Testimonials, or endorsements, are arguably one of the most powerful promotional tools we can have in our armoury, especially since recommendations are around eight times more powerful than anything we can say about ourselves.

When all other things appear to be equal, or at least largely similar, positive support from an independent third party can swing the odds in our favour. When a prospective employer offers a position to their preferred candidate they usually do so ‘subject to references’. Whilst we accept what the person themselves says, we look for independent comment to support their application.

The same is true for businesses. Feedback and testimonials from past clients are often sought when trying to decide which provider to choose. The one that has most positive, current testimonials will often be the one that’s selected. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re in business it’s highly likely that at some point you will have been asked whether you follow a B2B (business to business) or B2C (business to consumer) model. The question is usually asked to help clarify what kind of marketing, positioning and processes and systems you might need as these can vary depending on the type of business you operate.

Making distinctions of this kind can be useful in some cases, however what’s more important is understanding that every business needs to be P2P – Person to Person. People do business with people. More importantly people do business with people they like and trust.

The more personally engaged and focused you are the more likely you are attract and retain loyal clients and raving fans. That means focusing on the individuals you deal with at a truly personal level and not considering them as a homogeneous mass. Read the rest of this entry »

As more of us get used to sharing our opinions online and off, handling negative feedback and complaints effectively has become increasingly important.

Interestingly, even though we’re increasingly happy to comment online, research tells us that around 96 per cent of us won’t complain to the provider directly when we’re let down.

We will, however, use ‘word-of-mouse’ to tell dozens of people we know face-to-face and via Facebook, Twitter and other social media and encourage them to share the information widely.

Few people complain for the sake of it. They complain primarily because:

1. They’re unhappy at being let down in some way and want to be personally recompensed or acknowledged for this and/or
2. They want to reduce the chance of someone else having a similar experience in future. Read the rest of this entry »

Many of us will have experienced a time when we consciously caught ourselves thinking ‘I shouldn’t be saying this’. As the words left our lips we wished we could take them back and rephrase them in a more context-appropriate way.

In our increasingly busy lives our mouths often operate faster than our brains. So it’s worth thinking about the impact of what we might say before we need say it so we can minimise the risk of saying something we’ll probably regret. Thinking before we speak is a quick, easy and cost-free way that can preserve, or enhance a reputation rather than damage it. Be aware:

Your role matters – Even if you explicitly state your comments are your personal views and not those of your professional role, or the organisation you represent, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to totally separate the two. At the very least listeners will question your judgement and suitability for the role if you comments seem at odds in any way with your professional role. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: TV3 News.co.nz

Following the media coverage resulting from one of New Zealand’s most high-profile CEOs has been like watching a train crash in slow motion.

The fact that he apparently believes women take more sick leave because of ‘monthly sick problems’ is one thing. It’s quite another that he said this in his role as Chief Executive of the Employer and Manufacturers Association (Northern).

Reputation rules and if the CEO states he’s simply expressing the views of many of its members we can take as read that that’s the case. No wonder, then, that many of those members were both aghast and disturbed at his comments, as were members of his board who scrambled to distance itself from Thompson’s comments.

Now there are numerous examples of leaders of organisations who have made untrue, inappropriate or simply strange comments who haven’t been vilified he way Thompson has. So what is it about him that’s keeping the story running and leaving Twitter and Facebook commentators feasting on it? Read the rest of this entry »

In Reputationz News each month I highlight what I consider to be recent reputation winners and losers. They can be people, companies or even abstract ideas. Some are fairly obvious. Others are off-beat or quirky. You may or may not agree! The lists are purely my opinion.

Check out the lists below for my pick of recent reputation winners and losers and feel free to leave a comment with nominations for the next issue if you think someone or something should be included.

Reputation Winners

• The Kiwi owners of Farmers Trading Company for purchasing almost all of the Whitcoulls and Borders bookshops currently in receivership in New Zealand with a view to making the chains financially viable again.

• Christchurch inventor Glenn Martin for bringing his James Bond style personal jetpack one-step closer to commercial reality with a 5,000 foot flight that has military, search and rescue and commercial investors abuzz.

• The surgeons who undertook the first full face transplant in the US that gave Dallas Wiens the opportunity to have facial features again following an electrical accident that disfigured his face. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

It’s just under two years since I wrote about celebrity endorsements being under the microscope with Mike King’s defection from NZ Pork. Two years on and celebrity endorsements are in the news again, this time with a view to holding the celebrity accountable for claims they make – especially relating to finance company products.

In the wake of the failure of literally dozens of finance companies over recent years NZ’s Commerce Minister has asked officials to explore options that include “the possibility of celebrities being liable to investors for untrue statements” which would make the celebrity liable in the same way investment experts are.

In an article in the New Zealand Herald, when asked if he’d have fronted advertisements for Hanover Finance, which collapsed owing around 16,000 investors more than $500 million, former news anchor Richard Long said had such a regime been in force when he was asked to front Hanover’s advertising he would not have done it and said he believed celebrities would now shy away from such work. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the attributes many successful people often have is their ability to look for and seize trends, concepts and opportunities before other people do. They seem to have a knack of spotting the next ‘big thing’ and positioning themselves to take advantage of it before the masses even knows it exists.

We’re encouraged to keep our eyes and ears open and hone our antennae so that we won’t miss any opportunities and can be in a position to capitalise on them when they do come up. We’re told ‘the early bird catches the worm’ and ‘you snooze, you lose’. The emphasis is most certainly on being as ‘sharp’ as possible with an eye to the future and a nose for success.

But does chasing the future guarantee success? Perhaps success may be equally, or even more assured if we focus on the present instead.

Nothing is more off-putting than knowing the person you’re dealing with in the moment is thinking about something else rather than focusing on you. They might outwardly seem present and correct but you can tell from their body language and facial expressions that you’re not the focus of their attention. 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 »