Growing your business in tough times can be difficult but it's not necessarily the tough economy that's to blame, but in fact, "tough customers".
Here's a few fast fact results from research:
- customers expect more and more from you every year.
- most customers have no loyalty to any particular business.
- A customer who encounters a "bad" experience will tell 13 people (on average)
- A customer who encounters a "good" experience will tell 9 others.
- Customer rage is on the increase - a bad experience will make them see red and just want to "get back at the business" - more than 1/2 of these customers are rating their rage in the top 1/2 of the scale.
What can we do about this?
Having a "Customer Service Strategy" is the key! Map out your customer touch points, implement customer strategies, monitor them, review them and improve them. Focus on the things you CAN control like "how well you look after your customers". This way, you make sure that any business being done in a "tough economy" is being done by YOU. All you need to do is "Stand out from the competition" - do it better than your competitors and your customers will choose you.
If there was a drought, you wouldn't waste water. Customers are in drought! Maximise the business you can do with that customer. Capitalise on opportunity. People who get it ... understand ti and put it into practise are making money! Take the time and trouble! If you give to your customers they will give back to you.
It's about the customer ALWAYS! Spend extra money, break a rule or break a policy – "we’ll do it" attitude.
Have a look at your policies. Are they customer friendly? If not ... why not?
Consider returns policies that do not require receipts. Honour an expired gift card. These changes may have a cost associated in the short term but are guaranteed to make you money in the long term.
Make your point of difference a Customer Advantage.
Regardless of the industry in which your business operates, we are ALL IN THE "CUSTOMER" BUSINESS.
(Lets test this)
- The only way you can succeed is to attract, make money from and retain customers? YES!
- What % of your profit comes from your customer? ALL OF IT!
- What % of your total revenue comes from your customers? ALL OF IT!
- Who pays your wages? THE CUSTOMER!
- Who do you work for? THE CUSTOMER!
- Who’s the boss? THE CUSTOMER!
HOW MANY PEOPLE GET THAT? Look at it like this!
- Here come my profits.
- That person pays my wages.
- Not about the sale, the product the service … it’s about the customer.
Your job is to create such a great shopping experience this Christmas that the customers are coming back to purchase for valentine’s day. Plan ahead.
We all need to become CUSTOMER DRIVEN!
Think carefully about this one ...
- Make your customer successful!
- Customer Service will not get you where you want to go. Service is what you do for your customer.
- What matters is what your customer needs you to do for them and what they expect you to do, what they want you to do. (I’ll dream up fantastic things that I think you’ll love but you’ll hate it).
- Give me what I want …. Not what you think I want.
Think about
satisfying our customers.
Satisfied customers are not loyal. 86% of customers who defect were satisfied with the business at the time of defecting.
Satisfy = getting what’s expected.
Think about “making our customers successful!”. When businesses see how important customers are, that’s when they see success.
- Ask people what they’re trying to achieve. This takes you out of the category of being an order taker.
- Make suggestions for purchases - engage in conversation. Find out what they really want.
- Listen to the voice of your customer. Customers will tell you everything you need to know.
- A complaint is an opportunity to rescue a customer and turn them around.
- A Complaint register is where you start.
- A list of FAQ and answers on your website can help to improve your business.
- What are your customers telling you that you are not hearing, not analysing so therefore not acting on?
- Surveys – this is where you ask your customers to tell you what you want to know. Hmmmmm??? Why not set up systems for your customers to tell you WHAT they want to tell you WHEN they want to tell you.
Compliment, complaint, suggestion or question!
Record it all!
Look at the feedback.
- Become "Customer Driven" – walk in your customer’s shoes. Discipline ourselves to think about what it’s like for the customer. If I was the customer what would I like?
You don’t want customers …. You want
believers!
A customer is someone who makes a decision with their head … "yeah … they were great, I just thought I'd give someone else a try". These people are not loyal.
The believer thinks with their heart!!!!!! They have an Emotional attachment and will actually feel guilty shopping elsewhere.
3 ways to grow your business are:
(1) get more customers
(2) grow and retain customers (Loyal Customers)
(3) Do as much business with believers as you possibly can. They won’t leave you.
The Key to turning customers into believers.
Focus on the customer experience.
1. We need to know what kind of experience the customer wants when we do business.
2. Where does the experience come from? Every time we touch with a customer. These are our "touch points". Map it out. At what point should you do what (on the map) to give the customer the experience THEY WANT?
3. How do you treat your customers? Do they feel like guests in your business? Do you treat them differently to the way you would if they visited you at home?
4. Each of us should treat our customers as if our future depends on it …. BECAUSE IT DOES!!!!!! Attitude is everything!
BUSINESS IS TOUGH ... BUT IT AIN'T COMPLICATED!
If you would like to participate in the same workshop with Dr Ian Brooks as I have experience last week, email me at rachel.ross@pmhc.nsw.gov.au and I'll make the arrangements. It's really worth it! Dr Brooks will teach you and your staff how to "Manage the Customer Experience", "turn your customers into believers" and "make more profit".
Let me know what you think about this. I'm interested in your feedback.
Kind Regards.
Rachel Ross
