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May 29, 2008
Sometimes
We Just Need To Do what's Right!
It
doesn't happen often but today I really got angry with the way I was
treated by a company who's product I purchased. A few weeks ago I
purchased the 2008 version of Norton Anti-virus. As you know, or really
should know, you can't connect to the Internet without a good anti-Virus
program. It's a recipe for disaster!
Well,
sure enough, I opened a site and my computer crashed. When I booted up,
I found all these messages and icons where they shouldn't be, my home
page changed, and my firewall turned off! I had a virus. I did a virus
scan that did not turn up anything. Fortunately, I read one of the error
messages and "Googled" the file name and found which virus I
got.
I
e-mailed Norton, told them I scanned my computer and gave them the name
of the virus I had and asked how to remove it. After two days they sent
me a canned reply telling me to do a scan! I replied I updated my files,
scanned my computer, but the virus was still there. They sent me another
reply telling me to update my files and do a scan. These were
"canned" responses and it was obvious these were not personal
replies at all.
But here
is the kicker: I was told that if their product did not catch the virus
and my computer got infected, they would not help me and I had to use
their "fee-based" service to remove the virus! Translation: If
our product fails to do what it was designed to do, you have to pay to
make things right!
Look,
this is not a rant about my issues. I resolved those myself after an
hour or two of research and another couple of hours of deleting files
and scanning our hard drives. What it is, however, is about doing what
is right when it comes to your products and your customers.
The
correct way to handle this would have been to share the process for
removing the virus with me as a customer. I easily found it on line and
I was able to totally remove it using a process that was very clear and
concise. Norton could have given me that process very easily and I would
have been happy and satisfied. Heck, I might have been praising them in
this space instead because they at least created the perception that
they cared!
Today,
many companies care more about making a short-term dollar than creating
a life long customer. It would have cost them nothing to e-mail the
procedures. No postage, no ink, no envelope. Instead, they held out for
a fee to provide the information. The result is that next year, when it
comes time to purchase Anti-Virus software, Norton will be last on my
list if on the list at all.
Products
sometimes fail. It is what we do when that happens that reveals our
"true colors" to our customers. This program didn't do what it
was supposed to do and the result is that I am expected to pay for the
resolution. To me that says a lot....
PS. This
is kind of funny, now. I wrote to Norton to complain about the
"canned responses and lack of meaningful direction. They replied
that they were sorry and that I should update my files and do a scan of
my computer. That actually made me smile. Sometimes you just can't make
this stuff up. Hopefully, this has you thinking about how you would feel
or respond with the same situation!
May 12, 2008
Are Your
Customers Excited When They Come To Buy From You?
This is
something we do not often really think about. Depending on your products
or services, people may or may not be excited to purchase from you. This
will be the case regardless of how great your products are or how
awesome your customer service is.
For
example, let's say that I am a dentist specializing in root canal
therapy. No matter how great a job I do, no matter how nice my office
staff is, and no matter how accommodating we are to your schedule and
needs, NO ONE is going to look forward to , or be excited about, getting
a root canal! The same could be said for paying to have your car
serviced or getting an appliance repaired. People need to have these
things done, but they are not excited about having to pay for the
experience!
If your
industry, products, or services fall into one of these categories, it is
especially important that you take every step possible to make the
experience as painless and pleasant as possible. We want to provide an
environment and experience that will make our customers choose us rather
than our competition. Most important, though, is that we do not want to
give anyone the reason to put off having these services done or
purchasing those products.
When
people want to buy something, they will carve time out of their schedule
to do it. When a man is going to purchase a big screen HDTV, he will
rearrange his schedule to get to the stores in minutes! Give that same
guy the task of getting his washing machine fixed, and he will find
excuse after excuse to put it off! Why? There is no "reward"
in actually getting that task done.
So when
you next take a look at your business and your customer experience, try
and figure out if your customers are excited to buy or just have to buy.
It just might shed a new light on how you view your business and your
customers.
May 5, 2008
Hey, When
things Seem Too Hard or Will Take Too Long!
We live
in a society that craves instant gratification. If we can promise
something with instant results, we have got it made! Try to sell
something that will take a lot of time and effort to use? Good luck! The
fact is, however, some things just take time to conquer. You might be
able to neglect it, but you can't beat it! So, what can we do?
The key
is to break down large tasks or goals into smaller components. For
example, if you have to lose 50 pounds, that is a daunting task. But if
you break it up into 5 pound "mini-goals", then you can stay
on track and remain motivated easier. Even with the small goals, a
person has to do something to achieve their goal. They have to take some
kind of action to make a change actually happen. Changes are dreams
combined with actions!
These
actions do not have to be huge, earth shattering accomplishments! They
can be small actions that add up over time. If you are waiting for one
big accomplishment, you might spend the rest of your life trying to make
that happen. Most of the time, you will give up before you achieve your
goal. It is better to make slow and steady progress than to go full
speed ahead and then quit.
If you
have a goal to walk 365 miles, which is better: Walking 10 miles a day
and quitting after 5 days because you hurt and are tired, or walking one
mile a day for a year? At the end of the year, you reached your goal
because you were able to stay the course. In the end, it is better to
stay on course than to try to do something hard and fast.
Sometimes
we don't have the luxury of unlimited time. In these cases, we have to
motivate ourselves to see things through. But when we do have the time,
it is better to commit to the goal rather than seeing how fast you can
achieve it.
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