LizBizBuzz

Repairing the Tarnished Brand Called Tiger Woods

2009-12-03T08:54:13-05:00

I know you’ve heard it all and don’t know who to believe. Here’s what I think, and by the way, leave me your comments at the end of the blog and tell me what you would do to fix this nightmare.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Tiger Woods, he’s the reason I watch pro golf and the reason I got interested in golf. Maybe you feel the same way. Tiger represents all that’s great about pro athletes: persistency, focus and a willingness to work hard. He also has a beautiful wife, and two cute kids, I’ll stop here.

Okay, everything isn’t so rosy at home.

Supposedly he is surrounded by a force of “geniuses” whose primary job is to build, maintain and protect the brand called “Tiger Woods.” The question is, have they given him the right advice, did they act quickly enough or is Tiger just not paying attention? Does Tiger suffer from the “I know it all disease” off the greens? It wouldn’t surprise me. It isn’t that rare. I've known business owners that feel that because they're good at what they do, they must be good everywhere else, right? Movie stars know how to stop wars and have opinions on everything, though usually loaded with inaccuracies. I remember Tom Cruise wanting psychiatry outlawed.

The Tiger Camp issued a statement saying that they didn’t know how to deal with Tiger; the whole affair threw them for a loop. My suggestion to Tiger: fire them! Businesses don’t hire experts for the easy stuff. He should have called his mother; she would have told him what to do—tell the truth.

Everyone has the right to privacy; and what you do in your own home is pretty much your own business. If you want to drive your car into your sofa who would care? Well your dog might care. But if you’re going to drive your car into a fire hydrant and back into a tree, the game has changed. And if you’re the biggest man on the greens, everyone cares. Helloooo... Tiger’s fans care.

NBC cares. According to the Wall Street Journal, the TV ratings double when Mr. Wood’s plays. According to the Reuter’s blog, “Woods ratchets up television ratings whenever he competes and mentioning his name in a headline triggers massive interest by newspaper and online readers.”

(Don’t worry too much about the sponsors, if there’s an audience deficiency, the advertisers are somewhat protected and will receive advertising credits towards other media buys.)

There are lots of unanswered questions. Where was he going at 2am, and how did all those things get in the way of his car if he was just backing out of the drive way? And could they really cause facial lacerations, bleeding, etc.? Is cool Tiger so shook up that he can’t do what he does so well—play golf? We hope not. Why did this even make the papers in this unflattering form? How important is Tiger’s reputation? My mom used to say all you have is your reputation; maybe Marie should have been Tiger’s marketing advisor. This didn’t have to be a problem. Was it poor management, poor advice or just panic in Tiger’s mind? So is it our business? Well no and yes. Simply enough, he hit the fire hydrant and you heard the variation on the rest. It’s not our business because he’s just a human being. It is our business because he’s chosen to make it our business. Tiger represents the best of what he does, the gold standard.

His life is no longer private; he has chosen to disclose the most intimate aspects. My advice: share the solution, his fans will stand by. His personal business is his business but it quickly became ours. Eventually we probably would have found out what happened. Okay so eventually we would forget most of it.

Okay so Tiger isn’t infallible, he’s real, and being real he becomes even more important to our society, if he “bellies up to the bar” as they say.

There are some important lessons for all of us concerned about our brands. Building a brand is hard; destroying a brand is a lot easier. So protecting your brand is important and takes a lot of work.

Tell the truth. Not telling the truth creates problems that don’t exist. Consult your confidants, your family, and your business associates before you issue any statements. When in doubt, call your lawyer. By the way, that was my ex-husband’s remedy for most events but I just figured it was because he was a lawyer. My ex-husband was right too. Remember you have loyal fans that wish you well, buy your products and sometimes wish they were you. By the way, we want our heroes to be good because we want to be like them.

Live by your ethics, breaching your ethics will always cause you and your loved ones pain. If your fans question your ethics your business will lose credibility.

Turn lemons into lemonade; look at the glass as half full, not half empty. These are wise words to live by.

Now that we know, share the solution.

A business owner told me his employee was drunk at a local bar and when the business owner confronted him the employee told him it was none of his business. He was drinking on his own time. Was it his business? You bet it was. But maybe he should have first discussed it with his lawyer before confronting his employee. You and your business are always on display. Several years ago I was traveling with an associate who decided to spout off about how stupid a prominent official was; of course his next-door-neighbor was sitting behind us.

I think Tiger and his marketing gurus should read the Velveteen Rabbit; have you read it? It’s a kid’s book written for adults. Maybe it will help them put a plan together. Here is a passage: If you want, you can have Meryl Streep read it, just click here.

"The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else. For nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
"I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive.
But the Skin Horse only smiled.

It looks like our Tiger is about to become real. I wish him the best.

