I recently read a very good (albeit scary) post by Leonard Klie on DestinationCRM.com (CRM Magazine) about a rise in complaint calls at contact centers. Negative calls have increased by 40 percent in the past two years. Everyone who works for your company has an impact on your customers. That impact will affect how customers view your brand. With such an increase in negative calls, this is not good news.

The report, part of an annual study of more than 200 US contact centers categorized results by business type. It was interesting to note that the financial services industry did not fare as poorly as the group as a whole. I was pleased about that since Alder & Associates has helped several banks grow through brand advertising. My jubilation was rather short-lived when I read that negative calls for the financial field increased by 28 percent during the period in question…

Eighty percent of the complaints were not about how the staff handled calls but rather about a failure of process somewhere else in the organization. With the downturn in the economy and “guilty by association” aspect of the banking industry, it becomes clear that the public could very well view the financial industry askance. However and partly due to the economic downturn, companies have laid off workers who handled customers - and call centers have also reduced staff who man the phones, all resulting in some work not getting done, some errors being made, and fewer call center staff to man the phones and correct the issues. It’s not hard to imagine why complaints have risen so dramatically.

What is hard to imagine is the devastating impact this all has on a company’s brand. A great brand takes years to develop and grow. Companies have spent millions of dollars on advertising and brand research to ensure their brand is top-of-mind with the consumer. One can imagine that in a scenario where a few errors made in one department become magnified by another short-staffed department and further compounded by long telephone queues and inept or inexperienced operators. It is clear that the brand will suffer and consumers will walk.  A marketer’s nightmare…

A word of advice? Very often, an attempt to save a few pennies here or there or to reduce proper training to save a buck can undo millions of dollars of brand advertising and brand equity. Companies will want to take a longer-range view of the business, the brand, profits and the brand! (Because, it is all about the brand!)

(c) Alder & Associates - Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations

Some suggestions:

1. Talking less about a company’s brand and engaging viewers in listening and engaging (polls, input, questions to fans...)

2. Offering viewers immediate discounts for anyone who “likes” a page.

3. Delivering great content for viewers “each and every day”.

4. Developing a news feed.

5. Adding company photos on the page.

6. Making the conversation about the customer, not the organization.

I’d like to go on record by saying that all of these suggestions make a lot of sense! The ideas proposed are cogent and solidly based on marketing principles.

But let’s talk reality: Attentive and intensive Facebook involvement makes great sense for a large company that can devote resources to social media. Smaller companies have greater manpower constraints but are blessed with less red tape. (Translation: Things are easier to get approved and take less time to get on Facebook.)

In that spirit, here is my answer to the above 6 points! 

1. To all of you who have clicked the “Like” button on the Alder & Associates Facebook page, thank you!  We appreciate it!  Now, here’s how you can help.  Drop everything you’re doing and ask all of your friends and relatives to do the same and have them “like” us too! 

2. Everyone who “Likes” us gets a 5 percent discount off our first major brand or advertising project for you*.

3. Tune in tomorrow to see the great content I have in store for you!

4. News feed? I’m working on it…

5. The company photos are coming (as soon as all the pics are airbrushed!)

6. Let’s talk!  Tell me which marketing topics interest you the most for future blogs and I promise to cover the subject as best I can!

Don’t forget to tell your friends and relatives about Alder & Associates.  Now get to work! 

* That means - first-time clients!

(c) Alder & Associates - Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations. 2011

Unfortunately, many companies have failed to engage their employees and are still failing today.  It was pretty bad before the economic downturn and now, post-downturn and massive layoffs, those still employed are overworked, feeling intimidated, and not feeling better about their jobs (other than having one). What happened to a motivated workforce?

A few years back when I managed teams of professionals, I searched for ways to engage, offer enjoyment and a sense of connection with the company, and mesh their hearts with the company’s mission. It was important that the team feel a sense of personal and professional growth and an excitement when they came to work each day.  I hope that I succeeded on some level and that’s why I was very pleased to recently read a related blog on the Huffington Post by Judah Schiller, co-founder and CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi S.

It was refreshing. He gets it! Techniques I employed were mentioned in the piece entitled “5 Must-Dos to Engage Your Employees in 2011”.  Essential ideas to avoid a lack of employee engagement - the malaise found in many companies today were reviewed:

Schiller suggests a need for refreshed thinking and engaging employees to define corporate challenges and develop solutions to those challenges.  The blogger recommends employing associates at all levels of the company, soliciting their input and engaging them in regular surveys to determine what makes them happy, how they like to work, and to get to the root of what can get them excited! 

