Who was it that said - "The customer is always right"? Well for those of you who can't get through the day without knowing, it was H Gordon Selfridge, the founder of Selfridges's department store in London.
The question I want answered is; did he ever work with customers on day-to-day basis and if so, was he some kind of saint?
Let's face it; customers can be a real pain in the neck. You move heaven and earth for them, you respond to their every whim, you give them time to pay and they still try to screw your prices down.
Just when you've done all that, they leave you and start buying from one of your competitors.
Wouldn't running a business be a whole lot better if we didn't have customers? Well, as we know only too well, we do need customers and lots of them. We want them to stay with us and we want them to say nice things about us to other people.
We also want them to pay us on time and accept the fact that we might be a bit more expensive than others.
So how do we perform this miracle? It's dead easy really; you only have to consider two factors: be reliable and be likeable. First off, let's consider what we mean by being reliable.
Reliability is about your product or service doing what you say it will do. It comes in two parts, the first part being: doing it right first time and doing it on time. If you can't get this bit right then you're going to have big problems. Customers will accept the occasional mistake, but too many and you've had it, so let's look a bit closer at reliability.
We've come a long way in recent years in terms of product and core service reliability. Nowadays when people buy a product or service they expect it to work. You don't buy a computer, a washing machine or an automobile and worry that it might not work. You know that it will. You also know that if it didn't, it would be replaced without quibble. The only thing is, that if you deliver this type of reliability in your business then don't expect any brownie points from your customers, they merely take it for granted. Where you are more likely to slip up in the reliability stakes (and this is the second part) is in what some people still regard as minor issues:
*Failing to phone back when we said we would;
*Failing to deliver when we said we would;
*Failing to send information when we said we would;
*Failing to include something extra when we said we would.
The ironic thing is that some customers often regard these failures as quite normal. However, these people won't stay with you, they don't say nice things about you to other people and they'll complain about your prices.
If you say you'll phone a customer back by 5pm then phone before 4pm not the following day. If you say someone will call between 9am and 12noon, then do everything you can to ensure that someone calls closer to nine than 12. Don't think for a minute that calling at 11.55 impresses the customer because it doesn't. So let's just repeat it so there's no misunderstanding later on: firstly your product or service has got to be reliable, secondly, everything you say to the customer has to be reliable.
However, I believe that more than anything you, your product or service and your people have to be likeable.
Too many organisations forget that their customers are humans and the thing about humans is that they don't always make decisions logically. You may have a reliable product or service, reliable delivery time and competitive prices. But it's not enough.
Customers are driven by their emotions and it helps a heck of a lot if they like you and feel good about your business and your people.
"Our customers do like us," I hear you say, "except maybe the difficult ones, the awkward people, the ones who are never happy, the miserable devils - need I go on? Have you ever heard the saying "you only get the customers you deserve"?
Run your eye down the following list and see how many you can tick off.
*We always have a genuine smile for every customer.
*We are warm and friendly to all customers.
*We listen carefully and make it obvious that we are listening.
*We use the customers name and our name appropriately.
*We give the impression that we care.
*We empathise with problems or complaints and respond quickly.
*We occasionally do something to pleasantly surprise the customer.
*We always keep our promises.
*We give the impression that we are fun to deal with.
*We treat the customer the way they want to be treated, not the way we want to be treated.
How well did you do? If you've got a lot of ticks then you probably have lots of customers who like you. Just a word to the managers and employers amongst you. Run your eyes down that list again and replace the word "customer" with the words "employee" or "staff colleague." How many ticks did you get this time? Lots of ticks mean your staff like you and it probably follows that your customers do as well.
Have you noticed how being likeable costs so little? A lot less than advertising or other promotional activity required to replace lost customers.
Maybe the customer isn't always right, but if you want to keep them, make sure they like you.
