Customers For Life

I’ll admit it. I fear bringing my vehicle in for service as much as visiting the dentist. I recently brought my car in for service, and for some reason, it reminded me of a routine dental check-up. Bear with me on this analogy.

Just like you want your teeth to stay white and strong, you want your car to run in tip-top shape. However, when the time finally comes to go back in for a check-up, you curl up in the fetal position, and softly cry (That’s what I do, at least, you may just cringe in fear).

Isn’t there something wrong with this? Do you want your customers dreading their next visit to your service department?

I was not looking forward to bringing my vehicle in for service, but was pleasantly surprised when it was over. Happy enough to say, boldly, that I will go back and service my vehicle with that specific department again. Let me tell you why:

As a customer, I love being in the know. If my dentist pulled out a drill without warning me what was going on, I’d be a little terrified. I feel better when I’m taken through a process, and the same thing goes for service visits.

The technician tasked with my car said I could call and see where he was on my car anytime during the process, and I took advantage of that a few times. It was nice to know what was going on with my car, and how much longer it’d be in for.

Friendliness was also a key factor in my experience. My dentist’s receptionist knows I love hockey, and we discussed the playoffs at length before my check-up. Just like at the dentist, the technicians looked genuinely happy to see me, and I felt comfortable when discussing the service. It made me feel better dropping the car off there. This was my first service with them, but it felt like I was a regular there to them.

There were no surprises in my bill, either. If your dentist forgot to mention they pulled a tooth and charged you for it, how would you feel? The same goes for service. Everything the service department did to my vehicle was visible on the service order, and there were no surprises.

Are you providing your customers with friendly service, along with details on the process at hand? If you are, chances are your customers won’t treat their next service visit like a root canal.

Throughout life, everyone has a wide range of jobs, interests, extracurricular etc… that they go through. Experience, maturity, growth, and development are all words described as someone gains their life story. Those same words are often used to a person who is excelling at any particular task. But what separates people who are “good” at what they do, or people who have “talent”, from the ones that make you say “Wow!”? Passion.

Now in some professions, passion is more easily seen and communicated. Like in professional sports, you can see it on the field or court. That excitement takes over an athlete’s emotions at times and leads to great achievements and success. That raw emotion, true belief, and dedication to their work makes professional athletes like Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky so popular and successful. But why should it be any different in any other industry?

It shouldn’t, the same rings true off the field in the business world. You will see industry leaders simply radiate with passion, furthering themselves from their competition. True passion cannot be hidden, nor should it be. A genuine showing of passion for your work echoes a balanced combination of dedication, enlightenment, and desire to know more. When passion is revealed to your customers, it can really make a difference in their experience. A customer will be more willing to trust someone who shows that they personally believe in their business, almost as if you are doing your customer a favor.

Customers and clients these days are so informed, and so smart, that they can smell when someone is faking their words. Customers are savvy enough to figure out whether Product X is really worth their time and money. That is where passion is a differentiator. The goal for business should not be to hire people who are good pretenders or actors, but find people who are excited to come to work, excited about the company, and excited about how they are positively affecting others.

Finding your passion is not something that happens in a month, day, or a year. Some passions are innate, and some are grown with time. The key is to find aspects of the business or product that drive satisfaction both the employee and the customer. A common trait in highly successful people is their pride and passion for their work. It is apparent that their enthusiasm spreads throughout the company and in through the customers, or else they would not be as highly regarded as they are.

So my question is, what is your passion at work? What gets you excited? How would your customer or client answer the question? Customer’s won’t pass on something that beams passion, they will pass on that passion to others.

One of my favorite movies of all time is “Spinal Tap”.  It’s a classic.  People remember it, even though it was filmed 20 years ago.  Lines are quoted, songs are hummed, and people have parties dedicated to it.  I can quote nearly every line of the movie.   Not a great movie, by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s one of the most beloved films of all time.

