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“What are you buying?” is a question that every customer answers daily.  Members of the Twitter and Facebook community have been webnotized to update their chosen community with an answer to that great rhetorical question of the moment…”What are you doing?”   This question produces conversations that engage, motivate, and capture attentive audiences.  Is there a clearer example of what trusted ears can mean to an enterprise?  There are infinite takeaways from the rise of Twitter and Facebook that I’m still trying to wrap my head around.  The ability to extract great customer intelligence from the skilled process of open dialogue with your customers is something that I, as a customer, intuitively get.  In other words Mr. Owner, just ask me, “What are you buying?”

Use my answers to assess whether your customer delight plan is in synch with my reality.  Here are two ideas that businesses should use to increase their traffic (potential fans and supporters) and motivate their fans to random acts of support and evangelism for your cause:

1. Ask us our story…incorporate techniques for listening to your customers within your customer delight process.  Having just participated in a local Non-Profit’s volunteer phonebanking drive, I was impressed by their ability to collect, listen, and create engaging productive conversations with their customers.  If your customer’s are not giving great testimonials and encouraging you to “follow them” your Enterprise could be “NOT LISTENING!”  Great customers see ourselves in your product and we trust your solution…find out why and remind your customers of why they are brilliant.  A business with a true “Facebook..What’s on your mind?” mentality is ready to digest the response to that question.  Listen with an empty slate.  Be one with the empty box on Facebook.  Be ready to receive your customers input.  Be quiet and let us tell you our needs and our wants. Demonstrate your organization’s mastery of listening by reciting “the takeways” that your customers wanted to impress upon you.  Incorporate our takeaways in your innovation process.  Let us hear our story in your solution. 
2. Grow a Trusted Ear…A Trusted Ear relationship garners you more opportunities to command the attention of your customers.  I am attracted by enterprises that creatively and consistently demonstrate their listening ears.  Loyalty programs, robust open online customer communities, niche enhancements, and the “Were they reading my mind?” innovations are great indicators of a business with Trusted Ears status.  These types of customer delight initiatives remind me, emotionally, that I am listened to and valued.  Trusted Ears status positions your customer as CEO.  Empower your CEO to implement their strategic wishlist.  Sound like a big jump…you better believe it.  It is a great reason for reassessing the quality of your enterprises’ traffic.  Use your organization’s Trusted Ear’s status to hire great customers.  Trust great customers to lead your business.  The organization that reminds me of my CEO power is that one that will probably design the solution that great customers are in search of. Grow your trusted ears and watch your traffic explode. They are the, top-of-mind, enterprises guaranteed to make the cut…when the Greatest Social Commerce Question never asked is posed.  

Great businesses listen to gain understanding.  They listen to follow market instructions that will guide them to valuable opportunities.  They listen to capture their customer’s emotional attachments.  They listen to grow their customer’s experience.  They listen to learn the language of their customers.

My great business causes, at their core:  capture my interest (building traffic) and inspire me to upgrade my life with inspired, working solutions (converting traffic opportunities into testimonials).  

LISTEN, RINSE, REPEAT…“WHAT ARE YOU BUYING?”…Comment me your Buyography of ideas and purchases today.

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Want me to talk about your business?

Make me popular.

Make people like me.

Make people appreciate me.

Respect me.

Admire me.

Make people see me as an authority.

A valuable resource.

A funny guy.

Make me the first pick, when kids in class are picking teams.

I don’t care what you’re selling.

Make me popular. And you won’t be able to shut me up.

It is SOOO not about you. Or what you’re selling. Or your profits.

It’s SOOOO about me.
My self-image.
My personality.
My attitude.
My friends.
My tribe. And what we care about.

Raise my profile.

Elevate my status.

Give me something to brag about.

And I’ll become your customer evangelist.

Any questions?

---

Bolaji Oyejide is an online marketer and word of mouth maven. In his spare time, he explores how to generate passive income via blogging and affiliate marketing.

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The end of last weeks Republican National Convention offers several much anticipated dividends for me personally.  First and foremost, my sleep schedule has returned to normal after a three back to back to back GINORMOUS events: the Beijing Olympics, the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention.  Each of these events offer BIG THEME TAKEAWAYS for organizations looking to delight their customers:

