It always surprises me that most companies never put themselves in their customers’ or prospects’ position.   I say this because I see so many companies that make doing business with them so hard.

For example, if someone calls your company and a telephone operator is their first contact, can that operator make a compelling response to the prospect or customer’s request?

When people come into your place of business, how well versed are your sales clerks?  How much time have you spent in preparing dialogues, questions, and advice for your people to use in interacting with your customers?

How easy is it to find things in your place of business?

How much do you take your customers and prospects for granted? 

By merely stepping outside your office and pretending like you are a prospect or customer, you should see a lot of the flaws in your operation.  Like the TV program, “Undercover Boss.”

Remember that once they are taken care of and remedied, you can dramatically improve your current and repeat business potential.

You should make sure that your place of business is inviting, informative, non-threatening, easy, educational and fun to do business with.  When this happens you will leave your competition in the dust.

Here’s a list of to do’s:

1. Educate your customers. You cannot educate too much.

2. Inform them.  Let them know what you are up to.

3. Make calling or coming in to your business desirable.

4. Make ordering easy.

5. Over deliver in your service.

I’ve always said, “Inspect what you expect.”   I always called my own offices to make sure the phones were answered the way I wanted them to be answered.  Have you done the same?

Have you called your own restaurant to make reservations and listened to the way your staff answered the phone and responded to you?  Try it sometimes. 

When you make the corrections you will see a remarkable difference in the growth of your business.

Let me know what you think.

Technorati Tags: customer experience, customer loyalty, Customer Retention, customer satisfaction, customer service, loyal customers, retaining customers, Undercover Boss

Every business owner and entrepreneur, knows that if they want to attract and retain more loyal customers, they need to provide high-quality customer service. 

Today, the successful ones focus heavily on communicating how valuable their customers are to the company. 

But the real question is—do they really value their customer? 

Each of us, at some point, has experienced a company telling us that we are a valued customer.  Yet we didn’t feel valued at all with the way the business communicated with us. 

Here’s an example—

I called a company to order one of their products and I had to enter what I call “the electronic triage system” where I was put on hold and every few minutes was told, “ Please stay on the line, your call is important to us.”

If you are like me, most of the time we hold awhile and then just hang up. 

Here are some tips for you.

1. Have a real, live person answering all of your calls.   If you can’t have someone answering the phones, then subscribe to a service where your message says that you will return all calls within one business day.  Then do it. 

2. Make sure you clearly understand the customer or prospects needs and priorities.  

3. If there is a problem, acknowledge it quickly, apologize and do your best to fix the problem to the customer’s satisfaction. 

4. Always keep your word and promises you make to your customers.  When you say you will do something, do it when you said you would do it. 

5. Never expect the customer to understand that you are busy or short staffed.  They won’t and actually they shouldn’t have to.

Right now you are probably thinking that this is obvious.  Unfortunately it’s not always practiced.

Without consistent and excellent customer care, customer loyalty is doubtful, especially in this Economy where buyers are also more cautious.

Now more than ever, every business must find ways to differentiate itself from its competition.  Customer service is one way to do that.  Think Tony Hsieh and Zappos.

Let me know your thoughts.

Technorati Tags: customer experience, customer loyalty, customer satisfaction, customer service, loyal customers, tony hsieh, zappos

I recently had an experience I want to share with you.  It could have turned out badly, but I want to share with you the way the problem was handled.

The week before Christmas I was visiting my daughter in California and we decided to have lunch in one of her favorite restaurants.  It is called, “the Grill on the Alley” and is located in Westlake Village, California. 

My daughter ordered a salad, and my wife and I ordered a chicken pot pie.  When they brought it over, my wife noticed a white string in the dough on the top of the meal.  I called the waitress over, told her about the string, and explained to her that this often happens if the chef uses the same towel to cover the meal while they are baking the top part.  (Of course, I got this information from my wife.)  They then brought over another freshly cooked chicken pot pie. 

It could have ended there but it didn’t.  The manager, Quin Anderson, came over to our table and apologized about the mishap and offered us complimentary deserts, which we declined.

When they brought the bill over to me, they had only charged us for one Chicken Pot Pie. This was the surprising part, since they had already brought us a new pie. 

As you know, “stuff” happens, no matter how good your intentions, how well you train, or how well you prepare.  So train your staff how to handle problems when they occur.

Obviously this restaurant had done so.  The waitress got the manager and he immediately tried to set things right.  When we turned down the dessert, he wanted to make sure that somehow we were “compensated” for the inconvenience.  So he went a step further and removed the charge for the meal. 

He was determined that we walk away with a good experience of his restaurant.

