Have you noticed how simple it is to write loads and loads of content, whereas the real skill comes in being able to say what you need to say and to gain a response in as few words as possible.

Even better if you can do it in just one word….

T H I N K

Oh dear its not looking too good, after Welsh Water called me on August 5th to tell me that someone would be contacting me to arrange a visit, guess what – no one has called.

Just to add to the confusion on August 5th I was told they would contact me within 5 working days, so I called back on the 13th only to be told they have up to to 10 working days to contact me and arrange to come out.

So today their 10 working days are up and you guessed it I’ve still not been contacted. I’ve just called Welsh Water and am now waiting for the Customer Service Agent I am dealing with to call me back. So far he has provided a good service, but it seems their systems aren’t very customer centric.

One annoying point to this is that back on August 5th I had contacted my plumber for him to come out and see if he could find a leak, but on Welsh Waters advice I was told to put him on hold.

So essentially in the space of the last 2 weeks this matter is no further towards being resolved.

I do get the feeling this will become a protracted matter, oh dear!

OK I’ve just come to the end of a three monthly mega wrangle with a major mobile phone company trying to sort out a series of simple problems with my father’s account.

Thankfully I won’t bore you with any of  the details as this was quite simply one of the most horrendous experiences of non-customer service I have ever experienced. Only by a 4 page letter to the Chief Executive’s office have I at last managed to resolve it.

So guess what last Monday on my door mat was my water bill, that quite simply was enormous, huge, massive and wrong. Three calls later still no closer to resolution and I’m currently waiting on a call from their team to arrange for a visit to my cottage to find out where – wait for it – 333 litres of water are disappearing every day. Scary thing being I can’t see a drip anywhere.

I have decided in this case to put their Customer Service On Trial and will provide an ongoing update of this matter through my blog. Stay tuned for the next installment.

Its always good to see things that make you think, so for a little inspiration take a look at:

www.booneoakley.com

Let me know what you think!

So far 2009 has been a very epic year for me, and just today I’ve approved the branding for booguru my new marketing consultancy.
And of course I’m setting up a blog for booguru here on WordPress, so do feel free to take a peek at over the coming weeks.

Maybe because of the well documented cases of celebrity Twitters, there is certainly no avoiding this latest Internet must use social networking site.

What I really think is clever about Twitter is that it gives you just 140 characters to say what you are doing, this is a great challenge as it makes you focus on what you are going to write. Without this limit people would be free to just ramble on and on and on, which itself is counter to the way many people are living their lives these days. For example, with the Internet and email now easy to carry in the palm of your hand, an application such as Twitter makes more sense as you can update on the move, so short sharp entries make sense.

Of course whether other people will be interested in what you Twitter is a different matter!

It will be interesting to see just how big Twitter gets, and how people use and benefit from the application.

Even more interesting will be to see what comes after Twitter.

Well I’ve not blogged for a while, mainly because I have been busy preparing to set-up my own business. Still lots to do on that front and at the moment I’m keeping things under wraps until I’m ready to bring the beast to life.

So watch this space!

Something got me angry last night!

So I get home the phone rings and a wonderful computer generated voice greets me with:

 “Hello, when was the last time you reviewed your gas and electricity charges…..”

No surprise I hung up without bothering to listen to the rest of this call.

This type of marketing activity undermines the marketing profession, and importantly shows a lack of care or consideration for the potential customer, and ultimately such practices should not be allowed.

The problem with telephone marketing is that you are interrupting people in their own homes, you are forcing them to pick-up the phone. So to not even have the common decency of having a real human at the end of the phone is simply disrespectful.

You could argue this is no more than the telephone equivalent of DM, but I can choose when to open my mail so the irritation factor involved in opening a poorly executed piece of DM (I don’t mind good, intelligent and creative DM) is nowhere near as irritating as forcing me to go and answer my phone.

I’ve never been a fan of telemarketing but arguably there can be a time and a place for it. However, as for automated telemarketing messages, the message is simple – No.

