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Last week, I talked about the whole concept of “setting a tone“.
My point was that marketers like myself need to work on creating a message and experience that people have not heard before, that is different, much different than the information being presented today.
I received a lot of comments regarding this topic. Some people were concerned that I thought I knew what was best for my clients and that I needed to listen more to clients. Setting a tone incorporates listening to clients, but it takes it to another level. I think companies need to define the client experience at a minimum and work at exceeding expectations.
Here is a great story about a university who obviously knows who their clients are, “New Students – freshman and transfers”. The college recruiters and faculty have done an excellent job keeping in contact with the new freshman coming to the campus and working with them to determine what direction they want to go with respect to their careers. They knew their clients very well, just as many companies do. However, here is how one particular university takes it to another level by setting a tone!
Here is a great example.
This weekend, my wife and I moved our son into Rockhurst University. At Rockhurst University, you receive instructions which tell you that when you arrive on campus, you are supposed to drive to the dormitory that your son/daughter are going to live in. The University had several teams of student volunteers that operated the 7-minute move-in rule to perfection. A team of kids and school faculty greeted each family a their vehicle and proceeded to take the student’s boxes, supplies and clothes directly to their assigned room in 7 minutes. This simple act, accomplished several objectives: fewer trips from room to vehicle, more time to spend organizing rooms, more efficient traffic flow in dormitories and a great way to meet people in a more efficient manner.
I think by having a mind-set of being invitational and not conversional, you really look at ways to take listening to the client to a new level. What other ways has your company taken this type of approach with your own clients? I think all of us are looking for ways to exceed our client expectations and give them a Wow Experience.
photo credit: MTSOfan via photopin cc
