The BV Blog

Good marketing advice is like a quality food ingredient — there are lots of ways to use it in any “menu” of service. Take this tidbit that comes to us from Roy Bergold in his column on Fooodservice.Com. The topic — how to increase sales at your restaurant:

It’s called Path of Least Resistance, or POLR. Always think POLR. Look for the easiest way to raise sales. Harvest the tree from the bottom. Do it the smart way.

With POLR in mind, turn your attention to your current customers. After all, they already come to you. They will be easier to get one more visit from. But how?  Talk to them, find out what they want.

Usually it’s rewards or excitement. Rewards could be anything from a free coffee once in a while to a frequent-dining club. Maybe they have never tried your breakfast; they only come for lunch. Maybe they only come during the week and never thought to come on the weekend. After all, we are creatures of habit. Give them a reason to amend their habits.

OK, maybe you don’t serve food, but you probably have customers or clients who can do more business with you. Use Ray’s advice to talk to them and find out what they want. And give them a reason to change their habits. Need more advice on battling a business slump? Here are questions that may lead you to the answers you need.

People who own DVRs (Digital Video Recorders) and access television programming online watch fewer commercials. A lot fewer, according to an Adweek article by Brian Morrissey:  

“The TV industry often touts the fact that DVR owners watch more TV than those with only ‘live’ programming. Yet DVR viewers frequently skip the commercials. Over 50 percent of respondents said they ‘always’ fast-forward through commercials, and another 36 percent said they skip them at least three-quarters of the time. Fully 85 percent of respondents said they watch fewer commercials since they got their DVRs.”

Traditional radio is struggling with the same problem. Satellite radio and music services, along with the iPod and similar devices, have made it much easier for listeners to actively avoid, not just radio advertising, but its programming as well.

These examples serve as another argument for intensifying the focus of your marketing messages on existing customers. Concentrate your marketing efforts on an audience that’s more open to what you have to say, not those trying to avoid your message. Those folks already in your database don’t need to be convinced that you’re a fine, upstanding company. They already know it.

Chances are good, though, they don’t know everything you can do for them. So work to educate them about all that you offer with the intent of increasing customer share, not market share. You can do this easily with On Hold Marketing, TeleGreeting and Point-Of-Purchase Audio. These tools allow you to communicate cost-effectively with your captive audiences - those that can’t change channels or fast forward: your callers on hold and the shoppers in your store.

Do you remember when you were growing up and your parents used the old adage “honesty is the best policy?” And when you told the truth you were thanked for your honesty, but punished for the bad deed that you had to be honest about? 

Well, times have changed a bit. Honesty is still the best policy, but in business it’s how you deliver the truth that counts.

The Get to the Point newsletter I receive daily from Marketing Profs pointed me to a favorite blog, The Church of the Customer. In an April posting, Jackie Huba tells a great story about honesty and customer relations from clothing retailer J. Crew.

Our office recently held a seminar on the Language of Commitment, presented by Molloy Business Development. Our speaker was an inter-personal communications guru, and he had a great communications philosophy– Truth over Harmony.

It’s the same philosophy Huba’s salesperson had when she told her the dress made her hips look big. 

When you’re faced with a decision to placate a client or customer and keep the peace, or tell them what you really think and risk hurting their feelings, go with the latter. 

It’s never easy to tell someone their clothes aren’t flattering or that their ideas aren’t good, but when it comes to customer service, it’s necessary to rip off the band-aid. The next step is to offer a way to make things better, either by suggesting a new outfit or a better idea. 

The truth might sting a little, but your honesty will be appreciated and respected, and you’ll have earned a customer for life.