Moments Later: The Raving Fan

This occurred to me this week when I was interviewed on Business Radio X. The host, Ann Revell-Pechar interviewed two of us during this live show about businesses in the Raleigh-Durham area. I got to talk about Nomacorc where I hang my hat each day. Also interviewed was Miles Wright, the CEO from Xanofi, a nanofiber technology company.

You can listen to the full interview here.

Jeffrey Slater on Business Radio X

Toward the end of his portion of the interview, Miles mentioned that he was looking for a web designer and I immediately recommend to him the firm that I am working with from Durham named Cuberis. Suddenly I was the raving fan praising this Durham based agency for their web design work. I went on and on and then caught myself and asked,

"Why did I feel so positive about this company and what made me into a raving fan?" We haven’t even finished our work with them?

I can think of six reasons...

They listen. I mean really listen to our needs. It is one of the skills that I value in a marketing agency. In fact, it is one of the skills I value in life.

They keep to the deadlines they committed to. They didn't beg forgiveness or make excuses, they stuck to the promises they made. It meant personal inconvenience and working on weekends but they did what they said they would do.

They added value and helped guide me and my team members. Even though many of us have a lot of experience in this area, they still had many recommendations that illustrated their understanding of some of the best practices. Their advice was current and fresh. They even challenged themselves to find even better design ideas.

They are very patient. We went back and forth on several issues but overall, they patiently waited for us to make up our mind. They gently nudged us forward but did it without feeling pushy. They were true partners in the process.

They get the technology. They knew their stuff and we could rely on them to solve various technical issues and concerns. Their insight into user experience, called UX by those in the know was spot on. And they understand how we can use analytics to monitor and measure success.

They are creative both on the design, work flow and technology side. This consistent level of excellence is really appreciated and has helped turn me into a raving fan.

Who are your raving fans?

How are you converting your customers and clients into raving fans who are willing to strongly advocate on your behalf? What is the benefit of having the right clients who care versus the ones who just complain? You do have a choice not to work with difficult people and to find the right kinds of customers. Can you work with customers who will help you marketing your brand?

Who is responsible for marketing at your company? I hope its your raving fans.

Speaking of raving fans, I am a raving fan of Charity: Water. Check out the great work they do here. if you'd like to pick my marketing brain about your story, you can do it through Clarity at this link.

All proceed are donated to Charity Water.