Wet Basement ?

This is a good billboard because if you have or had a wet basement you will pay attention to it.

When you advertise on a billboard remember that you only have a few seconds to catch the attention of your prospects.

You are most likely to grab attention by addressing their current pain.

If you were driving by this billboard while experiencing suffering with a wet basement at home, you'll pay attention and note the contact information.

If you don't have a wet basement you won't pay attention and you were not a prospect.


George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing
Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

If the President of the Company Won't Help You

The saga of the company president who didn't value me as a customer - even though I had been a customer for 13 years.

The story so far...
I was unhappy with customer service and contacted the company president. The conversation started well and quickly went sour.

Trying to salvage the relationship I sent the following message to John, the company president.
--------------------
John,

Perhaps it was a bad day.

I'm willing to forgive and forget and discuss any part of recent discussions. Perhaps we can talk on Monday or Tuesday. Let me know when you would like to talk.

Email me the best times. I will confirm and you can call me at 905-555-555.

George

--------------------------

As you can see, I offered him an out - a chance to backtrack and save the relationship. Most importantly I tried to take this discussion to a phone discussion and out of email. Phone calls are much warmer than texting or email.

Would he soften? Would he accept my offer to discuss like real people by phone?

-----------------------

Hi George

Maybe that day last week was a bad day for you, but for me it was an amazing day.  Closed a decent sized Barter Town deal, continued training our franchisee and attended a large Barter Town event that was a huge success!

Unfortunately, after sleeping on it, I still feel that it would be better for us to not do business going forward.  The product that you offer is not easy to get our clients to bite on and I don’t want  to disappoint you any further with our program or how we operate.  I do take your comments about Chris seriously and will work to rectify any issues on our end when it comes to his performance.

In the recent past when I was reviewing your website I noticed that there was a referral from us posted there. I would respectfully ask that you delete it as we will your account. 

I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.  Should you come across a potential customer that is not wanting to pay you in cash and you would like to offer them the ability to trade (as a last resort to close a deal), then maybe at that time we could fire up your account again and help close a deal for you.

John

----------------
He had a good day! Wow! Ego spilling out in that first paragraph. No compassion from him for his clients.

I was his client and I had also provide service to him - so his comment in the fourth paragraph about deleting his endorsement from my website was curious at best. It was probably written in a spiteful mood.

By the way, I've noticed that when a person starts a sentence with the phrase "respectfully" they really don't mean respect. They are simply trying to appear respectful for appearance.

His last paragraph is silly. Clearly it is a standard text that he uses in many conversations as a last resort.

I offered him the opportunity to repair the relationship, he ignores me and still tries his standard sales pitch.

My last reply is below.
---------------

Hi John,

Good to hear that you are both feeling and doing well.

I agree - let's call it quits and let's call it even. I'm honoured to contribute to your foundation.

I had hoped that a phone call would have served to end our relationship of 13 years on a positive note.

I believe that over the years I have contributed articles and tips to Barter Town. In addition I have provided referrals and recommendations for Barter Town and members. Feel free to reprint or leverage any of those as you wish. I have no intention to retract them.

Sorry to hear that you are no longer willing to be quoted about my service to Barter Town.

All the best to you. I hope that we might do business again.

George Torok

----------------

The names have been changed to protect the guilty.
What do you feel and think?

Here are the five chapters in this series of abusive conversations with the company president.

Chapter 1: Do You Trust the President of the Company? 

Chapter 2: Saga of bad service and President with really bad attitude

Chapter 3: Saga of the President Missing the Save

Chapter 4: Saga of the Company President with an Attitude

Chapter 5: If the President of the Company Won't Help You

George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing
Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Saga of the Company President with an Attitude

Imagine the possibilities if you called your customers to have a conversation to help solve their problems.


The story so far...

I was unhappy with the service with a barter service company and tried to save the relationship. I had a 13 year relationship with this company so I contacted the president first by voice mail and then by email.

