I read a story recently about the challenges staff at an animal shelter face in acquainting prospective adopters with the shelter’s dogs. I wanted to share the story with you because it offers a lesson in customer perception.
Shelter staff have found that people looking for a dog pigeonhole each one by determining its breed or breed background. Then they select the animal by the breed they want. However, mixed breeds are difficult to judge because which breed traits are dominant is unknown. Thus, breed information is truly not helpful in getting to know the mixed-breed dog. Shelter personnel have long recognized this situation and have been grappling with how to address it. “We have to get people to think about what they really want in a dog, what really fits with their lives instead of having them just walk in and say, ‘I want a golden retriever puppy,’” notes Stephen Bardy, executive direction of the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando.
The Pet Alliance spanned this knowledge gap about the dogs by referencing Harry Potter and the four houses of Hogwarts. The organization set up four groups of dogs at this shelter. Dubbing it “Pawworts” Kennel, the staff assigned dogs to a group by the traits they expressed, including the toys they picked up and how they behaved in play groups. “Hufflepuff” dogs consider everyone a friend, wag their tails a great deal, and are excited to see you. “Gryffindor” dogs like to chase balls and fetch sticks. “Ravenclaw” dogs pick up tricks fast and enjoy puzzle-type toys. “Slytherin” are ambitious and fearless. Now each dog is described by its personality, not its breed. This new system “allows us to start talking about the dogs in a very different way,” says Bardy.
How is this working? Diane Anderson, a behaviorist who did most of the sorting, states that “though it’s too early to say whether it will impact adoption rates and trends, the feedback has been enthusiastic in the first couple of weeks.”
The result will be to better match people with a dog that has traits they really want rather than the ones people thought the dog had.
Similar to those looking for a pet at the shelter, customers form their perception of a product or service before they contact your business. These may have come from past experiences, word of mouth, or articles. Whatever the origin of their perceptions, your and your staff are wise to discover this and assess if the perception regarding what you offer is accurate.
You may want to take the customer out of her comfort level by re-labeling your products like the “Pawworts” shelter did with the dogs. When we as businesspeople shake that comfort level by offering something with which our customers are not familiar, we have a chance to engage, educate, and explain the difference of our product or service. With that, we create an opportunity to show how what we offer will bring customers what they want.
What perceptions do your customers have that limit your business with them? How can you change those perceptions? What can you re-label to address that?
This week's marketing trivia challenge is How have labels affected your customers‘ perception? E-mail me your answer.
Shelter staff have found that people looking for a dog pigeonhole each one by determining its breed or breed background. Then they select the animal by the breed they want. However, mixed breeds are difficult to judge because which breed traits are dominant is unknown. Thus, breed information is truly not helpful in getting to know the mixed-breed dog. Shelter personnel have long recognized this situation and have been grappling with how to address it. “We have to get people to think about what they really want in a dog, what really fits with their lives instead of having them just walk in and say, ‘I want a golden retriever puppy,’” notes Stephen Bardy, executive direction of the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando.
The Pet Alliance spanned this knowledge gap about the dogs by referencing Harry Potter and the four houses of Hogwarts. The organization set up four groups of dogs at this shelter. Dubbing it “Pawworts” Kennel, the staff assigned dogs to a group by the traits they expressed, including the toys they picked up and how they behaved in play groups. “Hufflepuff” dogs consider everyone a friend, wag their tails a great deal, and are excited to see you. “Gryffindor” dogs like to chase balls and fetch sticks. “Ravenclaw” dogs pick up tricks fast and enjoy puzzle-type toys. “Slytherin” are ambitious and fearless. Now each dog is described by its personality, not its breed. This new system “allows us to start talking about the dogs in a very different way,” says Bardy.
How is this working? Diane Anderson, a behaviorist who did most of the sorting, states that “though it’s too early to say whether it will impact adoption rates and trends, the feedback has been enthusiastic in the first couple of weeks.”
The result will be to better match people with a dog that has traits they really want rather than the ones people thought the dog had.
Similar to those looking for a pet at the shelter, customers form their perception of a product or service before they contact your business. These may have come from past experiences, word of mouth, or articles. Whatever the origin of their perceptions, your and your staff are wise to discover this and assess if the perception regarding what you offer is accurate.
You may want to take the customer out of her comfort level by re-labeling your products like the “Pawworts” shelter did with the dogs. When we as businesspeople shake that comfort level by offering something with which our customers are not familiar, we have a chance to engage, educate, and explain the difference of our product or service. With that, we create an opportunity to show how what we offer will bring customers what they want.
What perceptions do your customers have that limit your business with them? How can you change those perceptions? What can you re-label to address that?
This week's marketing trivia challenge is How have labels affected your customers‘ perception? E-mail me your answer.
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