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How many times have you received a thank you card from an electrician? Mr. Electric knows that from the customers point of view maybe all electricians are the same. But by focusing on customer service and generating repeat business they have unique core differentiation. |
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Jamba Juice differentiates itself from its competition by constantly focusing on issues such as health and vitality. Also, by printing their message on a napkin they are capitalizing on otherwise unused space. |
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Masters of differentiation and selling intangible benefits. Their pens sell for up to US$3,500. |
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Subway utilizes napkins, which might otherwise be unused space, to educate its clients about nutritional differences between their products and those of their competitors. |
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By providing handy tips on moving U-Haul is providing a service to their clients; but, this is also an opportunity to sell additional products (e.g. boxes, carts, packing materials, etc). |
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In this interesting advertisement multinational conglomerate ITT focuses on their goal, "to improve the quality of life." With this ad, they are more interested in promoting their overall corporate image and ethics, rather than any specific products. |
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Clorox is achieving greater market penetration by suggesting new uses for their products. Also, people might do more for others, e.g. spouse, kids, or even pets, than they will for themselves. The dog is clearly not the one making the purchasing decision. |
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With his Healthy Living lecture series Dr. Jason Deitch offers prospective clients an opportunity to learn about the benefits of chiropractic care. Then with the complimentary initial interview and first adjustment they can experience the benefits first hand. |
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In this advertisement Apple Computer, Inc attacks head-on some of their biggest competitive disadvantages... such as the perception that Macintosh computers aren't compatible with Windows, or that Microsoft Office won't run on a Macintosh. |
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Strategic alliances that move traffic between non competing or, better yet, complimentary businesses can work very well. Another example would be a movie ticket stub that was a coupon for a nearby CD/DVD store. |
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Banks and credit cards are a common strategic alliance. In this example they are tailoring the offer to a specific market segment which they both serve. |
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Earning credit towards travel on Southwest gives customers a reason to use their Visa rather than other cards, and to use it often. And, because they've earned the credit, the customers are more likely to book their travel on Southwest. |
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Amazon has been utilizing its web presence more and more to promote its strategic alliances. At the same time it's focusing its own marketing efforts on its core competency of selling books and other media on the internet. |
Use these examples for inspiration when you need to help your clients develop an effective customer satisfaction survey. |
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It's great to see businesses that understand the need to market to perspective team members as well as clients. The old paradigm of running an ad in the paper and choosing from among those that answer, if it works at all, will not put you at a competitive advantage. |
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It's good to give customers an easy outlet for feedback. One they can use anonymously if it makes them more comfortable. |
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Take home menus are always a great idea; especially if the business delivers. |
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Demonstrating that you have loyal customers gives prospective customers a "reason to believe." |
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You can never make it too easy for your customers to buy. Also, many businesses will pay a premium for delivery so their team members can stay in the office. |
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Despite the fact that this was a mass mailing, each one had an individual Post-it note written to the recipient. This gives the mailing a personal touch. The idea seems to be to make it look like a friend clipped the ad and sent it to the recipient with a personalized note. |
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The customer will see Amazon's ad over and over as they use the product. |
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Target the decision maker. The secretary or office manager, not the CEO, is going to decide what kind of file folders to buy. |
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Cigna differentiates itself with their customer-centered approach. "Customer satisfaction is our number one priority...we'll never be 100% satisfied until you are." |
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McDonalds is a master of bundling. Using offers like this, "Happy Meals" and "Extra Value Meals" they make it easy for their customers to order an entire meal with a few words. They also build upselling into the offer; customers can usually "super-size" their order for an additional charge. |
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This clean and simple ad gets the point across with a minimum of clutter. |
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Safeway gives its customers coupons, at random intervals, for 5% off one future shopping trip of their choice. This works for two reasons. First, it encourages customers to keep shopping at Safeway to get the coupons. And, once they have the coupon, by applying the discount to the entire trip, it encourages the customers to buy more. |
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Excellent use of a gift certificate. It comes with a letter of thanks for requesting a catalog. It's a nice welcome and helps ensure the catalog won't just sit around. It's also a way to get the potential customer started right away (it expires in two weeks). |
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Offering a chance to win a trip is a good way to make a large offer (like the lottery). The pictures probably are a good anchor to the kinds of emotions BRW is trying to solicit (power, prestige, success). |
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In this amazing offer Harvard Business Review guarantees that if you "cancel your subscription at any time (even if you're on the last issue), you'll get a Full Refund." What confidence. |
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