Comments on: Fostering loyalty

By: RedHornet

RedHornet — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:29:59 +0000

Cell phone providers have a monopoly they feel, and they are as dealing with the utility company. With cell phones not being tied as the gas, electric, water or land phone service, they will eventually learn as the customer service progresses.

You can change cell phone carriers easily, though you still get a carrier with a similar opinion.

Disney cares and that is the point of your story Mort. We need to care too in the marine business. Some do and some don’t and the level from top to bottom must care to succeed, thus free market and failures we are seeing today. It is as Yamaha learned years ago, we only know about 10% of our unhappy customers and feel insulated in not knowing about the other 90%.

By: John D

John D — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:00:56 +0000

Matt,
Good stuff. You really found a way to point out the difference between “the usual” and “the unusual.” Thanks

By: Monty Kitchen

Monty Kitchen — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:45:46 +0000

Great article! It truly amazes me how some companies just feel entitled to your business. My slogan in business has always been “be after the customers 100th purchase, not their first”. Treat them like life long customers and realize that is much more expensive to get new customers than it is to retain the ones you have. Make them feel like they bought something from you, that you didn’t “sell” them something. This is just a great reminder no matter if you are starting a new venture (as am I) or been in business for 50 years, you need to bring your customer first focus every day because bad news travels at lightspeed and good news at a snails pace. Great article to start the morning!

Thanks,
Monty Kitchen – Big D Boat Club

By: Herman Bolger

Herman Bolger — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:50:50 +0000

It is good to hear that company as big as Disney went out of there way for you, but that’s why you will go back there, given the opportunity.
On the other hand the cell companies have such a huge pool of potential customers, that if the lose one or two, to bad service they may still pick up another 2 or 3 through one of there promotions, so to them they don’t care. Now having said that, that attitude comes from the top and works it’s way down. If the the company is truely a service oriented company, it’s policies and comittment are reflected all the way through to the front line employees. Further the general state of the the company is reflected through the front line employee. If the employee is happy to be there, a good chance that they will go to “extremes” to help you. If the employee is not happy at their position, and, or with the policies of the company, then they will do the absolute least amount of work possible.
I think that the bigger the company is, weather it is a boat dealership, or a cell phone co., the bigger pool of people that they think they have to pick from, the less likely you are to get any service from. I think the smaller co know that their customers came to them through referals, freinds, family etc, and want to keep that customer as long as possible. the bigger companies that get their customers through promotions, just think that there is a endless supply of customers, so they are not service minded.
I think that any Co. big or small must change their collective attitude towards the consumer, or the consumer will just pick up and move on. Even if it means still not being totally happy where they moved to, as long as they are happier.

Thanks