Quality, Service, and Expertise Do Not Matter

I am currently in a sales training class at Trustpointe, a Sandler Sales Company, who I highly recommend  to anyone looking for sales training and expertise. We were talking about the idea of quality, service, and expertise not mattering when involved in marketing communications. I have been wrestling with that concept over the past 48 hours and decided… who best to ask?

I have been under the assumption that it is absolutely idiotic to use “best customer service” in marketing communications. I’m still convinced that you have to be a little more creative  to gain the attention of a consumer base when using traditional marketing… even more when using social media marketing.

Plain and simple… everyone has quality, service, and expertise. What makes you different from everyone in your industry? If I get hit with marketing that says “Best Quality since 1889
“… Do I really care? No. I don’t.

I care about how you personally take care of your customers. I care about how you go about your daily routine.

Seth Godin has always said that people have come to expect that you have quality, service, and expertise… you do not have to keep telling us… show us.

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Quit With All the BS. Let’s Create Business!

I’m tired… and I do not think it is from the daily grind or the work load at Brandswag. I am pretty sure it is from all the BS that is circulating in the world of social media and marketing.

I’m tried of reading blog posts about the death of social media experts or how there is no such thing as an expert (I’ve written a couple myself)… or the rise of the new “PR” firm. I’m tired of listening to people drone on about the importance of ONLY using traditional marketing and how social media is just… not for everyone (preaching to the choir here).

Hot air. Hot air. Hot air.

There are plenty of ways to use social media (research, marketing, customer support, internal communications). There are plenty of ways to make money off of yellow pages. Yes, you should still be sending out traditional press releases and YES… you should be using traditional means to meet and sell clients.

It is all about integration… whether you like it or not… social media is going to be around and traditional marketing will still be important. They will be one… one powerful force for customer communication.

Shouldn’t the main goal of your daily routine be making money for your clients? Shouldn’t the main goal be delivering creative and strategic programs to create SUCCESS? We all like a good argument but if the argument was made 10 months ago about social media or marketing… you probably shouldn’t bring it up again.

We can play the edge for a long time and I have done it with success… but it is time to focus on the success of clients and business… not the success of an idea or ego.

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REMAX Loves Social Media and I Love Them

I had the pleasure of speaking at the Indiana RE/MAX sales rally yesterday and it was AWESOME! I loved debating, questioning, and teaching about social media and the use of the tools in the real estate industry.

I always try to post videos of the attendees screaming for social media. You will find the videos below. (sorry for being shaky)

Session 1

Session 2

If you attended the rally and are interested in the information shared. You can either click the REMAX button on the right side of this page or CLICK HERE.

Again, thank you for all who attended! It was encouraging to see such enthusiasm for social media!

Pre-Order My Book Twitter Marketing for Dummies

I was given the opportunity to write Twitter Marketing for Dummies from Wiley Publishing because of a direct connection through social networking. The relationship was further solidified by a connection on Smaller Indiana. I am humbled to have been given this wonderful opportunity and it is highly unlikely it would have happened without the connection through social media.

Here is the breakdown:

An introductory guide to effectively using Twitter to grow your business!

The field of social media marketing is exciting, cutting-edge, and…open to almost anything! Twitter’s style of quick remarks lends itself to a carefree, conversational tone, ripe for passing along a plug, sharing a suggestion, or referencing a recommendation. This fun and friendly book is an excellent first step for gaining insight on how to effectively use one of the most popular social media tools to expand the success of a business.

In addition to covering the basics of Twitter, this easy-to-understand guide quickly moves on to techniques for incorporating a Twitter strategy into your marketing mix, combining new and old media, building your network, using Twitter tools, and measuring your success.

• Examines how Twitter’s style for character-count caps and real-time posting allows for unique marketing opportunities
• Analyzes several real-world examples of successful strategies for marketing on Twitter
• Discusses ideas for promoting brands on Twitter, building a following, communicating better with followers, and driving traffic to a Web site
• Shares the top Twitter applications

So get chirping and put Twitter to work for your marketing needs today!

You can check out the book at the Twitter Marketing for Dummies pre-order site. A big thanks to Erik Deckers (@edeckers) because without his help this book would have never happened.

