MARKETING WITH A FACE
I receive those “friendly” e-mails starting with “Dear Abraham” (as they really know me)…but the same email ends with i.e: “The Audible Team”.
See what i mean? If you start the e-mail with the name of the receiver, you do so in order to create a “friendly” communication. There is nothing wrong with it. However, why not close the e-mail with your name, your photo and or a video where I can see who the writer is?
What good is it to “hide under” the internet mask?
Is this hiding (under… “The Audible Team”) really contributing to the “friendly e-mail” that you wanted/planned?
When you manage a beauty salon/SPA where the relationships between therapists and customers get really “intimate”, hiding under the internet masks is really something you should avoid doing as it creates “walls” instead of friendly transparency.
Point of skin Taiwan added an ONLINE SUPPORT TEAM including: product application manager, customer relationship manager, video editor, graphic/art designer as well as a logistics manager.
Here is a video where the team presents itself, what they do and how you can reach them (by their name).
It is so much nicer and warmer when “you know” with whom you are talking, how they look and sound as opposed to hiding behind the “cold wall of anonymity” that the internet created.
Let your beauty salon/SPA staff present themselves “live” and publish the video on youtube as well as on your website contact page and on your website “my team page”.
PS- I have nothing against Audible, the opposite I like them.but, also they need to improve on this issue…
HERE are the ONLINE SUPPORT TEAM OF POINT OF SKIN TAIWAN
Published by: admin on June 30th, 2010 | Filed under Uncategorized
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WHO IS REALLY THE BOSS
It is common when staff members who earn part or all of their income based on commission are frustrated with their BOSS.
Some think that they wish that they were the BOSS.
In both cases they believe that being the BOSS will make them richer etc…
So, what is the truth about this issue and how to clarify it (once and for all)?
Here is they way that I see it.
The above mentioned staff members normally earn 10%-20% commissions on their sales.
Their boss who invested ( a lot of money) in the business earns after all expenses about 15% on the sales (in a good case and before paying TAX.
The manufacturers that invested millions in order to build a plant and produce the products that the sales people sell earn in good case 15% on the sales (before tax) and need to deal with the headache of employees etc..
Your sales team who invested nothing earn averagely 15% on the sales too.
The different is that the sales team earns 15% on the sales price while the others earn on the manufacturing price…
So, WHO IS REALLY THE BOSS?
Published by: admin on June 29th, 2010 | Filed under Uncategorized
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NOTHING CHANGED IN THE ESSENCE OF FARMING AND DOING BUSINESS
The most ancient principles of life didn’t change (and I guess will never change).
Agriculture is as far as I believe the most ancient however most relevant method of doing and understanding business.
You first need to plant the seeds, treat them (the seeds), water them, protect them and only later on harvest the crop!!!
The procedure is simple- plant, nourish, protect, grow and harvest.
There is no “sitting and waiting” (in agriculture) as well as there are no “short cuts”, you either follow the process or you waste your time and money.
Plant- is investing in buying seeds and taking the time to plant them (investing in getting customers and educating them in how to choose skincare).
Nourish - is feeding the seeds – continuing to educate your customers in how you can solve their problems. It is ongoing communication (not from time to time but ongoing…nourishment)
You know the rest of the process….
The POINT of this post is both to remind you about the process but even more, to remind you that farmers don’t rest and are constantly looking after their crops as there are so many dangers (competition etc…) that might turn their pervious efforts into a total loss/waste.
Farming has changed and modernized, so did business via online and other modern business strategies, however, the essence of farming and or doing business and the the processes of what comes first didn’t change and will never change.
You either understand it and do it the right way or you loose your time and money.
Published by: admin on June 29th, 2010 | Filed under Uncategorized
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THE RIGHT AND RIPE CUSTOMERS IN THE MIDDLE
When you you think about customer segmentation (AS YOU SHOULD..), you should consider carefully the NEW “middle age” consumer group.
According to recent research “Those middle age brain’s capacity reaches its peak in middle age….”
The middle agers develop “another mind frame” in regard to many aspects of life as well as develop a superior cognitive thinking process.
This kind of more “focused thinking” can turn this age group into your best and most profitable customers.
They better understand the “fact of life”, what really maters and are ready to spoil themselves – “if not now than when???”.
Middle agers who worked for their entire life normally accumulated enough “free money” so that they can enjoy their lives “NOW”!!!
The awareness to health issues is in its peak too. Their willingness to take part in preserving the global environment is much higher than the guys in their 30th (they are too busy with earthy matter, money, relationships etc…). Look at the volunteers in most of the non-profit organizations and you will find that most of them are “middle agers”!
Looking to what Point Of Skin and Dr.Baumann can offer to this important CONSUMER SEGMENT/age group (healthy and safe skincare, perfect anti aging products and A Brand with a social meaning/contribution as well as Animal protection), should make it clear that the Middle Agers are the perfect match, hence, your next (immediate) target customer.
