I have a well known IM/internet calling service installed on my laptop which I installed when I was at my last job and foolishly used my work email in my account profile .  Yes you guessed it I forgot the password.  The interesting vicious circle I got caught in was to get a new passsword I need to get an email (which I can’t becasue it was my old work one) and to change the email I need a password.

Ok I have no problem contacting customer service and asking for help. Yes, I did a stupid thing, mea culpa but please help me.  Now here’s where it got interesting.   You can’t contact this firm’s customer service.  No phone, number or email only a virtual loop of FAQs.  OK I’m into self-help but my problem isn’t on the list so can’t self-help either.

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The one thing everyone is willing to share is his or her opinion.  Bad news if it’s your in-laws but great news if it’s your customers.  In my experience working with small business professionals rather than being the first line of defense it’s often left out of the playbook all together. No matter what it is your selling asking for customer feedback, insights, and unfulfilled needs should be part of your organizational policies.

Making it standard practice among all employees (so who in your organization doesn’t touch a customer or potential customer?) and institutionalizing it as a regular procedure is a key to business success. Create a list of questions that can be asked during customer interactions. Here’s a few to get you started:

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I recently agreed to administer the client database for a non-profit organization I volunteer for along with managing their email promotions.  I wasn’t surprised to find a large number of  unidentified client segments in their database. When you have many hands touching a data resource coupled with staff turnover it doesn’t take long for the data to go awry. I was once again reminded of the strategic importance client data management plays in the success of sales and marketing.

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Like Jim Gilbert, I get asked by clients what they can expect from putting the time into developing a social media strategy.  The answer of course is it depends.  Jim, a fellow social media strategist and blogger came up with 9 immutable laws of Social Media Marketing to help clients set expectations.  With Jim’s permission here they are:

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In preparing materials for a social media 101 seminar I was looking for an example of how a local small business might be using social media to market their business.  Since I was using restaurants as a reference for how web 2.0 and social networking have changed forever the way we reach customers I decided to check out what my favorite local diner was up to.

I live in NJ and we have diners on almost every corner which makes it a very competitive landscape. I was delighted to see they had a robust web site which had a gallery of restaurants photos and menus along with providing   web visitors an opportunity to sign up for coupons, special offers, events and more.

I also saw they were supporting a local charity.  A nice way to build even better relationships with their customers and distinguish themselves from their competitors.  Afterall if the local diner restaurants are similar might I not want to patronize the one with a heart?

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In a recent conversation with a small business owner I recommended that his web site needed work. My jaw dropped open when he told me he didn’t think his web site was that important and he didn’t see it driving a lot of business especially since he sells his products and services locally.  I realized after a few seconds that my mouth was open and had the presence of mind to close it and count to 10 before I said something I’d surely regret.

I did manage to get out that perhaps the reason the web site wasn’t driving prospects was because it desperately needed an overhaul. ( See my last post).  I’m finding that many entrepreneurs without marketing experience or professional advice make the mistake of not making the connection between the importance of good  marketing and sales development.

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All business do an annual financial records audit but how often are you reviewing your web site?  According to Charles Fellingham, founder of QAlias prospects looking for products and services want to know 5 things:

1. What is it?
2. How does it work?
3. What will it do for me?
4. Can you prove it?
5. Who else says so?

When you are reviewing your web site, how many of these questions are answered on your homepage?  With just a few seconds to capture interest  it is obvious how important it becomes to have the responses to these questions front and center of your web site.

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I just discovered a white paper titled 5 Social Media Marketing Best Practices for B2B on one of my favorite sites btobonline.com.  Two of the recommendations really stood out to me:

1. Be transparent to win customers
2. Be a listener, not a policeman

The first and the most important to me is a reminder that you don’t want your brand known as disingenuous. Remember people buy from companies they know and trust. Today’s savvy social media users have been know to ferret out companies that are being dishonest in their communications.  The white paper gives the classic example of Wal-Mart making the mistake of hiring bloggers to travel around the country visiting with Wal-Mart customers and employees and blogging about their experience.  When it came to light the bloggers were working with Wal-Mart’s PR agency the campaign was quickly dubbed a “flog” (fake blog).

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I recently volunteered to become a member of our local chapter of SCORE, a national non-profit organization that mentors and trains small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs just starting a business. SCORE volunteers have a diversified collection of business knowledge and skills. Volunteers come from all walks of life including retired business owners, corporate executives and professionals who donate more than 1 million hours of service annually.

SCORE is helping build America’s economic future one small business at a time.  It is evident how important that service is today when job creation is a priority for our nation. Today, SCORE has 12,400 volunteers in 364 chapters around the United States.

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Free is still the most powerful marketing word any business can use.  Well maybe.  If there is real value attached to the offer then indeed it becomes even more powerful.  If there is no real value attached then it’s going to be discovered pretty quickly. In today’s connected world customers share the good, the bad and the ugly. Either way, you can expect to have a light shown on the offer as fast as the swine flu virus spread.

Fellow marketers in my network share links to free ebooks, white papers,blogs, events etc, they have reviewed and know I will also like.  In the same manner they are quick to discuss and share their opinion about what they consider of no value.

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