companies thrive and grow on the strength of their innovation; that innovation comes from the minds of their highly skilled staff. In many midsized tech companies the marketing and communications activities are also done by those same product development people, who likely view this as a distraction from their ‘real’ work. So the question is “can engineers market their own products? ” Having spent 28 years working in the technology industry many of my best friends are engineers, and rather than offend any of my tech buddies let me ask a different question, “should engineers market their own products? ” For sure they have the knowledge of the product, how it works, why its works, and they definitely have the passion since they conceived and created this marvel of technical innovation.

However, if the innovators are doing the marketing, who is doing the innovating?

Over the years I have met a few exceptional engineering folks who just have that natural ability to translate that techno-speak into a language that mere mortals can understand, they are able to take the technical specifications and turn them into customer benefits, and can imagine the market possibilities for the product. These unique characters are worth their weight in gold, but they are very thin on the ground.

Many companies turn to marketing ‘professionals’ for the answers, only to be frustrated by their lack of understanding of what it takes to successfully market hi-tech products. They end up spending days educating them on their products and the uniqueness of the technology marketplace, all while the meter is running . The results are often worse than if the engineering department had taken a sabbatical from product innovation and figured it out for themselves.

Fortunately there is an alternative- Claymore Marketing in Dallas, TX is staffed by some of those rare engineering minded marketers. We have years of experience working in the technology industry; conducting market research, and building marketing programs specifically designed for these highly technical products and specialized markets. All of which are grounded in a deep understanding of the industry and technology 'consumers'.

Check us out at www.claymoremarketing.com

One customer at a time

Relationships by their nature are individual and personal, so if you want to improve your customer relationships then you have to listen to what each has to say. And don’t be too surprised if they all tell you they want something different from your relationship. Sure you can segment your customer base, but at best that will only group customers into large clusters of similar thinking/behaving/reacting types of people.

Every time you come into contact with one of your customers or prospects, you have the opportunity to improve that relationship. And, when you improve the relationship with one customer, it’s one less customer that is likely to consider abandoning you for your competitor.

This also reminds me a great saying “listen with your mouth shut”. All too often we use the opportunity of a customer interaction to try to sell them something. So rather than calling up your favorite customer to tell them about a great new product or service they just can’t be without, try just asking them what’s on their mind and how can you help them instead.