It is also relatively easy to physically and demographically locate those groups (google it) in your geographic area as they tend to build their own clubs and social networks.
Make a list of how you and your products/services can (especially) improve the lives of the “middle age” consumer groups and solve their problems and you are about to discover a real “gold mine”…
In order to better understand the “middle age” mind and this great purchasing power, I strongly suggest that you take the time and read:
The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain: The Surprising Talents of the Middle-Aged Mind- Or listen to it (here)
PS – preparing free of charge treatment vouchers, especially designed to solve aging problems for the “middle age” groups and giving those vouchers to your current 30 years old customers so that they can invite their mothers/mothers in law for a free treatment can be a great referral machine to gain new “middle age “ customers.
Don’t forget to search for those groups in your geographic are and start communicating with them…ABOUT HOW YOU CAN IMPROVE THEIR LIVES with your products and services.
Published by: admin on June 27th, 2010 | Filed under Uncategorized
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Elegant, Stylish and very EMOTIONAL!!!
The opening of Point Of Skin Taipei (the first Point Of skin in Taiwan) was elegant, stylish and very EMOTIONAL!!!
Here is Lihui the proud owner…
Here is the entrance to the building where Point Of skin Taipei is located…
And here are the moments before cutting the ribbon…
Lot’s of tears of happiness and hope, elegant dressed customers and friends, beautiful layouts and great food will turn this event into A milestone in the story of Point Of Skin Taiwan (generally) and Lihui (personally).
Emotional stories stick and stay memorizable by customers and staff. Hence the importance of celebrating A change!!!
Re-connecting with customers in such event (not just money and sales - “elegant, stylish and very EMOTIONAL!!!”) is far stronger than launching another promotion or publishing an add…
This is real life and sharing of happiness, joy and mutual excitements of customers and businesses.
There is a lot more to it and I will write about it in the next POSTS.
In the meantime, take a moment to think about NEW LAUNCHINGS CELEBRATING A CHANGE in your business that can be both a NEW DECLARATION as well as an opportunity to re-connect with yor customers on another level..THE EMOTIONAL LEVEL.
Published by: admin on June 27th, 2010 | Filed under Uncategorized
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Measure The Pleasure
Measure the pleasure - Skincare is immediately associated with good feelings and pleasures.
Many businesses measure their progress and their success on the vectors of sales, revenue number oF customers etc…
I suggest to add another dimension to the general and classical criteria’s of measuring your business progress- I suggest to measure the pleasure that customers experience once contacting your business, your website, your staff, your process etc…
The measure of pleasure should be added and evaluated as it will show direct correlation to your business growth.
The way that people experience pleasure changes together with the new consumption habits, Hence, learning how to pleasure others becomes an issue you should learn and practice.
Click on the book and learn the fascination about how pleasure works.
Published by: admin on June 26th, 2010 | Filed under Uncategorized
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THE MILLIONS ARE AT THE NEXT DOOR
This weekend was VIDEO DAY with ANSU from Point Of Skin Savolina/Finland.
We started applying the SKINCARE MILLIONAIRE SEMINAR strategy with ANSU by the beginning of this year.
This is how the sales graph looks since then (January -March 2010)
Ansu is receiving the weekly promotion layouts, she e-mails them to her database, she advertises and if following most of the key points that are discussed in the skincare millionaire seminar.
I had an interview with Ansu and was interested to know what is the main thing that she implemented and brought her the best results? Her answer was “definitely B2B activities”.
She joined to an optic shop in the area and to a fashion shop as well as to another business (can’t remember) and she offered them vouchers for free treatments to their customers.
The deal was, that Ansu gives those shops vouchers for free treatments and as a return she receives the name and contact details of each of the customers who received those free treatment vouchers. Both sides gained: The shops got happy customers who received a valuable gift, Ansu on the other hand received customer traffic.
After that Ansu received the vouchers with the customers details, her staff called those who received those vouchrs and booked them for the free treatments…..the outcome in view of increased sales to those new customers was/is obvious..see the sales graph above.
When i first met Ansu she was sort of stressed and worried about the financial crisis and how it will influence her business. When I met Ansu this time she was so relaxed…I could not stop myself and asked her..”how are the finance now?”. Ansu smiled and said that she is not stressed anymore….see the above sales graph again?
Ansu used to wrk with Dermalogica when we started, she gave it up on her own without me asking and sells now exclusively Dr.Baumann skincare!!!
To conclude:
- You don’t need to search for new customers as they are “right under your nose”, shopping at your next door businesses. You just need to know how to engage this business potential, you normally don’t have the permission to contact those “next door customers”, however, the business owners “next door” have the permission to communicate with their customers and promote your business to business collaboration.
