In addition, this adds to the aesthetics of the place and clearly, it is a form of marketing, since this action is part of the Customer experience.
Replicating this practice, we organized a visit to our plant, aimed at our farmers, because, although it was something common for us, the production process is usually very impressive for those who have never seen it, in addition to the fact that although our clients are specialists in the field, they do not have the obligation to know this process in detail.
At that time we received comments like “Now I am certain that your products are worth every penny of their price” either “With this quality control, I understand that it is very difficult for them to fail me”and without a doubt they were the best example of the value that this approach added… until we received several calls from angry customers saying things like “Why didn’t you invite me to the plant, Inge? What should I do or just tell me if I have to pay to be considered?
And to recap, the same thing had happened to us at product launch events, which due to their design and segmentation, should have limited space but, although we did not want customers to be upset, there is no doubt that their reactions were a peculiar form of measurement. of success, because typically in the field, farmers tend to be measured in their interactions with companies and clearly when they take the time to connect to share their points of view, these are attitudes worthy of analysis.
To the reactions that occur in groups that are not originally the target and that are the result of the implementation of Marketing tactics, I learned to capitalize on them under the concept of management of envy.
Applying this concept
Similar to the reaction caused by an event with an aspirational tint, what is sought is remove the bias that things are guaranteed to happenFor example, believing that because I am part of a commercial team, I will automatically be invited to the next training or that because I have made a purchase with a supplier, I can access the same benefits as higher-volume customers.
Unrelated to loyalty plans, this concept plays with the fine line of having clear rules for access to a certain level and the discretionary invitation to be part of an exclusive group.
Therefore, I share with you some examples where envy management will appear in a surprisingly automatic way.
TRAINING: It is clear that training, particularly technical, is necessary at all levels of the organization and perseverance is required to guarantee that we are solid in the knowledge of the product or service that we are going to offer, but should all training be offered without reservation?
I think not, so much so that the training of the soft skills can be part of that block of exclusive benefits for the talent identified with a telescopic sight, because although they will also make up the toolkit with which we will deliver a customer experience, they will be part of the development of the individual, so doing it by invitation and not out of obligation, they will give you an additional value.
Who to invite? Employees who are identified as part of the replacement workforce, the high potential, those who require this additional push to reach the next level in the organization or who have shown that their hunger to learn usually crystallizes in projects and initiatives in favor of clients or the work groups they lead.
CONVENTIONS: “Back to Cancun?”, was the angry claim in the form of a question raised by a young member of the sales team at the news that the next trade convention would be held in that beach destination. Since there was no preliminary selection process, everyone on the sales team was guaranteed to be invited. As a matter of fate and for various reasons, the conventions were suspended three years after that event and when we finally returned to those types of meetings, fate became less relevant because the content was actually what generated value and the “ claims” decreased considerably.
Who to invite? Commercial conventions or those annual meetings whose intention is to review the strategy of the organization in addition to combining networking and recreation, are an extremely efficient vehicle to consider as part of the professional and personal development of our teams. Although there should be a fixed group of guests due to their relevance in the organization, middle managers and their reports, they should not necessarily be included as a block of guests by default.
Some alternatives for the selection of guests is the achievement of the objectives of the previous year, such as, for example, summoning the vendors whose sales results have been the highest in the cycle, those who have presented outstanding projects during the year, those who compete for be exhibitors at the convention or even those who, as part of their development plan, set a specific goal for which they should be there. The only thing that is dangerous is inviting people because “that’s how it’s always been” for no underlying reason.
ADVISORY TIPS: A common practice that deserves a special column is to make use of customer experience to form collaboration groups to contrast ideas with those experts in the industry where we operate in order to do a pre-test of what we are developing.
Who to invite? Not only to early adopters, but to as many segments as possible to generate a high level of representativeness and thereby test and “break” the system in preparation for the large-scale launch. You have to take care of the quota, there is no doubt about that because otherwise, the concept of exclusivity can be lost.
With this in mind, it is possible that the reaction of the market will be to question what it could do to be part of these consultative councils, but more than this, it will automatically bring them closer to the projects in development and in their case, become a second circle of potential users and more in the agricultural sector where the word of mouth it’s so effective.
yesstarting reflection
These three are examples of initiatives that seek to enhance the value of the investment of time and other resources and it is not a pretext to over-control spending, but rather they are alternatives to validate a strategy, carry out a pilot test or a professional development plan.
The management of envy does not seek to generate a visceral or negative reaction in the market or in its collaborators, but create deep emotions in people as a result of touching heartstrings and provocations through marketing tactics focused on generating memorable customer experiences. The most important element is observation and challenging the status quo.
I look forward to seeing you in the next installment in this space, but not before asking you not to be dominated by envy and to share and comment on this collaboration.