How to be your customer’s first choice in a tough market

Amelia Young and Stuart BaltmanNovember 4, 2011

Services are…

• Intangible

• Consumed at the same time they are delivered

• It varies based on who is delivering – and experiencing – it

• Quality is difficult to define – much less measure

The experience is your product. You can’t afford to get it wrong.

2

Not just what’s urgent, but what’s necessary

Urgent Necessary

Resolving

customer issues

Fixing operational problems

Reporting

Setting targets

Learning about the

latest trends

shaping consumer

behaviour

Talking to

customers about

their business

Analyzing competitor

strategy

3

A model for winning customers

Encourage 

Encourage

• Engage and excite your customers with a vision

• What should they expect to experience?

• What does “DONE” look like?• Why should they care? • How will they feel?

Empower  Enable 

Empower

• Provide your customers with the tools required to deliver on the vision

• Give your customers access to the people, processes, equipment, infrastructure, and other resources that they need

• Make it easy for your customers to choose you

Enable

• Ensure your customers have the knowledge & skills to use the tools you have provided

• Educate, teach and train your customers (if necessary)

• Leverage their capabilities and build the capabilities they need

• Show them how

4

The good news is that these are the only three things you need to do to….

Empower

Encourage 

Enable

…. the challenge lies in the fact that you must do all three

5

Remember how you learned to skate?

 

• “It’s fun”• Watch mom/dad• Hot Chocolate

anyone?

• “Let’s go get some skates”

• Rink at City Hall• Teaching process

• Instill confidence (overcome fears)

• Teach (e.g. A. Stand, B. Walk, C. Glide…..)

Encourage

Empower

Enable

6

Let’s talk about coffee

7

Price

Value

• Teach the Starbucks “Language”• Guidance from well-trained “Baristas”• Ordering guides, calling orders• Where to pay, where to stand

• Product variety and customization capabilities.

• Layout, Décor, Location, Neighbourhood, etc.

• Outgoing, friendly and knowledgeable staff.

• Beans, Cups, insulators, toppings, napkins, etc.

• Your beverage, your way.• Your “3rd place”….refuge from home &

office• Premium service, product

and…..premium price.

En

ab

le

Em

pow

er

En

cou

rag

e

From “coffee” to “for-here, grande, half-decaf, non-fat, extra foam, hazelnut, latte”

8

Price

Value

• Teach the Starbucks “Language”• Guidance from well-trained “Baristas”• Ordering guides, calling orders• Where to pay, where to stand

• Product variety and customization capabilities.

• Layout, Décor, Location, Neighbourhood, etc.

• Outgoing, friendly and knowledgeable staff.

• Beans, Cups, insulators, toppings, napkins, etc.

• Your beverage, your way.• Your “3rd place”….refuge from home &

office• Premium service, product

and…..premium price.

En

ab

le

Em

pow

er

En

cou

rag

e

From “coffee” to “for-here, grande, half-decaf, non-fat, extra foam, hazelnut, latte”

9

What are the benefits of this approach?

3. Creates barriers that make it challenging for your customers to switch

4. Supports premium pricing, which drives margin growth

5. Builds a strong and deep relationship with customers which drives loyalty and increased share-of-wallet

2. Removes barriers, making it easy for your customers to do business with you

1. Ensures you don’t miss components of your customer’s experience that are critical in their process to choose you

10

“This part looks expensive…I think

I’ll charge them enough to buy an i-

Pad”

The broken furnace…..

11

From “I’ll fix the furnace when it breaks” to a multi-year service contract

• Low monthly fee vs. high unexpected repair bills

• Leverage print materials, web and call centre staff to educate customers

• Create multi-year service contract product/service.

• Call centre, billing capabilities, technicians, equipment, etc.

• Create need – “an unexpected breakdown could cost you $100’s or even $1,000’s

• Professional and highly skilled technicians in uniform at your home 24/7/365

En

ab

leEm

pow

er

En

cou

rag

e

12

From “I’ll fix the furnace when it breaks” to a multi-year service contract

• Low monthly fee vs. high unexpected repair bills

• Leverage print materials, web and call centre staff to educate customers

• Create multi-year service contract product/service.

• Call centre, billing capabilities, technicians, equipment, etc.

• Create need – “an unexpected breakdown could cost you $100’s or even $1,000’s

• Professional and highly skilled technicians in uniform at your home 24/7/365

En

ab

leEm

pow

er

En

cou

rag

e

Price

Value

Invoice

$350

Invoice

$20 x36 mo.= $720

13

Breakout Discussion: Which of the 3Es does your business do best? Gaps?

Enable

Empower

Encourage

Price

Valu

e

14

Who do you need to Encourage, Empower and Enable?

15

Retailer

Example: Product differentiated by service

Consumer

Enable

Empower

Encourage

• Pizza Pizza deal• School pizza lunches

• Small portion sizes make it easy for people to have a small, guilt-free indulgence

• Signaled to the consumer that this is a special product by merchandising it in the bakery

• They were able to demonstrate a process that would ensure freshness would be consistent

• Unique packaging made it possible for the product to belong in the bakery section

• Demonstrated strong consumer demand from the promotional opportunities

16

Example: Multi-stakeholder service

Economic Buyer

Enable

Empower

Encourage

• Head of Operations• Owner/CEO

Indirect Influencers

• Clients• Regulators

Direct Influencers

• Portfolio Managers• Compliance• Admin staff

17

Breakout Discussion: Stakeholder Identification

• Functions• Lines of business

• Decision-makers up the hierarchy

• Users down the hierarchy

Economic Buyer Direct Influencers

Indirect Influencers

• Influences outside the organization

18

Unconventional tactics for identifying what will encourage, empower and enable your customers

What they say

What they do

What others

say about them

• LinkedIn profiles and discussion threads• Investor materials• Surveys of stakeholders other than the economic

buyer

• Mystery shopping and talking to call centre reps• Who they’re hiring and for what• Marketing campaigns• Comprehensive win/loss analysis

• LinkedIn discussions• Talking to your customers’ customers• Investor presentations of their customers and

competitors

19

Taking Action

Commit to doing what’s necessary:

I will do the following in the next 30 days to enhance the value of the experience my organization delivers to its customers:

1.__________________________________________________

2.__________________________________________________

3.__________________________________________________

_______________________ ____________________Signed Date

20

Focus on what’s necessary to identify what a great experience looks like for your customers

Economic Buyer

Direct Influencers

Indirect Influencers

Encourage

Empower

Enable

Insight ???Insight ??? Insight ???

Insight ???Insight ??? Insight ???

Insight ???Insight ??? Insight ???

Who?

Wh

at

?

How?

21

Thank You