The Web has certainly revolutionized how consumers shop. It has enabled an entirely deeper CRM capability and speed in delivering messages, special offers, transaction data, etc. In fact, marketers have prophesied that the next step in CRM is near total abandonment of traditional consumer advertising, both print and broadcast, and almost total adoption of real-time targeted marketing, a.k.a. inbound marketing, via the internet. An example would be as you enter a Web site, you will be presented with personalized messages, based on data the advertiser has stored on you regarding purchase history, online activity, and promotion participation, along with financial and demographic information, as well. And this will trigger true shopper bliss.
Now, as an obsessive marketer myself, I have to say I'm ready to jump on the bandwagon, emotionally. However, as I step back and analyze what is truly meant, here, I have to question the validity of such a claim. Perhaps it is not the objective that troubles me, but the premise. And the reason is simple: to shop is a comfort to real shoppers. It is a safe activity, meaning that you are participating in an activity that you control, you direct, and you make decisions for what you will shop. Oh, and you might want some degree of help at different points in the process.
Four short years ago we were working with a company that was attempting to sell an in-store, in-lane system that would provide real-time, personal marketing. The client worked very hard on all presentations, yet failed to achieve adoption with a single retailer. My marketing instinct tells me that they would meet the same fate, today.
Why? First of all, because of human nature. After all, part of the human experience is shopping. Most people don't want to be told what they want. They just want you to have and deliver it when they find it. In fact, some enjoy the experience of the hunt, not even knowing what they want before they set out to discover it. The Web site, then, provides a new world in which to experience this new discovery. However, the value of the experience is relatively unchanged.
Secondly, because of human nature. Consumers feel as though technology is greatly responsible for unwanted intrusions into their private life, already. With out-of-control spam, strange targeted messages that include their names and seem to read their minds, and telemarketing calls that appear to coincide with recent online activity (and often do), consumers are likely emotionally negative toward more of the same, especially as it relates to shopping, online or not.
Finally, because of human nature. Consumers are inundated with information. The internet has given them the ability to search for information that is highly targeted more quickly and efficiently than ever. Generally speaking, those consumers will not tolerate additional information being pushed at them. Remember how I described the shopping experience; it is about an activity that the shopper controls, at their pace. It is unlikely that the mass of online shoppers will eagerly relinquish that control to strangers, especially those that they cannot see.
All my evaluation is not meant to deny that there is great opportunity afforded the marketer seeking greater online CRM. But, the ones that are successful are the ones that can enhance, not detour, the shopping experience, which is truly human.


There's Five Points To A Star!
ThereÆs Five Points To A Star!The star. A symbol of ultimate success, what everyone wantsto attain. Remember when you were in grade school and youcompleted your task successfully? With what did your teacherreward you? A star. In the business of e-commerce stardomisnÆt as easy to achieve as it was back then.ItÆs a faceless, un-personal web weÆve woven. How do weovercome this obstacle as a service or product retailer? Wefollow the five points to stardom! There is a way tosuccessfully build a relationship and break through theun-personal nature of our business.Point 1: Sympathy The most important part of your businessendeavor. IÆm talking about being sympathetic to yourcustomer. Listen to the needs of your customer. Understandthe needs of your customer. Know what the need is of thecustomer related to your product or service, and create aproduct or service sympathetic to that need.Example: You determine a need has arisen for affordablebanner design for small internet businesses. Small businessowners donÆt usually have the amount of money that largecorporations have to advertise their business. Developing anaffordable alternative will not only be lucrative for yourbusiness but also for the small business owner. ItÆs aWIN-WIN!Point 2: Sense of Urgency Providing your product or servicewith a sense of urgency is of utmost importance. If acustomer has to continue to wait for a response from yourcompany on an order, an email, or even a quote it could meana loss of business for you.Advice: Respond to your customers within 24 hours at theleast. If you can respond within 6-12 you are more likely togain a business relationship. Waiting 2-3 days to return anemail is unacceptable. Unless your site policies stateotherwise (and in advance to the customer) more than 14business days is too long to wait for a product or