People trust, enjoy, prefer (and ultimatly BUY) what is familiar
September 5th, 2008
This is an interesting marketing thumb rule in that it speaks volumes to how people make decisions about what and when to purchase, and where and/or whom to purchase from….
I often speak with clients about the value of brand “consistency” in the context of customer service.
An example of the power of this rule is the success of McDonald’s. I don’t think you’d find many people that would say that McDonald’s makes great tasting food, or even that their cuisine is very healthy. So why then, if “quality” is not their main value in the marketplace, is McDonald’s so successful?
I assert it is their commitment to delivering a “consistent” customer experience over time. They can be “counted on” for a number of things in the customer’s minds; Food that always tastes the same no matter which store you buy it from. The same consistency applies to the food being served fast, and hot.
Notice then, that frequently what consumers obviously prefer is not necessarily excellent quality, great taste, or even great service from McDonald’s, but the consistency of delivery. The fact that their customers can count on that, consistency allows consumers to connect with the McDonald’s brand with first familiarity, then trust in knowing what they are going to get when they walk in the door – every time. It’s not great – but it is familiar and they can count on it. This is powerful and persuasive brand marketing at it’s best.
Question: How could you make your customer’s experience of you more consistent so that you can leverage “familiarity” & trust in your brand building?
Mark V Bullock, Partner/PMA
Practice Marketing Advisors
Posted in Branding, Customer Service, Marketing, Sales | 
Tags: consistancy, Customer Service, Marketing, Sales
In your blog, “People trust, enjoy, prefer (and ultimatly BUY) what is familiar”, the “people” you talk about are customers and the McDonalds experience you talk about is the experience of being an EXISTING customer.
But what about a PROSPECTIVE customer. An equally large challenge is to develop trust, enjoyment and preference in PROSPECTIVE customers. That requires consistent marketing throughout BOTH the lead aquisition process AND the sales process until ultimately, leads are converted into customers.
Customer aquisition, especially in longer average sell cycles, often means the marketing department throws a lead over the fence to the sales department and goes back to generating more leads. But in today’s relationship intensive and competitive sales environment, it is clear that marketing and sales cannot operate with a siloed approach. They need to work together in converting generated leads into customers.
A key success requirement for this is a good CRM (Client Relationship Management) system that facilitates 1)smoothly transitioning sales leads into prospects and )2 collaborative sales processes that blend the application of marketing and sales skills until a prospect becomes a customer.
It may be easier for marketing and sales to work separately; but, the time for that is long past. This is the time for tightly coordinated marketing and sales efforts, enabled and empowered by appropriate CRM and other technology. In today’s “prospect constrained” environment, successful companies need the right tools and techniques to maximize the value of every single solitary lead, period.