In this recession the automotive sector is being hit particularly hard. There are a number of reasons for this, including:

• Consumer confidence is low.
• Purchasing decisions are being deferred.
• Cars are generally very reliable so they don’t need to be replaced.
• Upgrading is being replaced by making-do as a mind-set.
• Increasing personal debt is being shunned due to uncertainty about the future.
• New car sales are in increasing competition with used car sales.

As this sector is of significant importance to the UK economy, the current and rapid collapse in new car sales needs to be addressed. However, this is going to be a very tough one to turn around.

Yet as ever there are things that can be done to win sales even in such difficult times. Simply advertising more won’t be enough instead it is going to be critically important to spend time improving targeting and redefining the messages and even the product offer.

For example:

• Not all consumers are going to be as affected by the recession. The more insulated groups include for example:
  • Civil Servants
  • Pensioners
  • Emergency services professionals
  • The teaching profession

Yes within in each of these groups there will be variations in terms of employment contract and levels of income, but many of them are people who enjoy higher levels of job security or good pension incomes. This doesn’t mean they won’t be feeling the need to cut back a bit, but at the same time they will be in a better position than most to consider a significant purchase such as a new car.

So there would seem to be logic to targeting these and other similar groups.

• Much of the marketing of new cars has revolved around creating a branded proposition, giving people lifestyle reasons to buy the product. The advert for the new Ford Fiesta is a prime example.(http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/847655/Ford-Fiesta-ad-uses-modern-design-target-women/)

Here women are being targeted as buyers for a small car that is being reinvented as a style icon, (not my words). Whilst the creative execution is excellent, you have to question whether this is the time to slice off big chunks of your potential customer base. To illustrate this I can reveal that I drive a small car (it makes sense), my uncle always has owned small cars, and my rugby playing personal trainer has a Fiesta. So either we are all doing something wrong or Ford no longer wants to sell us a Fiesta because our gender is wrong?

So should we change the way we market cars – Yes. Right now we need to start giving people real reasons why they should buy the product. This could include: fuel efficiency, lower running costs, warranties and reliability.

Essentially buying new must be seen to make more sense than buying used. Mini with their exceptional service package have successfully done this, and it surprises me that other manufactures haven’t followed suit.

By delivering new messages to the most appropriate target groups manufactures would at least be maximising their opportunity to win sales in the current economic climate, simply trying to fight on price alone will not be sufficient to win sales from a disinterested customer base.

So 2009 is going to be a tough year and winning sales will require changes in the way we market in order to challenge the decline in consumer confidence.

Such changes will be needed if for example you concur with the view that we are moving from an era where it was easy to sell anything to anyone, (in a time when credit was plentiful and people had a love affair with shopping), to a time where consumers are being cautious and their purchasing decisions are going to be much more considered. On this basis the need to change the way we market becomes self evident.

Yes it goes without saying that the level of online marketing activity will continue to increase, but for this to be optimally effective the messages it ultimately leads customers too will need to be adjusted to ensure they appropriately resonate with their audience.

To gain sales time would be well spent thinking about the mindset your current and potential customers are currently living in.

For example if you are a small service provider and know that there are larger more expensive competitors, logic would suggest that their customers are looking for ways to save money by changing supplier.

But you will stand a better chance of winning this business if you adjust your marketing message to ensure you have a greater appeal to this potential new customer. Start by trying to think why they didn’y choose you in the first instance, did they think being small made you not as good as the bigger business? You could then counter this by providing them with reassurance that even though you are a small business you provide an excellent service; have a strong track record and satisfied customers who will vouch for you.

Overall because times are changing now is the time to change marketing messages to make them, more:

·     Relevant

·     Compelling

·     Persuasive

·     Reassuring

Importantly don’t just change messages for the sake of it; instead ensure that any changes are based on good logic, derived from careful thought and consideration for both your existing customer base and the potential new customers you need to attract.