Are You Developing Raving Fans

It’s no surprise that word-of-mouth can be the best marketing a company could ask for.  It can also be the most detrimental to a company’s brand if that word-of-mouth is negative or even indifferent.  As we are going through difficult economic times, it becomes even more important that you cherish every single customer.  Furthermore, word-of-mouth is now on steroids with the speed at which information travels across and through social networks.  So, how do you ensure that your customers become a positive word-of-mouth vehicle for your company?  One way is through developing raving fans of your brand.

A few years ago I first read Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach To Customer Service. Back then I was in college studying sociology.  While the book made sense, it didn’t really sink ravingfansin what a “raving fan” was or why they were so important.  I recently decided to re-read the book again since I’m fascinated in developing positive employee cultures and the concept of developing raving or super fans.  If you haven’t ever read this book, this is a must-read and you should order it immediately.  Even if you have read it before, it’s one of those classic business books that should be read once a year or so just to remind yourself how important it is.

What are some ways that you can develop raving (or super) fans?  These are just some of the ways I try to develop raving fans at my steakhouse.

Developing Raving Fans

  1. Take the time to learn their name and something interesting about them.  Write it down and next time you meet them, ask them about whatever it was.
  2. Set up a listening post.  If you find someone talking negatively about your brand, address it directly with that person.  Chances are, they will appreciate it and may actually become a super fan of your brand.
  3. Learn what your customers actually want and then find a way to deliver it.
  4. Be humble
  5. If you find someone talking positively about your brand, reach out to them and thank them.
  6. Don’t always make it about your top or bottom line.  Zappos.com runs their warehouses 24/7 to provide fast service to their customers.  Inefficient from a labor prospective? Probably.  Develops raving fans who continue to buy?  Absolutely.
  7. Be human

Do you agree with this list?  What are other ways that you develop raving fans of your brand?

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Why Word of Mouth Advertising is So Important

We interrupt this blog for a very important post about customer service and the importance of word-of-mouth.

Saturday while in Manhattan to take care of some wedding appointments, we decided to head over to Chelsea Market where the Food Network has its offices and most of their studios.  Since I’m at a restaurateur and chelseamarketfoodie at heart, I was very excited to visit Chelsea Market and it had been something I had been meaning to do while in NYC for a while now.  Though there was no access to the Food Network, there were a lot of fantastic little markets and shops.  As we meandered in and out of them we decided to stop at a little tea shop called T Salon.

Our group totaling 7 people bought a variety of drinks and small items. We thought it would be nice to sit down and enjoy our drinks before venturing back out into the frigid, windy city.  As we sat down we placed a couple shopping bags and drinks on the tables which were set up with couches and chairs around them.  After a few minutes of enjoying our drinks a woman who did not identify herself and was not wearing anything suggesting that she was an employee came over to our table.  She asked us how we were doing and then proceeded to say to us: “You need to remove your bags from my table because they cost $1,500 each”.  As she said this she took a couple of the women’s purses and put them on the ground without asking if it was ok to touch them or anything.  There were several other people sitting around, one who was working on their laptop and another couple who had a bag on another table.  She never said anything to them but instead asked them how their days were going.  After this all happened she proceeded to offer us the services of an on-site astrologer and samples of soup that they were selling.  She acted as if the incident that had just happened about 5 minutes earlier never happened.

A few minutes later my fiance’s mom told us that prior to the rest of us placing our orders, she had sat down outside of the shop on one of the chairs that was there.  There was a sign which stated that you couldn’t sit there if you were talking on your cell phone or had a beverage.  She wasn’t talking on her phone and didn’t have a beverage (yet) so she sat down.  The same woman came outside and told her she had to move because she wasn’t drinking any tea.  The way she spoke to my fiance’s mom was rude and she said she felt as if she was being talked-down to.  Had we known about that none of us would have gone inside and ordered anything from this shop.

Now I can understand how expensive furniture can be and that some furniture can damage easily.  If that is the case, wouldn’t it make more sense to post a sign stating so?  Or she could have come over, introduced herself, asked politely and not mentioned the cost of the tables and we would’ve been more than happy to move our stuff.  But she decided that we weren’t important.  She decided that she did not value the 7 of us, 2 of which work and live in Manhattan, as customers.  She doesn’t care whether we return or not.  If she does care about all of that, then she failed at the chance to have a positive interaction with 7 new customers.

We will never go back into that store or any other locations that may be open or may open in the future.  Why? Because whether she’s an employee, manager, or owner, she is representing that entire company with every interaction she has with every single customer.  Every customer is a chance to build a lasting relationship and to continue building loyal fans of your brand, your product, and your company.  Every single customer matters! Bottom line.  Word-of-mouth is everything!

What are your thoughts?  Have you had a positive or negative experience that has burned a lasting memory?  If you’re an owner, manager, or employee, what do you do to ensure every customer interaction is as positive as possible?

Update: I just wanted to clarify that besides my experience at T Salon, Chelsea Market is beautiful and a great place to go when visiting NYC.  I visited many of the bakeries and other small shops and had a lot of fun. :)

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming…

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Photo by: Chris Breeze