Customer Loyalty vs. Consumer Loyalty

Are you kidding me?? Is what I can hear you all saying. Does he not realize that the customer is the consumer and the consumer is the customer?

Are you ready for this............Yep! I promise I have a reason for this obvious title to my post. But hold on...... do I always I have to be a customer if I am consuming a product? When my wife goes to the grocery store she is "customer" or buying certain products that she brings home for our family to eat. My son who doesn't buy any of it, consumes what we buy. According to Dictionary.com a consumer is defined, "One that consumes, especially one that acquires goods or services for direct use or ownership rather than for resale or use in production and manufacturing." Now let's look at what a customer is, "a person who purchases goods or services from another; buyer; patron." So you have one that buys the product and one that is a consumer of the product. Do you have to become a customer before you become a consumer? If this is the case, would it be helpful to create customer loyalty before you create consumer loyalty? I would say........yep!

How do you create customer loyalty? What are some things that you could do to foster repeat business, because, let's be honest, that is really the reason for creating customer loyalty. It starts with the CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.

The other day my wife and I were in a furniture store looking for a desk for our office in our home. After walking around in the home office section for 10-15 minutes we found a desk that we liked a lot. After another 5- 10 minutes hoping someone would come help us answer some of our questions I finally had to go and ask for help. The thing that was really interesting was that their customer service reps were all standing around talking to one another and the counter they were standing at was maybe 10 feet away from us. Once we got someones attention we had a few questions that were answered in a "I can't believe they are bothering me with this stuff right now" kind of attitude. My wife is sensitive to this kind of stuff which I think is great! She can tell very quickly whether someone is genuinely wanting to help or just doing their job. After a few minutes we just said thank you and left. Do you think we will be going back there any time soon to buy something? Is it possible the next time we are at a friends house or in a doctors office that we will be sitting on a piece of furniture from this company? Granted we are not buying the couch or chair, but remember we are using it for "direct use". Will that make us want to go buy from them? Think about the logic here everyone! If you don't have a memorable customer experience will you become a loyal customer? I will leave that up to you. If you "consume" or use one of their products down the road will you be a loyal consumer? Can you see the affects the customer experience can have on people?

Why is customer loyalty important to you?
How would it change the way you look at customers if your number one priority was to make them happy?
Can a loyal customer become a loyal consumer without a great customer experience involved?

The $3.00 Car Wash

I know for all of you loyal fans out there you have been waiting on the edge of your seat for another post. :) Not really, but it has been a pretty crazy few months here at Corvirtus.

So the other day, yesterday in fact, I took a lunch break, doesn't really happen that often so I decided I would take advantage of this rare occasion and go and wash my car. Here in Colorado Springs there are car washes everywhere, most of them being owned by gas stations or you have the self service ones. However there is one really nice drive through car wash here in the Springs that I love. The kind where you stay in your car and it does all the work. The problem is it is a good 20 minute drive to get there. I know crazy, but this car wash is so nice they do such a nice job, and it's only $3.00, so for me it was worth the drive. I have been going to this car wash since we moved here a year ago. On my way to this car wash I often pass another one but it is always more expensive. I always avoid this one and go to the car wash across town. However, yesterday that all changed. As I was sitting at a stop light I looked up and noticed I had stopped across the street from this other more expensive car wash. But wait a second, what does that sign say?!! $3.00 car wash AND free vacuum. I had to jump on this so I changed lanes went over there and got in line. I couldn't believe it, a car wash that's closer and the same price as the one across town, not to mention, FREE vacuum!! This was a gold mind for me, as I tend to wash my car quite often ( I know it's a sickness really).

As I am sitting there waiting in line, notice I said waiting in line there were a good 6-7 cars in front of me and another 3-4 behind me, I saw a man standing at the machine where you swipe your card and pick your wash. I couldn't figure out if the machine was broken or what, but the more I watched the more I noticed he was assisting the customers with their payments. It was my turn, I had to figure out who owned this place and tell him what a great idea he had. As the guy welcomed me he began to tell me the difference between the $3.00 car wash and the $5.00 car wash. With the $3.00 car wash you get your basic wash and you only get 3 of the 7 dryers blowing on your car, he tells me. The $5.00 car wash you get the undercarriage washed, a pressure wash on your wheels and tires, and a nice scrub to them as well. Side note: One of my weaknesses is tires and wheels ( it's sad) I need them clean. I had to go with with the $5.00 car wash. Our conversation continued and I asked who owned this car wash, he preceded to raise his hand and smile. I told him how I was on my way to the other car wash and saw his and couldn't pass it up especially because it was closer. He thanked me, swiped my card, we said goodbye and I pulled forward.

