How to Lose a Customer - Dumb Marketing Move

This week’s Dumb Marketing Award goes to GoToWebinar

Just when I think I have to find another example of a dumb marketing move, there it is happening to me. This week we are searching for a webinar software for a new webinar series, “Smart Marketing for Small Business”™. In our search, we decided to go with GoToWebinar (GoToMeeting's sister company).

I call and give my information to the person who answered, that’s a good move, a person answering the phone. Then she told me that she is going to transfer me to a sales person who can answer my questions about features. She transfers me and I get voicemail. Odd, but I thought, maybe this isn’t too bad. They called me back within 30 minutes.

I have a good talk with the rep, he answers all of my questions and he says that he’ll email his contact info and the set up instructions. Perfect! An hour later, there’s no email so I call back and the phone just rings and rings. Eventually, I get a recording to leave a message, so I did.

I waited another hour and half and still no email or no call back from our first call. So I called back and someone answered! I explained the situation, told them the reps name so he would get the sale, and I was put on hold for 15 minutes. The receptionist didn’t tell me why I was on hold for so long, or that the rep was on the other line with a customer. Nothing. So I just hung up.

So, we call back again since we were still waiting on the sign up email or a phone call back, and this time we left a very disappointed voicemail regarding their service, since no one answered again. We explained that their lack of attention to our phone calls and our interest in PURCHASING made us question their product.

All of this happened over two days ago, we never received a phone call or the promised email, so we don’t think this is just human error. We think it is lack of organization and management. This all boils down to that they lost a sale.

So now, we’re searching for another company.

Lesson Learned: Even though you have good rapport with a customer and they said they want to buy your product, follow through and attention to details is a very important quality. Just look at GoToWebinar. They lost a customer and now we’re telling others about it. “Take care of your customers or your competition will.” - Anonymous

Don't forget WHY your customers buy from you

What is the major reason a customer makes a purchase that most advertising misses?

Ask that questions of any sales, advertising, PR, Promotion and marketing person you know. You'll hear price, convenience, timing, need and more, but the answer is almost always perceived or real benefit to be received. Will it make us healthier, sexier, stronger, faster, look better and so on?

The failure in most marketing communication is a focus on features not the benefit. This should be as obvious as the nose on your face. It is commonsense. It is too rarely used.

Don't forget the benefits!

Cashier's Customer Service is Important - Dumb Marketing Move

This week’s dumb marketing move goes to Wawa!


For those of you who don’t know what or who Wawa is, it is a convenience store located in PA and NJ. They do a lot of the right advertising and promotions to get the constant flow of people. They have definitely made a name for themselves in these neck of the woods. They also have a lot of die hard fans but there is one thing that has stuck out to me when I’m in line at Wawa.


Their customer service is lacking.


Convenience stores are just that, convenient and they get you in and out quickly with your goods in the bag. But is that the only thing we want?

Here is the scenario I’ve seen multiple times:

The cashier rings someone up, hands them their change and before that customer has their money back in a wallet or before they grab their purchase off of the counter the cashier is ringing up the next person. This not only makes it awkward for the two customers, it is just plain ol' bad customer service to do that. This customer is more than likely a repeat customer too.


This just disgusts me when I’m the next person in line. It makes ME feel like I’m being rude and pushy. I’ve said to a cashier before, “I can wait” and they look at me like I have two heads. Unfortunately, our society has made us think that we just want fast service, not good service. Well friends, society is dead wrong and it hasn’t been the first time. As customers, we will pay for good service because it’s rare to find.


Lesson Learned: As a CEO or manager, shop your store like your customers would. Pay attention to the little things in customer service. They add up quickly. If you see a problem over and over again that means that something must be done. It might be training; it might come down to saying something to just one employee. But you must must must pay attention to your customer service. Your bottom line will thank you.

Gift Certificate Marketing, Don't Forget the Follow Through - Dumb Marketing Move

This week’s Dumb Marketing Move goes to Mango Moon.

There’s a new craze for half off gift certificates for local companies. As a marketer, I think it is great because these small companies, whether they are a restaurant, a gym, or a retail store, can gain some major exposure by partnering up with websites like Groupon.com, and HalfOffDepot.com.

So why am I awarding Mango Moon Restaurant this award if they used one of these websites to gain exposure? It was in their follow through. Gift certificates are a way to get people in the door, but you can not forget the follow through.

I had friends of mine go to their restaurant and use all of the gift certificate except $4. And they didn’t give them the balance for a return visit, not $4 in cash; it should have been $4 to use at their restaurant for another visit. It could have been in the form of a business card someone fills out, or even just printed on their receipt. Sure, $4 might seem like they shouldn’t honor it, and plus they already ate for ½ price with the purchase of this gift certificate. But the kicker, Mango Moon could have had return customers with that $4, and they would have spent much more than that! As soon as my friends told me this last night, that’s when I realized I needed to tell everyone out there with a business. (Note: Have you had this experience? Tell us about it below!!)

They blew their chance! Since I wasn’t there, I don’t know if it was just a server that made this decision, but it should have been communicated to everyone on the staff to honor anything leftover on these certificates. The first step with Groupon, or Half Off Depot, is to gain a customer. They accomplished this. The second step, get them to come back! Isn’t that what you want with all of your customers? So, now did their ½ off gift certificate work to gain them business? I have to say NO, because they didn’t follow through on something small and seemingly insignificant.

