actionable marketing guide

We finally have heat in our apartment. It took 3 visits from our plumber and 2 visits from a heating services company, but our apartment is finally warm.  
 
I mention this since I learned some marketing insights from our experience that you can apply to your firm regardless of size.
 
While my husband and our plumber did a valiant job of fixing the breaks in our pipes, the complicated heating unit needed different expertise.
 
My husband looked up the manufacturer’s site but when he called, he wound up in an endless string of connections ending up with someone’s on-vacation message.
 
Being persistent (and cold), he tried again and was told that they only sold the units, they don’t fix them–a fact they could have stated on their website.
 
My husband then checked for heating service companies. He chose the firm he did because the reviews on their site seemed real, not made up. Interestingly, the scheduler asked him how he chose their company. They followed up and managed our expectations since due to the weather emergency they were very busy.
 
After their technician fixed the problem, they called back to see about the repair. They used the opportunity to ask us for a review.
 
If you’ve got a product or service where home or store visits are involved, use the interaction to determine if the customer is satisfied. If not find out what can you do to fix the problem. Until you fix the problem, it’ll hurt your business. The customer will tell other people. Therefore, where appropriate ask for a review or referral.
 
It’s just 3 short weeks until Social Media Marketing World in San Diego. It’s a must attend event for those of you involved in social media. If you can’t afford the cost of attending the conference and the related travel, consider getting a virtual pass. It gives you all of the sessions from the comfort of your computer.