I was visiting Custom Auto Body in North Canton last week for a meeting with Lance Runion, VP and General Manager. We are working on a project together and it was the first time I’d visited his shop. Expecting a typical auto repair store with worn carpet, car and truck magazines and ugly metal chairs I was pleased to walk into an inviting waiting area; warm, clean, comfortable.
Even better – the magazines were more to my liking with a recent copy of People Magazine. But before I could pick it up and delve into the latest Tiger Woods, Bragelina, Brittany scandal, my eyes fell upon a scrapbook/photo album.
I opened it to find page after page of before and after pictures of the cars they had repaired. Accompanying each picture was a handwritten thank you note from the customer.
If I was there for an estimate or to have my car repaired – what a wonderful validation that I had selected the right place to have my car fixed. The before and after pictures were a powerful marketing message that clearly showed their ability. The testimonials added to their credibility.
Sometimes we just need a little validation that the vendor we’ve selected is the right one. What simple visual tool can you put together to help your customers know the value you provide?
Do you ask for testimonials? Think about your best customers – would they be willing to say something positive about your business? Follow these simple steps:
Give them a call and ask if they’ll provide a quote.
Offer to write it for them. (have them approve before you publish)
Think of one specific thing you’d like the quote to be about and write the sentence with that focus (responsive, quality, knowledgeable, great listener, experienced)
Amass a library of quotes; each one focused on a different aspect of your abilities
Use the quotes in your email signature (rotate a different one each week/month)
Put quotes on each of your website pages
Include a quote in your e-newsletter
Make it easy for your prospects to decide to be your customer by giving them visual proof that others have been pleased. Do you have a creative way you use customer testimonials? Share it with us here!
In the recent edition of Cosmo there is an article that talks about the Six Things Guys Notice in the First Six Seconds. There are a few obvious answers: smile, hair and cleavage but also a couple surprises: makeup, skin and your purse.
The article reports that guys make certain assumptions about you by what they notice in the first six seconds. For example:
Are all women who haul around big purses—in other words, cavernous rucksacks stuffed full of old receipts, emergency sweaters, and half-used bottles of hand sanitizer—high maintenance? Maybe not. But guys will go ahead and assume they are anyway.
I heard about this article on the radio this morning and a caller said – I have a large bag but it was a gift. Another caller said their purse was big because it contained items they might need in an emergency – they wanted to be prepared. The third caller said she had items in her purse so that she could look good for her man.
The DJ said “it doesn’t matter – it is the PERCEPTION the guy has about you.”
Ahhhh reality isn’t really a factor.
So let’s bring this around to our customer. What assumptions do our customers make about us and the products/services we provide and our ability to solve their problem? Are their perceptions based in reality? Would we be surprised?
Customers make assumptions from the moment they pull into our parking lot or click on our Home Page. They look around, and may not even be aware, but begin to make judgements about our ability to suit their needs from the first greeting.
Bottom line – you have to keep an on-going, open line of communication with your customers to ensure their perception of you as a person, your company and your products and services are the same as what you believe them to be.
How do you measure your customer’s first impressions of you and your business?
I have company coming for Thanksgiving and as I make a list of all that needs to be done before they arrive, I realize the carpets need to be cleaned.
The cleaner I used to use is no longer in business so it was back to the Yellow Pages to make a few calls. I called the standard choices and explained the same thing:
I need two rooms, stairs and a hallway and two pieces of furniture cleaned.
My company has an allergy to cats and so I wanted to make sure that the bedrooms and furniture were free from cat dander.
Each of the traditional companies (Service Master, Stanley Steemer and Sears) had similar pricing. They didn’t tell me what I would receive, they just quoted a price. The prices were comparable within $15. Nothing set them apart.
I’ve used each of them at one time or another over the years and remember that often on the actual day of cleaning, additional options would be made available like scotch guard for an additional price.
She asked drill down questions about the rooms and the furniture
She priced each room and item (very competitive rates)
She informed me that it would include moving furniture and scotch-guarding the carpets and furniture
She asked what day would be convenient
She asked if I had a time preference
She told me that I would need to vacumn before they came and move any small or breakable items and they would take care of the rest
It was a thorough conversation after which I felt confident that her company knew what they were doing and would take care of all of the aspects of the job for me without incident.
I booked an appointment right away. Then she asked when I was doing the general cleaning of the house before my company arrived. She suggested that we schedule the carpet cleaning for the day AFTER I cleaned as cleaning would send dust particles into the carpet. And she suggested the visit occur the day BEFORE my company arrives to allow for plenty of drying time. She said they had different cleaning methods but since my biggest concern was cat dander – she recommended the steam process. All of this great and helpful information for the same price as the competition – actually a little less.
Great Value! Great customer connection. She listened to what was important to me and made recommendations based on those needs. Color me one happy customer and they haven’t even come to clean the carpets!
