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Business Mentor

Archive for April, 2010

Defining the Customer

Thursday, April 29, 2010 by:David Zahn

Two recent stories were shared with me this past week that had me shaking my head at the confusion around which entity was the customer and which was the service provider. One was a for-profit institution that should know better. The other is a non-profit that had better quickly learn better or there may be future issues that reduce their customer base.

The For-Profit Example

The SAT test is this weekend, May 1, 2010

This weekend is the administration of the SAT test for those High School Juniors that are considering applying to colleges in the Fall. For many students, this test is anxiety producing in its own right as the results are one of the key determinants in schools evaluating students for admission.

However, there are some students that have additional pressures they confront beyond just the stress of the test. For some students, they struggle with attention deficit disorders or other processing issues that prevent them from completing a timed test as rigorous as the SAT like other students. In those instances, the College Board requires that certain requirements be met (Doctor’s notes, specific requests be submitted, etc.) and sent to them and then they make a determination if that student’s request for accommodations can be met with the administration of a different test or testing situation.

The issue comes to a head though when schools, parents, and students meet and fulfill their requirements, but the College Board does not see fit to meet theirs. Tests that should have been sent to schools ahead of time are not sent. Tracking numbers for shipment of tests have been lost. Customer Service personnel provide contradictory and conflicting information that clearly show that one, some, or all of them are lying or working with the wrong information. In short, they do not recognize that they are a supplier and the student is PAYING them to deliver the test. They mistakenly believe they are the customer and that the schools, parents, and students are to meet their demands with no reciprocity for them to meet their obligations.

N0n-Profit Example

Are congregants also customers?

This example is a little less clearcut to me. Should a house of worship or a member of the clergy view congregants as customers? If a family pays for a child to be religiously educated by the religious institution, or a member of the clergy is hired to perform a religious ceremony or service; should the discussion be placed into a context of profit and loss implications, customer service, and be viewed as an economic transaction as well as a spiritual one?

A recent conversation I had about a parent’s frustration with the house of worship’s insistence on the child’s participation in a ceremony that the parent deemed less than essential raised these questions. Does the same ire raised at a profit-making venture for failing to meet a customer’s needs also apply to the non-profit arena, and a religious institution as well? Is the congregant, by virtue of paying dues to the institution also a customer in an economic sense, and therefore entitled to the same rights and respect a profit-making business would be expected to provide? Or, is tht relationship different and the expectations are not consistent with the entrepreneurial entity and customer interactions?

Take-aways

In the first example, the business seems to have fallen short of their obligations and their arrogance and incompetence is hard to excuse or tolerate. In the second example, the murkiness of the boundaries of the relationship (at least for the congregant) called into question whether the same expectations apply.

Regardless of what the “official” definition is of customer and whether it applies to congregants paying dues for services rendered (albeit; spiritual, religious, and non-material); it seems that the relationship is viewed as a customer – supplier relationship by dint of the economic transaction. Therefore; it is incumbent upon both entities to:

Identify “customer” (in the loosest sense) needs
Provide a suitable solution (while perhaps not competing outright with other houses of worship, and in the testing company example, there is not other viable options accepted by many schools)
Communicate with the other party constantly (and consistently)
Make requirements to do “business” (again, loosely recognized clear and upfront for the other party to make informed choices about whether and/or how to interact.

In both instances, the customer was not being viewed as such and it led to resentment and actions against the two institutions that could have been avoided had the two institutions recognized the perspective of the other person and attempted to interact as a supplier would to a customer.

Twitter Dee Twitter Dumb

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 by:David Zahn

One of the things that businesses are having to come to grips with is the advent of “social media” or the ability of critics, shoppers, competitors, employees and even business owners to produce their own communicative content (marketing) at no (or next to no) cost through sites like Twitter.

The Site

Users of the Twitter site are able to establish a profile that permits them to post updates to their status (messages that are constrained to 140 characters) that communicate to other users of the application. Given that there are millions of users worldwide of Twitter, and the site provides for a way to other users to publicize another’s post or “tweet,” the strength of a message can be amplified and reach large numbers of prospects and users in a very short period of time.

It stands to reason then that the more people who a user is networked to (referred to as “followers”), the greater the reach of each status update or post. The potential exposure a business can attain is exponential given that one post or update can then be forwarded indirectly to the people or businesses that “follow your followers.” However, it is not as easy as just broadcasting messages the way one might in a more typical advertising medium. Social media is best perceived like a conversation between people and not uni-directional.