service.Return any quotes for pricing or service requests as soon aspossible. Most likely the person that requested theinformation is in search of someone or something, "rightnow".Point 3: Smile This is an important point. Presentingyourself positively in any of your communication isextremely important for your business. Have you ever heardthe saying "Believe in yourself, and others will believe inyou?" Apply this to your business. Believe in what you haveto offer and "smile" in every communication with yourcustomer. YouÆre asking yourself "how the heck do we "smile"over the internet?Advice: Smiling goes beyond you sitting behind your computerin a good mood. We all know your customer canÆt see yoursmile, but they can read it, feel it, and hear it! Whenresponding to an email, add that extra touch. Make yourcommunication through your writing and your images on yoursite "positive". Remember that your website is your "face"to the world. Be sure to put your make-up on and comb yourhair!Example: HereÆs an email response from a happy person and anot so happy person. You be the judge. Which email would yourather receive?Customer: IÆm looking for someone to design my website. Canyou quote me on a price for an entire package? How long doyou think it will take to complete the project? TammyResponse from Jeanne: Tammy, IÆd LOVE to help you! What isthe name of your website and do you have any ideas for whatyouÆd like it to look like? The pricing on an averagepackage including your banner, button, logo, slogan, andbackgrounds is $100.00. Depending on how long it takes us todecide on colors etc. I usually complete work within oneweek. I really appreciate your request and look forward toworking with you soon! Thanks! JeanneResponse from Jenny: I do graphic design work. My prices canbe found on www.mygraphicsite.com. You can see the pricingunder "prices". How long it takes depends on you and howfast you get me the information.Did you feel the "smile" in JeanneÆs response? Did you feelthe "smile" in JennyÆs response?Jeanne did this perfectly! WeÆll give her a star! What didJeanne do right? 1. Responded to her customer using thecustomerÆs name. 2. Gave that extra touch with the "IÆdLOVE to help you". 3. Immediately asked for the customerÆsfeedback. 4. Quoting her a price even though she knows thatthe prices were clearly on her site. (WeÆve all been thereright?) 5. Closing with another positive remark aboutworking with the client really soon.Great job Jeanne!Point 4: Surprise Surprise your customer with somethingextra! In this world of e-commerce the likeliness that yoursite is the only one of its kind is probably next tonothing. You have to make yourself stand out. Adding thatextra touch or going that extra mile for each of yourcustomers makes them feel special. In return theyÆll comeback to you when they need something else or theyÆll refertheir friends. Never underestimate the power of "word ofmouth". WeÆll cover that in another article!Example: Adding something special or surprising a customerwith something extra doesnÆt have to cost a thing! Of courseyou can add an extra product to their order, but sometimesthe extras are simpler than that. Providing something forFREE on your site such as content, a newsletter, or even afree graphic is something that will make your customer feelspecial. Not to mention itÆs a great way to drive in sometraffic to your site!Real life application: I had the pleasure of working withShea Cooper owner of www.CountryDoodleDoo.com recently. Sheredid some graphics for my site www.TheCandleCoop.com. Uponcompletion of my order she sent me an "extra" email. Uponopening the email I saw her note that thanked me for being acustomer and said she always provided her customers withfree wallpaper for their desktops to match their site. I wasthrilled. I was impressed with how quickly Shea responded,how she took on the project with a sense of urgency, and theway she made me feel special by sending something extra. Soimpressed, I brought her on board at www.AdvertisingMoms.comas our exclusive country graphic designer! See relationshipsdo pay off!Point 5: Suggestions Remember back on point 3 when wetalked about listening? Practice that skill again. Only thistime not only listen, but ask too! Ask your customers whatthey would like to see on your site. Ask them about any newcolors or products theyÆd be interested in. A great way todo this is offer a feedback or suggestions form. You caneven go the extra mile to email them personally! Whateveryou do, ask, ask, ask!Ask for feedback from customers. Ask for suggestions fromother web owners. One thing is for sure, you wonÆt find outif you donÆt ask! Prepare yourself for the answers youÆllreceive when you do ask. This could possibly be the hardestthing to do, because they might not always be the answersyou want to hear. Nevertheless, take the suggestions intoconsideration, decide what is best for you and take action!In review weÆve covered five points to stardom; sympathy,sense of urgency, smile, surprise, and suggestions.Following these five points is no guarantee to a successfulventure. However, I can guarantee youÆll feel like a star!Tara Crooks is the site owner and editor ofhttp://www.AdvertisingMoms.com. She holds a Bachelor ofBusiness Administration in Human Resource Management. She isa PROUD Army Wife and WAHM! In addition, she also owns thewebsite www.TheCandleCoop.com.[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