It’s hard to set ourselves apart when prospect are comparing prices over the phone. But if we take the time to ask additional questions we often learn valuable information that we can respond to, thus setting ourselves apart from the competition.
Do you still view networking/after hours events as a race to see how many business cards you can gather? I just recently went to such an event where the host gave a gift to the person who’d obtained the most cards. How can you build relationships when all you really want is the card. And then what do you do with the card?
Jeff Nischwitz of Think Again Coaching shares his thoughts on how you can turn a networking event into a relationship building experience in this short but helpful video:
He offers three main points:
Be committed to helping others or giving back to the person you are talking to. Learn enough about their business that so you can offer a lead or a suggestion that can help them grow.
Be interested not interesting. I love this point and how he expands. It reminds me of those times when I’ve been having conversations with someone and asked them one question and they proceeded to talk for the rest of the evening. At the end they say “wow you are the best conversationalist.” I barely said a word, just listened, interjected occasionally and was genuinely interested in what they had to say.
Get rid of the question “what do you do for a living” and instead ask the person to talk about themselves. Jeff says “change the question to ‘what do you do for your customers.’”
Great ideas.
How do you build relationships at networking events?
You’ve seen them, haven’t you? The signs that shout out all of the rules before you even say hello?
Once you enter, you might find more signs:
No refunds
No credit cards
No personal checks
No substitutions or exchanges
No, No NO!
You wonder if they will say no to cash. Signs like that set a tone of negativity.
Well, I saw another sign the other day while taking a walk on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institute that I fell in love with:
That should be the mantra for excellent customer service – nothing is carved in stone. Except that we are here to MEET YOUR NEEDS.
Whatever that means. You’ve heard the story of a customer returning a car tire to Nordstroms and receiving a full refund without comment and Nordstroms doesn’t even sell tires. It may be a myth, but the point of the story is that we should be there to take care of our customer needs without setting a bunch of “no” rules in the way of building that relationship.
Have you ever dated? Are you dating now? Imagine going on a date and before you even sit down for dinner, your date says:
No conversation about sports, politics or religion
Don’t order meat, it offends me
No wine with dinner – it’s a false stimulent andI intend to keep my faculties about me
No hand holding or eye gazing across the table, it’s sappy
Don’t dominate the conversation, you aren’t the only person here
And under no circumstances will I come back to see your etchings
What is the tone of the “relationship”? Is it any different with our customer.
For exceptional customer service we should start with “how can I help” and not say another word until we’ve listened carefully and then customized our responses based on their needs.
Nothing carved in stone.
No negative caveats.
Just a desire to uncover and fulfill the needs of those who come to purchase our products or services.
What customer rules do you have carved in stone? Are they really necessary?
I was just attended a fair at which a number of people sat at a series of long tables advertising workshops and classes they were going to be teaching this week. There were classes on philosophy,scrap-booking, yoga and sailing. They ran the gambit of education to entertainment; crafting to communication.
My Mom and I walked slowly past the tables reading the mini-marketing signs, listening in on conversations and viewing samples. We stopped at the table with notes cards and listened to Elaine talk animatedly about the class and the different types of stamping,embossing and glittery cards the participants would make.
Mom was engaged in a conversation, considering taking the class (she did eventually sign up and is thoroughly enjoying the class) but I noticed that next to Elaine was a sign for THE HAPPINESS CLASS. What a clever idea. In this day of job loss and stock market challenges, we could all use a little happiness.
Then I looked from the marketing sign to the teacher.
(This isn’t the teacher, but she had a similar look. This is the food critic from the Disney movie Ratatouille)
I CRACKED UP! I couldn’t help myself. Later I said to my Mom – who is going to take a Happiness Class when the teacher looks like she ate a bowl of green apples?
Then I got to thinking about our business. In the eye glass business, do your associates wear the latest eye-wear? In retail, do associates dress a cut above, sporting your best fashions? In health-care – are your associates healthy – or are they smoking out back?
As customers we make assumptions BEFORE we are even greeted by the associate and if our first impression is in conflict with the branding/marketing message you wish to convey – you will be hard pressed to win them over as a customer. Later in the afternoon, as we walked again by the tables of teachers, the Happiness teacher was the only one without a potential student asking questions. I wonder if she realized why?
That’s the biggest hurdle. Most often we don’t see the inconsistencies ourselves. It takes an unbiased eye – someone not attached to our business to see the opportunities we have for presenting a professional, consistent image.
Have you come across a similar inconsistency that kept you from becoming a customer? Oh, please share it here!
Have you shopped Wal-Mart? When you check out, the credit card machine asks one of a series of random questions. “Was the store clean today?” “Was your cashier friendly?”
