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Moving communication campaigns into action |
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Communicating with customers after the sale has been made Here is a back issue of Marketing Booster, the email newsletter that Richard Groom writes and sends free every fortnight to subscribers. You can subscribe here or read over 60 back issues using the back issues index page. Without going into all the details, I am still recovering from some dental work that was a bit more painful than I imagined. Today is the first day in over a week that I've felt well enough to put in a full day's work. The main lesson I've learned from all of this, being someone who thinks about marketing most of the time, is how important it is to communicate with customers - even after the sale. Anyone familiar with the buying process model they teach you on marketing courses will know that it ends with 'post-purchase evaluation'. This is when the buyer considers whether they are happy with their purchase. It influences whether they will buy from the same supplier next time. To find out why this creates great opportunities for your organisation as a product or service provider, let's look at two real examples of how different suppliers in the same field communicate with their customers. Supplier 'A' is a qualified, experienced dentist. He removes a wisdom tooth and sends his patient away with a one-line instruction to 'take things easy for the next week'. Supplier 'B' is also a qualified, experienced dentist. Before removing the patient's wisdom tooth she explains the process in some detail. She explains what the procedure will involve, how long it will take and how much pain the patient might experience. After the procedure, she gives the patient a leaflet with practical advice on after-care during the following week, including advice on pain relief. Spot the difference? Both dentists are equally talented when it comes to removing teeth. But dentist 'A' doesn't take any time or care to help his patients through the vital week after the procedure. As a result, his patients are more likely to experience unnecessary levels of pain and a risk of infection. As I said at the start of this article, I won't bore you with all the details of my own situation. Suffice to say, I won't be going to dentist 'A' again. Which of these two types does your organisation most closely resemble? What steps do you take to make sure that your customers get value, enjoyment or other benefits from their purchase? Are you doing everything you can to maximise the customer experience, and therefore the chance of referrals and repurchases? In the dentist example above, all it took was a short one-to-one conversation and the provision of simple literature. So it needn't be very costly to keep your customers informed after the purchase. A simple follow-up call might be all it takes. Or maybe just including extra information with every product sold. Copyright 2005 Richard Groom |