What to DO

Of primary importance is to have as many TARGETED followers as possible. Therefore, using whatever current contact system used or emails, mailing lists, or other directories;l invite people to follow you on Twitter. The emphasis is on targeted because you do not want to be perceived as SPAMMING people or sending indiscriminate requests to others who have no interest in your company, you, or your products and services
Complete your Twitter profile so that it includes a web address, ways to contact you, and if desired; a common branding with your company (logos, fonts, images, etc.).
Remembering that it is a social media, participate in discussions, follow others, and only post things that would be perceived as relevant to those following your Twitter account.
Add value. Rather than blare that you are conducting a sale on your products for the next week, link to a comparison guide written as a blog on your website that provides side by side evaluations of products with cost information.
Put a link to “Follow Me on Twitter” everywhere (your email signature,blogs, website, and even your business cards)

What NOT to Do

NEVER SPAM others. Nothing gets you ignored faster than sending out self serving messages that are off target for the users.
With rate exceptions, no one following your posts will appreciate receiving hourly updates on your company, you, and what you had for lunch. Don’t overdo it or you will be seen as the bore at the party looking to only talk about him or herself.
Don’t offer to follow someone in exchange for their following you, only to then stop following them. The pursuit of numbers over substance can come back to haunt in a social space.
Talk about yourself or your company incessantly. Put the reader’s needs first. Offer help or assistance, solve a problem, provide insight, etc. Don’t push product or your virtues ad nauseum.

Learn From The Best

As you become familiar with Twitter and begin to build momentum, you may find that you can benefit from critically assessing those profiles that you are most drawn to or find most compelling. Rather than looking to “re-create the wheel” with your own profile, it may behoove you to learn what you can from those profiles that you find most appealing. Analyze -

What do they do that you find compelling? Can that be incorporated into your own posts?
Who follows them (given that followers are listed, it is not too hard to see if there is a commonality among the followers)? Is there a similarity between the needs of those followers and the needs met by your offerings (products and services)?
Are the posts or “Tweets” formal, conversational, humorous, or have a distinctive style? Is that something that can be mirrored in your tweets?

Twitter is a still emerging form of marketing for most businesses that have been uncertain of how to best use it. By leveraging some of these hints and techniques; your business can be an early adopter of the technology and begin to gain the benefits much sooner than competition.

What Wing Experts Know

Friday, April 23, 2010 by:David Zahn

If there is one thing that is for certain, there are many Connecticut residents that crave the spicy Buffalo Chicken Wing. For some, it is best served as an appetizer before an entree arrives at the table. For others, it is the perfect party food that easily allows people to mingle and still eat as they converse. For still others it is the meal itself and becomes the purpose of the dining destination.

The object of desire - and a business lesson!

Connecticut Options

While the fried dish has its origin in Buffalo, NY at The Anchor Bar; Connecticut has plenty of places to attract and satisfy diners’ cravings for the spicy morsels. However, most restaurants and eateries do not define or identify themselves on the strength of this fairly ubiquitous offering. While there may be plenty of other options, the four that come to mind very quickly within Connecticut are:

However, while all four of these establishments may sell wings that are measured in the thousands of pounds or even tons each year; they all very cleverly recognize the importance of being differentiated from each other.

Dining Experience

Each of these restaurants provides fairly similar food offerings. Heavy on the finger foods, fried items appear more often than not, and almost pride in their menus that shun the healthier items. Yet, they also differ very dramatically from an experiential perspective.

Archie Moore’s is part bar or tavern and part family restaurant that is equal parts paneled walls with Coca-Cola memorabilia hanging throughout, and happy hour destination. While there are televisions often turned to the local news or sporting events, it does not really give off the vibe of being a sports bar.

Buffalo Wild Wings is all about the televisions and sports dominates. The restaurant practically exudes a feeling of being in the locker room or on the bench as multiple games can be monitored by a simple swivel of one’s head to the next television. While families and daters are comfortable there, come game time, it tends to be the die hard sports fan that is found there.

Side Street Grille is a college town bar (Quinnipaic is down the street and it is not too far from Yale) )that is eclectic and wry in their wall decorations, but a sense of being in the neighborhood gathering place permeates the experience more than sports. They do offer live entertainment on weekends, so there is more than just the menu that pulls people into the restaurant.