I’ve shopped there enough to be aware of the question. I am assuming the answer ties to the person at the register and with today’s automation, I imagine a report is published with the results for the manager to peruse. Being a friendly sort myself, I’m usually quick to say hello as I put my purchases on the conveyor belt and today was no exception.
However, I was greeted with…
NOTHING.
No eye contact. No smile. No response to my opening comments. I was surprised as this is not the norm for my local Wal-Mart staff. As I approached the machine to swipe my debit card I noticed the question was about the friendliness of my cashier.
Sadly, I pushed the “no” button. She continued to ring and bag my purchases and I transferred the bags to my cart – all in silence. Until the transaction was complete.
She looked up – handed me my receipt and became Chatty Cathy!
“So how are you today? Enjoying the wonderful weather?
“umm, yes and how are you?” I responded, taken back by her spirit.
“Fine but I’m looking forward to my break.” ahhhh – understanding dawns.
However, I had already pressed the button labeling her as unfriendly. I wanted to take back my vote – get a second chance. But then I thought – she must know about the button on the cash machine. She must know she is being measured. Is a customer friendly attitude only required some of the time? Sadly, her friendly, welcoming spirit came too late. Timing was everything and today she was found lacking when it counted.
Are your employees customer friend consistently? Are you? It is a hard task to take on. We all come to a point in our day when we are counting the minutes until we can put our feet up and take a break. In those few moments our smile may falter. And yet the customers we encountered during those tired moments may be visiting us for the first time. They may get the impression that the tired, non-engaged attitude is how all customers are treated.
Can we afford to let our guard down? Whew. It is exhausting.
The phone rang not long ago, as it is apt to do, and the woman at the other end of the phone said:
“I know you won’t remember me, but I attended a seminar you gave about three years ago on Generational Marketing. Are you still on the speaking circuit? I really liked your speaking style – it was one of the only sessions that I stayed awake. I’m in need of a speaker next month and wondered if you were interested.”
Three years ago. Talk about planting a seed!
We never know how something we say or do will impact others. What kind of an impression will it make? How long will they remember?
In this “I want it now,” need-for-speed, immediate gratification world we live in, we sometimes forget that good things come to those who wait. That sometimes the best things are worth waiting for and some people just don’t need us and what we offer today - but if we make a good enough impression – they may need us three years from now.
So how can you leave a lasting impression?
One way is to make sure you are all about providing value. If you are constantly thinking about closing the deal you are going to miss the opportunity to make a positive impression. If the person doesn’t look like they will sign on the dotted line that very minute, we may lose interest and move on to someone with their wallet open, money dangling. People can sense your motivation. If they feel you are only in it for what they can provide to YOU, you’ll be forgotten in the time it takes to make eye contact with the person standing next to you.
However, if you show genuine interest in those you are meeting and talking with – if you ask questions – if you share your knowledge – if you give without expecting something in return – you’ll stand out. You’ll make an impression.
Take it a step further. GIVE SOMETHING AWAY. Yesterday I was talking with a prospect about writing her website content. I submitted a proposal and she called to say it wasn’t in the budget right now. We talked about the possibility of just writing a portion of the site now and the rest later. In the meantime I said to her, “Something you can do for yourself is write a listing of key words and phrases that your web developer can put in the Source Code.”
As a webwriter I charge for the content I write – what is visible to the reader and what is hidden in the Source code for the search engine spiders. However, in this case I spent some time on the phone talking with her about things she could do on her own to help the visibility of her site. I’m not going to send her an invoice. It was just the right thing to do to help someone out.
What do you do to help someone out – just because it is the right thing to do?
Be yourself. Another way to make a lasting impression is to just be yourself. If that means, casual, funny and easy to be around – all the better. We been raised to believe we need to be in our three-piece suit, using our best grammar, high-fulooting vocabulary in order to be taken seriously in business. Trouble is – that stiff, professional exterior is difficult to relate to, can be intimidating and if you leave an impression – it probably isn’t positive. Be yourself. In order to make an impression, you need to strive to make a connection – start a relationship. It is easier to build a relationship with someone who is enjoyable to be around.
Be patient. You just don’t know when the person you are meeting today will need to reconnect.
You just don’t know if the person you are talking to will refer you to a friend. However, if you focus on being yourself, offering something of value, showing genuine interest in others and giving away information when it is needed – you’ll leave a lasting impression that may just knock on your door next month, next year or in three years from now!
I have bushy eyebrows. Always have. Before Brook Shields made them popular, my one big eyebrow was the reason for many tearful, middle school nights. I wore long bangs to cover my hairy forehead.
And then some brilliant person invented eyebrow waxing! Gotta love it. A little pain and it looks like I’ve had a facelift for under $20!
At the Tallmadge Chamber lunch today I met Carol Martin who owns Carol Martin Salon Day Spa. Having checked my eyebrows in the mirror this morning, I knew I was over due for a waxing.
