itself through the eyes of its customers. Customers actually become a part of the organization. Their preferences dictate production and.
marketing operations. By internalizing the perceptions of their customers, businesses validate what communications experts have always .
known: becoming other-oriented is the key to successful relationships Communication is a two-way street. Listening to customers is the.
foundation upon which successful relationships can be built.Everything a company does send a message to its customers. A car company.
might run a TV ad stressing the importance of quality production. But if a customer buys the car and it falls apart a month later, the company.
is sending the message that it does not really take quality (or the customer) seriously. By seeing themselves through the eyes of their customers,.
businesses can improve all aspects of the communication mix they experience. .
Tom Duncan identified four sources of brand messages.
1. Planned Messages.
Deliberate messages sent by the company through traditional marketing communications, such as advertising.
2. Product Messages. .
The message a customer gets through experiencing the product itself. A Porsche is likely to send a much different product message than a Hyundai.
3. Service Messages. .
Sales and customer service representatives are in direct contact with customers. Their actions send a strong message to customers.
4. Unplanned Messages. .
This includes word-of-mouth, expert opinion, news editorials, et. al. The Ford/Firestone fiasco is a classic example of the power of unplanned messages.
Personal Selling.
Personal selling involves communicating and connecting with consumers and is directly related to increased sales. There are a variety of ways to.
communicate with consumers.The most frequently used way a company communicates with a consumer is typically through a frontline employee. .
These employees are important "communication tools" as they leave impressions on the consumer and are the company's most direct tie to the .