1. Talk to your customers and listen even when they complain – your customers have opinions and very valuable feedback that you should not miss out on as most are all too ready to give it to you if you would only listen. The best thing about this option is it is geared to making their life easier to spend money in your store, in your business. To get things from you. After all that is why there are there in the first place. They only bother to complain if they would be remotely interested in your product or service hoping you can improve it for them so next time it is a better experience. If they couldn’t be bothered to complain then they are easily lost to your next competitor and that’s that. Create the strategy to talk to your customers and listen to what they have to say about your products, services, business and anything else for that matter. There is alot you might be able to learn from it that could make the difference in your business and put that smile in their face and your bank balance.
2. “See it from their point of view” – “I am not interested in your widget, I am interested in what your widget does for me”. Be careful about selling your widget, product, service thinking that is what makes the difference in getting your customers interested. No. They have a need. You have a product or service that is going to fulfil that particular need and solve the problem they have. So don’t sell widgets or products or your lovely “ironing service”….. sell the solution or benefit your service brings such as less time to do something, put your feet up and do something else while someone takes care of your ironing.”
3. Hold your side of the bargain- ok your customer has handed over their hard earned cash in return for the promise of a fast delivery or a quick and prompt service or a product just as described in the brochure. Should they get anything less. No they should not ! Hold your side of the bargain and ensure they get exactly what you promised to provide them when you sold them the service and took their money.
4. Do it right the first time – There is nothing that annoys customers more than extended transactions that take “forever” for one reason or the other. You sent the wrong product or you can and did not complete the job correctly the first time and will have to finish or come another day, inconveniencing them so that you can complete what you should have done the first time around. In exterme cases you never even finish it properly at all and they constantly forever complain that you did a half ass job. Get it right the first time and deliver the product or service you are providing completed and done as you said you would and intended to the first time. There might be that scenario that comes up everything now and then that may scupper this but it should you always aim for even with a backup plan to getting the job done once.
5. Make it easy to get what they want – I once remember going to an online shop and a famous one at that and it was so difficult to get the product they had in their store ordered. Navigation, shopping cart the whole experience was terrible and it was difficult to get what I wanted when I was shopping. Funnily I wrote them and email and said if they did not change they would be out of business very soon. They didn’t and yes they went out of business. I have come to you and want your services, your products… why are you making it difficult for me to get them. Don’t you want my money if you do make it easy for the customer to get what they want. Your services and products should be easily explained, order-able, paid for making it easy for the transaction to happen between you and the customer.
The bonus tip to make the smile bigger is “Delight your customer by talking it one step further” – set expectations and look for every opportunity to exceed it. A customer orders standard delivery of 4-5days look for opportunities to ship it to them in 3days for no extra charge. I remember hiring this painter for a job to do some painting on the walls of a room and I forgot to talk about the skirting boards. When the job was done he came and said its done and oh yeah also did your skirting boards for you for no extra charge. This put a big smile on my face. Taking it one further step really works well and turns that smile on your customer to one that is from ear to ear and simply eager to do business with you again.
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