There is a good lesson here…no matter what the customer says when things go wrong, make sure that they leave you with an experience that makes them want to come back.  Don’t listen to the words that “everything is ok”.  Instead, create a good experience around what happened. The good experience is what will create a lifelong cutomer and grow your business through word of mouth.

If you are ever in Westlake Village, I recommend you visit the restaurant (www.thegrill.com ).   They also have a wonderful dinner menu. 

So, what is one of the memorable experiences you have had where you recommended a business because of how they handled a problem? Tell us in the comment section below.

Technorati Tags: customer experience, Customer Retention, customer satisfaction, lifelong customer, word of mouth

When I started my first company, it was a struggle.

Over the years I realized how difficult it was to create a customer, so I decided that I wanted to create companies that would keep customers longer and have them spend more with me. This way they would spend more money with me. I became very successful because of the relationship I built with my customers and I treated them all as dear friends.

After 5 years of doing this, I wondered why I was putting all the time and effort into building these companies. After some “quiet time” I realized it was because I had a “passion” for what I was doing. There were times I couldn’t wait to get into my office.

What is your passion?

You must find it if you don’t know what it is.

It will keep you motivated and keep you going in the bad times. We all dream, so it will keep your dreams alive and keep you on track in order to accomplish your goals.

There is an old saying, “without a driving passion, you will become one of the “95% group.” Those are individuals without dreams, ambitions, and goals.

I’d like to offer a suggestion…

Right now, this minute, list the 10 things you have always wanted more of. Then rank them in order of personal passion to you. Review that list and look for the one that jumps out at you and gets you in the gut. That’s the one that will change your entire life.

I promise you that when you find your driving passion, everything in your life will start happening faster and faster.

Now, let’s get to your customer’s “why”…

Why do your customers purchase from you? It could be because of the great service you give, the great product you offer, or it could be a multitude of things. Whatever it is, you must find out why they purchase from you.

Once you know why, your job becomes about how to satisfy that "why" in a way that gets your customers to be passionate about doing business with you.

This is probably something new for you to try. But trust me, when you create a passion in your customer for doing business with you, you will have created an advocate for your business and services. Passionate customers will do business with you over and over and will refer everyone they know to you.

So your objective in dealing with your customers is to create passion in them for what you do.

When you are passionate and your customers are passionate, can you think of a better way to do business?

Let me hear your ideas about this.

Technorati Tags: customer experience, customer loyalty, Customer Retention, customer satisfaction

Even though it’s one of the most powerful ways to build a business, most business owners don’t send out personal cards because they don’t know what to say or feel it doesn’t apply to them. Do they feel that their business is different from any other business?

Let me tell you.  It doesn’t matter what your business is, you depend on relationships and if your customers or clients aren’t staying with you over the years and referring your business, then there is a serious flaw in your system.

In order to create a bond, your customers need to be acknowledged, they need individual attention so that they feel they are genuinely appreciated.

Here are some ideas you can use when you send a card to build that relationship. 

1. After a consumer makes a purchase, send a “Thank You”: “It was a pleasure to serve you.  Our goal is to provide you with the best customer service you have ever experienced, so that you will return and refer all of your friends.  If we can help you in any way, please let us know.”

2. After a telephone Conversation: “Thank you for the time we spent today.  I just wanted to take this opportunity to ask you to let us know if we can help you in any other way.”

3. After receiving a Referral: “Thank you for referring (name).  It is an honor to serve your friends and family and you can be assured they will receive the highest level of attention and service possible.”

4. After a Networking Event: “I want to take this opportunity to say Thank You.  It was a pleasure meeting you at ABC yesterday.  Thank you for sharing your time and telling me about your company and what you offer.  I have been lucky to work with wonderful people like you.  If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know.”

5. Birthdays: “Happy Birthday Bob.  Its clients like you who make going to work every day a reason to celebrate.  Have a super day today and every day.  I appreciate you and wish you the very best.”  

6. Thanksgiving: “As this time of the year comes by, I reflect on all of the wonderful events and people in my life and think of you.  I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your business over the past year.  It is always a pleasure to serve you and I look forward to many more years of showing you my gratitude.”

I’m sure you can think of others like anniversaries and other special holidays and events.

A few cards a day will make such a difference.  You can have one of your employee’s take 30 minutes or so when they have a slow time.

These simple acts of kindness go a long way towards building that relationship with your customers and clients that lasts a lifetime and that leads to referrals.

Remember, replacing lost customers is very expensive and time-consuming.  Keeping them is inexpensive.

Let me hear your thoughts about this by clicking on the “Comment” link below and leaving your thought.

