Apparently, Sam is sending me back to school.
Sam Lawrence, CMO of Jive Software is one of our customers, and he’s reviewed the service that he’s received from Forrester and another analyst firm. One of scored a “C-“, and the other scored a “B”, read his report card to find out who scored what and why.
Customers in every industry (even the Analyst industry) are being empowered by social media tools, they can directly talk to each other, share experiences, and make decisions often without the marketer or sales person present. I’ve been preaching this on my blog and in presentations and at my former employers for nearly 4 years.
Is this a disruption? Absolutely.
I advise my clients that the key is for the company to be an active part of the conversation in their marketplace, this is where customers, prospects, and partners will be. I was in a NY taxi when I saw this on Twitter, but pointed to it instantly (Carter says that was the right move), and wasn’t able to respond in the comments, but tweeted it, and I think my colleagues quickly saw it, two of them commented before I was able to get online, and Rob, who was with me at the event also commented.
More important that being part of the conversation, companies need to listen and when appropriate, act on the feedback. So now I need to go back to school (a “B” isn’t good enough), study up and find out what it’s going to take me to get an “A” from Jive and other customers.
Aiming for the honor roll, we’ll keep at it ’till we do.
Jeremiah – as usual, I applaud you for your willingness to listen. You could have used your soapbox to tell your readers why Sam @ Jive was wrong and bash him for not reaching out to you directly. Instead, you welcome his constructive criticism.
Yet another reason why we (Mzinga) are a Forrester customer. You guys just “get it.”
Best,
Aaron (@astrout)
Thanks Aaron
Sam mentioned to me in person he had a post brewing, and I certainly encourage feedback through social media.
We’re glad to have you on board Aaron.
Companies should also be aware that there are groups on Facebook titled “Conversations on (name the brand) and the one about Comcast has gotten lots of traction.
Not only does social media enable customers to rate companies but companies can rate suppliers, i.e what Jive did.
You could probably be satisfied that no one in your field has gotten an “A” yet but I a sure that you’ll be the first 🙂