- To my opinion, there isn’t a stronger strategy to promote your business as Business To Business can do.
Here is one of the 35 Videos that we managed to do during Monday…See Ansu answering the 10 questions that consumers should ask before buying skincare…but..do not know that they need to ask…
REMEMBER TO DO B2B A-S-A-P
Published by: admin on June 25th, 2010 | Filed under Uncategorized
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DONT FLY AIR BALTIC UNLESS YOU ARE A GOLD MEDALIST SPRINTER
Air Baltic outsourced both flights from Helsinki and from Riga to Dusseldorf BLUE LINE (see the picture bellow).
The ground crew in Helsinki airport aren’t Air Baltic but some outsource group. no wonder that they treat customers as they do seeing that THOSE AREN’T THEIR CUSTOMERS……
Also APPLE outsources some of their work, however, what a difference…(will mention more about this later)
When I arrived to RIGA I had a 30 minutes connection time to my next flight with “Air Baltic” to dusseldorf.
So, I had to move fast as I did.
There was a ground staff crew guy waiting at the the entrance to the airport (where the bus from the Helsinki airplane arrives) and he was screaming “who is to Dusseldorf”?, I said that I am… he said- “you must run” as the gate is closing.
Carrying a trolly with some weight, I could not run, but I walked even faster….
It took me less than 3 minutes to be at the gate TO DUSSELDORF.
When I came closer to the gate….another ground staff crew hostess was screaming at me “where are you” we were waiting for you. I asked her to stop screaming and added that I WONDER IF SHE HAD LOST HER MIND…I told her that as an Air Baltic ground staff she should know that I arrived with an Air Baltic flight from Helsinki (their airline)!!!!!!!! Air Baltic are the stupid ones that planned a 30 minute connection flight (not me).
If you wonder what happened to my suitcase that I was overcharged for overweight??? Yes, you are right……it did not arrive with this flight and fortunately it arrived one and a half days later……..so, let’s say that I needed to continue to fly to another destination? It simply means that I would need to buy new clothes new toiletries etc…
When I went to report the missing case to the “lost and found” guys in DUSSELDORF AIRPORT, they were not surprised at all…..the guy there said “ahhh Air Baltic? thats a normal situation that luggage does not arrive with the flights”
Outsourcing- the flight with BLUE LINE was terrible, small plane, old plane, unclean and unprofessional crew….now wonder….those are not their customers as they are “outsourced”
I have nothing personally against outsourcing on condition that it contributes positively to the end users/consumers.
As mentioned- APPLE and other big brands outsource, however, they do not allow the “outsourced companies” to be in direct contact with the consumers as the consumers are APPLE’s consumers and they feel responsible for their customers satisfaction (differently to how Air baltic treat their customers or better to say “leave their customers satisfaction in the hands of third party companies” such as Air blue).
Conclusions:
- Know the process and plan your work so that you NEVER scream at customers.
- Never scream at customers (as they are the ones that keep you business alive)
- If you outsource, make sure that you or your representative are present ON LOCATION if your customers are in contact with the outsourced company.
- If you outsource, try to make sure that the outsource work is happening in the background and you are the one that is in constant contact with the end users/your consumers.
- Pay extra attention to your BRAND NAME and do not cause situations that others “TALK BADLY” about your business as with the guys in DUSSELDORF AIRPORT “lost and found”. A BAD NAME spread fast…..
- If you think that you don’t outsource…you are wrong…..as you “outsource” work to your staff and the same “outsourcing story as with Air Baltic” may happen right under your nose……educate your staff that your customers are their customers as you all earn from the same customers (yours and theirs)
- I/O (inside out marketing) activities with your staff is the first priority and comes before anything else!!!!!!
PS – I read some further news about Air Baltic and NOTICED that the CEO MR. Bertolt Flick mentions the opening of new destinations such as Madrid, Beirut etc…
I suggest to the CEO Mr.Bertolt Flick that before looking for new customers/people in NEW DESTINATIONS he should first invest in his own people/staff and in his current customers satisfaction…………as………..bad news about Air Baltic travel fast via the Internet and that BAD NEWS won’t get stuck on any Air baltic flight .
Published by: admin on June 24th, 2010 | Filed under Uncategorized
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THANK YOU TWITTER
I have posted my BLOG about my AIR BALTIC EXPERIENCE at about 17h10 PM German time.
My blog connects automatically to my facebook and to my TWITTER ACCOUNT and was published on facebook and twitter.
At June 22, 2010 5:23:30 PM GMT+02:00 (about 15 minutes after I published my BLOG) I have received the first feedback from AirBaltic!!!
Here it is:
I linked to the AIR BALTIC message and went to their TWITTER PAGE and was positively surprised to discover that they have sent me 2 messages.
