Customer Listening Always Pays!

End of 2005, I became aware of a growing site and French blog: La Fraise. The site is selling custom tee-shirts with unique graphics, once the graphic is sold out, there is no reprint. Huge success...thanks to the blog...so, successfully that a book that I strongly recommend reading Naked Conversations mentions the site as an example of what "good" corporate blogging is.  The blog helped La Fraise emerged and allows today a 3 men operation to live from their passion.

What I specifically value in this example is the true customer orientation that the guys at LaFraise have. What some called "customer-centric organizations" or "customer centric marketing" is a day to day reality at LaFraise.

An example is that visitors are offered the ability to submit their graphics to be featured on the next tee-shirt collection, and the graphics that do get featured are the ones that get voted for by other visitors. What a simple and great example of "co-value creation" moving marketing from a BtoC model to C B C model: Consumers to Business To Consumers.

And guess what, it works! The revenue generated is growing month after month to a level of over 100,000 Euros in March 06 from about 35,000 about 6 to 8 months ago...Not bad, no? 

I recently visited their blog, and again was impressed: Patrice, the main guy, reviews business progress sharing openly and honestly with all of US, the revenue reached month after month, the strategy, etc. thanking everyone for their support, feedback and great contribution...(check out) Guess what? Over 230 comments on the post! When some marketing consultants speak about "engagement"...this is such a great way to engage people! Well done!

The lessons:

• be passionated, share you passion
• be honest, and open
• LISTEN to all
• Let your customers help you, they are willing to do so...if you Listen to them
• Stay and remain approchable all the way

Brands, you too can do the same, start paying attention to people visiting your Brand Website!

Did I buy from LaFraise? No, but I will at some point...and in the meantime, I am already a "Promoter"...Did you say Engagement and Word of Mouth?

Technorati Tags: Brand Websites, Brand Sites,Website Effectiveness, Customer Listening, Customer-Listening, Website ROI, La Fraise, Naked Conversations,Net Promoter, Reichheld, Fred Reichheld,Listening, crmmetrix,Laurent Flores,ARF, Engagement, Marketing, CBC, wom, Word of Mouth, Customer Satisfaction, Market Research, Consumer Generated Media, Consumer Empowerment, Consumers to Business To Consumers, Net Promoter Score

Comments

[shell smith]

I think you have to look at unhappy customers and their complaints as an opportunity to bring them back. When you bring them back you often times solidify that relationship and create a lifetime customer. It also gives you a chance to recognize a problem and fix it to create a better product and support. I saw a great interview on Fox with the president of Mindshare who talked a bit about that. I agree that you can learn a lot from your customers - if you are willing to listen to them.