Mystery Shopping Your Business

By Kyle Reyes

Ever wonder what your customers are really experiencing?

Whether you run a restaurant, a bar, a retail shop or a car dealership...you've got a steady stream of customers coming through the door.  There's no way you can personally interact with each and every customer.  That's why you hire staff and hope they are representing your business the way YOU would.

But are they?

The Silent Partner Marketing launched a mystery shop program a little over a year ago to help businesses see through the eyes of the customers.

We put together a customized survey and report for our clients that give in-depth insight into the areas you want to analyze.

Some establishments have come to us in hopes we could help them identify theft and leakage.  Others came to us asking us to target areas of lost up-sells.  Yet other businesses just wanted to see how the path to the sale was operating.

Our mystery shops have lead to employee promotions...and employee firings.  In one case, a restaurant discovered more than $500 a week cash "magically disappearing".  It wasn't magic.  It was theft.  And the owners had no idea.

It's perhaps the least expensive way you can truly find out what your customers are experiencing.  So why aren't YOU mystery shopping your company?

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Written by Kyle Reyes

Kyle Reyes is the President and Creative Director of The Silent Partner Marketing, a boutique marketing firm focused on helping businesses grow in an age of exploding technology.  You can find him on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.  He's the Chuck Norris of marketing.  It's outrageous - we know.  That's kind of the point.

Do Unto Others...

By Kyle Reyes

Shirley Anita Chisholm once said "Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth."

This week marks a very sacred week for Christians across the globe.  But regardless of WHAT your religion is...any celebration of any faith in an opportunity for ALL of us to stop and take stock of our lives.  Are we givers or are we takers?  Are we making this world a little bit of a better place?

We had the privilege of bringing together three VERY unique local companies for one great cause last week.

Always Best Senior Care Services of Central Connecticut is one of our newer clients.  And one of our goals with them is to launch monthly "Make a Senior Smile" campaigns to try and give back to the community.  So when we got a call about this opportunity...we couldn't pass it up.

Turns out a couple in their 90's once had an award-winning garden...but it's fallen into disrepair.  No longer able to take care of it, they sit by the window every day gazing out...wishing they could bring it back to it's original beauty.

Enter: Make a Senior Smile.

We saw a wonderful opportunity to partner up three wonderful clients - Always Best Senior Care Services of Central Connecticut, Bettylou's Gardening, and Monaco Ford of Glastonbury - to give back to a wonderful couple.

Click here to watch the video that will warm your heart.

Sometimes outrageous marketing can be as simple as doing something that YOU think of as ordinary.  I can tell you this - David and Frances sure thought the selfless actions of this group were outrageous.

Three incredible small businesses.  Two seniors in need of a smile.  One act of love.

Happy Easter.  Don't forget to make a senior smile today and every day.

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Written by Kyle Reyes

Kyle Reyes is the President and Creative Director of The Silent Partner Marketing, a boutique marketing firm focused on helping businesses grow in an age of exploding technology.  You can find him on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.  He's the Chuck Norris of marketing.  It's outrageous - we know.  That's kind of the point.

Your Employees Are Speed Dating Your Customers

By Kyle Reyes

I'll bet you thought that speed dating was something only singles did.

Wrong.

Your employees are doing it every single day...with your customers...right under your nose.  So here's the question - are you helping make dates happen?

I'll explain in a second - but first: the background.

Last night, our team at The Silent Partner Marketing partnered up one of our clients - Monaco Ford in Glastonbury - with a local speed dating company called Got 5 Minutes.  The idea was simple.  Outrageous marketing.  "Don't just fall in love WITH our cars.  Fall in love IN our cars."

It was a big fundraiser for Mothers Against Drunk Driving.  We previewed the event by filming introduction videos with a few of the single ladies (click here to check it out).  We invited local vendors to showcase their products...we hired a DJ...brought in food...and the speed dates took place in some of the hot new vehicles (the front seats - not the back seat).  It was a fun and unique way of bringing a new demographic to a long-established dealership.  It's just one of the many unique approaches we're taking with marketing car dealerships we work with.

