Gary Vee:
00:00
Hey guys, its Gary Vaynerchuck and you're listening to the Front Row Entrepreneur podcast with our girl, Jen.
Jen:
00:08
You're listening to the Front Row Entrepreneur Podcast episode number 11.
00:12
I want you to stop for just a second and see if you can list three things that you do to surprise and delight your customers, your clients, the people who subscribe to your email list. I'm talking about good old fashion one to one stuff that warms the heart the meaningful things that maybe the other guy just would never think to do. You know an online business especially if you're creating online courses or an e-commerce or selling any service or product that you need to promote to a large number of people it's easy to get caught up in all the numbers. Right? We're in an environment of open rates and clickthrough and cost per clicks and algorithms. It's impossible not to constantly second guess our strategies and actually that's kind of baked into the process right. With our AB test and our split tests but when you disrupt this pattern and surprise a customer or a new subscriber with a personal video message or a handwritten note magic happens like drinking lots of water or taking a walk each day.
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01:17
This is the kind of stuff you don't have to second guess. You know it's right. You know it's good for you and for everybody involved. And actually I think this is where marketing is headed. You could call it authentic marketing or a one to one marketing. All I know is that it feels right and how you incorporate that special touch into your own business may look really different than what I do. I think it really just needs to surprise and delight. That's it. Let me give you an example I have recently started sending personal video messages to everyone who signs up in my private membership site. The Front Row VIP and before I record the video I take a second to check out their website or their Facebook page. Basically I'm just looking to get to know them a little bit and then I record my screen and I'll link in the show notes to the free tool that I used to do this but when I start recording my my head or the visual of me the video of me is way down in the lower left hand corner so I don't have to worry too much about if my makeup is great or if I'm having a bad hair day which chances are I am and the rest of the screen is there website or their Facebook business page because I'm looking at it and recording it and talking about it.
02:39
This takes a total of about five minutes and I'm going to tell you based on the feedback I get from people. You would think I just gave them a kidney. Seriously people are so impressed by this because we all know how busy we all are so when someone takes time out to listen, spend time with us, it really does make an impression and for me I've also cemented that person into my brain. So whenever I see Gloria in our group now I'm always going to remember that she sells wristwatches and she used to be in the Peace Corps and this gives me a great deal of confidence to as I create my content because I can truly say now that I know my audience.
03:20
The guy who bought my car from does this he sends me, not often. I think maybe I've got two to over the last 3 years but they've come at very smart times and he'll send me a video that says "Hey Jen it's Kyle just wanted to let you know that it looks like you're coming up on the 3 year mark with your car and we did just get a new inventory of X Y Z model maybe you want to come take a look at it. Hope you're doing well." Yada yada yada and it's personal. Yes he's selling me and I know he's selling me but nobody else is doing that. Nobody else is sending me a personal video on the 3 year anniversary of my car. Todd Hermann who is the founder of the 90 day year he gets hundreds of people who sign up for his program every time he launches it but he manages to send a phone call or a voicemail message to everybody who signs up for his program and he uses a tool to do this.
04:17
But he explains that it's more than worth the time that he has to invest in doing this. And I'll put the tool that he uses for that in the show notes. Other ways to really blow your clients minds is just to send them a handwritten card for no reason. Like for groundhogs day or maybe on the one year anniversary that they've been with you. And if you're a brick or brick and mortar business you're really only limited by your imagination. I remember when I was in college a hundred years ago in Charleston South Carolina and there was this place called Gerald's tires and well you know what. Let's give them a call right now and I'll tell the story that way.
Gerald's Tires:
04:17
It's a great day at Gerald's. Knowles speaking, how can I help you then?
Jen:
05:04
I can only have a question. Kind of a strange question. I am actually recording a podcast about great customer service. I'm about a hundred years ago, I was a college in Charleston and I remember you had Lady Day and on that day like if we took our car and I think it was for an oil change. You put a rose on the seat. Am I remembering that correctly?
Gerald's Tires:
05:04
Yes ma'am.
Jen:
05:04
Do you still do that?
Gerald's Tires:
05:36
Not to take anything away from ladies day but we actually do that everyday.
Jen:
05:41
Well that was what I was thinking. I don't think it used to be ladies day though. Didn't it?
Gerald's Tires:
05:46
I don't know. Actually, I don't recall that it was just one particular day that they did that. But for as long as I was here, it's about 21 years, if you're a lady, you come to Gerald's, you get a rose.
Jen:
05:46
Well, what if you're a man?
Gerald's Tires:
06:05
Only around a few ideas nothing so in the works as well as you know we did have some bumper stickers but nothing stuck.
Jen:
06:17
So what's the feedback that you get from people when they when they experience their rose for the first time.
Gerald's Tires:
06:24
I think you know especially these ladies, they get a tire and ruins their day. Right? You know. Out of the way. And it's just a really nice touch for a really stressful exhausting day they get into their car and have a rose so yeah we blew them away.
Jen:
06:43
I love it. I love that you're still doing that.
Gerald's Tires:
06:43
Yes ma'am.
Jen:
06:46
OK. Well that's it. I just need to do research. Thank you so much. Have a great day.
Gerald's Tires:
06:46
You're welcome, ma'am.
Jen:
06:54
OK so now I'm going to give my college roommates Carol and Meg a quick call and see what they remember about Gerald's tires.
07:04
OK. I want to ask you a question. Both of you. Do you remember Gerald's tires? What do you remember? What makes them special?
Gerald's Tires:
07:04
It's a great day at Gerald's. How may I help you? This is Ca, how may I help you?
Jen:
07:19
Funny enough Carol kind of nailed it there. Check it out.
Gerald's Tires:
07:19
It's a great day at Gerald's. Knowles speaking, how can I help you then?
Jen:
07:26
What else do you remember about Gerald's tires?
Jen's Friends:
07:28
I think Tom Repak.
Jen:
07:28
No. What else?
Jen's Friends:
07:37
I remember on Wednesday, it's ladies day, you got a rose on your feet. Yeah and they still do that, they still do that. Thank you. And I think I went there one time and I didn't get a rose.
Jen:
07:37
What did you do, girl?
Jen's Friends:
07:50
I don't know. I get went home and cry. I didn't say anything because you know who wants to be a lady demanding a free rose. You, you'll be the day demanding free rose.
Jen:
08:05
That was fun. And yesterday I went to wash my car at one of those automated you know like machine washes. And when you pull up there's like one of those machines it's like an ATM machine and you just stick your card in. But there was the nicest man there and it was a brand new machine and actually they had just upgraded the car wash so everything is modern and shiny and new. But he was there smiling to assist me with processing my card not because I wasn't capable I mean he was helping everybody who was driving through just to make it that much more convenient. Greet me with a smile. And it really did make an impression on me.
08:43
In the days ahead. I plan to really double down on this and I'd actually like to send personal video messages to every new e-mail subscriber that opts in for anything that I have to offer if only to say "Hey you know I hope you enjoy the free live streaming mini course. And if you have any questions you know where to find me. Have a great day." Like even if it's just that short of a message it's something I think is doable. And I think that it will go a long way. Mike Steltzner head of Social Media Examiner and Social Media Marketing World recently said from the stage at the last conference. Small is the new big. And what that means to me is that we need to go deep not wide.
09:27
If you are already a member of my free classroom the Front Row. Join us over a frontrowclassroom.com and did you know that I give social media updates via Alexa Flash Briefing. That's right after you add the Front Row Entrepeneur Briefing to your Alexa app. All you have to do is say "Hey Alexa, play my flash briefing" and you'll hear me giving you all the most important news in social media and digital marketing. See you next time.
