2. This will require a complete re-thinking of “CRM” strategies:   Must shift from the current emphasis on Customer Relationship Management / Manipulation to… Emphasizing the Customer and Relationship and changing from Management to Marketing…since any time you “manage” relationships…they don’t achieve their potential. 3. The good news is that this all translates to the bottom line. Per results tracked by clients who have implemented true relationship driven strategies, double-digit increases in response and revenue are the norm.

With best wishes,

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Tip 1:

Surveys/VOC’s/Panels/etc. conducted prior to 12-18 months ago have very little worth today due to the economic conditions we find ourselves in (even up here in Canada – but to a lesser degree). The way consumers research, make purchases, save vs. spend, etc. has all been turned on its side due to economic uncertainty. If we are basing business decisions on survey and panel results from prior to the economic crisis, we are making them on old information. Without fully throwing away the old information collected, we need to ensure we are garnering new insights from new surveys, panels, forums, and more specifically Voice of Customer Research communications conducted recently. In fact, the comparison of old vs. new may foster additional insights not even thought of yet.

Tip 2:

Tip 3:

“Opting in” is about a lot more than channel preference.

Many companies talk about the fact that their customers have “opted in.” What this usually means is that the customers have agreed to accept whatever emails that a company chooses to send out. “Opting in” is about so much more. It is about taking the time to learn a customer’s preferences – not only for the channel of communication we use, but for the kinds of products and services they are interested in, their needs, and how they would like to engage with us.

Tip 4:

Strong customer service is simply a ticket to entry in the game…customer engagement is what drives repeat purchases.

Many companies feel that strong customer service is not only a major competitive advantage but what drives repeat customer purchases. Ernan’s VOC research would seem to suggest that strong customer service is simply a minimum and expected requirement of our customers. What really drives repeat purchases is a strong feeling of engagement by our customers with our brand and our company.

Tip 5:

Due to the challenges of “short-termism” that exists in corporate America, companies will often focus on the immediate transaction at the expense of the long-term relationship - with the belief that by "getting" the customer now, we will successfully retain the customer.

Often, the opposite is true if the act of "getting the customer" does not truly add value to the customer, engage with the customer and build long-term trust.

A perfect example of this is the proliferation of emails in the ecommerce space. Frequently emailing one’s best customers may lead to more short term sales, but the resulting customer attrition far from compensates for the immediate sales. As organizations, we need to focus on engaging with customers and adding long term value.

Tip 6:

For today’s most successful marketers, the lines are blurring between online and offline channels. If you talk about the digital or offline as additional channel for marketing – You are obviously from the direct mail world.  They’re either looking to integrate these channels, or they’re starting to formulate marketing strategies that are indifferent to the mode of delivery.  They recognize the need to have a full view of the customer life cycle, a view that incorporates different channels for different purposes, different products at different times. Increasingly, these marketers also understand that their future success hinges on the ability to recognize the customer and personalize the message across all channels.

Tip 7:

The companies that make this adjustment early and choose the right business partners to execute are the ones that will benefit most, regardless of market conditions. The ones that can expect to gain optimum business advantage are the ones that place consumer privacy at a premium and gain the trust of individual consumers, who will then be more willing to share their preferences and personal information to keep the commercial cycle moving with minimal friction.

Tip 8:

It is very important to know and understand our customers to improve sales results. VOC Research can be a powerful tool to do that.

Tip 9:

We definitely have to pay attention to the relevance of social networks.

Tip 10:

DMA09 the greatest marketing conference in the world, was full of presentations, conversations, and success stories that provided yet another affirmation of my belief that addressed, context relevant integrated multichannel communications is where the market is going.

Tip 11:

I believe that the world of Customer (and prospect) Communications has moved from anonymous broadcast to relevant targeted messaging and the future will belong to sophisticated marketers that can use data, analytics, multiple media with context and make the relevance appear truly serendipitous.

Tip 12:

It was confirmed at the various sessions I participated in that a vast majority of companies are struggling with the social media phenomena. Definitions of how we go-to-market are evolving as well as the primary KPI's. And as a relationship marketer, I recognized that relationship marketing should not only be accomplished with those customers you have in your database, but that we need to extend our “relationship/customer engagement” into the blogosphere.

Tip 13:

Opt-in relationship marketing is, however, still the most effective way to deliver relevant and efficient marketing.

Tip 14:

I feel I have a better understanding of how to segregate my marketing spend to better influence my larger customers. Currently we spread our marketing budget evenly across prospects and customers. Simply creating three or four levels of customers based on the revenue they generate should lead to more sales and a better informed customer base. This is “short term” take-away.

Tip 15:

The second take-away was a true appreciation for opt in, engagement marketing and the real value it represents. The case studies presented in the workshop show clear and mathematically defensible reasons for full scale implementation of an opt in program. We’ll be moving in this direction as a result over the long term.

Tip 16:

Customer satisfaction is not enough. We have to go deeper into the relationship to get loyalty and retention of customers. It means that we always have to ask the customers their opinions, ask for their experience, ask what else we should improve.

Tip 17:

B2B is the same as B2C...I didn't think about this before, but when I compare them it really seems that what relates to customers is the same as what is important to any business partner.