Selling without selling
Selling Without Selling – How To Use Goodwill and 5* Customer Service To Solidify Brand Loyalty
A couple of weeks ago, my MacBook Pro suddenly stopped working – right in the middle of an important client project! Worst nightmare, I know!
Having used Apple Macs for about 20 years, I figured a simple ‘restart’ would sort out the issue, but unfortunately, that didn’t work. Even the client IT guy, who knew some ninja restart shortcuts, couldn’t get it to work.
Thankfully he had one spare, and I was set up with a temporary Mac in no time.
But what about my trusty MBPro – it’s four years old, and I don’t have any Apple Care… My thoughts were running wild! I mean, I run my whole business from my Mac. It’s the be-all and end-all of how I work, an extension of my mind, my brain!
( yes, I know. I will explore my computer attachment issues in another post 😉 )
Lesson 1* | Make it super easy for your customers to contact you
As soon as it was lunchtime, I jumped straight onto the Apple website, entered my contact number and the product’s serial number, and BAAM! within seconds (AND I MEAN SECS), they called me back.
Lesson 2* | Remember your customer’s name
Caller: Hey Debbie, it’s Arran from Apple; how can we help you today?
Lesson 3* | Take a – we’re in this together approach
Me: “My Mac isn’t responding and gets stuck when starting up” Caller: Ok, let’s see how WE can help you get this sorted.” (IE We are all in this together.)
We spent the whole lunch hour on the phone, going through every Apple ninja restart and startup trick in the book. And although I had to cut the call short to get back to work, they left me with full instructions on how to continue the checks and, if that was unsuccessful, to call them straight back.
So just to recap – so far, Apple had spent about a good 2.5 hours trying to help, and at no point in any of the calls had they made feel like they were in a rush to get to the next call. Something a lot of product service providers often fail miserably on.
After going over the checks, the Mac still wasn’t responding, so the next step was to take the Mac to my local Apple store to have a technician look at it.
Lesson 4* | First impressions last
The only way I describe an Apple store is like an elite football team, everyone knows exactly which position they play and who to pass the customer to next.
If you’re just browsing, you are free to meander. If you have an appointment, you get fast-tracked to the front of the queue, just like in a 5-star restaurant.
I just love how simple and organised they make it.
I took my place at the Genius Bar (which lives up to its name), where the technician was completely up-date with what was going on with my Mac. “I’m going to run through a few more system checks one more time, and if that doesn’t, we will have to do a complete re-install.”
And that’s actually what was needed, but again I wasn’t too stressed because Apple had reminded me to bring a backup in their email appointment reminder just in case.
The appointment took about 1.45 hours, and the technician didn’t try to up-sell me anything. “As we have been able to fix your Mac in-store today, Debbie, there is £0.00, nada cost for this.”
How many appliances do you own or have bought that provide this service? I personally can’t think of any.
Lesson 5* | The real money is in the value you provide
The funny thing is, while I was sitting there waiting for the re-install to finish, all I could think of was… I wonder how much I can get for my Mac if I trade it for a new one today. Ka-ching! I’d love a new iPad Pro – Ka-ching!, Oooo, that iWatch over there looks nice…. Ka-ching! I know what my husband is buying me for my next Birthday – Ka-ching!
By showing me a huge amount of value through their customer service and support, Apple solidified me as a loyal and ready-to-buy customer. This reminds of this famous quote by the late Steve Jobs:
Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.
Of course, one of the best places to start when reviewing your customer service strategy, is your companies brand values.
Here are 3 additional resources that I highly recommend:
1 | Start With Why: Simon Sinek’s infamous TEDx talk
2 | Seth Godin: Tribes
3 | Apple Manchester – where the story was inspired!
Setting New Standards with Brand Values
Today I want to talk about brand values and why they are a really important part of creating your brand strategy.
Whether you’re a marketing manager or business owner looking to set new standards within your business, these simple brand value strategies will help ensure you attract the right partners, customers and staff into your business.
How brand values form part of the vision
One of the reasons why it's really important because your brand values not only form part of the vision of the business, in terms of where it's going but also the foundation of how the business is going to be built from the ground up.
