Author Archives: Jodi Kaplan

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Dell’s Marketing is Broken

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Hugh at Gaping Void said, “.. if I randomly asked you to make a list of the world’s top ten most “Creative” companies, would Dell make it on to the list? I’m guessing, for most people reading this, they simply wouldn’t.

Yes. I happen think this is a SERIOUSLY huge problem.”

This got me thinking. Dell’s problem is they have no tribe. They haven’t reached out to their customers, or given people considering a new computer any particular reason to prefer Dell over HP or any other brand.

Apple is famous for its “cult” of enthusiastic, loyal customers, a tribe if you will. One reason is that they provide first-class customer support. Several months ago, the display on my iMac wasn’t working properly (everything had a green tinge). I have Apple Care, and they sent a technician here (twice – because he didn’t have the right part the first time) to fix it. For free!

When a Dell customer has a problem, they’re routed to an outsourced customer “service” rep in India, who has been given poor training, may not speak English well, and is forced to rely on a script. I know of one instance (and could easily get more) in which a Dell rep talked a customer through “fixing” her computer. At the end, she said, “OK, where are my files?” They were gone. She’d just deleted them!

Why not encourage Dell owners to talk to each other? Have a forum to discuss problems, work-arounds, and new updates. Have executives hang out and answer questions.

Post software documentation written in plain English (have you seen Microsoft’s online documentation? It’s unintelligible). Offer special upgrades for higher quality tech support. Or heck, just offer the best tech support. Have it stand out, be so remarkable people talk about it.

Use Word of Mouth to Get More Business

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The return on investment from advertising, adwords, and newspapers is dropping. Interrupting people doesn’t work as well as it used to

If you’re not getting the results you want, try word of mouth instead.
It’s a great way to get more business. Instead of spending money on ads to people who don’t know you or your work, why not leverage what you’re already getting? Set up a referral program, encourage, reward the referrals you get. Tell your customers who would be a good referral for you, explain what you’ll do with the information, and how you’ll follow up.

More on this here: Your Customers are Your Most Effective Sales Force.

Make Your Customers Happy

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In today’s,post Seth Godin said”The only reason to answer the phone when a customer calls is to make the customer happy.”

This reminds me of something that happened several years ago with Day-Runner. It was the end of the year, and I went to buy a new calendar for my day planner. Staples was out, and I didn’t feel like running all over, so I figured I’d just get a whole new one. The old one was a bit beat up anyway. So, I look around for something the right size, with a phone book, calendar, etc. I find one, but the calendar is blank. I pick up another one, also blank. Huh? I went to a small stationery store, same problem. I get back to my desk, look up Day-Timer’s Web site (which was either a usability expert’s worst nightmare, or ticket to big bucks, depending on how you look at it), and find a phone number.

I call and talk to someone who tells me that, “All the calendars are blank.” If you want a usable calender, you either have to fill it in by hand (?), or buy one separately. So, I have to make an additional, separate purchase in order to get a brand-new datebook to work properly?? Why, I asked? Because it was easier, and cheaper for the company. That way they didn’t have to toss out unsold stock. Maybe, but I’d have to spend extra money, and throw away that blank calendar, creating more garbage.

I was so disgusted, I went out and got a Filofax instead. It cost a lot more, but it came with a real calendar, has a real leather cover, has lasted longer, and can be refilled easily. I will never buy a Day-Runner product again.