Being the guy with the camera, nobody could complain when I "crashed" the dates for a little filming.  And what I discovered on some of these "dates" made me think about the interactions you have in your business every single day.  So let's explore some of these, starting with the customers.

The Customer: "The Rebound".
The Background: They're not necessarily looking to buy...but they're definitely window shopping.  They are considering doing business with you, but are apprehensive.
The Approach: The soft sell.  You don't want an aggressive salesperson here - you want the buyer to be able to call the shots on their terms.  Be there...provide value...but don't be the same person - or business - that they left.

The Customer: "The Sweetheart".
The Background: Loyal and gentle, they're looking for someone they can trust.  They'll fall quickly but won't necessarily tell you.  You'll have to gain their trust.
The Approach: Help them trust you.  Provide value.  Let them make a decision that's best for their needs.  But don't burn them or make them feel that you're taking advantage of them.

The Customer: "The Serial Dater".
The Background: They're shopping you.  You don't have a lot of time to make an impression - so you'd better make it good.  They know what else is out there...and you'd better be willing to get them what they need...when they need it.
The Approach: No games.  Give them the top selling points about the product and their business - but don't try and mask anything.  They already know what your competition is up to.  You'd better pay attention to detail here.

Now let's take a look at your sales team.  Do you know who we're talking about here?

The Salesperson: "The Creeper".
The Background: They think that every customer is their friend.  They lead you to believe they are using technology to grow your business - but the customer is creeped out by the fact that your sales person has "friended" them on Facebook and is texting them pictures of "a car they'd look sexy in" at 11:30pm on a Friday night.

The Salesperson: "The Sleeper".
The Background: Bored.  Unengaged.  Probably a little hung over.  There because they have to be...not because they want to be.  Your customers know it.  And they sure don't like it.

The Salesperson: "That Guy".
The Background: Stands a little too close.  Touches a little too much.  A little too excited about the customer...to the point where they are constantly stepping on the customer's words.  You're keeping him on the team because "come on - he's really a nice guy".  Or maybe because you're worried that he might snap if you get rid of him.

Here's the point.  Every single one of your customers, in some way, shape or form is speed dating you.  You have just a few moments to make a first impression - you'd better make it a good one.  Because it's no fun going home alone on a Friday night.

Want to learn a little more about how your customers are shopping you in the digital age?  Turn to The Silent Partner Marketing to understand customer habits, trends and what social media means to them.

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Written by Kyle Reyes

Kyle Reyes is the President and Creative Director of The Silent Partner Marketing, a boutique marketing firm focused on helping businesses grow in an age of exploding technology.  You can find him on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.  He's the Chuck Norris of marketing.  It's outrageous - we know.  That's kind of the point.

Giving Away Your Business Secrets - Marketing Or Insanity?

By Kyle Reyes

I spent the morning filming with an incredible flooring company in Bloomfield.  One of the projects we were shooting involved the base flooring for a tile shower.  Pretty creative stuff when you think about it - there's really an art to getting the drainage right.

One of the contractors I was filming was NOT happy.

"He'd better not put this freakin' video on the website.  He'll put us out of business when people see how to do it themselves," he said.

"You're worried that people will see the video and decide not to hire you because your 'secret' is out there?" I asked him.

"Um - obviously," he said.

"There's this crazy new website out there that you should check out," I told him.  "It's called YouTube.  And guess what?  47-thousand other people have already put your 'secret' out there."

Content.  Marketing.  I wish I could drill it into the head of every business owner.  Because if you're NOT doing it, then you and Google will NEVER become good friends.

We run free seminars for business owners all of the time.  Someone recently asked me why I would give away my "secret recipe".

It's simple.  Not everyone likes to cook.

Here's the thing.  The key to your digital success is providing relevant and valuable content to your readers.  Go figure.  Google is encouraging you to become a digital philanthropist of sorts.

