Page 34 - Flathead Beacon // 4.2.14

34 | APRIL 2, 2014
BUSINESS FLATHEADBEACON.COM

Relationships BUSINESS IS PERSONAL Mark Rifey

Customer Relationships -

for Life
Do Yours Mature And Adapt?

O
NE OF THE THINGS THAT vices. There’s far more to this than sim-
separates people from most ma- ply adapting to a client’s intellectual and

chines and systems is their abil- age-related maturity.
he owners of Trails West Real Estate honor their
ity to adapt their interactions as the re- Remember that “tip of the day” fea-
lationship matures.
ture that was popular in software not so Top Producers
A tough-as-nails 61-year-old grand- many years ago? The half life of that fea-
father who supervises workers on an oil ture was incredibly small and the value
rig in North Dakota’s Bakken adapts his it delivered was tiny when compared to in sales for 2013
communication to the recipient when its potential.
Why? Because few software develop-
training a new guy to stay alive on the
rig, and does so again when chatting with ment companies took the feature seri- Top Producers OVERALL:
his 3-year-old granddaughter about her ously once it had been coded and tested.
Hello Kitty outit via a Skype video call.
How can I say that? Easy. Did you
He doesn’t coo at a young buck and turn that feature of once you realize the
he doesn’t growl at his granddaughter. tips were of little value after an hour’s
He adapts. It’s common sense.
use of that software? Did you turn it of
Our systems, processes and commu- earlier than that because the tips were of
no use at all?
nications don’t do enough of this.
My guess is that one or both of those
ADAPT TO THE are true. The tips weren’t there for users
RELATIONSHIP STATE
throughout their lifetime of use with the
Why do our companies, software, software. In fact, most of them weren’t
processes, communications and systems very useful beyond the irst hour of use. Matt Buckmaster David Fetveit Rob Schuttler
so infrequently adapt to the state of our Every time we move the software to a Broker Broker Broker
new machine, it’s likely we have to turn 406-261-8350
406-249-1764
406-270-5227
customer relationships?
An example I’ve used a number of it of again. ROI for that feature? Not so Regional Top Producers:
times: You get mail from a company of- high.
fering you a great deal “for new sub- The content of these tips was every-
scribers only” – despite being a sub- thing (in fact, the only thing) to the user
scriber for decades. It’s annoying, not so of that software, yet the content in most Whiteish:
Whiteiish Mountain Resort
much because someone else gets a bet- tip-of-the-day systems appeared to be
ter price for a short time, but (to me at rushed out as an afterthought.
Columbia Falls
What does a software’s tip of the day Whiteiish
least) because they don’t appear to care
enough about their existing customers feature have to do with your business?
to remove them from a lead generation Everything.
Matt Buckmaster
mailing.
Broker
It’s a trivial exercise to check a list TAKE YOUR TIME, alispell
406-261-8350
K
of recipients for a new marketing piece IMPLEMENT WELL
against a current subscriber/client list. That the tips rarely were of use to
Why don’t “we” do it?
new users beyond the irst hour or so of
Bigfork
For mailed items, it would reduce use shows a lack of investment in their Rob Schuttler
postage and printing costs. It would cut content.
Lakeside
Broker
down on the annoyance factor in clients Imagine if these tips were sensitive 406-270-5227
who inappropriately get special lead to the maturity of the user’s knowledge
generation ofers - regardless of the me- and use of the software.
dia used.
Some cars do this. They automati- Big fork:
Adapting your marketing (for exam- cally adjust the seat and mirror loca- Vic Workman
Broker
ple) to the state of the relationship you tions when Jerome unlocks the car and 406-250-5944
Steve Dooling
have with the recipient is marketing 101. use diferent seat/mirror positions when Broker
It’s a no-lose investment.
Carmen unlocks it. Adaptation.
406-253-9117
What if your systems, products, ser-
ADAPT TO THE vices, marketing, processes and oth- Lakeside/Polson:
MATURITY STATE
er client interactions recognized and Polson
Like the grandfather, most of us alter adapted like this?
our face-to-face speaking to the state of Adaptive interaction isn’t an all-or- Jeff Boll
Realtor
the relationship and maturity of the oth- nothing thing. It can mature over time, 406-261-3232
David Fetveit
er person.
as other things do. Take your time, do Broker
Sometimes we don’t, but that’s usu- it right. You tend to get only one chance 406-249-1764
ally because we haven’t had the oppor- to break a relationship with a client, but
tunity to determine the maturity of the you can strengthen it with every interac-
other person in the conversation.
tion.
Brett Bennetts
I’m speaking of the maturity of the Adaptive behavior is all about mak- Broker
406-253-6411
Cindy Lanier
customer relationship as well as where ing your business personal.
Broker
the client is with your products and ser-
406-250-5273

Want to learn more about Mark or ask him to write about a business, operations or
marketing problem? See Mark’s site, rescuemarketing.com, or contact him via
Sandy O’Connell email at [email protected].
Broker
406-270-7541
www.TrailsWestRealEstate.com