Thursday, January 26, 2006

SCREW THE CUSTOMER - IT'S GOOD FOR BUSINESS

I hope that headline got your attention. It's meant in jest... well, sort of.

Recently, I produced a TV spot for a new client. He was on the phone directing the session, and within a half hour, I had the audio track produced and sent off to his e-mailbox. After awhile he called to inform me that it had not showed up. Stuck somewhere in cyberspace. So, while I had him on the phone, I called up my web host and upoaded the spot to a private directory, gave him the password and stayed on the phone while he downloaded it on his end.

See, it's not about how much you pay. It's not about how well-known you are. It's about going beyond the expectations. Some folks just call it Customer Service.

Ask the folks for whom I've produced imaging for their podcast. They get an ultra-low rate, but the same attention I give to national agencies, or multi-national corporations. Why? Because it's MY product.

My sympathies go out to the client of one particular agency. It seems the agency wrote horrible copy. It was trite, it was not compelling, and worst of all, it did not address the major problem for the client's business. When asked to revise the copy, the agency instead added a four word phrase. Their attitude - "It's only radio." That sound you heard was the agency shooting themselves in the foot.

--- Thanks for reading!

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