This statement may be quite true at the most basic level, it
also serves to underscore the reality that one of the on-going purposes of a
business should be to keep a customer. No business owner would argue this
point, but creating and maintaining quality customer relationships is often one
of the biggest challenges facing all businesses.
Please Come Back
Again
One of the dangers that befall many businesses is the
tendency to become accustomed to having customers, to slip into a default mode
of expectations: that the customers are happy, that they’ll keep coming back,
that they’ll tell others about you. The problem is that customers are
people—and people thrive on relationships. And if we are not careful our
customer relationships can become superficial and even counter-productive.
A survey concluded that 68% of all customers do not return,
due to Perceived Indifference. No one
wants to feel that they are being taken for granted and customers are no
different. Again, customers are people and people must be related to, not
processed! Simply “going through the motions” for your customers with the
mindless expectation that they will always be there is a sure path to customer
attrition. And an increasing factor in customer fickleness is the sheer volume
of choices that available in almost every industry and every product or
service. In many ways the business owner is not simply working to gain a
customer’s patronage, but is actually engaged in a contest to win the hearts of
those individuals!
Guaranteed Ways to Drive Business Away
There are certain clichés in business that are dubious in
their truth, such as “the customer is always right.” But one that is
undoubtedly true is that it is cheaper to keep an old customer than to find a
new one. With this in mind let’s look at some of the most detrimental errors
small businesses make in this arena:
1- Ignore Your Customers.
This cardinal sin can be achieved in person, on the phone,
and even over the Internet. Many retail companies adopt a “10 Foot Rule” that
requires customers to be acknowledged if the employee is within ten feet of
them. Greeters at the door are not only good for Wal-Mart, and acknowledging
customers by answering phones quickly and with a smile is just good business.
2- Make it Difficult to do Business With You.
Have you ever heard an employee say, "I just don't like
that Customer"? Customers shouldn’t
have to work at giving you their money. And they shouldn’t have a fight on
their hands if they need to return your product or are unhappy with your
service. If you make it hard on your customers someone else is always willing
to go the extra mile for them.
3- Display a Lack of Integrity.
Whether this is simply staff making excuses for poor service
or products, or engaging in sales or marketing practices that can be perceived
as deceptive, being a trusted and reliable business is an absolute essential.
No one likes to feel lied to or treated in a way that is less than honest.
4- Become Dull and Predictable.
This doesn’t mean sacrificing reliability and standards of
quality and excellence, but customers expect innovation. And people being
people, they are stirred by positive surprise and delight – just because your
business has been around for fifty years doesn’t mean it has to look and act
like it.
5- Don’t Listen to Your Customers.
We live in an age where product and company reviews are
being posted for posterity across the Internet, and perhaps on your company’s
own website. Therefore, it is critical for you to hear what your customers are
saying and respond. This can also mean reviewing relevant blogs, performing
regular market research and simply talking to your customers.
One of my Coaching Clients began conducting educational
seminars for her clients with the stated goal of providing valuable information
as a “bonus” to her normal services. However, in the Q&A portion of the
presentation she turns the tables on her audience by asking them key questions
with intent of ferreting out the issues and concerns of her clients that she
might not ever hear otherwise.
As part of our Coaching/Mentoring Process, we require that
our Clients regularly met with their entire staff to discuss customer
questions, tips and best practices, and to elicit ideas for innovations and
improvements to their services and products. The synergy of bringing together
the “frontline” employees with the management team with a focus on their
customers works to create an atmosphere and company culture that is
customer-centric and service oriented.
What a Customer Really Wants
While the customer may not always be right, there is one
cliché that cannot be discounted or ignored: The customer rules. And this means
that the needs, wants and desires of your customers must come first in
developing the processes and procedures of your client fulfillment realm. This
means that for many businesses changes will need to occur as they can no longer
afford to have “business as usual.”
For some this means making regular and ongoing efforts to
“listen” to their customers: What do they like about your business? What do
they like about your products? What do they like about your service? And,
perhaps more importantly, what is that they don’t particularly like?
Communication is vital and this implies intentionality and strategy on the part
of the business owner. For others it will mean taking pains to create a
customer-centric business model: one that takes into account the primacy of the
customer and recognizes that the product or the brand is not the focus.
The good news is that today’s business world is awash with
technology and new forums for conversation that allow you to not only engage
your customers and prospects, but to keep your finger on the “pulse” of your
customer base. And despite the vast number of choices and competition facing
not only you, but your customers, the opportunities are equally vast to win the
hearts—and loyalty—of your customers.
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