Auto industry slowly starting to market more towards women consumers

Business guru Tom Peters has been championing the importance of marketing to women for years. Even in areas where men dominate like electronics and automotive, the decision is made or heavily influenced by women. Yet, marketing dollars are often centered around attracting men.

The Wall Street Journal this week reported on how the automotive industry is starting to change, albeit slowly. The good news is more and more research and marketing focus is being directed towards the sex that spends and / or influences the money; women.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/car-sellers-refine-pitch-to-women-1408575175

This is such an important topic to discuss with sales reps that handle automotive accounts, as well as creative types that help shape the marketing message for these accounts. Most importantly I believe, this is a topic that needs to be a part of a future conversation with the customer. 

That talk with the customer is important because of the subject matter; they really need to recognize that marketing to women is a financially beneficial decision. That talk is also important because it shows you care about the customer! I sent this to every sales rep I work with that handles automotive, asking them to have this important conversation. I'm also hopeful to see some slight changes in ad copy and content focus in their advertising in the near future.

Three minute video that can re energize your staff into providing top quality customer service

I made several members of my staff cry this morning. No yelling, no berating involved, just a moving message that had everyone pausing to reflect.

Customer service is not a new topic for training, that's for sure. Yet the level of customer service seems to continue to drop with businesses. We all have horror stories about how we've been abused by companies who clearly have given up trying to provide top of the line customer service. Certain brands evoke laughter when you bring up even having to call their customer support line (Comcast...Sprint....Bank of America just to name a few).

A long time ago, I figured out that the key to sales success was very simple. Two simple statements could sum up what sales was all about: solutions to problems and good feelings. Solving the problems of a customer is very customized, but providing good feelings should be universal.

Little things can make a big difference, and this video illustrates that very clearly. This video is not new, but it is very timely even today. I saw this at a training session last night. I had seen it years before but had lost track of the video. Want to make a difference with your customers? Use this as a basis for your outlook.

http://vimeo.com/89319413

Relaunched Foursquare app tracks users even when closed

The push to get data from consumers is never ending. I'm more than willing to give some data to gain discounts, insider knowledge and more. But I want to be the one making the decision of when to give my info and when not.

There is technology being used on a trial basis which scans data on shoppers phones when they are in a store. They are able to see what website you've visited, what cookies are on your web browser. To me, this is an invasion of my privacy.

Yesterday, I found out that the newly launched Foursquare app was now tracking users location even when the app is closed. Last night, I deleted the app from my phone.

Foursquare is an app that I've used for several years, with the understanding that I give them some of my shopping info. In turn, I received a few discounts from merchants that were partnering with the start up social media company.

Foursquare is getting away from the gamification of check ins, and is now trying to be like Yelp!, and a resource for consumers looking for details on a business. This seems like a logical step in their business plan, but an over step in my estimation in how to treat users.

Read the full details about their new business plan and location tracking at:  http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/08/06/foursquare-now-tracks-users-even-when-the-app-is-closed/?mod=e2fb