How do you build a relationship with someone? You often have to put their needs ahead of yours. That is true in a relationship with your significant other, a best friend, your parents, and your kids.
It is also true with our customers.
If we put them first in all we do – the customer service experience improves. Word circulates that your business is the customer-friendly business. You’ll stand out from your competition, who put profits first, and referrals and repeat business will be the order of the day.
So how do you start?
I’l created a little booklet that offers 105 ways to put customers first. The book is divided into ten categories:
Greeting
Customer-Focused
Involve Associates
Involve Customers
Make it Easy
Make it Right
Offer Value
Phone Conversations
Say Thanks
Be Visible
Each section offers quick and easy-to-implement suggestions for ways to put customers first in your business. A great gift for a new business owner or store manager, Put Customers First is just $9.95. A great value when you consider the financial benefit of repeat business.
Consider this quote:
“Companies spend 6 to 10 times more to acquire new customers than they do to retain existing customers. But a 5% increase in customer retention can have a bottom-line profit increase of 75%, depending on the industry.”
-Don Neal, Director of Business Development for Hallmark Business Expressions
Put Customers First in your business and you’ll enjoy a long term relationship so that your customers remember you, refer you to their friends and family and return the next time they need your products and services. Buy your copy of 105 Ways to Put Customers First today.
Many years ago while attending a manager training for Pearle Vision our teacher, Dorthea, told a story that has stuck vividly with me ever since.
A store manager told of the day when no one would come into her store. Her Pearle Vision location was a free standing store and the employees parked their car in the back and entered and exited through the rear door. On this particular day they arrived shortly before opening time so they could turn on the machines, check the phone messages, vacuum the store front and get ready for the customers. At the appointed hour they unlocked the front door and waited for their first customers of the day. They could see through a window that a car approached and a customer got out of the car and walked toward the front door. However, rather than come in, they returned to their car and drove off.
Strange, thought the manager, but she was busy with other tasks and didn’t think about it. However, a second and third potential customer did the same thing. Curious and curiouser. She couldn’t imagine what the problem was. Thankfully the fourth person approaching the store solved the mystery.
“You might want to go out front and check out your walkway. There is a dead cat in front of your door. It is really pretty gross.”
Dorthea stressed the importance of the viewing our business through the eyes of the customer. And that means the outside of the business as well. “Customers begin making judgements about your ability to satisfy their needs from the minute they pull into the parking lot. You can have the cleanest store, the best inventory and the most trained staff but if the outside of the building has trash or heaven forbid, a dead cat, customers aren’t going to believe you can provide them with a great experience.”
From that moment on, I made sure I took a walk around my store on the outside as well as the inside and truly looked to see what the customer sees. No dead cats here!
Whether we have a store front, a home based business or an online business – we need to take the time to view the entire experience through the eyes of the customer. If you looked at your business through customer eyes – would you find a “dead cat” keeping you from making a great first impression?
Have you ever lost a customer and didn’t know why?
I was talking with Business Coach and Professional Speaker Leslie Ungar of Electric Impulse Communications about customers. She shared a story with me that really helped put things in perspective.
As the economy takes its good old time recovering, the trickle down effect of lower revenues is hitting some of the smaller companies and as such, companies are cutting back some of their vendor/freelance relationships. Each time we loose a customer we have to access the situation.
Is there something I could have done differently?
Was it price?
Was it attitude?
Should I have said something different?
Should I have kissed him?
(That’s what Elizabeth Kitt – recent participant who was eliminated from ABC’s The Batchelor is asking herself today.)
Leslie used to show horses. She told me that at the end of a competition participants could approach the judges and ask for advice on what they could do differently next time to place or win in their category.
“I was always the first in line to ask a question,” Leslie told me. “I wanted to know why I didn’t win and what the judges thought I should have done differently.” Sometimes they would remember, or after refreshing their notes they might have a specific comment, but often it was a general bit of advice that they would share. She listened carefully each time to what they had to say.
“If one person told me something, I would listen but I might not make a change. I was listening for patterns that I couldn’t ignore. If I heard the same comment from different judges or multiple times then I knew that was an area I needed to address.”
She was looking for patterns.
We need to do the same thing with our customers. Of course that means we have to engage them in conversation – exit interviews – follow up surveys or phone calls to ask about the service and experience and then listen for patterns.
Customer complaints are another great place to look for patterns. Some times you just have a complainer – but often, if you listen closely enough, you’ll find out about an area of service you need to address because it impacts the customer’s experience.
Have you lost a customer lately? Do you know why? Has it been the first time you’ve heard the reason or has a pattern begun to emerge?
Listen carefully to those patterns you can’t ignore and then start to make some changes!
I’d have to say customer loyalty is low on my scale.
We don’t have customers in our business, we have clients. And loyalty from them isn’t one of the things we’re looking for. Loyalty is for football teams and dogs. I don’t know why but the word loyal reminds me of reluctance to change. I know it’s one of the boy scout characteristics we all should strive for but in business or even as a consumer, it’s the “best deal,”, “the best value,” and the complete package that everyone wants.
