Love it or hate it, KFC’s ‘Double Down’ burgers were a triumph of word-of-mouth marketing in New Zealand.

KFC reported it had sold 16,000 of the burgers in just three hours on the day of launch and more than 34,000 by 4.00 pm the same day – all without any traditional advertising whatsoever.

Media coverage included slots on state broadcaster TVOne’s Close Up and Breakfast programmes, and TV3’s Campbell Live; as well numerous mentions on commercial and national radio as a news item.

But the real force in driving up sales were blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms where people could share their support or outrage at the 600 calories, carbohydrate-free ‘gut-filler‘. Me blogging about it now is a perfect case in point, even it I’m focusing on the marketing element of the campaign, rather than the product itself! Read the rest of this entry »

Research indicates it’s 6-7 times more expensive to gain one new customer than it is to retain an existing one and that a 5% increase in customer retention can increase profits by between 25% and 95%!

It therefore makes sense to hang on to the clients and customers you already have, and create a legion of raving fans willing to recommend you, by genuinely and sincerely thanking your existing clients on an ongoing basis.

However, remember details are important. Even the simplest ‘Thank You’ will be met with suspicion and disbelief if the person’s name is spelt wrongly, or some detail about the transaction referred to is incorrect, or someone with a non gender-specific name such as Chris is referred to as ‘he’ when in fact he’s a ‘she’.

Instead of making the person feel valued and respected, administrative errors can generate quite the opposite effect. They can also raise doubts about your sincerity and systems and processes which may never have been thought about had you got it right in the first place.

So how can you minimise these types of errors and enhance your reputation for being great with the details? Read the rest of this entry »

One of the opportunities each New Year brings is the chance to resolve to do things differently in future by way of New Year resolutions.

Even if you haven’t had much success making and keeping resolutions in the past, it may be worth considering the following ‘Reputation Resolutions’ as one or more of them could mean the difference between having a reputation your proud of, and that opens doors wide, and one that slams doors shut because people doubt your integrity and ability to deliver.

So take a look at the suggested reputation resolutions below and focus on one or more that resonates with you. Put them into practice throughout 2011 (and beyond) and you’ll find yourself attracting clients, customers and opportunities and being perceived as a business and individual people are happy to be associated with and recommend.

Top 10 Reputation Resolutions For 2011:

1. I resolve to think before I speak. I have two ears and one mouth and I aim to use them in that proportion!
2. I resolve to hold my tongue and count to three before responding to comments and situations that make me angry or defensive, online or off.
3. I resolve to never bad-mouth anyone, in person or on the internet – ever!
4. I resolve to treat my staff, clients and customers fairly and graciously and value their contributions to our business successes. Read the rest of this entry »

Although we have no direct control over what others may think of us, which creates our reputation, we are certainly able to influence their expectations.

Most of us do so by providing information focusing on logic and intellect. We list features and benefits in promotional materials and give examples as to why our products or services or even we ourselves, are better than the competition.

Although useful, and certainly a part of the reputation mix, providing facts-based information alone will not enhance your reputation as effectively as it could. Engaging your customers’ emotions will.

The most memorable experiences we have are those that make us feel rather than think. The two are closely aligned, of course, but it is how we feel about someone or something, supported by fact-based information, that has the strongest influence on our perception. Read the rest of this entry »

If you find yourself under pressure to provide a multitude of products and services to a vast array of clients be aware you may find yourself run-ragged, and do both yourself and your clients an injustice.

Trying to be ‘all things to everyone’ is fruitless. Far better to develop a laser-focus on the one or two things you are outstanding at and exceed the needs and wants of a smaller number of clients or customers in a way that keeps them coming back for more and recommending others to you.

