CRM = Customer's don't Really Matter

Written by Meredith Gossland


CRM was supposed to bring companies closer to their clients. The basic idea was to; find out what a client wants and needs, give it to them, and get them to be your client for life.

But as with all good technology, it hasn't actually broughtrepparttar sales teams, marketing departments, or customer service departments any closer torepparttar 119569 customer at all! Technology is a cold hard process that rarely subsitutes for a human voice and social interaction.

I really feel sorry forrepparttar 119570 companies that struggled withrepparttar 119571 software, dumped thousands and thousands of dollars into consulting sessions, developedrepparttar 119572 training manuals and trainedrepparttar 119573 trainers, heldrepparttar 119574 meetings and issued management memos only to find thatrepparttar 119575 problem of customer loyalty wasrepparttar 119576 same if not worse.

They hadrepparttar 119577 right idea but they were listening to those lame marketing gurus again! The same guys who have been promoting direct mail postcards asrepparttar 119578 best choice for farming prospects at a whopping 1-3% response rate!! (Whopee! Where do I sign up?) Seeing technology as a cure all for customer service is a grave mistake.

First of all there is a serious problem withrepparttar 119579 oxymoron Client Relationship Management. Intimate loving families can't manage their relationships! How inrepparttar 119580 heck is a company that sees its clients only a few hours each year going to managerepparttar 119581 relationship?

At best, you can sustain, grow,and cultivaterepparttar 119582 relationship. At worst, you will lose it due to changes inrepparttar 119583 client's circumstances, competition, economic and political factors, changing markets or (heaven forbid) your own terrible customer service and shoddy workmanship. But you will never be able to manage your clients. As a matter of fact... it isrepparttar 119584 client who manages you. They tell you what products they want, and what your product is worth, how they want it delivered, and like green french fries or dirt flavored jelly beans, whether they want it at all!

Companies that have to fight for their customers are doing something wrong. It usually stems from not understandingrepparttar 119585 customer. Going to a computer program to glean information, or find out whatrepparttar 119586 customer wants is just plain crazy.

Let me give you an example from my own shopping habits. There are 4 major supermarkets within a 5 mile radius of my house. One has great produce prices,repparttar 119587 others don't. I usually shop at that market for produce,and meats only because their other prices are too high. I have a membership card with that store. Do they know why I only shop for produce and meat at their store? NO! Will my shopping habits change if their prices change? Yes. Do they know that? No. Can they get that information from my membership card? No. Can they get it ifrepparttar 119588 guy at checkout asks me? You bet! As a matter of fact I have volunteeredrepparttar 119589 information. I have told checkers in passing on several occassions I think their produce prices arerepparttar 119590 best in town...do you think that information got torepparttar 119591 store manager? Who knows! Am I going to seek outrepparttar 119592 manager to tell him? Is he going to go inrepparttar 119593 office and make note of my comment somewhere so he can serve me better? No way!

Postcards: Effective marketing tool

Written by Granny's Mettle


When you're having a hard time choosing which print media to use for your products and services, then think of postcards. Postcards are one ofrepparttar marketing tools that can effectively deliver your message to your target clients.

So why postcards? Here are ten reasons to market with postcards:

10. They are affordable marketing strategies.

Postcards are amongrepparttar 119568 most affordable marketing print strategies for products and services. They are most ideal especially for small and medium sized businesses. One client relates that it only cost her $6 per name per year in her mailing list when she chose to do her marketing campaign using postcards. And she happily went on and advertised for one year.

9. They don't advertise to your competitors.

Unlike advertisements in newspapers or magazines, competitors won't know your marketing unless you accidentally sent one to them. Best technique is to simply send your postcards torepparttar 119569 names in your mailing list. That way, your competitor won't know about it till one of your recipients show and tell.

8. They make it easy to track results.

One client used her postcards to bring people and clients to her store. She maderepparttar 119570 postcards into a special discount card which made her clients go to her store and use it.

7. They are very versatile.

Just like actors in Hollywood, postcards are very versatile. With a single mailing, you can ask for business opportunities from prospective clients, and maintain repeat business from present customers. You could also userepparttar 119571 postcards as oversized business cards, hangtags for your products, and even mini-information sheets to introduce your business to other clients.

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