In good company giving my thoughts on “How to Achieve a Higher Customer Satisfaction Level” for Taylor Reach Group Expert Round-up, click here to read everyone’s advice. My advice is: First thing is to find out what they want! Too many businesses sell products and services they like or can do as opposed to what the..
Join us next Friday in Sydney @ Referron, I’m talking about the Connected Customer and how to engage them at BSI Connect. More information here. “The Future of Now: Always On, Always Connected Communication technology unites us, relays news equally with opinion, transports us to worldwide events, and shrinks distances between our relationships. We’re..
Melbourne Retailers & Wholesalers are in for a treat! I am honoured to be part of such a great lineup! Tara Dennis, Jules Brooke, Melissa Hobbs & I are talking retail for a full day at Reed Gift Fairs Burst into 2015 Workshop. Morning Tea, Lunch & Afternoon Tea provided. $132.00 Not to be missed!!..
Thanks Nikki Jae Majewski B&T Magazine, it was great speaking with you & sharing the fun to be had at SMW Sydney http://bit.ly/1wn5PXe SOCIAL MEDIA WEEK : 23 – 27 September I will be hosting and taking part of a retail panel during Social Media Week, ‘The Consumer Journey‘ with wonderful experts: Megan Wilkes: Co-Founder, Q&CO..
This page is updated during the week! To see other News Room updates please click here. **** EVENT: “Gamification & Social Media As Weapons to Increasing Audience Engagement”, Theresa Lim 8 July http://buff.ly/VAWSgz **** Great post from presenter Theresa Lim “Top 6 Ways To Make Your Next Event Truly Experiential!” http://buff.ly/1ltp3me **** Creating cool images..
This page is updated during the week! To see other News Room updates please click here. **** Interesting!! “Apple trademarks its stores” He was a smart man!! “Steve Jobs placed a great deal of emphasis on distinctive shop design, stating that “Unless we could find a way to get our message to customers at the..
4 April 2014 :: I was interviewed for this piece by Jamie Smyth in Sydney ©Getty “In a country whose previously isolated landscape has been devastated by the introduction of rabbits, foxes and other invasive species, Australia is facing its latest incursion: foreign retailers. H&M opens its first store in Australia on Saturday as..
Nice one Sly @ Surry Hills! A friend was having a conversation with her friend on Twitter about a new place in Surry Hills. She then tagged me in suggesting we have lunch there and mentioned he hasn’t tried it yet as it is not ‘dog-friendly’. Sly got straight onto it and posted 2 pics..
I had a week from hell in terms of customer service, but the pinnacle had to be the service and ethics of Mytopiastore on Ebay. I ordered a Cantilever Umbrella for Mum’s birthday party on 24 October, party was on 10th Nov and they say 3 – 7 days delivery – with 17 days out..
Social Currency in play here; Got 10,000 followers on Instagram? You can stay at 8Hotels in Sydney for free! I love that this made the Los Angeles Times. I read it on Interiors Addict blog a couple of months ago too. via Raz Chorev The Sydney 1888 Hotel is owned by 8Hotels has been created..
This page is updated during the week! To see other News Room updates please click here. **** thanks @servantofchaos “Facebook Just Killed A Privacy Setting, So It’s A Good Time To Do Your Own Checkup” **** STAY for free if you have over 100 000 instagram followers at Hotel 888. **** RT @servantofchaos RT @kiwilark..
This page is updated during the week! To see other News Room updates please click here. **** RT @dig_festival: BIG NEWS: Jeff Julian – Hollywood design legend to KEYNOTE at #DiGFestival http://t.co/Yxyik45UxE > The countdown is on, I think tix still available for this great 2 day event! **** Great post on Crowd Funding Your..
Packaging is a great way to communicate with your customer & share an experience, an insight or your business with them… I am not talking about ingredients and the usual sales blurb but the story behind the brand, ingredients, suppliers etc Even better when it links to a multi media story. Love these egg cartons,..
Quintessential Parisian Shop front ~ don’t under estimate the power of the visual to grab attention and tell a story…. I just went to Paris and back…:-)) Merci Vogue Paris. Great weekend guide to Paris here, enjoy the trip!
