Through the Eyes of the Customer

Upsell by helping the customer to see the value.

Don’t just sell more; sell more value.

Upselling. 

At the McDonald’s drive-through when you order a cheeseburger, the cashier asks, “Would you like some fries with that?”

At the Best Buy register, the cashier asks, would you like the two-year warranty with that that covers all repairs for any reason? 

At the car dealership, the salesperson highly recommends the leather upholstery and the towing package.

Upselling adds more top-line revenue, and from the company’s perspective, that’s good.  But if done poorly, upselling can alienate the customer, and that’s bad.  Alienated customers don’t come back. 

So, the challenge is how to upsell well, without alienating the customer.  Or better yet, how to upsell in a way that gives the customer good reason to smiling, because they feel that received more value than they originally expected.

That’s exactly how my wife and I felt, after a recent Sunday morning stop at the Starbuck’s in the Barnes & Noble Booksellers #2048 in the Eden Prairie Center Mall in Minnesota.  The woman that took our orders was a master upseller.  But here’s the interesting part about it….  We didn’t feel like we were being sold anything; we felt like we were being offered a better value; we felt that the person who had the information was sharing the information with us, to help us get the best value that we could.  And as customers, we appreciated it in a big way.

So, what was her secret?

She wasn’t selling; she was sharing information  with us; she was helping us to see a way to receive more value.

We ordered four items, totaling $12.55.  But she didn’t simply take our order; with each item, had something to say, that was all  about  us.

Example:

My wife ordered a medium Caramel Macchiato.  The server suggested that for just 30 cents more, we can have a large size.  As  she said that, she held the two cups next to each other, so that we could clearly see how much more Caramel Macciato we’d have for just 30 cents more.  In a very literal sense, she showed us the value.  And we gladly bought it.

Here’s the point:

When upselling, don’t simply suggest the additional item; don’t just ask the customer if they want it, and don’t just tell the customer why it’s a good deal.  Instead, share information in a concrete and visible way, that will make it easy for the customer to see the value themselves.

Help the customer to clearly see the value, and you’ll accomplish two things:

You’ll deliver a better customer experience.

You’ll improve customer loyalty.

And yes, you’ll increase top line revenue.

To upsell well, share information with your customer to  help them clearly see how they can receive more value.

What Does "Customer Centric" Mean?

That question gets asked a lot:

"What does customer centric mean?"

It means a lot of things; some definitions  can be long and drawn-out, while others are more succinct.  But one thing is certain:  You know "Customer Centric" when you experience it, and you  know it when you don't.

I had an experience of the later variety recently.   I was scheduled to have a stereo installed in my wife's automobile at a local electronics retailer.  The dealer from which I bought the vehicle was covering the cost of the stereo  and installation under the warranty. They gave me a purchase order number to give to the electronics store.

Thursday before the scheduled Saturday appointment, I phoned the store, gave them the purchase order number, and confirmed the appointment. 

Then came Saturday.  I arrived at 10am sharp, and introduced myself to the man behind the counter, who happened to be the manager.  The manager was quick to tell me that they would not do any work, without receiving a purchase order directly from the auto dealership.  Even though I gave the P.O. number to one of his employees over the phone, and that employee told me that I was "all set," the manager was quick to inform me that that was not the case, and that I must have misunderstood.  And he said it with the classic "hey, that's not my problem - I just work here, and abide by the rules" demeanor.

The store manager's mind was stuck between the pages of the company's policy and procedures book, and as a result, couldn't see the my dilemma as I stood right in front of him.   His focus clearly was not on the customer.

A more customer-centric approach would have been for  the manager to offer me a seat in the waiting area while he took the intiative to call the dealership to confirm the P.O. number.   Instead, he threw me - his customer - between the pages of his company's policy and procedures manual, essentially telling me to dig my own way out.

Customer-centric, in its simplest and most pure  sense, means making the customer's life easy; designing processes that are focused on delivering a positive experience to the customer; making it extremely easy for the customer to learn about you, buy from you, and get support from you when they need it.