In fact, your values can have an impact on things like the kind of standards that you set in your business, so things like what kind of level that you want to play at, and also, your values then can have an impact on formulating your client avatar.
When you know your brand values and you're clear on those brand values they will also help you work out what kind of clients, customers that you want to either, not just market to, but obviously attract to the business.
Brand values can impact the colours used in your branding
The other reason why they're really important is actually that your brand values can also have an impact on the colours that you use for your branding. For example, if you go on the internet and you look at colour psychology there are lots of different colours that relate to different types of values and energy.
For example, the word trust is synonymous with things like the colour blue, and then there are other colours that are more creative in energy, like orange.
When you really think about your brand values you can actually use them to choose the right colours for your business and your brand, and it can make a difference in terms of, attracting the right or wrong customers to your business.
Brand values categories
You can break brand values into two categories. First, you've got your core brand values, which, form the core foundation of the business in terms of standards and who you are and what you stand for. And then, for example, you are developing a brand campaign that's for a specific product and service, you would then have a number of extra keywords or values that you think that are important to a specific project.
For example here’s an example we created for an engineering company ... They had built their business to a certain level, but in order to go to the next level up they needed to invest in a brand campaign that would stand out from their competitors, and this meant getting clear about their values and the kind of customers they wanted to attract.
So before we did any kind of creative work
We took time to look at the brand values of the business, and as you can see, there's a real mix of different words. Some of them are about the business, words like strength, prestige. The main thing was that the words were important to the business from a core perspective, but also product specific keywords as well.
Another area that we're seeing an increase in...
are companies looking to make their business more purpose driven, and a lot of businesses at the moment are, reviewing their standards, In fact I was watching a video featuring the CEO of a venture capital company who was doing a talk at the New York Stock Exchange who said he had seen a 700% increase in companies wanting to be more purpose driven. That's pretty interesting.
So, what if you are looking to add some kind of social responsibility to your business? A good resource for this is the UN Global Goals. I believe they were brought out in 2015, and I think there are about 12 goals* which look at different areas in the world that they see as being really important to focus on and improving. I know myself, I've had a look at them, picked out a couple of things that I know that are really integral and important to me, not just personally but also as a business owner.
Another great resource I use is a platform called GeniusU. It's an entrepreneur network, which is free to join. On there you can find a series of individual micro degrees that can help you review and find both the values and purpose of your business.
And of course, I’ve integrated the links into this article of any of the above resources that I've mentioned.
So… When was the last time you reviewed your brand values? Are they aligned to your business and own internal brand standards?
I really hope you enjoyed the tips that I've shared today, and obviously, please either give me the thumbs up or leave a comment below, if you have story or experience about how changing your brand values improved business performance and reputation? I’d love you to share.
Correction: *actually 17 UN Global Goals
Freelancer Loneliness
“What has freelancer loneliness got to do with the branding or marketing?”
Today I want to talk about the idea of freelancer loneliness. And you’re probably thinking, “What has loneliness got to do with the branding or marketing?” Well, the reason is that a couple of weeks ago, we were was approached by a local charity, looking for some support with the design and marketing of the Youth Loneliness Seminar they were planning.
I remember the penny really dropped, and I realized, "Holy crap" I have to go out and be the new business person, be the project manager. I have to be the designer and the bookkeeper. You have to be all these things.
Debbie Evran
Working as a freelancer can be a lonely journey
We don’t normally do free work, but I felt compelled to support the event because having lost my own brother to mental health a number of years ago, the subject resonated with me personally. Not only that, working as a solopreneur/freelancer for many years, I know how lonely the freelance journey can be. So I thought I would share four or five tips around what I have done as a freelancer, to help me stay connected, to what’s going on, and to reduce any feeling of loneliness.
The penny drops…
When I first started my business, I went from working in a big agency with loads of support and staff to working completely independently.
When you work in a big agency, it’s very easy to think that, “Oh, freelance is a really great job,” because of the freedom and that you are your own boss. But in reality, it can become really lonely. You go from having IT people, new business people, project managers – a great big support network around you, compared to when you work for yourself, it’s just little old you, you know?