Our team at The Silent Partner Marketing has been preaching this for years.  It's nice to see many business owners starting to come around and understand the value of blogging, videos, social media and reputation management.

Our boy Edwin Williams Bartlett doesn't just get it...he LIVES it.  You've got to check out his new design for CT Out and About.  We're particularly excited about an incredible partnership with his team.  But we can't give you all of the details just yet.  Actually...we've probably already said too much.

Want to learn more about how content marketing can help you grow your business?  Contact us today!

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Written by Kyle Reyes

Kyle Reyes is the President and Creative Director of The Silent Partner Marketing, a boutique marketing firm focused on helping businesses grow in an age of exploding technology.  You can find him on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.  He's the Chuck Norris of marketing.  It's outrageous - we know.  That's kind of the point.

The Business Battle Between Sales and Marketing

By Kyle Reyes

Whenever I offer advice or guidance for a business on how to design a marketing strategy, I often have to differentiate to business owners the difference between "marketing" and "advertising".  I try and explain it like this.
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Marketing is the message.

Advertising is the delivery method.

It occurred to me yesterday that there's a third component here that may be a fatal flaw to the marketing strategies of many businesses.

It's called sales.

We received a phone call from a big Massachusetts firm.  They'd heard about us through some of our satisfied customers.

We had a great meeting and they asked us to put together a proposal to run their marketing.

We did.  And the response we got after they reviewed our proposal threw me for a loop.

"We'll work out a sales commission for you guys for every sale we generate."

We explained that we aren't a sales team - we are a marketing firm.

"Isn't that the same thing?"

No.  Not even close.

But the fact is, they aren't alone.  For example, I know many of you reading this run car dealerships.  And I'm SURE you have at one point had "sales and marketing assistants" as a position within your dealership.

While you're at it, why don't you have your lube technician apply the final coat of paint to the front end of that rebuilt car in the body shop?  I mean, it has to do with cars, right?

Wrong.  Very, very wrong.

I get it.  Many businesses, facing fiscal challenges, are trying to shave up dollars where they can.  So they consolidate positions.  Again and again and again.

Suddenly your sales team is running your facespacepinbook+ thing that people are calling "social media".

It's no different than a restaurant asking an executive chef to run the closing numbers for the front of the house.  Or to seat diners.  Sound ridiculous?  Perhaps that's because it is!

Let's break this down simply.  Your marketing team should be driving traffic to your website or your establishment, pushing more people into the buying funnel for you.  Your sales team are the soldiers that should be closing deals.

Sometimes it just helps to get a third party perspective about your marketing, advertising and sales strategies.  That's where The Silent Partner Marketing comes in.

And sometimes it just makes more sense to hire us to manage all of your marketing.

Not your sales.

So stop asking the lube tech to paint the car.  Give us a buzz today and let us apply our "stroke" of genius.

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Written by Kyle Reyes

Kyle Reyes is the President and Creative Director of The Silent Partner Marketing, a boutique marketing firm focused on helping businesses grow in an age of exploding technology.  You can find him on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.  He's the Chuck Norris of marketing.  It's outrageous - we know.  That's kind of the point.

How Not To Respond To A Bad Review

By Kyle Reyes

There's not a single business owner out there who likes to see a bad review.

But in what is sure to become a classic lesson on how NOT to respond, a business owner in Midtown Manhattan has found himself...dialing back...his response.

Ron Gordon owns Watch Repair at 280 Madison Avenue in New York.  Matthew Brand says he saw the great reviews on Yelp for the store, so he brought his antique pocket watch in for repair.

Long story short, Brand wasn't pleased that they couldn't fix it...saying they'd have to send it back to the manufacturer.  Brand says after a competing store repaired his watch on site, he left Gordon's shop a two star review on Yelp.

That was in 2013.  Flash forward to last week.  Brand opens his mail...and finds a letter from Gordon's attorney, telling him to take down the review or face a defamation lawsuit.

