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January 10, 2008
Attraction method #1
The other week, my friend Christine stopped in to HomeMade Pizza. It's a 20-store Chicago pizzeria that makes gourmet pizzas but you bake them at home.
While paying, Christine filled out the store's (optional) customer contact card. The next day, this email arrived in Christine's inbox:
Hi,
My name's Mike and I'm the Manager at HomeMade Pizza Company in Evanston. I just wanted to thank you for choosing HomeMade. The way we figure it, there are a whole lot of places you could've tried for dinner, so we really appreciate the fact that you went with us.
And if you get a chance, we want to hear what you thought. Do you have any questions or comments about your HomeMade experience? Any rants or raves? Whatever it is, let me know. Feel free to give me a call here at the store, or e-mail us at [note: I'll save them from the spambots].
Thanks a lot for trying HomeMade. I hope to see you again soon!
Unlike most emails from companies to customers, Mike wasn't selling or promoting. He was attracting. He was following the first tenet of evangelism: customer plus-delta. Gather customer feedback. It's anti-selling, which makes it magnetic.
Christine sent a quick note back to Mike, saying she loved the pizza and the store experience. The next day, another email arrived, this time from a HomeMade vice president.
Hey Christine -- I just wanted to thank you for your nice email to Mike! Bottom line is, we're really glad you finally had a chance to stop in and, of course, I'm even happier your guys enjoyed everything -- fantastic! Glad you're planning on coming in again, too -- we'll be looking for you soon.
And keep in touch -- if you ever have any questions/comments/suggestions, we'd love to hear them -- we want to make sure we're keeping you happy.
Thanks again for the great feedback Christine, we really appreciate it!
Best -- Shane
Two emails from busy company people with a lot of responsibility who didn't hide behind a cloak of corporate invisibility.
Nor did they sell. Not one offer. Or one promotion. Or one tout of greatness.
Total attraction.
Other blogs that reference Attraction method #1:
True attraction results from real interaction. The emails between Christine, Mike, and Shane appear to be painfully polite, but contained no substantive feedback that anyone can use. If I were Shane, I would grind my teeth every time I have to reply to another "nice" email.
Certainly, true attraction results from real interaction. Real attraction also begins with tentative steps, flattery and hopefully ends in lasting connection.I'm with Ben. I see at least the beginning of "total attraction" here. And I love the fact that they did it without self-promotion (at least in the traditional sense). You could argue that their strategy is indeed self-promotion, clearly communicating the personality of the brand and its commitment to customers satisfaction. If we accept the "digital age" premise that connecting with customers these days requires engagement, then HomeMade is well on their way to a marriage with Christine!I'm guessing she'll be back for more, often. And I'm guessing she'll be a brand evangelist until death do they part.
I grew up in Chicago....why didn't I eat there??? Now I will when I visit, esp. after reading this post. Great post, BTW, I never thought of it as "attraction" before--worth considering as we tirelessly work to attract peeps to our church.
I actually experienced something very similar, except in this case it was from a one-store Chinese takeaway which not only sent a far more personal menu and letter advertising their services, with a voucher for free beer, but also took the time to phone a couple of hours after the order was delivered to check everything was OK.
It did shock me at first, but not only do they get feedback on their meals, they also get to find out if their driver turned up on time, and was pleasant etc...it's enough to have made them my first choice for takeaways ever since:
http://thewayoftheweb.blogspot.com/2007/11/web-20-engagement-without-website-or.html
Thanks Ben, it´s a great post...
I live in México, few months ago reading Tom Peters Blog I knew about yours, it´s excellent Blog, few weeks ago, Seth Godin link a post to you.
This kind of post make the diference, I have been in sales last 20 years, and we forgot many times the importance of this kind of comunication...
Have a great year...
Ben,
Great Blog and Great post, I am sooooo.... tired of giving out personal info just to be slaughtered with e-mails and calls. I know where I want my next Pizza from.
David G.
This is how Customer Relationship Management should be done.
But people are always looking for a good deal. So why not make an offer?
The pizza place missed a wonderful selling opportunity that would not have diminished the impact if done tastefully.
For example, look at Badger Gravling's response above. The Chinese takeaway place had a similar impact, but encouraged a repeat visit with an offer.
Ben, I was rather shocked at the pounds of unwanted solicitation you received that is incredible. I agree with you. Companies should move to a permission based mailing rather than the modern opt out option. I am less likely to read something if I did not ask for it. Or unless it is something that interests me. To get this blog promoted to more sites, check out www.nemeas.com. this improves your search engine ranking. This will promote more success in having your blogs and articles read and commented on.
Richard -- Guess it depends on your definition of "substantive." Feedback that you're doing a great job can be confirmation of an existing strategy. I'd take any feedback over none.
Russ -- And in her note to me, Christine said she'd told a lot of her co-workers about the email exchange.
Heather -- Just make sure you have a place to bake the pizza.
Badger -- It's pretty rare for a restaurant to call after making a delivery, making it all the more noteworthy!
Guillermo -- Thanks. Have a great '08.
David -- You nailed it. Giving up personal information too often results in an avalanche of marketing noise.
Ted -- Entirely possible, although I would see that as lost profit. The customer already professed love for the experience and promised a return visit.
Jess -- Thanks.
Ben, this is a wonderful example of letting your customers know you value their business. I blog often on the importance of thanking customers. Sounds like HomeMade Pizza prioritizes both customer appreciation as well as customer dialogue.
Also, I don't believe a coupon is necessary for their customers to return. I believe this type of interaction puts HomeMade Pizza a notch above their competitors (and I am sure there are many in Chicago, as we saw when we were there last summer!).
You guys rock! :-)
In response to "painfully polite, but non substantive feedback"- We don't know what Christine wrote on the card, do we?-which is what the two businessmen were responding to.
Thanks Ben for the text of the invitation. This is a great "best practice". I'll add it to my collection of "Customer Survey Idols" Hall of Fame! It's polite, urbane, and brings the personality of the company out. Next time I'm in Chicago I'll check them out.
I live in South Africa, land of poor customer service. If a South African company took the time to provide this level of after-sales support, they'd clean up in their market.
It doesn't matter whether there was any substantive feedback gained from these emails. The fact is, management made the effort to interact, and that's where the customer experience is remembered, and talked about.
Hmmm, interesting. I have to say I'm a little jealous. This past summer I had a surprise birthday party for my mom at Maggiano's (I live in Chicago too). Everything went well, the food was delicious, the staff was helpful.
A month or so later, I wrote a letter to the manager of Maggiano's telling him how pleased I was and praising the staff members (by name) who had provided us with such great service. My name and address were clearly on the letter and the envelope...but I never heard a word back from anyone. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
I didn't write the letter because I wanted them to respond to me, but it sure seems strange that they didn't. I can't imagine that many people take the time to do what I did. You'd think they'd want to encourage their enthusiastic customers.
