Is there anyone out there who hasn’t heard the term, “The Tip of the Iceberg”? I doubt it. And everyone pretty much knows it is talking about what you see isn’t always the whole story…thus the “tip” of the iceberg. Think of it in regards to Word-of-Mouth and your customers. What are they REALLY SAYING about you? Is it the “tip” or is it the “iceberg”?
Most companies I meet have been happy with the “tip” because it is usually something that “feels good” to them to hear. But my experience says people are willing to share the “tip of the iceberg” with others because it is EASY. It is easy to say, “Yes they gave me what I wanted” or “I had a good experience” or “They helped me solve my problem.” These are TIP STATEMENTS…not ICEBERG STATEMENTS!
Iceberg statements might really be, “I got what I needed but it wasn’t all that easy to deal with them” or “They finally solved my problem but it took a long time and wasn’t all that friendly.” People don’t normally share these because these are “harder” to talk about. When you share these statements, people naturally want to ask questions and get details…something most don’t want to take the time to share. But this is where the gold is when it comes to figuring out what is really being said and how you are really doing as a business.
FLIP THE ICEBERG OVER!
Find out what the customer is really feeling (saying) and fix it. That sounds simple…and sometimes it is easier than you think. Most the time it isn’t…but it is SOOOO worth it in the end. What would your business look like if YOUR customers were talking about the WOW, AWESOME, MEMORABLE experience they had (the iceberg) and your competitors customers were just talking about having their problem solved (the tip). Who gets the most WORD-OF-MOUTH…and the best word-of-mouth? Who gets talked about on social channels? Who gets passionately shared and recommended on facebook and twitter and all the other social tools your audience uses?
FLIP THE ICEBERG.
You might not like what you initially see under the surface…but at least you will know what you have to change. When it gets changed…you ROCK and RULE your space and the competitors won’t know what hit them. Your brand becomes dominant. Your brand gets talked about. You win…
