How can relationship marketing change the perception of customers

How relationship marketing can change the perception of customers

By Richard Fani

When I was in High School doing my A-Level studies our Divinity teacher got pregnant and was sent off to a maternity leave for 6months. In no time we were given a temporary teacher to help us with our studies as we continue. The teacher we got was a very good teacher probably better than the one which we had before, however on the very first day that she came to attend class she failed one thing that made nearly all the students hate her. The teacher failed to create a more personal relationship with the students which could have helped her understand the students better; where they are coming from, where they are and where they are going. The result was very fatal both to the teacher’s career and the studies of the students. Students began to be hostile to the teacher and grew an attitude with the subject. Some students started to skip the Divinity studies whilst others attended private lessons with other private tutors.

Over the past years marketing has evolved from just “telling and selling”. Marketing is becoming more personal today. There is a personal relationship being created between the service provider/product manufacturer and the target customers. Producers and service providers need to deeply understand why customers choose their products and/or services over others, they need to understand what their customers really need and want and provide exactly that. For the producer and service provider to provide what the customer need and want they need to interact more with their customers. Interaction increases the chances of exchanging valuable information between the two, and the service/product can be improved for the benefit of the customer.

Econet Zimbabwe maintains a steady relationship with their customers. They try by all means to communicate about changes in their services, whether it is the service which is down and/or when they are launching a new service. However, relationship marketing extends to more than just making an appeal when your product or service is at fault or when you want to introduce a new product/service. Relationship marketing extends to remembering and sending birthday cards, New Year wishes among others, to your customers. Customers feel valued when they are remembered by their service providers for choosing their brand. A one note of birthday wishes can make customers forget about all the times when the service/product did not deliver what they needed or wanted.

Have you ever called customer care and you are told to hold shortly and finally you give up and you hang up the call? Have you ever waited for the customer care to call you back and they don’t, you pick the cell and call again and still cannot talk to anyone? When producers and/or service providers begin to make relative sales in their businesses they become comfortable; they become too busy to return sales calls. When a customer calls customer care they expect to be received like they are buying something. Once the customers begin to think like you no longer value them like you did yesterday they become bitter. At this moment customers look for other options to solve their problems, if your competitors can do what you cannot do like answering a phone call on time, you better say goodbye to that customer. Always maintain a quick and responsive customer care because this is mostly where your customers and potential customers frequently call you to ask for help on the product/service they have purchased or want to purchase.

Relationship marketing goes beyond just listening to your customers’ requests. On this stage customers need to know whether the product manufacturer/service provider understand what they need and want. Customers expect that the complaints are attended to and the problem is fixed. ZESA would normally take more than 48hours to start attending to a problem that a customer has reported. Customers become impatient especially when the service provider fails to deliver an explanation on the cause of the delay on problem attending. If the product manufacturer/ service provider can effectively communicate through action customers will remain loyal to the brand and a long lasting relationship can be guaranteed.

For more info on Relationship Marketing and other Marketing Articles contact Richard Fani on email: fanibrichard@gmail.com or call or text on +263771683561, +263737774408. You can also follow Richard Fani on Social Media Twitter, Facebook Page and Instagram @richardfani263 and on LinkedIn Richard Fani.

Richard Fani is a Marketing Consultant, and is the founder of FUNGA Holdings, a marketing firm based in Harare. He is also the Public Relation Manager of COPNECT Investments, a contracting company which is also based in Harare.