There are always situations where the designed process doesn't flow as smoothly as intended.  And those situations are the ones where your "Customer Centricity" is really tested.  When a process goes off the tracks, customer centric businesses don't let the customer feel the bumps.  They stay focused on delivering a positive customer experience, while they absorb the bumps  through alternative or ad-hoc procedures.

That's the essence of "Customer Centric"  - keeping the customer at the center of your focus, to ensure that you're always delivering a positive experience, regardless of the circumstances. Consistently positive experiences delivered repeatedly are what keep customers loyal, and prompt them to tell others about you.

 

Customer Centric Definition #2:  When something goes wrong, own the problem, so that your customer doesn't have to.

How a Simpler Experience can be a Better Experience for the Customer

Sometimes, less experience is a better experience.

As customers, we want things to be easy.  When we buy a product or service, we're ultimately purchasing the value that we receive by using that product or service.  That means not having  to go through a lot of steps or procedures to get to that point of value.

Later today, I'll be flying to Chicago.  And whenever I fly, I like to be checked in before I arrive at the airport.  That means fewer steps at the airport; an easier process.  So like a lot of travelers, before leaving my home or office, I'll log into my computer or smart phone, go to the airline's website, go through the on-line check-in process, and print my boarding pass.  It's a lot easier than waiting in line at the airport, but it's still something that I need to remember to do; it requires initiative.

Yesterday afternoon, about 24 hours before today's scheduled flight, I was sitting on a sofa at home, when my cell phone rang.  It was an automated agent from United Airlines, offering to check me in for today's flight.  I answered a couple quick questions, and I was checked in.  I never left the comfort or convenience of my sofa.  I didn't have to remember to check in.  I didn't have

The point is this:

Find ways to make life easier for your customer, by reducing the number of steps that the customer must go through, to get to the value that they're ultimately buying. Checking-in before you get on the airplane adds no value; but  it's something that has to happen.  United made my life easier, by removing steps between the purchase, and the value received.

How many steps does your customer need to endure, before  they get to the point of receiving value from your product?  Which of those steps can you remove, or at least make a lot easier for your customer? 

Thanks to minimalwall for painting a picture of simple.

Positive Word-of-Mouth is the Most Sure-Fire Way to "Go Viral."

Earlier this week, the Kony 2012 video became the most viral video of all time, viewed over 100 million times in 6 days.  That’s an enormous amount of exposure in a very short time.

Jackie Huba, in her insightful blog, The Church of the Customer, expressed a valid concern:

“I'm wondering if it has renewed demands by the C-suite that their team get them a viral video ASAP.  Smart marketers know that producing a video that spreads like Kony 2012 is like catching lightening in a bottle. You can try it, but the odds are stacked against you.”

In other words, trying to grow your business by banking on going viral is a lot like planning to get rich by winning the lottery – those odds are equally stacked against you.   Your chances of success are a LOT higher, if you focus your efforts on delivering a rock-solid product or service through a superior customer experience.

Sure, your message is important, and you need to get it out there.  But don’t invest too much thought into making the message go viral.  Instead, invest your thinking into how you can delight the customer by anticipating their needs, solving their problems, and delivering the kind of experience that will cause them to want to tell everyone they know about you.  After all, that’s the kind of viral that you probably really want, isn’t it?

 
Thanks to Tom Fishburne's humor, we're warned of the folly of banking on the improbable.

How Boston's Logan Airport Delivers a Better Customer Experience

Business Traveler Quiz:

What are two things that nearly every business traveler looks for in an airport terminal?

a) A Starbuck's

b) Electric outlets to charge laptops  and cell phones

c) A bar with ESPN/CNN broadcasts and good beer on tap

d) Wi-fi access  

Now, let me preface the answer by saying that I like good coffee and good beer as much as the next traveler.  But my mission-critical needs are "b" and "d."