How Important is an "Extra Nice" Salesperson?

2009-11-30T10:38:20-05:00

I had the good fortune to meet a smart consumer while out on a carpet inspection recently. For this story she will remain "smart consumer" -- or SC.

By the way, this is a consumer with a problem.

The consumer had worked in high-end retail for many years and was in charge of training her salespeople, so for her, customer service was a no brainer. "Just give the customer what they want, period, and be nice to them," says Ms Smart Consumer.

Apparently five independently owned retail stores didn’t quite get it, so Ms. SC purchased from Home Depot.

Here is a summarization of our conversation:

The customer had a preference for Stainmaster. The product came highly recommended so she went looking for the brand. Her research showed that everyone had the brand.

Before shopping she went went online to update her carpet knowledge. Having purchased carpet several times before, she knew what to expect of the process.

She asked her friends in the neighborhood where to buy carpet. The Home Depot got good ratings, as did one of the Shop-at-Homes. For some reason, SC eliminated the shop-at-home.

Since SC was new to the neighborhood, she wanted to look around and decided to search a 40 mile radius. According to research this is very typical female shopping behavior—the journey is as important as the final destination. It’s all part of the experience.

Ms SC’s three top priorities were

Customer service
Price
Quality

She wanted nice carpet, but was frugal with her money. She didn’t choose "designer shops" because fashion wasn’t really an issue. She knows she has good taste so why waste time. (After being in her house, I would vouch for this.)

A trip to the nearest Home Depot came up first. Why? Because of their size, Ms SC felt that they would be reliable and dependable. This is an interesting association with the size of the store. Her experience with the Depot and the associates in the carpet department were friendly. If they were not able to answer a question they knew where to get the answer. Basically they were friendly and she liked them. She also found the installation special very appealing.

Next stop, the independent retailers.

I told you that Ms SC had been in charge of training in her last employment. What does she consider most important? Making the customer feel important, acknowledging their presence and making them feel smart. Her experience at the independent store? Not that good. Employees didn’t get out of their chairs to acknowledge her, they asked very few questions and most pointed to the carpet department and said call me if you need anything. She also remarked one of the stores also didn’t smell that good. SC mentioned the smell to her husband but this didn’t seem like a reason not to consider this store.

Bottom line, she wanted someone to talk to her, ask about her project and make her feel important.

Her evaluation: the prices were all similar and everyone had Stainmaster carpet. Where did she buy?  The Home Depot, because everyone was nice and she liked the installation special. All of the pricing was the same or similar.

Okay, so this is one customer’s experience but it points up some very big issues. You don’t always have to be super smart, but you do have to be super nice. Customers want to feel special, if you make them feel special; you have a good possibility of making the sale.

Being reliable and dependable are two important traits. I’m pretty sure that the other stores were also both reliable and dependable but maybe it wasn’t obvious -- no customer testimonials or data on customers' experiences were available.

Customers will travel; in this case, since the customer was new to the area, she was interested in learning more about her area of the country.

How about some blogs? Blogs that welcome new residents to the neighborhood, provide warrantee information, stats on complaints, biographies of the salespeople and more, so that by the time the customer gets to the store the customers feel like they know the salesperson.

This of course is one customer’s experience, a customer with a problem. It does sound like being nice pays off.

In your experience as a customer, all things being equal, how important is an "extra nice salesperson?"

Join Me for Thanksgiving Festivities on Facebook!

2009-11-25T10:31:41-05:00

There's a party happening right now on my Facebook page today and through tomorrow. Call it my "Virtual Thanksgiving Day Festivities," and you're invited!

Come on over and post recipes, share stories of Thanksgivings past, post images and video and connect with your fellow friends.

I truly hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with your friends, families, neighbors, communities, and anyone else you'll be sharing it with. I'm grateful for knowing you and for all you add to my life.

Now, come on over!

Differentiation Builds Your Competitive Advantage and Delivers Customer Service

2009-11-20T07:42:00-05:00

Flaunt It Honey!

My definition of customer service is giving the customer more than then they expect, i.e. Red Hot Customer Service. That’s exactly what JetBlue did Friday, October 30th at JFK International Airport.

Customers going through the terminal dressed in costume could show off their dance moves at the first-ever silent Halloween Eve disco. Friday I receive an excited call from Elin, designer supreme at Leader Carpet telling me about the event in J.F.K. Airport.

Elin’s comment: “Isn’t that cool?” I asked her what made it cool and she replied “It just is.” She’s right, it just is.

Here’s how it worked: When you went through security you would be given a set of headphones. Through these headphones you could hear a deejay spinning music. Of course, no one else in the terminal would hear the music.

That's why it was called the “Silent Disco.”  

