With so many things available through technology to market and reach your customer directly today…why don’t more business owners take on more of their own marketing efforts?

You would have to have been on another planet this past decade not to know we have entered into a new business era. This is so a direct-to-consumer market now. People want customization and personalization and a one-to-one experience.  The middle man and gatekeepers are dying off by the droves in every industry segment!

One thing I’ve discovered and relate to as a consumer over the past few years is people want more than a transaction! They want a meaningful connection.

That’s one reason the middle guy can’t deliver anymore. People want real. Who better can deliver ‘real’ connections than you…owner of the business?

The way I see it, you have a really huge edge over those who just hand off all their marketing to some agency or organization that probably cares more about you paying your invoice to them than if your customers really have a lasting emotional connection with you and your business. That edge you have is YOU know your products and services best and you know your customers and can interact with them on a personal level regularly. What gets me though is I see lots of business owners not take advantage of this huge opportunity either because of fear of the new digital frontier (although they don’t readily admit it) or because of what I call ‘Status Quo Mindset”.  You know…it’s the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” or “I don’t care about all that Internet stuff it’s not hurtin my business”. RIGHT!

Well, I’m convinced business has changed forever…not all are going to be successful in this new business era because there will be many who will not change. We hate change for some reason when that is what life is full of. But that is another story

Point is, if you are recognizing you gotta do something different to not only compete but transform your business…technology and Social Media has made it sooooooo possible for businesses to be more hands on with their marketing if used properly. Blogging, Social Networks, Twitter (your 24/7 broadcasting network), Share bookmarks, and more all provide you with direct customer interaction and get this… Most of the tools are Free!

Yep, it’s true. Many marketers don’t want you to realize this but Do-It-Yourself Marketing can work well to move your business in front of others because you are the one in the center of building relationships with your customer. And, you can do an excellent job to market your business YOURSELF.

Am I saying you just get online and jump in and see where you end up? No. Am I saying you should not seek out professionals in marketing to help your business? No again. Why that is what I do for a living!!J

What I am saying is YOU should learn about the DIY options available to help your business and enlighten yourself on the importance of the new landscape in marketing and relating to your customers in this digital economy.

I’m also saying you should seek out marketing professionals who want to empower YOU by teaching you how to do this yourself rather than them selling you a bunch of hype and programs to hold you hostage so you feel you have to have them to help you do this successfully.

Look friend, all I’m trying to relay is this is a brand new business era we are in. Don’t let technology or anything else keep you away from taking the reins of your business and guiding it into 21^st century marketplace. You have a lot to lose if you don’t DIY.

Ahh the mature woman! Something all of us girls grow up to be…well hopefully. As I have embarked on this leg of my personal journey I have noticed more than ever the lack of significance placed on my role, generation and participation in the marketplace.

Is it marketers have counted me out? Do they think I am over the ‘hill’ and no longer am a substanable source of revenue for their bottomline?

It could just be our fascination and even obsession with “being young” but whatever it is…marketers that ignore this market segment are pretty stupid in my books.

November 2009 a white paper titled “The Rise of the Real Mom” was published by Advertising Age written by Marissa Miley and Ann Mack. It’s a refreshing look at just who today’s mom really is and what she really wants. A clear indicator of how out of touch companies are with women in general not to mention mature women!

In one of my favorite blogs covering marketing to women (Wonder Branding published by Michele Miller) she bares witness of how mature women are being undeserved in the marketplace and of all areas…in fashion!

In her article Forgotten Online: Older Women it was stated…

“When asked why the fashion industry continues to focus on ages 18-34, David Grant of ShopFlick (and formerly of Fox TV) responded:

It felt right because it’s what I’ve been doing all my career.”

Mr. Grant is 53.

Not to take the fashion crowd too much to task for virtually ignoring women 35 and older (especially ages 55-64, the fastest growing segment), but too often it seems that the industry can’t see the forest for the trees. The Internet, combined with societal shifts and a changing economy, will be a major force in the “great shake-out” of companies that do what they’ve always done, vs. businesses flexible enough to invent (and re-invent) themselves in ways that cater to the majority market [...]

I love what she said about the ‘great shake-out” of companies! Too bad many of these companies are not listening and not willing to transform. I for one have seen this coming for awhile now and believe we will see some major trouble in the retail sector very soon.

Mature women have been major contributors to the prosperity of business in our country. Yet, I have been seeing a sort of ‘hater’ attitude towards the mature generations going on out there on blogs and media sources and certainly by the fact companies are not focusing much of their marketing on the mature client thee days.

