Customer Loyalty Lessons from Africa
In this issue:
- Lessons from Africa. The most memorable experience I had in Africa, and how they use it to attract royalty and past US presidents …
- The Honeymoon Tent Formula – how and why it can take them by surprise and keep them coming back to buy more, at higher prices …
- 8 Simple strategies for creating the ultimate customer satisfaction system …
- How a 25 year old is getting $2,995 for something his competitors charge $25 for (and the timeless technique they use to help their idea spread like wildfire) …
- And Much More!
Fellow business builder,
During the past few weeks, we have had many problems with Canada Post (same as USPS) delivering packages on time. They are always sent Express Post (as fast as they go, next to FedEx or UPS) – but they are taking forever to get to people. So we have had to field many questions on the delivery times.
In some cases we just resent another package via FedEx to make sure it gets there quickly (meaning we lose money on the order – but the customer stays happy).
The entire experience has left me completely frustrated with our postal systems, but has also helped me think through some customer satisfaction issues we had.
In the quest to build on our customer satisfaction, plus to continue building a world-class company, I reflected back on a couple experiences that taught me some fabulous lessons in keeping people happy.
The first …
Our honeymoon.
Traveling though Africa was going to be the trip of a lifetime! Kari made the hilarious decision to let me plan the trip … and had no clue what she was in for.
A month in Africa - no problem.
Let me see … how about I plan and book our tickets there, and our tickets back? Good enough? Ya, good enough.
So – I did what I felt was right
I booked our flights from Canada to Africa,
Then 32 days later, back to Canada.
Nothing more was booked.
It made for a very interesting trip - and some great experiences along the way.
The one thing I remember is in Mvuu, a safari camp we stayed in while we were visiting, near Blantyre, Malawi.
The reason we were there is that we knew some people who ran the camp, and thought it would be a great way to enjoy the local culture, but not too far from our comfort zone.
HA!
We spent our first few days in Zimbabwe, visiting Victoria Falls and getting used to this new world. From there, I hired us a driver to take us to Lilongwe (near where we were going).
They dropped us off there after a solid day’s drive, having scared the daylights out of Kari with their driving “skills”.
Then we needed to hire 2 kids on bicycles
to take us deep into the bush for the next leg of the trip.
The kids on bike episode was fun! At least to me it was. So we load our backpacks on, and jump on the back of these rusty old pedal bikes … and let them guide us through a very dangerous part of the trip. The dense brush and tree area we were going through looked beautiful, but the petrified look on the kids faces said it all.
"ELEPHANTS!" they yell … and start pedaling faster.
As they nervously keep looking side to side, I knew this was no normal bike trip they frequently do.
We found out later, the path they took us on was a notorious path for elephants to charge bicycles and cars.
Luckily, we had no problems, but I remembered why I loved motorcycles much more than pedal bikes! We ended up renting one later to tour Zanzibar, the most beautiful tropical island in the world ($20 a night for this view …).
Can’t imagine what that would have felt like to have a full grown elephant charging down my backside as my "driver’ pedaled his little legs as hard as he could.
The thought of it reminds me of the Jurassic Park T-rex scene (the one where the T-rex is chasing the jeep) - maybe not quite as scary - close enough for me!
We get to the end of our journey - which is right on the river bank.
A little thatch hut tells us we have arrived - and gives the exhausted "bikers" a chance to rest up and signal those on the other side of the river that we are waiting for them. (They hoist a flag up the pole at the side of the river and wait for them to see the flag, and bring the boat across.)
We wave goodbye and thanks to our bike drivers, and look across the river to our new destination - Camp Mvuu.
A safari camp for royalty and celebrities.
As we cross the river, we start learning about the 4,000 hippos that claim this area as their home. We learn about the crocodiles that are everywhere, and the fact that they take out (ie. Eat!) 52 locals a year from the river banks as they attempt to wash their clothes. We learn about Scorpions and Malaria-ridden mosquitoes.
I love this kind of trip! Kari is now looking at me like she wants to throw ME to the crocs while she finds herself a nice comfy 5-star Sheraton or Hilton.
We are greeted on the other side by a team of locals dressed in impeccable uniforms, and are guided up into the main reception. When we get there, they bring us some warm cloths to wash our faces and hands with, and treat us to a highly delicious fruit drink.
We get all checked in and we find out they are upgrading us to the "Honeymoon" Tent - Kari’s look says it all - "A *$&%& TENT?"
