the marketing/operations disconnect
prospect, we hardly knew ye

Part 2 of 5

about this series Part 1: Overview of the marketing/operations disconnect Part 2: Prospect, we hardly knew ye Part 3: Customer service: “warm and fuzzy” or “take a number?” Part 4: Customers who’d rather be “outta here” Part 5: Reassembling the broken pieces

Editor’s Note: Earlier this year, COCO+CO. sought to discover why a marketing program at one company generated $100 million in new business, while a similar program at a substantially comparable firm was an abject failure. COCO+CO.’s “Beneficial Benchmarks” revealed startling disconnects between what certain businesses believe they offer and what end-users actually experience.

Marketing placed ads, put up posters and mailed prospects about the company’s better mouse trap. These efforts actually attracted the desired attention, but mysterious forces somehow prevented the world from beating a path to the door.

Sound familiar? If so, your company may be experiencing the marketing/operations disconnect. Review the following list of real-life examples and honestly consider whether variations of any of these sent your prospects running away screaming:

Marketing Says...	Prospect Discovers...
Fast service	Lengthy wait times or difficulty scheduling an appointment.
Community oriented	Business seems invisible at civic events, while the competitor’s CEO leads a dozen people in cleaning up a park on a rainy Saturday.
Responsive	Inability to leave a voice or e-mail message because the “box is full,” or an outdated vacation message.
Satisfaction guaranteed or other pledges	Offer does not apply in this instance.
Personal service	Distracted employees (interruptions, personal calls, etc.), or the telephone is answered by an auto-attendant.
“Come on in”	Co-worker has an unresolved service issue and discourages visit.
Upscale/quality product	Business looks run down, carpet is soiled and the weeds outside threaten to overtake the sidewalk (in other words, the external image does not convey quality in line with expectations).
Tailored/customized to your needs	“It comes only in lime green,” or “That’s the way we’ve always done it here. Take it or leave it.”
We’re listening	Can’t get a word in edgewise.
New low price	Salesperson: “No one told me.”
Customer comes first	Customer Service Representative: “I don’t know why either, but rules are rules.”
Confidentiality	Neighbor who works there has given the lowdown on several prominent customers.
Round-the-clock service	“Out of order.”
Professionalism	Call back from telecommuting employee is drowned out by dog barking and screaming children.
Business on a first name basis	“Do you have three forms of ID?”
Convenient hours for the working person	Business closes before 5 p.m. three days a week.
Simple and easy	There are a million rules and too many forms to complete.
We’re your neighbors	Yeah, the same ones who always block my driveway.

If you rolled your eyes at any of these, you know first hand that many marketing messages cannot overcome prospects’ perceptions or contrary experiences. If you find new sales are not materializing in the expected manner despite offerings that beat the competition, take the time to spot these marketing/operations disconnects.

Consider using COCO+CO.’s “Beneficial Benchmarks” to analyze your business and develop an improved marketing plan. While you may not be able to change all policies or fix all problems, COCO+CO. can help you craft audience-centered marketing messages that reflect realities on the ground. Most prospects understand reasonable rules, but almost never forgive (nor forget) disappointments. Promise only what you can truly deliver and avoid hollow promises that you cannot backup with concrete examples. You may need to rethink your unique selling proposition and identify positioning that better resonates with targets.

If your business cannot be “better” than the competition in every area, aim instead for being “different.” Differentiation carries less risk than price cutting and delivers more customers in the long run.

The economy may be placing much outside of your control, but you can control your marketing/operation disconnects and improve your message. This is a great time to take customers away from your competitors.

Next time, Part 3: Customer service: “warm and fuzzy” or “take a number” 

Submit your comments to creative@cocoboston.com.

keep tabs on your Web address

Chances are you outsourced design and hosting of your Web site. This is typical, but many companies like yours have also lost control of their site or, worse, lost their domain.

You may think you are protected or that your vendors – big name companies – are safeguarding your interests. Truth is, however, the big name companies are most responsible for the aforementioned losses. You may remember hearing stories about how one municipality’s Web site began displaying pornography a few years ago. Your business and reputation are at stake. Here are some lessons learned and steps you can take to protect yourself.

1. Maintain access to the domain registrar’s control panel. This is most important! Registrars include Network Solutions, GoDaddy, Enom and others. Where the domain points, ownership, e-mail and all other important controls begin here. Make sure you have the username and password to the panel. In this way, if the hosting or design company fails, the domain can easily be moved.  If the Registrar fails, you may be protected by ICANN. Recently, the status of more than a million domain names became unclear when the domain registrar, RegisterFly failed. If you don’t have this information for all of the domains you own, be sure to compile it now.
 
2. Keep your e-mail address up-to-date with the domain registrar. In the event there is a problem down the road, the registrar will confirm changes by e-mailing the address it has on file.
 
3. Never register a domain name with a reseller such as Yahoo. Yahoo resells registration services provided by an Australian company, MelbourneIT. The price may seem right, but it will be a monumental and expensive task gaining control of your domain if you sever ties with Yahoo.
 
4. Never register or renew a domain name with the company that hosts your site. Bundled services put you at the mercy of the vendor if and when it comes time to move your site to a more robust server or one with services you may need later.
 
5. Never let your Web designer mix your accounts with others. Should any of the owners of the other accounts require and gain access to the mix, your security will be compromised.
 
6. Never use, or allow to be used, a proprietary tool (such as Microsoft Office Live or Yahoo Site Builder) to build a Web site because you will not be able to move your site intact when the need arises. In addition, the results will be less than professional. Further, see number 2 above about bundling.

Submit your comments to creative@cocoboston.com.