“When someone says a word, whatever you think about immediately — that’s it. That’s your brand. Branding is not what we want people to say…It’s actually what the customers say.” Scott Stratten, President of UnMarketing, and host of a podcast called UnPodcast
Scott Stratten isn’t someone you want to piss off.
No, really. The unassuming looking Oakville, Ont. resident might just look like an ordinary guy going through his life doing ordinary things. But he’s watching. And assessing. If someone from your company provides a less than exemplary customer experience and he decides to write about it — wham.
He flicks on the giant global amplifier that is his social media following and unloads a torrent of scathing (and often blisteringly funny) words to his vast followers, and your brand gets a digital wallop in the face. Sometimes the black eye persists for years.
Stratten is the President of UnMarketing, and the host of a popular podcast called — not surprisingly — UnPodcast. He’s also the author of UnSelling and UnMarketing.
He also has a huge social media presence with more than 177,000 Twitter followers, 112,000 tweets, 34,000 “likes” on his Facebook marketing page, and more than 8,000 connections on LinkedIn. “But I know four people in real life,” he joked.
Stratten was the closing keynote speaker at Kijiji’s recent DealerTalk event in Toronto, and he gave the more than 300 auto dealers in attendance a lot to think about.
Some of Stratten’s key messages are for companies to stop marketing to — and to start engaging with — their customers.
“When someone says a word, whatever you think about immediately — that’s it. That’s your brand,” says Stratten. “Branding is not what we want people to say…It’s actually what the customers say.”
The best way to overcome negative reviews, Stratten says, is to not be the company that provides a negative experience in the first place. So, want to improve your brand image? Improve the way you treat and serve your customers. Seems simple enough. But it’s hard to do.
Stratten relayed an automotive dealership experience to prove his point. When he dropped off his vehicle for an 8:30 a.m. appointment to have an oil change done, it became something he called his “Service DisAppointment.”
The service advisor told him they’d call when his vehicle was ready to be picked up. He didn’t hear from them, but came by late afternoon to collect his car so he could pick up his kids from school.
When he inquired about his car, the first thing he got was the irate tone of the person at the service advisor desk: “Did we call you?” And so the following conversation ensued.
“Er, no,” Stratten answered.
“We said we could call you. Your car isn’t ready.”
“But my appointment was at 8:30 this morning?” he replied.
“That’s not the way we do it. We work on your car when it works for our schedule.”
“Oh,” he said and shuffled out of the dealership.
A few minutes later, he wandered back to the dealership to reclaim his keys, pointing out that he knew full well they hadn’t done any work on it.
He was reluctantly provided his keys and then visited an aftermarket oil change specialist. The job was done in less than 20 minutes, while he read a newspaper and enjoyed stale coffee.
That one bad experience, he says, is now forever his brand experience for that dealership. There’s really nothing that dealership can do to erase it.
It’s permanently etched in his mind when he thinks of them.
The dealer principal isn’t likely even aware of his story, and some version of that experience is likely still happening every day.
“They pushed me out the door because it was better for them,” he says. “The brand of that place has totally changed to me.”
When you set up systems for your businesses that make sense to you, says Stratten, you should also always assess whether they make sense for your customers. The most efficient way to run your operation might be completely at odds with a superior customer experience.
Stratten’s talk was filled with these types of anecdotal experiences, some good, some bad and some downright ugly.
Your brand is exposed and at risk 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Even when your doors are closed, your online experience is either improving or damaging your brand reputation.
It’s a tough message, but he’s exactly right. Which is why Stratten’s such a popular fixture on the speaker circuit. He gets bookings all around the world to help businesses see the simple truths of the new world of business with the empowered consumer.
In terms of how social media adds to this mix, he says if companies commit to doing it well, it can be positive. “I’ve never said social media is good for companies — it’s good for good companies,” says Stratten. “If you aren’t a good company, it’s your worst nightmare.”
Consumers might have always had a certain amount of power, but consumers who can write reviews and broadcast them to a global audience are a whole other ballgame.
That’s the ballgame that Stratten invited dealers to spend some time thinking about. Sobering? Yes. But relevant? Absolutely.
Want to know more about him? Visit: www.unmarketing.com
