The Un-Marketing Challenge: Would Your Marketing Plan Hold Up Under Customer Scrutiny?
Engage customers in dialogue of discovery and disclosure
by Yvonne Bailey, Chief of Engagement - Eve Consulting
Imagine your biggest client drops by for an unannounced visit and after a quick tour is now sitting in your office. The small talk is going nicely and you silently applaud yourself on your deft communication skills.
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Suddenly you are interrupted by an urgent matter that requires your immediate attention. Not wanting to rush your client, you give her the option to wait in your office for the 10 or 15 minutes it should take to resolve the issue. She agrees to wait as you hand her the latest issue of Business Week.
20 minutes later you return to find your client pouring through the pages of the newly drafted marketing plan, you left on your waiting table--typos, question marks, red notations, and all. Trying to maintain your cool, you quickly run through the inventory of the marketing plan in your head, as you chuckle sheepishly and ask her what she thinks.
Staring blankly at the wall behind you, she takes her coat to leave and promises to be in touch. The weight of the moment hangs in the air as you look for some sign of her reaction.
If your customers had the occasion to read your marketing plan from cover to cover, would you be able to look them in the eye afterwards?
This Issue’s Challenge
How would your marketing plan hold up under the scrutiny of your toughest audience - your customers?
Get your company's most recent marketing plan. It doesn't matter what form it's in (or not). Whether your audience is business or consumer, your challenge is to read it, and finish the story.
If this scenario played out in your office, would your boss invite you to lunch next week to hand you a hefty bonus check and offer you a promotion, or give you your walking papers? What would your client be thinking and what would he or she say the next time they call you? What does your marketing plan reveal about the way you think and treat your customers? Does it focus on how to manipulate or control their behavior? Or does it center on activities that help you better understand their world, their lifestyles, and how you can help them solve their problems or fulfill their dreams?
What if the client in your office was the one who spent the least amount with you last year? Would this change the outcome?
What if your customers are end consumers? If one of your faceless, voiceless customers were sitting in your office, how would this scenario play out for you?
Post your comments. Share your experiences. Responses will be posted in the next issue.
The Un-Marketing Challenge brings companies and their customers closer together by engaging in dialogue of discovery and disclosure. Read how the Un-Marketing Challenge was born. Participate in the weekly challenges. Get your whole team involved, Un-Marketing should include your all management and executives, not just those in sales and marketing. Challenge your peers and clients to come up with new ways to engage. Submit your own Un-Marketing Challenge.
Take Action
Yvonne Bailey is Chief of Engagement for EVE Consulting, helping companies deepen their customer relationships and improve marketing performance. Use the power of Un-Marketing to engage your customers and prospects in dialogue of discovery and disclosure.
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