This really disturbs me because despite our generation’s downfalls…we have made and continue to make significant contributions to our world. We certainly made significant contributions in the pockets of the marketplace! Why now are marketers and companies undeserving us? Especially women.

I recently read a post titled ‘Welcome to the frustration decade’ on one of my favorite blogs by one of my favorite forward thinking leaders in 21st century business, Seth Godin. In this particular post he lists two of the most important trends he sees for this next decade one of which is is titled ‘Frustration’.

He states…baby boomers are getting old. Dreams are fading, and so is health. Boomers love to whine and we love to imagine that we’ll live forever and accomplish everything. This is the decade that reality kicks in. And, to top it off, savings are thin and resource availability isn’t what it used to be. A lot of people ate their emergency rations during the last decade. Look for this frustration to be acted out in public, and often[...]

While I agree and even marvel at many of Seth’s observations, I have to say this comment somewhat rubbed me wrong because it joins ranks with those persuasions that have sort of thrown us baby boomers out with the bath water.

The point I am trying to make here is that women have radically changed!  She is smarter than ever, more financially stable than ever, more savvy than ever, more connected than ever and certainly a market segment to be respected and served. Businesses that don’t welcome and embrace the mature woman consumer do not deserve our business. She is not your grandma of old. Surely there are plenty of new businesses out there looking for a profitable niche to serve? Well…come and get it!

For many of us it conjures up memories and emotions of wholesomeness, family, fall colors, great food and of course, being thankful to God for all of the blessings we have.

Despite the fact Thanksgiving is just about being swept off the map and overshadowed as a major holiday these days…it will always be a significant holiday I will respect and honor in my lifetime.

I believe Thanksgiving 2009 offers up a special opportunity to those of us in business. No doubt it’s been a tough year for many of us here in the U.S. despite what the news says. I was just reading in my local paper that most folks say (that’s you and I not the talking heads) that the economy hasn’t hit bottom yet.  In fact, many were saying things like things like …

Don’t buy the bull! Anybody who thinks things are turning around is living in a dream world.

Worst yet to come. Hold on to your wallets folks. It’s only starting.

Something is very wrong in America. Have you ever known a federal government to do anything efficiently?

This one really hit home with me…

Stimulus didn’t work. No matter the media is reporting unemployment rose to 10.2 percent in October 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The economy shed 190,000 jobs in October for a total of 7.3 million jobs lost since the recession began in December 2007. That does not show any signs things are getting better. What are all those people doing to make a living now?

You can agree or disagree with these views but the point is the U.S. has had a tough year and many businesses have seriously felt the effects of those 7.3 million job losses and all the other things going on in the 2009 economy.

I point all this out to lead to what I call a “blessing in disguise for those of us in business”…and that blessing is wrapped up in this year’s Thanksgiving!

Why do I say this?

Well for starters, this holiday can be an extremely helpful milestone for us to look back over our should as to what the past 11 months held so we can learn from it. At the same it can be the pivotal point for looking forward to the new year and getting our bearings to make adjustments before the onslaught of the mad rush and stress the Christmas holidays and the New Year always bring no matter how hard we try to fight it off.

Think about it. If this is a part of your 2009 strategy, this alone could help transform your business for 2010!

But that’s not all. Thanksgiving also offers us the opportunity to reevaluate the heart of our business. What I mean is, in case you haven’t noticed, customers no longer will not accept lip service, status quo, missions statements, slick advertising or gimmicks and all that phony baloney stuff. What they want are businesses to walk their talk, demonstrate you deliver what you promise you will, be treated with respect and such. They want to be loved!

I know that may sound corny but it’s been said its one of the greatest need we humans have and we do some crazy things to try and get it. Why not sincerely give it to your customers… if it’s what they want? Thanksgiving can be the perfect time for you to fall in love with your customers again. It’s also a great time to redefine what kinds of customers you really enjoy working with too you know.

In addition, Thanksgiving is steeped in transition. Fall to winter, end to new beginning, and fast pace to slowing down. See the opportunities in transitions.

Every business that wants to succeed in the 21^st century needs to get very good at transitions. Business will never be the same as it was and as it continues to evolve and morph just like the seasons do, I believe anyone in business who does not embrace change in this new business era will likely not make it over the long haul. What transitions will you employ in your business for 2010? Keep in mind; transition without creative strategy is just busyness. Thanksgiving is a good time to seriously think about this and start planning.

