Marketing Column

 

Positively Connect With Customers

 

By Tricia McGarry

 

"In the 1960s, if you introduced a new product to America, 90 percent of the people who viewed it for the first time believed in the corporate promise. Then 40 years later if you performed the same exercise less than 10 percent of the public believed it was true. The fracturing of trust is based on the fact that the consumer has been let down."

- Howard Schultz , Chairman, Starbucks

 

"We can believe that we know where the world should go. But unless we're in touch with our customers, our model of the world can diverge from reality. There's no substitute for innovation, of course, but innovation is no substitute for being in touch, either."

- Steve Ballmer , CEO, Microsoft Corporation

 

Imagine you were to happen into your office tomorrow and found 10 new customers waiting in line for you to take their order. Probably no surprise if you run Starbucks or Microsoft. In fact, if these companies don't have 10 new customers placing an order in the first second of opening their doors their business is not performing.

However, both of these companies started their businesses with the challenge of attracting and securing new customers. How well are you succeeding? What is your untapped market opportunity? Likely this is one of the most significant focuses of your business each day.

About 20 years ago, I started my career with the challenge of both customer acquisition in the consumer sense as well as B2B space. The company, Mac/MicroWarehouse, was a direct response reseller in the technology industry with a goal to acquire and retain millions of customers. In addition, it was critical to develop interest and support from technology vendors to provide access and value around their product offering.

Mac/MicroWarehouse was extremely successful in the realization of its goal. The firm grew in size from $5 million in sales in the mid ‘80s to over $1 billion in sales when it was acquired by CDW in the mid ‘90s. The primary function of Mac/MicroWarehouse's success was adoption of its services both by the end user customer and its vendors.

As I have moved on in my career, both in working in businesses owned by others and running businesses of my own, I have been personally challenged to acquire customers that will both validate my offering and support the business opportunity I am developing. I have found that independent of the potential customer size the fundamentals remain the same in terms of identifying, attracting and acquiring customers.

During the consideration and purchase process, customers need respect; reliable and consistent information; and a reward.

All of these considerations require a positive emotional connection with the customer. Properly initiated and executed this process produces a grassfire effect. Customers will continue to come back and recommend others. The key to the development of customers in a new business is targeting and securing early adopters and supporters. Ongoing customer acquisition requires a scalable structure that provides focus and support of the fundamentals of respect, reliable and consistent information and reward.

 

Tricia McGarry has been involved in technology and high-growth businesses for over 20 years. Her company, Cobalt Communications Group, recently acquired the interactive division of mediaFORGE, a firm that develops proprietary online new media/web 2.0 technology solutions.

 

Launch - Fall 2007

 

 

For the full "digital magazine" version of Fall 2007, visit: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/growutah/launch_2007fall