Best Little Blog

Why I Am Still Upset

It happens to all of us. It's not uncommon for you to spend 30 minutes on the phone with a customer service representative due to an issue (30 minutes you will never get back, I should add), and, typically, you will end the call with some sort of resolution in place. One would think that you would be happy, right?

What if, in this instance, rather than feeling satisfaction, your hands are still clinched and you're mumbling under your breath like a mental patient from frustration. In the past, you've called customer service and it didn't end with a desire to kick the family dog; so why was this call so different? Could it be the mood you're in at the time? Possibly -- but most likely your feelings are connected to something deeper.

Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) is a term that refers to utilizing self-awareness to better communicate with and influence others during conversation. It also helps us to better explain why customers can end some calls and feel satisfied, while other times they end calls and feel infuriated. When it comes to communicating with customers, it's imperative that they feel their voices are truly heard and understood.

So how does one harness the power of NLP and leverage it to ensure customer satisfaction? Here are a few easy ways to get started:

• Mirror: You're on a call with customer service, and the agent you are speaking with says, "I will work to solve your problem Mr. Customer," and then proceeds to ask standard questions about your situation. She communicates to you in an even tone and very matter-of-factly. The customer service agent has clearly expressed her desire to help, but no rapport has been established. A better way to handle that conversation would have been to mirror your intensity, tone and body language. "Geez, Mr. Customer -- that sounds horrible! You must really be upset having to spend time on the phone and away from important things to deal with this!" By mirroring the other person's emotional state, the agent immediately put herself on the same side of the table as the customer.

• Paraphrase: Once a customer has voiced an issue or problem, it's important to paraphrase the situation. "So let me understand this -- you're saying that you've been waiting three days for your bags to arrive and yet no one has called you back to help you locate them. Is that correct?" (pause to listen) "Oh, and Agent Mudder told you that they would be arriving yesterday?" (pause again) "Okay -- I got it -- let me get some answers for you." By paraphrasing, you ensure that you really understand the issue at hand, and you also gain further rapport. Many times it's not the "bags" themselves that's the real issue. It's the fact that nobody gives a damn about the situation.

• Lead by example: If you expect your customer service agents to communicate effectively using these tools, senior managers should lead the way. Ask those on the front-lines to set the tone for the right culture and you're more likely to have individuals that will follow their example and become a true asset to your customer base.

NLP and transactional management techniques go way beyond just these few points I have outlined, and they also go way beyond customer service management issues. These are techniques and tools to be used in everyday communication as leaders, spouses, parents, friends, etc. They place focus on connecting with others and solving problems, and not on making an already emotional situation even worse.

The quickest path to wasted impressions

After reading Seth Godin's blog, I need to thank him for introducing me to the term "scalejacking" (coined by Dave Balter). It's a term that effectively sheds light on an antiquated thought that most marketers entertain at one point or another. This thought leads marketers to believe that it is important to get their display message in front of as many consumers as possible, no matter the cost, no matter their interest level, no matter whether the recipients are even in the right demographic. The hope is that having their message everywhere will generate enough attention, at a cheap price, that they attract and convert (read: jack) enough customers to justify the expense.

If you ask marketers who have tried scalejacking how their campaigns performed, chances are they will say that the tactic was not at all successful. Every once in a while, this type of marketing can work, but that is usually in instances when the rare infomercial-type product is being promoted. The product has to be generic and appeal to the lowest common denominator for scalejacking to be effective -- a mix that is not easily found.

Seth's thoughts on scalejacking were dead on; contrary to common belief, scale (or the quantity of people you reach) isn't what matters. Who cares if a network says it can reach 100 million unique users on a monthly basis? What network doesn't make a claim like that? It's really about depth.

Rather than focusing on scale, focus on going deep in the following ways:

• Go vertical. Scalejacking is a horizontal thought process that seduces you by the thought that after you place your message in front of 1 million people, a click-through rate of .0000001 percent, with a conversion rate of .0004 percent from those clicks, will make the scalejacking worth it. Sound like a stretch? Well, you're right. This tactic won't work.
  
• Boost value. Now that you are thinking vertically, you should think of going deep -- as in going deep in your product offering. What can you do to influence your organization to add more value to the product? The key here is to focus on increasing value, not increasing sales. How deep can the value-add go? Those who try to differentiate themselves by increasing volumes while lowering price end up in a death spiral and rarely position themselves for long-term success.
  
• Define what makes you different. Even the most commoditized of products can do it. It's not easy, but speaking to what makes you different will make you stand out. Figure out what that difference is and use it. Make it a religion in your materials. Trust me -- it's worth the time and temporary frustration in figuring it out. Once you do, it makes all the difference in connecting with prospective and current customers.
  
• Get repeat purchases from your existing customers. Create evangelists that will build your brand over the long term; don't just focus on the next attempt to create a flash-in-the-pan bump in sales. Customer service is not a cost center -- it's a touchpoint with your consumer and a chance to build a stronger relationship. Instead of spending time on the next scalejacking attempt, invest time in making your customer service experience more memorable.

Think about going deep versus scalejacking as though you are searching for your next employee. It no longer works to just place an ad on Monster and hope that the mass amount of unqualified responses you get will result in the perfect candidate contacting you. You have to find that perfect site or networking place where your ideal candidate exists. What's better -- getting 200 resumes from a group of people who don't know how to spell their name correctly or two resumes from great candidates? Running an ad for someone on Monster is, in essence, scalejacking. Running an ad on your local marketing website where experts visit frequently is a much more targeted approach. The results you will yield are far superior than when you cast a wider, less relevance-focused net.

Brands and agencies often ask their vendors, "How many websites will our ads appear on?" and "How many websites do you purchase media from?" As I've just discussed, these aren't the right questions to ask. Those statistics are completely irrelevant to an online behavioral advertising display campaign. The correct questions are, "How many prospects can I reach by working with you, and how many times can I, and should I, deliver an ad to them?" and "How relevant is that group of prospects that you reach with our message?"

Whether an ad gets displayed to a prospect on five sites or 5 million, it doesn't ultimately affect campaign performance. The only thing that matters is that you delivered the right ad to the right person. Worrying about how many sites your ads get placed on detracts from what you should be focused on: relevance.

To quote Seth, "It's about who you're speaking to, not how many." Be wary of attempts to scalejack and start focusing on asking the right questions of your vendors so that you get the right ad in front of the right target the appropriate amount of times.