“Sure – we can get you in after the luncheon,” Carol told me. So I zipped across the street to her location. I was cheerfully greeted, asked to sign in and then MAGIC happened.
I have to back up for just a minute.
A friend of mine, who is a professional coach, told the sad tale of a conversation she had with a prior customer.She likes to take her customers out for a thank you lunch once a year with no hidden agenda, just a nice opportunity to sit and chat about business and life.It was on one such occasion that she learned a hard lesson.
“He was talking about a recent challenge he’d had with his business,” she told me.“He needed a speech writer for a corporate function and he didn’t have anyone on staff who could adequately complete the task.”She shook her head sadly as she continued the story.
“He moaned about going from one writer to another and the struggle he’d endured to find someone who could not only write a satisfactory speech but who would quickly learn enough about the business to sound authentic.”
The reason the story is so sad for my friend?She is a professional speech writer.She’d known the customer for over five years and understands his business, the company’s goals and objectives and enough of the corporate culture to have written a brilliant speech in a relatively short period of time.
“I asked him why did just didn’t call me?I worried that he’d been secretly dissatisfied with my work thus far but his answer was much more disturbing to me,” she said.
“He had no idea I wrote speeches.”
My friend had successfully created a brand for herself in the professional coaching arena but never bothered to effectively communicate the other products and services she offered to her customers.
Do customer know ALL you offer?
How often does it happen that a customer thinks of you in association with one product or service and doesn’t have a clue all of the services you offer?
Now back to Carol Martin’s Salon and Day Spa.
Before being led to the room for the surgery to separate my eyebrow into two reasonably sized brows, I was given a complete tour.
“Here’s where we offer pedicures and manicures, and we have two rooms for body services like body wraps, massages and facials.Here’s the room with the shampoo bowls and the make up area where we can do make up for prom parties and wedding parties.”
In less than two minutes, I had the opportunity to clearly see all of the services offered at Carol Martin’s.
It was a great exercise in helping a new customer understand the full scope of solutions available.I walked out a short while later – freshly waxed and feeling great!
Do your customers know about all of your products and services?How can you quickly and concisely let knew customers know all you offer?
Remember this scene? Tom Cruise’s self-absorbed character in the movie Jerry McGuire has finally realized what is important in life.
Renee stops him before he cries her a river and says “You had me at hello.”
Don’t we wish our customers would feel the same way? The first impression we give; our location, our merchandise, our staff, and their initial greeting – that MAKE OR BREAK MOMENT is so fantastic that when they look back on the experience they say:
“YOU HAD ME AT HELLO.”
On Friday I wrote about an unfortunate restaurant experience in which I waited in vain to be seated at a table. At one point an employee came within speaking distance to fill the salad bar but chose not to speak or acknowledge our presence.
It makes me wonder at the focus that is put on greeting customers in our company training programs. We worry about making sure the employee knows how to clock in and out, how to make the widgets we sell, how to fill out paper work and other task oriented assignments, but how much time do we spend on HELLO?
Do we assume people know how to greet effectively?
Here are just a few tips for greeting customers in person (please comment with your additions and together we’ll create a tutorial for how to say “hello”
greet within 15 – 30 seconds of their entrance to the business (think that’s too fast? Raise your arm up high and now count “one, one thousand, two one thousand” up to 30 and see if your arm gets tired – that is about the length of your customer’s patience
Put a smile on your face – even a fake one is better than none
Make eye contact – eye contact coupled with a smile sends a message that you are happy to see them
Say “HI WELCOME TO XYZ, HOW CAN I HELP YOU?”
If you are busy with another customer, excuse yourself for a moment to look up and say “hi” with a smile and eye contact and mention that you’ll be right there
If you know you can’t be right there – grab the attention of another associate or manager to help
Keep the person informed (I’m tied up but Sue will be right there)
If you are busy with a task (like the salad bar guy) ask yourself this question: who pays my check, this broccoli or the customer at the door? Then give your attention to the person or vegetable most likely to use cash
It’s that simple. Each company will have their procedures for after “hello” but everyone – even the person who has only been working 60 minutes – if they are visible to the customer – should confidently greet and welcome each person entering the business.
We’ll talk about the phone greeting another time. But remember this:
A potential customer greeted warmly is immediately made to feel valuable and that is the beginning of developing a relationship you hope will be lifelong. How long does it take to say hello? Just a second.
How long is the damage you can do to your business if you fail to greet promptly and warmly?
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I was visiting Custom Auto Body in North Canton last week for a meeting with Lance Runion, VP and General Manager. We are working on a project together and it was the first time I’d visited his shop. Expecting a typical auto repair store with worn carpet, car and truck magazines and ugly metal chairs I was pleased to walk into an inviting waiting area; warm, clean, comfortable.
In the recent edition of Cosmo there is an article that talks about the 