Here it is:
- @Avi_Konigsberg Can we ask you to send in DM your booking reference so we can investigate?about 1 hour ago via web
- @Avi_Konigsberg Dear Avi, we are listening and regret to hear about poor service of Helsinki airport ground staff.about 1 hour ago via web in reply to Avi_Konigsberg
So, so far so good…
I say that AIR BALTIC should check it the whole way because there were two additional problems that did happen during this flight (IN RIGA and IN DUSSELDORF) and that I plan to publish as NO CUSTOMERS/PASSENGER should accept this code of customer service and customers should be fairly treated!!!!
This POST should make it clear in how strong social media is!
How social media gives consumers a new way to communicate with suppliers
How social media also allows suppliers to react and improve their customer service
Every business should have TWITTER as their communication tool and communication channel where customers can share their experiences with suppliers and where suppliers can share their transparent procedures of solving customers problems.
Thank you TWITTER for giving consumers a voice to protect themselves and force suppliers to act within consumers codes of ethics.
Thank you also to Air Baltic for acting as fast as they did and i hope that they will take this issue and check it rom where it starts (Helsinki) via Riga to where it ended in Dusseldorf.
Let’s wait and see how this issue with Air Baltic is resolved and I will be happy to give Air Baltic the credits and publish my thanks once that they will really solve this issue!!!
Published by: admin on June 22nd, 2010 | Filed under Uncategorized
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AIR BALTIC NYET!!!
I flew back this morning with Air Baltic from Helsinki to Dusseldorf via Riga.
Check in Helsinki (08h55 AM)- My suitcase was 25 Kilo heavy, 5 kilo overweight. I had my computer screen and other video equipment as we had a video day in Finland. I could have taken out some of my things and put it in my hand luggage if necessary.
I asked the ground staff at check in: how much I need to pay for the overweight and she calculated it as 55 EURO. I agreed to pay for the overweight and let my suitcase go.
When I went to pay (in another counter) I was informed that I need to pay 155 EURO instead the agreed 55 EURO.
I explained that I was told to pay 55 EURO. The clerk smiled and said that the check in ground staff are wrong as I go via Riga I need to pay more because ……(no further explanation).
I said that this isn’t fair and I want my suitcase so that I take out some of my things and put them in my hand luggage. He said, we can not do it….your suitcase went….
I said that I was misled by the ground staff.he said: “it is not my problem”..I said: “It isn’t my problem too…I was misled…”
The clerk called his boss and after discussing this issue over the phone with this other guy…the clerk concluded that I need to pay 155 EURO and i can not have my luggage back to avoid the costs…
I did not have a choice as I needed to be back in germany a.s.a.p and i paid.
I asked for the name of the clerk and he said STEPHAN and did not agree to give me his family name…He called his boss and said that giving his personal name is enough. I asked to talk with his boss and he appeared after a while repeating the same texts as the clerk said. I asked for his name and he asked WHY? I answered that i would like to write a comment to Baltic Air about this situation and code of customer service. He said that his name is JP or PJ and refused to give his name.
This will be the first time in my life that I am going to submit a complaint!!!
While waiting to board the plane I thought to myself how could I avoid this situation?
I came to the following conclusion:
- With better planning I could have avoided taking some of the things that I packed.
- With better planning I could have avoided going to finland at all.
- Everything that you do and has extra weight will make you pay a fine
- Extra space
- Extra staff
- Extra advertisement that does not work and you just do it without serious thinking/planning.
- Extra weight etc…
- Extra things that take your time and your concentration from the real things that you should be busy doing.
I believe that every business should run a checklist (starting with the upper 8 points) of all the things that they should get rid off and let them go…
You will save money, avoid paying on going expenses and penalties and free those resources for the real things that you should be really doing!!!
The above rationals of avoiding extra weight/excess doesn’t compensate the terrible customer service of Air Baltic.
During the flight I read the Air Baltic Magazine and the CEO Mr Bertolt Flick says that Air Baltic ordered 8 Bombardier Q400s...I suggest to Mr. Bertolt Flick that before investing in new aircrafts, he should b listening to customer complaints and do something about Air Baltic customer service……otherwise, the NEW AIRPLANES will fly empty because of angry and frustrated passengers.
I will never again fly AIR BALTIC!!!
Conclusions:
- Better planning and getting rid of extra weight and all the extras mentioned in the upper 8 points will make your business easier, more flexible and react faster to the changes in the market.
- You will be able to use the new resources that will become free for better and more effective investments.
- Before investing in any business expansion- first invest in your staff and in your customer service as customers are the most important part of your business.
I looked at what other passengers think about Air Baltic and found this link- read and see for yourself…
As you know- Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000
PS- I think this was a code sharing flight with SAS as I flew to Finland with SAS, SO, SAS should check their partner airlines and not agree to cooperate with AIRLINES such as AIR BALTIC (tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are…)
Published by: admin on June 22nd, 2010 | Filed under Uncategorized
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