His initial email replies were positive until I answered his question about "What was lacking?".

So I told him with this email.
--------------------
Hello John,

Thank you for your reply and offer.

The main issue is the poor working relationship with my broker.

I feel there is a lack of trust, lack of respect, lack of effort and lack of response. I believe that I have been misled. I do not feel that my broker was working on my behalf. Instead I've been given insulting excuses and a you-versus-me positioning.

The exchanges over the past year have been too aggravating. I can't believe that I was paying to be treated that way.

George Torok

------------------

He responded with the following message.

He starts off by apologizing. That's a good start. The rest of the first paragraph is about nothing that I've raised.

The second paragraph is a continuance of the first paragraph.

In the third paragraph he suggests that my comments are far fetched. Was he really calling me a liar?

But nowhere does he offer a way to solve this. Still no phone call.
-----------------
Hi George

I'm sorry that you feel that way. It's unfortunate that clients in our network are placing a higher priority on using their TRADEdollars for expenses other than business coaching and training etc. The fact is, it's extremely hard to bring you business as it is all of our sales trainers etc.

I can switch you to a different broker but I fear that they will have the same difficulty bringing you new business so we will be back to the same frustration on your part.

Your comments below seem to be far-fetched. How have you been misled, that's a strong word and would imply that you have been lied to.

John
----------------
Why didn't he just call me?

I called him twice before we went to email and suggested a call more than once in email.

What emotions are triggered when someone calls your comments "far-fetched"?

This time my reply was short.
---------------
Curious.

You asked me a question and then you discount my answer.

Where do you want to go with this?

George

----------
This was was a short and simple message offering him the opportunity to reflect.

His response below is an indication of his position and how firm he is in maintaining that position.
---------
George

I have not discounted your answer, I merely suggested that the comments SEEMED far-fetched. I also provided feedback as to why I feel that you have not gotten a lot of business. Furthermore, I relayed to you that no matter which broker you have in our office, your frustrations may still be there because ultimately the product that you offer on trade is not that desirable.

I think that your overall tone has been a little harsh and I would agree that it is better for us to part ways.

In the recent past when I was reviewing your website I noticed that there was a referral from us posted there. I would respectfully ask that you delete it as we will your account.

Let me know,

John
--------------

John is defending again. He now attempts to emphasise the word SEEMED by putting it in caps. And he claims that he was providing feedback - on a topic that I had not raised nor invited feedback. 

In the next paragraph he attacks me by critizing my tone. Reread the previous posts and you decide about tone. I am his customer and he criticizes me. Very curious. When someone realizes they are wrong they often attack you to take attention away from the real issue.

The last paragraph is most curious. This SEEMS to be purely vindictive. He has hired me a couple times and he willingly wrote a glowing testimonial for that work. Now, he's taking it back. Was that a lie?

He framed his request with the phrase "I would respectfully". When someone starts a sentence with those words they are not being respectful. They don't respect you. They are lying to you.


What happens next?
Could it get any worse?
What would you do if you were the president?
What would you do if you were the customer?

Another Customer Relationship RIP

 

Here are the five chapters in this series of abusive conversations with the company president.

Chapter 1: Do You Trust the President of the Company? 

Chapter 2: Saga of bad service and President with really bad attitude

Chapter 3: Saga of the President Missing the Save

Chapter 4: Saga of the Company President with an Attitude

Chapter 5: If the President of the Company Won't Help You

George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing

Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Saga of the President Missing the Save

The story so far....

I was unhappy with the service and contacted the company president (who knew me) to ask for a change of representative on my account. Although he didn't respond to two of my voice messages a week apart he did respond to my email in a positive frame. His last question to me was about what I felt was lacking in the relationship.

I felt encouraged by his interest and responded with the following email.
----------------

Hello John,

Thank you for your reply and offer.

The main issue is the poor working relationship with my broker.