As I pulled forward it hit me, GENIUS!! This guy just totally sold me! He lured me in with the $3.00 car wash, explained the pros and cons of each one and let me decide. I bit and the rest is history. Side note #2: He runs a full service lube center as well. So you can get your oil changed and car washed for a fraction of the price of any dealership in town. He also had the option of a full service wash and detail. As I drove through the wash I kept thinking about what a great idea this man had and how well he was executing it. I pulled next to the vacuums and vacuumed my car, even though it really didn't need it, but I had to take advantage of it, free vacuums remember!

The point of the story is what ever you take away from it. There are so many good lessons that can be taken from this. Here are a few of mine:

Be different
Be unique
Location, location, location
The importance of creating customer loyalty

The list could go on. What about you? What did you take away from this experience?

Practice Practice Practice

So for the past few months Corvirtus has been going through a bit of a change. Many companies are dealing with department reductions, and employee reductions, and mergers etc......... At Corvirtus we just open up new departments in the middle of a recession. :) Let me explain.

Corvirtus has been in the hospitalilty industry working with many restaurants over the years. Some of which include Outback Steakhouse, Darden Restaurants, Brinker International, Houlihans etc......... Through our relationships with many of these companies is how Corvirtus has managed to stay afloat. Now that this recession has showed its ugly face Corvirtus was forced to take a more proactive approach to getting new customers. No more of this sitting around and waiting for the phone to ring, hence the new department that needed to be created and opened, sales. That is where I come in along with another teammate of mine. We were hired at the beginning of the year to bring in business. In order for us to do that we need to have a sound sales process put into place otherwise we would not have any idea of what we are doing and no clear direction whatsoever.

So for the past 10 months this other colleague and myself, along with the help of our teammates here at Corvirtus have been fighting tooth and nail to get a foot hold in our market. We hired an outside sales consultancy to help us define our sales cycle and coach us on what we should do. The time came last month were we felt like it was time to take the training wheels off and see if we could do this on our own. We, by no means, think we know it all and have the solution for everything. There is no doubt that what we have is basic and we grow from here. What we do have is an aweome product offering in Assessments that can pretty much speak for itself. Corvirtus has assessments that can find people that will Perform, Fit, and Stay within your organization. So far I think we are doing a good job of beginning to understand what the market is doing and how we can best utilize the market to get our name and brand out there. There is no doubt it is a work in progress, but we are moving in the right direction and that is all you could ask for at this point.

Still Kicking

I know it has been awhile since I have posted anything to my blog. This has been a crazy busy summer and this fall is going to be even crazier. But some of things I have learned in these past 3 months or so will stay with me forever. The NRA show in Chicago was a great way to find new prospects. I was able to attend a reception for MFHA on the 80th floor of the Mid America Club in Chicago. Talk about high!!! For those of you that watch the Food Network, yes I watch it, but mainly because my wife loves some of the cooking shows, I will admit however I do like The Next Food Network Star. Anyway, I was able to meet last years winner Aaron McCargo Jr. Cool guy, you can tell he is just getting into the swing of things but he was nice enough to chat with me for a few minutes. See picture below. :) Disclaimer, I am drinking Sprite :)



After a very tiring 4 days of the show we came back to Colorado to start the follow up, and to be totally honest with you, I say you because I know there are about 2 people that read this other than my wife. :) We have been doing follow up and working on other things in my sales funnel. There have been some that have weeded themselves out and some that have jumped in head first blazen ready to go!



Around the beginning of July I got a call that could potentially change my life--if it hasn't already. It was a call from a multi billion dollar retail store that was interested in piloting some of our assessments. Through about 100 conversations in 3 weeks, not kidding, we ran the pilot and just got back from presenting the results. It has been a crazy July and beginning of August but it has changed the way I do business, for the better.



We are now gearing up to head down to Brazil next week for some great opportunities that could help us in the international business world. For those of you who don't know, I served a mission for the LDS church back in 2002-2004 in Brazil and had the awesome opportunity to learn to speak Portuguese fluently. This has no doubt helped us in our efforts to open up some great relations with the people down there. And now, we are heading down there to train some of our current customers and meet with some potential customers.



So that is what on the horizon for Corvirtus in the next little while. Later!

