When trying to reach new customers and grow our businesses, it’s important that we make sure we’re taking the time to understand what our customers truly value.
Sales and marketing techniques sure are great, but the real fortune is in the friendship. Whether somebody buys from me or not, I want them to leave thinking, “Wow, that guy was really nice. He was friendly, and he was there to help me.”
When you focus on being a friend in the business world, people will really resonate with that, and they’ll come back time and time again.
Today, let’s talk about 10 different things customers really care about so you can create relationships that’ll last a lifetime.
Imagine, for just a moment, that you’re the owner of a dog.
You work all day, you come home, you open the door, and you’re greeted by a smiling, happy pup. You get down on your knees, just as excited, and give your pet a big hug.
Do you treat your customers the same way? Are you just as excited when they walk in the door? I’m not saying you should greet them with a bear hug and a belly rub, but it’s a lot easier to make a difference in someone’s life if you’re excited.
You want to focus on creating some sort of wow factor. How are you going to make things memorable in your business? You could do it with a joke, with a catchy slogan, with unparalleled customer service — you can do this a multitude of ways, but at the end of the day, you want to have people walking out your door saying, “Wow, I can’t believe they just did that for me. I can’t wait to tell my friend about this place.”
There’s a difference between a loyal customer and a satisfied one. If they’re satisfied, they might go to a similar business to get the same service. But if they’re loyal, they’ll always come to you, and convince others to do so as well.
In addition, you should be loyal to your customers as well. For example, don’t neglect one because another may have more money — give the same level of great service to everyone who walks in your door.
Remember: Relationship building is never a one-way street.
I said this in last week’s podcast, but the brand is you. The brand is your team, the brand is what people and customers see and hear when they come in. The brand is a representation of the people who are delivering it. And we’d rather our brand make people happy than sad, right?
So are you using common courtesies like, “Thank you for calling. Do you mind if I put you on hold?” Or is it more of a, “What’s up. Hold on a sec.”
A little kindness and some common courtesy go a long way in building a brand’s reputation.
It’s incredibly important to have your people trained and give them the ability to speak true to your business in a compelling way.
This is vital during times where your customers might be a little hesitant to move forward, and in order to show them that they should, you have to be able to help someone make a decision through your words and actions.
In order to establish friendly relationships, you’ve gotta make people smile.
If you put people in a good mood, they’re more likely to do business with you. And if you do that, your customers become your best prospects. Just think about it: They’re already doing business with you. They know the benefits. They like you. They respect you, use your services, and return your calls. That’s the ideal situation.
All the business you need is right in front of you. Instead of trying to carve into a competitor’s market, focus on having your customers spread the word about your greatness. If you bring smiles and laughter into their day, you’ll find they might just do this without you having to ask.
You’ve gotta make sure your team is prepared. There are tangible and intangible things about preparation. The tangibles are the number of leads, appointments, calls — things like that.
But the intangibles are just as important: things like your team’s attitude or how they present themselves. You’ve gotta be prepared, you’ve gotta be dressed to impress, and you’ve gotta look at yourself in the mirror and see someone you’d wanna be friends with looking right back at you.
If you’re not prepared, your customers will know. If you can’t answer their questions, they might walk out the door to find someone else who can.
Humor will always give you the chance to create a sense of lightheartedness in someone’s day. It’s important that we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and a little tasteful humor can allow us to relate to our customers on a more personal level.
Plus, everyone loves to laugh.
You’ve always got to be looking for new and creative ways to do business and connect with people. What worked 5 years ago probably wouldn’t work today, and you don’t wanna risk driving customers away by remaining stuck in the past.
Take a look at what others are doing to achieve success. Stay on top of relevant trends, or try to create your own. Don’t be afraid to try new things. If you fail, learn from it, and try again.
You know the story of the Red Sox? Their climb from the bottom of the barrel was no easy feat, but eventually, they ended up beating the Yankees. It was a tremendous victory, and it happened because the Sox believed in themselves. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t have won — it’s really as simple as that.
You’ve gotta believe in what you’re doing and what you’re trying to accomplish. If you don’t, people will know, and they won’t believe in it either.
When we think of great and successful entities in the world like Disney, the Ritz Carlton, or Nordstrom, we often think of the first-class service they provide.
Whether it’s something as small as walking around the counter to hand you your bag of clothes or ensuring the space is free of debris, aiming to provide first-class service will make your customers feel exceptional.
Create exceptional experiences whenever and wherever you can, and you’ll find that doing business and getting new customers becomes easier and easier.
You might’ve heard me say this before, but “If it’s gonna be, it’s up to me.”
What that means is that you need to take responsibility, and you need to take action. Success is great people delivering a great service with great systems in place. You need all three in order to create unparalleled value for your customers.
I hope some of my thoughts on customer values were valuable to you. Share them with your team, let me know what you all think.
Best of luck as you go for the gold with your great service, your great systems, and your great people.
If you’re looking for more information about customer values, tune into this week’s episode of my podcast.