I feel there is a lack of trust, lack of respect, lack of effort and lack of response. I believe that I have been misled. I do not feel that my broker was working on my behalf. Instead I've been given insulting excuses and a you-versus-me positioning.

The exchanges over the past year have been too aggravating. I can't believe that I was paying to be treated that way.

George Torok

--------------

As you can see, I was clearly an unhappy customer. If you were the CEO how would you respond to this open and honest feedback?

But when you read his reply you will see that even though John had asked the question he apparently didn't really want honest feedback. Sometimes people ask questions because they want to appear to be helpful but don't really want to listen to the answer.

It looks like the president saw my comments as unwanted criticism. His reply seemed more about defending than about discovering.

Read his response. By the way, you might wonder why he didn't pick up the phone and call me. I wondered the same thing.

----------

Hi George

I'm sorry that you feel that way. It's unfortunate that clients in our network are placing a higher priority on using their Barter dollars for expenses other than business coaching and training etc. The fact is, it's extremely hard to bring you business as it is all of our sales trainers etc.

I can switch you to a different broker but I fear that they will have the same difficulty bringing you new business so we will be back to the same frustration on your part.

Your comments below seem to be far-fetched. How have you been misled, that's a strong word and would imply that you have been lied to.

John

---------

Notice two things about his reply.

First
He responded to a different question. He talked about clients being reluctant to spend their money on coaching and training. That is a part of my business - but I had not raised that as a concern. Read my previous message and you will see that "my issue is the poor working relationship with my broker".

His response might say more about his own concerns.


Second


The strongest word in this message was "far-fetched".

In particular the phrase that grabbed my attention was: "Your comments below seem to be far-fetched."

He even went on to say "How have you been misled, that's a strong word and would imply that you have been lied to."

This would seem the time to pick up the phone or arrange a phone call. And curious that he left the question mark off that last statement - as if it really wasn't a question at all. He didn't offer to fix things or discover more.

That sentence started as a question and ended as a positioning statement.

Next

What happens when the president stops listening to customers?


Here are the five chapters in this series of abusive conversations with the company president.

Chapter 1: Do You Trust the President of the Company? 

Chapter 2: Saga of bad service and President with really bad attitude

Chapter 3: Saga of the President Missing the Save

Chapter 4: Saga of the Company President with an Attitude

Chapter 5: If the President of the Company Won't Help You

George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing
Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Saga of bad service and President with really bad attitude

Can the President save the client relationship?

When you are unhappy with the service of a business you can leave or you might contact the highest authority and ask for improved service.

I was a customer of a barter service company for over a decade. I liked the folks but things had gone bad. Before I quit I contacted the president of the company to try to improve things and give them another chance. I was surprised and disappointed by his response.

First I called the president of the company and one week later I left another voice message for him. Then I sent the following email. (The names have been altered to protect the guilty.)

--------------------------------

Hi John,

This email confirms the voice message that I left for you today. This call was in follow-up to the voice message that I left for you on November 21.

In that first message I asked to be reassigned to your best and most respected broker. I have been unhappy lately with the service but based on our long relationship wanted to give it another chance.

The lack of response, suggests that you don't value me as a customer. So please complete that silent message and close my account.

thank you

George Torok

------------------------
Although I didn't get a response to two voice mails I did receive the following email which sounded promising.

He apologized, explained about his busy time and offered to comply with my request. He even asked about details of  my dissatisfaction. This message seemed positive and hopeful to me. This was a good start to retain me as a customer.
------------------------
Hi George

My apologies for not getting back to you, you caught me in our absolute busiest time of the year, ie: we had a massive charity auction on Nov. 23 and a large Christmas party on Nov. 25 and now I'm out west supporting our franchisees here and interviewing for a new office in Tombstone.

I should have changed my vmail at the office to direct messages to my cell or my assistant.

I'm happy to look at re-assigning your account to a different broker but first I want to understand the issue that you have with your current broker or Barter Town in general. Is it lack of exposure?, lack of bringing you new business?, lack of response on following up with purchase requests?