Whenever I arrive at a terminal with extra time before my flight, I always look for an open electrical outlet to plug in my laptop, and a strong wi-fi connection.  And it kills me when there are no outlets to be found.  It leaves me wondering, "Doesn't this airport know what its customers need?"  (I always have a Verizon card to slide into my laptop, just in case, but so far, there's no such thing as a wireless electrical account.)

Earlier this week, I arrived at the new Delta terminal at Boston's Logan Airport, 90 minutes before my scheduled departure to St. Louis.  I had a full 90 minutes worth of on-line work to do, and I also wanted to have a full charge on the laptop for my flight.  So, my first priority was to find a seat next to an open power outlet.

When I arrived at my gate, it was like Christmas morning - Massport, the company that runs Logan Airport, installed new  seating that had a power outlet for every seat!!!   Finally!!! - an airport that's designed from the customer's point of view!!!  And they also posted big yellow signs on the walls as a way to say, "Hey, relax, we've got you covered with plenty of outlets to plug in your stuff!"  That made the experience even easier, because I didn't have to walk around looking like a guy that's trying to find something that he lost.

Yes, it's often the little things that make a big difference in the customer experience.  And on that particular travel day, Massport got it right, for this particular customer.

Well done, Massport and Logan Airport.   I hope other airports will follow your lead.

Logan Airport truly  gives Power to the  Customer.

A loyal customer is like a timeless work of art.

On a wall in the Louvre in Paris, France hangs one of history’s most famous paintings – the Mona Lisa.  It took Leonardo da Vinci four years to paint the Mona Lisa; it didn’t happen overnight.

Why did one painting take so long, especially when da Vinci didn’t have the disturbances of text messages, email and cell phone calls that impede our focus in the 21^st century? 

The reason it took so long is because da Vinci was very deliberate with each stroke of the brush.  Each time the paintbrush came in contact with the canvas, the artist was intent on producing a very specific – albeit subtle - outcome.   The cumulative result of thousands of deliberate brush strokes was that renowned masterpiece that’s viewed by over a million admirers every year.

A masterpiece isn’t created overnight, and neither is a loyal customer.

Every interaction between an employee and a customer is like a single stroke of a paintbrush on canvas.  And the evolving relationship between the customer and the business is like the evolving image on the canvas.  Each brush stroke adds color and texture, and contributes to the outcome.  Similarly, each engagement between an employee and the customer adds color to the relationship, changing the customer’s view of your business in some very subtle – or not-so-subtle way.  Just as every brushstroke affects the image which is to become the paining, no interaction is without impact on the customer relationship.

Masters like da Vinci knew this, which is why each brushstroke was delivered with forethought, care, and in the context of his vision for a certain final outcome.  He took no brushstroke for granted.

Smart companies today understand this, and like brushstrokes on canvas, they make sure that every customer interaction is delivered with forethought, care an in the context of a clearly-envisioned outcome.  

They make sure by following certain best practices – they hire people that have a caring, nurturing attitude, they train employees with a focus on the customer, and conduct regular, daily briefings with employees to keep customer-focus top-of-mind.  In a word, they help their employees to understand that every brushstroke matters; every brushstroke must be delivered with care, and with an eye on creating the kind of relationship that results in a loyal customer.

Loyal customers aren’t created overnight.  But with careful attention to each individual interaction, and with a clear vision toward an ultimate outcome, a customer relationship can become a masterpiece, and one of many in a portfolio as large as the Louvre.

A tale of two counters: How human interactions spark customer loyalty.

The most powerful customer experiences are sparked by human-to-human interaction.

This week, I had a flight from Phoenix to Boston.  When I approached the US Airways Ticket counter at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport at 1:15 in the afternoon, there were no other customers in line – I was it – and there were three available agents!

I said to one of the agents, “Hi – I’d like to get a boarding pass.”  She motioned to a row of self-service kiosks in front of the counter, and said, “Help yourself to any one of those!”

