Customer Service is an Extension of Your Marketing Efforts

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Not even the best marketing or the best “deal” can make up for poor customer service during the sales process. Here’s an example. Last fall, I needed to purchase new tires for my car so I made an appointment online at a local discount tire retailer. I was enticed by the “sale.” After receiving a call that the tires I requested were not in stock, I was assured by the sales rep that I would be contacted once they were ordered and ready to be installed. Fast forward to six months later and still no call. Not only did this discount tire company lose out on a sale, they lost me as a customer for life.

How does that relate to your industry? Well, if you are like most companies, you have spent a great deal of time, energy and money to attract people to your place of business…a new-home sales center, a hotel, a senior living facility. Read more

Staying In Touch – It Can Make Or Break A Sale

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It’s taking people longer than ever, it seems, to make a move. That’s true for young first-time homebuyers, those purchasing a new home, and seniors deciding it’s time to downsize or move into an assisted living facility. For some, it’s easier or more comfortable to stay where they are while others are paralyzed by economic fears.

What does that mean for marketers in the real estate, homebuilding and senior living arenas? We need to keep in touch with prospects multiple times and in multiple ways. Building a relationship over time is essential to ensure that when your potential customers are ready to make their move, your company is on the top of their mind. Read more

A Super “Bowl” Filled To The Rim With Doritos

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This year Doritos again conducted their annual Super Bowl TV commercial contest, “Crash The Super Bowl” with the top winner receiving $1,000,000 for their efforts. They aired four winners, each were :30. The spots aired were chosen by the fans prior to the game from six finalist posted on CrashTheSuperBowl.com. The website has a Forum for fans to offer opinions, a Gallery to view the over 100 entries and even a “Herbert Brother How To” that explains the do’s and dont’s of making a commercial.

Doritos has done an excellent job at engaging their tribe by creating an online event that far outweighs the time value of four :30 spots. Some of the magic comes from repeating the event annually. This gives their following an opportunity to grow year after year.

All the spots poke a little fun at Doritos lovers and all seem to have someone getting hurt or put through some pain. This seems to be part of the formula. It’s Doritos meets America’s Funniest Videos. We still like to see others in pain, as long as we know it’s not real. My favorite Doritos spot was the “Funeral” were a man asks to be buried in a coffin filled with Doritos. It shows true love for the product and has more humor than pain, since the man is not actually dead. Visit CrashTheSuperBowl.com to view all four winners.

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Maintaining Sales Momentum In The New Media Landscape

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Today’s consumers are more individualized than ever before and the media has responded to their demand for personalization.  There are thousands of newspapers across the country along with countless niche publications addressing individual areas of a person’s life. In addition to AM and FM radio, there now is satellite radio offering more stations and formats than ever before. With satellite TV and cable, hundreds of channels are competing for viewership.

These changes in consumer behavior directly impact how and where today’s new-home buyers look for information. This fragmentation of media outlets results in fewer and fewer people getting their information from traditional outlets and there simply isn’t ONE source for information anymore. Read more