This document discusses how companies need to change their approach to better meet changing consumer expectations. It emphasizes that companies should focus on acting and communicating in remarkable ways, rather than just talking. It also stresses capitalizing on existing resources like employee knowledge and produced content, using pilots to drive change, and empowering employees as advocates. The key messages are that consumer expectations have changed, companies should leverage existing resources, and use pilots to facilitate organizational change.

1. Consumers want
another kind of
company.
Now it’s up to YOU to build
that company.
Internal communications and social media.
© InSites Consulting
Polle de Maagt (@polledemaagt) for BViC Conference Brussels
Conversation readiness 1

2. Hello. I am Polle de Maagt.
I failed in most things during my
life (including being a rock star) but am still
trying to reach world domination. This time
by helping companies change. Change to
a company that is about consumers and
driving conversations.
Guess that makes me a change agent.
Guess that makes Nike, KLM and Telenet
my clients of change.
© InSites Consulting
Conversation readiness 2

3. Nothing changed.
And everything changed.

4. I guess most companies
managed consumer
expectations in a bad way.
So that people now expect different
things from companies than they did
before. To name a few …

5. It’s about un-
technoligizing
technology, about
acting human.
Zappos does an amazing job in making
technology invisible and really
understanding consumers.
(Thanks Steven Verbruggen for the tip!)

6. Realize that everything a company does is communication.
KLM surprised customers in a personal way. It wasn’t about talking in a
remarkable way, it was about ACTING in a remarkable way. Acts, not ads.

7. Advocacy is the new retention is the new acquisition.
Keeping clients and employees is more important that getting new ones. And
activating clients to be an advocates is even more important.

8. Rethink the way consumers should value their products..
Gym-Pact let’s people pay when they DON’t turn up in their gym.

9. Realize new employees ask for a new way of cooperation.
Working out of home, used to collaboration, frustrated with the fact that it is
difficult to find colleagues, more than willing to share expertise.

10. I love this one, just because it’s so true.
“
There are actually few organizations that
can support passionate employees - even if
they say they want them. That’s because the
original industrial revolution was designed
“
to support productivity.
David Armano

11. Hygiene levels are getting higher.
We have higher expectations of brands, organizations and employers.

12. The world is getting 24/7 and realtime.
KLM helps customers Monday to Sunday from 8AM to 11PM. That
is almost a 24/7/365 realtime customer support center. Imagine the
implications for your organization.

13. These small things have huge
consequences.

14. And it’s not about being on Facebook. Or Twitter.
Yes, Twitter is huge. And Facebook even bigger. But they are both platforms, not end
goals. So it really is about if and how both can help you reach your end goal. Which is
most likely not about having a Facebook fan page and more about driving
conversations, customer retention, sales or brand value.
© InSites Consulting
Conversation readiness 14

15. It’s not about being a big brand.
With big brands come big problems. Never look
for an excuse in just being a small company with
little budgets. When it comes to connecting with
consumers, real relationships work. And size, for
once, doesn’t matter.
© InSites Consulting
Conversation readiness 15

16. And it certainly isn’t
about being the first
mover in adopting new
technology.
Mobile, augmented reality, location
based services are all just awesome.
And yes, there is PR-value in being the
first Augmented Reality bakery in your
neighborhood. But is that really what
you want your consumers to talk
about?
© InSites Consulting
Conversation readiness 16

17. It really is about another way of
approaching consumers and
employees.

18. Every employee is a (potential) ambassador.
Some more subtle than others, but

19. We’re beyond acquisition and retention, we’re about advocacy.
At the end of your visit, the owner Eduardo, will ask if everything during your stay
was ok. And if you would do him a favor and write a review on

20. With employees/consumers talking, it’s about stuff worth sharing.
Ambassadors just want to tell other, so help them! Choqoa support fans by giving
them chocolate bars and highlighting them in their newsletter.

21. With employees/consumers talking, it’s about company culture.
Employees are your ambassadors. The advertising in the world can’t buy you a
remarkable company culture. Oh, and read Delivering Happiness.

22. Co-create with employees and consumers.
More than 60% of all consumers and employees want to help to make your
product or organization really better. Facilitate them to do so.

23. Changed focus from products to service.
Acts, not ads. It isn’t about communication and products, it’s more and more
about service. This has an impact on your organization.

24. Faster communications.
Twitter, Facebook, email and text messages make communication extremely fast.
Simple collaboration and chat tools take it even further.

25. We’re going from a consumer life cycle to a conversation life cycle.
Who are your best customers? The one that pay the most or the ones that talk the
most?