Hooters has been trading on their naughty, but wholesome image with televisions typically turned to sports, high stools and polished wooden tables – but a <wink wink nudge nudge> waitress staff that is part of the scenery dominates the experience.

Communication

Each of these outlets does a very credible job of reinforcing their desirability to their customers by providing frequent communication to those that register for their mailing lists or newsletters. With notices of upcoming events (championship games, new acts appearing, new beer choices based on seasonality, etc.); the establishment remains top of mind for the customer and is not forgotten when dining choices are being determined.

Through emails sent out, advertising in local papers and even making apparel or other logo bearing items available to their customers (both in-restaurant and through websites); these restaurants continuously remain in the decision set of the hungry diners considering where to go for their fix of Buffalo Chicken Wings.

Value

These restaurants also prominently play up that they offer discounts, deals, or benefits to members of their clubs or frequent diners. Whether that occurs through “announced specials” or scheduled events (Happy Hours, certain days having menu items at a reduced cost, or drink specials, etc.) or through the restaurant staff alerting diners of a special available once seated, all of the establishments do a very good job of reinforcing the value they provide to the diner or patron.

While all of these restaurants are most closely aligned with the Buffalo Chicken Wing, they are far from the only establishments that sell them. However what sets them apart from their competition is that they have recognized that it is the additional aspects of the experience, importance of communication about their restaurants, and the providing of value that truly distinguishes them among the customers in search of the spicy sauced treats.

Time for the Turtles to Stick their Necks Out

Monday, April 19, 2010 by:David Zahn

Will businesses be willing to stick their necks out?

The recession caused many businesses to stall any forward progression they had established leading up to that point. The confluence of the impending election, the collapse of the ability of small businesses to rely upon the availability of credit, and the strong divide over health care coverage and what that might portend for employers and entrepreneurs; led many business owners to act like turtles and pull their heads and necks inside their proverbial shells to seek shelter and protection.

How Progress is Made

Unfortunately, while it may be self preservation that is the first obligation of any business; retreating into one’s shell also prevents the turtle, and the business from moving ahead. The only way for the turtle to move forward is to take the risk of sticking its neck out and deciding to chance that the potential danger is less than the benefit of being able to move ahead. Similarly, while there are still challenges on the horizon for business owners specifically, and the overall economy generally – the best way for businesses to respond is to do what it has always done best:

Seek out opportunities to exploit for competitive advantage – the needs of customers still exist in any economic environment. While there may be a change in what is desired, pursued, wanted vs. needed, etc.; there is still market demand and opportunities to meet it.
Identify areas for improvement – to generate profit there are two global concerns that must be managed. The first is the generation of revenue. A company must seek customers willing to pay for a product or service. The second is cost management. It is not sufficient to find customers willing to buy something if the cost to deliver, manufacture, or produce exceed the price charged. Therefore, if a company wishes to maximize profitability; it behooves them to concurrently seek out ways of improving efficiency by reducing waste, eliminating processes that do not add value, and minimizing expenses that are not directly contributing to the sale of products and identify ways of improving sales, marketing, product delivery, etc.
Innovation – the business community has always been driven by the ability to take large leaps forward through innovation and not relying solely on evolutionary or incremental modifications to generate success. After all, the rubber tire is not evolved from the buggy whip and the flashlight can hardly be called candle 2.0.

What it Will Take

For better or for worse, the credit crisis has occurred and there is less money being loaned to business owners than before. Rather than wring hands over it or cry foul; the better business people are seeking ways of funding advancements, product launches, acquisitions, etc. without relying on banks as heavily to provide funding. There are “deals” to be found in the marketplace where distressed companies can be acquired for much less now than just two years ago.

The healthcare scenario appears to have been decided and now the doubts or uncertainties are beginning to be addressed or become known. Again, the better entrepreneurs are recognizing that which they can change and that which they cannot, and learning to adapt. In some ways, the better businesses are being built around the concepts embedded within the Serenity Prayer with regard to knowing that which is a given and that which is negotiable or subject to influence or change.

The opportunities that once existed for businesses to thrive may have shifted, but there are still opportunities to be pursued. It will perhaps require looking at the marketplace differently to source the new ideas; it may mean improving upon the current business practices to drive even more efficiencies and effectiveness throughout the company, and it most certainly is going to mean looking for innovative solutions to current and future problems that clients or customers and prospects are confronting.

