What you are about to read is true. It happened in one week. On an island called Long, in a state of New Yorkiness.
Macy’s sent me “thank you” coupons in the mail. They were printed on heavy card stock meant to look like Macy’s credit cards. It promised 20% off my next purchase.
Eddie Bauer sent me a $20.00 gift certificate to thank me for using my Eddie Bauer Friends card and purchasing over $200 in merchandise. Mark got one for $10.00.
SW Airlines sent me a Hertz Rental Car coupon that promised incredible discounts on my next rental.
I found the mall. In the Haven of Smith. I needed some summer type-tops. I wanted humidity proof – meaning you couldn’t see that I was sweating profusely – and cute. I’m at Macy’s. I find the perfect top. I decide to buy two (different colors of course). I proudly present my coupon. Oh, um this can’t be used to purchase these tops. What? She turned the card over. In a 2 point font the restrictions were listed. Not only could you not use this coupon on certain brands – like Ralph Lauren – you could not use it in entire departments – like housewares, furniture, cosmetics, jewelry, shoes – I’m not kidding.
I’m pretty sure after reading the entire thing that they wanted you to buy some socks.
Eddie Bauer is next. Armed with what I think is $30 cash I hit the sale rack. Found me some cool beachy shoes, presented my two gift certificates. Oh, you can only use one of these. Sigh.
Hertz Rental Car – I’m going to Portland next month and need to rent a car. I’m already Hertz Gold so I get a wee bit of a discount but let’s use this coupon. I do as instructed, plug in my Promotion Code – and blammo. Big red letters at the top of the screen saying “This location does not participate in this offer.” Of course.
Last night I ordered shoes online from Zappos.com. They offered free ground shipping. Sweet. This morning I get an email from them:
We have upgraded your ground shipping to overnight. Here’s your tracking number. I click on it – it tells me that the UPS guy is driving to our house right now with the shoes! Shuddup! This can’t be possible? It will have been less than 24 hours from the time I clicked the purchase button to the time I get the shoes. And they are coming from Kentucky!
That means someone had to, in the middle of the night, walk down a warehouse aisle and find my shoes and pack them up and put them on a plane!!!!!!
Ding dong. I just got them. Incredible.
Keeping promises. That’s all I expect. If you take the time and money to send me a 20% off coupon – I expect to be able to get 20% off.
But exceeding my expectations – which by this time were pretty damn low – is where it’s at.
I will never buy a pair of shoes from Eddie Bauer or Macy’s again. Ever. Zappos.com has my business for life.
Right now credit unions have an opportunity to stand out. Consumer’s expectations are at an all time low. The CU Warrior has a great post today about this very subject. You should read it.
Oh, and thanks for reading this. It means a lot to me.
The 2020 Vision of Marketing 
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August 28, 2009 at 5:47 am
Glenn Coble
Just read your blog then followed up by reading CU Warrior… as suggested. I absolutely agree with both but are there only 8 of us in the world. Now, I know I’m and old hippie and I’m listening to David Crosby’s “Laughing” while responding to this blog… but when will the so called leaders of our industry get a clue that the ancient tenants of the greedy banking industry are not ours.
Of course we can’t afford to loose money but we were established so one member to help another… weren’t we?
“Find the Cost of Freedom”…
August 28, 2009 at 6:53 am
dbkayanda
Denise –
I don’t know from credit unions, but I love reading your blog.
My favorites are the prepaid credit cards. It sounds like such a GOOD deal to get your $100 rebate or $50 thank you gift on a Visa card you can use anywhere. But they mostly get turned down, without explanation, and I don’t like to have my Visa card, even if it’s not a “real” one, get turned down. It makes me feel like a deadbeat.
So I don’t use them. Which is JUST what they want. I have something like $250 in my wallet that’s busy expiring.
August 28, 2009 at 7:17 am
Denise Wymore
@glenn – the cost of freedom….oh what a price we pay.
@dbkayanda – I love the phrase “busy expiring…”
If these teaser cards had a webcam, I’m sure there’s some greedy marketer sitting back in their office chair, hands clasped behind their head, shoes on the desk watching monitors of cards in dark wallets not being used – busily expiring.
Behind the greedy marketer is a tote board clicking away their profits. But hopefully what my graph tried to illustrate is, eventually that decision will catch up with them…….we can only hope.
Thanks for the comment.
August 28, 2009 at 7:54 am
Credit Union Warrior
Zappos has the nerve to under-promise and over-deliver?!? How dare they?
August 28, 2009 at 8:20 am
Denise Wymore
@Credit Union Warrior – I know!
We’ve all been taught that – right? But to actually see it in practice was breathtaking. Oh, and when UPS delivered the package, it was wrapped in plastic by the driver because it’s raining today.
Life is good.
August 28, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Jim Jerving
Denise,
The mail-in rebates are the real thieves. They often send back your coupon with no money and a list of ten things that you didn’t do. I once asked a Lands End sales clerk why he was shaking his head at me for taking a clothing item back. If you are going to live as your brand says, “we’ll take back any item for any reason,” then you have to do it without the grumbling. Good post as usual!
September 9, 2009 at 6:17 am
Credit Union Warrior
Just a quick “by the way”. As a result of this post, I visited Zappos for the very first time. Ended up buying a pair of shoes for my son. WOM works.
September 9, 2009 at 6:25 am
Denise Wymore
CUWarrior – that’s awesome. As soon as I read that I was hoping that they wowed you too. I even felt a little nervous. When you recommend something, you’re really putting a bit of your reputation out there. That’s why it’s so valuable. The power of a company “living up” to that reputation is what results in repeat business and more referrals and so on and so on and so on.
I would be remiss if I didn’t plug Net Promoter Score. It asks that ultimate question “How likely is it that you would recommend Zappos to a friend, family member or colleague?” On a scale of 0 – 10?
Zappos enjoys a whopping 90% Net Promoter Score. In the next year 54.9% of their customers will buy again. That’s resulted in $649 million in net profits a year. Not bad. Loyalty economics baby!
The Member Loyalty Group (www.memberloyaltygroup.com) just released their first benchmark study. The members of that CUSO combined scored 55%. We’re not Zappos yet, but we don’t suck like banks either – hovering around 15%.