Marketing’s mission is to somehow change a customer’s behavior. We try many things to affect that behavior: advertising, email, search, events, webinars… and the list goes on and on.
And in tough economic times the opportunity to affect customer behavior is exceptionally acute, especially when it comes to existing loyal customers.
So check out this email I got from a major hotel chain about my loyalty card with them, it went something like this –
Dear Mr. Dunay
We miss you! We noticed there hasn’t been any activity on your Hotel Loyalty card for 9 months and in order to keep your Hotel Loyalty card you must maintain activity at least once in a 12 month period. If we don’t see any activity in the next 3 months we will cancel your card and you will forfeit your points.
Signed the SVP of Customer Loyalty
Wow! …. what a heartfelt letter. I miss you too.
In a split second I felt just like Jeff Jarvis when he first got angry about Dell.
My actions …. Immediately spent all my points on a gift for my son, called their hotline and cancelled my card and emailed the SVP of Customer Loyalty to tell him …. I won’t be coming back even when the economic climate gets better.
The hotel permanently changed my behavior AGAINST them …. way to go SVP of Customer Loyalty and thanks for the clock radio for my son!
Related posts:
- Loyalty and Lifetime Value
- Tattletale Customers ‘Shushing’ for Loyalty Points
- Guest Post: Recessional Loyalty — Strengthening Your Business Through Retention, Repurchase and Referral
- Selling Comfort During Tough Times
- Retailers Rely on Loyalty Cards to Understand Customers
Tags: Loyalty
Hi Paul,
Have a similar story of “Great ways not to keep your customers”. Went to the newspaper shop up the road as per usual. Just checking the stories on both papers on the front page to see which one I wanted to read that day and the helpful lady behind the counter screeched at me “are you going to buy one of those papers?”. To which I of course replied “I was going to buy one of those papers but I really don’t have to buy anything here”. At this point I left the shop, walked a little further up the road and was able to buy the paper that I wanted without the screeching – definitely not the way to keep your customers coming back in financially tricky times!
Thanks for the post.
Kirsty
Check out my blog at http://blog.write-works.com
Great point Paul – it’s interesting that Marketing has forever complained that campaigns are not “trackable”. The interesting thing about the world of social media is that it is now much easier for marketers to understand the true effect of their campaigns – even when it’s the absolute opposite of what was hoped for.
why no mention of the actual brand? afraid of personal repercussions?
It’s sad that some companies still think that customer loyalty is a right and that they deserve it! It’s not. You have to earn it and if you don’t earn it, you lose it! Treat your customers how you want to be treated.
Thanks for sharing the letter.
Maeve
Penny wise, pound foolish. Glad you took the time to educate them…but more importantly, all of us.
It’s tough going through life with the eye of a marketer at every corner, isn’t it? Should be a self-help group for us.
Wow, I had a similar- arguably worse- experience with a major airline this week.
http://doughaslam.com/2009/01/22/two-sides-of-customer-service/
What’s in the water at travel and hospitality companies?
Hi Paul,
It’s never good when companies write your blog posts for you, is it? Clearly they just don’t get it.
Your experience reminds me of the time I went into a travel bookstore looking for guidebooks on Spain. As I started leafing through a couple to try to figure out which one was right for me, a clerk told me I couldn’t browse. So I went up the street and bought two books at another store.
Best,
Daria