One of the most important issues in the success of any business is its orientation to the satisfaction of the real needs of consumers.
Everyone understands this principle.
The case studies on the excellence of a service or product indicate that all companies that in a scientific way or by knowledge of the sector, are oriented to meet these needs, succeed.
Some entrepreneurs have a special intuition to detect these latent needs at the right moment. Fortunately, more and more companies are dedicating a significant chapter of their budget to market research.
Still, achieving success is a hard planning task to find the exact mix in such a complex cocktail, but the previous steps are extremely important.
The development of a service strategy that really distinguishes us from our competitors and, therefore, lays the foundations for a prosperous business must consider several factors.
In this article we will relate the aspects that, in my opinion, are most important in defining this service marketing strategy.
First of all we will start with a detailed study of the preferences of our potential clients. The preparation of a survey will show what aspects they value, what market niches are to be covered, what faults and inconveniences they find in our competitors, what potential demand exists in our area of influence, etc.
Today, it is still difficult to convince many entrepreneurs and businessmen that this task of researching the market is vital.
The rush to sell, the orientation towards production and not towards satisfying the real needs of the final consumer, the lack of study of competitors and market prices lead to a good number of products and businesses ending up in the most absolute of forgetfulness.
If we compare this theme with a song it would be like going straight to the chorus, without preamble, to the point.
In a world in which rush and competition force us to run, to be more competitive, more profitable and ultimately more efficient, it is difficult to make people understand that all things have their time.
What is invested in planning is saved in execution.
Our advice: Look around you, at your competition, listen to your potential consumers, investigate how your product can compete and ultimately satisfy those needs more and better.
Only then will you be taking the first step towards success, towards excellence.
Remember the advice of the great master of marketing Philip Kotler: "It is more important to do what is strategically correct than what is immediately profitable."
Another feature of the services that should not be forgotten is their intangible nature.
It is impossible to assess them before using them. All the aspects that contribute to avoiding the fear of the clients to try to use our services will be one of the aspects that should be worked the most in the launch phase of any activity.
The money-back guarantee "if you are not satisfied…", the accreditations and titles that can be displayed in the establishment, the articles of favorable opinions, the opinions of other satisfied users will help to avoid that first suspicion.
Indivisibility a fundamental aspect, decisive in the service strategy. This aspect will be better understood with a simple question. How many restaurants fail when your cook leaves? How many businesses fail because of absolutely cutting and cold clerks?
How many clients leave when a veterinarian or dentist changes clinic or decides to open their own business?
Well, therefore services are inextricably linked to the actors involved in this process. From the receptionist, the cashier, to the professional himself, be it a veterinarian, doctor, dentist, cook… they all intervene in an extremely crucial process:
The perception of the quality and excellence of our business.
To the extent that all these processes are systematized, controlled and measured periodically, we can guarantee the homogeneity of our service. A new factor that consists of guaranteeing the permanent and constant quality of our service. It is becoming more and more important to establish a working method that allows us to guarantee the supply of our service in a stable manner and without deviations caused by "free will", the genius or the bad day of one of the actors. Guaranteeing a stable, homogeneous quality process in the provision of services outside of any circumstance guarantees loyalty in customers who flee from being faced with surprises.
Some hotel chains are well aware of this reality, incorporating rigorous check-lists of processes into their service processes that guarantee or avoid unpleasant surprises for their customers. Likewise, thanks to the mystery shopper checks that these companies carry out periodically, the evolution of the services provided and the opinion of the end customer are controlled.
In the design of a service marketing strategy we must take into account another important factor: seasonality.
One of the characteristics of services, unlike products that can be stored, is their immediacy. The tables of a restaurant, the rooms of a hotel or the availability of a veterinary clinic at any given time cannot grow at the whim of the demand.
The construction of a history of seasonalities or events to be highlighted can help us to plan those peak moments of our business and therefore to put technical and human solutions to face the provision of services with a guarantee of success.
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