This place is absolutely beautiful, and is obviously designed to be frequented by discerning guests. The staff are incredibly friendly, trained professionals, with an eye for making sure you are being pampered beyond your expectations.
The tent?
Larger than the first apartment I had. It had 2 beds in it, a stunning rock lined bathtub, a small kitchen area, and a patio looking out over the marsh (with crocodiles not far away).
Many past US presidents had stayed there. Lots of famous Hollywood celebrities. Successful business leaders frequent this retreat often as well.
The dinners we had? Straight off the Luxury Travel channel! Four and five course meals. The locals would do their drum dances and shows (I have long forgotten the proper wording for the dance they do).
They fed us some amazing local delicacies, elegantly mixed in with some North American style foods as well.
Over the next 4 days they wined and dined us. They took us on daytime and nighttime safaris. And they treated us like absolute royalty.
Which is why they charged $400 a night
and that was 9 years ago –
probably double that now.
The lessons I learned from the Mvuu camp (lessons I highly recommend my clients implement into their businesses):
1.) Give them an experience of a lifetime. In the day and age of poor customer service, automated attendants, impossible-to-reach customer service departments, brutally long waits on hold, and really crappy service from those you finally do track down … you have the perfect opportunity to stand out from the crowd with a great experience!
a.) What is the norm in your industry for delivery times? How can you cut that in half?
b.) Are you providing a consistent experience across the board? From the front end people who talk to customers and prospects alike. To the back end service people who deal with problems and complaints. Do they look professional? Do they act professional? Do they use scripts? In Africa, the staff there all had prepared scripts they had to follow – and they were measured on their exact delivery.
c.) What stories are you giving them to tell their friends and family?
d.) Are you giving them a chance to completely immerse themselves in your experience? How can you? There is always a way – and usually the best way for you to find this is to look far outside of your industry. Look for completely unrelated businesses who deliver exceptional customer experiences, then find ways to implement similar ideas into your own business and industry.
2.) You must EARN your next order from your clients. Just because they buy from you once – does not mean they will again. In fact, over 65% of people buy elsewhere because they honestly feel that you could care less about their business. You may think you care – but are you showing them? Are you giving them ample reason to REALLY want to come back and buy again?
a.) During the Rhino tour we went on (in one of the Mvuu protected White Rhino parks) – we learned about the poaching epidemic and how devastating it is for the region.
After we left Mvuu, we started getting e-mails from them updating us on the poaching problem, arrests they had made, and fascinating stories of the armed guards who protected the Rhinos from poachers. (They would live in the bush with the Rhinos for weeks on end, making sure that (a) they didn’t get shot by the poachers and (b) they didn’t get killed themselves by these mammoth beasts.)
b.) Tell stories about your partners, suppliers, and employees – your customers LOVE this! I interviewed a 25-year-old business owner last week who charges thousands of dollars for something that others charge $20-30 for – and they are THRIVING!
Part of what they do is tell such fascinating stories of the actual employees who prepared their “goods”. The employees’ video tape themselves telling the story and how they create the product that they are buying. The video recordings are put on DVD and shipped to the customers with the package. And people are lining up to buy this guy’s program. Not only that, potential employees are lining up as well to be a part of this great program that creates celebrities out of their employees. Customers so want to be part of this, just so they can show these DVDs, ones that were created just for them, to their friends (their friends typically are on the phone the next day handing over $2,995 to be a part of this unique program as well)
To drill home a point of customer satisfaction
and what we have all, unfortunately,
become accustomed to:
Here is the stupidest way to get a potential customer’s business …
I received a call the other night from a telemarketer. One I kind of wanted to talk to.
Until a year ago, I rarely used a cell phone. Had one, but didn’t like it. Felt like it tied me to my work 24/7. And took away my freedom.
But I started to change my tune early last year.
Started using it more. Starting to like it.
Realizing that it actually gave me some freedom, if I was the one who stayed in control.
In other words, no one gets the number but those I want.
Anyhow, Telus (one of our phone carriers) calls tonight and starts asking about my cell phone plan.
Right now I could use a new cell phone plan and cell phone
– pretty good time for them to be calling me.
So she asks me a few questions about my cell phone bill, the amount of calls I make, etc. I tell her exactly what I need – US/Canada phone calls during business hours.
Not what she spouts off about though – she thinks I should be all keen on having free long distance to 5 people in Canada that I phone on a regular basis.
Not a bad idea – but not the BIG idea for me.
