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As you might imagine, I fly thousands of miles each year as I visit my clients. My airline of choice has been Southwest for many years. Why? Because of three things:
- Bags fly free
- Open seating
- Very nice, helpful flight attendants and gate agents and efficient systems when problems occur
On my last flight, guess what? Bags no longer fly free. And starting in January, open seating goes away. Of the three major things Southwest has been known for, that only leaves "nice people".
Why has this made my newsletter? It reminded me to ask:
WHAT ARE YOU KNOWN FOR?
This is one of the questions I always ask my prospects during the client needs analysis meeting. To properly seat a business into procedural memory, we must know what distinguishes them. What category can they own?
After decades of building a reputation for the above three items, someone in Southwest in their infinite wisdom decided to take away two of their biggest selling points.
Of course, I mentioned this to everyone I saw in a Southwest uniform. Perhaps they were being nice, but all agreed with me and said Herb Kelleher was spinning in his grave. I agree.
A recent survey by Borrell Associates outlined the need for us to guide local ad buyers, to be their "expert". As you work with your prospects and current clients, advise them to become known for something and to stick with it. Help them to find their category. Create campaigns to make them known before they are needed.
I wish Southwest well. I think of Bud Light and Jaguar. How did THEIR change in philosophy and marketing strategy work out for them? And years ago there was New Coke. That debacle was covered in "The Other Buy Blinked". I know that Southwest is no longer my airline of choice. Now, it's a matter of who flies the best schedule for my destination and price.
I hope we can keep our business clients from making the same mistake.
Happy selling and happy advising!
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