The time to retreat into ourselves as business people has passed. The security offered by the shells we put around ourselves is an illusion at best. In order for us to make progress we must be willing to risk being vulnerable. Without taking a chance, even a well researched one; there can be no forwarad movement. The business community has historically risen to the challenge, and it is time for the turtles to do it again.

College Grads Take Heed

Thursday, April 8, 2010 by:David Zahn

Advice for the soon-to-be graduate

This is the season when commencement addresses take shape, the restlessness of soon to be graduated students takes over, and old fogeys attempt to share their insights on what it takes to succeed in life, love, and for purposes of this column; business.

Adding My Voice

The lessons gleaned from having worked for the last 10 or 20 or even 30 plus years are only relevant in part. The world has changed and with it, so have the expectations, skills required, and education. Whether it is the result of technological advances, the economic and political changes, or just the evolution over time of how work is to be completed – the content of many jobs have changed and therefore, any advice offered by someone who once did the job, knows someone who used to do the job, or thinks they know how to do the job should be viewed suspiciously. What once was is no longer.

However, there are certain things that can be shared with the soon-to-be graduates that still do apply.

No one starts at the top – the graduates from schools have grown up used to getting a bowling trophy for participating and have often been raised in environments where there contributions have been valued and significantly praised. The business world is not going to expect, nor are you ready to be coronated as the leader of a company, division, or function. Your degree is the price of admission, it is not a ticket to the executive suite.
The business is not run for your convenience – surely you have good ideas that can assist the business and may contribute to the overall success of the enterprise; however, the business is not in existence to please you, to accommodate your whims, preferences, or desires. Graduates will have to recognize that there will be frustrations, disappointments, and things that seem illogical to them. Either learn to deal with it and adjust, or be prepared to repeat, “It is not fair” over and over again. Oh, and by the way – no one cares that you think something is not fair, so you are wasting your time and will be seen as a malingerer.
Be patient – Graduates, you may be in a hurry to get where you think is your rightful place. The business wants that energy and craves the enthusiasm. Yet, there is much you still have to learn. If you have not worked and experienced things at each step and in as many different circumstances as possible – your ability to influence the organization once you really do become that next rung on the ladder will be compromised.
Really, you are not the first – New graduates tend to think that their ideas are unique and that no one else has the insight, smarts, or forethought that they possess. Afterall, they graduated from State U.! However, plenty of experienced, smart, and aware people have thought about the business and have tried things to improve it. Before you assume that your idea has never been tried – ASK!
Customers first – As you embark on your career, you have to be thinking about how your skills are enhancing the experience of the customer. If you cannot draw a straight line between your efforts and the customer, then it is time to go back to the drawing board. Every job needs to be seen in terms of impacting the company’s customer.

Final Words

The work environment does not have to be painful for you. In most instances, the product or service is not determining life and death. Have a sense of humor. There will be plenty of things that confuse, contradict, and confound you about the way things are done, should be done, or need to be done. If you are able to laugh and see the irony or farce in things; it will serve you – and the business much better.

Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and others. Ask questions to truly learn and to compare your beliefs against others or against reality. But, don’t think you know best just because you hold a sheepskin from an accredited institution. It just expired upon your hire date. The rest is up to you now.

Are you Blind or Refuse to See?

Wednesday, April 7, 2010 by:David Zahn

The media was all aflutter today on a couple of different stories that all had a common theme – businesses squelching opportunities to succeed in spite of customers being very clear about what it would take for them to succeed.

Airlines – Open Your Eyes!

Let me explain. The airline industry has been hit hard by rising costs, recessionary economics, the ensuing reduction in numbers of travelers as leisure travel is off and business travelers are finding that video conferencing, and other electonic means of communicating can often be used satisfactorily without having to board a plane. Add to these the fact that the very act of getting through airport security just to get into the gate area has added a level of complexity that many previous travelers would just as soon do without.