Technorati Tags: building loyalty, client loyalty, client retention, customer loyalty, Customer Retention, Getting Referrals, lifelong clients, Lifelong Customers, lifetime clients, lifetime customers, thank you cards

I personally feel that there is some sort of mediocrity that has infiltrated most businesses.  Needless to say, I hate shopping and only do it with my wife Barbara.  Over the last 6 months, I’ve created a list of some of the things I heard when shopping and that turned me completely off.  Here they are:

1. “If you purchase this item now, you will help me meet my quota for the month. “ It meant to me that this individual was not really successful and was using me instead of helping me with why I should purchase that item.  What he should have said was something like:  “This (whatever) has been very popular and our customers are excited about the results they are getting.”

2. “We can deliver your item sometime next week and will call you when we are in your neighborhood.”   This clearly showed that they were making it convenient for them rather than convenient for me.  Very selfish.  They should have said. “We can deliver this to you next week.  What day and time is convenient for you?”

3. “That’s not my department.”  They didn’t even tell me who or where to go to find my item.  They should have said: “I know the right person who can help you with that item.  Please come with me.”

4. “Oh my God.  It’s been so hectic for me this morning.  I barely made it to work, traffic was terrible, my Mom is sick and I had to take my dog to the vet, and my leg hurts.”  I didn’t want to hear about her problems.  I wanted to purchase what I was there for and get out.  All she had to say with a smile was, “Good morning, I’m glad to meet you.”

5. “You’re the first person who has complained about our service.”  This statement was made to make me feel inferior and to imply that I was a troublemaker and that the company could do no wrong.  He should have said,   “Even though we receive many compliments about our product, we know there is room for improvement, so I’m beholding to you for making me aware of the problem.”

6. Here’s another problem, one I encountered just this week while I was talking to a sales rep.  She said, “Tell me your name again and why you are here.”  It made me feel as if she didn’t listen to me in the first place.  We walked out and will never shop there again.  She should have said, “Mr. Varga, as I understand you, when you wife got home, she noticed a rip in the blouse where the security sensor was taken off. Right?   Then let me help you with that.”

7. When my wife wanted to exchange an outfit she bought for another one, she was told: “That’s against our policy.” Wow! Turned my wife completely off. She wasn’t asking for her money back, just to exchange to a different size.   The sales rep should have said: “Mrs. Varga, while that is against our policy, I believe we can find a way to accommodate your request.” Doesn’t that sound better?

8. Last but not least.  When we walked into a store we heard, “Sorry, it’s closing time; you can’t come in.”  This told me that this person wasn’t trained properly, as all of the above weren’t trained properly, and should have said, “As you can see, the store is closing now, but I will be happy to stay and help you.”

Could any of your reps be unknowingly telling your customers what they don’t want to hear?  Might you also say the wrong thing when you are having a “bad day”?  Or when you are rushed?  

How can you make sure this doesn’t happen in your business?  Let me know.

Technorati Tags: customer experience, customer loyalty, Customer Retention, customer satisfaction

Stop for a moment and ask yourself this question. “What is the purpose of any Business?”

Most individuals would say, “To Make a Profit.” Personally, I feel that is the wrong answer. It’s part of the answer, but not the answer. Profits are a result or an outcome of what we do and they only tell us if our business strategy and execution are viable.

Peter Drucker stated that, “concentrating on the belief that creating profits as a purpose was not only wrong, it could very well be harmful. “ He felt that it causes a business to make bad decisions and lose sight of those things that delight customers. He also said, “There is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer.”

The ultimate objective of a business is to satisfy customer needs and wants at a sustainable profit. The sustainable profit part is critical.

Customers are the ultimate asset for any profit making company. They really provide all of a company’s real value. Unfortunately, customers are one of the few aspects of a business that are not managed as an investment. We must always keep in mind that we must profitably provide a better solution for our customers than our competition.

There is an old saying, “A good salesman can sell anything once. The trick is getting them to buy again and again.” The reason I say this is because marketing gets translated most of the time into simply persuading someone to try something for the first time. Companies are constantly trying to change someone’s attitudes or behaviors.

Today’s customers buy competing products from multiple companies with seemingly no real loyalty. Therefore, the most important element in profits is designing ways to have your customers allocate a larger share of their wallets to you. In my Marketing Tips of the Week, and also this blog, I try to help you accomplish that.

So, in essence, the primary goal of marketing must be the creation of loyal, long-term customers out of first-time or occasional buyers. Accomplishing this requires a clear and precise understanding of what makes customers want to be loyal. Gathering and understanding customer needs is the job of marketing. Review the issues in my Marketing Tips of the Week that help you to accomplish this.