1. The Olympics offered us a testimonial on the power of full scale organized mobilization of resources focused on overwhelming it’s guests with servce.  Quite simply, when in doubt, the organizer’s of the Beijing games delivered a service campaign that was simply overwhelming in its intent to delight its guests.  I’ll call it “Beijing-style Shock and Awe.”  It is one thing to be shocked by 1 million Olympic Service volunteers.  To watch those volunteers simply awe their guests with planning and execution that was consistently precise is to be reminded of the power that is derived from customers who are the targets of effective “Shock and Awe” customer delight campaigns.  Seek your customer’s inner rave and DEVELOP IT!  Give them a message and a commitment that they will run with and let your customer’s amplify your message.
2. The Democratic National Convention offered an up close and personal testimonial to the power of consumer generated media (CGM.)  Throughout their week on the national stage and throughout the last fifteen months, the Democrats have harnessed the power of consumer generated media to build a movement that encouraged followers to organize themselves.  The party has embarked on an “open mic” journey that allows them to leverage the power of 21st Century word-of-mouth marketing by encouraging supporters and citizens to literally create the “Change” message and images that they seek to hear in the world.  Any doubts about this? Spend some time on Senator Barack Obama’s website.   They have unlocked the kinetic energy derived from engaging customers and encouraging them to participate in the development of the product.
3. Resurrection on a dime…Watching last week’s Republican convention has reminded me of being in one of those high powered Executive MBA programs where you attend classes on the weekend and cover massive amounts of information in shortened period of time.  Those who don’t get it or who can not sustain the pace quickly become casualties of the program.  This party has committed itself to not being left behind in the political marketplace of ideas.  The Executive MBA assignment for the Republican party is to develop, reposition and launch their 21st century solution in a “live fire” environment.  The customers of this party are irate for all types of reasons and yet the Republicans are skillfully positioning their vision for delivering change that is valued by their customers.  The Party elite have used the voice of their organic customers to develop a beta solution that is credible, relevant and capable of delivering expanded support at the polls.  The Republican’s Big, Bold, Hairy, Audacious plan to go with a 70% solution in a hostile marketplace may be just what the PhD ordered to keep them from becoming casualties of the 2008 election cycle’s mandate for rapid sustainable change. 

Of more import, this approach mandates that the Republican party turn on a dime by:  1) playing down the Republican Party brand (very little Republican signage in the convention hall, hiding most things symbolic of the last eight years of Republican Leadership presence), 2) delivering a physical example of change that is comforting and reassuring (a female nominee that is historically different but politically appealing and message consistent), and 3) by demonstrating to their loyal customers a willingness to innovate while protecting the trademark features of the Republican brand.  Is it a tough sell in the face of today’s political marketplace?  You bet your Democratic mascot on it.  However, we should all be reminded that the organization and individuals committed to doing the heaviest lifting on behalf of it’s customer is the one often remembered and most sought by customers seeking delight.

“My friends”, as Senator McCain often states, these three lessons are timeless and yet this year it is very clear that the underlying principles outlined above will deliver “Change That Citizen Customers Believe In” within the political, as well as, the economic marketplace.  As we all rest up for the big day in November, let us remember these three customer truths:

1. Overwhelming your customers with a “Shock and Awe” campaign is a mission always worthy of your time and often rewarded by your customer’s attention
2. Find your customer’s pulse…their hot button issue…their worthwhile mission and solicit their efforts in designing solutions that will effect meaningful impact in their lives.  Do your customers see themselves in your product? 
3. Model responsiveness constantly.  Responsiveness is the universal language of loyalty.  It is the oxygen that your business requires to earn the next service opportunity.  As your customers experience the output of your business process, focus on validating your customer’s authentic experience.  Live at the extremes…Understand what they love and what they hate.  Affirm the customer’s experience by providing tangible evidence that you are committed to the consistent and proactive innovation of your business’ ability to reform itself. Convince your customer’s in a manner and tone that they can relate to.  What opportunity will you use to experience, relate, and leverage your customer’s perspective to radically reform or renew your commitment to a new level of delight?

Leave no doubt about your commitment to resurrecting SERVICE EXCELLENCE!

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Related Posts

• April 3, 2009 -- The greatest Consumer-Generated-Media question never asked? (0)
• May 28, 2009 -- Five “Sells” I’m Buying in the Age of Stimulus (0)
• April 11, 2009 -- Customer Appreciation Goes A Long Way (5)
• March 7, 2009 -- A Great Story Is the Cornerstone of Business Success (4)
• November 22, 2008 -- #1 Secret to Word-of-Mouth: make me popular. (3)
• November 20, 2008 -- “The Matrix” runs on Windows: Word of mouth from the anti-tribe. (1)
• November 17, 2008 -- Prez Elect on Line 2! and You’re working on Your Service plan (4)
• September 4, 2008 -- 3 Pitches for Striking Out Service Mediocrity (2)
• August 26, 2008 -- Image Is Everything (0)
• August 26, 2008 -- Take Me Out To the Ballgame…Lines!?! (1)