Although you may be reluctant initially to narrow your options for fear of missing opportunities, the benefits of being niche are tremendous:

• You become expert at what you do because that’s all you do
• You may enjoy yourself more as your depth of knowledge deepens and you become more highly skilled
• You become more memorable and ‘top of mind’ when needed
• Your products, services, messages and positioning are more clearly defined and better understood
• You are able to differentiate yourself more clearly from supposed competitors
• You are less likely to be distracted by ‘opportunities’ that consume time and money that could be better spent elsewhere
• Your perceived value and worth increases and you’re likely to be able to charge higher prices for proven greater value

Read the rest of this entry »

The saying ‘niche to be rich‘ is smart advice. Twitter’s announcement that it’s NOT a social network has raised eyebrows amongst many, however they should’t be surprised. Twitter’s VP for business and corporate development, Kevin Thau, says ‘Twitter is for news, content and information’.

Personally I’m not surprised as I’ve always viewed Twitter as a syndication site rather than social network. It’s a way of spreading and finding information quickly and easily gaining insights into what twitterers think about things.

Twitter’s become a phenomenon partly because it’s been clear about what its purpose and function is. Rather than being seduced into trying to become something it isn’t, it’s steered a tight course and simply become the best at what it does by focusing on its niche.

The benefits of focusing on being niche are tremendous. Amongst others, these include: Read the rest of this entry »

For many businesses, particularly those providing services, more than 85% of business comes from personal referrals and recommendations. Yet many businesses spend thousands of hours, and dollars, trying to acquire new customers, and relatively little time and effort nurturing and retaining their existing ones.

Valuing and retaining your current clients and customers is essential. Not only will you benefit from their continued custom directly, you are also more likely to benefit from any new clients or customers they recommend. And given that it’s 6-7 times more expensive to gain one new client or customer than it is to retain one, retaining your existing clients and customers, and being highly recommendable, can have a huge positive impact on your profitability.

Clients and customers who already trust and respect you:

• are more likely to acknowledge, and value, what you provide and the benefits they gain from dealing with you
• may be more willing to accept your prices, terms and conditions without question or negotiation
• are often more loyal
• require less ’selling to’ and
• are more likely to continue doing business with you, and even increase the amount they spend, as their trust in you increases.

They are also significantly more likely to recommend you to people they know and trust giving you an opportunity to gain new clients whilst reducing your acquisition costs and improving your profitability. Read the rest of this entry »

There are many ways to create, and maintain, a winning reputation, some of which are specific to an industry, or even a business or individual. However, the seven ‘Reputation Branding Essentials’ below apply across the board and can help you develop and maintain a reputation that will open doors rather than slam them shut!

1. Keep abreast of changing values and expectations
People’s expectations are constantly changing. What they value in you, and your products or services, today may not be what they value tomorrow. Read and research widely and actively engage with those you want to create lasting relationships with regularly to stay in tune with them.

2.  Aim for ‘win/win’ outcomes from every interaction
Focus on nurturing a long-term relationship rather than a short term gain. For example, if you know another provider may have a better solution than you, recommend them. The level of trust your client or customer will have in you will go up and your reputation will be enhanced immensely.

3.  Make it easy for people to recommend you
When someone recommends you, they are putting their reputation on the line. Make people feel good about dealing with you and you’ll enhance your chances of being recommended. Deliver on your promises and focus on building high-trust, high-value relationships. Acting with integrity will also help you be recommended more often.

4.  Never ‘bad-mouth’ or be disparaging about others
Bad-mouthing your competitors or others is a major reputation loser. No-one likes a gossip. News travels fast, especially online and people will think “if they say those things about them, what might they be saying about me?” If you don’t have anything good to say, it’s better to say nothing at all. Read the rest of this entry »

New Year resolutions happen every year, but predictions generally only occur at the turn of a decade. Knowing what might happen before it actually occurs would certainly be handy.

If we could predict what might happen it would certainly give us a competitive edge.  We could be ‘one-step-ahead-of-the-game’, give us an opportunity to maximise every opportunity and put all our efforts into those things likely to generate the greatest reward – whatever we might want that to be.

Moving from the ‘noughties’ to the teen years of the 21st Century  gives us a opportunity, not only to look back on what happend between 2000 and 2009 – think iTunes, the social media explosion and wireless internet – but also to look ahead and predict what might happen during 2010 and beyond. Read the rest of this entry »