Building TRUST Using “On Demand” Marketing Strategies
Santa Cruz SCORE White Paper
David Britton July 11, 2006
Extract: On Demand and Self Service business channels are fast becoming the preferred way to seek, organize and analyze information. This demand is forcing many organizations to make a shift from company-centric market “push” initiatives to customer-centric strategies.
The “World is Flat” concept drives “On Demand” Marketing, Worldwide. This propels the market “pull” practice of satisfying customer real-time demands. A leading example, currently creating a major impact in Nationwide practice: SCORE’s 389 Chapters see double digit yearly growth in Cyber mail Counseling sessions. On Demand Edu-marketing integrates Customer learning through Vendor website content. Customer web search helps build “Trust” in Vendor site content and results in higher-click-through buying conversions. On Demand Service requires new embedded edu-marketing content strategies.
Introduction:
SCORE leads “On Demand Marketing” Trend.
The World is Flat, according to Tom Friedman!
The entire World is Connected and is now Accessible to All!
The “On Demand Marketing” is Activated by SCORE!
How does this affect the world of learning and SCORE marketing?
The Client Flat World on-line connection is key to On Demand marketing!
The Customer can research your website and learn to Trust your organization!
On Demand Service requires new marketing Strategies, such as Edu-marketing by “Whitepaper.”
On Demand Service: Learning is now an On Demand function. Customers request information from the On Demand world and the world responds with near instant customized information.
On Demand Service
Client Demands: Consultant Answers:
Browses Website Whitepaper on Website
Reads Whitepaper Newsletter on Website
Learns to Trust Vendor Client Case Studies on Site
On Demand
Sends E-mail Question Services Expert Auto Response
Gets E-mail Response Follow-up Query
Face-to-Face Meeting Makes Client Diagnosis
Examples of this kind of marketing activity are illustrated by the Ask SCORE, On Demand, Cyber-mail system. The client asks a business question by e-mail and a Nationwide computer system alerts a scheduling and expert-skills-list-database to determine where in the world is the one matching expert that can satisfy the Client query. Somewhere in the 10,500 person SCORE Nation, the skills are matched, and the expert is contacted, and replies to the questions. All of this communication with the Client is by e-mail and is asynchronous, but maintains the keyboard virtual face-to-face aspect of the flat world On Demand requirement.
Trends From Headlines and Experience:
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Amazon to Sell Out-of-Print Books, On Demand!
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eBay “Want it Now” Web Service where buyers post On Demand Needs.
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4% of Retail is done on-line, although 22% of Customers go to the web to shop first.
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SCORE Assessment Service Clients get 20% of their certified business by Website!
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P&G’s “Connect & Develop” Client Program accounts for 35% of New Products!
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Reservation agents for “Jet Blue” Airlines are working from home, networking clients!
The On Demand Service Practitioner
Many consulting practitioners are similar to Medical Doctors, and perhaps Lawyers. Doctors are highly skilled and knowledgeable, reportedly retaining one million facts of their discipline. They are backed up by specialized knowledge databases that confirm their diagnosis. Most consultants are also knowledgeable On Demand experts that can meet face-to-face requests (or) provide virtual On Demand e-mail queries.
On Demand Service Comparison:
Service/Physician Service/Consulting Practitioner
Formal/Specialized Schooling Formal/General Schooling
Apprenticeship Learning (1M facts) Working in Business Management
Internship Practice (Certification) Running a Business (Merit Quality)
Private Practice (On Demand Service) On Demand Counseling Service
Lifetime Medical Journal Learning Lifetime Business/Technology Learning
Experienced Diagnosis Judgment Experienced Diagnosis Judgment
On Demand Diagnosis Data Base Service On Demand, SCORE Data Base Service
Practitioners’ Requirements:
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Becomes a superior lifetime learner
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Educated by deep experience and enriched schooling
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Similar to a Doctor practitioner, who must know a million facts to be effective
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Coordinates knowledge from one’s mind, online resources, specialists, & clients
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Expert at finding & assimilating external information and knowledge as necessary
What is missing? It is the ability to have the just-in-time information available to the client in real-time. This happens to a certain extent in the classroom. We organize to cover all the basics but innovate to cover the student’s particular need. The knowledge and information on small business is available to any degree of granularity on the web or with collaboration: Our simple task, as a SCORE Counseling organization, is to provide that knowledge, on the demand of the client, by embedding generic information into packages of relevant client niche requests.
SCORE Volunteers Help Entrepreneurs Succeed:
SCORE is built on the strength of its volunteers. Each year, SCORE counselors touch thousands of lives, generously sharing their knowledge and experience so that entrepreneurs can realize their dreams of business success. At our 389 SCORE offices, volunteers provide confidential one-to-one and team business counseling and low-cost entrepreneurial training workshops and seminars.
