Selby Marketing Blog

Is it me?

I had the misfortune to have to visit a certain car dealership this week for the van service, and wondered if it was just me or whether any other “customers” feel like they are being done a favour by the staff in these places?  I don’t know anything about cars apart from fuelling, putting oil and water in and pumping up the tyres.   I’ve always been lucky to have Dad, Husband or Son around to sort out any problems (not very liberated I know but why have a dog and bark yourself), anyway I know when something isn’t working quite as it should so I booked in the said vehicle and reported the problem.  A day later, £15 for insurance on the courtesy vehicle, £30 on fuel and five minutes cleaning out the rubbish (including an electric cigarette and sandwich wrappers) and I find that the fault is no better than it was.  Not only that but a number of boxes on the schedule ticked as completed are not in fact, complete!

Now it wasn’t just that the van wasn’t put right, it was that I stood for about 5 minutes before anyone acknowledged me, although in fairness I did get a sideways glance and “Are you booked in?” There were four people sat at the desk!

I don’t do complaining, but when I got a call from a young lady who cheekily asked “Can I put you down for a 10/10 for service?” I had to burst her bubble.  Calmly, politely and honestly pointing out my concerns, I suddenly felt quite liberated!  Not enough to do a night class in car mechanics but enough to realise that if your complaint is valid then it is a good thing to voice it.

What Do You Do?

How can you fully describe your services without going into reams and boring the pants of folk?

I recently quoted for a biggish onpack job but missed out because the agency felt that we didn’t have the skills required to manage it?  I must confess, I was rather put out because I had promptly replied to the brief with a quote adding the usual “please call me with any questions”, there apparently were none and yet the assumption was made that we didn’t have the required expertise.

So, how do you get your skills and expertise across to potential new customers? 

We have a great looking website which lists our services, and we always add, that if it’s not on the list just ask, but is that enough?

When we have a clients trust, and we have done a job for them, we tend to have them for keeps but it’s just that first step.

So if anyone has any ideas, please let me know, and if you are looking for promotional handling or fulfilment services - we do the lot!

Time for a Spring Clean

The sun has been out for more than an hour which always puts a spring in my step and a smile on my face.

Now is the time when the team gear up for all those clients whose new budgets will be released at the end of April, and in doing so take stock of how our systems and processes are going to fare in the year ahead.

As a small business we have to prove ourselves to the organisations that we work with which means that we have to be ultra cost effective.  Margins are getting tighter and so the need to reduce waste in all areas is essential.  Streamlining the flow of production and getting the best from our team keeps production time under control thus reducing the risk of over staffing.  Having good solid relationships with our suppliers ensures best prices and service which we can then pass on, and never promising anything that we cannot fulfil, keeps us in favour.

If you want to discuss any promotional marketing fulfilment or handling activity then please contact me, Julie on 0161 339 5132.

Customer Services with a Smile

Over the last several years we have seen our role in customer services handling increase ten fold.  Yes, we’ve had much larger promotions to work on so it makes sense that we handle the queries after all, we have the answers at our finger tips, but I think it’s because we are really quite good at it.

There is often a feeling, that the consumer is demanding or moaning and “here we go again” but if all a person gets is a “big sigh” or a “tut” whenever they are faced with a problem or a need to complain they of course they will be on their guard.

Whether the contact is by phone or email the key is to put yourself in their shoes and try and give them what they want, and if agreeable to the client, a little bit more besides. As a handling house, we are there to facilitate a promotion or competition and with that comes the requirement to ensure the entrants have a good experience. Even if there’s been a glitch, we have to put it right.

Check out these “extreme customer services” where the company has gone above and beyond.  

Postage Increases Imminent

Royal Mail will publish it’s prices for 2013/14 next week.  The increases will come into force 30 days hence.

If you have any mailings or any despatch requirements over the next 4 weeks give me a call and we’ll do our best to beat the deadline for you. 

Julie x 

Awards - Honours or Simply Pay Back?

With the BRITS on Wednesday and the Oscars this weekend we’re going award mad! 

Awards, in whatever industry, are to acknowledge good work and high achievement?  Judging panels are generally comprised of a broad selection of personalities, expertise and kudos so that there is a real and honest debate about what is “the best”.

So why do the actors, directors and producers spend so much time trying to win the favour of those judges and subsequently win their votes I wonder?

An award is not fulfilling if you’ve had to buy it - is this generally the case or am I cynical? 

The more advertising you do, the more visible or vocal you are will generally get you noticed, you will therefore already be in the forefront of the minds of those who will make the decision.  I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure I’ve not watched a big ceremony and thought “Who”?…. well except for the Brit awards!  The same will apply throughout all industries, people who are in them know who the movers and shakers are, and who’s likely to win, but are they really deserving or is it about pacifying a big shot, or because ”it’s their turn” or just an easy/expected decision?