8 Building Blocks to Attracting Customers
8 Building Blocks to AttractingCustomersSuccessful Marketing Takes More than Sales and AdvertisingBy Julie ChanceAre you frustrated by the lack of return from your promotionalefforts? It may be that your plan for attracting customers isbuilt on a foundation of sandWhether you're a Fortune 500 company or a one person shop,to be successful, you must have a plan to attract customersand you must implement it consistently. However, it doesn'thave to cost a fortune and you don't have to be a creativegenius.The key to attracting customers is developing a marketingstrategy that forms a solid foundation for your promotionalefforts. Implementing promotional activities such asadvertising, direct mail or even networking and one-to-onesales efforts without a marketing plan is like buying curtains fora house you're building before you have an architectural plan.How would you even know how many curtains to buy or whatsize they needed to be?To develop a strong marketing foundation:Define your product or service: How is your productor service packaged? What is it that your customersare really buying? You may be selling web-basedsoftware tools but your clients are buying increasedproductivity, improved efficiency and cost savings.What problem does your service solve? What needdoes your product meet? What want does it fulfill?Identify your ideal customer: Everyone or anybodymight be potential clients for your product. However,you probably don't have the time or money to market toEveryone or Anybody. Who is your ideal customer?Who does it make sense for you to spend your timeand money promoting your service to? You mightdefine your ideal customer in terms of income, age,geographic area, number of employees, revenues,industry, etc. For example a massage therapist mightdecide her target market is women with householdincomes of $75,000 or more who live in the Uptownarea.Differentiate yourself from the competition: Even ifthere are no direct competitors for your service, there isalways competition of some kind. Something besides yourproduct is competing for the potential client's money. Whatis it and why should the potential customer spend his orher money with you instead? What is your competitiveadvantage or unique selling proposition?Find a niche: Is there a customer group that is notcurrently being served or is not being served well? Arethere customer wants that are not being met? A nichestrategy allows you to focus your marketing efforts anddominate your market, even if you are a small player.Develop awareness: It is difficult for a potential client tobuy your product or service if they don't even know orremember it exists. Generally a potential customer willhave to be exposed to your product 5 to 15 times beforethey are likely to think of your product when the needarises. Needs often arise unexpectedly. You must stay infront of your clients consistently if they are going toremember your product when that need arises.Build credibility: Not only must clients be aware of yourproduct or service, they also must have a positivedisposition toward it. Potential customers must trust thatyou will deliver what you say you will. Often, especiallywith large or risky purchases, you need to give them theopportunity to "sample", "touch", or "taste" the product insome way. For example, a trainer might gain credibilityand allow potential customers to "sample" their product byoffering free, hour long presentations on topics related totheir area of specialty.Be Consistent: Be consistent in every way and ineverything you do. This includes the look of your collateralmaterials, the message you deliver, the level of customerservice, and the quality of the product. Being consistent ismore important than having the "best" product. This in partis the reason for the success of chains. Whether you'regoing to Little Rock, Arkansas or New York City, if youreserve a room at a Courtyard Marriott you know exactlywhat you're going to get.Maintain Focus: Focus allows for more effectiveutilization of the scarce resources of time and money.Your promotional budget will bring you greater return if youuse it to promote a single product to a narrowly definedgroup of customers and if you promote that same productto that same customer group over a continuous period oftime.Before you develop a brochure, run an ad, implement a directmail campaign, join an organization for networking or evenconduct a sales call, ask yourself this question, "Do I reallyknow who my ideal customers are and not only what theyneed but also what they want?" If you can't honestlybe built on a foundation of sand.Julie Chance is president of Strategies-by-DESIGN, a Dallasbased firm that helps businesses professional services firmsto specialty retailers Map A Path to Success by bridging thechasm from Lead to Loyal Customer. For more information orto sign up for our free Marketing Tips Newsletter go towww.strategies-by-design.com or call 972-701-9311.C 2003 Strategies-by-DESIGN. May be reprinted with creditsand contact information.