The “It” I am talking about here is your marketing. Do your marketing right and with respect to the people you are trying to reach through your marketing. Otherwise all your effort will be for naught. AND, it’s just the right and moral way to do business.
I came across this article in the AZ Republic recently and it got me thinking. The article also made me angry because I have been a recipient of unwanted telemarketing phone calls from the local A/C company spoken about in this article. They have harassed my business phone line (which is my second line on our home phone) with a deluge of solicitation phone calls, literally every single day. I would watch the phone call come in with caller ID, each afternoon, right in the middle of my work day and no voicemail message was ever left for me.
One day I decided to answer the phone call. Needless to say, I felt even more harassed than ever before. The woman on the other end told me she was calling to schedule my spring maintenance. Here is how the phone call transpired:
- A/C company: I am calling you to schedule your spring maintenance.
- Anna: I am not a customer of your company.
- A/C company: Well, do you have another company you work with and has your spring maintenance been done?
- Anna: That is not any of your business.
- A/C company: OK. Are you happy with your current company?
- Anna: That is not any of your business. I have asked your company before to remove me from your call list and I am asking you again to do so. Goodbye.
Not only was this an unwanted call, I am on the Do Not Call Registry. This company obviously trains their telemarketers to be very aggressive, and frankly, use a bit of trickery to get me to book an appointment with them. And the explanation in the article from the managing member of this company was very weak. I do not receive phone calls like this from other companies and he shifts the blame to the “victims”.
It’s obvious to me that this company has not done some basic brand identity/brand development work. If they had, they would ask themselves the questions—is this what we want to be known for? Is this how we want people to identify us? Is this the emotional response we want people to have when they think of our company?
Like I said before, it really is obvious that trickery is part of this company’s “deal”. That’s how they do business. I would be very surprised that, if they had done work on their branding, they would list “tricking people” as their brand identifier. They are breaking the law when they implement these types of practices. I found, literally, dozens and dozens of online complaints when I decided to research their phone number and then their company. These complaints were scathing reviews filled with a lot of “DON’T EVER WORK WITH THIS COMPANY”. And these complaints were often in CAPS and very, very passionate.
Imagine if a potential customer is on the fence about them—these complaints and reviews, including the Better Business Bureau, would have tipped the scales in the wrong direction (for them, at least).
Always remember:
- There is only one opportunity to make a great first impression.
- Do things right and follow the law.
- The internet is a permanent digital footprint.
- Consumers of products and services do lots of research these days, before making a purchase.
- Every move you make as a company has to live up to the brand you have developed.
Don’t make the same mistakes as this local AZ company. Do it right and according to the law. Be respectful to you customers and your potential customers. It’s the right thing to do. And doing business with your company will be a pleasure!
Here is the article:
Please contact Anna Brice at Pinnacle Peak Marketing, Scottsdale AZ about Marketing for Small/Medium Business.
Email: anna@pinnaclepeakmarketing.com
Phone: 480-661-0292
Website: http://pinnaclepeakmarketing.com
Marketing Evolution 