Why You Should Be More Useful This Holiday Season*
© sharpshutter22 / Dollar Photo Club
*and from here on out
Captain Reman is one of those connected guys. You know the type. They always seems to have a referral for “the best place in town for ___,” the number for the world’s greatest tailor/repairman/etc, and invitations to the top networking and learning events.
So earlier this week when he invited me to join him at a luncheon in Milwaukee with a New York Times best-selling author as the guest speaker, I wasn’t surprised. And, I would have been stupid not to accept.
The guest speaker was Jay Baer. The topic? His latest book, Youtility: Why Smart Marketing is About Help, Not Hype.
I don’t need to tell you that our industry is competitive. You already know that – and so does the transmission shop two blocks down from you.
But I did learn a few things that you might not know– or, might not have thought about in this way before.
Consider these 4 takeaways during this holiday season – and beyond:
- Online is where marketing and customer service collide. On average, Americans spend 147 minutes a day on their smart phones. Sure, part of that is spent watching cat videos. But the amount of time connecting with family & friends on social media platforms, reading articles, looking up business reviews, and more is increasing. Online, your customers are reporters. Their comments, kudos, & criticism speak to your customer service and are all marketing opportunities to capture – or lose – that next sale.
- This is the age of self-serve information. I research before I buy something, especially if it is a big purchase. The fact that your customers Google you before walking in your front door shouldn’t be a surprise. But with more information in existence, there’s even more information to sort through before making the decision to buy.
- Forget amazing. Start being useful. Being an amazing business is great, but it isn’t enough. When you shift your focus toward providing something different, something useful, you transcend the transaction. The story of your business becomes much bigger.
Youtility is a process. Youtility is “marketing so useful, people would pay for it.” Becoming not just a good resource, but the best resource doesn’t happen overnight. The focus should be on how to help before how to sell. After all, “the difference between helping and selling is two letters.”
All throughout the year, there is enormous competition for a customer’s attention. The blur of information, prices, and deals is even more obvious during the holidays. The goal today, tomorrow, and beyond 2015 shouldn’t be to just stand out. The goal is to create a youtility. When your current customers – and the ones who haven’t even identified themselves yet – discover it on their own, they can’t help but to buy from you.
You’ve heard of utility players. And you pay your utilities every month. But what about youtility? What’s one way your business could do something so useful – and offer it for free? Share your ideas in the comments or with our Director of Customer Experience directly. She might just send you your own copy of Youtility…
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