TURNING WHINGERS INTO WORD-OF-MOUTH
Oh
no! Here comes that miserable, whining customer again. The one that makes you
inwardly grit your teeth and roll your eyes heavenward. But far from a being a
total pain in the butt, he or she could be your best marketing tool yet.
It’s not necessarily the customer who’s always
delighted with your service who is going to be the one to award you that most
coveted of advertising properties; positive word-of-mouth. It may well be the
one with the sour face and petty complaints. The perpetually satisfied customer
has probably reached the point of taking you for granted, meaning that the good
word-of-mouth they spread about you has already had its effect. People don’t
endlessly go on repeating the same story, unless they are given a new reason to.
More importantly, as big business has increasingly discovered, there is nothing
quite as powerful as the hand-on-heart “we know we’ve let you down which is why
we promise to do better” approach.
McDonalds recently ran an intriguing ad campaign
admitting “Our coffee’s been keeping us awake at night. Frankly, it hasn’t been
up to scratch.” For we coffee addicts, this admission packed the punch of a
double ristretto at 6am. We sat up and took notice. Here was a multi-national spending
their ad budget not boasting about their product, but telling us their coffee
is – or was - crap. According to Sydney-based Strategic Planner Darrell Tiemans, “There
is wide-ranging research that shows consumers' feelings towards a branded
service are higher if the brand addresses a complaint or fault well compared to
having a perfect track record.” This strategy of converting your harshest
critics is increasingly finding favour with big business. In 2009, Dominoes
Pizza in America launched “Pizza Turnaround” - a massive confessional ad campaign
where they showed genuine, disgruntled customers voicing specific complaints
(“the crust is rubbery”, “it tastes like cardboard,”) before going back to
those same customers with a new product. Brave? Yes. Foolhardy? No. The
campaign was a huge success.
For small business, the opportunity exists almost
daily to convert dissatisfied customers. Rather than trying to get them out the
door as quickly as possible, the smart small business person should capitalize
on the good-will word-of-mouth (and social online comment) that can be
generated by very specifically addressing their concern; particularly if they
do so with humour or imagination and make a good story out of it. What must be
generated by any remedy is a sense not that the customer has “done well” out of
the deal (“here, have a free wotsit and sod off”), but that the brand genuinely
appreciates their custom. (“Next time you’re popping in, let us know so we can
reserve you a free so-and-so.”) If you can make them laugh, you know you’ve
nailed it.
DO’s
1.
Rather than simply fixing a
problem, try and use a little imagination, humour or thoughtfulness in
resolving it that shows you understand both the specific complaint and the individual’s
needs.
2.
Give them something to talk
about. People love telling stories, so make your service, product or brand the
centre of that days yarn.
3.
Once you have won a previously
disgruntled customer over, lightly say something along the lines of “don’t
forget to tell your friends” or “if you get a moment, would you mind mentioning
that on our facebook page.” Showing that you value their good will is no bad
thing.
4.
Find reasons to show that you
listen: advertise a new product or service based on a specific customer request
or complaint. ie “Following recommendations from Mums, we are now stocking ABC
instead of XYZ.”
DON’T’S
5.
Don’t blame the critic, or
their lack of taste, for the problem. Telling a customer that they aren’t worthy of
your business these days can generate an unimaginable volume of negative
word-of-mouth. Just ask GASP! Stores in Melbourne.
6.
Don’t be afraid to let other
customers see you listening to, apologizing for, or addressing another
customer’s complaints. Those third-party eyes will also generate positive word-of-mouth.
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