I have not been very productive at writing on this blog, will try to better myself.

Today I have learned a lesson of how to do some really interesting marketing. I got pitched a new service by my telephone company, BT. The new service is called “BT Vision”. Somehow, I didn’t really get to reading the pitch, as it seemd to coincide with the arrival of my BT telephone bill.

I know that a lot of people have been bitching and moaning about cable companies, after all, there is www.comcastmustdie.com

However, I have to confess, I am totally unable to read my bill. I have no clue what I am paying for. All I can understand is the amount at the bottom, the rest is a total mystery to me. I have no clue when the billing period for this bill starts, or when it stops. All I know is that I am already paying until the end of April for the privilidge of having a telephone line. There is a ton of voice calls on my bill, but they are not itemised. I have no clue what the time period of these calls is. None at all.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not complaining about this. I am sure I can look it all up online and I am sure it will be fine. But think about it: I have a PhD in Biotechnology from the University of Cambridge and I can’t understand this thing. This is how complicated it is. Literally. Amazing. It just boggles my mind.

How can these guys do this? They send out – regularly – something that simply destroys all trust I may or may not have in this company: they can’t even tell me what my cost in January were! And now they want to sell me BT Vision?!

All this just reminded me that every customer contact leaves an impression behind that impacts your brand. Just imagine: I could have received a very nice bill from BT: Costs broken down by date and month and type. Including VAT. I am private customer after all. They could have impressed me with a clear message: “When you are with BT, it is all simple and easy, you can trust us, here, why don’t you have a look at BT Vision?”

Reminds me all of Dale Carnegie: “The only way in which somebody will buy something is for them to want to buy it.”

But how can I want to buy something from a company that confuses me and where I have little trust?