I have always believed that if your team is having fun, if they feel alive and alert, they will bring a fresh attitude to their engagements with other employees and most importantly the customer.  Schiller suggests using social good as a means to forming a common cause and rallying point for employees.  He also proposes viral and grassroots learning.  Having been the beneficiary of grassroots learning in its finest form, I can attest to how it has helped me do my job better and be more open to helping others do theirs too.  Schiller speaks about creating a company of micro-philanthropists – allowing employees to getting involved in causes meaningful to them (rather than the top-down approach often used.)

The next time you enter a business establishment, look around.  Can you tell if the employees are engaged and happy to be there?  Try to determine what message their interaction with you is sending.  You may realize that while a company sends many marketing messages, their employees are marketing ambassadors too.  Corporate America:  Get creative in keeping your employees happy, learning, engaged, and the results may just be the best marketing ever!

(c) Alder & Associates, 2011

I researched articles on "life-long customers" on the Internet and the first one was by Jeff Wuorio on the Microsoft website. It seemed to fit the bill and provided very concise ways companies can work to keep customers for life. The first rule provided was that a company should deliver what they say they're going to deliver. Simple enough! Have you ever been let down by a company's product or service? We've all read advertising copy that promises the sun, moon, and stars. We've had experiences in stores or with products that have had us wishing for at least one of the three!

The article continued by exhorting companies to "expect the best" from their customers, that is, not to adopt a mindset that customers must somehow earn the right to do business with the company. In a word, respect the customer! Think of a time when you entered a restaurant and you felt respect. Nice feeling, wasn't it? In reverse, think about a time when you felt you weren't respected. Are you still doing business with that company?  I'd venture to say: no!

The author advises companies to "go beyond the usual", or to conduct business by providing a level of service beyond what a customer might expect. I had one of these experiences years ago when I missed a connection in the Bahamas. The airline's counter agent not only secured a seat on another flight -- on another carrier, but took the time to walk me to that gate! This service level was so unexpected that I immediately forgot that the delay was in fact caused by that airline and my anger and impatience evaporated!

Additional advise provided in the article centers around "watching the customer - not the bottom line". Said differently, if you attend to your customers' needs and wants, you will be rewarded with continued business, those ultra-important referrals, and general goodwill that will help your company succeed. Some of the most successful companies conduct consumer research on an ongoing basis or have a system of "listening posts" to monitor what their customers are thinking and saying. This input is critical to delivering the products customers will want and purchase. And, another tip related to this one is "giving your customers a reason to stay with your company. A simple example of this is offering repeat customers a discount. Here's an example: I was in my favorite bakery/restaurant in New York when my waitress dropped off a small box of cookies at no charge asking me to enjoy them. With just a few dollars of cookies, that restaurant earned about a hundred hours of me telling anyone who would listen what a great place it was and it also cemented what I thought of the place! I will continue to patronize the place - it's just that good, and sadly, yes, I learned that I can be had with the price of some cookies!

Lastly, another way to encourage long-term customers is to ensure long-term employees. Treat employees the way you wish them to treat customers. Employees working in a positive, supportive environment will in turn treat customers accordingly.

Finally, Wuorio encourages businesses to "be picky" about lifelong customers. Businesses are there to make a profit and there may be customers who are just too demanding to be profitable. Businesses must determine the point at which a customer costs too much to service. Someone who spends an hour or two arguing about a bill each month will drive manpower costs up. If your service reps earn $15 per hour that customer could cost an additional $30 in staff time each month. Is he a profitable one?

Everyone knows that it costs much more to garner a new customer than to keep one you've got already. These tips could help companies keep customers longer and more profitably for the company. Why don't all companies follow the tips?  Drop me a line and tell me!

(c) Alder & Associates - Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations

An article about public speaking entitled “The Gift of Gab” by Barbara Haislip that appeared in the Wall Street Journal last August was instrumental in starting conversations with the president of my advertising agency about the importance of being visible in the business.  Over the course of several months, it has resulted in Bart Alder, President and Creative Director of Alder & Associates being “available” as a speaker to businesses and organizations across the state and across the country! 

GP: Bart, how do you feel about speaking at trade association or business gatherings?

Bart: I think that I’ve got a lot of experience from a creative’s perspective in developing compelling and        successful advertising campaigns.  I believe there’s a market out there that is still very much interested in learning about the field of advertising.  In many ways, it’s still a new world for many firms.

GP:  New world?

Bart:  There are companies who do not advertise – either product or brand - either because they don’t understand it or don’t believe it can help grow their business.  Then there are industry leaders who have not yet had direct contact with internal or external ad agencies. In the course of my career, I’ve worked for two major banking corporations, a major law firm and the largest community bank in the state of Virginia.  I’ve seen the power advertising has in supporting their growth and have had interesting interactions with corporate ad managers through to senior management.  It’s an interesting story to tell.

