We know the COVID-19 epidemic is causing events to be postponed or canceled around the country, and we want to be as helpful as possible to you.  As of now, you have the option to postpone an event without even having a fixed future date set. You read that correctly. We’ve designed a way to help you keep your sales and your audience. When your event does set a new date or you have a suitable alternative event, we will …

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Looking for a little #MondayMotivation? We’re pulling out past stories that are still just as relevant today. Here’s a pearl from Jim: United Got the Wrong Answer Because They Were Asking the Wrong Question. Do you agree with the maxim “the customer is always right”? It’s the cornerstone of the American customer service philosophy, and American customer service is pretty darn good by global standards. Not the best, but pretty good. But I don’t agree with that maxim for two reasons: It’s …

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Recently reporter Aileen Cahill had such a great customer experience with Maui Jim that she wrote about it on Marketing Land. She also outlined “the elements that made Maui Jim stand out: Have a great product they stand by. Listen to their customers. Follow through and do what they say they will. Strong partners in their distribution network. Easy to do business with no ‘gotchas.’” You can read about Cahill’s “remarkable and inspiring” customer experience here. Then check out more from Jim about Customer Commitment: …

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Editor’s Note: Our own Jim McCarthy shared some thoughts about Customer Commitment with the Goldstar team, and, well, we thought you might get something out of it, too. From: Jim McCarthy Sent: Fri 8/2/2019 2:00 PM To: GSE There’s a famous psych experiment that you may have read about, that you can actually play along with if you’d like. People were asked to close their eyes and, with their finger, draw an imaginary capital letter B on their forehead. (Actually, the …

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Editor’s Note: Our own Jim McCarthy shared some thoughts about Customer Commitment with the Goldstar team, and, well, we thought you might get something out of it, too. From: Jim McCarthy jmccarthy@goldstar.com Sent: Fri 4/26/2019 4:16 PM To: GSE Hi Everybody! As we talk about Customer Commitment, the more I think about it, the more a single word comes to mind: Quality. That may sound a little weird to you. Quality may imply craftsmanship or great ingredients or even high-tech …

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Boost your patrons’ confidence and, hopefully, it’ll boost your sales. PSFK reports, “Consumers gauge their brand loyalty by the level of service they are being provided. Accordingly, retailers are increasingly focusing their efforts on offering expertise at all stages of the shopping experience … ” The post highlights a few companies that are investing in services “designed to boost the confidence of consumers at every stage of their journey.” We’ve highlighted one example below, and you can check out the …

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In honor of Customer Service Appreciation Week, October 1-5, we’re sharing a few posts from Jim about the importance of customer service. You can click on any title below to read the full article: You Know What Customers Love? Rules You may not think customers react viscerally to rules, but they do. They’ll see that you took advantage of your opportunity to push them around, and they’ll remember it. You won’t be building up good will. Is there such a thing …

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As we get ready to say goodbye to 2017 and ring in the new year, I’d like to thank all the readers and contributors to Selling Out. We’ve covered a lot of ground this year — from marketing and technology to customer service and experience. Next week, we’ll be highlighting some of our best posts in those categories for those of you who’ll be checking in. We’ve really enjoyed sharing these innovative ideas with you. And thank you for your …

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Marketing doesn’t have to be sleazy. That’s the message behind Stefanie Flaxman’s recent post on Copyblogger. Flaxman writes that if you believe in your product/show/event, then you should make sure it has the great marketing strategy it deserves. It’s a similar message Jim shared in his pair of posts: You Are Your Marketing, Part I and II. He writes: “Being your own marketing goes a lot deeper than just designing a cool product, service, show or whatever. It’s about building …

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