I read a fascinating work of fiction about “the bug man” who helps solve crimes by looking at the bugs on the deceased.
While this may sound “icky” it is really fascinating. For example, there are distinct types of flies that attend a corpse at various times. Their larvae indicate the type of fly and the stage of decomposition based on the life cycle of the larvae. The bug man also has various other tools to assess elements of the crime scene so that he can help solve it.
Without getting into more bug details for the queasy readers, I want to link this back to marketing.
Looking for clues about customer experience journey stage and overall user experience can provide essential insights for marketers. There are many articles written about shopping cart abandonment and how to stop it, gathering insights about moving customers through the various stages of the purchase process, etc.
For me what is often missing is the actual observation of people interacting with employees, displays, or the general retail environment. Break it down to the smallest movable parts. Disassemble and reassemble. You will find tremendous insights in the small data.
Why? Because people are unpredictable, and we change our minds often. While the use of personas is helpful from an elevated level, this tool does not provide any special insights into the real reasons people do things.
For example, let’s consider an example of two early 30’s women, university graduates, accounting managers in a big national firm. We might assume many similarities about products, lifestyle, etc.
Upon further review we note that the first woman is single and has many personal interests that take her travelling, into different lifestyle activities, and these factors provide a range of professional flexibility to consider assignments in other locations. The second woman is married with two children, focused on their development with her husband, and the family-centered activities are the main use of free time.
I am not making any judgments about any aspect of either lifestyle. I am pointing out that there is a need to dig deeper and understand the principal factors in each person’s life and then understand what types of messages, products/services, and information are best suited for each situation.
Thinking like the bugman, great marketers will study the following areas:
- History of the product/service and company. What have been the real keys to success for each aspect? And you are NOT allowed to say, “our great customer service.”
- Talk to real customers – in person. No surveys and no third party reports at this time. As Chico Marx once said, “who you gonna believe, me or your own eyes?” Here is the actual script from Duck Soup (Chico is Chicolini) where the quote originated:
- Teasdale: Your Excellency, I thought you left.
- Chicolini: Oh no. I no leave.
- Teasdale: But I saw you with my own eyes.
- Chicolini: Well, who ya gonna believe me or your own eyes?
- You are not the customer so you must work extremely hard to place yourself into a real customer position. You can mystery shop your own company in every way possible using an alias so you can see what your customers actually experience. The results may surprise you. Ever watched Undercover Boss?
- This qualitative approach uncovers the qualities of your customers and helps determine what is important to them. After you know this and see where the gap might be between what you believe and what your customer believes, then you can do some quantitative research. Get a research professional to help with survey and question design and to help guide you on how to obtain a good and representative sample size.
- Finally, according to Professor Mark Ritson, the last step in your diagnosis is to develop your customer segmentation based on your research.
Do you see the approach taken here? It is like the bugman in that there is a deliberate sequence that is followed for best results. Note the focus on details and gathering insights before starting to draw too many conclusions. Patience and positivity – two of a Marketer’s best friends. Now, stop bugging others and start doing some excellent work.
Tim's Thursday Thoughts 