According to the letter, Brand's review was "misleading and in certain respects false and defamatory of Ron Gordon in his profession, (and) has also appeared on Google and has detrimentally affected his business and sales."

Brand's response?  "That's bullying.  You know, that's saying: 'I have more money than you.  Take down your post.  It's being aggressive, and it's just not right."

Here's the irony.  Gordon is now getting BLASTED on Yelp.  Click here to check it out.  

Retail shops.  Professional services.  Restaurants.  Car dealerships.  Reviews are something each and every industry must deal with.  The question is HOW you respond.  And our team sees poor strategies all over the place.  Owners ignoring reviews...or almost worse - not even knowing about them.

It's one of the reasons why The Silent Partner Marketing helps small businesses deal with negative reviews.  Our reputation management services help you get more positive reviews for your small business and deal with the negative reviews in a way that can actually help your business.

Listen - we get it.  Getting a negative review stinks.  But you can't go around threatening to SUE people who you ticked off to begin with.  Yes, this is America.  Yes, we're filled with ridiculous lawsuits.  But sometimes America fights back.  And wins.  And leaves you yelping in pain.

(Above: The perfect response to a bad review.)

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Written by Kyle Reyes

Kyle Reyes is the President and Creative Director of The Silent Partner Marketing, a boutique marketing firm focused on helping businesses grow in an age of exploding technology.  You can find him on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.  He's the Chuck Norris of marketing.  It's outrageous - we know.  That's kind of the point.

Does Your Business Have an HOV Lane?

By Kyle Reyes

Friday morning,  I was driving into a meeting in Hartford.  Ok, perhaps driving is an exaggeration.  I was slowly inching my way through the parking lot that was I-91 during morning rush hour.

I found myself fist-pumping when I looked over and saw three state troopers in the divider between the main highway and the HOV lane, having pulled over a number of vehicles with drivers who felt that they deserved to drive in this lane despite being the only person in the vehicle.

For those of you who have never been on a highway before, HOV stands for High Occupancy Vehicle.  They are identified by signs along the highway and diamond symbols painted on the pavement.  They are usually separated from the other lanes by a solid white line.  The idea is to fight congestion and encourage carpooling.

But here in Connecticut, in our state's seemingly endless wisdom, we've separated the HOV lane not by a single line or a divider...but by an entire LANE.

(Above - the RIGHT way to have an HOV lane)

Let's think about this for a second.  We've decided to reduce congestion...by removing what could otherwise be an entire lane on the highway.

Whose genius freakin' idea was this?

Here's the thing.  Every business at some point has what we'll refer to as an HOV moment.  It's that idea that seems like it would make so much sense that we implement it immediately and don't think twice or look back.  It's frequently suggested at an entirely unnecessary meeting by a manager who stays employed at a ridiculously inflated salary simply by steamrolling people into agreeing with their ludicrous idea simply out of fear for their own job.

I know, I know - sort of sounds like Congress.  But it's not.  It's your business.

The idea is often rooted in an attempt to solve a problem or make the customer experience better.  But the real question is...DOES IT?

When you're implementing a marketing strategy, is it one that adequately targets your customers?  When you're running the social media for your small business, do you understand how your customers are REALLY interacting with you and what they're looking for?

It's a question that every business owner needs to ask themselves before they execute a marketing strategy.

The beauty of content marketing is that it allows you to speak to your customer.  But are you actually speaking to them?  Are the processes you put in place in your customer's best interest...or are they in yours?

Perhaps it's time to take a look at how you're marketing your business...and whether you have a smoothly flowing highway or a complete traffic jam.  Drop our team at The Silent Partner Marketing a line today and let us help you figure it out.

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Written by Kyle Reyes

Kyle Reyes is the President and Creative Director of The Silent Partner Marketing, a boutique marketing firm focused on helping businesses grow in an age of exploding technology.  You can find him on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.  He's the Chuck Norris of marketing.  It's outrageous - we know.  That's kind of the point.