Lastly, but not least…Thanksgiving 2009 holds incredible opportunity to transform your business because its very purpose is about being thankful and blessing others. Despite what has gone on with this lousy economy this year…anyone still in business, both large or small has many reasons to be thankful.

This has been one of the toughest times to be in business this country has seen in a long, long, time. Being thankful for our business, our employees (if we have them), or customers and vendors just does something magical to your outlook and purpose for being in business.

Business is people serving people. That’s why it even exists! People are at their best when they are thankful and that most certainly translates into their businesses.

Man, I love Thanksgiving and all the blessings God has bestowed upon me even though I have had one tough year in business. I also love I can have a business in the greatest country in the world, America.

Have a very ‘blessed’ Thanksgiving everyone.

I, like most Americans have grown so weary of the unbelievably bad customer service in the everyday marketplace both online and off in this country.

Until recently, we as consumers did not have a very easy and effective way to share with the masses our experiences nor were we very successful in getting attention to our plight regarding bad service and products from the very companies we had the conflict with. The old “on hold forever 800 number” was many times the only recourse we could take against these offending businesses.

That was until technology put the tools in the consumer’s hands that gave us access to the masses and the ability to put wings on our voices so we can finally have our say and it matter.

Business must wake up to the fact their reputation belongs to the people just as their brand does. This is why I say gone are the days of treating your customer anyway you please. We will not stand for that anymore. You will find yourself out of business!

If bad customer experiences being broadcast to the masses via social networks can seal your fate as a business, just imagine what great customer experiences shared through this medium can do for your business!

I have just such an experience I just gotta tell you about.

This past 4^th of July 7, 2009 I spent a better part of my holiday celebrating one of my grandson’s 2^nd birthday. Yep, he was born on the 4^th of July!

The event would be held at our local Chuck E. Cheese here in Franklin, TN. Spending the 4^th of July at Chuck E. Cheese didn’t really excite me even if it was my grandson’s birthday but none the less, I was going to make the best of it.

My daughter and son-in-law had made the reservations for the party online. I really did not know what to expect because it had been years since I had set foot in a Chuck E. Cheese anywhere. We arrived promptly at twelve noon and were ushered to our table which was all setup beautifully with balloons, décor, plates and cups. I thought to myself, well looks like they were expecting us alright, this is a good start.

It was just a few moments as we begin deciding where we were all going to sit when a very friendly employee showed up and she informed us she was our personal hostess for the party. From the moment we entered to the moment we left (2 ½ hours later!) we experienced some of the best customer service I have seen since I last was in California year eating at my favorite burger joint In-n-Out Burger.

Every single employee including Chuck E. Cheese himself (he made a live appearance for the kids) was super caring, super nice and extremely attentive to us all. The manager, the hostess, the servers, folks behind the counter, the door greeter…everyone had the best attitude and gave us such exceptional customer service!

If that were not enough, we also had a great pizza meal, (served piping hot), we were entertained with a special birthday show, we had a fantastic arcade of fun games and fun activities for all ages to enjoy ourselves at, the kids got all kinds of extra bonuses from goodies they could get from the tickets they won at the arcade to birthday goodies from Chuck E. Cheese.  It was a safe, and clean, family fun experience our family will never forget.

I can’t tell you how so very pleased I was to finally receive the kind of customer service and value I believe all customers deserve when transacting with a business.

What kind of impact do you think this level of service and experience has had on me? Well, for starters, I’m sharing it with you! I also intend to recommend Chuck E. Cheese to everyone I know, all my family and friends and I am going to personally be a Chuck E. Cheese fan for the first time in my life!

Now that is the kind of impact you want to leave on your customers so they will in turn be so excited and pleased with the experience of doing business with you they become your sales force, your evangelists.  I hope corporate Chuck E. Cheese (CEC Entertainment, Inc. is headquartered in Irving, Texas) are members of the social networking sphere and join in the conversations about them. If you are, and it would do you well if you are listening to the customer…it’s a no brainer great customer experiences starts with great leadership and culture. The folks at Chuck E. Cheese in Franklin, Tennessee (General Manger Telisha Biles, managers Michelle and John and our wonderful host Emma and all the others there) get that.

As a result, we got the fruit of their commitment to the customer. I hope corporate  Chuck E. Cheese is smart to honor them for the job well done. Give them a raise too will ya?

P.S. Could not find Chuck E. Cheese on Twitter even though there is plenty of conversation going on about them. Not surprising though. Many companies are just missing the boat when it comes to embracing social media. Too bad.