SCORE Now Provides “On Demand” Database: www.SCORE.org
FREE Online Small Business Advice: (Selected Topics from Database)
1. Free Business Workbooks for Your Success
Get your free copy of “How to Really Start a Business” and “How to Structure Your Business” when you meet with a SCORE counselor. Find SCORE near you.
2. Access Free Business Templates
Real-world templates, exclusively ours. SCORE's Template Gallery offers free, downloadable templates to help you with small business plans, start-up expenses, cash flow and more. Templates:
Business Plan for a Start-up Business
Business Plan for an Established Business
Balance Sheet (Projected)
Bank Loan Request for Small Business
3. How-To: Tips & Tools
After you've contacted a SCORE counselor for small business advice, read How-To articles to help you make decisions for success throughout every stage of your business.
4. Workshops:
On Demand Unintended Consequences:
On Demand Marketing becomes a “Two Way Street.” Not only do we serve the customer better but the Cyber mail and Face-to-Face Counseling lead to the best learning tool available for both parties: Marketing, of course, is a two way street in any case, but it has been hard to quantify the worth of customer communications with Counselor learning.
Comparing Physician practitioners’ with Counselors helps explain how Cyber mail, documented, On Demand communications, greatly increases the experience learning of the counselor and the organization. Documenting many more Cyber mail queries increases greatly the experience learning of counselors, in a shorter time frame than is possible with face-to-face counseling. With the help of the SCORE improved website, available embedded information is a much easier and a more informed way of helping with Cyber Mail queries.
Marketing On Demand “Pull” Strategies:
On Demand and self service business channels are fast becoming the preferred way to seek, organize and analyze information. This demand is forcing many organizations to make a shift from company-centric market “push” initiatives to customer-centric “pull” strategies (those that choose the On Demand and self-service mode of communication). The marketing “pull” strategies work best if the service organization is well branded.
On Demand marketing requires that every tangible and intangible component of the organization should be in place to allow the customer to recognize your value proposition. The value proposition is NOT advertising. Value is generated by the client recognizing your Intellectual Capital, Branding, and the Valued Information available in an On Demand form.
The Marketing System
The Consulting Intellectual Capital must be well designed and measured.
The On Demand marketing system has many component parts that make the “whole” a system:
1. Every Team member must be branded for their “Deep Smarts” talent.
2. The Team must have a branded function founded in collaboration.
3. The organization must facilitate information transfer to the team.
4. The team must provide an On Demand diagnosis in the Client’s time frame.
5. Face-to-face demand consulting must include real-time information access.
Executing On Demand Services:
Blog & RSS On Demand Research: Consultant Uses RSS Feed Information
Virtual On Demand Consulting: On-Line Self-Help System (WebMd/SCORE Database)
Face-To-Face Demand Consulting: Professional Expert Diagnosis and Solution
Trust is Required:
Connections can build trust! Trust from web connections comes from the client information on your website that is easily accessible and informative. There are many other ways to market but the better way is a good informational website that ensures a trusting informational relationship.
Intellectual Branding:
A consulting service is limited by the success or failure of intellectual capital branding. Every successful individual service person is at her best when dealing with a client on a face-to-face basis. That face-to-face marketing success depends on your Marketing branding efforts.
The Flat World:
Is any business, service, retail or conglomerate able to market without the on-line connection or the supporting business website? If Thomas Friedman is right, we are all in the same communication boat and managing that boat requires a web presence. The Flat World business client is in charge and demands to be heard. The client demands to be self-serviced and educated by your product even if it is not face-to-face consulting.
On Demand Futures:
Practitioners of all kinds need the next technological breakthrough, to bring real-time collaboration together with On Demand Counseling information flow and make it available to everyone in a timely fashion. Perhaps an automated shared wiki database?
On Demand Serving:
On Demand lifetime learning and lifetime serving are well regarded practices in many professional organizations. All of us must serve the client’s lifetime learning needs in every demand marketing way we can. If the consultant is a learning expert, the client will be well served, On Demand!
References:
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Friedman, Thomas. The World is Flat.
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Swap, Leonard. Deep Smarts.
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Bly, Robert. The White Paper Marketing Handbook.
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Roos, Goran. Managing Intellectual Capital in Practice.
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On Demand Services: <www.salesforce.com>
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Push & Pull Marketing Report. <www.yankeegroup.com>
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SCORE Website: < www.score.org>
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Smith, Alan. Extract provided by Alan Smith, MarCom Resources Group
Summary Biography: David Britton enjoys a career dedicated to building startup companies, managing the development of innovative products in high technology start-ups, consulting to start-up companies, and building non-profit organizations. Britton was a founder of four hi-tech companies (two became public companies) and has recently co-founded two non-profit organizations. He currently is the 2006/7 Chair of the Small Business Administration’s SCORE Santa Cruz organization (Counselors to America’s Small Business). Britton also volunteers as a Court Mediator in Santa Cruz, CA. David Britton, Chairman Santa Cruz County SCORE.
dbritton@earthlink.net
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