Brains on Fire

• 

  Care is a big word

  Posted on February 9th, 2010 by Spike and currently 6 commenting.

  This blog post was inspired by a with Kira Wampler, Word of Mouth/Social Marketing Leader at Intuit Inc.

  What do I care? Why should I care? What do your customers care about?

  For the company that doesn’t, “care” is a four-letter word. For the company that does, “care” is a big word. Huge even. Because when you care, emotion enters into the equation. For some companies, emotion is a scary thing. Because emotion doesn’t show up as a line-item on a P&L report. Emotion can make things very sticky. And emotion is unpredictable.

  But caring can be your greatest asset. Because when you allow your employees to care about their jobs, care about what happens to their fellow employees and care about their customers, there’s a shift in culture. I guarantee that when you walk in the doors of a company or have your first interaction with them online, you can tell the difference between a company that cares and a company that doesn’t care.

  Yes, we all care about the bottom line. Because, like the Tequila Shots book says, we can’t make a difference if we cease to exist. But that’s a different kind of caring. I’m talking about the caring that comes when the times get tough. The kind of caring that comes with making sure you’re doing everything within your power to solve a person’s problem - even if they are a chronic complainer. And the caring that comes from believing that your customer’s success is your success.

  So if you don’t care, then it’s going to be obvious to your employees and customers. And since love (or the lack of it) is a circular transaction, guess what? I guarantee that they aren’t going to care about you either. And good luck with that.

  Tags: care, caring, customers, Emotion, Employees, Tequila shots
• 

  Invoulntary ambassador

  Posted on February 3rd, 2010 by Spike and currently 5 commenting.

  Maybe you’re not in a formal ambassador program or even consider yourself an ambassador of, well, anything really. But when you start thinking about it, you might be surprised that you choose or not choose to be an ambassador every day.

  Case in point, if you’re a runner and like to run outside in public places (like downtown), more than likely you’ve been stopped and asked directions by pedestrians or even drivers. At that moment, you have a decision to make. Because in that moment, you can choose to be an ambassador for your city. You can choose to take the time to stop and get them where they need to go and wish them well on their way. You just became an ambassador. You just gave that person a “customer experience.”

  My point is that you don’t have to be involved in a formal program to be considered an ambassador. You don’t even have to be a loud and proud evangelist to be considered an ambassador. We make decisions everyday when we interact with others. And many times, brands are a part of those interactions. So take the time to become aware of your conversations. Because those are the same ones your customers are having. And each and every one of those are an opportunity to make both your lives better.

  Tags: ambassador, Customer Experience, Word of Mouth, word of mouth movements
• 

  Listening is not enough

  Posted on February 1st, 2010 by Spike and currently 25 commenting.

  Everybody’s listening these days. Listening to their customers. Listening to online conversations. Listening to their competition. (What’s funny is everyone is telling everyone else to listen and how to listen…are they listening to one another?)

  Listening is great. And doing is even better. But there’s a step in there that a lot of companies miss. Yes, you can tune in to those conversations with the likes of Umbria (now JD Power Web Intelligence), Radian6 and ScoutLabs and get all the number of mentions, sentiment and other basic information that you need to check off your list. But before all that, you really need to know what you’re listening for. Because it’s one thing to listen. And it’s quite another to know what you’re listening for. It’s even beyond “active” listening.

  Around these parts, we call is the “passion conversation.” That’s what we’re listening for. Not the conversation about your product, but the conversation about people’s lives and how you might be lucky enough to fit into it. Because you can do something with those conversations. Not just try to get people to talk louder and more about you. That strategy will fail every time.

  So sure, listen. But be open to what you’re listening for. Don’t monitor the conversation, learn from it beyond what your competition is learning from it. Listen in a way that will help you reframe how what you do and why you’re doing it. Because when you do, listening becomes the launching pad for a movement, ya hear?

  Tags: active listening, JD Power Web Intelligence, listening, Movement, passion conversation, Radian6, reframe the conversation, ScoutLabs, Umbria
• 

  The Customer is Always Right…Sometimes

  Posted on January 25th, 2010 by Spike and currently 2 commenting.

  You’ve heard the phrase. You’ve probably even said it before. But in this age of “everyone has a voice and a way to broadcast it out into the world,” is it really still true?

  Okay, okay, I know the premise of it is true. That we are supposed to go out of our way to accommodate our customers so they will have a uber-positive experience. And positive experiences get talked about. You know - word of mouth in action.

  

  image via paloaltosoftware from flickr

  BUT, people can be um, let’s say, “difficult.” And some of them just want to see who can scream the loudest. Some have ulterior motives. Some WANT to have a bad experience so it provides fodder for their blog or Twitter stream. And some you’ll never, ever please no matter what. Now that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try, it just means that there’s always going to be those handful of people out there that think they know more than you. And that’s okay.

  So back to my point: The customer is always right. But in some instances, it’s okay to tell them “no,” or at least educate them in the nicest way possible. And sometimes the only thing you can do is say, “I’m sorry, we can’t help you.” But be sure to tell them why. They might walk away (maybe even angry), but you’ll know that you did everything you could to help. If you’re really in the game to help your customers have a great experience and a better life (yes, and make some money), then when that one guy who goes online and starts to complain about you shows up, you’ll have plenty of fans come to your rescue.

  And THOSE customers - the ones that defend you - now THEY are the ones that are always right.

  Tags: blogs, complaining, customer service, customers, Internet, Social media, The customer is always right, Twitter, Word of Mouth
• 

  Defining who you aren’t

  Posted on January 21st, 2010 by Spike and currently 4 commenting.

  A prospective client came and visited us at the Brains on Fire worldwide headquarters this week about a naming and identity project. And in our discussions talking about how a solid identity defines who you are, she also mentioned how a solid identity also defines who you AREN’T.

  We couldn’t have said it any better ourselves.

  

  photo via tmtphotos from flickr

  We live in a world where well-intentioned companies start out doing one thing really well. But after a while - through boredom or greed - they start to stray until they are trying to be all things to all people. Like when Hardee’s decided to reinvent themselves and concentrate on making the best fast-food burger around. Bravo. And now look at their freakin’ menu. Or even the iconic Mini Cooper is about to start producing SUVs. Really? *Sigh*

  When you put a stake in the ground, yes, you are saying “this is who we are and what we stand for.” But you are also saying, “we will NOT stand for this.” People are going to be drawn to you as much for what you do as they are for what you refuse to do. Because your belief system also includes those things you DON’T believe in. Make sense?

  So when you’re thinking about your next PR or marketing initiative and how it’s “on brand,” also think about how to leverage what you aren’t. Powerful identities can be polarizing. And that’s not a bad thing. At all. Because when that happens, people know where to put you in their lives.

  Like we often hear around the BrainsOnFiresphere, “‘Like’ is not a Brains on Fire word. We want people to love you or hate you. Those are powerful emotions. ‘Like’ is a deathtrap.”

  Tags: Brains on Fire, Brainsonfiresphere, branding, defining who you aren't, Hardee's, Hate, identity development, like, Love, Marketing, Mini Cooper SUV, PR