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The Failing Marketing and PR World

I am becoming increasingly concerned with the lack of blog writing by public relations, marketing, and advertising firms in the city of Indianapolis and abroad. The simple fact that a communications company is not in-tune with the changing landscape of the consumer driven world is troubling… to say the least.

If there are any industries that should be on the forefront of social media and blogging it is the public relations and marketing worlds. YOU are the communications arm for major brands both large and small. YOU are driving them out of business because of your lack of knowledge pertaining to the changing world.

If you do not believe in social media as a valuable device for communication (two-way communication)… I am concerned for your company health and your clients bottom line. You may be riding the fair wave of strictly using traditional marketing and media buys… Don’t get me wrong… it is still extremely valuable to use and implement but only when integrated with new techniques.

But what happens when 6 to 12 months down the road… when you realize that you did not change in the right direction… What happens when you are surpassed by smaller, more agile firms and your market share is ripped away because of one thing..

THEY realized it was important to talk to single consumers instead of a HUGE demographic mix. They realized it was important to communicate instead of blasting messages over the airwaves.

It is important to understand that social media will be new medium of communication. It may be a new concept but in the next year it is going to revolutionize the way we communicate. Are you searching for the truth? Are you watching the trends?

Most are not.

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You Need A Job? Get Off Your.. I’m Tired of Helping

I have reached a critical point. I wouldn’t say it is as much of a breaking point as it is a… just being pissed off point. Let me explain.

We all have friends, family, and acquaintances that have lost their job. It is a recession and the economy is not as strong as it once was (back in the day). It makes sense that someone you are connected to.. somewhere.. is going to lose their job. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a friend losing their job?

Right. “How can I help them find a job to provide for their family or themselves.”

Second scenario. You have a friend that asks for help or asks for you to provide assistance to a third party. Out of the goodness of your heart… you help that person.

Now.. maybe I am just over the top and I expect to much from people but when someone helps me, gives me advice, or the tools to get the job done… I use it and I thank them. It is a novel concept, I know. I actually use the tools and advice the mentor gave me in order to further myself in life.

I don’t know if certain people in my generation are just lazy or complete idiots. I have had multiple times when I have helped out a third party (someone relocating or a friend-of-a-friend) and they do nothing I tell them to do.

“Are you looking to relocate to Indianapolis? Cool. Well you should join LinkedIN, SmallerIndiana, and Facebook. You are welcome to connect with anyone you want from my LinkedIN account. I will forward the introduction and Smaller INdiana is a great place to meet like minded individuals that will also have jobs or know of job openings. You could also start a blog/site where your resume is highlighted.”

The majority of the time they don’t do any of it. They even forget to send me their resume until three days later. If I was looking for a job I would be salivating at the chance to connect with over 400 professionals through an account on LinkedIN. I would be listening intently to advice given by someone.. anyone.

My advice:

Quit being normal. Quit being lazy. Get off your ass and get something done. Be proactive. Be extraordinary. Write a note and thank someone for helping you out. Do everything they ask and do it the day they give you the information. Don’t wait 5 days to setup a stupid social media profile because they are watching.

And do you think I am going to forward a resume that wasn’t sent to me until a week after I talked to you? Click. Trash.

And next time YOU decide to call me and ask for advice… you will be receiving a bill in the mail for my hourly rate because you don’t deserve it.

Okay I’m done.

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Rant: When an Internet Company Kills Your Biz. It’s Your Fault.

I have never really been a fan of Godaddy. I don’t really enjoy anything about their site and they always seem to try and sell me things I don’t need. That has been my past feelings about the hosting and domain website. Recently, my focus has shifted slightly.

My company has been designing a new web site for a local Indianapolis company. They have had some trouble with some IT companies in the past and just hired a new company called KSM Business Technology here in Indianapolis. Needless to say it has been a little hectic trying to find the information for the hosting of their site.

Here is how my conversation went with the new company.