Turns out, you can learn a bunch about Customer Loyalty from the movie.  I’m not kidding, check it out:

1. There’s a fine line between stupid and clever.
   Don’t be afraid to try new things in your loyalty program.  New promotions, different types of bonus point awards, and referral bonuses may be just the trick.  You don’t know what’s really stupid and what’s clever until you try it out, so go for it.
2. An 18 inch Stonehenge monument tends to understate the hugeness of the overall presentation.
   This was a disaster for the band.  Don’t undersell your loyalty program in the store.  Make sure it’s big and prominent; otherwise you could end up looking pretty silly.  Successful loyalty programs become part of their brand identity – it’s who they are.  If you look at Amazon Prime or World Perks, it’s plastered all over their website.  It’s who they are.
3. If you keep folding the sandwich, the bread keeps breaking!
   If something isn’t working, try something new.  Don’t keep trying the same thing over and over again hoping for the different results.  Einstein called that insanity.
4. While David and Nigel are like fire and ice, Derek feels his role is sort of in the middle, kind of like lukewarm water.
   Derek was also the least popular member of the band, because his glory was drowned out by the bigger members of the band.  Fans screamed for David and Nigel, because they pushed it to the limit.  Don’t be drowned out by your competition.  Be the first to market – do it big, do it first, do it best.
5. And of course, their amps go to eleven.
   Nigel didn’t mess around.  When all the other guys were maxed out on their sound, he found a way to give it that little “push off the cliff”.  Don’t be stuck with nowhere else to go.  Think out of the box and add another notch to your arsenal.   When Marti suggested that Nigel just make the 10 louder, Nigel didn’t understand why Marti didn’t recognize the genius of his plan.  Find your great differentiator, your unfair competitive advantage.  Find that thing that makes your competitors say, “I wish I had thought of that!”   Go to eleven.

re:member group provides loyalty marketing solution that produce results.  We may not bring screaming women to your doorsteps, but our loyalty products have shown results on average a $17 ROI and measureable customer retention.  At the very least, you’ll have one thing in common with one of the toughest bands of all time:  Adoring fans.

According to Kiumarse Zamanian in his blog about “The 5 Keys to Great Marketing in 2012″, “Marketing as Mobilization: In a world of Twitter, Facebook, Google + and other social platforms, marketing will increasingly resemble political campaigns with Brands mobilizing and incentivizing their advocates to market to their friends and communities. They will also staff up to quickly address and limit the impact of negative streams of publicity such as complaints before they hurt the brand. The emphasis will be on marketing in real time, providing clear value and recognizing that what people say about a brand is more important than what a brand says about itself. Engaging the “peoples network” will be as, if not more critical than leveraging television, retail and other media networks. To do this many companies will recognize that the key challenge is not to develop a Facebook presence but update the corporate communications, legal and marketing infrastructure of their organizations and those of their partners.” (http://www.responsys.com/blogs/nsm/loyalty-marketing/)

After reading this I started to drift off and wonder what the future may hold for social media and marketing. Given the first things that really pop into mind are things like Twitter or Facebook. We all know these are the leaders in social media these days – and they are still going very strong. I doubt that we will see a great decline in the use of either of these online mega-apps anytime soon. But like Facebook, something eventually will come along that will blow Facebook out of the water. It really is just a matter of time.

Immediately I realize that the only way anything will be able to surpass what Facebook or Twitter offers us now is how our social media needs are being delivered to us. I also recently discovered the wonderful “Project Glass” by Google. It really makes me think that something like this will inevitably take over. If you’ve watched the intro video showing how this wonderful product is planned to work – it will be even a bigger hit than Facebook was – or even the iPhone / Android. Check out this link on youtube if you haven’t watched this video yet. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c6W4CCU9M4)

So what will happen next? Will we see a connection between the mega-apps and Project Glass? Will there be other apps that will come along that will figure out a way to mix everything together – making it seem like we don’t need those kind of apps anymore to organize our social media needs? Will Facebook and Twitter fade away someday? Is it something that some of us will look back at in 10, 25, or even 50 years and laugh about? Inventions like Project Glass really are going to pave the way to the new social media future and I couldn’t be more excited. So keep your eyes and ears open – but considering where things are headed – it really looks like you won’t have to do that anymore.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For Further Information Contact:

Nate Sieveking / 952-224-8003
Nate@remembergroup.com

re:member group Loyalty Marketing Solutions announces two promotions in key positions

MINNEAPOLIS (April 30, 2012) – Nate Sieveking, former Vice President of Marketing, is now President of re:member group. He joined re:member group in 2004 and has 8 years loyalty marketing experience and 11 years of management experience. Nate has been key in implementing new technologies that has re:member group leading the way in the industry. As President, Nate brings new vision to re:member group.
“This promotion of Nate Sieveking to President is well-deserved. His 8-year track record has shown his tremendous value to our organization,” Said Randy McPherson, CEO of re:member group. “ Nate is responsible for many of the technologies and strategies that differentiates re:member from our competitors in the industry.”