A great post on Facebook from Gelato Messina on their price increases. I am sure true purveyors of quality hand crafted products will get it & these people ARE their customers after all!! Nicely handled! I LOVE people’s comments underneath the post too!! Check out their website too, yum! Ultimately, it came to this: “Essentially..
#BoycottMyer – Bernie Brooks’ comment on NDIS levy outrages decent people… I created a storify post on the tweets so far: “What was he thinking??”, below, or click here to view on storify. People didn’t need another excuse not to shop at Myer!! Poor Service has been one of the biggest complaints from customers who..
Found this at Esprit Magazine Australia: “L’Oréal Paris revealed its upcoming cosmetics launches plus a handy App (The Colour Genius) which suggests colours to match an outfit, fashion looks and ways to wear cosmetics and beauty tips to build confidence and inspire when it comes to wearing make-up. Notable launches are Nude Magique CC Cream..
I had the pleasure of being invited to Covermore Travel Insurance to meet Dan Moore, or Dan The Man, as I am now calling him! Dan won a tough competition, entrants had to create their own submissions, view his below. I love this campaign from Covermore; we vote on where Dan goes and what he..
Another great example of ‘Crowd Sourcing’ AND great retail here from Country Road. Country Road know: their market that know that their customers are perfectly aligned to the brand they know that when they ask their customers what they want, they can develop that product and their customers will buy it The other ‘great retail’..
Jamie Oliver crowd sources his menu backs for Perth. “Help me guys !! What menu back shall I choose for Perth Australia.. I’m at the printers and I just can’t decide I have a favourite but I’m not saying what do u think the Aussies will like?? Big love peeps #jamie xxxxxx” This only works..
Great example of customer engagement ~ handwritten note is a gorgeous touch! via Burberry “A handwritten note to Burberry Facebook fans from Christopher Bailey – Watch the show live on the Burberry Facebook page today, 4pm London time” In case you don’t know, Christopher Bailey is Burberry’s Chief Creative Officer.
Putting together great speakers for Social Media Women & media140 events this year! 1st media140 : 26 March in Sydney . Register & check out the next few events click here *********** The ever talented Garance Dore talks business with Imran Amed. click here to read *********** This is interesting via media140 :”#VALENTINES Something you..
Internationally, department stores and brand name retailers have been integrating their social media activity with their real life retail theatre very well. Locally, I have not seen great consistent examples, until now! David Jones did a really good job on Facebook sharing the lead up to Autumn / Winter 2013 Season Launch; from casting, to..
The amazing Carla Zampatti, the knowledgable Andy Hedges (Westfield) & Margy Osmond (ARA) chat all things retail. Tweets #UTSEngage : view here. Information on Speakers: click here. Knowledgable & experienced panel: Carla Zampatti, the knowledgable Andy Hedges (Westfield) & Margy Osmond (ARA). Carla & Andy have wealth of knowledge, expertise and passion for retail. Carla..
I so often see QR codes plonked onto adverts without explainaton, this tells me 2 things, either: They don’t understand what they are or how to use them and have been told to add them It was an after thought and not part of the strategy Either way, it does not bode well for the..
. I was in Singapore in April and read about this CAMERA SHOP that had FILM??!! Lomography had me intrigued but sadly, I didn’t get to the store. Two months later in Hong Kong, my brother and guide lead me to the Lomography store in Sheung Wan. It is a small compact store with an..
Clients and seminar attendees would know I talk about Businesses needing to create a Strategy & know how their customer behaves online and offline before jumping into Social Media. Brian Solis, a PR & Social Media Expert says businesses doing it wrong, he was interviewed by Des Moines Register, read the article here. ..
This is a great video from PayPal that shows the future – and not too far in the future. An easy to understand illustration of how easy it will and what consumers will expect in the not-to-distant future. Retailers get informed & get ready!
An interview about my view on customer service: click here to read.
Jeweller Magazine is a great industry magazine. In March they ran my article “Retailers Must Evolve To Survive”, click here to read it in full.