As an award winner myself (School 50m Freestyle in 1983 and IPM COGs 2010, 2011 and 2012) of course I would like to think they are deserved! But what do you think?

Is Business Success Dependent on Hours Worked?

I am a firm believer that staff should earn their keep and if time is managed well and there is co-operation in the team than 8 hours a day is ample?

It never ceases to amaze me how long into the night some people work!  I’ve had emails sent at 11 and 12 o’clock at night and I know I’ve got better things to do a that time of night…….like checking out the inside of my eyelids!  I am trying to keep trotting ahead of the “nipping teeth” of the recession but still wonder if the media led anxiety which has resulted in lower budgets and more demanding clients can be solved by working 20 hours a day?

Does this mean that I am less committed to my job than they are?  I don’t think so! 

It is these “troopers” that become demanding of others, probably because they are, in the words of the great ad, “over-tired”, and as described in Digiday last week, for what purpose.  Numerous studies have proven that continually working long hours diminishes creativity and it would appear from this article that the long hours are in fact, a choice, a part of a culture, rather than a necessity.

So as I said, I am a firm believer in staff earning their keep, and if that means that at 5 o’clock my team go home to their wives, kids, dogs or whatever else makes them smile and then return at 8.30 in the morning happy, rested and ready to do it all again, then I’m glad to see the back of them.

Check out the full article http://www.digiday.com/agencies/the-culture-of-long-agency-hours/

Do You Have Brand Confidence?

There’s an ongoing discussion on LinkedIn at the moment focussed on whether consumers can have any confidence in some of the big name brands, particularly following the recent tax scandals around Amazon and Starbucks and of course now the horsemeat headlines.

One recurring comment is how this is an open doorway for small and medium businesses to step up and remind people what customer service is!  Local butchers, coffee shop owners and the like should be rubbing their hands with delight? 

It’s not just the customer facing high street businesses that need to focus on the service they provide.  Too often we hear complaints about telesales staff and the big bosses at the banks who have made a mess of the system but are still rewarded for it!  If it is to change, consumers need to vote with their feet and stop using these companies, if they cannot recruit or train the right staff then they do not have your interests at heart and therefore don’t deserve your cash!

Giving the customer what they want, making them feel valued and at a reasonable price will go a long way to keeping your clients coming back time and again.

Hands up for the return of the High Street? 

PS Well done Bradleys Bakery in Ashton for the endorsement they have received from Theo Paphitis, read the story in the MEN.

Are you Confident You’re Getting What You Pay For?

Is it horse, is it beef?  The food industry are having one heck of a time at the moment and it’s only through testing that we have been alerted to this, otherwise we would have carried on regardless.  The question is, can we ever really know that we get what we pay for?  

A lot of business is done on trust and when you outsource your services to a third party then you need to be really confident that the supplier has your best interests at heart, they need to have as much pride in the job as you do, and feel that their input can have a direct impact on the success of your promotion.   

This is why it’s best to have a handling house that is fully visible to the end recipient, let’s face it most people know that Multi Billion $ brands don’t send out their own prizes and widgets, they outsource it, so put the responsibility in the hands of the team that are doing the work.  They are more likely to do it right if the phone is going to ring and Mrs Feddup of County Notgotmyprize is going to be bending their ear! I know we do!

You should be able to drop in and see how the job is run, meet the team and feel fully comfortable with the people that are running what is essentially your job.  You might not own the building or have your name over the door but you certainly help to pay the bills and the wages and without you and others like you we wouldn’t be here.

So get confident, come and see what you’re paying for - you won’t be dissappointed.  Give me a call first and I’ll get the kettle on!  Cows milk of course!

Be Yourself - It’s the Future!

The Manchester Evening News has published an article about how regional accents in business, particularly call centres, have a positive effect on the caller.

Of course this can’t be said for all accents, and I’ll let you read the article to see which are not so well received, but it’s certainly good news for us Manchester folk!

There are businesses that are perceived as having a certain requirement for more refined vocal tones, solicitors, high end retail and the like.  I can’t imagine having to alter the way I speak to suit my environment, so at Selby we cultivate the what you see and hear is what you get!  It’s worked for us for the last 24 years! 

I remember my first meeting with a multi national, multi million pound corporation and I was terrified that I would be too, well…. northern? I was advised not to try and be anything else - “just be yourself!”  Well I did and without the stress of trying to fine tune anything I had a blast, plenty of laughs and 12 years on we still handle promotions and mailings for that company.

Why not meet the team on our website or even better give us a call and sample some of our Northern charm!  You won’t be disappointed.