Tim Clemens, former Communications Director, is now Vice President of Operations. He joined re:member group in 2008 and has over 12 years of management experience. Tim has been integral in managing projects, developing new products, and creating communications plans. As Vice President of Operations, he will focus on executing company operations as a whole.

“The promotion of Tim Clemens to Vice President of Operations is also well deserved. Tim has been with us for 4 years and has shown he has a passion for project management, service to our clients, and positivity in the workplace,” McPherson explained. “This really is the ideal position for him.”

2012 shows to be the most prosperous year for re:member group yet. OpenRoad Auto Group of Canada, Rusty Wallace Auto Group, as well as 4 other companies have already signed on for re:member group’s services this year. These companies join the likes of Walser Automotive Group, Mathews Inc., &
Capstone Publishers as leaders in customer loyalty, thanks to technologies and products built and run by re:member group.

“I’ve never been more excited about the future of re:member group as I am right now,” Said McPherson. “In my decades of experience, I’ve never seen a team more ideally positioned to grow a company than this one. These guys bring passion and thoughtfulness to their work like no others.”

About re:member group
re:member group is an industry leader in helping organizations increase their customer frequency and spend. Clients who utilize re:member group’s loyalty platform see as high as a $17 ROI. Simply put, loyal customers visit more, spend more, give great feedback, and recommend companies to their friends and family. re:member group is a team of passionate marketers who use a combination of technology, service, metrics, and targeted marketing to increase customer loyalty within organizations.
For more information, call 866-414-CLUB, email sales@remembergroup.com visit www.remembergroup.com or follow on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/remembergroup and on twitter at @remembergroup.

###

I like Facebook. It’s a nice place to check up on my friends, and see what’s going on that day. I also check Twitter occasionally. Social Media is a great way to share pictures and news pertinent to me, but there’s one thing I don’t go on these sites for, and that’s to be sold on something.

I recently read a blog post on Hanafin Loyalty’s website, titled ‘An Open Letter to Millennials’ (you can find that blog post here), where the author asks Millennial consumers how they prefer to be contacted about products. My answer to him? I don’t. At least not over social media outlets.

I know I might be burned at the stake for my opinions on social media advertising, but this post interested me. I am a big fan of traditional advertising, and the primary reason for that is because it isn’t as intrusive as new media.

One part of that blog that caught me was when the author asked about connecting with Millennial consumers over a text message. That left a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t much like the thought of a company having my phone number and texting me news from their company, or the latest and greatest product. This feels like an invasion of privacy to me, similar to telemarketer calls during dinner. I love being connected to the world, but I want it on my terms.

By now businesses should know not to constantly bombard their followers with product offerings, and instead provide information relevant to consumers. I love companies that show their human side, providing trivia in status updates to get consumers interacting, but many companies still see social media as an extra marketing ‘weapon’.
Maybe I’m being too old-fashioned, but I’ll take a 30-second spot about a new car over a status update on it any day.

This was more of a rant, but I do have a question: Are you using Facebook more to connect with your fans, or sell to them?

Will Michaelson

Sales Associate

Re:member group

Phone: 952.224.8002

My unofficial definition of attention (before I go look it up in the dictionary) is something like this: ‘any action that’s purpose is to generate a response from an intended or unintended recipient.

Now, dictionary.com’s definition- “at•ten•tion: the act or faculty of attending, especially by directing the mind to an object. “ I guess I didn’t do so badly, but I really think the second part of the official definition syncs with mine, and also my point to the rest of this article.

Now, lots of times attention gets a bad rap. People who crave it, act out for it, or need it, are generally discussed in a negative manner. Like the common phrase, “we don’t want to call attention to ourselves”, it suggests that we are a society who do NOT constantly look for attention. We look at it like needing or wanting attention is a bad thing. When in reality, especially in corporate America, attention is the root of we strive for.

