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(Here’s a secret: a logo isn’t as important as you think!)
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Monday I wrote ‘Part 1’ of the enlightening customer service experiences I’ve had during the last month.
As I mentioned, there’s always a lesson to be learned. Sometimes we get to snigger at the dupe that just doesn’t get it too. You’ll learn from each one while they’re (hopefully!) entertaining you, and in this one you’ll get to chuckle at the numpties who just didn’t get it.
2. Brand is not just Marketing
This is a little embarrassing, but I’m at the age where I actually notice the deterioration in my eyesight. I got new glasses a year or so back, but I knew it was time to have a new test. The opticians I previously used sent me a voucher for a free eye-test, so I called and made the appointment.
The opticians in question are considered the ‘premium’ brand on the high street. Their shops are a little more ostentatious, and their prices that little(!) bit higher. I used them previously because I consider myself too busy to shop around to save pennies, and felt that buying the ‘brand’ reduced my risk.
After the test (yes, my prescription had changed and I needed new glasses) I was introduced to the ’salesperson’ who was to help me choose new glasses. (Remember, the eye-test was free so I hadn’t spent a penny up to this point.) Here’s where I had to make another embarrassing admission: I have a funny-shaped head. Specifically, I have large bumps immediately behind my ears, so I can’t wear the normal ‘hockey-stick’ glasses. I need frames with straight arms that the bumps don’t get in the way of.
When I explained this to the ’salesperson’ she got that ‘deer in the headlights’ look – the one that says ‘You can’t seriously be expecting me to work for a living?’ She perfunctorily picked a frame off the rack at random, sighed when it didn’t magically morph into what I wanted, then told me she didn’t know which was which and I’d have to go around looking for myself.
Yeah, right.
So I walked out of their shop and (within a couple of hundred feet) into their competitor’s. You know, the one with the really corny TV ads? Not the premium brand. There a very helpful lady called Helen took me to a rack with the right kind of frame, explained that I get two pairs for the price marked, and called the lab to see how busy they were because I needed these glasses in a hurry. To rub salt into the wound, she took the necessary prescription details from the eye-test I had got free with the voucher at the ‘other’ place. Two hours later I had two new pairs of reading glasses and Helen had put my credit card receipt in the till.
The moral of that story? If you think all you have to do to make money is slick marketing, think again. You and your staff have to deliver a service that makes customers happy, or you’ll be giving away a lot of vouchers for free services – and even then you might just be making your competitor’s job a little easier.
Many small businesses like yours are able to deliver a far more personal, tailored service to clients than your larger competitors, and have very satisfied customers because of it. Unfortunately nobody else seems to know, so prospects go to the competitor blissfully unaware that they could get a far better service from you for a very similar price! If only you could develop branding like theirs to attract prospects!
But why not?
Would you like to know how you can develop a powerful brand that will make your sales cycles shorter and close more deals at list price?
Our free five-part eCourse will help you to understand the common elements of all great brands (no, they don’t include a fancy logo!) and will provide you with simple tools to begin crafting your brand.
Learn more about it and claim your free access HERE and you could begin the process of lifting your service offerings out of the ‘commodity morass’ and into Premium Brand territory today!
Do you want to learn how to:
We are offering complimentary access to our five-part eCourse to help you understand the common elements of all great brands, and provide you with simple tools to build powerful branding for YOUR professional services business.
The RRP for this eCourse is £99, but until the end of January we are offering it completely FREE OF CHARGE
Learn more about the eCourse and sign up at www.zee2a.com/branding
Do you want to learn how to:
We are offering complimentary access to our five-part eCourse to help you understand the common elements of all great brands, and provide you with simple tools to build powerful branding for YOUR business.
The RRP for this eCourse is £99, but for a limited time only we are offering it completely FREE OF CHARGE
Learn more about the eCourse and sign up at www.zee2a.com/branding
As you are aware, Executive A&E is taking place at Highfield Park next Tuesday, the 18th of November.
The panel of experts has been hard at work ploughing through Hot Seat applications and selecting participants that represent a cross-section of all attendees – so that everyone gets the greatest benefit from being there.
Look at some of the issues that will be addressed:
If you haven’t booked a seat yet – this really is your last opportunity. Seating is limited and we only have NINE places left!!
Remember that added to the great morning of mentoring and coaching, you also have plenty of time for networking with local business people and a scrummy buffet lunch – all heavily sponsored so you only have to pay for your lunch!
Don’t delay another second – book your seat today.
See you next Tuesday.
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Post updated 30 October 2008: Seth Godin wrote a blog post on the 25th of October that ties in very nicely with our article. Read his post Your Brand is Not Your Logo here: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/10/your-brand-is-n.html