Taylor

Attitude

I try to include a message here and there that may help someone out there that needs to hear this. How many times do we talk about Attitude and the importance of carrying yourself with respect for others and for yourself. I have learned the hard way that in order to have a better respect for those that are around you, you need to first respect yourself. How you treat everyone that you come in contact with has some sort of effect whether it be negative or positive. To ask the obvious question, which kind of taste would you want to leave in the mouth of whom you come in contact with? In a sales role there are going to be rejections, it comes with the job description. It's how you handle those rejections that is going to set you apart from the competition. Do we take no for an answer? The answer is YES. What!!! Yeah I know let me explain. So when you have come across someone that has no use for you product do you think that by pushing your way in and saying you NEED this product, that will make them say, Oh ok! Absolutley not! Obviouse right? We can't get them all but it is how we react to the No's that will define who you are as a "salesman."

If they don't see the value or benefit of what we have to offer why would they say yes.

Imagine you walk into an icecream shop and you ask the person at the counter what is good. They procede to tell you all of their personal favorite flavors. So you tell him that you want the oreo cookie ice cream, which is one that they did not mention. He or she is sitting there thinking, "what's the point in asking me what's good if you don't take my recommendations?"

Now enters that same person to ask the same person the same question. Imagine that the person behind the counter first asks, have you ever been here before. Customer-"no I haven't." Employee- "ok, well it depends on what you like, do you like fruit in your icecream or are you more of a cookie lover." "Yeah I do like cookies, what about this oreo cookie icecream?" Alot of the customers love the oreo cookies icecream." "Ok, I'll try the oreo cookie icecream." So what's the difference? The worker added value to his product, so instead of telling the customer what his personal interests are he/she added value by asking the customer likes. Customers buy this flavor for a reason, they're good!!! But you know that. :) This is a very simple example, but it hopefully illustrates my next point.

When someone see's value in a product they will more likely buy it. It seems simple but there are alot of people out there that do the "telling" kind of selling rather then the "asking" kind of selling. Ask qualifying questions, make it sound like they are coming up with all the ideas and you are just facilitating the conversation.

NRA Conference in Chicago

In the next few weeks our Business Solutions team from Corvirtus will be attending the NRA Conference in Chicago, IL. This is the daddy of all conferences for the restaurant and hospitality industry. It is an opportunity for thousands of companies to showcase their products and services. Corvirtus will be there at booth 3212. It is on the 3rd level, near the main entrance. If you are going to be there feel free to stop in and say hi.

This past week I had the pleasure of attending a new partners franchisee and strategic partners conference in Napa Valley, CA. They sure know how to throw a party. It was a great opportunity for me to rub elbows with some of their franchisee's. This restaurant chain is one of the newest partners to the Corvirtus family. They are implementing a customized hiring system. It is cool to see how people get excited about this stuff. I am excited about it every day so to see others get pumped about the benefits and results, it is really cool. They understand the importance of the Customer Experience. By implementing the system they are going to see remarkable results in the employees that they hire. They are going to find people that are going to believe in their restaurant, that want to make feel people feel good, and deliver a memorable customer experience. These are all key components of a successful restaurant that wants to be different and stick out from the competition.

At Corvirtus we help organizations passionate about delivering great customer experiences.

Customer Experience

As we continue further into the recession it is becoming more and more apparent that the customer experience is the driving source behind creating customer loyalty. What if you could insure that every employee you have greeted your customer with a smile and a go getter attitude? What if they always went above and beyond their job description? What would that do for your company? I can't guarantee that you will have 100% of employees that are going to have those characteristics, but with pre-emlployment assessments you can determine who is more likely to have those characteristics that will aid them in creating a memorable customer experience.

"People Talk", is what I call it. The old way of marketing and advertising is coming back into style. It isn't anything complex or difficult to understand. It's as easy as talking to a friend or co-worker about how great the food was, and not only that you had a good time there because your server created a fun and memorable experience. Word of mouth can be such a powerful marketing tool. Now, I am not in direct Marketing, however I have seen many things come to fruishen in my short career that would leave many people aw-struck. When people have an experience unlike any other they have had before, they are going to talk about it. Then when those people get curious enough and they go and check it out they are going to talk about it, and the stream of upbeat and positive feedback grows and grows. I know this isn't anything new or ground breaking. However, things of the past are just that. Companies don't have the money they did before to spend on marketing and advertising their products and services. So doesn't it make sense to put the money you do have into a staff that is going to do the marketing for you?

What is it about the customer experience that is so special? Recently Bruce Temkin of Forrester Research blogged about the 6 laws of Customer Experience. In this article one of things that he touched on was how the Customer Experience is in the "eye of the beholder." When you go to a store or restaurant you may have a totally different experience that you had at that very same store or restaurant just a few days ago. How would that make you feel if you had this wonderful experience one week then a terrible one the next? Consistency is such an important aspect of the customer experience. Pre-employment assessments can be the key to making sure you have consistent Brand delivery by exciting and energetic employees each and every time.