The Big Picture - October 2012 - (Page 16)

inside output inside output Practicing Empathy Marketing By Craig Miller I n today’s competitive marketplace, we’re all ﬁghting over a ﬁnite set of customer-driven speciﬁcations: “I want X, made on X, displayed on X.” And because we’re all working under strict specs provided by our customers, and because we’re all working with essentially the same technology and o ering basically the same end product, it’s easy to think that the only competitive edge we can have over each other is price. “I will sell that 13-ounce banner vinyl for a nickela-square-foot cheaper than they will,” often becomes the weapon of choice. But, there is an under-used secret weapon that can help your company set itself apart from the rest of the pack: empathy marketing – striving to know the customers so completely that you begin to predict and to know their needs even better than they do. I believe empathy is one of humankind’s greatest and most under-utilized attributes. Most often associated with the “helping professions,” empathy is equally as essential to the success of for-proﬁt entrepreneurs and is a sureﬁre way to trump your competition. To e ectively compete in today’s market, you must be able to recognize that customers often don’t fully understand their own needs simply because they don’t know that alternative products and procedures exist – that’s your job. What the customer really wants The empathy marketing approach requires two things: First, studying your customer’s business model – what is the client’s ultimate goal? Second, it’s about knowing our industry and its evolving technology, products, and services. In most cases, we tend to let the customer take the driver’s seat. But if the customer doesn’t have an in-depth CRAIG MILLER is a principal shareholder in Las Vegas-based Pictographics, (pictographics.net) where he is also director of military and law-enforcement projects, the company’s defense-contracting division. knowledge of our technology and capabilities, how should they know how to best have their graphics needs met? Traditionally, customers determine what they buy; in empathy marketing, however, we believe they shouldn’t always be the ones making those decisions. Empathy marketing puts a burden on us to o er our customers innovative and custom-tailored solutions. To meet their needs, you must anticipate their objectives, meet with your vendors to try out new products and services, buy versatile equipment, and maintain a sta with developed, diverse skills. At my shop, we have attempted to turn the customerspeciﬁed ordering process around. For instance, one of the most common misguided customer notions is to order something like a step-and-repeat photo backdrop on 13-ounce banner vinyl. While that is what they think they want, we know their needs and what they really are looking for. So, we ask a set of clarifying questions: “Do you want to use the backdrop multiple times?” Yes. “Do you want it to glare from a video light making the sponsor logo links unreadable in pictures?” No. “Do you want wrinkles?” No. “Do you want it to be heavy or hard to transport?” No. “Do you want your brand to look cheap and tacky?” No. So, we’ll respond: “What you are asking for will be everything that you don’t want. Let us show you what you do want.” In another case, a new customer indicated that they wanted perforated vinyl for an architectural glass installation. Every vendor but us was more than happy to take that job as speciﬁed – but every vendor also knew that an alternative solution would better suit that customer. To help the customer, we again asked clarifying questions. “Will the glass be viewed from both sides?” Yes. “Is it a high trafﬁc area?” Yes. “Can people touch the glass?” Yes. “Is it new construction?” Yes. “Is the glass exposed to the elements?” Yes. “How long do you want the install to last?” Ten years. “Let me talk to you about some other products that will better meet your needs.” Using our Screen Truepress Jet2500UV, we were able to output the image like so: image, a layer of white, a layer of black, a layer of white, and then the image, and >54 16 THE BIG PICTURE OCTOBER 2012 http://pictographics.net http://pictographics.net

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Big Picture - October 2012

The Big Picture - October 2012
Contents
InSight
Wide Angle
UpFront
Inside Output
Business + Management
Industry Roundtable: Foreseeing a Road to Success
Remote Output
Outdoor Evolution
A Specialty Media Solution
R+D
Job Log

The Big Picture - October 2012