• by Scott Couvillon , February 9, 2009

2009 will see a seismic shift from long-term (branding) to near-term (sales) activity. The recent glut in retail spending has marketers trading share of mind for share of wallet. But the investment in marketing near-term, using offers, deals or closeouts, doesn't necessarily have to come at the expense of the brand and the value that it creates in the lives of individuals.

 

A relationship should be the goal of our collective marketing activities in economic peacetime. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, leveraging a purchase into loyalty, especially in a recession, is like asking someone you just met in a bar to marry you. And you have a cheese fry stuck to your shirt. Truth is, they may want to like you. They might even know you really well. But a purchase is a means to an end, while a relationship requires far more effort.

My point? The critical importance of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to the mix will be far more pronounced this year as there will be a far greater organizational focus on ROI. So assuming you are ready to commit, spend some time thinking about the 'Relationship' part of CRM and the applications to everything else that we do in the bar ... er ... marketplace.

To lessen the chance that your investment gets lost in the clutter to come, let's look at the first three steps of creating a relationship to see what we can learn from real life. Every relationship starts with some initial point of contact. The nature of this contact dictates the likelihood of a relationship. For example, rarely do we befriend someone we cut off in traffic. Interruption was, is and will always be a bad model.

A better way to start a relationship is through someone that you trust. Enable people to speak on your behalf. Jokes are always funnier from someone you heard was funny. When initiating contact ask yourself, do your efforts enable advocacy? ("Tell a Friend" links don't count.) Is what you are saying creating value? And, is the environment or vehicle appropriate for it?

Assuming that initial contact goes well, it may be time for a casual and simultaneous experience. Recommendations include a public place and preferably with a group. Now ask, how inviting is your brand when the first real consumer step is taken? And the most important question in any relationship: Do you remember who they are? Not simply their name. Do you really recognize who this person is and what they want from the relationship? Are you allowing some experience with your brand that doesn't require a purchase or offering something that is useful and free?

Ensure that you are having a conversation. We may not all have algorithm-based software that cobbles customer actions together to learn what you will be interested in (à la Amazon.com), but enabling feedback isn't all that complicated. Be prepared to listen, and this may be a relationship after all.

Now, it is time for the first real one-on-one. Which brings up perhaps the most important issue, that individuality is paramount in any meaningful relationship. What details have the conversations up to now offered? Create custom offerings based on this recognition. And, then, follow up on a purchase with information on how to get the most out of your product.

These first steps can mean the difference between a one-off purchase using a coupon and "Lifetime Consumer Value" that is actually valuable. You will not be the only one utilizing CRM in 2009. The victors will be those who can empower individuals to offer their feedback, good and bad, and be rewarded for the effort.

Whether offering a deep discount, a test drive, free insurance quote or an upgrade, make the goal a relationship and your marketing decisions become easier with greater return.