Please let me know.
John
--------------------

What happened next?
How did this go off the rails?
What words jumped out at you in this message?

The word that grabbed my attention was the word "lack" perhaps because he stated it three times.

Watch for the next post to learn more.

This is a real life example of how to NOT build good customer relationships.

 Here are the five chapters in this series of abusive conversations with the company president.

Chapter 1: Do You Trust the President of the Company? 

Chapter 2: Saga of bad service and President with really bad attitude

Chapter 3: Saga of the President Missing the Save

Chapter 4: Saga of the Company President with an Attitude

Chapter 5: If the President of the Company Won't Help You

George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing
Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Do You Trust the President of the Company?

If you can’t trust the president who can you trust?

Some company presidents don’t realize that they are the strongest marketing spokesperson for their company.

Positive or negative.

We will judge your company on how your CEO or president acts, speaks and treats us.

The president can be the best blessing for the company or the poison that destroys your marketing efforts.

If your president is a public relationships liability – hide him in the deepest cellar you can find.

If he is truly focused on customers – parade him about as much as you can.

If the president knows but doesn’t do the right things – sit down and have a serious conversation about who should talk to clients and how.

Watch for the details of a disastrous conversation that I experienced with the president of a barter company. 
When the president doesn't get it - what kind of customer service can you expect from the staff?


Here are the five chapters in this series of abusive conversations with the company president.

Chapter 1: Do You Trust the President of the Company? 

Chapter 2: Saga of bad service and President with really bad attitude

Chapter 3: Saga of the President Missing the Save

Chapter 4: Saga of the Company President with an Attitude

Chapter 5: If the President of the Company Won't Help You

George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing
Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Power Marketing Tip 50: You are not a Brand

You are not a Brand - You are a Person 

What do you see when you look in the mirror?

It's not a logo or a brand staring back at you. It's your face. That face is a sign that you are a human being.

Don't get fooled by the pundits claiming that you must have a personal brand to succeed. While they're preaching "Brand or die" they're fitting you for their version of branding. It's like the used-car sales rep saying, "Trust me. This car is perfect for you".

Back to the mirror

Smile. Notice the warmth conveyed when you smile. Notice how friendly you look when you smile. What do you feel is more attractive - a logo or that smile?

Examine that face. That face is the outward expression of all your wisdom, experience and character. Brands don't possess any of that. Why would you trivialize your character by calling it a brand?

Look closely at your eyes. The old expression is "the eyes are the window to the soul". Behind those eyes are your values, emotions and personality. Go ahead and wink at yourself. What did you see? Brands can't wink at you.

Instead of fretting about your brand, get more comfortable with yourself. Identify and reinforce your strengths because that's why people will like and buy from you.

Take everything that is you and build better relationships.

Those relationships will be far more powerful than any brand. Relationships are multi-dimensional while brands are flat. Relationships are living connections between people while brands are corporate attempts to induce a zombie-like trance on customers.

Some might suggest that if you build relationships your personal brand will evolve from that. That's okay, but don't focus on the brand because the brand will at best be a shadow of your personality. If you focus on shaping the shadow you risk losing the benefits of being a human being.

Who would you rather do business with - a brand or a person?

George Torok

George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Do You Really Want the Cheapest Price?

Remember the Lada?

Cheap - Cheap - Cheap!

Russian made car. First imported into Canada in the 80's. People referred to it as a throw-away car. Use once then discard. The resale value of a used Lada was nil - nada -nyet.

The car didn't last.

Why? Maybe people didn't really want cheap.

People say they want the lowest price when they don't know what to say. Perhaps they are afraid to admit their wants and desires. When they are confused with buying options they can say, "The price was too much." Whey they see no difference in the competition they will compare price.

Curious, the Lada failed. Yet Porshe, BMW and Ferrari are still around.


George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing
Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter