A new shopping mall opened recently in the west part of Singapore, Jurong.
Prior to the opening, the company ran a marketing campaign on Facebook to build excitement with a count down to the opening day. Unfortunately, the opening day was delayed on the night before opening. It turned out that while the shopping mall has received fire safety clearance from the relevant government department, some of the tenants did not apply for fire safety clearance and the mall cannot start operations. By then, it was too late as hordes of people arrived the next day to throng the new mall. In a gesture of goodwill, the management handed out free vouchers to those who turned up and were disappointed. As the mall's management company has experience running other malls and this is not the first NEW mall opening they have handled, it was a pity that this thing had happened. Could it be due to oversight on the tenants in applying for the clearance, given that they were busy renovating and getting their shops ready? Could it be management's responsibility to inform or even ensure everything are in place? Or did the tenants or management assumed that everybody know what to do and who is responsible for what? Misunderstanding or miscommunication? The mall finally opened a few days later, giving the first 1,000 customers a free $10 voucher. Anyway, the damage was done and they probably have incurred additional marketing expenses giving away free vouchers on those two days. And other tenants affected by the delay are contemplating compensation for their losses in the delay. In your business, are you also running the danger of misunderstanding and miscommunication? Why not have a checklist for your customers so they know exactly what is expected of them and you? Define the kind of person you are and what you value most.
One of the worst thing for your business.
Singapore is experiencing the haze at this time of the year again.
The cause is the forest fire in Sumatra, Indonesia, which some say are the farmers burning the field to clear land for vegetation, which at the same time provide fertilizer for the land. Now there's remarks about the problems caused by big companies. Whatever the reasons, countries affected by the haze have been holding talks to solve the problem without success for as long as I could remember. Perhaps about 16 years. The haze situation can be moderate or real bad, depending on the direction of the wind during this period of the year. And this year, it is TERRIBLE. Anything beyond 150 meters are barely visible. And when the haze is back, the most sought after number is the Pollutant Standard Index (PSI), which measures the quality of air. In view of current state of condition, the government's environment agency, National Environmental Agency (NEA) started announcing the PSI Index every hour to keep citizens updated about the condition and possible regulations to stop certain commercial activities. Somehow, there seems to be a lag between the figure reported every hour versus what people are seeing, smelling and experiencing. As the PSI reading on the official website indicated it's "3-hour PSI Reading", this lead to the question of integrity of the PSI figures. Were the figures based on average in 3 hours? Did the official concealing the actual reading for fear of public reaction? Did they report only the lowest reading for that hour? So what has it got to do with your business? Sometimes when you have proof to substantiate your point, your customers may not trust you because of what they experience and their perceptions. Think about how you want to educate your customers about how the results are obtained. Think about all the questions and doubts that your customers may have. Opportunity for you to make a quick buck?
Opportunity for you to make a difference? A man walked into a new hotel to take a look out of curiosity and to check out what's available.
Once inside, he realized there's not much he could explore. There's a narrow hallway running straight from the main entrance with a row of small round tables with accompanying seats leading to God knows where. Just before the hallway, there are two restaurants on both sides. The door man approached the man to offer help and he said he would like to check out the dinner at the restaurant. He was shown to the one on the left side. There's a lady staff at the counter and the man asked if the restaurant serves buffet dinner. The staff replied yes. The man asked what is the spread. The lady answered they are serving Mexican and Texan cuisine. The man requested for the menu. The lady said there's carving station with roast beef and lamb, some salad. The man asked if they still have seats and if any reservation is required for the night's dinner. He then realized he had a dinner appointment and asked for the name card to call for reservation, in case there's a change of plan. The lady searched a bit and looked a bit awkward before telling the man that he could call the hotel's main number. It was a split second before the man realized he's not going to get any name card. Finally, he said he'll check out the hotel's number online before walking off. What if the restaurant prepares a print out of the menu for the night and show it to the man so that he could check out what are served? What if the staff checks with the man if he'll still be around the area so she could call him to take a look at the dinner spread when it is ready? Sentosa, Asia's favorite playground.
I was there to settle some personal matter recently. Yes, you read it right. I was there for some personal matter, not to have fun. While waiting for my appointment, a man in collared tee-shirt, bermuda and track shoes approached me to do a survey to collect feedback on my experience. He was carrying a backpack which was unzipped and the pile of notes inside looked as if they'll drop out anytime. Slightly plump and perspiring profusely, I reckoned he must have been standing for hours under the severe hot weather. He then started his survey using an iPad. Some of the questions he asked included: - How did you travel to Sentosa? - How often do you come to Sentosa? - Are you satisfied with the various facilities? - Would you recommend friends? - Any areas of improvement? I was given a free premium (a towel) at the end of the survey. The guy then went off walking round the area to look for the next interviewee. Now, I must admit this is going to be a tough call for him. The majority of visitors there were tourists. They probably have no time for the interviewer as they are more interested in sightseeing. There were many tour groups which he couldn't target as they were in a rush. And there's the language barriers for tourists who do not speak English. Even if there's no language problem, the organization is not going to get a lot of mileage on where to make improvements. Instead of asking the poor guy to stand under the hot sun to collect the feedback, the top management should just come down and walk the whole island. Tourists were seen sitting on the floor as there's no seats available. Starts only after the customer has decided to leave.
Just look at the government and its citizens.
To lose your existing customers than getting new ones.
It is more difficult to get business from new customers than your existing ones. What your customer says is a fact, whether it's true or not.
Don't believe it!
Don't believe it! You have to believe it. |
AuthorOutrageous Marketing Archives
May 2020
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