I remember, the first two or three months of my business, the penny really dropped, and I realized, “Holy crap,” basically. I now have to go out and be the new business person, be the project manager. I have to be the designer and the bookkeeper. You have to be all these things, and that in itself can make you feel pretty lonely, it can be quite a shock to the system.
But fear not…! Here are some strategies that I’ve used to help me get out there and stay connected to the creative and business community.
01. Face-to-face networking
So the first one is face-to-face networking. There’s hundreds, if not thousands, across the UK. Some of them operate on a pay as you go, where you can just turn up as and when you want. Whereas others are more membership based.
Some people like the freedom to be able to go to different events as and when they want.
However, I do know that over the years, I’ve started to see the benefit in joining or committing to one networking event that you go to every week or every month. Some of them are at the crack of dawn, 5:00 am or 6:00 am in the morning – if you’re happy to get up at that time? Other ones are in the afternoon or in the evening.
The great thing is there are so many different ones around, you’ll easily find one that you can fit around your work schedule.
02. Trade shows
The second way is trade shows and seminars. There’s been a massive growth, in live tech and creative based events and conferences. Because they offer the perfect opportunity to learn and do new business at the same time, as well as connect personally with people who you might only ever meet via online platforms.
03. Social networking platforms
The third way is online networking. Obviously, there are some great online networking platforms, you know, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, all the main social media platforms offer a great place for you to stay or feel connected with what’s going on. In fact over the years, I have found it more beneficial to join industry-specific groups and interact and engage in the conversation. Be a little bit more proactive.
Social networking can also be useful if you are an introverted creator, that finds getting out and talking face-to-face with people difficult. You can build initial relationships with people online, so when it comes to meeting them face-to-face,
you’ll feel more relaxed.
Something else that I’ve found useful is to treat networking as a fact-finding opportunity, people remember you when you ask plenty of questions. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s face-to-face networking or social networking, always go with the intention to provide some kind of value.
04. Co-working spaces
Where was I, number four is coworking spaces. I know Manchester has some really, fantastic coworking spaces. Spaces like WeWork, The Federation, and innovating spaces like The Sharp Project, which is just north of Manchester, fantastic facility. Again, all great places that you can just go for the day or get an office for a week or a month. Most offer flexible solutions that help you expand your business at your own pace.
05. Community/sports interest groups
And then, I’d say the fifth thing, is thinking about it from more of a personal perspective. For example maybe you like running, or snowboarding, or whether it’s fishing, or cake making, whatever it is, there are hundreds, if not thousands of different clubs or associations that you can join, that way you not only get out there and meeting new people, but it’s an environment where it’s not like a big sell.
While networking events and conferences tend to obviously … Everybody’s there, obviously, on business, whereas if you’re part of a running club or a ski club, it feels a lot more relaxed to sort of start talking or having a chat with somebody who’s there and say, “Oh, what do you do?” You know, and I find some of those things … Often, things that actually sometimes are a bit left field from where you would think of going are sometimes actually producing some of the best kind of leads.
The key thing with all of those, and what I’ve really learned over the years, think about what your intention is. I don’t know whether it’s you want to partner with a web developer, or you need to find somebody to help you with animation, or if you want a better accountant, or something, when you actually set the intention before you go to those events, you’ll find that actually sometimes that person kind of pops up in the person beside you.
I know a funny thing that happened, which is I remember thinking, “Oh, I could really do with a new accountant,” and the next minute, I got invited to a sales workshop, and when I went to the sales workshop, lo and behold, the guy beside me happened to be an accountant, and I got chatting with him, and actually, while I didn’t end up working with that guy, he was too expensive, he referred me to someone else who now has basically been my accountant for three or four years.
So yeah, I think like I said, definitely what I’ve learned is that when you go to networking events, any kind of networking, it’s about being a value. You know, if you provide a lot of value, then people will … It just helps to build relationships. Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed those tips. If you please, give me the thumbs up, and also please subscribe, and yeah. I’ll hopefully see you next time. Speak to you later. Bye.
