Aint We Wonderful!

It may come as a surprise to you to discover that customers don't buy your products or services because they feel that you have a right to make a profit. In other words, their motive for doing business with you is not to help you buy the latest Jaguar or put your children through college. You think this is a joke? Recent research shows that something like 60% of businesspeople place more importance on what they will get from a transaction than on what their customers will benefit.

In essence, their profitability is more crucial to them than is customer satisfaction. And it shows.

If you are in any doubt about this, cast your eyes over the myriad of ads, brochures, websites and so on that major on the successfulness of their organisation, as opposed to the benefit their products or services might be to the customer.

Certainly, they pay lip-service to customer satisfaction, but beneath this thin veneer of eye-shine is the belief, probably implanted at birth, that their bottom line takes precedence over everything.

Oddly, advertising agencies are among the worst offenders in this respect. Their promotional material illustrates what great work they have done, and states how many millions they billed in the last financial year, but none (and I mean none) tell you how much product their efforts have helped shift. To put it another way, none bother to demonstrate what benefit their services have been to clients.

While I am on the subject, there's something else just as puzzling which may have escaped your notice. I refer to the ubiquitous advertising awards handed out to agencies by various advertising organisations around the world. These awards are given, without fail, to campaigns that are outstandingly funny, or technically slick, or wonderfully realistic. Rarely, and I mean never, are these awards made on the strength of how much product a given campaign has sold. They don't even take into account response rates or conversion rates generated by a campaign.

Such figures, I agree, would involve a little trouble to collate, and there would no doubt be quite a bit of trickery in the shape of false returns to overcome. But I feel that a yardstick of this kind would be far more worthy ? and more relevant - than one which considered only the creativity or the cutting-edge techniques involved in a piece of work

Over the years, I have won dozens of awards for my clients; and very grateful I have been for them. A copywriter who can tote a portfolio or a showreel filled with award-winning material is guaranteed work for life. Likewise, the ad agency that employs him will see its equity rise and rise. And the client? Well, who gives a damn about the client. His products and services are merely vehicles upon which an agency can ride to glory.

The moral is clear. Rather than thinking what your customers can do for you, think what you can do for your customers. With this kind of philosophy, your profits will take care of themselves.

About The Author

Patrick Quinn is an award winning copywriter with 40 years' experience of the advertising business in London, Miami, Dublin and Edinburgh. He publishes a FREE monthly newsletter, AdBriefing. Subscriptions are available at: http://www.adbriefing.com.

j.p@markethillpublishing.co.uk

---

Develop Loyal Customers for a Lifetime ? part 1 (1 ? 10)

Traditional marketing strategies encourage business owners to continually grow their... Read More

Making Customer Satisfaction Surveys Work

Why bother? Good customer service is the life blood of... Read More

One of the Secrets of a Great Customer Experience

A few weeks ago we conducted our annual "Customer Experience... Read More

Clients... and 38 ways to communicate with them

As Alan Weiss (guru to the savvy consultant) says: "It... Read More

Adjustment DENIED

It's just a simple thing ? I bought a new... Read More

The History of CRM -- Moving Beyond the Customer Database

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is one of those magnificent concepts... Read More

Responding to Complaints

It's possible that in the course of your business dealings,... Read More

Say It With Humor

When you own a business, you may find yourself in... Read More

Why Communication Skills Dont Work In Customer Service

Every time my firm conducts communication skills training, we know... Read More

How Not to Get Stiffed, Improving Your Collection Procedures

Some businesses have slow paying customers or past due balances... Read More

When a Customer Has Done Everything to Get Your Goat

You try to make your customers happy. You sincerely WANT... Read More

What Every Employee Should Know About How to Prevent Customer Service Conflicts

There are five techniques that have been proven to be... Read More

Customer Service: Why Bears Make Bad Customers

Every business owner should have a picture of his or... Read More

Wholesale Buyers Versus Retail Customers

Are wholesale buyers and retail customers really different? Frankly, there... Read More

Listening: The Foundation of Communication

Listening is the #1 communication skill for leadership, selling, customer... Read More

Who Says the Customer is Always Right?

We all know the old adage, "The Customer is Always... Read More

Be A Resource

What is one of the greatest ways to add value... Read More

Customer Feedback: Everyone has an Opinion - USE IT!

Have you ever been in a department store and known... Read More

Stellar Customer Service in 10 Simple Steps

If you're like me, you've had plenty of experience with... Read More

One Critical Question to Ask Yourself Every Day

What happened to the old saying, the customer is always... Read More

The Art of Giving Great Service

Sales is tough to get right, and depends on retaining... Read More

Over Delivering Provides Big Results

Over promising is a problem only when you under deliver.... Read More

Oil Change Customer from Hell or Hoax; You Decide

Evacuation, "E-Vac" Oil System for Oil ChangingHow do most mobile... Read More

How to Walk the Floor and Talk to Customers

This may seem a strange topic to introduce. Yet, it... Read More

The 7 Principles of Business Integrity

If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't... Read More