If I buy the same products year after year because I’m loyal, it’s probably because I’m afraid to try something new. Or too busy to research what’s new. Isn’t it better to try something new and then come back to the original when you found out which was better, then never test at all?
Loyalty seems passive. I think the word satisfied or satisfaction is even too weak. I love to have our clients be thrilled, amazed, delighted, happy, blown away and in general, overjoyed. Some how the word “loyal” falls somewhere in the more moderate range with the word satisfied.
She’s right. Loyalty is a passive concept. I never thought of it that way. I equated loyalty with repeat business – the golden goose of success. But if loyalty equals humdrum, then what does that say about the relationship we develop with our customer?
Do words and phrases like “assume” and “take for granted” and “habit” begin to creep into our thinking when we approach our customer?
Holy Cow Batman! That isn’t going to work.
As Chris says – we need customers who are Delighted! Surprised! Overjoyed!
So although I’m not ready to say loyalty from our customers is worthless – I do wonder how we keep the excitement in the minds of our customers when they think of us.
As a business – do we begin to get lazy when thinking of our repeat customers and even go so far as to take them for granted? How can we keep it fresh so they are excited and delighted?
Rita Shisler owns Shisler Cheese in Orrville, Ohio and not long ago she was the focus of a million dollar business owner column in the Plain Dealer.
I have the pleasure of knowing Rita, both from a shared acquaintance of business coach Norma J. Rist and our membership in the NEOhio based Women’s Network.
The article: Rita Shisler Built a Business on a Conversation by columnist Marcia Pledger chronicles the history of Shisler Cheese and Rita’s dedication, perseverance and savvy business acumen.
There is one quote in the article that really grabbed me:
One elderly woman used to stop by four times a week. When she died last year, her niece found 25 bags of cheese and bologna in her refrigerator.
“We thought she liked our food,” Shisler said. “Clearly our conversations meant more.”
Rita’s focus is on building customer relationships. She said:
Work hard and hire people who are a good fit for your business. You have to love what you do. It reflects back on to your business. People like doing business with happy people. They want to be part of it.
People buy from those they like and trust. Those that take the time to have a conversation; to get to know their customers.
Norma Rist, our mutual friend and business coach said: “She has developed the most outstanding customer service you can imagine. “Her business is built on repeat customers.”
Now I’m sure YOU work hard on building relationships with your customers. But what about your employees? Do they work as hard as you to create an environment of fun and conversation?
Are you in the back office or out front listening, encouraging and leading by example?
What conversations have you had with customers today?
We were seated at a window table and pulled out our cameras to take pictures of each other and the view. Sasha, our waiter, came to introduce himself – saw the cameras and decided that his first role would be that of photographer. Selecting Mom’s brand new Sony 10.1 MP camera, he posed us – then made an adjustment to the camera and began snapping. Mom said – oh – what did you do – you found a new feature to my camera! Our waiter was a photo teacher as well.
Soon he brought flutes of champagne – on the house – for us all (Emily received a flute with pineapple juice) and he led our first toast. Thus began the most enjoyable meal I’ve ever had. Yes – the food was fantastic – but his treatment of us was what put the night over the top:
He joined in our celebration – making us feel special, not like silly tourists
He treated my daughter as an adult, including her in the decisions and the explanations and served her pasta with butter sauce with as much flourish as if it were the chef’s greatest creation
He validated our choices with specific information – not just “oh that is a good choice” but rather providing new information. Our wine choice turned out to be one of the top three Chardonnays of Italy (Cabreo - wonderful)
He anticipated our needs, bringing moist toilettes for my Mother after serving the King Prawns and opening the packages as he knew her fingers were messy with shrimp
When the check came – trust me it wasn’t a small number – the credit card came out without hesitation. It had been an evening worth every Euro.
FOLLOW UP: Of course we raved about our experience to our fellow tour buddies and five families went the next night and all but one had a similar experience and none had Sasha as their waiter. Each server had been trained to provide a memorable experience. One family asked if Sasha would be their waiter. They were told no, however, within minutes of being seated - Sasha came to their table to greet them warmly and thank them for asking for him. Although he was not able to serve them – shortly after greeting them, he sent to the table a complimentary appetiser with his best wishes for a wonderful meal. Now that’s classy!
I wanted to get my hair cut yesterday. Something different. Short. Easy to care for. I tried a salon I’d not previously visited.
By the end of the experience I was unhappy with my look. Whether it was the stylist or my poor communication – it doesn’t matter. The result was – I was not pleased. I didn’t say anything as I paid my bill, but I also wasn’t smiling.
“It’s only hair,” I told myself. I will try to fix it when I get home and soon it will grow out.
However, when I arrived home there was a voice mail message on my machine.
“Ms. Brown, the owner saw you leave and commented that you didn’t look happy with your hair cut. Nina wants to make sure that everyone is happy. If you are interested, we would like to invite you back. Nina will redo your hair to your liking.”
Oh my goodness. I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t complained. I hadn’t put up a fuss. True – I probably wouldn’t have gone back. But now I was embarrassed. I looked back over my exit from the salon – had I unknowingly been rude? I hoped not. However, I couldn’t resist calling them back. This seemed to be above and beyond.