So, into this maelstrom of business events, one airline – Spirit, decides to now charge passengers who decide to carry on their luggage rather than check it. Now, as someone who travels frequently for a living, I can tell you the added frustration of landing at a destination and having to wait at the luggage carousel while silently praying that the checked bags did in fact make it on the same plane is not always rewarded with an efficient delivery of my possessions. I, and many fellow passengers have very clearly shared our ire with the airlines about the whole luggage issue, incremental costs, etc. And yet, this airline has viewed the traveler who is still willing to fly as an easy mark for additional revenue. The level of response has been loud, virulent, and candidly, not at all unexpected. Have they not been listening?

Is this what is next?

Now, perhaps the airlines, or at least this one is tone deaf to the roar of their customers being very clear about what they will tolerate and what they view as excessive. But they are not exclusively so. The issues of ignoring one’s customer and the marketplace run much deeper than just this one isolated incient.

Social Media Faux Pas

In the April 7th, 2010 edition of MorningNewsBeat, the columnist Kate McMahon takes aim at a goof committed by one of the largest manufacturers and best known names in the food industry – Nestle. Ms. MacMahon shares a recent dust up that occurred when Greenpeace posted a YouTube video that portrayed the KitKat brand in a very unfavorable light and claimed it was directly contributing to the plight of orangutan in rain forests in Indonesia.

With all of the indignation they could muster, Nestle demanded that the video be taken down as it violated certain copyright infringement laws. However, the damage had begun to spread as posters took to the various social media outlets to share, comment, and generally scold Nestle (or worse) for their activities both as it related to the deforestation in search of Palm Oil needed for the product, AND in their heavy-handed response to the posting of the video and subsequent backlash.

The exchanges (it cannot really be classified as a dialogue based on the shared comments provided by Ms. McMahon) got heated and a representative from Nestle clearly misplayed the impact of being smug, condescending, and generally forgetting that in the world of social media, the interaction, engagement, and discussion is prized over the statements and self serving advertising messages that may pass as appropriate in other realms.

The issue is confounded by the fact that Nestle actually could have used this as a positive example of listening to one’s customer base according to the article. Nestle has already put into place initiatives to change where and how they secure the ingredient of Palm Oil so the company actually had a story to tell that would have appealed to the very audience they were now alienating. However, in the rush to force those that posted to knuckle under, the opportunity was lost.

Companies must be aware and respond appropriately when customers react and respond to their actions. Acting unilaterally and without regard for the customers’ point of view is not only a way to drive the existing customer away – due to the increased access to social media; it can also taint a company in the eyes of prospects who have yet to make a decision about what company to use – and serve to drive them into the arms of a competitor as well.

Are You A Slacktivist?

Tuesday, April 6, 2010 by:David Zahn

There is a movement afoot that is occurring at the intersection of social media and people’s desire to do things that make them feel good about themselves. That corner of the world is where activism and being a slacker meet. Unfortunately, it seems that every town has one of these corners, and in the cyber world; this intersection reoccurs over and over. You know you have found that corner when the following two conditions occur; you are sufficiently motivated to:

become a “fan” of some charity or event that is designed to do something good for others – and even better if that something is for the downtrodden and defenseless
Forward a message via email, Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In or other electronic services to friends, clients, family members or others.
Post something in your profile on any of the numerous social media sites identifying yourself as being in support of the charity, event, or initiative.

And, you also:

Do not actively participate in furthering the cause you support beyond merely joining a list identifying yourself as a member of that group, fan club, logo carrying subscriber, etc.

Are you a slacktivist?

While people’s personal commitment to taking actions based on their beliefs and moral outrage is for them to decide, the pervasive nature of this mindset can spill over into busienss dealing. Surely, the cause is not being furthered and without the lack of activity – there is no addressing the issue or righting a wrong. Unlike signing your name to a petition and forwarding it to an elected official, business dealings do not get advanced just by signing your name to something.

Business Examples

Far too many business people view networking events as a competition where the winner is determined by how many contacts are made or how many business cards are collected. However, the quantity of contacts is not going to drive business forward without there being a parallel effort to actually interact with those people, pursue opportunities, discuss potential areas of commonality, and share ideas of how each can help the other. The mere adding of someone to a personal or professional contact database is an irrelevancy to the needs of the business.

With the best of intentions; many business will send out emails with promotional offers, announce new products, or remind existing customers and prospects that the business provides one service or another. However, these businesses never go the extra step of including some incentive or push to get the recepient to act on the offer. There is nothing that compels that an action be taken immediately. What is missing is something to galvanizes the person to want to react or risk losing the opportunity. Examples are:

Act now to receive…
Available to the first “x” people to respond
Offer good only for the next “y” weeks

Other examples that are not time-based are:

The average savings/improvement/positive outcome of users of the product/service is…, why not start now?
Be the first in the industry/on your block/among your friends to…
It was good enough for (person or business “z”), isn’t it time you did it?

Without there being some rationale to take a step towards a purchase, it is far too easy for customers and prospects to view marketing messages as something they mean to get to, support, but don’t necessarily do more than that.

The goal of marketing is to ultimately create sales. While there often is an educational component to the messaging, if it does not lead to a sale at some point in the series of communciations; it has failed. As a business person, it is imperative that marketing successfully convert customers and prospects from a position of inactivity or token/tepid support to one of active engagement and involvement.

Anything less than getting the customer or prospect to purchase may make them feel good about how well they align or support the business, but it does nothing to help the business actually complete a sale. And a business that fails to sell anything is a business that may be popular and have lots of fans – but it is also a business that is doomed to fail and will not be around any longer than the “slack” in liquid assets available to cover the time period during the ineffective marketing and sales efforts are in place.

Seek to Offend?

Friday, April 2, 2010 by:David Zahn

Does it pay to be controversial?

Conventional wisdom maintains that it is in the best interests of a business to be as broad in appeal as possible and to avoid willfully angering any potential or prospective customers. One of the best retailers in the world is Fairfield County’s own, Stew Leonard’s (www.stewleonards.com) renowned for among other things, the rock that greets customers upon entrance into the store. The rock has two statements engraved upon it:

Rule 1: The Customer is always right.
Rule 2: If the Customer is ever wrong, re-read Rule # 1.

That mantra has served that business well and has been referred to by scholars, business leaders, and customers as a key differentiator between that grocery store and their competitors that has led to Stew Leonard’s holding a near iconic position within the industry. However, there is another approach that has led to success for some businesses that initially may seem contrary to common sense and counter-intuitive.

All Publicity is Good Publicity

There are those that would maintain that any time customers or prospects are talking, tweeting about, or forwarding advertisements or emails to others, it is a positive outcome. The more controversial it is, the more likely it is to draw protests, howls of boycotts, and raise the level of passion against the company. Seemingly the only requirements of the companies employing this strategy are:

Spell the name of the company correctly
Make sure there is a contact number, website address, or other way for the customer to reach the compan
Use images, allusions, or copy that uses a double entendre, sexual situations, political incorrectness, or in some other way serves to create a strong visceral reaction.

What are they Thinking?

What these companies and advertisers are attempting to do by using these potentially offensive images or content is force the prospective customers to take notice and interact with the message and/or the company. By enflaming the passions, the company is taking a calculated gamble. In fact, the company may actively be seeking to increase the backlash against it on purpose.

The “method to their madness” is that customers can be separated into different segments of reaction to advertising messages:

Advocates – those that are closely aligned with the brand or product and are loyal.
Amused/Interested – those that appreciate the messaging, but are not necessarily inclined to act on that interest just yet
Insulted – those that are angry, offended, and disinclined to make a purchase.

In attempting to remove any potential c0ntroversy from the message, it often leads to a message that is nondescript and uninteresting. That message rarely leads to much in the way of protests or negativity towards the company or brand, but it also curiously can lead to very few sales. The message does not rise above competing messages from other providers or suppliers of same products or services.

Conversely, when the message is edgy, it does lead to people complaining, forming protests, , unsubscribing to newsletters or emailed advertisements, etc. (if the level of complaint rises, then more people are alerted to it, and actually serves to become publicity in and of itself). However, it also leads to an increase in sales as people who approve of the message, feel they are “part of the community” of the brand, or can relate to the message choose to support the brand,

Move the Middle

What these companies are trying to have happen is to increase the level of passion associated with the brand. Acknowledging that by doing so, it may tip some people to choose to be against the brand, but it also will galvanize those that are advocates to more closely align with the brand, but it also may mean that those in between will now become polarized. Clearly, that means some will be pushed into the Insulted, but it also means that others will become Advocates.

By not having to expand the size of the potential universe of customers, not having to change pricing or service levels, and not having to increase the cost or frequency of advertising, the business can be increased. Sure, it means that there are those that will opt out of being customers due to being upset with the company, but they were the least likely to make a purchase anyway.