Apple™ are goliaths in the world IT market, it is no secret they do not hawk the cheapest products in the market nor do they possess niche control. What then is it about these types of mega-brands that engages their customers? Why do customers return again and again to these brands when there are a plethora of cheaper and in some cases better alternatives?
It is their ability to have quality conversations with their customers. It is the ability of the company itself to recognise and differentiate a high value client from a window shopper and to treat those customers accordingly and with respect. Put simply it is BRAND TRUST, and it is backbone of any long term sales strategy. Case in counterpoint is poor old Vodafone™ (Australia) who have had several PR disasters in recent years in this market and are still trying to recover.
Without trust customers are simply not engaged and therefore unattached. What is a quality conversation and how does it elicit engagement? I would suggest it is one in which the customer feels understood, and one in which there is brand/client parity. Remember that old pearl, seek first to understand if you would seek to be understood? I am not suggesting that customer is always right but that the customer in fact just wants to be heard.
It astounds me that many companies today still fail to understand that customers are real life human beings governed by human emotions and capable of independent decision making. The impact therefore of human touch points for the customer cannot be understated. Yet often it is in this very capacity many service or retail focused industries stumble. Too often your brand ambassadors are themselves not committed to your brand, and that apathy (in some cases animosity) is undoing any investment you are making in advertising and branding. The end…..
Okay, maybe not. However, if your sales teams and customer service agents and not impassioned by the company they work for then they cannot build that client trust and quite frankly the customer is astute enough to distinguish that.
The goal then would be to impassion your employees, would it not? With marketing budgets and customer retention programs under constant pressure it would seem naïve, nay even reckless, to implement engagement and retention strategies without first getting the commitment of those who will execute them for you?
How? Here is the $64,000 question (insert your marketing and recruitment budget here). Quality conversations begin at home, that’s right, if you want your brand ambassadors to build trust and brand engagement then it starts with you and your leadership group (note the absence of the word management). Quality conversations are demonstrated by the five C’s.
Reference is often made to “business acumen”. I suggest that this does not just denote the ability to negotiate commercial agreements or understand sales/production cycles but that it in fact refers to quality of the team you build around you. Long term success is not determined by the personalities of your managers, but by the character of your leaders.
The character traits of a Care, Compassion, Communication, Congruency and Commendation. Your employees are also human, NEVER forget this. Your leaders will care what these people think and respond appropriately, and the staff should know you care.
Leaders should show compassion/empathy for the employee’s point of view in a way that is measurable (staff attrition, seems obvious doesn’t it?). This is achieved through effective communication. True communication is evidenced by openness and the ability of your leader to deliver news of change, success and challenges with equal aplomb and for the team member to feel as if they are being listened to. Congruency in deed as well as word is paramount to building trust within your team and is in fact a defining characteristic of a leader.
Over the last decade I have recruited and managed over 300 contractors and employees, with a staff attrition rate well below industry averages. I put it down to liberal use of the above qualities and lastly and most importantly commendation. I hold to a simple principle when it comes to staff engagement, use praise liberally and criticism appropriately and sparingly.
Employee engagement is the secret to customer engagement. In most businesses they will be your single biggest investment and an appropriate level of consideration should be given to maintaining and ensuring they are operating at maximum effectiveness.
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