WordPress

Well, I think I’m going to do it. I think I’m going to make the move to WordPress. I’ve already duplicated the Market Like You Mean It blog over to their system and now I’m working on customizing the layout and colors and stuff the way I like it.

Why am I doing this? I just like the functionality of WordPress better. Blogger is very easy to use and all but there comes a point where you want some additional functionality. WordPress has a bunch of plug-ins and things that Blogger doesn’t include and it just feels more powerful. So unless I discover something that would cause me to really hate their system, I’ll be migrating over very soon. Stay tuned for details.

Blogger vs. WordPress

Hey, I need some advice. I'm considering moving my blog over to WordPress. I've been toying with the the last few days and like the way it works.

I'm sure some of you have more experience with this stuff than I do. I welcome your, more educated opinions.

Get a Little Controversial

Yesterday, Google released Street View, a controversial feature of Google Maps that lets you really explore a city as if you were walking down the street there. It doesn't sound like a big deal but some people have complained about individuals, license plates, etc. showing up in the photos.

Now I'm not here to discuss the ethics of showing people on the internet. This little project has generated tons of news coverage for them. Go ahead, flip on CNN, Fox News, whatever your flavor. I promise it won't be long before they start talking about Google's Newest Blunder. But look what this has done for Google. With almost no effort on Google's part, millions of people have been notified about Big-G's newest product. And a large portion of them will likely browse out to it and try it out. That's exactly what Google wants.

So how can you make this work for you?
While I don't recommend tarnishing your company's good name, I do recommend doing something different...something that will get attention. For example, my company is contemplating allowing our clients to underpay us if they're not satisfied with our services. It's controversial in a great way. In fact, when most people hear the news, they'll likely not believe it. They'll think there's a catch. But they just might spend a minute or two looking into it.

Nessie and You

What does the Loch Ness Monster have to do with running a small business? Everything.

You see, nobody really knows if the beast is real or not. Many people have claimed to see her through the years. Even today, new videos are emerging claiming that Nessie is real. But none of that really matters. That's right...it makes no difference if there's really an animal there or not...what matters is the buzz.

Business owners are constantly talking about the power of word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing. Truth is, there's no such things as word of mouth marketing. Why? By definition, "marketing" is a controlled communication. Sure WOM communication exists and that is surely very powerful. But, marketing's role is to seed individuals with the tools they need to effectively communicate through WOM. Do that right, and you'll be on your way.

How to Treat Your Clients Well

Ok, so I’ve posted about bad customer service…but what level of customer service should we expect (or provide if you own a business)? Here are two examples:

Old Navy

My wife used to work at Old Navy. They had a store policy (I’m not sure if it’s everywhere or just in our store) that they can’t tell customers that the store is closing. That’s right, it could be 11:30 at night and if you’re in there shopping, the most they can do is approach you and ask, “Can I help you find anything today?” There are no announcements over the P.A. system reminding you that they appreciate your business but only when it’s convenient for them. “Now wait a minute, isn’t that lame for the employees?” Yes. But Old Navy isn’t in business to serve themselves, they’re in business to serve their customers. Any company that forgets that, has another thing coming.

Lands’ End

I bought a messenger bag from Lands’ End. After about 3 months of carrying books in it (imagine that), it tore. More specifically, the fabric began to tear where the strap joins it. I checked out the Lands’ End website and it said all their products are “Guaranteed. Period.” So, I called them up. A woman answered (not a computer). I explained my situation and asked what options I had.

She explained that I had three options. (1) I could return the bag for a full refund, (2) I could exchange the bag for a product of equal or lesser value, or (3) I could return the bag for credit. Now these were all great options but I still really liked my bag. I asked if there was an option to have it repaired. After about 5 seconds of researching, she told me, “Sure, we can repair it if you’d like.” She then emailed me a label that I could use to ship my bag back to them (at their cost). They repaired the back and returned it to me (again at their cost) in no time.

What did all of this cost them? Shipping both directions, and the time for someone to repair my bag. What did they get out of it? A customer for life.

Conclusion

Companies spend inordinate amounts of money trying to differentiate themselves. They come up with unique logos, crazy television commercials. Viral internet videos. But they don’t do something very basic…astound their existing customers. Do this and your customers will do your marketing for you.

Flood!

[Caution: This message is going to sound like an advertisement...it is...kind of...read on.]

So...a couple of weeks ago, my dad - who runs his own business as a business coach - had his basement flood. Unfortunately, that's also where his office is. There was about an inch of water all across the floor. It ruined some furniture, some food they had stored, and some books. Fortunately, it somehow narrowly missed killing his computer where he has several hundred business contacts not to mention emails, credit card processing software, VERY expensive programs, and more.

That close call got him thinking though...what if his computer did get ruined? Well he'd be in a whole heaping helping of trouble to say the least.That's why I suggested he download Mozy, it's an automatic, offsite, encrypted backup system that my gerbil could use. (No I don't actually own a gerbil...but you get the idea.) You get 2GB of free storage space and if you need more than that, you can pay $6 a month for unlimited space.

Now I know this sounds like an advertisement but it's really not intended to be. I've just been using it for a while and I guess I'm one of those people who likes to tell everyone around him that they should be like him...(I hate those people).

Anyway, give it a try. Like I said, with 2GB free, you can always just see if you like it and bail out tomorrow if you don't.

How to Treat Your Clients Like Crap

My wife and I are pretty patient people. We don’t easily get upset. We aren’t picky eaters. We seldom argue. But we have decided that we will never go back to Blockbuster Video.

“Why” you ask? Well, I’ll tell you. It’s because they treat their customers like crap. You’re thinking, “Wait a minute, I’ve been in there plenty of times and I never noticed anything wrong.” Here’s why…because you’re used to getting treated like that gum on the bottom of your shoe. We’ve become so used to mediocre service, that it has become acceptable…even normal. We’ve become so used to shopping at WalMart that we don’t remember what it’s like to go into a store that actually has helpful salespeople.

A Bad Example

Here’s what irked me. A couple of summers ago, my wife and I were temporarily living across the country. We didn’t have family or friends nearby so we often resorted to renting movies. The problem was that I didn’t usually get home from working until about 10 PM and the local store closed at 11 so by the time we chatted about our day, decided what to do, and then made it to the store, it was about 10:40.

We would walk into the store excited to find just the right movie only to be reminded by the associate at the cash register that, “We’re closing in 20 minutes!” (As if I had somehow missed the big sign right next to the door handle that said, “Open ‘till 11 PM”). This wouldn’t have been too bad except that every two minutes, another associate would approach us and repeat, “We’re closing in 18 minutes.” I’d think to myself, “Wow, really? How weird, that’s the same time the girl at the cash register said you’d be closing.” To add to this frustration, if we happened to arrive at 10:55, the doors would already be closed. “Wait I thought the store was open ‘till 11. Maybe you should change the sign to read, ‘Open ‘till 10:55’.”

After two or three nights of this, we got fed up. We decided that we’d go somewhere where we were appreciated as customers. Hollywood video was just another block away, open ‘till midnight and we never once heard anyone say, “We’re closing in X minutes.”