The devil is in the details

It doesn’t take much to change an average experience into an exceptional experience that generates a competitive advantage. But employees, who have taken on increasing responsibilities in the past few years, are hard put to find the time to maintain even an average experience. They are happy to utilize technology to provide customer touches like “personalized” thank-you emails and newsletters.

The problem is, customers know just how much effort these technology-enabled touches cost, and they value them accordingly [low].

Increasing reliance on technology has conditioned us to avoid anything that requires customized effort. That opens up a huge opportunity for those who are able to think outside the “automated” box.

Here’s an example that impressed me over the past two years. I joined the American Marketing Association’s Cincinnati Chapter, and quickly discovered why it is one of the highest rated chapters in the country (with over 600 members). Rather than letting a new member “drift” into the organization, they invited me to an orientation where the chapter’s opportunities were described in detail and I was invited to sign up for activities I was interested in. They also worked to engage me through a variety of media--snail mail, email, Twitter, and Facebook. I was even offered the opportunity to schedule a one-on-one with the Chapter President.

I became a volunteer, and have enjoyed public recognition for my contributions through a special nametag (everyone wears nametags at events to facilitate networking) and invitations to volunteer thank-you events that include both special educational seminars and “fun” events like minor league baseball games. I’ve also been impressed with the yearly brainstorming sessions aimed at improving these already effective procedures.

The AMA doesn’t have to do all this-- the officers and volunteers are unpaid, and all have regular jobs. But because they make a special effort, they have a very successful organization.

If you said none of these things are particularly innovative, you’re right. But they’re doing them, and that’s the competitive difference versus organizations that do not do them. When the time came to write the check for another year’s membership, I didn’t think twice.
If you’d like some help in customizing your customer and prospect touches, give me a call. I’d be happy to help!