Three idle flesh-and-blood highly-trained humans and they directed me to a cold, heartless machine.

I printed my boarding pass, took the escalator upstairs, and passed through security.  Next stop: Hudson News, for a bottle of water.  I walked over to the cooler along the back wall to the left of the magazines, opened the cooler door, and grabbed a large bottle.  Then I walked over to the cashier counter to wait in a short line.

One woman ahead of me – as soon as I approached the register with my bottle of water, the cashier looked at me, made eye contact, smiled, and nodded. That half-second gesture communicated a friendly, “I’ll be happy to help you in just a moment, sir, as soon as a finish with this customer.”  A brief and subtle connection, but just enough to spark a positive emotional response.  He made me a happier customer, even before the transaction.  Just that quick non-verbal exchange gave me something to remember.

The dismissive agent at the US Air Ticket Counter – she gave me nothing to remember.

Here’s the point:

The most intense customer loyalty is born of emotion.  And there’s no better way to spark positive emotions, than through the interactions that occur between human employees and human customers.  Employees should be trained to pursue opportunities to engage, and to make emotional connections with customers, whenever possible. 

Loyalty is based on relationships, and relationships happen between people; through human-to-human touchpoints.

Lesson from the Internet Piracy legislation: Don't mess with the Customer Experience!

There are a lot of legitimately bad guys out on the Internet that are selling stolen goods, and they should be stopped.  So legislation was drafted to restrict the travel of you and me - Customers of the Internet - to make sure that we couldn't drive on the roads that lead to the places that sell the stolen goods.     Customers of the Internet sensed this inconvenience, so they revolted.

Here’s the issue:

When you attempt to fix a problem, particularly a problem that lies in the "back office," that fix must be invisible to the customer.  If the customer might feel the fix in some negative way, you'll be hurting the customer experience. In attempt to fix one problem, you'll be creating a new one - resistance from a customer base, or worse, defection.  That's essentially why the anti-piracy  legislation has suddenly hit a roadblock.

There's a legitimate problem with piracy on the Internet, but the bill, as written, was attempting to stop the sale of pirated content by preventing the "customer" of the Internet from accessing sites that are involved with the selling of the illegal content.  The real problem has been that the people have been selling material that they have no legal right to sell.  The problem was in the "back office" - sellers had illegally acquired inventory. 

The legislation should act first or foremost if not exclusively on the seller.  Instead, as designed, the bill was attacking the customer and their beloved experience of going anywhere they chose to go on the Internet. 

Wikipedia, Google  and a host of other organizations were able to clearly see the issue; the issue of an indirect, rather than a direct root-cause solution an indirect solultion that potentially had a big negative impact on the billions of "customers" of the Internet.  They rallied the customer base, and the voice of the customers removed the momentum of the bills.

There's a big lesson here for any business:   If you're trying to solve a problem, particularly a "back office" problem, be sure that the solution you're proposing will be invisible to the customer; the customer should not feel the effects, unless those effects are positive. 

If the solution will impact their experience in any negative way, expect a backlash, either through vocal objection, or worse, the dreaded defection objection.

3 Tips for Making Retail Returns Profitable

A good friend of mine works in the retail business.    Within the weeks leading up to Christmas, business was brisk – the store was busy, there were a lot of purchases, and the sales revenue through December  24 was very strong.  All in all, the mood was positive.

But there’s a funny thing about the retail business and the holiday season…  It ain’t over till you’ve tallied the returns.  And the returns tend to come fast and furiously in that week between Christmas and New  Years.  So despite the strong sale numbers through the 24^th, there was a huge “Yeah, but the returns can kill us!” sentiment among the employees.

But the outlook needn't be so sour – it all depends on how you view the “Return.”

You can view the return as a transaction, or you can view the Return as an engagement.

