I love Seth Godin. I love Seth’s books. (If you haven’t read The Purple Cow yet, go out today and get it!) I love Seth’s mind. (He is, without a doubt, one of the savviest marketing minds that I have ever encountered). And I love Seth’s blog … (one of his most recent, Giving away a magician’s secrets, was simply brilliant)
Well, actually, I love Seth’s blog most of the time….
You see I count on Seth to help me grow my business. I count on Seth to provoke remarkable, Purple Cow, Dip, Tribes, Small is the New Big type thinking so that I can out think and out innovate my competition. In fact, I count on Seth to write blogs that I can retweet to my network so that they can have access to Seth’s business brilliance too. And today, Seth’s blog talked about How to buy a house.
That’s it. How to buy a house. Ten long bullet points about the thinking behind buying a house in today’s market. I couldn’t believe my eyes. There had to be a marketing or business connection in there somewhere, right? There wasn’t.
In the context of Customer Touchpoint Innovation™, or CTI, this is what in we call a Touchpoint Disconnect™. It is the moment when you break your brand promise to your customers. It is the moment when you leave them with more questions than answers. It is the moment when you create an opportunity for them to choose to spend their time and money elsewhere and that is NOT good.
Seth’s blog, like any blog, is a Touchpoint. It is a interaction between Seth and me that, when done well, reminds me why I love Seth Godin and why I should not only buy and read all of his books but why I should recommend them to everyone that I know through my newsletters, social media, presentations etc….
I love Seth Godin but love is fickle. Love doesn’t like to be disappointed. Love doesn’t like a disconnect. And today, Seth’s blog was a huge Touchpoint Disconnect™.
How many Touchpoint Disconnects™ does it take to lose a customer? Hard to know. But chances are, by the time you find out, it may well be too late.
Hi Toni, I too read Seth's article and disagree with your assertion there wasn't a marketing connection. I felt Seth's article was highlighting how to avoid falling into common "traps" that many home buyers fall into because of the marketing of houses. His point #4 about "anchoring" (the asking price of the house acting as an "anchor" against which all offers will be judged) is a very common marketing and sales strategy. Reminding potential home buyers this marketing strategy is in play is rather good advice. Point #5 about the social value of the house was ended with the question "How much are you willing to spend on personal marketing and temporary self-esteem?". Does personal marketing not "count" as marketing in general? I understand you feel Seth's blog post was a Touchpoint Disconnect(TM) in your opinion and that's fair. I think your post highlights the fact that while you may INTEND your post/article/website/signage to be perceived a certain way, the reality is it will be interpreted in a variety of ways by the people who view it. Have a great day! Best Regards, Mark Kawabe
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