Lesson Learned: The small stuff counts! Even though your customers are getting an amazing deal the first time around, and might be cutting into your costs, you have to think about the future. How much will your customers be worth the next time they visit, and the next time and the next time? Your customers, and potentially loyal customers, are sitting at a table in your restaurant. They are already there, waiting to be reeled in! Don’t let them get away.

And remember, as an owner you need to communicate to your staff what you are doing marketing wise, so that they will be able to follow through for you. Make them feel part of the team, and part of the life of the business.

Technology in Business - Dumb Marketing Move

This week’s Dumb Marketing Move goes to CWTV.

CWTV are host to some of the hottest shows on television but I feel they are lacking in certain areas of their technology. Unlike most other cable networks, such as ABC, FOX and NBC, that are up-to-date with technology, CWTV needs to grasp that there is a growing trend for viewing TV programs online!

As a big fan of shows like Gossip Girl and America’s Next Top Model, I expect that I should be able to watch missed episodes online. However, if I miss two weeks of any show on CWTV then I am basically out of luck. Like most people in America I have a busy schedule and the convenience of having my favorite show online is what helps me keep up to date.

I went online to catch up on the 3 episodes I missed of Gossip Girl; I wanted to view the most recent one while it aired on TV. To my amazement, CWTV only had two episodes available. Two episodes! This was Gossip Girl’s third season and the CWTV only had two episodes online. I encountered another problem; I wanted to catch 30 minutes of an episode I missed of America’s Next Top Model. When I went online the next day that's when I realized it was not online. I tried for the next 3 days and it was still unavailable. I literally had to wait four days before the episode was posted online. So from that moment on I decided to view any of CWTV shows on other sites such as Hulu.com or just not watch it. In fact I haven’t watched Gossip Girl in a year because of the CWTV and their ideology of online episodes.

Why is it that CWTV is the only cable network that limits episodes online? When I go on ABC I have the ability to view a show from the beginning of the season or even as far back as the previous season. This is the same with FOX and NBC. They don’t subject the audience, their customers, to only having the option of viewing one or two episodes, or waiting four to five days for either of those episodes.

Lesson Learned: Living in a highly technological world cable networks such as CWTV should be aware of where their audience is viewing their shows. You not only lose viewers but you start to have disgruntled viewers as well, something no network wants, especially when rating are involved to keep shows on the air. Any business needs to be user friendly! Plus, they’re losing out on advertising possibilities for past episodes. Are you overlooking technology in your business that your competition is using? And in turn losing out on customers and money?

Customer Service Makes or Breaks a Company - Dumb Marketing Move

This week’s Dumb Marketing Move goes to Verizon!

My experience with Verizon was not the most pleasant and I was only trying to transfer service from one location to another. Here is how the conversation went (without exact wording):

- “Thank you for contacting Verizon. Can I have your phone number?”
- “It’s 609- _ _ _ - _ _ _ _”
- “You’re calling the Pennsylvania office, I will transfer you to NJ.”
Transferred…
- “Hello, Can I have your phone number?”
- “609- _ _ _ - _ _ _ _”
- “Thank you, what can I do for you?”
- “I’d like to change the location of my internet service, I’m moving tomorrow.”
- “Ok, Can I have your previous address?”
- “It was 2728 _____ Ave, Philadelphia.”
- “You’re calling the NJ office, I will have to transfer you.”
And before I could say anything I was transferred around like a ping pong ball.

While I’m being transferred, I patiently wait and not understanding why I keep getting transferred. So I hung up, and called 3 more times in the process I was transferred about 6 more times. As with many households these days, we don’t have a landline, so our main form of contact is our cell phone. That’s why my number is still considered a NJ number.

When I called for the final time, after they asked me my phone number I stated, “I will give you my phone number, but please don’t transfer me. I’m located in Philadelphia, PA and I have internet with Verizon in PA. I don’t want to talk to NJ at all.” After my long statement of making it 100% clear I didn’t want to talk to their NJ office, I finally got what I needed.

Verizon has failed at a few things in my book. First of all, they have not updated their ways of looking up a customer, and thus creating more hassle. What if I initially lived in CA? Would they have transferred me to the CA office? Why do they have even account numbers if they don’t use them?

Secondly, the customer service representatives should not lead off with “What is your phone number?” They need to lead off with “Hello, how can I help you?” or “Where Can I direct your call?” Then proceed with the account number, not the phone number of their customer. Personalization is key, even if it’s just leading off with a different question.

Lesson Learned: Remember to evaluate your company. Are you user friendly? Are you up to date on your practices? Are you making your customer service representative’s jobs harder and/or limiting because of rules and regulations? Look at your company like a customer, not an employee, with a magnifying glass. You could be missing the boat on something simple, but very important. And don’t forget that if customers don’t like your customer service they will find it somewhere else.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Hey YOU! No matter how much you advertise and publicize in order to stay in front of a prospect or client every day there is an aspect of marketing you might not be doing and it can benefit you and fit into any budget you have.

Promotional products, previously caked ad specialties are imprinted with your name, logo and slogan. They are appreciated, in many cases desired, but also have multiple marketing applications. 

From a small gift to the assistant of a decision maker, driving traffic to your booth at a trade show to enhancing the response rate of a mailing piece. Look into developing some creative resources in this field and you can add valuable creative resource. It's a multi-billion dollar business because it works for businesses, big and small.

Do you have anyone you would recommend? Comment to share