"Our Silent Disco is about giving customers and crew members the chance to tune in to some great music, to burn some energy before getting on a flight or to shake out the stress of the week," said Kim Ruvolo, brand manager for JetBlue Airways.

The event was produced by JetBlue partnership with Super fly Marketing Group.

So what do Jet Blue’s customer s think? In order to find out, JetBlue took a poll:

Disco at JFK?

Would you dance in an airport lounge?

No: It is way too embarrassing

Yes: I've got it and I flaunt it

I don't know: Depends if I've had anything to drink

I checked out the poll and 41% said yes and 37% said I don’t know.

So, 80% of the customers will dance for one reason or another.

I call this customer service at its finest; assuming they got to their destination on time, no foolishness like overshooting the run way by 100 miles, or losing some serious luggage. This is just doing your job or the price of admission to be in the airline business.

Customer service is delighting your customer, making them smile, going beyond the call of duty, or doing something that makes you unforgettable. The key, as brand manager Kim Ruvolo said, is to give the customer something different.

Being different can also build your competitive advantage—but only if the customer loves it. My friend in Boston told me about an experience she had with her hair dresser of at least 20 years. It seems she showed up at her regular appointment to find the usual docile German Shepherd guarding the couch. The closer my friend came to the couch, the more menacing the German Shepherd became. She said it really scared the wits out of her; the dog had never exhibited this kind of behavior. Eventually the owner came to her rescue and asked my friend if she had done anything to frighten the dog! My friend, a little in shock, eventually got her hair done and went home. On her answering machine was a call from her hairdresser.

"It’s a good thing she called," said my friend. "She was about to lose a good customer." My friend, however, goes on to say there was no apology, just more defense for the dog. The dog also has a stomach problem, making it even more questionable whether he should be at the workplace.

What’s next? My friend called to tell me she has a new hairdresser, and she's done a marvelous job! No amount of silent disco dancing could fix this problem. What could they have done to make it better?

Leave the dog home; he’s obviously too sick to be at work.
Leave the owner at home, she’s obviously too sick to be at work also.
Stop defending the customer since the dog was already defending himself.
Give the customer a free trip to the Bahamas; I’m sure she would have invited me to go along.
Give the dog a gift certificate to the vet or
Get someone to take the dog to the vet.

What would you have done to make this right?

Satisfied Customers Can Turn On You On a Dime

2009-11-16T10:26:09-05:00

I wouldn’t have believed this if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. Stores will sometimes spend thousands on new racking systems or to repave their parking lots -- but not a dime to train their employees.

Joanne’s Fabrics is a national chain with great products for anyone who sews or does crafts. My friend Mary does both but sewing is more than her hobby; it’s her home-based business. Her store of choice for fabric and sewing machine? You got it, Joanne’s Fabrics. How long has she been shopping at their store? Probably 15 years. How much has she spent? Probably thousands.

Mary recently purchased two pens that are used to mark fabric -- the kind that within 10 minutes or so the ink dries and disappears. This is very useful when you are sewing and marking on light color fabrics. Unfortunately one of the pens was not working. Here are three important pieces of information to the story. 1. The pens are $6. 2. The week before, Mary purchased a new sewing machine for more than $1,000. 3. Mary does not have a receipt for the pens.

I probably don’t need to tell you anymore but it highlights some very important customer service issues. When Mary took the pen back, the salesperson was unwilling to refund her money. (Mary didn’t ask for a new pen since she wasn’t that thrilled with the first one.)

Funny the salesperson didn’t look for Mary’s name in the computer and Mary didn’t say, "Hey, I’m a great customer, I bought a $1000 sewing machine last week and spent $5000 last year in your store."

I decided not to add my two cents but asked Mary a few questions instead. She said she understood why the salesperson didn’t give her back her money: Mary didn’t have a receipt. I asked her about the sewing machine she bought for $1000, to which she replied that she forgot to bring it up.

Okay, so Mary is a more passive customer, not wanting to cause problems and doesn’t realize that she has leverage with the salesperson or clout in the marketplace. You can be sure if she tells this story to a few more friends she will have worked herself to a frenzy -- and then look out!

The real questions in my mind are:

Why didn’t the salesperson ask the customer any questions before she said "no way"? A question like What’s your name? would have probably have given Mary the opportunity to talk about how much she likes Joanne’s and about her new sewing machine.
Did she take for granted that Mary was a slacker? I mean, Mary was wearing a picture of her dog emblazoned on her shirt, hat and socks.
Did the salesperson assume the customer was just cheap? It was only a $6 item.

Mary doesn’t have a car so she takes two buses to get to Joanne’s to be dismissed. That may have something to do with Mary’s statement yesterday: why don’t we just go into New York City and go to the garment district to buy my supplies. What Joanne’s doesn’t know about Mary is that she’s a lot more sophisticated than she looks.