The local newspaper just made it onto my list. A subscription renewal reminder came in the mail, along with a 30% rate increase. I emailed their customer service department and instructed them "Please do not renew my subscription when it expires." (You must do this, or they will continue to deliver the paper, citing no cancellation instructions from you, and then the circulation department expects you to pay for the papers they deliver.) I simply stated that the cost of subscribing had risen beyond my comfort level.
Within an hour, I had a reply email offering the same subscription package at the previous period's promotional price, a full $21 less than the renewal bill they sent.
Just remember these simple criteria: Say "Please" when you ask them to help you cut your costs so you don't have to cancel, and "Thank You" when they offer to try and help. Give them a reason for your request. ("I can no longer afford it" is working very well right now.) Be willing to compromise; it's good negotiating when both sides win something.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Just Ask
It's amazing what you can get if you just ask for it. It's just as amazing how many people hesitate to ask for what they want or need. After my cable company's last notice of a rate increase, I called their Customer Service number and, after much button-pushing, actually found a human being to speak to. I explained that the increase pushed their service out of my comfort level and wanted to discuss what line items I could drop to lower my bill. Don't tell them, but they've got me by the hoo-hoos because I'm addicted to their cable modem, the DVR, and one particular channel on the digital platform. Unable to satisfy my wants vs. needs, and possibly fearing I might defect to satellite service, she offered to give me a $15 a month credit for 3 months to give me time to decide what to keep and what to dump. Not quite the equivalent of having all six lottery numbers, but it worked. We both felt like we had at least won the battle, if not the war. (I immediately passed the story to friends who use the same cable provider; it worked for them, too!)
Armed with this little bit of incentive, I tried the same thing with my telephone company (yes, I still have a land line), resulting in a better bundle with unlimited long distance on my fax line. Rubbing my palms together with anticipation, my cell phone provider became my next quarry. No actual savings were harvested, but for the same money, I got more minutes and features by switching to a newer package. I was liking this!
These companies don't advertise they'll do these things for you. You have to ask for it. But if you liberally sprinkle your request with "Please" and "Thank You", and phrases like "I need your help", you're going to leave the bargaining table at least temporarily satisfied.
It doesn't end just yet...Feeling empowered by my successes, I went to bat for a client who could no longer afford their full-page contract in a pretty, but pricey magazine. They had asked about canceling the contract, but their sales rep was trying to hold their feet to the fire, no doubt in the interest of job security. Surprise! To salvage the relationship, and realizing that less revenue was still way better than zero, we got a compromise to reduce the size of the ad while fulfilling the remainder of the agreement. It didn't have to be an all-or-nothing resolution; everybody won. The client was able to maintain visibility within budget. The sales rep understood the forward equity in keeping an account that will no doubt grow back to its former size as the economy improves. I looked like a hero.
Try it. And I'd love to hear about your little victories.
Armed with this little bit of incentive, I tried the same thing with my telephone company (yes, I still have a land line), resulting in a better bundle with unlimited long distance on my fax line. Rubbing my palms together with anticipation, my cell phone provider became my next quarry. No actual savings were harvested, but for the same money, I got more minutes and features by switching to a newer package. I was liking this!
These companies don't advertise they'll do these things for you. You have to ask for it. But if you liberally sprinkle your request with "Please" and "Thank You", and phrases like "I need your help", you're going to leave the bargaining table at least temporarily satisfied.
It doesn't end just yet...Feeling empowered by my successes, I went to bat for a client who could no longer afford their full-page contract in a pretty, but pricey magazine. They had asked about canceling the contract, but their sales rep was trying to hold their feet to the fire, no doubt in the interest of job security. Surprise! To salvage the relationship, and realizing that less revenue was still way better than zero, we got a compromise to reduce the size of the ad while fulfilling the remainder of the agreement. It didn't have to be an all-or-nothing resolution; everybody won. The client was able to maintain visibility within budget. The sales rep understood the forward equity in keeping an account that will no doubt grow back to its former size as the economy improves. I looked like a hero.
Try it. And I'd love to hear about your little victories.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
It's In The Details
Last night while watching TV, I saw a commercial for a local furniture store. The opening statement was "Spring has arrived!" It's been running for a while, but last night it finally irked me enough to stimulate a post.
You see, here in Central Florida where I'm based, the end of July is smack in the dead of summer. Even without a calendar, the frequent thunderstorms, afternoon temps hovering around the low 90s, and daylight lasting until nearly 9 p.m., would leave no doubt in anyone's mind that we're not celebrating spring.
So, what's the big deal over a commercial like this? Consider what kind of image it projects for the store. There are several possible underlying messages, and you better believe if I'm thinking about them, potential customers are, too.
Tip: If it's not in the budget to make new TV commercials very often, design one that can be easily changed to stay current (sometimes referred to as a donut). Use graphics for any information that will not remain static and could be subject to change (a price, interest rate, headline, date, etc.). It's quicker, easier and costs much less to change graphics than to record a new voice-over or create a whole new commercial.
You see, here in Central Florida where I'm based, the end of July is smack in the dead of summer. Even without a calendar, the frequent thunderstorms, afternoon temps hovering around the low 90s, and daylight lasting until nearly 9 p.m., would leave no doubt in anyone's mind that we're not celebrating spring.
