Trent365

How would our grandparents have dealt with a crisis like this? Especially when it comes to business.

Back then, nobody started a business with the intention to sell it in 3-5 years.

Today, we seem to be much more impatient for success.

And that impatience can lead us to make decisions which leave us vulnerable when market conditions change. Like right now.

Has impatience left your business vulnerable?

#patience #longtermsuccess #businessdecisions

Over the past few months I've received more Customer Love than usual from brands and businesses whose products and services I have used at some time in the past.

Brands that have never previously been great at customer engagement or showing they care...all of a sudden do care.

Or do they?

Are they really trying to help ME out by sending me some discount vouchers to buy their thing? Or are they really just trying to drive their own revenues?

If you haven't as much as sent me an email before to wish me a Happy Birthday and now, all of a sudden, you're offering me discount vouchers to celebrate my birthday month, that kinda reeks of self-serving motives.

If this sounds like your company, it's not great.

BUT, as long as you keep doing it from here on in, you're forgiven.

Customer Love must be enduring, not fickle.

#CustomerLove #customerengagement #customercare

Many brands have trouble clearly expressing exactly what it is they want to be.

How can you really define something like Culture?

But most people do know what they don't like. What they don't want to be.

So, identify your Cultural Enemy and you might just find some clarity on exactly what you want the culture of your brand to be.

At the very least, you should be able to avoid the behaviours that would risk turning you into your Cultural Enemy.

So, who is your Cultural Enemy?

#culture #culturalawareness #companyculture

Singapore Airlines Flights to Nowhere are exactly that.

You depart from Changi Airport, fly around in the sky for a few hours, then land right back where you started.

Seems like a pretty silly thing to do. 

But if they can at least break even in terms of costs, maybe it's worthwhile.

At least then they can...

1. Keep some staff employed

2. Keep the planes in motion

3. Allow passengers to continue their relationship with the brand.

#airlines #marketing #branding

If you ask people if they want to have control, most will probably say Yes!

But the reality is not everyone does want control. At least not all the time.

We each have a different perspective on control at various stages.

Control is often about Choice and Choice is often connected with Trust.

How does customer control manifest in your business?

Maybe it's in menu option?

Maybe in choice of service provider?

Also, consider how your messaging could differ depending on whether you're talking to customers with a high control mindset vs a low control mindset.

#control #mindset #customer

We're generally pretty good at telling ourselves the story that we need to hear.

Some are better than others at communicating that story to other people.

But the real power lies in being able to tell yourself the Reverse Story.

The opposite version of your story. The other side.

In doing that you should be able to...

1. better empathise with those who hold opposing views

2. be able to counter objections to your own position

3. maybe even decide that your original position is not the right one for you

Go ahead. Try it.

#empathy #alternatives #pointofview

You should value your customer's time as much as they do their own.

How much time and effort to your customer put in to come to your business to buy your product or service?

Too often, we think only of the monetary investment our customers make in our business.

Maybe I had to take some time off work? Maybe I need to arrange a babysitter? Or I may have had to schedule a number of other little jobs for the day around a visit to your business.

View your customer service through that lens and you might just find the level and quality of your service improves dramatically.

#customerservice #time #customerfocus

It's comforting to assume there are others in the metaphorical boat with you.

But whilst we all may be sailing on the same stormy Coronavirus Ocean right now, we are not all in the same boat.

We each have different capacities to weather this Coronavirus Storm - financially, physically and emotionally.

Also remember that as with any weather system, the intensity and ferociousness of this Coronavirus Storm can vary considerably from one location to another.

#copingwithcovid #perspective #understanding

Nobody likes airline food. Right?

Wrong!

Apparently the folks in Bangkok are loving it right now.

Thai Airways have opened a Pop-Up restaurant, complete with actual airline seats for the furniture and cabin crew for service staff.

It's brilliant on so many levels. With this Pop-Up Thai Airways can...

- sell their existing food inventory

- generate some revenue

- get some great PR

- market test new food concepts and recipes

- enhance their image as a fun, innovative airline

Here's a link to the story...

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/events/chicken-or-the-beef-thai-airways-opens-up-pop-up-restaurants-serving-their-airline-food

#airlinecatering #popups #covidinnovation

We have a tendency to turn only to the experts for advice.

Those who have been there, done that, and achieved high levels of success.

However, we can learn just as much from those who are still on the journey.

The same realisation is important for those giving the advice, as much as for those receiving the advice.

Just because you haven't yet reached your destination or achieved the level of success you think you should, you can still be a source of great inspiration and counsel for others.

#advice #mentorship #wisdom