Briiinnnngggg.. Briiiiiinnnnnnnnggg.. Briiiinnnnnnggggg. click.
Him: “Hullo?”
Me: “Is this —–?”
Him: “Yah.”
Me: “ummm..Can you help me with ______ account?”
Him: “I don’t know.. I think _____ handles that one.”
Me: “……. I’m trying to upload a new site for one of your clients and I can’t get a hold of anyone to give me hosting information.”
Him: “Hold on………………………………………………”
Him. “We don’t control the hosting on that account. That is done by ______. Did you call him”
Me: “Yes. 4 times”
Him: “Well. Did you leave a message?”
Me: “Yes. 4 Times”
Him: “Well… Try again. After we were bought out he is the only one that controls hosting on some of our account.”
Me. “….Great”

I was furious. Not only did “him” sound like he had just taken a bucket of grease and swallowed it but he didn’t give a crap about what I needed and apparently neither did the company that owned the hosting, Digitech. Do you think I will ever use that company? For anything? No. Guess who is going to hear about it? Everyone in INDIANAPOLIS.

I called Godaddy and was picked up in the first 2 mins of the call. The girl on the other end spent 20 mins helping me try and find out where the site was hosted. She actually tried to find where the IP was routed. GoDaddy wasn’t getting the business from me but genuinely wanted to help me.

I still have not received a call from the guy that controls hosting for this website.

When you (the local company) can not give the quality of customer service that a massive global company can master….. you are screwed.

And when you go out of business…

You can blame it on the economy. You can blame it on bad employees. You can even blame it on a server crash.

But guess what? A multi-billion dollar company just worked their butt off to gain my business and you didn’t… THAT is the problem.

An Example of Terrible Customer Service: IFCU

I had an experience today that I would rather never experience again. (and that is your pre-post prep)

I have a savings account at Independent Federal Credit Union. IFCU is a bank based in Anderson. (and that is your pre-pre-post)

I was driving to Anderson today to make a deposit at IFCU. I was around the first Anderson exit (the bank is located on the second exit). I realized that it was 3 mins until the bank was going to close (4:57). Now, let me repeat. I was one exit away.

I proceeded to call the bank and ask if they could stick around for 5 mins past 5 because I had been driving from Indianapolis and I was running a little late. The woman on the phone heistated and then said she had to talk to the teller. I was then told, “Sir, they wont stick around. Sorry.”

They wont stick around? Excuse me?

I got to the bank at 5:03 and the entire place was closed…

I have never been more furious in my entire life. No joke.

Oh I forgot to mention… I have been a member of this bank for 15 years. 15 YEARS! They couldn’t bother to stay around an extra 3 mins?

This should be lesson to many small businesses and corporate entities: customer service should be one of the top priorities. Especially a bank?! Last time I checked Mr. Bank you were being chastised left and right on the media. Maybe you shouldn’t allow me to pull my money and send it to CHASE!

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Example of How NOT To Run A Web Service: Bloglines

In my blog reader infancy I used the Bloglines RSS reader service. I was pretty happy with the overall service until I discovered Google Reader , which is hands down better than BlogLines.

I had installed Bloglines as an add-on to my browsers and it had been pretty easy to subscribe to certain blogs I found valuable: you just hit the RSS button and it would direct you to the BlogLines website. This small producitivity tool soon became an annoying tool when I couldn’t figure out how to delete it from my browser. Of course, we could blame my ADD on the fact that I could not delete the service but my browser still redirects to BlogLines whenever I click the RSS button.

I wanted to delete my account so I tried to sign on and unfortunately (since I haven’t used the service in a year) my account needed a new password. The Bloglines service needed to verify my account and so they sent a verification email to my inbox. I have verified the account three times and have still not recieved any email from BlogLines.

I thought to myself, “Self. This is a web service company. Their customer support must be decent. You should try that.” I proceeded to email the customer support department and waited for the email.

and waited…

and waited..

and waited..

I have since asked for support three times through email to no avail. They have not contacted me and I have STILL not received a verification email for the account.

Does anyone see a problem here? Shouldn’t an RSS Reader Service be conscious of the ability bloggers and readers have in spreading a bad vibe/message?

I am extremely dissapointed in how Bloglines has completely ignored my requests for help in deleting their service. If I was in their shoes I would have (at least) responded with some courteousy in order to win back the account or keep the user.

This should be a prime example of how NOT to run a web service. The last thing I want to hear is that they have been busy with updates and a re-design. The last thing I want to hear is that I cannot delete my account and they would rather not help me uninstall the service.

So this is my rant about Bloglines. Screw it. If you want me to keep my account send me a stupid verification email! They are making it pretty easy for me to hate them right now.