So, what's the big deal over a commercial like this? Consider what kind of image it projects for the store. There are several possible underlying messages, and you better believe if I'm thinking about them, potential customers are, too.
- Do they even know their commercial is outdated? Who wants to do business with a company that is oblivious to their own advertising? What else are they oblivious to?
- If they do know it's old, is it that they just don't care? Apathy is a poor business partner, especially in today's tightly competitive economic climate. Consumers think long and hard before they let go of their money, so you have to earn their business more than ever before. Impulse purchases are for candy bars at the grocery store checkout.
- Is this indicative of their attention to detail in other areas? An 'expired' ad doesn't do much to instill confidence in the company. People prefer to do business with people or companies they trust.
- If they can't afford to change their commercial, they must be in dire straits. If you buy
from them, will they be around for service after the sale? - Most blunt of all, but it needs to be said: It simply makes the advertiser look stupid.
Tip: If it's not in the budget to make new TV commercials very often, design one that can be easily changed to stay current (sometimes referred to as a donut). Use graphics for any information that will not remain static and could be subject to change (a price, interest rate, headline, date, etc.). It's quicker, easier and costs much less to change graphics than to record a new voice-over or create a whole new commercial.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Does Your Advertising Pass the "So What?" Test?
John Wanamaker, a department store mogul from the late 1800s, once lamented, "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted. The trouble is, I don't know which half." I feel his frustration, and you probably have, too.
Kind of the way nature abhors a vacuum, I have no stomach for waste. When I encounter it, I feel compelled to at least minimize it. One of my priorities with any new client is to help them identify, and subsequently eliminate, wasteful practices in their advertising program. One area where I observe a great deal of waste is content. Once you've done your due diligence to select an advertising vehicle with the greatest potential to deliver your ideal audience, don't drop the ball with a pointless message.
You can easily avoid this pitfall by applying the "So What?" test to predict the likelihood of success for your advertising. An easy example is the business card ad. Small business owners seem to like them because they're usually cheap and no one has to exert any effort to develop content. But when you apply the "So What?" test, they fail miserably because there's no real content - there's no motivating message.
Consider each statement in your current or planned advertising, and imagine a prospect crossing their arms and saying, "So what?" as they encounter each point. In other words, why is that statement significant? Remember the old axiom "Everyone's favorite radio station is WIIFM." (WIIFM stands for What's In It For Me) If you're going to use precious time or space to tell people you've been in business for 10 years, you better back it up by explaining why that little factoid deserves mentioning. If you can't think of a compelling reason it should matter to anyone other than yourself, drop it, and focus on content that explains how doing business with you will improve their life or solve their problem. Don't just tell them the refrigerator door has a textured finish (a feature). Answer the "So What?" question! Elaborate that the finish doesn't show annoying fingerprints. The big benefit? Mom spends less time cleaning in the kitchen. There's not a Mom anywhere who wouldn't see value in that.
People find comfort in justifying their purchases. No one wants to feel like they've wasted money! With the current economy in a tailspin, it has become even more necessary to validate every expenditure. If you consistently apply the "So What?" test to your advertising message, your potential customers can feel confident their purchase of your goods or service is warranted by the benefit you provide. You will enjoy seeing your own return on investment improve accordingly.
Kind of the way nature abhors a vacuum, I have no stomach for waste. When I encounter it, I feel compelled to at least minimize it. One of my priorities with any new client is to help them identify, and subsequently eliminate, wasteful practices in their advertising program. One area where I observe a great deal of waste is content. Once you've done your due diligence to select an advertising vehicle with the greatest potential to deliver your ideal audience, don't drop the ball with a pointless message.
You can easily avoid this pitfall by applying the "So What?" test to predict the likelihood of success for your advertising. An easy example is the business card ad. Small business owners seem to like them because they're usually cheap and no one has to exert any effort to develop content. But when you apply the "So What?" test, they fail miserably because there's no real content - there's no motivating message.
Consider each statement in your current or planned advertising, and imagine a prospect crossing their arms and saying, "So what?" as they encounter each point. In other words, why is that statement significant? Remember the old axiom "Everyone's favorite radio station is WIIFM." (WIIFM stands for What's In It For Me) If you're going to use precious time or space to tell people you've been in business for 10 years, you better back it up by explaining why that little factoid deserves mentioning. If you can't think of a compelling reason it should matter to anyone other than yourself, drop it, and focus on content that explains how doing business with you will improve their life or solve their problem. Don't just tell them the refrigerator door has a textured finish (a feature). Answer the "So What?" question! Elaborate that the finish doesn't show annoying fingerprints. The big benefit? Mom spends less time cleaning in the kitchen. There's not a Mom anywhere who wouldn't see value in that.
People find comfort in justifying their purchases. No one wants to feel like they've wasted money! With the current economy in a tailspin, it has become even more necessary to validate every expenditure. If you consistently apply the "So What?" test to your advertising message, your potential customers can feel confident their purchase of your goods or service is warranted by the benefit you provide. You will enjoy seeing your own return on investment improve accordingly.
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