TOP B2B EXAMPLES

S TA N P H E L P SE X P E R I E N C E A R C H I T E C T

THE GOLFISH PRINCIPLE -ADDED VALUE

DIFFERENTIATE THROUGH12 Ways to Win Customers & Influence Word of Mouth

1. Throw-ins

2. In the Bag / Out of the Box

3. Sampling

4. First / Last Impressions

5. Guarantees

6. Pay it Forward

1. Follow-ups

2. Added Service

3. Waiting

4. Convenience

5. Special Needs

6. Handling Mistakes

Value Maintenance

CATEGORY 1 - Throw In’s

How many licks?Cartridge World provides free delivery service to business customers, complimentary toner vacuum cleaning of their laser printer before a new cartridge is inserted and every business delivery comes with a Tootsie Pop for lagniappe.

They remember the mints“When customers unpack their orders, they are struck by three things: The quality of what they’ve ordered; each item comes out of the box in the order it’s listed on the packing sheet; and, mints are included for the pleasure of it.”

- Charlotte Observer

CATEGORY 2 - In the Bag / Out of the Box

CATEGORY 3 - Sampling

Conference Call Unlimited“The company went above and beyond by they gave a donation to a school who was affected by Katrina in my name. One year during Thanksgiving the company gave everyone (customers and non customers) one hour of free conference call with up to 50 family members.”

- Paul Chaney

Mixing video with BeerImage Brew already has pretty good identity design—letterpress business cards and promotional packs, branded Flash drives with clips from its video reel, etc. But now they're taking it one step further by brewing their own beer to give to clients.

- AdWeek

TwikiesTwikies are custom-made chocolate-dipped fortune cookies that contain marketing messages. They are fun, tasty, and informative.

- Mana Ionescu

CATEGORY 4 - First / Last Impressions

FedEx’s Purple PromiseFedEx believes that getting it right in the small, day-to-day ways is just as important as the heroic and dramatic “saves.” They believe their ability to build customer loyalty is the measure that drives both employee pride and competitive advantage.

CATEGORY 5 - Guarantees

MicrofinanceInsighting Ideas has a policy of making a $100 donation to a micro-finance group for each project they complete in the name of the client. But rather than allocate the funds themselves, they involve the client in the process. Letting them choose the recipient.

CATEGORY 6 - Pay it For ward

Wufoo Thank You’sThe online HTML form developer sends handwritten thank you notes, sometimes crafted out of construction paper and decorated with stickers

CATEGORY 7 - Follow Up / Thank You’s

Disney goes the Extra Mile“The Disney Imagineers made this bouquet for the Hanes event. They’re made out of socks. First, it’s cool because they look like flowers...Third, it’s something that didn’t have to be there. And yet, because it was, the dinner looked custom. Disney SAW us. They knew we were there.”

- Chris Brogan

CATEGORY 8 - Added Ser vice

NYC’s Salute“Had lunch at Salute in New York City (270 Madison Ave). Nice upscale restaurant that caters to a business crowd. Upon sitting at the table I noticed a purple goldfish. Each table came with a tiny notepad similar to those you would get at a conference or hotel. It was for notes if needed during lunch. A nice little keepsake compliments of the restaurant.”

- Peter H.

CATEGORY 9 - Convenience

SNY Delivers Above the Call“While working with one of our signature partners, we went above and beyond to aid them in delivering their targeted, time sensitive brand message to our viewers.We produced weekly billboards, that included a live read by our on-air talent, driving viewers to the clients designated website.Was this in their deal points or their contract? No. We provided this strictly as added value and as a good way to show our partner that we cared as much about their initiatives and goals as they did by using some of our most valuable inventory as bonus to aid in their cause. We went above and beyond.”

- Mark W.

CATEGORY 11 - Special Needs

Literally Humble Pie“When this Canadian home health care service provider stumbles . . . they deliver a fresh baked apple pie and a note apologizing for poor customer service. Each year they spend about $1,500 on pies, but they estimate it saves about $100,000 in business going elsewhere. That sounds like pretty strong ROI as 65% of customers that take their business elsewhere do so because of poor customer service.”

- From the book “Customer Love”

CATEGORY 12 - Handling Mistakes

ARE YOU STANDING OUT IN A SEA OF SAMENESS?

-Tony Hsieh

The New York Times bestselling author of Delivering Happiness

and CEO of Zappos.com

"In business you do must do something that's above and beyond what's expected. Phelps shows the ingredients behind signature extras that are unconvent iona l and innovative. Every business should be asking themselves, "What's our Purple Goldfish?"

available on

About Stan Phelps

phone: +1.919.360.4702

Stan Phelps is the founder of 9 INCH marketing -- a consultancy that helps clients win customers that are four times as valuable as those acquired through traditional marketing. His 20 year marketing background includes leadership roles with adidas, International Management Group, the PGA of America and Synergy Events. Stan has created award-winning campaigns and larger than life events. Those programs, although successful, weren’t scalable or sustainable. He now focuses on how brands can create meaningful differentiation and advocacy with customers and employees through small ongoing pieces of added value (which Stan terms "The Goldfish Principle").

e-mail: stan@9inchmarketing.com

url: 9inchmarketing.com

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To find out more about Stan’s strategy sessions, keynotes and workshops, visit him at 9inchmarketing.com