John Quelch turns the relationship between customer and company on its head in this article on the HBR blog. If we believe that we --the individual-- now have more power and control in the relationship we better behave accordingly.
99% of marketing focuses on how to sell to customers. Very little attention is paid to why and how customers should sell themselves to marketers.
He outlines five good customer behaviors (read the article for deets)
- Be Demanding
- Be Respectful
- Be Reliable
- Be Surprising
- Be Engaging
I would add one more bullet to John's great list:
- Reward good behavior. This is more than just tipping or saying thank you. This is ensuring that we as customers go out of our way to thank that (unique) customer service rep or employee who goes out of their way. When I was recently stranded in Europe on vacation I was helped by a women at the travel insurance agency who was not only helpful but incredibly empathetic to my plight. I made sure to send her a thank you and copy her supervisor. It is copying the supervisor that ensures this behavior is rewarded and hopefully passed on. Hey if it works with dogs and kids why not with adults..;).
Nod to Vaspers for pointing me to this article. Make sure to read his two great posts that highlight the difference between Social Media and Social Networks and the Seven rules of Social Media. Great stuff, I really love this guys blog.
[Photo credit - Mrs Newingham's third graders and their great blog]