How to make your brand stand out
Is your brand identity starting to blending in or look outdated? Is the lack of consistency with your messaging and marketing having a negative impact on your sales & promotional efforts? If so, watch our latest vlog, where Creative Director, Debbie Evran shares 3 strategies on how to make your brand stand out 'for all the right reason' in the marketplace.
Today I want to kick things off by answering the question, "How do you make your brand stand out?” It's a question we get asked a lot by both businesses small and large, So I'm going to share three simple strategies to help you assess whether your brand is blending in with everyone or whether it's standing out.
1 | How up-to-date is your brand identity?
Maybe you've had your brand identity for a long time. How unique is it? How different is it? The economic landscape is constantly moving and changing so quickly and rapidly online. People and brands are having to reinvent themselves a lot faster, maybe within two years you have to re-look at your brand identity and say, "Is it relevant* to the current market and is it relevant to where you're going?"
*(what I mean by relevant is - how representative is your branding to what your business now offers? As a business evolves or grows the branding can often get left behind.)
2 | Are you being consistent with your branding.
From your marketing, your brand identity, your website, your marketing material, is it consistent? And again, is the way that you're communicating through those mediums consistent? And is it compelling enough? That is also something that's really important. You know, it's that whole idea that what you're saying is the same as everybody else? Or, or is it different? Is it unique? I mean the key thing here is really looking for what makes your business different from somebody else?
Of course… we did say three things, so...
3 | Is your brand positioned currently in the marketplace?
This is about looking at where you're positioning your brand in the marketplace. Sometimes a business might get to a point where it realises that in order to move to the next level you need to up your game, elevate everything that you're doing because the market that you were currently serving and the way that you were promoting yourself within that market was okay, but now you want to take your business to another level. And that creates another challenge, for example when you want to take your business from one level to the next and the way you marketed and branded yourself at the current level, no longer serves you in the next level, only because the next level is a lot more competitive.
So those are three strategies to consider when exploring how best to make your brand stand out. Within each of those three concepts, there is obviously a lot of other information. So in the next couple of videos, I'll delve deeper into the specifics of what strategies and ideas that you can do to help your brand; for example, be more consistent or be more attractive.
If you enjoyed the strategies that I've shared today, why not leave a comment below and I'd love to hear what you think.
If you're ready here's 3 ways we can help:
To learn more about how FIRE Creative can help take your business branding and marketing to the next level book a complimentary brand discovery consultation here. In it, we'll explore what's work and what's not along with what your core branding objectives are.
What is branding?
A couple of weeks ago I was at a local networking event. While introducing myself to an attendee, the gentleman came back to me with a question, which is, "What is branding?" He said, "Is that like logo design?"
It's weird, 'but I get asked this question quite a lot. People say, "Oh, so is that logo design or graphic design?" So I thought I’d answer the question that, first, no, branding is not logo design. Branding and logo design are two very, very different things. Your logo design is just one aspect of your branding.
A lot of people think that branding is just the business image, that it's purely just your logo, your marketing etc. But it's not just how your business presents itself from an image perspective, it's also how it communicates. It's then how every single person in your business communicates. So if you think about your business and think about every single touchpoint that somebody has to connect with your business, each one is an opportunity for your brand to either do well or not do well and for me, it is definitely something that I think, business owners often overlook.
Especially in the area of customer service and customer relations. The number of brands that I go into, maybe on the surface they look really great, they've fantastic branding, fantastic look and feel, but then you walk into their shop and you get treated like, basically, crap. That is branding.
Why spend all that money having this great branding, great look and feel, only to have the people in your shop not flying the flag for your business. And if that person then doesn't carry through and doesn't represent your brand in the right way, then it's just a missed opportunity.
While people may look at that person and just see one person, every person is a network. Every person then knows lots of other people. I'm sure a lot of people already know how important word of mouth is in business, and this is where your branding and word of mouth can really, really make or break your business and your brand. And if like I say, on the surface you go to this length of having these really great brand values and you make a brand promise, but then you don't deliver on that brand promise, that is an impact on your branding.
