Everything is Marketing

I'm currently reading Seth Godin's new book Meatball Sundae. At the very beginning of the book he postulates that everything is marketing. Boy, O, boy did that come home to me last night.

I have been testing my broadband speed recently, just to make sure I'm getting what I'm paying for. Not surprisingly, I'm not and haven't been for some time. About a month ago, I called the cable company and was on the phone for 2 1/2 hours trying to get the situation rectified. It was all for naught then. So, I had an open evening so I thought I would try again. I can't believe I just typed that sentence. I had a free evening so I thought I would call someone I'm paying for something and try to get what I'm paying for!! After another two hours on the phone talking to various employees from level 1 tech support to higher level techs to customer service all were pleasant, understanding and completely unable to help me.

This all leads me to two observations:

1. If you see your customers as your adversary, they will see you as their adversary. It was obvious that this cable company's goal was to give me as little as possible and get paid as much as possible for it.
   
2. If you have a dissatisfied customer, playing a loop of advertisements on hold does more harm that good. Someone at some point had the bright idea that when a customer calls in complaining about their cable or internet we should deliver them an ad for digital phone, over and over and over and over and over again, and somehow that will motivate them to purchase.
   

In the end the company refunded me the additional money I had paid for the faster internet connection and I had them drop my service down to the level they actually could provide. However, I sit here wishing and hoping someone will come to town and provide a competitive service and a similar price. While I recognize this brand and find there service relevant to me, I don't find any reward, either psychological or physical in being associated with them. And I certainly don't believe I have a relationship with them. And that's the point. Unless a brand can move beyond recognition to relevance, and beyond relevance to a recognition of a reward, and beyond reward to relationship they will constantly have a battle retaining customers. Eventually someone will come along that builds a relationship with the consumer and they will walk, no run away from the companies that don't.