GP: But what about the role of social media? Branding? Other marketing tools?

Bart: Each plays a critical role. But, if you’re looking to build a brand or increase brand awareness, print and electronic advertising is a very critical component in your playbook.

GP: How does your presentation differ from other “President and Creative Directors” out there?

Bart: Well as you know, when Alder & Associates develops an ad campaign, we rely on “Theater of the Mind”…  It’s a concept that sets our work apart from others – and it is a compelling story to tell.  It’s simply different than most and we’ve had a lot of success with it. Another important distinction is that our creative approach is driven by strategy in achieving business results, not by what many believe is your typical Creative Director’s goal -- to win award show accolades.  Our work creates results!

GP: How can outside firms or professional associations learn more about it?

Bart: I’d love to speak to them about attending their next company or association meeting.  Have them call me and we’ll chat it up!

© Alder & Associates – Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations



I have had the pleasure to work for companies with internal ad agencies and also for companies that farmed it all out and both methods have the potential to be effective. Operative word: potential. Quite often companies wanting to bring advertising in-house desire greater control over costs – resources – and the end product. External agencies, when maligned, are viewed as expensive and difficult to control. There are critical factors that impact a decision to keep advertising at arm’s length and outside of the company’s walls or integrate it within the company.

For example –

Does the company have enough of an ongoing need or projects of critical mass to substantiate the expenses and resources required to house an in-house staff? How would the costs of planning, developing, and implementing marketing/advertising campaigns compare with those incurred by an outside firm?  Does the internal agency have the required economies of scale and expertise required to make cost-efficient media buys when compared with a larger external agency?  And most importantly, does a company have the expertise and sophistication to attract and retain the best creative resources as effectively as independent agencies?

Another consideration is the internal agency’s potential impact within the corporate environment and whether it would be hampered from driving necessary yet unpopular strategic decisions.  While external agency creative directors have been known to go to bat for a compelling concept, would an internal creative director mindful of his employment, wage that battle?

As mentioned earlier, having been in firms with internal agencies and with others that farmed out advertising to one or more external agencies, there is never one approach that can result in success. What is critical though is the following:

• Leadership that understands the agency’s role – and most importantly, what the agency must produce.  The best leaders allow the agencies to present their cases and make impartial business decisions on fact.
• Leadership that realizes there are true costs in hiring and maintaining internal agency staff -- and that there is much bargaining power when utilizing external agencies.
• Hiring an agency takes time… hiring an internal agency takes time and skill… but firing an agency can be done very quickly.  Not so with internal staff.
• Given their make-up, external agencies have greater potential to remain idea-fresh and generally do not carry company “baggage” or pre-conceived notions about the product.
• External agencies only get paid when clients are happy.  “Employees” get paid twice a month…
• External agencies are not part of your company.  You can take full credit for their work! (Kidding…)

(c) Alder & Associates 2011

Listening is listed as the single most important way to improve your marketing and product offering. Agreed. Each year, companies spend thousands of dollars to gather market research either through customer surveys, focus groups, or secondary research, so that their products or services closely address the market needs.

Social media is an excellent way of gathering customer comments. The author goes on to urge companies not only to listen (in the case of complaints) but also to actively communicate with the complaining customer in order to resolve the issue. Here again, I agree. There are ways and means to take hold of a poor situation and make it right. I have, on several occasions, had a complaint which was handled by a very well trained customer service agent so that I quickly became again their loyal customer.

While it is possible to resolve customer satisfaction issues by social media, I urge caution on two points:

1.  If the business is run properly and if the customer’s need was handled appropriately at time of service, the customer should never be driven to the point of public complaint on a social media. It is inherently wrong for companies to allow customers to leave with concerns or issues that are not handled adequately. If that becomes the case, one might suggest that there are other problems lurking beneath the surface that should be tended.

2.  Social media is several steps away from human contact and one should not assume that the final effect would be the same.

Write in and tell us if you’ve ever had a complaint handled appropriately on a social media. Likewise, if you’ve had a complaint in a bank or a store that was handled well, let us know what it was that made you a happy customer!

(c) Alder & Associates - Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations

That’s why last Saturday, I was stunned at a department store known for its high customer service levels. On that particular day, I approached the cashier with my items, had them rung up, paid for them, had them bagged and received not one “hello”, not one “thank you”, not one “come back and see us again”. Nothing. No acknowledgement. Complete indifference. Not that I seek Chatty Cathy sales clerks, but generally most individuals have come to expect a hello and at least a thank you. I remember hesitating as I left the store. Should I mention this to a manager or was I making too much of it?

