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

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.

Unhappy Employees Can Damage Your Business - Dumb Marketing Move

This week’s Dumb Marketing Move goes to FedEx.

I’m sure FedEx does a lot of good marketing, but they’re forgetting one important thing, their front line. Now that it’s getting hot again, I thought we should share this. Their drivers don’t have air conditioning in their trucks.

So at least ¼ of the year, if not more, their frontline employees are miserably hot, which can quickly translate into snappy people with the public or aggravated driving. They’re forgetting that satisfied employees, even if it is just their comfort level, are a powerful marketing tool that should not be ignored.

Lesson Learned: Your marketing plan should also include satisfaction of employees; they can turn off a customer, a loyal customer, or even a potential customer. Employees are now less loyal and if they aren’t happy your customers will hear about it, and if they are happy it will show and customers will love shopping at your store, or using your services.

Survey Your Customers - Dumb Marketing Move

This week's Dumb Marketing Move goes to Deep Spring, a product of Coca-Cola.

Sometime what one considers a "dumb" marketing move is really a result of a management that doesn't pay attention to its business or worse has a lack of a communication channels that consumers, trade customers or their own employees can't make them aware of an ongoing problem with their product or service.

These thoughts went through my mind when recently on a business trip to Australia the following scenario took place.

I was staying at Jupiter's Casino Hotel in the Gold Coast, an upscale establishment and I was fortunate to be staying on their "Executive" floor which had certain benefits such as continental breakfast, the availability of snacks during most of the day and non-alcoholic beverages all day long. It was the latter where the tale began. I went to the refrigerator in the late afternoon and took out what looked like a refreshing fruit based drink named Deep Spring - Orange and Passion Fruit. I took it back to a table with some snacks and sat down to relax and enjoy the great view. I tried to twist the cap off but after 5 minutes of trying gave up. Now I am 5'11", 200+ lbs, exercise on a regular basis, consider myself relatively strong, so it was a little embarrassing to ask the petite hostess for help. She then told me, as she got out a tool to open it that everyone has the same problem. She said it is literally impossible to open without a handy tool.

What surprised me is this is a product of Coca-Cola, one of the more astute marketers of beverages. But for whatever reason they don't seem to know about this situation or if they do they are ignoring it. Thus they get ore "Dumb Marketing (or Management) Award".

Lesson Learned: You want your company to be user friendly! Don't forget to survey your customers on customer satisfaction. You might be surprised what you find out about your product or service. You might want to keep it anonymous to get the true feelings of your customers.