Archives for Trust

Why We Do What We Do

November 10, 2011

Courtesy of our heroes at Café Creative KFT

Lori Sallee POSTED BY: Lori Sallee| 3 Comments

Love Is The Drug

October 5, 2011

My pen is out of ink

I like pens, and I have a plethora of them.

This didn’t just start yesterday.

I covet them, and “save” my favorites. I probably have pens that are older than your children. I have pens with different colored inks, ballpoint, sharpie pens, click pens and pens with caps. I have a pen that looks like a log, and another with sparkly liquid and a blue boa feather on top. (a lovely gift from my niece.)

In recent weeks I have become enamored with my Uniball Gel IMPACT pen with the blue ink. It glides across the paper effortlessly. Its thick enough not to make a hole in the paper or huge indentation when I get excited and push too hard. Let’s face it: what I’m writing about can be very exciting sometimes - if only to me.

Today I realized my pen was out of ink. [scary music queued here. the sound of a woman screaming.]

It took me a while to “get that”. I kept going back and “trying to find my cheese in the same place”. I tried to continue to use it. I shook it. I unscrewed to top and added a couple of drops of water to the ink. I replaced the top and shook it again with renewed vigor and hope. I looked at it curiously. I looked at my creative partner. She didn’t look back. It was a kind of desperate, silent communication. Usually she responds to that. Had a broken pen ruined our level of unspoken communication? I think you can see what kind of strange of madness was happening here.

I was bewildered.

I looked through my vast collection of other pens (read: less important). No Uniball Gel IMPACT pen. I went to my savior, the Utility Cabinet. No Uniball Gel IMPACT pen. I went back to my desk and looked in every drawer. No Uniball Gel IMPACT pen. (I did find those dog bone paper clips I like so much..)

But, there was no pen joy.

Not one to dwell, I picked another pen. It took 10 minutes. For real.

Each pen I have has a personality, a reason, a thing it does better than all my other pens. Whether its for color or thickness, or the best pen to suit the story, each pen has a purpose. Try as I might to substitute another, less qualified pen to do the job of the Uniball Gel IMPACT pen, it was a 44 oz. serving of dissatisfaction. I could barely write at all. Each stroke felt like it was a 50 lb. weight in my hand dragging across an uncooperative page.

“With the stroke of a pen”, the pleasure of writing had all but disappeared.

Thankfully, an office supply fairy made a bulk purchase of 4 new Uniball Gel IMPACT pens at lunchtime, and my descent into writing hell was derailed.
Sometimes its the little things, like the tragedy of losing your favorite pen, to bring home how important your brand can be to it’s customers.

Moreover, my pen-tragedy-behavior nicely illustrates the cycle of brand love. But for those of you who don’t think in pictures like me, here it is (start at the top, and move clockwise):

The Cycle of Brand Love
When a person is connected to a brand, no other will do. That commitment is immune to similar products, similar features and/or benefits, price and/or availability. The brand experience (gliding effortlessly, no unnecessary holes or indentations) and ensuing brand trust and loyalty, prevents people from going to the dark side: the competitor.

Even in the face of diminishing brand experience (out of ink), people are catapulted to action in order to feel the brand love again. (buying the bulk pack of Uniball Gel IMPACT pens) Brand love – almost like a drug for some. No one I know, but for some…

Love Is The Drug. Hmm. Wasn’t that a Bryan Ferry Song in the 80’s?

According to a study on peak achievement article entitled, “UNDERSTANDING AND ACTIVATING YOUR BRAIN’S PLEASURE CENTERS” by Jonathan Cowan, Ph.D. and John Starman, MA,

“Having our full measure of happiness powerfully changes our view of life, our reactions to events and situations. It is amazing how different things appear when we are in a state of fear, rage, dire emergency or struggle compared to our experience when in a state of harmony, fulfillment and love. We are all looking for ways to be happy more of the time…and the possibility of influencing the system…”

In reviewing our illustration, you can see that brand love is indeed, a continuous cycle: experience-connection-trust-loyalty-[re]experience. Shower, rinse, repeat. The drive to reconnect with a brand experience inspires your audience to actively reconnect with your brand. After my pen-tragedy-behavior this morning, I can assure you that brand love is like a drug. Come hell or high water, nothing was going to keep me from my Uniball Gel IMPACT pens.

Does your brand inspire that kind of love, loyalty, connection and action in your customers?

I’ve heard that if its not “hell yes!”, its “no”. What are your thoughts?

Lori Sallee POSTED BY: Lori Sallee| 1 Comment

10 Ways to Create a Sensation Around Your Brand: Part 7

October 21, 2010


CREATE TRUST –
Be the Brand Customers Count On

Does your brand inspire trust? If I were to poll a group of buyers—current and prospective customers—and ask which brands in the building products industry are considered trusted sources, would yours make the list?

Before you answer, remember this: It’s not enough just to be true to your brand promise—to do what you say you’ll do in your marketing messages, then rely on word of mouth from satisfied customers to inspire trust market-wide.

To be perceived as trustworthy, you have to communicate what you’re doing for your customers, how you’re doing it and why. Tell the truth—not in corporate speak, but in a human voice. And make it easy for customers who trust in your brand to tell others about their experiences with you.

Here’s how.

Give your customers a forum for talking to each other, then monitor the discussion.

Establish groups on LinkedIn, Facebook and other social networks, and assign someone on your staff to regularly scan and participate in conversations about your brand. Demonstrating that you care enough to be involved inspires trust, as does promptly responding to negative comments and concerns voiced by customers.

Organize events to bring customers together.

Hold a charity golf tournament, a product demo or a sponsored event during a trade show, such as PCBC, BIS, AWFS and IWF. Have salespeople present, but keep it low-key. The idea is to bring customers and prospects together, then step out of the way and let them talk to each other. They’ll appreciate the opportunity to meet and network, and they’ll remember who made it possible. Another trust-builder.

Support causes that relate to your industry.

A company in the building products industry might want to connect with an organization such as HomeAid, a non-profit provider of housing for today’s homeless, and show community support. This kind of association has societal benefits: community outreach, customer involvement and making a real difference in the lives of families in your community or region. All of which build trust.

Be approachable and available to customers.

The simple act of publishing the email addresses and phone numbers of senior staff—not just those in sales and fulfillment—sends a powerful message to customers and prospects alike. Wouldn’t you be more likely to trust a company whose management is willing to listen to you?

Seek out and share customer success stories.

Ask your salespeople to identify customers whose businesses have grown, at least in part, as a result of their relationship with your brand. Then share those stories in your print and online advertising, sales material, e-newsletter, blog and website.

Example: Louis and Company, a nationwide distributor of specialty supplies for cabinetmakers and furniture manufacturers, worked closely with Oregon-based customer A-dec to create a same-day delivery system for the laminates, hardware and other materials they use daily, but don’t have space for in their warehouse. This customized system of order and delivery has allowed A-dec to grow its business without expanding its facility—and made Louis and Company one of A-dec’s top three suppliers. A win for both companies, and a great success story for Louis and Company to share in its sales collateral.

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Increasing the trust your customers have in you, your company, your products—your brand—is one of the most cost-effective ways to increase sales.

Companies who command trust have the advantage; they can retain the best people, inspire customer loyalty, reach out successfully to new markets and provide more innovative products and services.

Here’s to creating a sensation! Let’s get started.

Allison DeFord, Trailblazer
allison@felteverywhere.com

Allison DeFord POSTED BY: Allison DeFord| 1 Comment