]]> http://www.strategicbusinessdesigner.com/2009/07/what-chuck-e-cheese-can-teach-us-about-customer-experiences/feed/ 4 http://www.strategicbusinessdesigner.com/2009/05/old-navy-flopsanybody-home/ http://www.strategicbusinessdesigner.com/2009/05/old-navy-flopsanybody-home/#comments Sat, 23 May 2009 20:28:06 +0000 Hazel http://www.strategicbusinessdesigner.com/?p=296 Twitter tweets were buzzing today about their frustration and anger with Old Navy’s $1 Flip Flop Day.

Apparently the marketing gurus in this company (and most other corporations for that matter) have not taken into consideration every move they make…we are watching them…and Twittering!

All over the country people were Twittering about their unhappy experience in “real-time“.  This is the power of the Social Network folks!

It’s for certain, many folks on were not happy campers. Just look at some of the comments I saw coming across Twitter…

one dollar flip flop

…

Twitter tweets were buzzing today about their frustration and anger with Old Navy’s $1 Flip Flop Day.

Apparently the marketing gurus in this company (and most other corporations for that matter) have not taken into consideration every move they make…we are watching them…and Twittering!

All over the country people were Twittering about their unhappy experience in “real-time“.  This is the power of the Social Network folks!

It’s for certain, many folks on were not happy campers. Just look at some of the comments I saw coming across Twitter…

one dollar flip flop day at old navy : hate hate hate flip flops : hate hate hate old navy : hate everyone buying flip flops right now

I just hope that Old Navy took names of everyone who CAMPED OUT for flip flops, in the interests of future gene pool cleansing

Da%$#^…old navy is out of $1 flip flops…i should have known.

In Old Navy people are fighting over the flip flops.I’m not even joking.

No more flip flops at old navy. Like 0 pairs left. People are intense.

Old navy was a bunch of B.S.

OLD Navy will remember the next time they have a $1.00. They had to close the store!

Craziness at Old Navy, all for cheap plastic shoes! So not worth it!

Will Old Navy try to do damage repair? That remains to be seen. What I do know is this should be a lesson for all of us in business but especially for you big guys.

No longer are you in control of your brand. The people are! Anyone in business not recognizing this must have checked out awhile back.

But here the thing, it’s not enough to just recognize this. You better be proactive and THINK through your marketing, services, products, advertising, etc.

Just sitting around the table dreaming up promotions and such is very dangerous in this new era. Heck, I’m still upset with KFC when they would not take my coupon I downloaded from the Oprah offer. That turned into a PR nightmare for them even if they don’t know it.

What matters is what the customer thinks…PERIOD!

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I have and so have many, many consumers for that matter!

It’s so hard to find direct access via the “old model” of doing business but now that social media has provided the tools to voice the consumers experience with millions online…you can now reach some companies and businesses who ‘get’ the power of the people in this digital economy.

If you want to position your business (this is for Entrepreneurs and Small business too) for success put a plan of action in place to monitor the conversations going on about you and your business…but better yet put a proactive plan in place that provides your customers easier access to you so your customers experience just how valuable they are to you.

If you don’t…you risk a negative firestorm started by an unhappy customer or client that can spread far and wide very quickly in cyberspace.

I am starting a list of the “new model” business contact approaches for your convenience and as proof this is a smart marketing move you need to do to position your business for the 21st century.

Need some help with creating your personal proactive ‘Digital Customer Care Sevice’ plan? I offer a 4 step process that takes the guess work out of how to get your Digital Customer Care service up and running ASAP.

FIND DIGITAL CUSTOMER CARE:

You can look up any business that has a Twitter access and link on Twitter Yellowpages.

Check out businesses on Friendfeed. Here is a great tutorial on how to do searches.

A user powered Twitter Directory, WeFollow.com

Here are a few digital care company contacts:

Strategic Business Designer
Hazel Nieves
Contact: http://twitter.com/HazelNieves

Comcast
Frank Eliason
Contact: http://twitter.com/comcastcares

Charter Communications
Contact: http://twitter.com/CharterCom

Pizza Hut
Contact: http://twitter.com/tuscanipastas

Please add any you come across.

This is consumer power using social media to the 10th power!!! I predict this video will spread like wildfire and I also believe many  B of A customers will join in on this move.

This is a perfect example of what I have been saying for awhile now…this is the Age of the Super Consumer. Businesses both large and small have nowhere to hide anymore when it comes to their customers.

In fact, let it go on the record my belief is transparency is the new customer service and authenticity is the new differentiators in business today. What are you doing to position your business for this shift?

One thing is for sure… Bank of America or Bend over America better have a great social media PR expert on staff.