A Messaging Miracle

A single, heartfelt message can make all the difference. Why are there not more?

By George Linkletter, OutputLinks

OK, the word ‘miracle’ is bit overstated here. Like Mark Twain said, the difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.

But I ask why, amid the virtual ocean of messages that spill over us daily, are there not time nor money for an occasional message that does not seek an immediate sale or payment?

Has the art of building relationships with customers vanished? Is the quest for incremental sales dollars that great? Is there no ROI in maintaining a relationship?

The advance of technology is making communication faster, easier and cheaper – but not necessarily better, at least when it comes to building a strong relationship. 

If your messaging is focused exclusively on the short-term goal of just opening a wallet, or triggering a prompt payment, then perhaps you are focused too much on quantity vs. quality and are overlooking the long-term benefit of a strong relationship.

Overt the years I’ve profiled well over a hundred high-volume print/mail operations, each employing a different mix of hardware and software components. Very few of the installations, or at least the successful ones, were simply a matter of ‘roll in the equipment and plug it in.’ 

Each shop is unique, with differing applications, volumes, priorities and personnel and skills. The successful solutions were carefully tailored to this unique mosaic.

In fact, one of the most successful sales representatives I know based his remarking success on knowing his customers, and especially their needs, better than anyone else. 

Even when he lost a sale to a competitor, he stayed in contact. He did not walk away. He viewed that sale as only a short-term set back, and focused on building a long-term relationship to aid the next sale. 

He was always positive and helpful. He continued to inquire on a regular, recurring basis about the state of the business and the unit, about how both were evolving, and about how the current solution was – or wasn’t -- suitable. 

He knew that conditions and requirements change. Any piece of mechanical equipment needs regular servicing to maintain peak performance and, ultimately, it must be upgraded or replaced. He spent time and effort -- without immediate compensation -- to be in the best possible position to offer a knowledgeable and custom-tailored solution whenever an update might be needed in the future.

Meanwhile, his competitor showed little interest once the sale was made. He spent his time on searching out the lucrative next sale.  He checked back only when it was time to replace – and was stunned when the customer switched vendors.

The same near-term focus on the immediate sale, without regard to the future, is often displayed in the high-volume messaging industry.

A non-sale message, one that focuses on relationship building, need not be elaborate or costly to be effective. But it should be genuine. I received one just this morning from Marriott Hotels. 

The message is excerpted below. I travel infrequently. I am not among Marriott’s best customers, although I am a member of the Rewards Program. And I appreciate the thoughtfulness.

As the year comes to a close, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued loyalty and wish you and your family a happy holiday season … we look forward to welcoming you at our hotels around the world and taking care of you with the best service possible.

… I have the great fortune of meeting many of our Marriott Rewards members and appreciate all of the helpful comments and suggestions on what we are doing well and how we can improve.

In 2010, we made several exciting enhancements to Marriott Rewards … we hope you enjoy these new opportunities to earn and redeem your points or airline miles.

We appreciate your business.  I wish you and your family a happy New Year and look forward to seeing you on the road in 2011.

J.W. Marriott, Jr.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Marriott International, Inc.  

Comments? Contact georgelinkletter@charter.net.