The Ritz Carlton is known for a very high level of service excellence. If you’ve ever stayed at one of their hotels, you understand. Training is crucial and critical to their business model and of course, it shows! But it begins even before the training. According to Jerry Osteryoung in his article “The Ritz Carton Experience”, the Ritz recognizes that the heart of customer service is hiring the best individuals and keeping them with the company. And the company strives to have their associates anticipate what the customer will want! The excellent customer service experience begins with anticipation. It continues with an employee’s pride in what they do – being representatives of that company – being the company. Ritz Carlton associates provide impressions to customers and those impressions result in whether a customer returns for future business. For other companies, the heart of providing excellent service is something quite simple: Common sense.  Common sense means that a company associate should recognize how he or she would want to be treated in the same scenario. And frankly, in this instance, the associate likely was not the right person for the job. The store should consider their role as well.

One: Did they pick the best individual to fill the role?

Two: Did they properly train the associate in the basic service levels?

Three: Did they bother to monitor the associate’s performance to ensure acceptable service standards? Remember, that which isn’t measured can’t be changed… 

More on service on next week’s blog. Got to go shopping now! 

© Alder & Associates – Marketing & Advertising & Public Relations

Just think of the many verbs you use each day (and think of the companies they belong to!) My boss often says that he needs to “Photoshop” a picture. I have a friend in New York whose interior designer is on assignment in another country, so she often “Skypes” her…

The Times article goes on to mention that Fred Shapiro, editor of “The Yale Book of Quotations” stated that in the past, many companies whose names had become verbs worried that the name would become “generified” and therefore would lose its trademark status. Do you remember how a facial tissue suddenly became a Kleenex?  Or, rather than photocopying a document, you would Xerox it!  And, where would we be without an adhesive bandage – or, is it Band-aid?

Today, the school of thought believes that making a product name a verb can actually help the brand. This, I imagine, would be similar to saying that there is no such thing as bad publicity… Consumers using a company name or product name as a verb creates yet another impression that helps increase awareness for that company or brand. But – is there such a thing as too much usage? Can you “wear out” a name and does it hurt your brand?

I for one cannot wait for the day when business leaders in and around Richmond will say “Let’s AlderAds that new product!”  Is that too much to hope for?

(c) Alder & Associates

Consultants are most always hired to fill a void of time, of available resources or expertise or skills. They may also be hired for contentious projects when an impartial third party is critical to getting the project moving with the least amount of corporate discord. They may be hired for sensitive projects where secrecy is be critical, for instance, the disbanding of a business line or the closing of a division or plant.

While some companies are very good at what they do, a specialized consultant will be hired to lend a special talent. For instance, consultants versed in Six Sigma Quality Process can offer a time-proven feature that would otherwise take months or years to perfect. Consultants with expertise in a specific topic often arrive with credentials as well as former clients to attest to this expertise and this offers credibility to recommendations that perhaps an internal department or team could not.

In the case of marketing and/or advertising, consultants are often brought in to review, suggest, implement, review, and finally depart:

Defining the Problem

Consultants will generally start by meeting with you and your team to review your expectations. Working collaboratively they’ll set goals and timelines to provide the results you seek. Most of the details will be vetted to insure that you receive the final product you seek and that your business is better off than before.

Measure/Assess

Marketing and advertising consultants may be called in to determine whether your marketing/advertising is working. They’ll look at your creative, the media buy-- are you spending judiciously and in the right channels? Is creative reflective of what your company offers? Is there a channel that you are not using optimally? These are all questions that a consultant can answer, offering a fresh perspective to “business as usual”. Or, your need may involve a more specific issue involved. Either way, the consultants bring their expertise in marketing and advertising and an “outside-in” perspective.

Propose/Implement

The third phase of a consultant’s work will involve a proposal of new work. This is where the consultant offers solutions to the problem(s) your business is experiencing and where the solution is custom-fitted to your business characteristics. The consultants may call in the expertise of yet others in the business so that the final proposal meets all of your needs and is almost guaranteed to make a growth impact.

Control

Lastly, a good marketing/advertising consultant will monitor the success of their proposal and determine whether there is a need for additional tweaks. This is where the consultant exhibits their commitment to what has been proposed.

Consultants can be invaluable to a company’s future. In order to make the most of your consultant, you should be prepared to be honest and open about your company and available with your time, resources, and information. The good thing about inviting a consultant in is that you’ll receive a world of information, expertise, manpower, objectivity, and skills. The best thing about inviting a consultant is that they eventually leave (and you can take the credit)!

(C) Alder & Associates - Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations