Give Them Directions to Follow

I posted the original article from Drew last month, and it was so good, it bears revisiting. This is from MarketingProfs.com:

Customers Listen, so Tell Them What You Want

In a post at his Marketing Minute blog, Drew McLellan talks about the frustration he felt every time he made deposits at his bank. "Like most bank drive-throughs," he says, "they have a commercial lane on the far left and then several 'everybody and anybody' lanes to the right of that." The commercial lane at this branch, however, has a few impediments; it curves to the right and is hemmed in by large poles that keep cars from running into the building.

"I [could] never get quite close enough to the drawer (even when ... fully extended) to comfortably put something in it or take out my receipt," he explains. "More than once on a windy day, the receipt ... fluttered off and I [had] had to chase it through their parking lot." As a result, he dreaded the banking experience.

Then McLellan had an epiphany. "[I]t occurred to me that I didn't need to use the commercial lane," he says. "I could use any of the drive-through lanes [that] are straight and utilize the tube/chute thing rather than a drawer with a paperweight in it."

Banking from the regular lane couldn't have been more pleasant, and he realized why he hadn't thought to try it before: He was a commercial customer and went where the sign told commercial customers to go. "Human beings, even incorrigible ones, typically do as they're told," he explains. "We are all, even me, rule followers by nature. We want to get it right."

The Po!nt: If you tell customers what you want them to do, they will probably follow your instructions—just make sure it leads to an experience they'll enjoy!

Source: Marketing Minute.

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