Give me decent plan for calling long distance across Canada and into the US and we are off to a very good start. But she couldn’t get her head wrapped around that simple idea.
Just then someone came to the door, so I asked her if she could phone me back tomorrow. “Sorry Sir, I cannot do that.”
After all this, it comes down to that.
They were willing to completely give up the sale
because they have no decent follow-up system.
Strange – but true.
If you are going to go all out and pursue a lead and invest your time trying to sell to them, you sure as hell better follow-up with them!
Telus just proved to me they are the true idiots I thought they might be.
When you create a sales system that attracts in qualified leads (or you have a way of getting in front of them) – you must be consistent in your follow-up.
They may not be the perfect buyer that exact second, but a day, a week, even a few months later, and it might be the perfect time to make that purchase decision. Find different ways to follow-up with them. Phone, direct mail, e-mail, fax (I have a 1-877 business line with Telus, as well as a fax line – they KNOW how to get a hold of me!)
… Follow-up with your prospects! Simple, yet so commonly ignored.
… Give them multiple ways to order from you (if they had e-mailed me the order form – I would have faxed it, I would have. But they gave me no choice but to do it right that second).
… LISTEN! I gave them the big sales hook (I am sucker for a good sales pitch – this wasn’t one of them). They chose to ignore the hook. When someone tells you “here is what will make me buy” – give them that. Take the order – and deliver knockout service to get them back.
Speaking of getting them back,
here was a brilliant way to get me back …
I took my daughters to see Spyderwick Chronicles today. They wanted to see it in the IMAX, which I gladly agreed to.
As the show began, popcorn in hand, the booming voice comes over the speakers – “Welcome to an IMAX presentation.” And then went into an incredible description of what IMAX is, what makes it different, how much more film it takes to make an IMAX film compared to regular film.
They then lit up behind the screen as the announcer started walking us through how the screen is made, pointing out the 6 stories of scaffolding behind the screen, showing each speaker behind the screen and made different sounds come out of each, then showed us how the laser lights work.
Overall it was a mind blowing introduction for me. I had been to the IMAX before – but they never gave this in-depth description before.
And they sucked me in!
I will now pay the 25% premium to watch all future movies at the IMAX. Well worth it to me.
Amazing what a little 5-minute intro did to completely turn me into a dedicated, repeat buyer.
By now, I am sure you have heard the Caples story with Schlitz beer – very similar to what IMAX did.
They told you the behind-the-scenes-story
of how they do what they do.
They made it interesting.
They made it really, really cool.
And they truly made my IMAX experience
one that I will remember forever.
They knocked my socks off – I do hope some of these tips in this edition made you think a little differently about what your customers want, and how you can deliver it to them.
If you don’t, your competitors may have YOU for lunch …
Please let me know your thoughts, and if you have any further topics on this you would like to see discussed.
To your success,
Troy White
Editor, Small Business Mastery
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15 Comments »
Join the Discussion!
Let us know what you think. Or ask us anything. Or offer your own sage advice.
The only rule: RESPECT THIS HOUSE! Postings that contain abusive language and/or personal attacks will be cheerfully VAPORIZED. One cross word and – POOF! – your well-thought-out post will be gone in a puff of smoke.
– Clayton
Comment by lawton chiles — February 26, 2008 @ 10:37 am
Great new theme guys! Awesome article brought back memories of Jo’Burg, Capetown and Soweto. Africans are awesome, grateful, caring people. I’ve love to go back.
On a side note, I’m looking for a direct mail house to handle some direct mail i have to do. Any recommendations? I’m counting on you!
Lawton
Comment by Kevin Rogers — February 26, 2008 @ 10:58 am
Page looks great!
I’d read TTP off of a dirty napkin if I had to, but congrats on your upgrade.
Kevin
Comment by Linda Byam — February 26, 2008 @ 11:00 am
Troy,
Excellent thoughts on customer service, which is so lacking in our lives today. I swear service must be something that some of us are born with and some aren’t. Wouldn’t you think if you could learn it, everybody in any kind of business would know it by now? NO! THEY DON’T! Wouldn’t you think most of it’s just common sense? Which is, by the way, uncommon itself today. The jackasses - young and old - seem oblivious to the fact that they are in business to serve people -not just customers - but people! Sorry. I get incensed about this every time I see it - which is far too often. Thank you for pointing things out again. Do you go to the Calgary Stampede? Linda
Comment by Armando Ortega — February 26, 2008 @ 11:03 am
Thanks,I remembered the Schlitz beer story (not with Caples, though) and then I also remembered that I have a lot of photos and videos about how we design and print the phone book, things that one thinks don’t matter to anyone. I will post them in the site to let the customers come into the process.