A super quick post today, with a longer one to follow! It is amusing to be seeing the ‘resurance’ of the awareness of the importance of customer service! People are talking about it like it is a new planet; “The way to build sales and ensure your business’ longevity is to focus on customer service”,..
For those of us who have been using Pinterest for a while now, we are not surprised that Pinterest has become the ultimate connecting & sharing tool. I started using it in May 2011, I try almost everything new, it’s my job, but Pinterest was different from the beginning, I LOVED IT and found it..
I really enjoyed my ‘chat’ with Lisa McAuley @ Australian Institute of Export. I am going to producing a lot of great podcasts in 2012. In this podcast we discuss Social Media for business. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace: new media channels that are particularly powerful and cost-effective weapons in the battle to reach global audiences,..
This is a little bit of tough love: Dear Retailers, It’s Not Me, It’s You! I constantly hear retailers blaming the customer for their situation, so I thought I would write them a Dear John Letter: If Australian customers were to write Australian retailers a ‘Dear John’ letter as to why they have left them..
Articles ideas are erratic, sometimes I have 20 at once and sometimes I have zero! I was thinking about my next article when a client told me that when talking to staff about customer service he always uses what I said in my seminar (before he became a client), Customer Service is Like Dating.So I..
To get your head around the new mobile technology + apps + games + customer engagement, it is easier to use it. Download the app and follow the car competition on Kyle and Jackie O’s show and on the network throughout the day. Must be iPhone 4. Otherwise just follow it online. More info and..
View This Post as a PDF The rules are different and the playing field has totally changed leaving business owners with the options of adapt or perish. Australian business owners have never had to be as skilled as they need to be today; education, knowledge, skill and marketing prowess, are all needed by business owners…
With all the focus on Social Media at the moment being about ROI and sales, it is nice just to let the ‘Social’ take centre stage! To see all of my pictures, please click here. Denea, editor of Gourmet Rabbit, @GourmetRabbit on twitter (in ‘Twitter-speak” this denotes a person’s ‘Twitter Handle’ or their name /..
I just left this comment on an article in Smart Company titled: “How Happy Staff & Online Deliver Retail Growth” in reference to David Jones’ poor results last week, view here. I was compelled to comment as I feel very strongly that the 2 main depsrtment stores in Australia have not done anything for the..
Profitable sales are the objective of every retailer, to achieve this they need: View This Post as a PDF their current customers to buy more in one transaction customers to shop in their store more often customers to stay in their store longer new customers Any good buyer knows profitable sales are not just as..
In July I was presenting Social Media Seminars at the GHA (Gift & Homewares Australia) Home & Giving Trade Show to Exhibitors and Retailers. It quickly became apparent to me that I was largely talking to an audience that had not yet dipped it’s toe into the online space let alone considered Social Media as a..
One of my favourite magazines Giftrap asked me to write an article on Customer Service and we thought it would be fun to create 10 Commandments!
There are a lot of things that business owners need to focus on and being obsessed with their competition is not one of them. It is time to look at your competitors in a new light. Your competitors will elevate your whole category / product group or niche. They will also be a comparison to you and allow you to shine in comparison!! Use your competition to increase the awareness of your niche & show how great your business is!!
This is a great lesson in how to handle customer comments, complaints and lack of satisfaction; sometimes customers don’t speak the same language and there may be misunderstandings but handled in a respectful manner, any situation can end pleasantly!
Although I mainly work with retailers, I sometimes work with SMEs (small to medium enterprise). I have just written a sales program for a client and thought I would post parts of it over the next few weeks. I have generalised it here for the sake of the blog and anonymity, but this should get..
Just when I had lost faith in customer service and passionate retailers (my customers excluded of course!), a friend took me to Gelatomassi in Newtown on Sunday for what he said was, “the best Gelato in Sydney (possibly Australia)”. We were in Concord so this was a lot of pressure to put on one place!..
If someone told me that candles would be sold for $80.00 when I started my retail career as a Grace Bros cadet 22 years go, I would have thought they were dreaming! The dream is a reality, with candles in all sizes, colours, fragrances, packaging and prices, becoming a key gift item over the last..