26. So, how can we implement this?
I never said it was easy.

27. Structural
Organization
Change on different
Cultural levels.
Company culture and values To implement conversations within a
company you will need to break
down walls between department
Personal (structural), open up (cultural) and
Personal knowledge and willingness train people (personal).
© InSites Consulting
Conversation readiness 27

28. Recognize that implementation takes time.
Change management is difficult. Implementation of new tools isn’t easy. You will notice
you and your company will go through different phases in social media adoption.
But: there are tools and techniques to help.
© InSites Consulting
Conversation readiness 28

29. Over-the-top-delivery
Makes negative conversations
Over-delivery
Makes positive conversations
Expectation Delivery
Gives no reason to talk
Under-delivery
Makes negative conversations
Be maniacal about managing expectations.
Under-promise, over-deliver in everything you do. Not only towards customers but
also to your colleagues.

30. Put your money where
your mouth is.
Measure.
Build proof that social
media works.
Try measuring the Net Promoter
Score to see how likely it is that your
colleagues will recommend your
company.

31. TOUCHPOINTS
Consider the consumer journey.
What are all relevant contacts
(touchpoints) you have with
consumers?
CONTENT + TOUCHPOINTS
What content can you use to enrich
PEOPLE + TOUCHPOINTS Touchpoints the different touchpoints?
Where do your employees How can you use different
interact with consumers and how touchpoints to put a spotlight on
can you optimize these your content?
interactions?
People Content
CONTENT
PEOPLE Capitalize on the content you
What are the different employees, already produce. What content do
fans, positives, negatives, haters your employees and fans
and other stakeholders you can produce? How can you leverage
define? this and plan for it?
PEOPLE + CONTENT
Which people are content
developers and which are content
sharers? How can you stimulate
both to either mine for content or
build reach?
InSites Consulting

32. Let internal communications act as conversation manager.
Manage your company resources: content, people and touchpoints.

33. Capitalize on the things you’re already doing.
Kay Mook gained the Antwerp Zoo 300K extra visitors and almost became
product of the year 2009. More at http://polle.me/ccjSNL

34. Don’t be stupid.
Good cop, bad cop.
Use social media policies to set the boundaries, use pilot projects and best practices
to inspire.
© InSites Consulting
Conversation readiness 34

35. Find your ambassadors.
There’s a group of customers/employees who are happy with your services but
don’t share their feeling with others. The pot of gold, a whopping 28%.

36. Empower your
employees.
Meet Richard Lennon, book
publisher at Penguin books in
London.
He reaches out and contacts
bloggers and other influentials.
The results? New ideas, new
authors and high advocacy.

37. Don’t be a slave of technology. Let technology work for you.
Technology is a means, not a goal. Technology might blind you, but it can
certainly help you.

38. Use pilot projects to drive change.
Pilot projects are a great way to learn and discover boundaries. Define intrinsic,
learning AND change management KPI’s for every project.

39. Not convinced?
We asked 500 European marketers how
they perform in terms of return on
investment, turnover growth,
profitability, market share and customer
satisfaction.

40. Product
improvement
Road map
Offline WoM WoM
The best performing marketers do three things that
make them stand out.
* Conversation Readiness research amongst 500 European marketers
InSites Consulting

41. So, let’s reflect on this and see
how this translates to your own
organisation.
Try to map your organization onto our
touchpoint-people-content model.

42. TOUCHPOINTS
Consider the consumer journey.
What are all relevant contacts
(touchpoints) you have with
consumers?
CONTENT + TOUCHPOINTS
What content can you use to enrich
PEOPLE + TOUCHPOINTS Touchpoints the different touchpoints?
Where do your employees How can you use different
interact with consumers and how touchpoints to put a spotlight on
can you optimize these your content?
interactions?
People Content
CONTENT
PEOPLE Capitalize on the content you
What are the different employees, already produce. What content do
fans, positives, negatives, haters your employees and fans
and other stakeholders you can produce? How can you leverage
define? this and plan for it?
PEOPLE + CONTENT
Which people are content
developers and which are content
sharers? How can you stimulate
both to either mine for content or
build reach?
InSites Consulting

43. Stop and think for a moment.
1) What has the key takeaway of this
presentation?
2) What is the main barrier in
implementing this?
3) What will YOU do in the next 48
hours?

44. You can forget most of the things
I said in this introduction.
But please, remember these 3 things.

45. 1) Nothing changed, but everything
changed.
Consumers have changed expectations
towards companies. Act on that, don’t
advertise on that.

46. 2) Capitalize on the things you are
already doing and empower your
employees.
Use your existing resources to work with
you, not against you.

47. 3) Use smart pilots to drive change.
Learn and change.

48. Read the manual.
Seriously.
Read it.

49. I hope I was worth sharing.
If so, spread the word.
Send me an email at polle@insites.eu
or find me on twitter at
@polledemaagt.
Find the presentation at
http://polle.me/bvic11