With the development of social media, people act to gain attention millions of times a day. Every tweet, post, like, poke, update, ping, bing, photo, video, article or anything else that is submitted on any of the number of social media websites, is intended to gain attention from others. People don’t do those things so nobody will see or hear about them. Though you may post a picture of what you ate for lunch just because you felt like it, you did it solely for the purpose for other people to see. You did it so other minds to be directed to your picture of a grilled cheese sandwich. If you didn’t want all 654 of your friends to see your “Happy Birthday!” message to your best friend Maggie, you would have picked up the phone and called her.

Now don’t get all bent out of shape, businesses do the same thing. Actions are meant to gain attention to the company. Because, attention=profit. Now I’m not talking just about social media, I’m talking about marketing and everything as a whole. Billboards, commercials, specials, advertisements, radio spots, are all forms of “tweeting” or “posting” on the Facebook wall of corporate America. As we all know, social media is the new forum that marketers need to figure out how to conquer. But whether you are a worldwide retailer, or a company of one, actions on social media are posted for the pure conscious or subconscious reason to gain attention. And it really isn’t such a bad thing.

They point I am trying to make is that as far as social media goes, people and businesses aren’t so different. You submit your ideas (in various forms mentioned above) so people will look at them and think of you. When a person posts, the attention and profit they gain can simply be the intangible thought and satisfaction that other people see what they are doing/thinking. A normal person’s profit may be a couple “likes” or ”retweets” and a friend request or two if you’re lucky. A business’s goal is to generate the same attention hoping that people see, remember, and eventually invest in that company-hoping to gain loyal customers.

Everyone has their own stance on the social media craze. But in my opinion, this is a good way for those attention starving people and businesses to fill their void. The hard part for companies is to figure out how it drive revenue and increase customers, a little harder than getting 17 comments on the picture of you on spring break. Whether your profit is monetary or emotional, attention is the core of your social media agenda.

Every Sunday, I have a personal tradition to finish my weekend at a favorite dining spot.  It’s mostly come from being one of the last unmarried guys in my friend group.  Awhile ago, unable to get someone to accompany me for lunch, I had a moment of clarity and realized all  I needed was a book and I was all set.  I could go wherever I want, so I just jump in the car and go.  It’s come to be one of my favorite parts of the week.

Most of my Sunday outings take place at a little place just on the outskirts of Minneapolis called the Uptown Diner. They serve your typical greasy spoon fare, with dishes like Eggs Benedict, Steak and Eggs, Biscuits and Gravy.  It’s delicious.   Their coffee is fantastic.  Their service is unique, that is to say it’s not great, not horrible, but it has character.  It’s like every time I ask for something, my server acts like he just happens to have everything available for me.  I sit at the counter, and a server approaches, sometimes right away, sometimes they take their time.

An exchange typically goes like this:

Server:  ”What can I get you?”
Me:  ”Coffee, cream and sugar”
Server:  ”Oh yeah, totally.  We can do that” (It’s not uncommon to hear “groovy”.  I’m not kidding.)

It sit with my latest read and pick my head up from time to time to enjoy the chaos of the place during Sunday brunch.  I’ve witnessed the manager come out to reprimand servers, see people joke around, even witnessed a mini food fight right in view of the customers.  Fellow customers nod at you as you sit down.  It’s loud and unapologetic.  I love this place.

Am I loyal?  Heck yes.  I feel like I’ve found a little place in the world for myself on Sundays.  I feel like I’m part of some kind of fraternity.  I feel, in a way, that this place is like me.

Point is, loyalty isn’t necessarily in the numbers.  Sometimes it’s just having personality and giving your customers the feeling they belong.    That is the making of a great relationship.

If you’ve ever worked in retail sales, electronics or otherwise, you’ve probably seen my type walk through your store doors. The type who knows what they want, and will spend as little effort and time to get that product, before abruptly leaving. When I need to get something at an electronics store (maybe an auxiliary cable or that new video game I shouldn’t be wasting my money on), I head right for the item I need, grab it, and get out of the store as soon as I can.

For lack of a better term at the moment, I would call these your ‘hit-and-run’ customers, and they can be a challenge to sell on anything but their needed product. I’m not like that all the time, and many times I leave stores wondering why I wasn’t asked for assistance. This happens particularly in bigger purchases that require thought about future benefits the product will give me.

