"Wow" is spelled D-E-L-L

Here's a shock from a old-time Mac guy: Dell Computers just WOWED me!

During this past holiday season, my friends at www.slickdeals.net alerted me to a cool contest: "The Dell End of Re-Gifting Holiday Game" at dell.com. Each day you could visit and pick a stocking for a chance to win anything from a 2005 Chrysler Crossfire Coupe to a discount on Dell products.

Now, like most of you, I am suspicious of such games. Who really has EVER won any of these prizes? Ever met anyone who has? Well, late one night, while playing the game during a Thanksgiving visit to Mary's mom, instead of the customary "Sorry!" message I read: "Congratulations! You have WON a X51v Axim from Dell. We will be sending you an email shortly to inform you of how to claim your prize."

They weren't lying. An email promptly arrived congratulating me. I was elated.

They sent the prizes out at the end of January and while I was happy to be a winner, frankly, I was a little underwhelmed. The Dell Axim 51 I received was NOT wireless-enabled and since I knew it would not sync up with my iBook G4, it's lack of wireless connectivity would make its use vexing to me. I couldn't sync it up to my laptop to add movies or, uh, important files, and I couldn't access the web with it, either...

Then, last week, I received this letter from Dell's Hillary Robinson:

"It has come to our attention that we mistakenly sent you the Axim X51, instead of the Axim X51v that you won in Dell’s “The End of Re-gifting Holiday Game." There are a few differences between the 2 models. The Axim X51 you received has the following features: 416MHz, 128MB ROM, 64 SDRAM, and a 3.5 inch QVGA screen. On the other hand, the Axim X51v includes: 624MHz, 256MB ROM, 64MB SDRAM, and a 3.7 inch QVGA screen."

"You may choose to keep the X51 that was sent, OR you may choose to return the X51 and receive the X51v. If you decide to return the X51, please contact Hillary Robinson ... prior to 2/17/06. We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused and appreciate your patience in this matter. Once again, we wish to thank you for participating in the Dell Holiday Game."

I was completely stunned! I wrote back to Hillary: "I wish to make the exchange. Although I was excited to win, I was somewhat diappointed that this unit was not wifi-ready and I have been unable to find the appropriate wifi card on the market."

Her response:

"The Axim X51v that you will receive has wireless capabilities. You will receive an airbill to return the original Axim, but please keep the second battery that was sent with the original because it is interchangeable between the models."

And I responded:

"Thanks for the great news and, more importantly, thanks to Dell for being a stand-up company. I never would have looked a gift horse in the mouth and complained. So, knowing that you made the extra effort to contact me and make this offer actually means a lot more than the original win to me. This is why Dell enjoys such a good reputation for customer satisfaction. Please share this note with the appropriate supervisors to let them know that no matter what else happened today in Dell world, Dell made one customer very happy and that customer plans to share this experience with others!"

Which I am doing now...

What's even MORE amazing: The Dell Axim 51v arrived to me BEFORE the airbill return slip! It arrived while I was out of town and I plan to spend Monday setting it up.

I am beyond impressed with Dell. And I wanted to share the news and make a broader point: In today's business climate the ability to be a market leader almost entirely pertains to one's ability to exceed customer expectations.

It is no longer enough to meet expectations (if it ever was). It is not even enough to beat so-called "industry standards." You must "wow" to the point that a customer will share that excitement with his or her social network. This is now what is commonly referred to as "social marketing." It is one matter to use traditional marketing methodology to get a message out but successful market leaders of today will utilize social marketing networks to leverage branding to specific audiences thus generating more solid audience connections.

Said differently: Marketing IS customer service and customer service IS marketing!

More later!


Mark