If you have any additional ideas to build loyalty, please comment.

Technorati Tags: business purpose, customer, customer creation, customer loyalty, Customer Retention, lifeling customers, profit, profits

Most everyone I know loves to have their birthday recognized. And even though you may already have created a database of your customers with their birthdays, here’s an idea that you can use for your social networking groups, be it Facebook or others that you are on.

Facebook, for example, makes it very easy for you to see, track, and remember all the birthdays of your entire community. In fact, there is a feature that I just found out about, where you can receive a weekly email notification of all upcoming birthdays of those in your community.

Here’s how. Go to your settings and click on “Account Settings”. Click the tab for “Notifications” and then click “Show More” under the first section. Then highlight the check box next to “Has a birthday coming up.”

I recommend setting up a systematic approach to sending out your birthday wishes. You can set aside a certain time each day in your calendar to log into Facebook and write on the walls of friends with birthdays that day. This shows that you care and can create visibility for you.

Be creative with your greeting. They will mean a lot to your followers.

I would love to hear some comments about additional ways you have found to use Social Networking sites like Facebook to build relationship with your community.

Technorati Tags: birthdays, Facebook, relationship building, Social Media

A few weeks ago, I had a very bad customer service experience.  I’ve known the owner of this restaurant since he was a kid helping his parents in their Deli.  Six weeks ago he opened his restaurant.  I’ve been there nine (9 ) times already with at least 6 people in our party.  

I’ve also recommended his restaurant to at least 100 other individuals.  In fact, when I spoke in front of an audience of 250 local business individuals, I mentioned how great the food was at this restaurant and that the audience should try it.

I’m usually the first of our party to arrive and normally I get a table and wait for the others to arrive.  This time I was told that their new policy “was to not seat anyone until all of the party arrives.” When I asked to speak to Antonio (name changed for privacy), the owner, I was told he was too busy in the kitchen. She said this without even checking to see if indeed he was busy in the kitchen.

When the others arrived 10 minutes later, I went to the hostess and said we were all here, and her response was, “Since the others were late they had to give our table away to someone else, and we’ll have to wait until another table opens up.”

Is this a way to Get Customers to Call, Buy and Beg for More?  Of course not!  But if the owner doesn’t inspect what he expects, his business will go downhill very quickly.  He is in an area where people vacation in the summer and is currently booked solid.  But after the vacation season, he will wish he had his constant patrons.

He is focused on efficiency instead of customer retention; on the quick buck without brand building for the long-term; on delegating without customer service in mind.

I expect him to be out of business within 1 year if he continues to operate his restaurant in this way.

Tell me what you think.

Technorati Tags: brand building, Customer Retention, customer service, local business, marketing brand, restaurant

At Disney, they found out that their maintenance workers were the company…in the eyes of the public.  It was the public’s viewpoint of the maintenance workers that gave them an image of what the company was really about.

Repeat business, a satisfied customer, and a positive word-of-mouth viral campaign, are the keys to a company creating and developing a stable and successful business. 

You must always remember that you are your company to your customers.  Their perception on their initial experience with you, will give them an image of whether or not to do business with you again.

Never underestimate the power and influence you have over your customers.  We all have a great deal of influence over whom we interact with.  We all can turn a person’s bad day into a good day.

Even complaints can turn an unhappy customer into a happy one.

How often do you come into contact with a grouch?  It seems they cross my path consistently.  I’ve embraced the notion that they are purposely put in my path to help me grow and to develop the patience I need for, not only my personal development, but also to try to influence them in such a way that I make them happy. 

I know what you are thinking.  Easier said then done.

We live in a very stressful world and have many demands on our time. Perhaps you can remember times you were at the end of your rope. 

Most of the time customers just want a kind word, an honest and pleasant greeting, or a sincere smile, and they will feel welcome and important.  

I’ve always said that my customers were my dearest friends.  I’ve been in many restaurants and retail stores thru my life, and I’ve observed sales people, clerks, or waiters and waitresses, going through the motions of their jobs, almost sleep walking, and then a friend or another customer they know comes in and they perk up, smile and come alive.  What a metamorphosis!

I’m sure you have seen the same thing in your life. 

We all share the same basic human needs and desires.  All of us, whether we are a customer or client, need to feel important.  We don’t want to be just another customer.  We all want to feel recognized and treated as someone important.  All of us want this. 

Think about what this could do to your bottom line. 

Treat everyone like your best friend and make their first impression of you the best experience they have ever had.

Let me know what you think of this and how it applies in your company.

Technorati Tags: Disney, first impression, happy customers, repeat business, satisfied customer, word of mouth