Comments on: How Can Branding Help You Avoid A Bad Customer?

By: Penny J

Penny J — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 16:51:55 +0000

Nice post!

Very useful. I had a similar experience with a customer that came to my store, a couple of weeks ago. If I could just read this post then, I would know how to deal with him better..

By: Gary Catona

Gary Catona — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 17:19:54 +0000

Saying that the customer is the problem is such a nice way to get bankrupt.

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Tue, 09 Oct 2007 08:04:26 +0000

[...] How Can Branding Help You Avoid A Bad Customer? | Small Business Marketing & Branding [...]

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Tue, 02 Oct 2007 13:37:21 +0000

[...] How Can Branding Help You Avoid A Bad Customer? | Small Business Marketing & Branding [...]

By: How to attract and manage novice clients | The TDog's Blog

How to attract and manage novice clients | The TDog's Blog — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:49:23 +0000

[...] be a lot of work. If the process described above sounds too aggravating, maybe you should check out Drew McLellan’s advice and avoid us altogether: Most bad customers are not really bad customers. They’re just bad [...]

By: Lee

Lee — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 18:00:49 +0000

If you’re offending someone… then your marketing is working!

By: Search Engine Optimization Journal » How To Brand Yourself Online Or Offline

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:20:28 +0000

[...] (Source) Most bad customers are not really bad customers. They’re just bad customers for you. They’re a bad fit. And it’s your fault. [...]

By: Susan Gunelius

Susan Gunelius — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 01:26:38 +0000

On the other side of the coin are companies who identify bad customers after the relationship has been deemed undesirable. Sprint caught a lot of bad PR recently when they sent a form letter to a large group of customers telling them they obviously could not meet their needs based on frequent, unresolved customer service calls. Therefore, Sprint terminated their wireless contract with those “difficult” customers. I wrote about it here:

http://www.marketingblurb.com/2007/07/1_way_to_lose_customers.html

There is value to determining if a customer is not right for your business early on rather than suffer negative consequences later. In small business, it’s especially difficult to say no to a potential customer, but sometimes, a short term loss can lead to long term gains.

By: Liz Tufte, Book Designer

Liz Tufte, Book Designer — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 19:37:27 +0000

We get into trouble when we don’t find out what the customer’s expectations are. We have to be very clear with ourselves first, and communicate that clarity to our customers. Unspoken assumptions can lead to a really bad fit, but a good brand presence can head that off. Thanx for the article, Drew!

By: Angela

Angela — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:25:16 +0000

Great article! This is something I am struggling with right now as I LOVE internet marketing and all things related to it.

I’ve recently had my website reviewed and it’s really opened up the fact that I am not targeting a specific client, and therefore those who come to my site won’t know WHAT to hire me for.

I’ll definitely be working on this one

Angela Wills
http://www.StarVA.com

By: Ashley

Ashley — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 04:32:37 +0000

Could not agree more, especially in the current environment with paid search. Not fully understanding who your customer leads to huge acquisition costs.

By: David Airey :: Graphic Designer

David Airey :: Graphic Designer — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 21:03:57 +0000

Like Matt, I enjoyed your article too.

There’s no such thing as a bad customer, just a bad salesperson.

By: Matt Alderton

Matt Alderton — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 17:01:55 +0000

Great article, Drew. A good reminder that all businesses should repeat the mantra, “Know thy customer,” and that small businesses, in particular, can blow the competition out of the water by knowing their customer better than everyone else!