Oh yes, and I nearly forgot, a book that I highly recommend that you read. The book's called "The E-Myth" by Michael Gerber, which, I think I have a copy here. It has some really great insights and ideas about what branding is, you'll find a couple of really great stories in it about how important branding is as part of the customer journey.
He tells a story, about how he went into a barbershop and the first time he went into the barbershop he had a great experience, he was offered tea and coffee and the whole thing was a really great experience. And then a couple of months later he went back to that same shop, and the second time he went into the shop, the haircut and whatever was fine, but he didn't get asked for coffee, the person wasn't as tentative as last time. But he thought he'd give them the benefit of the doubt, and then the third time that he went back, the experience was worse than the second time.
And he talks about, that most people naturally have this kind of "three strikes and you're out" process. So your first experience with that brand is really, really great. Obviously, the first thing you want to do is you want to go back and tell everyone, right? And if then you go back to that same place a second time and your second experience wasn't as good as the first experience, you kind of feel a little bit let down. And in the back of your mind, you're then thinking, "Mm, maybe I'll give them, maybe give them one more go." And if the third time, the experience isn't as good as the second or the first time, then you've kind of had it? You've lost the things. And I think given the fact there's so much competition out there, that these are really, really important things: making sure that you know all the different parts of your branding, and your branding really communicates and really is consistent across all the different things. That is what the difference between logo design and branding. Branding is everything. It's basically everything.
Thanks for reading, why not leave a comment below and I’d love to know what you think branding is.
Trust - The essential ingredient in effective brand communication.
“Trust is the glue of life. It’s an essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships”. Stephen Covey
Last month I attended the first ever UK Trust conference in London. The event was hosted by Talent Dynamics and featured a range of speakers from successful entrepreneurs to global company directors with Stephen MR Covey ( the son of well-known author Stephen Covey ) as the event’s keynote speaker.
The key topic of the event was ‘How to use trust and flow in your business to increase loyalty and profits’.
When you think about the present economic climate, from the recession to bank charges and PPI scandal, it’s not hard to see why this topic is a big talking point for many business owners. As a small business owner myself, I understand just how important trust is to building client relationships and word of mouth referrals.
There have been plenty of stories about big brands whose businesses have taken a nose dive, or who had to take a financial hit when a product or campaign mislead consumers or failed to deliver the promise they claimed.
And the growth of social media has made it harder for businesses and brands to hide from their mistakes or responsibilities. With so much competition brands have come to realise how valuable a loyal customer base is to create a sustainable and profitable business.
With so much great content covered by the speakers at the Trust Conference, I thought I’d share some of the key takeaways I got from the event;
Talk straight
This is all about being transparent, declaring your intent, being open and honest about what you can do and what will be done by others. It’s about using simple language E.G cutting out the industry fluff or *BS*.
Keep commitment
Business commitment or a service commitment – when you create a brand promise it's important to make sure you deliver on that promise.
Right wrongs
If a customer is unhappy to be quick to put things right. This is often hard, as it means holding your hands up when you’ve made a mistake. It’s about taking responsibility for your part and remembering that you just never know who this customer knows!
Listen first
Be 100% in the room. This is about listening to what your clients or customers are saying, the more you listen, the more you’ll be able to hear their challenges and create the right solutions. As a creative person, this is something I have often found difficult because ideas can happen spontaneously which means we can often jump in too early with ideas.
However, over the years I’ve learnt to hang back and ask better questions which in turn has allowed me to get to the heart of what the client is really looking to achieve.
Inspire Trust (Love this one!)
Speaking of people as though they are in the room which is about showing respect at all times. I think this is especially important for people in leadership and management roles when you want to create trust within a team or staff.
The common thread throughout the event was that whether in your personal or business life, there is no getting away from the fact that trust plays a vital role when creating confidence as well as credibility within the marketplace. The more trust there is the greater the rewards personally and financially.
So... how important is trust to you in relation to building a business or maybe you have a story to tell? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
Have a great month :-)
Debbie Evran