“I received your call,” I said when the receptionist answered the phone.
“Yes, the owner wants to make sure you are happy. Can you come back in so that she can recut your hair? It is very important to her that every customer is a happy customer.”
I went back to the store last night and Nina redid my hair. The first girl was extremely pleasant and we’d had a nice chat while she cut my hair. I had no quarrel with her and yet here was the owner coming back to the salon away from her evening with her family to work on my hair.
Impressive. I couldn’t believe how in tune she was to my feelings – we didn’t have a conversation earlier in the day – we didn’t even make eye contact. Yet she was so aware of her customers that she noticed from whatever my body language was that I wasn’t happy.
That’s customer service.
That’s going above and beyond.
That’s being aware of your customer and the experience they are having.
That sets you apart from your competition.
That shows you want to build a relationship with your customer so they remember, refer and return.
That’s impressive.
I’ve had bad hair cuts or hair cuts that didn’t turn out like I hoped in the past. It happens. It’s hair. It will grow back. I wash it, style it and move on. It is usually my fault because I can’t articulate what I want. My fault.
Never have I experienced a salon that cared this much about their customer. I will be back. Check them out – if you are in NE Ohio, visit Nina Michelle Salon and Spa. They care about their customers!
Maybe I’ll see you there – because I’ll definitely be going back!
It is so true – whether you are selling a service or a widget – the very first time someone was willing to pay cash for what you offer was a high you’ll remember forever.
My first customer needed a sales letter. A simple task but I remember approaching it with the intensity and focus of a brain surgeon. I wanted to make sure everything was just perfect.
I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to exceed their expectations.
Small Biz Bee said something that really resonated with me when they wrote:
What’s old hat for you, is brand spanking new for them
Even though you’ve given the same sales pitch 1,000 times, or had hundreds of people shop your website and come into your store, the experience for the next customer is completely new. You only have one moment to capture them as a customer for life. If you aren’t into it, if your enthusiasm wanes for even a moment, you shortchange their experience and they likely will not be back. Conversely if you treat them as you did that first customer, you better believe they will be back and the beauty of it is they are going to tell all their friends about you too.
That’s just what I mean by make or break moments. By realizing that each customer is unique and therefore needs to be treated like our very first, we make the most of our first interaction. First impressions go a long way towards developing a relationship and ultimately building trust. People buy from those they like and trust.
Switch shoes for a moment.
Imagine if every place of business you entered treated YOU like their very first customer. How would that make you feel?
Before I even start my story, you know it will be wildly wonderful. Why? Because it happened at Trader Joe’s. Can you imagine having your name so closely associated with great customer service that all people have to hear is your name and know right away that it will be great? Like Jell-o is synonymous with gelatin; some companies have so closely tied themselves to superior customer service that it is assumed.
I was chatting with Mary Perlmutter of Twinsburg Eye Associates (locally associated with great customer service) about marketing and business and service and she told me a great little story that just happened to her yesterday.
She lives near the Trader Joe’s in Beachwood and frequently shops there. She loves the layout of the store, the products and of course, the service. Yesterday she had a list of four specialty items that she needed. She walked into the store and upon being greeted by an associate made her request:
“I shop her frequently but I’m not sure if you carry these items. I wonder if you could save me some time by looking at my list and telling me if you stock these things.”
The associate said, “Not a problem. Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll go get them for you.”
She sat down near the front door and away he went, her list in his hand, and proceeded to do her shopping for her. Moments later he returned, all four items in his arms. He placed them in her basket, returned the list and left her with a smile and a great story to share.
You should know that my friend is not old, or infirm or physically challenged in anyway. It never occurred to her that he’d go and get the items, she just figured he would know by looking at the list if the items were in stock.
Here’s how the same circumstance might have played out elsewhere and how we’d respond.
We enter the store, we aren’t greeted by anyone and we fend for ourselves. We wouldn’t have thought twice about it.
We are greeted and the person says- oh, I don’t know if we have those things. I haven’t worked here that long. We say thank you and fend for ourselves, never thinking twice about it.
We are greeted and the person says you can find those items in aisle 3 on the left and aisle 5 on the right. We say thank you and marvel that the associate would know their stock so well as to know which side of the aisle the product is on.
We are greeted and the person says – yes we have those things – let me take to you to them. We say thank you and think to ourselves – WOW that’s really nice!
So where on the thermometer of customer service measurements does Mary’s experience at Trader Joe’s rank? Off the charts?
Why is that? Why is extra special service so rare? This associate exceeded Mary’s expectations and I’m sure it took no time at all and yet great customer service is so out-of-the-ordinary that we hold it up as if it were the Hope Diamond of experiences.
Make or Break Moments happen everyday and most of the time they are so basic and so simple, we totally miss them. Look around. Is there a moment in which you could be making a difference for someone that you’ve missed?
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How do you build a relationship with someone? You often have to put their needs ahead of yours. That is true in a relationship with your significant other, a best friend, your parents, and your kids.
I’m facing a 