The transaction is something simple – it’s accepting the purchased goods back, checking the receipt, and issuing a refund or a credit.  The customer leaves the store,  and you move on to the next transaction.  Dull, un-engaging, and yes, potentially downright depressing.

But an engagement is different.  An engagement happens between two people.  It’s when thoughts and feelings are exchanged, and when emotions are stoked.  Good engagements lead to good relationships.  And good relationships lead to good business.  Good business, strong business and enduring business.

So when that customer walks into the store with the item that they previously purchased, put on your engagement glasses, and approach the process differently.  Engage with the person, not the product. 

Focus on these three goals, as you approach each return:

1. Re-solve the original need.  Chances are, it’s still there.  The product that was originally purchased wasn’t the right solution that you and the customer originally thought it would be.   Ask questions, re-assess the need, and come up with another solution that you both agree on.  Often times, returns can turn into bigger sales than the original sale.
   
   
2. Prove that you’re easy-to-do-business-with.  Returns are a pain for everyone, including the customer.  So use this opportunity to show how easy you are to work with; why the customer should keep you on their  “short list” of preferred sellers to buy from  in the future.
   
   
3. Engage the customer.  Be human, and be memorable.  Execute what’s known as “The Deep Bump.”  The Deep Bump is a technique used at conferences, where you want to strike a balance between meeting as many people as possible, and making a memorable impression on each person, within what’s often a short conversation.
   

So there you have it – focus on re-solving the original need, prove that you’re easy to do business with, and engage the customer.  Focus on these three objectives with every return, and you’ll start to see returns as opportunities – which they really are.

Oh, and my friend in the retail business?  She tells me that the final results are in.  They had a record year.  Many of  those dreaded returns somehow turned into even juicier sales, and even sweeter relationships!

The Power of Authenticity in Growing a Business

Authenticity matters.

Companies that believe in something, and stay true to those beliefs over time, tend to attract like-minded customers.  And as the company stays loyal to those beliefs, the customers stay loyal to the company.  The result is growth – growth in trust, growth of the brand, and growth of the company – a growth fueled by authenticity. 

In Portland, Maine, a city of 64,000 people, there’s a coffee roaster called “Coffee By Design.”  Founded in 1994, it grew during a time when Starbucks was building its current 10 stores and Dunkin Donuts its 22 stores in the same small city.  Many small businesses find it a challenge to survive when a large national player moves in next door.  But Coffee By Design has been able to grow despite the challenge from these two industry goliaths.  And authenticity has clearly been a factor in that growth.

Coffee By Design was founded by two people that decided they were going to build a business around their passions – coffee and community.   As they grew, they retained that culture by being selective in hiring employees and choosing business partners.

“We believe that being selective is better, and therefore only choose to work with businesses who share our same standards and beliefs in environmental and economic sustainability.”

When companies grow and need to hire additional employees and vendors, their selection criteria are often limited to those elements which are easy to measure and compare:  differences like costs, logistics and other operational elements.  But those objective elements can easily obfuscate what’s beneath the surface:  the values, beliefs and passions of the people and partners that will become the face of the company within their new markets and neighborhoods.

Employees bring their values to the workplace.  And like it or not, their values become your brand by way of the customer experience.  Therefore, selecting employees and partners whose personal passions and values align with those of the company’s founders, the experience will remain consistent with the founders’ vision, and the result is authenticity.

Coffee by Design was designed around values.  But with each subsequent employee hired, and each business partner and supplier, they’ve included those same values in the selection process.  This has enabled the culture to stay consistent, and not become diluted by growth.

As a result, the brand has managed to stay rich and authentic over time, just like the coffee it serves. 

Nearly two decades later, the owners continue to be active in socially-focused causes through the local community, and those of their suppliers. The business has been an extension of core beliefs.  And this authenticity has produced a thriving brand that has enabled a coffee shop to distinguish itself from larger competitors, and grow a loyal customer base of like-minded coffee consumers.

People appreciate a great cup of coffee.  Especially when it’s served with authenticity.