Discover how you can generate more business without having to cold call! Alan Fairweather is the author of "How to get More Sales without Selling" This book is packed with practical things that you can do to ? get customers to come to you . Click here now http://www.howtogetmoresales.com/Witho ut%20Selling.htm
If you're still dreaming about raising outside capital for your... Read More
As someone who has been heavily involved facilitating strategic planning... Read More
Have you ever been in a department store and known... Read More
Ever notice how customer service varies from store to store?... Read More
Millions of people, just like you, end up with a... Read More
Do you remember the last time you went into a... Read More
Customer service today is getting worse. Win customers over and... Read More
The latest report from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (Michigan... Read More
Oh, what has happened to the carbon-based organizational interface? Many... Read More
If you're a regular reader of my column you know... Read More
You probably realise how the wrong tone of voice and... Read More
At 8.30 am a wealthy client (on his way to... Read More
After years of flying below the radar in the magazine... Read More
Are wholesale buyers and retail customers really different? Frankly, there... Read More
Customer service is an integral part of our job and... Read More
The other day a reporter call to interview me on... Read More
Anyone who knows me knows my favorite fast food restaurant... Read More
You want customers. I want customers. We all want customers.... Read More
Businesses that fail, often forget to seek out the customer... Read More
It may come as a surprise to you to discover... Read More
Big companies and corporations have lost the human touch. The... Read More
We all know the old adage, "The Customer is Always... Read More
The best way to explain this concept is to tell... Read More
We all want great service, whether we are buying our... Read More
It's The Little Things That Make or Break a Small... Read More
You are serving great food. Your establishment is new, spotless... Read More
Traditional marketing strategies encourage business owners to continually grow their... Read More
"Society is always taken by surprise at any new example... Read More
Homebuyers are an interesting study. Watching people make their home... Read More
Why is it that Microsoft wants you to buy its... Read More
Running a business is about providing goods and services to... Read More
Abstract: People buy for their reasons, not yours. This article... Read More
You have no doubt heard the saying that the customer... Read More
Relationships... Money... Health..The Past...Failure..Mental and Spiritual Battles..Time Constraints...Professional pressures..At any... Read More
The other day a reporter call to interview me on... Read More
One of the most popular questions asked in online business... Read More
Evacuation, "E-Vac" Oil System for Oil ChangingHow do most mobile... Read More
You want customers. I want customers. We all want customers.... Read More
If you're still dreaming about raising outside capital for your... Read More
Go into many businesses today and try and get service,... Read More
Yesterday I went to buy a sandwich at a franchised... Read More
In a mobile detail or mobile car wash business you... Read More
Have you ever walked into a store and things looked... Read More
Big companies and corporations have lost the human touch. The... Read More
Nobody likes to get complaints. They make you question your... Read More
I hate to sound like one of those cheesy get-rich-quick... Read More
What have you done for your existing customers lately? Probably... Read More
"I am writing to complain about the widget I bought... Read More
There are five techniques that have been proven to be... Read More
The Call Center world is an intense pressure-driven environment continually... Read More
Loyal customers are the foundation of almost every business. Going... Read More
It's never too soon to start saying thanks to your... Read More
According to customer service studies by marketing gurus of the... Read More
Nowadays, we complain nearly all of the time about how... Read More
1. Stay in contact with customers on a regular basis.... Read More
Which is more important the technology or the customer?The one... Read More
In today's demanding economy, the first line of any business... Read More
Two situations, two perfectly acceptable experiences, but in one case,... Read More
I spent some twenty years in the corporate world, for... Read More
May people these days have a problem with mounting debt.... Read More
Dr. Michael LeBoeuf, in his cassette album entitled, Win... Read More
It all started a couple of weeks ago when a... Read More
You have no doubt heard the saying that the customer... Read More
While most companies talk about consumer friendliness, customer centricity, customer... Read More
Winning Customer ExperiencesMuch research has been done on what the... Read More
Historically, customer service was delivered over the phone or in... Read More
Customer Service |