Thanks again.
Armando Ortega
Comment by Armando Ortega — February 26, 2008 @ 11:05 am
My site, where the photos will be posted in 24 hours is
http://www.directorio-comercial.blogspot.com
Armando Ortega
Comment by Hendry Lee — February 26, 2008 @ 11:17 am
Wow… the last picture is quite scary. How can I not listen?
Again you demonstrate how telling stories could suck people into reading the whole article. This is a good one.
Comment by Glen Kohlenberg — February 26, 2008 @ 12:02 pm
Site looks great everyone and the story was also great Troy.I think everyone should answer there phone with a live operator and not a computer.This was the start of bad customer relations and just goes down hill from there.
Comment by Chris Shallow — February 26, 2008 @ 12:58 pm
I thoroughly agree, Linda, about customer service. However, come to Eastern Europe and you will see REALLY bad customer service! I always tell my marketing students that whatever business they go into if they treat their customers well they are bound to succeed as none of their competitors will be taking care of theirs!
Comment by Troy White — February 26, 2008 @ 4:44 pm
Thanks everyone - I love the new look as well!
Linda, completely agree - it has never been more pitiful than what I see out there right now. Over lunch today, I was laughing with a client about this same problem.
What’s the easiest way to completely dumbfound a teenager at a cash register? Ask them to count by himself, without a calculator or cash register!
They have become complete drones that can’t think or act on their own behalf… a sad state of what our future business leaders will be like. They don’t like people (would much rather be at home on a Friday night texting and IM’ing their friends, than actually getting together face-to-face. They can’t add or subtract. In Calgary, where I am, the job situation is so critical they are paying $1,500 SIGNING bonuses to teenagers to come work for them. Then, they can get away with anything, because there is no one else to hire. Not exactly instilling in them a good work ethic, nor a reasonable expectation on what the real world is like - and will pay for.
But, It leaves ample opportunity for all of us to remake this dangerous trend.
Comment by Troy White — February 26, 2008 @ 4:46 pm
PS: that last lion photo… in the Serengeti… we were not more than 5 feet from him sitting in an open jeep. NOT a look that you want to see.
Note to self: never disturb a lion during his lunch!
Comment by Carolyn Warren — February 26, 2008 @ 9:05 pm
What a nice, clean look for the comment section. Finally, a format where you aren’t puzzled over who left the comment, the person above or below.
Good story about Africa, Troy. I’d love to hear more of your adventures.
Today I was in an owner-run shop, and I was their only customer for over an hour. I thought of several ways they could use spring and Mother’s Day in May to increase business. I asked the owner if he was interested in some ideas on increasing business. (I didn’t say anything about money or hiring me, just if he’d like to hear some ideas.)
He said, "We have lots of business on the weekends."
Oh, okay, so that settled it. He has lots of weekend business, so he didn’t need to hear any ideas from a paying customer about how they could get more paying customers like me during the week. Whatever.
Comment by David Rachford — February 26, 2008 @ 9:45 pm
Fantastic post, and your stories anchor the message. Well done Troy!
Comment by CHUKS — February 27, 2008 @ 1:52 am
briliant article Troy. Keep the post going.
Comment by Linda Byam — February 27, 2008 @ 9:05 am
Hello, all: Troy, the only thing worse than a teenager who can’t think at a cash register is a teenager - or any ager- who doesn’t realize what they’re AT the cash register for! To serve customers - whom they avoid whenever they can by talking on their cells, to each other, to anyone other than the waiting customer. Chris, it’s hard to imagine that European customer service could be worse then American. And Glen, you’ll be glad to know my company’s phones are always answered first by live people who then say, if necessary: “Linda’s unable to take your call. May I offer you her voice mail?” Sure, technology’s great but in many ways it’s contributing to a generation that doesn’t know how - and doesn’t seem to want - to interact face-to-face person-to-person. And we are all the worse for this. The soapbox is getting unwieldy - I’m off. Wishing you all a great day. Linda
Comment by Margaret — February 27, 2008 @ 11:47 am
Excellent article/story. I have been reading the TTP for awhile now and couldn’t figure out how to leave comments in the old format. Thank you for making it easier for us.