Terry Jones speaks at Governor’s Conference On Rural Development

Posted on | November 6, 2009 | No Comments

On November 6th, 2009 at the Nebraska Governor’s Conference on Rural Developmentin Kearney NE, Terry Jones, founder of Travelocity.com and chairman of Kayak.com spoke about technology changing how we conduct business.  It was a great presentation on innovation, rethinking and redesigning the customer relationship and our interaction with that customer.

Terry spoke of how the consumer is now in the driver’s seat and that we, as business owners, must listen to the consumer in order to survive, let alone be successful.

Terry termed the change as working in the “3rd Channel” (which will be a new book written by Jones).  The 3rd Channel, or the Internet, is forcing businesses to provide the personal service that has commonly been identified with the traditional small store and combining it with the Big Box model of wide selection and low prices.   The Internet makes it possible.  Face to face interaction is no longer enough, business owners need to build digital relationships with their customers…they are expecting it.  Today’s consumers use multi-channels to shop.  Although they are still visiting the stores, they are also shopping by phone and online.   To take advantage of these multi-channel shoppers, a business owner needs to provide multiple access points to their business.  Listen to your customers and discover what they want, how they want the product/service delivered and what added benefits you can provide to make their lives easier.  Convenience and service are basic demands of the customer.

If you have found great ways to capture the multi-channel shopper, please share your ideas.  I would love to hear some practical ideas that really work.

To access Terry Jone’s presentation, please click on the link provided: http://www.neded.org/files/NCIP/2009/091104_Neb_Gov_Conf.pdf.

Until later,

Marilyn Schlake, Associate Director, NebraskaEDGE

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