by Daria Steigman on August 25, 2011
Upselling is a really dumb strategy. Instead of pressuring people into buying something they don’t want (and often don’t need), why not just wow them?
If you do customer service right, your customers will buy more. Maybe not this visit, but they’ll come back. And they’ll tell their friends too (word of mouth marketing anyone?).
I was in my local Best Buy the other day for help with a quirky computer problem. Alec, the Geek Squad guy, fiddled with the settings for a little while and succeeded in stopping my system from asking for an imaginary security code every time I tried to log into a public wifi network.
While talking with Alec, I noticed a flyer for one of Geek Squad’s services: home wifi set-up. Not only does it includes the hardware, but they also throw in several months of tech support. My parents are looking at (finally) getting wifi; until I saw this, I thought I was going to set it up for them. Now I have a better Plan A.
Just by wowing me with kindness, they’ve sold me on something bigger without “upselling.” Plus I’m sharing my story.
Photo by hortulus (Flickr).
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Tagged as:
Best Buy,
Customer Experience,
Customer Service
by Daria Steigman on January 8, 2010
As some of you may know, I joined MarketingProfs last fall. There are two great values about the company/online resource: (1) community and (2) professional development. As a pro member, I have access to a vast store of case studies, reports, how-to articles, and live (and playback on-demand) Webinars. Which brings me to the point of this post.
One of my goals for this year is to participate in more Webinars–and then to pass on what I learn to you, my readers. Yesterday’s Webinar featured a conversation with Seth Godin and Guy Kawasaki about doing business in 2010. Here are a few takeaways:
- Everything Is Not Free–Godin pointed out that lots of things (including personal connections) aren’t free. What is free: ideas, because the middlemen are dying out.
- Marketing–Kawasaki pointed out that the days of marketing to that one influential voice (think New York Times reviewer) are over. Instead, he stressed the importance of seeding your products as far and wide as possible to “build a critical mass of nobodies.” Godin added that companies must “initiate or die.”
- Portable Tribes–Godin noted that people are increasingly living their lives in public, and that true communities “will follow us in our digital world.” Kawasaki countered that he really wasn’t that interested or influenced by what his friends were buying or liked. (I tend to agree with Kawasaki, but one participant raised a good point, as a marketer, about the value of that awareness.)
- Customer Service–Godin called customer service “a form of marketing far more powerful than advertising.” He added that, if you can delight someone, they’ll tell others. Referring to Comcast and Best Buy‘s Twitter strategies, Kawasaki suggested that “customer service is a weapon, and the social aspect of customer service is the leading edge of the weapon.”
- Passion–Godin pointed out that people are now both workers and owners (i.e., we can create and build), and he suggested that this would be the dividing line between what was and what will be. Kawasaki added that “the time to start innovating is before the recession ends.”
As a labor relations specialist before I was a business owner and communications strategist, I’m fascinated by this concept that we are both workers and owners. Chris Anderson used a similar analogy in remarks a few months ago, and I’m still trying to figure out how I can apply this concept better in my business.
Godin and Kawasaki offered some really good food for thought. Anything here inspire you?
Photo by billjacobus1 (Flickr).
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Tagged as:
Best Buy,
Chris Anderson,
Comcast,
Customer Service,
marketing,
MarketingProfs,
Seth Godin,
Twitter
by Daria Steigman on July 27, 2009
This post is for anyone who has spent time trying to troubleshoot a router or modem connection. It’s about the only situation where I covet those with tech support on speed dial.
Turns out I bought that without even knowing it, thanks to a great recommendation from someone at my local Best Buy store where I went looking for a replacement for an aging wireless router.
So a quick customer service shout out to NETGEAR. In a crowded field, this company stands out by providing free support to new customers. I hooked up my new wireless router, followed the software set-up steps, and then hit the predictable roadblock. One five minute call with a helpful tech guy, and I was back in business.
NETGEAR understood that I wanted a solution, not just a piece of hardware. And they provided it, earning an evangelist in the process.
How is your business earning loyalty?
Have you signed up to receive the Independent Thinking newsletter? Now’s the time! Once a month I’ll send you exclusive, subscriber-only content highlighting interesting articles I’ve found, as well as tips on marketing, social media, and how to grow your business. Sign up today!
Tagged as:
Best Buy,
Customer Service,
NETGEAR