I recently bought a new stereo from a big-box electronics store. I’m not very knowledgeable in new electronics, but I had an idea of what I wanted. A sales associate approached me, and after asking me a few questions of what I wanted, he directed me to a few specific stereos and described why I should choose them over the others. He helped me through the selection process, and made sure all of my needs were met. I left the store paying more than I expected, with a product he helped me choose. I want to come back to this store, and I feel that if I need help in the future, their staff is more than able to help.

If he hadn’t approached me that day, I could’ve spent much less and gotten a product I wasn’t happy with.

Do you make sure your customers’ needs are spent, or are they prompted to visit your store and dash?

So we have all been put in this position before. We are forced to pick between two major brands, styles, high road or low road, etc, etc, etc. What really is the best choice when one must consider such an important factor in their daily life? I mean really, think about it. So many people in this day and age let their lives revolve around an operating system. From using their phones, to texting, to checking their email, and to what will become – more and more. For those of you out there thinking “That’s not me”, well, eventually you will be doing the same. But I will get into that a bit more later on. So really one must consider, “what operating system is best for me?’ Am I a Mac or a Windows user? And I think there are some really simple and valid reasons why certain people should consider going in a certain direction.

Popularity

We all have seen the ridiculous Apple commercials. We all know that owning any piece of Apple candy is all a form of a marketing guru genius plot – what you disagree? Really? I mean look at them. They have brought their empire to life by using incredible advertising techniques, most of which I bow before and love. And unfortunately, most people out there who do use Apple products have been one way or another swayed into this product because of the popularity contest. Who can own the biggest, the best, the crème de la crème. It is like a fashion runway show in Paris. Everyone knows one person out there that owns a Mac for the sake of owning a Mac. They are working on that big novel and are busy typing
away at Star Bucks every day. That person. Yes.

User Experience

For those of us who aren’t drawn into something because of its popularity, we would have what I think is the next most important decision maker, user experience. Let us all assume you haven’t ever seen any advertisement and are completely new to the scene. (Impossible, I know, but let us just pretend for a minute). What are you going to do? Well I’d hopefully assume that one would spend some time to get to know the product for what it’s worth and what it can do for you. Would you be more drawn to a product that is easy to use, basically holds your hand on how to get anything done, that doesn’t throw a million “windows” at you while you are simply trying to just open the internet browser of your choice? I mean come on. We all know that Mac OSX has built a much cleaner and easier to use operating system. This in my opinion really allows for what needs to get done, get done. Why pick something complex when you can have something that is user friendly and in

Dependability

So going back to the commercials again we have all seen with the “move star” Justin Long’s commercials “Get a Mac”. And how he emphasized on the fact that Mac’s don’t ever get viruses or crash. That technically is true these days, but honestly, how long will that really hold out? Eventually someone will find a way to get the poor Mac’s sick with viruses. It is just a matter of time. However, viruses aside, I have to consider my personal experiences as a long time Windows and Mac user. Hands down, not even a doubt or question about it, Mac wins big time. I have had countless problems with Windows. I don’t even know where to begin with all the horror stories I have encountered over 15 years of using Windows. I have owned a Mac for just shy of 10 years and have had little to no problems. Just a personal opinion and we all have our own stories, but from what I’ve heard from others who have been in similar situations, I am not alone.

Sure, okay, my opinions are extremely biased. I am not going to sit here and say, “Buy a Mac now!!!” But I would be more inclined to say, “Oh…….. You bought a Windows? Good luck!” But all I have said aside up to this point, it really all is about what you need to do with your technology. When it boils down to it, everything really gets you the same end result, eventually. It is all about how you want to get there. And what lets you achieve the result in the quickest fashion. If I sat around and talked about all the differences between both operating systems I might be here for a few years typing. And this was meant to just point out to the haters in the world that why can’t we all just get along? Being that I am one of the few species of users out there that can handle operating on both operating systems I would say they both have their ups and downs. Sure, I prefer a Mac any day to a Windows, that’s obvious. But, again, it all really depends on what you need to do. As a graphic designer, I love the dependability of my Adobe software never crashing. And that’s why I love a Mac. Everyone has their own reasons for needing a certain operating system. And I applaud those who chose based upon their needs for productivity. There are plenty of people out there who don’t, and they should be ashamed of themselves for buying a product just because Justin Long said so.